The front lawn of our house is a bit of a mess. Weeks of rain, followed by a period of busyness and illness means it is sadly neglected at the moment.
Over the last couple of days I have been clearing the flower beds and trimming the hedge, but I really don’t like tackling the lawn. It is steep and awkward.
Yesterday I took some time out from work and just sat on the steps in the sunshine. It was wonderful. As I sat there I became aware of bees, caterpillars and ladybirds. The bees and other insects were visiting all the flowers that have grown in the lawn – primroses, forget-me-nots, daisies and dandelions.
If we had a perfect lawn, there would be no pollen to attract the wildlife. And the garden would lose much of its beauty. I may not have a lawn to boast of, but I do have food for wildlife, and some beautiful flowers.
Looking at the daisies and dandelions I realised just how beautiful they are. But you have to go close up to see it. From a distance it looks scruffy and unkempt. But, in the sunshine, those flowers are stunning.
It got me thinking about church and about people. I have been leading church services and other events for a long time. So often, we strive for perfection. Hymns and songs that complement the readings, that segue into worship, a speaker who doesn’t stumble over their words, speaks for exactly the right length of time and on exactly the right topic.
When we look at people, do we want to take a metaphorical lawnmower to the scruffy ones, the ones that make our churches less than perfect? The gruff ones, the ones that refuse to conform, the ones who sing off key, who sit in the wrong pew?
I believe that we should allow our church to be a bit scruffy, a bit unkempt, less than perfect. Because, when you look closely, it is beautiful.
God, Life and Me 