Rambling for Kirwan Uniting Church Keep in Touch pew sheet for 17 January 2020

If you frequent a well-known social media site, you might have read that Leisa and I have bought only our second mattress since we moved to Australia, 25 years ago. That first one, from Forty Winks Nunawading who, along with IKEA, furnished (and still furnish) much of our home, was supposed to last 8, and certainly no more than 10, years. 25 years was pretty good going.The new one (Forty Winks Townsville Domain, we’re nothing if not loyal ðŸ˜Š ) is 15cm or so deeper than our old friend. Which introduces a problem for stooping-down-averse old geezers when I want to tie shoelaces from my usual edge-of-the-bed shoelace-tying station. So Leisa has moved a little folding step to my side of the bed, upon which I place (1) the sock and/or shoe which I want to wear, and (2) the foot which is to go into it.

In Isaiah 61, God says that heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool. Much hymnody portrays Jesus, God the Son, stooping down to this footstool earth to raise us up to heaven. Just a few weeks ago, “He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all.” And my old mate Bishop Tim Dudley-Smith,

“O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven,

O Prince of life, in all your saving power,

O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given,

we bring our thanks for this the present hour.”

Look out in a future service for the song from which those lines come.

I’m grateful to Leisa for repurposing that little folding stool, but even more to God whose Son stooped down to his footstool to raise me up.

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