The Dean

How’s your bank balance? The answer to that question may well indicate how you’re feeling about life in general.
Glossy magazines seem obsessed by exhortations to have balanced diets; to sustain a balanced life of exercise, rest, and being stress free.
On Christmas Eve some year ago I was felled by an acute attack of vertigo. Just what the vicar needs when he’s about to celebrate midnight mass. They had to cart me off to the hospital to stem the nausea even when lying flat. Not a pleasant affliction.

Balance. The equilibrium of life depends on it. When things become unbalanced in almost every aspect of human life we are in deep trouble. The overwhelming world concern at the moment seems to be the precarious imbalance in nature that has come about by our misuse of the earth’s resources. Predictions about the future are dire unless we take immediate, drastic and decisive action. The predictions are not good.

In his first letter to the young man Timothy, St Paul describes what he considers to be the mark of ‘a good minister of Christ Jesus.’ After criticising as ‘hypocritical liars’ those who give false teaching by forbidding certain people to marry or ordering them to abstain from certain foods which God created and should therefore be received with thanksgiving he goes on to say … ‘everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:1-8 f). He even goes on to say …’physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Now how many modern health gurus can go that far with confidence?

Easter teaches us an awful lot about the sense of balance God requires of us in life. The Easter message of the church is about new life both here and in the hereafter. It is therefore about maintaining a total balance of our lives as body, mind and spirit. Jesus, Christians believe, is both God and man in a relationship which is a total mystery but a mystery that reveals to us this essential balance we must all have in life.

The church sustains this balance in its day by day, week by week rhythm of life inviting anyone and everyone to participate in this great concerto of life which God himself has both composed and conducts. The very heart of the Eucharist is a fine balance between word and sacrament, as we first of all read, reflect on and celebrate the word of God in scripture. Some describe this as ‘breaking’ the word. Then we move to the ministry of the sacrament; breaking the bread and taking the wine, all part of the proclamation of the wonder of the balanced life God pours upon us unreservedly, unconditionally.

Day by day and week by week our ‘lectionary’ or the ordered balanced pattern of scripture reading enables us to reflect healthily on God’s revelation of himself down the ages giving insights into God at work in our lives NOW.

Lent is over. Alleluia! Now use Eastertide to reflect upon the balance of your life. It’s all about God’s new life which is something we experience everyday if our spiritual eyes are open. Body, mind AND spirit is the human condition and we and the world around us can only be in full health when all three are in balance.

A very happy, healthy and holy Easter to you all.

Alan Hayday