Dear Friends,

How are you at kneeling? Most of you will have no difficulty, but I know that for some it’s a painful or impossible exercise. I don’t have a problem myself (which is fortunate in my job); the only time I did, it was caused by fluid on the knee. The doctor took one look at this, and said, ‘You’ve got Parson’s Knee’. I laughed, because I’d never heard of this particular Occupational Hazard. I knew about Housemaid’s Knee, but apparently they don’t kneel in the same way as Parsons, and the swelling comes up differently!

In fact clergy don’t have to kneel very much while taking services: we’re usually standing, even when the congregation are on their knees. For all I know, the same may be true of Housemaids (if there are any who still answer to this name). Perhaps with labour-saving devices, they too can manage standing up.

But if you want to see the really great kneelers at work, forget about Parsons and Housemaids, and look at Gardeners. Kipling wrote that ‘Half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees’ – and with the recent horticultural shows, there’s been a great deal of kneeling in local gardens and allotments. But what are the gardeners actually doing, down there on their knees? Well, half of it is sheer hard work, which has got to be done whether they like it or not, if they want to achieve anything. But the other half is a labour of love, something they’re devoted to, which gives them joy and satisfaction.

Gardening and praying have a lot in common – and not just the fact both can be hard on the knees! Prayer involves the same mixture of hard slog and joyful devotion which is familiar to every gardener. On the one hand, we’re expressing love and praise to God, and receiving an even greater love – so there’s bound to be a sense of joy in our prayers. On the other hand, there are times when we just have to keep persevering; nothing seems to be happening, and it’s all gone dry, like the ground this summer. But this doesn’t deter the true gardener, and it shouldn’t deter the true worshipper either.

So I wish you every blessing in both activities – not forgetting the condition of your knees. In this respect, you may find praying easier than gardening, because it can be done in any posture!