Dear Friends,

Dreams are odd things aren’t they? I woke up in a cold sweat recently having dreamt that I had joined the circus and I was about to embark on a high wire act. Whether it was the tightrope or the trapeze I am not quite sure. Either way it was scary to say the least. The trouble with a dream is that even if it makes some kind of sense you seem to wake up before the end arrives so you never really know the outcome. In this particular instance a lot of imagination needs to be employed to see the Vicar “flying through the air with the greatest of ease”. In actual fact the dream appeared to be more concerned with me tottering on the edge plucking up courage to take that first step.

Now most people would just leave the dream at that - not questioning it too much. My first mistake was to tell our Reader, Sue, about the dream and after she had recovered from her fits of laughter she proceeded to tell me where I might find God in it.

In actual fact, between us, we likened the circus to the Kingdom of God. Just like that famous playwright who saw the world as a stage; so God is involved in the whole of life. There is a tendency, by most of us, to only look for and discover God at high points in our life and forget that he is there at all times. And, of course, to state the obvious, we won’t do anything memorable or worthwhile in our lives unless we are prepared to take that first step of faith. For the circus performer every dangerous act is practised; the timing and concentration is worked out to a fine art before the event and usually a safety net is in use. Not so with us, if we are to be serious about our faith, then there are no half measures – no safety devices. It means complete and utter trust that God will walk beside us.

Of course, there is not only the high wire act, there are also the skills used by other performers. Those who have a tremendous responsibility to the safety of others. I have to admit that I do close my eyes when the knife thrower is in action. One false move, one small mistake and tragedy. Yet, there is a sense in which each one of us is responsible for the welfare of any number of other people in our lives. Perhaps we need to recognize our responsibility before God and ask that we would, with his strength and guidance, avoid giving hurt of any sort to another person. Just one word out of place, one thoughtless action and we can all cause misery. It is so easy and we have all been there.

Now in our discussions I realised I needed to be able to trust God if my life was going to mean anything. I also admitted to the responsibility placed on me in my relationship with God and his people. Yet there was something more and I came to the conclusion that my real calling to the circus is that of the clown. For ultimately aren’t we in this living business in order to give joy and happiness to others. There is something special about the clown for he does not just provoke laughter. There is something which speaks of tragedy in his act and tears are never far away. That is precisely where we find God. He is there when life is good and we are feeling on top of the world. He is also there when life is tinged with sadness and tragedy.

We came to the conclusion that in our circus of life the most important person was not a performer but the ring-master. For it is he who is ultimately in charge of the whole performance. I wonder if when the performance is over there comes a time when he will ask us the question, “Well, did you enjoy it?”

May God bless you all
Trevor Farmiloe