I have already had my summer holiday. We spent 10 days away, caravanning in Northumberland. During those days of holy-day I didn’t wear my watch at all. It was odd for the first few days, glancing at my wrist and finding the time to be (as we used to say at school) “two hairs past that pimple”. Then it became truly liberating. I had not appreciated what a tyrant my watch actually is, always reminding me that it’s time to do this or that, time to be somewhere, lunchtime, dinner time, church time, dog-walk time. For those days away, days of rest and relaxation, time for recuperation, truly holy-days, Liz and I got up, ate breakfast, walked the dogs, did whatever we wanted at the time we felt was “right” – and sometimes they were indeed odd times! Dog walks at 5.30am; breakfast after 10am, lunch towards 3pm. We started to relax, to let go, to rest and to unwind. We found time to think, and listen, and watch, and pray; time simply to BE.

Andrew Garfield won a Tony Award for his role in a play Angels in America, and as part of his acceptance speech he said, “We are all sacred”. What a statement to make as part of a glitzy, showbiz event. But how true. We are all made in God’s image, and loved by Him. So, on your holy days, wherever they might be, leave off your watch, let go your mobile phone, forget the laptop, and instead find some time and space to relax and simply BE, knowing that you are loved by God, sacred, and deserving of a rest and a break from the tyranny of timepieces, schedules, and “to-do” lists. I don’t think there were watches in the Garden of Eden and I don’t suppose there will be in the Garden we call Paradise either. Catch a glimpse of heaven now.