Support

The rectory’s clothesline broke this past week.

In fairness, it was an old line that had been showing signs of wear and tear both in the line and the wheels. And of course once wear begins, we know it’s easier for wear to continue – and that process can in fact be accelerated because of the wear.

The line is also strung through an overhanging tree, whose branches prevent about half of the line from being used. So every wash that was hung meant a disproportionate weight dispersal.

Alas: I hung a load of laundry, only to go out and find it on the ground, the line snapped neatly in two. Recognising this as an inconvenience, not a crisis; I reflected on the line.

The basic premise was that the support was gone. A clothesline can have a failure at any time, based on one point. If the upright pole had fallen, or the screws fastening the wheels come loose, or the line wore through – gravity takes over.

Our lives can be like that too, when we limit ourselves to singular points of contact and support. Our relationships may wear and tire, they may loosen, they may bear uneven weights. This is not judgment, but the practicalities of life. And this does not mean that they will break, nor does it mean that they can’t be mended.

But with Christian community, we are blessed with a different type of support: we live in a web of interconnections, a network of many points of contact. We become a system of support, being upheld by the others in our community while we are involved in upholding them. Because we have chosen to weave our lives together as the church, we are all upheld by God.

And so we acknowledge that life sometimes throws a lot of wear and tear at us; but by God’s grace we do not break.

And we realise that life can loosen what were strong bonds; but by the love of Christ we remain connected.

And we delight in the opportunity to be repairers for others in their journey, giving thanks that the Spirit moved (and moves!) others to support us.

The kingdom of God is one of shared support and mutual benefit. What a privilege to be a participant in this celebration of support.