Twice in the past week I have heard quotes from the same book, 3 mile an hour God.
The first was at a health care chaplaincy research conference run by Health Care Chaplaincy Network. The speaker was the practical theologian John Swinton from Aberdeen University, on the theme of finding room for God. The second was this morning at Hodge Hill Church when our vicar Al talked about it in the context of the Emmaus Road story of Jesus meeting 2 disciples (Luke 24:13-35).
It is an old book, and the argument is that as Jesus was always walking and walking pace is 3 miles an hour, then this is the speed God works at. And we complain that sometimes God does not seem to be walking or working fast enough!
Honest Christianity is remembering that sometimes we are not walking in step with God. We are sometimes running ahead, passing people, not taking time for the small important things, time to notice expressions, quietly spoken words, conversations with God at a pace to have time and opportunity to reflect , contemplate, and ponder.
Perhaps it is a reminder that it is not Lent that we give or take things up, it seems to be a time to go slower post Easter as well.
Reference:
Kosuke Koyama Three mile an hour God. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1980.
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