A Good Airing

Submitted by Alan Marsden on Thu, 13/11/2025 - 00:00

Thursday last week was unseasonably warm. A period of low pressure had raised the temperatures and the rain had eased; we had pored over Exodus 6 in the morning Bible study with the doors ajar. I decided that this was the right time to go into the Manse, currently unoccupied, opening every window, door and cupboard in order to give it a ‘good airing’. I did the same in the chapel, too, opening all windows and thresholds. This might be the last chance till the spring, for old buildings, especially churches and chapels which are used weekly, tend to get damp and musty, and smell it. Cheaper than a fire or a radiator, an open window and door through which breezes can blow soon dispels the damp and disperses the odours. Although few would arrive on Sunday and compliment the ‘freshness’ of the chapel, I trust that none will conversely complained about the dankness of the air.

Fresh air is good for people, and not just sick ones and old ones. Walking, running, cycling: getting out and about is good for the body and the mind. Beholding the wonders of creation is good for the spirit, too. The fetid, stale air of an over-heated home or sweaty workplace is best remedied by the great outdoors with its clean gusts and bracing zephyrs. Better than cold, clean air, however, is that to which Job alludes in 33:4:

The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

That same breath which enlivened Adam comes again to us in Christ, who regenerates our dulled hearts and deadened minds. It is revitalising and invigorating, stimulating and exhilarating. So come away from your rotten lives and squalid routines, and come to Christ, the Refresher of souls, whose very breath is life itself. Pray that He again breathes through our churches, blowing away the grey cobwebs and piles of ghastly dust.