Writes James Fields, Chaplain
You’d think giving away 750 gold coins would be easy. But not so! As we handed them out during the reception after our carol service, nervous potential recipients dithered and procrastinated. Perhaps they were thinking: “too good to be true”! Some eager hands gathered a bunch, but most were more circumspect: two coins at the most! It was clear that we are not acclimatised to good fortune or unexpected good news.
In the Christian writings, we read of a crowd (4000 by some accounts), tired and hungry, baying for food. Nervous disciples ask Jesus what they should do. “Feed them” he says. That was the last thing they wanted to hear! They scramble for fish and loaves and put together a very meagre offer… but it was nothing like enough. Yet, at the end of this curious meal, they managed to gather baskets full of leftovers. It was a miracle, of sorts.
In this season of Hanukkah, we recall God’s people repossessing the Temple in the 2nd Century BC. It lies in ruins. The instinct is to light the candles of the Menorah, but will there be enough oil? Despite the concerns, it turns out there is enough oil to last eight days. It is another miracle, of sorts.
Oddly, over the years, we have come to believe in scarcity rather than abundance, curse rather than blessing, conditions rather than grace – darkness over light. We find it difficult to know how to receive good news or generosity and in turn, to recognise and embrace small or great acts of kindness.
It has become part of our tradition at Merchant Taylors’ to light seven candles at our carol service. Each candle is lit after a reading from either the Jewish or Christian scriptures. When you see the candles in line, there is a clear allusion to the lights of the Menorah. This year, the allusion could hardly be more poignant.
God’s kingdom is big enough for us all. The light of God’s love falls across all our paths. I give thanks that the wisdom of God’s love is revealed to us in many different yet complementary ways. There is no one and only way.
At Christmas we honour the revelation of God in the mystery of the incarnation.
But God is revealed in so many other ways as well:
He is revealed to us in the colourful festival of Diwali, where we catch sight of the light of our humanity. He is revealed to us in the joy and abundant generosity of Eid, and in the remembering and trust of Hannukah, he reminds us of our humanity.
All of these festivals characterised by an element of fun. FUN!
God does not invite us to live on the leftovers and scraps, He invites us to share in the bounty of the harvest. This is the message that lies at the heart of every faith represented and lived in this school.
God’s love is not rationed according to need or rank. God’s love is a measure of the unbounding, limitless grace that lies at the very heart of our human being.
God’s kingdom is big enough for us all. The light of God’s love falls across all our paths. I give thanks that the wisdom of God’s love is revealed to us in many different yet complementary ways. There is no one and only way.
At Christmas we honour the revelation of God in the mystery of the incarnation.
But God is revealed in so many other ways as well:
In the colourful festival of Diwali, we catch sight of the light of our humanity. In the joy and abundant generosity of Eid, we catch sight of the light of our humanity. In the remembering and trust of Hannukah, we catch sight of the light of our humanity.
All of these festivals characterised by an element of fun. FUN!
God does not invite us to live on the leftovers and scraps, He invites us to share the bounty of the harvest. This is the message that lies at the heart of every faith represented and lived in this school.
God’s love is not rationed according to need or rank. God’s love is a measure of the unbounding, limitless grace that lies at the very heart of our human being.
We are worth more than any gold coin, even if it turns out to be chocolate!
May God’s Love and Peace find and hold you,
James
