When you spend much of your life in the engine room, it’s good to be allowed to take a turn on the promenade deck and have a chance of admiring the view. In fact there have been a couple of moments this week when glimpses of an brave and interesting future for our church have come into view. I had a meeting this evening with a group of people all aged under 45 – only in a church would that be classified as young – and they came from a wide range of backgrounds. We talked about how they came to belong and why – about faith and belonging and welcome and membership. And we looked at the future – about how worship which involves people has links to all the other dimensions of life and ministry. I suppose that what was most encouraging was how positive they were – and how little interest they had in defending or protecting anything. As if the very act of moving forward is in itself what builds and sustains Christian community. Hopeful.
Meanwhile, Irish politics never disappoints – particularly the desire to establish an Irish connection for all American politicians. The Irish Times today reports that ‘Research has revealed that Barack Obama, an Illinois senator and Democrat hopeful for the 2008 presidential elections, is descended from a shoemaker in Moneygall, Co Offaly.’ So that’s all right then. Normal service sustained.