Hurrying

‘The shepherds said to one another “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about”. So they hurried off... ’ (Luke 2: 15-16)

It is not only shepherds who are hurrying at the moment. It feels as if almost everyone is dashing about in the hectic pre-Christmas rush. I read this morning that the roads are expected to be somewhat busy today as folks engage in what the headline described as the ‘great Christmas get-away’ (is that a thing?). They are hurrying off to be with family (or to escape, perhaps?). People are hurrying to the shops to get last minute presents and food. Ministers are hurrying to get their Christmas services completed.

There’s a lot of hurrying going on!

For myself I hope that in the midst of all the hurry I may still find some time for pausing and pondering and praying. Time to rest and remember and reflect.

I hope you can find such time too.

But hurrying is not always a bad thing!

If we risk being late, it is much better to hurry than to loiter.

We would expect emergency response vehicles to hurry to or from any incident and not hang about.

And if we are in danger of missing something, then hurrying is essential.

The shepherds hurried off because it was important that they see this thing of which they had been told. It was important and urgent. They would not want to miss this!

It was not something that they could dare to put off until another time.

Can we be in danger of putting things off? Of tarrying, loitering or waiting when in fact there is something terribly important and urgent that needs done or seen or decided that cannot wait or ought not to wait?

When God speaks or calls or acts and we are invited to respond, it is not time for hanging about and dithering! It is a time for hurrying to make our response.

I cannot keep putting off that to which God is calling me, or that to which he is directing me.

It is time to hurry up!