Scientists have discovered that an ordinary little spider, one we have all seen hundreds of times, is actually a very adept sailor.  This humble little spider has been sailing over ponds and rivers and creeks for thousands of years.  Faith is the key that enables us to see the wonders of the Creation as well as the love of its Creator.  For some, that is delusional, fantasy as it were. But faith is far from that. 

And so we are being ‘let out’. Our weeks of isolation are gradually being eased and we can see that there may be an end to this stage of the dreadful virus. There is a sense of relief and growing optimism. But it has been a time of contrasts … So what have we learned so far?

What will the Spirit call you to do today? What will the Spirit ask of you? How will the Spirit inspire you today?  These are encouraging questions at the same time as being challenging. 

Don’t we love a challenge? We watch them on all sorts of programs on TV and other media platforms. The weekly footy is usually laced with the language of challenge, the survival of the fittest. Reality TV even makes a cooking show a challenge and pretending to survive in a jungle. Video games are designed to challenge the player at many levels. We humans like to think of ourselves as dominant in just about every aspect of life.

The shelves are empty – no tinned food, no cleaning fluids, no toilet paper, then no meat, no bread, just shelves rapidly being stripped bare. And some very angry people, abusing fellow customers and checkout staff. Not a pretty picture. What does that say about us? Just a few short weeks ago we were congratulating ourselves on such a generous, compassionate response to the victims of the bushfires. And now this.