The recent sunshine and warmer weather have encouraged me to consider spring planting. I remembered I’d been given packets of seeds for Christmas… In our garden-shed I discovered parsnip, beetroot and lettuce seeds… and a ‘growbar’… which I misread as ‘crowbar’.
Closer inspection revealed that the growbar is tomato seeds ‘in a bar of fertile coconut fibre’. I shall water it, put in the greenhouse, and hopefully the seeds will grow into plants that will produce lovely tomatoes.
A crowbar however is a metal lever that exerts force, lifting or separating things.
Yesterday’s grand ceremony officially installed Bishop Sarah Mallally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. In her first sermon as Archbishop, she spoke of good things that churches are doing with foodbanks and shelters for the homeless; she spoke warmly of Christian hope. She also spoke of complex moral and spiritual challenges – assisted dying, racism, care for the sick and vulnerable, our response to international war and those fleeing war and persecution…
Bishop Sarah is called to be a growbar, enabling churches and communities to grow, flourish, be fruitful; she is to be a crowbar exerting force and leverage for good.
Yesterday’s news showed Nathan Newby receiving the George Medal from King Charles in recognition of his bravery… In 2023 Newby was being treated at St James’ Hospital in Leeds. Going outside for a vape he saw a man – Mohammad Farooq – fidgeting, looking anxious. Newby discovered that Farooq had a bomb with 10kg of explosives. Newby spent the next two hours persuading Farooq not to detonate the bomb and to give himself up.
Nathan was a growbar – showing kindness and care to Farooq, and almost certainly saving many innocent lives. Nathan was a crowbar – using gentle force to lever Farooq away from his bomb and evil intentions.
Musing… Bishop Sarah… Nathan Newby…
Praying for friends, family and myself to be…
a growbar – providing an environment for growth, flourishing and fruitfulness…
a crowbar – being a positive force, a lever, for good.
malcolmsmusings.org 