Darrell and Lucy Holmes with Jed and Jessie
PASTOR’S PATCH
Our Pastor is Rev. Darrell Holmes. He trained for the ministry at London Bible College (Now called the London School of Theology) and at Spurgeon’s College. Darrell is married to Lucy with two children, Jed and Jessie.
Here is Darrell’s message for this month -
A Glimpse Through God’s Eyes.
I recently went with my wife, Lucy, to the Maternity Section in Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to have a scan of our unborn twelve-week-old child. Shortly after our arrival, we were seeing clear images of our baby on screen. The head, the arms and the legs all clearly visible. We could even see it jumping around, waving, as if to attract our attention! One day in a few months time, God willing, we will see our child face to face.
The progress in maternity scans has certainly come on in leaps and bounds in the last decade. With out first child, Jed, the scan was smudgy and generally indistinct. The image we were given, and still treasure, is of his head and in place of his nose what appears to be a large cherry tomato. At the time we laughed and wondered if he was destined to be a clown.
But this time around we were seeing clear images of child number three and I felt that we were getting a glimpse of this unborn child through the eyes of God. As the Psalmist sings in praise to God,
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body (Psalm 139 v15-16)
I believe that these side rooms of the Maternity unit where the scans are undertaken are sacred spaces. Here many people get to see with their own eyes what God can see.
If God sees with even greater clarity the unborn children, surely we can trust that he also sees each of us and knows our thoughts, hopes and dreams for, as the Psalmist also acknowledges, O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me.
If the Lord knows us, it becomes an invitation that we return the favour and attempt to get to know him. Then as the weeks and years go by we will come to see God with ever-greater clarity, until the day when we see him “face to face”.
Darrell Holmes
I recently went with my wife, Lucy, to the Maternity Section in Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to have a scan of our unborn twelve-
The progress in maternity scans has certainly come on in leaps and bounds in the last decade. With out first child, Jed, the scan was smudgy and generally indistinct. The image we were given, and still treasure, is of his head and in place of his nose what appears to be a large cherry tomato. At the time we laughed and wondered if he was destined to be a clown.
But this time around we were seeing clear images of child number three and I felt that we were getting a glimpse of this unborn child through the eyes of God. As the Psalmist sings in praise to God,
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body (Psalm 139 v15-
I believe that these side rooms of the Maternity unit where the scans are undertaken are sacred spaces. Here many people get to see with their own eyes what God can see.
If God sees with even greater clarity the unborn children, surely we can trust that he also sees each of us and knows our thoughts, hopes and dreams for, as the Psalmist also acknowledges, O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me.
If the Lord knows us, it becomes an invitation that we return the favour and attempt to get to know him. Then as the weeks and years go by we will come to see God with ever-
Darrell Holmes