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The weakness of lions (27 April)

Today’s Thought for the Week comes from Sean Fountain, who is a member of EBA Council and minister at Pier Avenue BC in Clacton.

The Weakness of Lions

The lion is known as the King of the Jungle.  It has a fearsome reputation.  Once, I was stood near a lion enclosure at a zoo when a male lion was growling.  The noise it created vibrated throughout my whole body, it is an experience I will never forget.

In Buddhism, the symbol of the Lion is used to represent the noble qualities to be gained through Buddhist practice. The lion is seen as a guardian beast.

In my time with the Bible recently, there was a phrase in the Psalms that caught my attention;

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

(Psalm 34 vs. 10)

Despite it’s awesome reputation, a lion can become weak and helpless.  A lion can only keep going for so long, before it’s strength fails.  What is true for the lion is certainly true for something with less strength – me.

I was originally due to take a Sabbatical in September 2020!  In hindsight….. well, you don’t need me to rehash what happened next.  My rescheduled Sabbatical began in January 2022.  Until I stopped, I had not appreciated just how weak and hungry I really was.

A Sabbatical is not a luxury nor a holiday.  It is a privilege.

For me, it has been a time of seeking.  Seeking the presence of God.  Seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  A time of soaking, in the presence of God and being nourished by the goodness of God.

Of course, not everyone reading this will have this privilege.  But, read on….

One of the things that I feel the Church has done badly, is teach and practice Sabbath.  I am old enough to remember the days before the shops began trading on a Sunday.  I remember the campaigns to “keep Sunday Special.”

Whilst I would not want to go back to the “never smile on a Sunday” approach, I wonder if there is something that we need to rediscover?

Without it, even the strongest amongst us become weaker.

So, I wonder

What does Sabbath look like to you?

How do you practice and share it?