[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2026]
All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest.
Ecclesiastes 2 v23 [NIVUK]
We have all, at some time or another, had the experience of lying awake when we want to be in the land of Nod. Sleep eludes us, to be replaced by persistent worries or mental gymnastics beyond our daytime capabilities; our only consolation is that we are not sharing the experiences described by the Lord Chancellor in ‘Iolanthe’.[1] Even Job started to lose his patience:
I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.
Job 3 v26 [NIVUK]
It’s over for another year. The festivities for Christmas and the New Year are once again behind us – now just a memory, except for those less-than-subtle reminders that will be arriving in our letter boxes during the next few weeks. We can at least be grateful that we are not responsible for supplying the provisions for Solomon’s household.