Teaching and Learning on 19th November 2025
As we grew up it became clear that the purpose of life was to make ourselves a cardboard box. We called it school and education, training and maybe even college. We made the box in our own way. In fact it looked a lot like us.
And then we started to fill it, because, obviously, that was what life was for. Everyone else was filling their own box so we needed to fill ours too.What did we put in it?
We put in things like friendships and maybe deeper relationships. We put in experiences and lots of memories, mostly good, although a few bad ones got in there and wouldn't come out. And of course we put in lots of stuff. We bought clothes and shoes. We bought radios, records or cassettes or CDs or mobile phones and computers. We may have bought a car and maybe, if we were lucky, we bought a house.
And anyway, even if it was only a rent, we began to fill our houses with stuff, because they were real boxes and collecting stuff was, obviously, what life was for because everyone else was doing it as well.
Sometimes the thought passed our mind that maybe this was a bit bonkers, and that we had too much stuff. And that was our chance of growing up enough to realise what was going on.
If we were old enough we’d start to throw things out. We found that hard because things had memories and meanings attached. They connected us with the past, and most importantly with those we loved, especially when they weren’t around any more.
And that’s how it is for most of us who live in western societies. It certainly describes me.
And yet I have also learned that I need to empty my box with a serious intent. Things only vaguely connect us with the past and with others. The real connections are within, the love that has never died and which may well have grown over the years.
It’s a long job, Even after getting rid of loads of stuff, there seems to be hardly any less. And I’m talking now not about material things. But the baggage we’ve all been carting round for years.
The “if onlys” that still upset us. The “what ifs” that irritate us. The “it was better back then” which stop us enjoying today. The memories of happy times, all good in themselves, that get in the way of us being happy now. Then the negative things, the people who hurt us who we can’t forget - or forgive. The arguments with those we loved which still rankle. The wrong decisions , the mistakes. We have wrapped them up like Christmas tree decorations and carefully placed them in the box.
Listen to the Lectio for today - the days of our age are three score years and ten. What on earth are we crying this stuff round with us for?
It’s time to empty the box. To let the past slip into the past with a big Thank You to God. Thank you God, for the past, now help me live today.
And to the past say Thank you, but no thank you, you no longer need to be in my box. The baggage, the frustrations, the upsets. They don’t need to be in our box.
In fact we don’t really need anything in our boxes, because we aren’t boxes. That was always a big lie. We aren’t receptacles for experiences, we aren’t collectors of stuff. We are the liberated children of God, and we can live without all the baggage, because what was wrong is forgiven, what was right doesn’t get us better grades with God, because God loves us infinitely already.
Not only can we empty the box. We put the box in the recycling.
That’s how Jesus lived. No box, no baggage. And that’s how he longed for his first hearers to live… and how he longs for us to live.
I know I still hang on to some things in my box, like a little boy God needs to prise my hand open to let it fall. But bit by bit maybe I’ll get a few things thrown out, now I’ve hit the three score and ten…
But why wait until retirement? The sooner we start emptying the box, the sooner we can throw it away.
As we will ponder next week - the psalmist goes on to say - So teach us to number our days : that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
And surely the wisdom is that we never needed that stuff in the first place…., the pride, the anger, the resentment, the self congratulation, the desires, the frustrations … all of them cluttering up the box.
Comfort us again now
after the time that thou hast plagued us :
and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity.
Shew thy servants thy work :
and their children thy glory.
And the glorious majesty
of the Lord our God be upon us :
prosper thou the work of our hands upon us,
O prosper thou our handywork.
This is the work of our hands… throwing out the rubbish, and throwing out the bin with it, throwing out the baggage, and throwing out the box too.
And anyway, even if it was only a rent, we began to fill our houses with stuff, because they were real boxes and collecting stuff was, obviously, what life was for because everyone else was doing it as well.
Sometimes the thought passed our mind that maybe this was a bit bonkers, and that we had too much stuff. And that was our chance of growing up enough to realise what was going on.
If we were old enough we’d start to throw things out. We found that hard because things had memories and meanings attached. They connected us with the past, and most importantly with those we loved, especially when they weren’t around any more.
And that’s how it is for most of us who live in western societies. It certainly describes me.
And yet I have also learned that I need to empty my box with a serious intent. Things only vaguely connect us with the past and with others. The real connections are within, the love that has never died and which may well have grown over the years.
It’s a long job, Even after getting rid of loads of stuff, there seems to be hardly any less. And I’m talking now not about material things. But the baggage we’ve all been carting round for years.
The “if onlys” that still upset us. The “what ifs” that irritate us. The “it was better back then” which stop us enjoying today. The memories of happy times, all good in themselves, that get in the way of us being happy now. Then the negative things, the people who hurt us who we can’t forget - or forgive. The arguments with those we loved which still rankle. The wrong decisions , the mistakes. We have wrapped them up like Christmas tree decorations and carefully placed them in the box.
Listen to the Lectio for today - the days of our age are three score years and ten. What on earth are we crying this stuff round with us for?
It’s time to empty the box. To let the past slip into the past with a big Thank You to God. Thank you God, for the past, now help me live today.
And to the past say Thank you, but no thank you, you no longer need to be in my box. The baggage, the frustrations, the upsets. They don’t need to be in our box.
In fact we don’t really need anything in our boxes, because we aren’t boxes. That was always a big lie. We aren’t receptacles for experiences, we aren’t collectors of stuff. We are the liberated children of God, and we can live without all the baggage, because what was wrong is forgiven, what was right doesn’t get us better grades with God, because God loves us infinitely already.
Not only can we empty the box. We put the box in the recycling.
That’s how Jesus lived. No box, no baggage. And that’s how he longed for his first hearers to live… and how he longs for us to live.
I know I still hang on to some things in my box, like a little boy God needs to prise my hand open to let it fall. But bit by bit maybe I’ll get a few things thrown out, now I’ve hit the three score and ten…
But why wait until retirement? The sooner we start emptying the box, the sooner we can throw it away.
As we will ponder next week - the psalmist goes on to say - So teach us to number our days : that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
And surely the wisdom is that we never needed that stuff in the first place…., the pride, the anger, the resentment, the self congratulation, the desires, the frustrations … all of them cluttering up the box.
Comfort us again now
after the time that thou hast plagued us :
and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity.
Shew thy servants thy work :
and their children thy glory.
And the glorious majesty
of the Lord our God be upon us :
prosper thou the work of our hands upon us,
O prosper thou our handywork.
This is the work of our hands… throwing out the rubbish, and throwing out the bin with it, throwing out the baggage, and throwing out the box too.
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