That’s Her In The Corner.
I like to sit in the corner, or at the very edge of church congregations. I sit quietly and watch the people move to and fro. Greeting one, chatting to another. And over time you can get a sense of who is connected to whom in a church set-up. We can see the choir people come in from their different directions and from their different social circles and they will all eventually congregate toward the choir area.
We can see the musicians all come along and start to congregate toward the music area of the church, saying Hi to all their friends and acquaintances as they meander along. I can see the little groups of older folk who like to sit in the same seats, and with the same friends, every week. And they sit there week after week, well, just because that’s what they have always done.
And every church has their own versions of the same routines that I have mentioned.
But, sitting in the corner is a very dangerous place. There are very astute and watchful people in churches who know how to look out for the quiet ones. And they will make a point of saying hello to you.
In the Book of Ruth Ch 2, Ruth, who came from the neighbouring country of Moab, asked her mother-in-law of she could go to the fields and glean for some corn which had been left behind in the corners by the harvesters. It was one of the laws of Moses that the harvesters were not to reap from the corners of a field. These were to be left for the poor and the passing strangers….
Leviticus Ch23 (22) "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.'
And Ruth did this so as to provide food for her and Naomi. But – She was noticed…
Ruth Ch2 (4) Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The LORD be with you!" "The LORD bless you!" they answered. (5) Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, "Who does that young woman belong to?" (6) The overseer replied, "She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.”
Fearing that she would be asked to leave the fields she pleaded Boaz if she would be allowed to stay and reap some more grain…
Ruth Ch2 (7) She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter." (8) So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me.
And so the story of Ruth was set in motion. (Read my previous blog called “Big Doors Swing On Wee Hinges” for this story).
Just because we sit in the corners does not mean that God allow us to stay there. He sees us. And he knows us. We may be in pain and hurting. Or we may we may simply just be solitary people. Introverted, and contented with our own company. And we prefer to stay quietly on the side-lines. But God has a story for us to tell.
I’m not sure why I prefer to sit quietly in the corner. But I think that it’s because I do not want to have any more disappointments should I make a mistake, or disappoint, or offend someone unintentionally. Church people can be very sensitive when it comes to having their feelings hurt.
However, those of us who sit in the corners are actually prime candidates for doing certain types of work in our churches and organisations. We see opportunities that other mainstream church workers maybe don’t see. Maybe we have got over old hurts and pains which other people are just beginning to feel and struggle with. And they may need help or guidance. Maybe a young christian is struggling with making sense of the Bible, or the christian life. They might need help and a supporting hand in something that they are dealing with.
The old job of being a lighthouse keeper was the loneliest job in the world. But it was to the lighthouse that every single passing ship looked to. And sometimes that’s all we need to be. A single solitary person, in a single solitary place, that passing Christians can look to and get their reference point for their own christian walk with God. And it might only take a simple conversation for them to be contented and back on their way again.
So if an elder, or church member, or group leader comes to you for a chat, be open to them as they chat. They may be looking for someone to help with something in the church background. They may want you to come along and collect the hymnbooks, straighten the chairs, tidy up the café tables, talk to others who sit in the corners also. There is always plenty of work to do in the corners of the field.
While Ruth worked in her corner of the fields she was providing food her herself and Naomi. And Boaz noticed her. And Jesus will notice you too. He knows all His followers. And He will come to talk with us at some point. Whatever happens in the corner doesn’t always stay in the corner.
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand.
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us are sent from heav’n above;
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love.
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