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Good morning.  On the corner of the street where I work there is a toy shop.  Actually, that is not quite true – there used to be a toy shop.  At first glance it still looks like it now.  There is a painting on the window of an enchanted forest scene which beckons the passer-by in.  There are still one or two brightly painted display units inside too.  Take a closer look, though – and the units are empty.  Unopened letters are piling up on the mat and the colours on the window are fading.  Where the till used to ring for the sale of a new doll or teddy bear – there are probably cobwebs now.  This forlorn place is an ex- toy shop.

It makes me feel sad every time I pass by it.  The thing is, though, it is probably people like me who have contributed to its closure.  We see the goods in the shop and buy them online at the click of a button.  We may save money and we certainly save time…and all the while the local shops struggle to survive.  Our romantic notion of a high street peppered with independent shops is undermined by the way we actually do our shopping.

Uncomfortable, isn’t it?  The Bible makes the point very clearly about personal responsibility when St Paul writes that ‘what you sow, that shall you reap’.  Actions bring consequences and habits bring trends – it’s as simple as that.  ‘By their deeds shall you know them’ as Jesus put it.

Dear God, today we pray for those who run our local independent shops.  Bring them some encouragement today – maybe even through me!  Amen