Every weekday morning church is open from 9am for prayer, everyone is welcome to join us by coming in through the vestry door at the side of church.
On Wednesday morning I was running late for morning prayer, I had overslept as I had stayed up until 3am waiting for news that my daughter Lydia had landed safely in Uganda.
As I drove up the A59 I could see a man lying in the road. Thankfully all the traffic had stopped and two men Barry and Josh from Rawsthorne landscapes had stopped to help the man, who had tripped off the curb.
As I got nearer I realised that the man was one of our luncheon club folk and so I drove into The Acorns to assist Barry and Josh. We called for an ambulance and I sent word to Vicky and Peter in the Ministry Centre, who within a few minutes came to wait with us until the ambulance arrived. It was amazing to see how many people from The Acorns came to check we were ok, an off duty police officer who happened to be walking her baby and dog along the A59 also came to check the man’s injuries before the ambulance arrived. Thankfully what potentially could have been a very nasty accident resulted in the man having a few cuts and bruises and I am pleased to say he has now recovered.
As I have contemplated this incident over the last few days I have been aware of just how often God places people in the right places just at the right time, often without us realising it. My unusual oversleeping was certainly for a reason. It also reminded me of the well-known parable that Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. We read in Luke’s Gospel of a Good Samaritan who tends the wounds of a man that other people have passed by. A Good Samaritan is described as the one who shows unselfish compassion to a stranger in need. Barry and Josh were Good Samaritans on Wednesday and thankfully unlike the parable this priest didn’t pass by.
What was demonstrated on Wednesday was compassion and love in action; it shows there are people who do care.