If I can’t use gratuitous sex images, then how about a gratuitous picture of a pint of beer…
…to grab your attention, seeing how important drinking is in so many people’s lives. For example, the other day we took Alice to get the bus for her French exchange trip (to France). As usual, the bus was due to leave “prompt” at 0630 so we’d all got up at some unearthly hour to be there at 0600 ready for boarding at 0615 as requested. Incidentally I’m not sure why we bothered, because – as is always the way - there were half a dozen kids (and one teacher!) who turned up at gone half past. Of course these laggards were the ones who the 0600 start was aimed at but; as is the way of the world, the punctual ones of us paid the punishment of kicking our heels for half an hour in the freezing cold, whilst the foot-draggers had extra time in bed and turned up late anyway. Anyhow, I digress.
So whilst we were waiting in the freezing cold, the ubiquitous wag amongst the throng commented, “why do they always do this at 6 in the morning? If they’d waited ‘til 11.00 we could have all gone straight down the pub, and had a drink, wohaaay!”.
Wohaaay, indeed I thought….. NOT. I considered saying “and if it had been at 9.00 on a Sunday we could all have gone straight to church and prayed together for them to have a good trip whoohooo!” I thought better of it, since the gathered throng of villagers would be likely to chase me out of town with flaming torches if I had.
I’m an ex rugby player so I used to like drinking – a lot, and when I drank I liked to drink a lot! I don’t any more, I’ll have the odd glass of wine, but that’s about all. So I completely understand the “let’s go down the pub wohaay” mind set, whilst finding it just a little sad, because now I don’t drink, I don’t miss it at all. In particular I don’t miss the cocky loudmouth I used to be when I’d had a few (what’s that, I’m always a cocky loudmouth? Well you should meet the total pain in the neck I used to be), and I especially don’t miss those head-thumping, gut-wrenching, birdcage-mouth mornings.
Jesus and his followers were known to like more than the odd sip of wine. In fact Jesus himself was accused of being a bit of a drunkard. But after they had finished their Passover meal, Jesus asked them to go with him to pray. Luke writes in chapter 22:
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Jesus asked His disciples to pray but after their supper they were a bit, how do the papers put it, “tired and emotional”. They knew something was wrong, but hadn’t understood that Jesus wouldn’t be with them much longer. When even they at such an important time found prayer so difficult to fit in, it should be no surprise we do too. If nothing else this Easter, let us all find some prayer time in our busy lives.
Simon Nicholls