Sensible enough
Jo Penn
August 12, 2026
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Listen to this daily worship
Psalm 85: 8-13 (NIV-UK)
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants –
but let them not turn to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.10 Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
I lived on my own for ten years immediately before joining the Scargill residential community. During that time, I enjoyed the luxury of my own timetable, my own rules, my own domain to preside over. Yet after that period God called me to live in shared accommodation – coming right up close to the frailties, foibles and daily annoyances that communal living throws up.
Today’s reading from Psalm 85 is written as God addressing his people. In our individualised society, we often need to be reminded that God’s way is communal. People of all ages, stages and with different gifts, skills and knowledge working for the good of all – sharing what they have, celebrating and mourning together as festivals and life events take place.
The quality of the community of faith meeting together is multi-dimensional – different qualities linked together, so that, as this psalm states, ‘God’s glory may dwell in the land’.
Steadfast love AND faithfulness
Righteousness AND peace
Faithfulness AND righteousness
This reminds me of the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23a: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control.
The Scargill community strapline ‘lives shared — lives transformed with Jesus at the centre’ is the statement that we gather around. The community promises (the Scargill pathway) aim to flesh out this truth that we are apprenticed into discipleship by living together following Jesus.
For example, the Scargill Companion promises speak of the challenges of this way of life:
‘We will try our very best to strengthen community through kindness and love, being sensible enough to keep the moaning inside and a smile on our faces until the right moment comes to honestly release our complaints. Our goal is to be consistently, constructively loving.’
Prayer for mutual love and respect:
Jesus,
Be in the ordinariness of this day,
And be in the expected and unexpected interactions with others that are brought to us by God.
As we meet together, may we truly find the Holy Spirit flourishes where love and mutuality are chosen as the basis to live together.
Amen
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