Thought for the Week 5 July 2026

At our recent prayer retreat we were given a simple exercise; choose a coloured disc and reflect on the words printed on the underside (the choosing was done without knowing what was printed on the disc). I got the words ‘pay attention’. This led me to think about a rest home service I had recently taken. I was less than enthusiastic about the service but dutifully dragged myself there to ‘do my thing’. The room was quite full of the usual folk, some alert and ready, others asleep. But what I noticed was the number of staff and a few nurse trainees who were particularly attentive to what I was saying. They were leaning in, staying focussed. It was as if they were hungry for God’s word. I realised that I wasn’t just ministering to those familiar with the story, but to those who may never have heard it.

Last Friday (my day off) I received a text message from Alan Cummins, the hospital chaplain, asking if I could do a room cleansing at the Jean Todd ward for him as he was out of town. I saw the text at 5:30pm so assumed it would be too late to go but he assured me it would be ok. I could hardly say no so I headed down to the hospital. A room cleansing is done when someone has died in a room, and it helps the staff reset and repurpose the space for its intended use of healing and care. In this case it was a 12‑week-old infant who had died. I entered the room alone and just waited quietly for a few moments and then I was suddenly overcome with the grief that this family- who are unknown to me- must be experiencing.  What started as a chore became a beautiful moment of connection with the humanity of this unmet family and the nurse who showed me the room.

So, what I’ve noticed is that God seems to be at work even if I’m a reluctant participant. It is God at work, not me or you. But if I pay attention, I notice what God is doing around me.

Nga mihi nui, Brent