The end of the world will be ...

Before lockdown when we met in our own Zac's building for bible study it was open to anyone. All sorts of people wandered in, some in search of answers, some wanting a hot drink or clothes, or just a warm place. Some had nothing to say, others had lots.

Bible study could get a bit noisy and as some of our regulars were a bit sensitive and could get upset easily, sometimes one of our burly bikers would say to the over-talkative, "Let's go outside for a fag, shall we?"

Since we've been meeting in St. Mary's we've deliberately not advertised the fact so that only the regulars come along. It's different when you're in someone else's building and generous as they may be I doubt the church warden or vicar would approve of the police being called to break up a bible study!

But last night one of the more eccentric men turned up. Usually he comes in for a drink and then goes but last night he was in chatty mood, first to me when I was making tea, then to me and Tamsin, when we sat down, and then to everyone at every opportunity during the study - which was on first bit of the first chapter of the gospel of John.

The important thing to tell you is that the world will end in thirty months, on the first or second of the month at 19.48. I could tell you how our friend knew this but I lost the will to live at some point along the telling.

He had some other theories too, mostly based on scripture but then built on until they became unrecognisable. 

To distract him at one point Tamsin said, "Changing the subject how long have you played the violin?"

I hadn't noticed the violin case on the floor so I was convinced Tamsin had totally lost it too. And then it got better. In reply to her question he said, "I don't."

But the good thing was that he did stay in for the study. I know it may not sound like that but who knows? I know how wearing my mind can be when it's all over the place, so his brain must be absolutely frazzled with all the ideas buzzing in there. I pray that something of what John tells us in his gospel found its way into his over-active brain and brought him some peace.

And the even better thing was that I wasn't leading the study. I recall a time long ago when I was struggling to control a very noisy study in Zac's and I looked up to see Steve Porter, one of the other study leaders, sitting in the back row smirking. Last night it was me smirking, rejoicing it wasn't me who was trying to lead!