Home Delivery

Life has changed for us this week. For years we’ve had a daily newspaper delivered. Our local newsagent has stopped home deliveries…

As a child I remember… the milkman delivered milk, the baker delivered bread, the butcher delivered meat, the coalman delivered coal, the grocer delivered groceries… paperboys delivered papers… Often with ‘Cash on Delivery’.

Over the years these specialist trades and deliveries have gone. Ending paper deliveries seems like the end of an era…

Of course we still do get deliveries. Our local supermarket will deliver; fast food outlets will deliver pizzas, burgers or curries. We can order virtually anything online – clothes, books, household appliances… there will be home delivery.

In the Conservative party leadership contest the question isn’t ‘What are Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss promising?’ but ‘Can they deliver these promises?’… Will there be ‘home delivery’ – promises delivered that will help homes and families?

Midwives continue to deliver – both hospital and home deliveries. I learnt this week that Norfolk and Suffolk NHS trust is using the term ‘birthing people’ instead of ‘mothers’ or ‘women’. I don’t know whether to be amused or angry. I think Rachel would rather be called ‘Mum’ than ‘Birthing Person’ by our children.

De-liver originally means ‘to rescue’ or ‘set free’… ‘Liver’ has the same origin as ‘liber’ – as in liberate – meaning free. ‘De’ means ‘completely’… so the midwife sets the baby completely free from its mother…

With any delivery there is a ‘from’ and a ‘to’. The bottle of milk, pizza or newspaper is delivered from the tradesman – it’s set free; it’s delivered to the home where the customer benefits from its freedom.

One Biblical picture of God is ‘The Deliverer’: ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer…’ (Psalm 18:2) ‘O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer who shields my head in the day of battle…’ (Psalm 140:7)

This God delivers from distress, fear and insecurity to freedom, peace, and security. I like to think He does home delivery too!