Author: Lucy Llewellyn

Jesus asked a lot of questions, often responding to a question with another question.

Depending how you count them, there are at least one hundred and fifty Jesus questions in the Gospels, far more than he answered. For example:

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Friends,

From time to time the BBC or one of our more serious newspapers will ask the public who they regard as the greatest Briton of all time. Very often Winston Churchill tops the poll or sometimes the 1st Duke of Wellington (despite being born in Dublin so technically not a “Briton”). Both these men were military and political leaders although perhaps Wellington was less successful as Prime Minister than he was on the battlefield.

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Friends,

Our gospel lesson this week from St. Mark 10: 17- 31 tells the story of “The Rich Man” who was reluctant to part with his possessions but today I’m thinking of another prosperous young man who used his money to benefit others and whose influence is still felt today, many years after his death. Douglas Macmillan was born into a well-to-do family in Somerset in 1884.  He was educated at Birkbeck College, University of London and became a civil servant with the Ministry of Agriculture. He founded the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer in 1912, the year after his father died of the disease, making an initial donation of £10, a large sum in those days. The charity he founded is now known as Macmillan Cancer Support and you can learn more about their work supporting cancer patients of all ages and their families here – www.macmillan.org.uk.

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I was entertained this week by a church member recollecting the baptism of her child – many years ago and in a neighbouring church of St Columba’s. The vicar had removed his spectacles prior to the baptism at the large marble font – symbolically placed near the entrance to the church at the west door. Just at the key moment, the child’s mother, while handing over the infant, dislodged the clerical spectacles from their resting place – propelling them into the depths of the font. Opps! Happily, the baptism was completed, and the vicar appears to have maintained a sense of humour.

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Friends,

I love cinema, especially old films such as Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and The Third Man. The golden age of Hollywood also produced biblical epics such as The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston, and more recently, Risen, starring Joseph Fiennes was a very effective retelling of the Easter story. I can’t help thinking that the story of Esther which we read in our Old Testament lesson this week would make a wonderful film. Esther was a Jewish woman, married to Ahasuerus, King of Persia. Esther was chosen as queen following a “beauty contest” when the king was looking for a new wife although Ahasuerus did not know of her Jewish heritage.

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“So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” (Roald Dahl, Matilda)

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Three encounters in recent days. A gentleman discussing a family bereavement, explained a long-standing connection to St Columba’s. Born in June 1940, he was baptised in the original Victorian church, before the building was destroyed in the Blitz of May 1941. As he observed: “I got in just in time!” Another church member, formerly of the Flower Guild, returned for a special occasion. She spent much of a day arranging the floral displays, that twenty four hours later would celebrate her own wedding day. Another recently married St Columban, returns to offer the gift of his music at one of our Sounds of St Columba’s recitals. Three quite different individuals, at different life stages – but each finding, or refinding, a connection to this church at the crossroads. Illustrative of how lives weave in and out of this place; passengers/pilgrims, boarding and alighting the “St Columba’s Express”. For the continuities that this place offers, the memories and associations which it holds, let us be grateful.

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Friends,

One of the consequences of the pandemic was the change it provoked to the “lifting up”, or dedication of the weekly offering, during Sunday morning worship. Pre-pandemic, we passed the collection bags along the pews; then, once assembled, carried them to the communion table, where they were received with prayer. It was a regular and recognisable feature of our worship. Consciously, or not, while it was the financial offerings that were processed forward, they represented something bigger. Each week, via this collective, symbolic act there was a recognition and thanksgiving for the gifts we receive from God – and the gifts of our time, talent and treasure that we offer to God. As a congregation we prayed for generosity and wisdom in the way that we used such gifts, serving not just our own needs, but also those of others beyond our walls.

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