The Sunday school class was asked to bring an article which would suggest a scripture text. On child brought a loaf of bread to illustrate - ‘I am the Bread of life’; Another brought a candle - ‘I am light of the world’; A little boy brought a lollipop which caused some confusion until he revealed that it stood for ‘Hold fast to that which is good.’
Sunday was the feast of Nicholas one of the Patron Saints of SSNF. The occasion of a Patronal Festival in the life of a community (especially ‘worshipping community’) is special. It gives an opportunity to reconsider and to reappraise both the substance of our faith and how that faith is being lived and expressed in the community. It does, of course, pose the question ‘is the life of the community any the richer because of the faith which drives and motivates my life?’
Nicholas was a four century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor (Southern Turkey). He was remembered because of his reputation as a worker of wonders and is now remembered by a number of stories attributed to him. They concern his care for the oppressed. He saved three girls from a life of prostitution by proving them with dowries and so developed the tradition of giving gifts (hence Father Christmas derives). He is patron saint of Russia, Pawn Brokers and children.
In the scriptures the writers are concerned to lay before us the heart of Christian experience. As one of our modern theologians has put it “Its content comes when we escape the servitude to things, when we find our wealth in the love and the friendship and the fellowship in humanity, and when we realise that our most precious possession is our friendship with God, made possible through Jesus Christ.” William Barclay
So, we are called
To follow: Not to walk behind, but to imitate, to copy the Christ who came so that we may have life.
To proclaim: Not only through words, but the manner of our life.
To teach: Not solely in an academic sense but to allow others to see in us the glory of the Christ Child.
To care: not from a distance, but by placing all that we have and are in the service of others.
As the hymn writer states:
We look around and see thy face
disfigured, marred, neglected;
we find thee lord in every place,
sought for and unexpected.
We offer in simplicity
our loving gift and labour;
and what we do, we do to thee,
Incarnate in our neighbor
Giles Ambrose
These fundamental tasks can only, and will only, be brought to fruition when we have learned to ‘to hold fast to that which is good’.
Rev Brian Anderson
