This afternoon when using a theme search in Hymn Quest I stumbled across this hymn about approaching old age (and even death I suspect) which I thought was rather lovely (even if it is no use for my upcoming service on the child in the church!)...

When I was a child I walked in the sunlight,
Drank the wind,
Listened to moss in a wall,
And I thought I knew it all.
Now I walk in the dark,
Nothing high, nothing low.
There's no colour of sound
As with steps in the snow.
I walk in the darkness
Through an unpinioned night,
To the time when I'll be a child
With strength to bear the light.

When I was a child I walked in the sunlight,
Stroked the bird-song,
Leaned my full weight on shadows
And for me they were so strong.
Now I walk in the dark,
Nothing deep, nothing wide.
I unslip all the years
That scold and deride.
I need no shadows
For support in this night
Through which I go to my birth
And strength to bear the light.

Estelle White (born 1925) © 1969 Stainer & Bell Ltd and McCrimmon Publishing Company Ltd
Irregular

Maybe at a future date I'll do a service on older people and the church...?

This morning I had to go to the sorting office to collect a parcel, something which now involves longer waiting in the queue than getting there and back as it is almost next door to my new home.  As I stood in the queue I read the various notices including one relating to the collection of mail from private mail boxes.  I can't recall it verbatim, despite reading it twice in disbelief,  but the gist of it was thus:

Mail from private mail boxes will be available for collection at 9:00 a.m.

Customers may collect mail before that time but only mail that is available can be collected.

Mail not available until 9:00 a.m. will not be available for collection before that time.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

All very logical but do people really think that something not available before 9 a.m. will be available before 9 a.m.?

I can't somehow imagine a shop saying 'this store opens at 9 a.m. customers arriving before 9 a.m. will find this store is not open until 9 a.m., we are sorry for any inconvencience this may cause' but the logic is pretty much the same.

Of course, at the Gathering Place we would have to say this:

Morning worship starts at 11 a.m.

People may arrive before that time and will be assured of a warm welcome

People may arrive after that time and will be assured of a warm welcome

Indeed, come along on a Sunday morning and you will be welcomed

We hope you will enjoy worshipping with us and your arrival time won't inconvenience us at all

(Most folk arrive by 11 but it's not unknown for them to wander in any time, and it's fine, we just get on with it)