The Joy of Lists

Good morning,

I love lists. Making lists and ticking things off is highly satisfying if you’re trying to wrestle with all that’s outside of your control. I always remember one list I wrote aged seven: I thanked my Mum for being a wonderful mother, right in the middle of items I was hoping she’d buy me for a midnight feast. The spelling wasn’t great but she accepted it with grace.
We depend on lists for all sorts of activities and services: shopping ingredients, prescriptions, legal advice, instruction manuals, travel destinations, computer codes, mobile numbers and music downloads. There is always a list we rely on to navigate life’s functions, and in every language and format – text, image, braille, widget or AI.

The Bible is full of lists – perhaps God finds them useful too! Genealogies, battles, prophecies, measurements for the Ark, details of Temple furnishings, gifts of the Spirit and mysterious visions of the End Times. One of the best lists for me is Jesus’ ‘Beatitudes’ in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. In contrast to the ‘You shall nots’ of the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes open with ‘Happy’ - such as Happy are the peacemakers.’
This list with its focus on righteousness, mercy and compassion, has become a charter for millions who work to create the necessary conditions for a better world.
I pray that we might seek and support these values -
in the corners of our hearts and on the corners of our streets,
rather than just see them as items on a list.
Happy is everyone who offers a helping hand and an open spirit,
without hesitation or judgement to those in need.
Amen.