Before I became a vicar, I spent seven years working in the overseas aid business, travelling around the world to various developing countries. During those years I spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours in airports. So my ears pricked up at a conference a while ago when the speaker likened a healthy church to an airport, and at first I was puzzled. Then he said that the sign of a healthy airport is not beautiful buildings but aircraft arriving and departing. (The recent 'drone' closure of Gatwick demonstrated this!). Likewise, a healthy church is one where people 'land' by becoming Christians and 'take off' by going out in service and mission.

I've been reflecting recently on how life can be likened to a 'flight': sometimes smooth, sometimes turbulent, sometimes uneventful, sometimes memorable. But the purpose of a flight is to go somewhere, and to land there. For some people, 'landing' when they become a Christian is straightforward, but for others it's a bumpy process in difficult conditions, like landing in a strong crosswind. To extend the analogy, perhaps a Christian minister is like an air traffic controller talking people down and giving them clearance to land.

I wonder - how is the 'flight' of your life going? If you're not yet a Christian, what would prompt you to come out of the 'holding pattern' and land on God's runway? Or maybe you've already 'landed' as a Christian and need equipping/refuelling for your next flight. Whichever is you, I hope you'll enjoy the best destination of all, the kingdom of God.