So, here she is, our Ethel. Slowly but surely she is growing in confidence. Today, she and her partner in crime, Aslan, spent four hours together without us. And it seems they are best of pals. Indeed, the only time she has wagged her tail so far is to greet the boss of the house, our 11-year-old cat.
Ethel is a rare thing - a Welsh collie, with a little bit of Sheltie (from the Shetland Isles) who was rescued in County Galway, Ireland, and now living in sunny Warley Woods. A true unifying symbol of our island nations (at least for us Hintons). The name means 'noble' and has Anglo-Saxon roots.
Aslan's name, of course, comes from the CS Lewis Narnia Chronicles, in which the Christ-like figure (portrayed as a noble Lion), rescues the kingdom of Narnia from a century of endless winter through a 'deep magic' caused by his self-sacrifice. Our noble lion-cat and fox-like dog may yet enact the peaceable kingdom prophecy of Isaiah, where, under God's kindly rule in the Messianic age, the age-old hostility between creatures - especially prey and the preyed upon - will end:
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
Maybe, Ethel and Aslan will lie down together. And may this earth indeed be 'full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.' Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Ethel is a rare thing - a Welsh collie, with a little bit of Sheltie (from the Shetland Isles) who was rescued in County Galway, Ireland, and now living in sunny Warley Woods. A true unifying symbol of our island nations (at least for us Hintons). The name means 'noble' and has Anglo-Saxon roots.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
Maybe, Ethel and Aslan will lie down together. And may this earth indeed be 'full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.' Come, Lord Jesus, come.
I remember seeing a painting of the lion lying down with the lamb at Woodbroke Quaker Study Centre when we had a residential weekend there for the Growing Leaders course we were running a few years ago. Quakers, who believe that the light of God can be seen in every person, are active in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation in the world.
ReplyDeleteThe Cadbury family, who were Quakers, have left their mark on Bournville, which to this day still does not have a pub due to the influence of Quaker temperence. Today, the name Cadbury is being heard in the news, along with the National Trust, over the naming of Cadbury Egg Hunts rather than Easter Egg hunts, and there are different views as to what Cadbury himself would have thought. The debate provides us with an opportunity to talk to friends and work colleagues about what they think, and to speak about our faith and what Easter means to us. Please share any conversations you have.
St. Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians says, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5 v.18). This one verse always reminds me of one of our former incumbents, Matthew Graham, who preached a very good sermon about reconciliation ending with this verse, which has stayed imprinted in my mind. On the cross Jesus brought us back, reconciled us to God, and we are now called to be ambassadors of reconciliation in the world. That is a noble vocation.
On Friday afternoon I received an unexpected invitation to that evenings CBSO concert sponsored by Classic FM in Symphony Hall. It was an enjoyable concert, all the more for being unexpected. In the programme notes there was an article, " The Spirit of England," by Richard Bratby taken from CBSO Music Stand, autumn 2016. It's worth reading and this quote gives a flavour of the article.
ReplyDelete"The composer who ended his life as Lord Britten of Aldebugh, ... might seem like the ultimateEstablishment figure. But that a gay composer (and a conscientious objector in wartime) could become such an icon of Englishness - and in his own lifetime, too - tells a more complex story. His Gloriana suite was premiered by the CBSO in 1954, under its chief conductor Rudolf Schwartz - a survivor of Auschwitz. (Retired CBSO players recall seeing the serial number tattooed on his arm.)"
How lovely to have a little English dog with all four British nations in her background and an Anglo Saxon i.e. Immigrant name - a sign of hope.
"Unlikely friendships" reminded me of my friendship with "Tsebe", a cocker spaniel that appeared out of the blue soon after we had moved to the semi desert country I mentioned in a previous post.
ReplyDeleteI was new to the school; one,where it seemed to me, that nobody, other than the teachers, spoke English.
"Lekgowa!", they shouted. " Foreigner!"
" Good morning, teacher! Te twin, twin, twin!"
(" Te , twin, twin, twin", being how English was perceived to sound to native ears of this land that I had dared to intrude upon. )
Words hurled at me with impunity. They bounced off me like pebbles off a rock, but many sank deep into my loneliness, weighing me down.
Then came "Tsebe", the most beautiful dog I had seen. She snuffled along the playground eating crumbs of food that had fallen from the plates off the free school meals provided by UNICEF, in this most remote area. I wondered if she was an apparition, but she had come to investigate who this new comer was, just like everyone else. Unlike them, she couldn't hurl unwelcome words, nor could she pull my waist length plait that everybody else tugged at.
Tsebe and I grew very fond of eachother. In a place where the commonest word said to a dog was the insult, " footsek", the pupils laughed to see me pat Tsebe and talk to her lovingly. Tsebe became my friend. As I began to understand the native language, I came to realise "Tsebe " meant "ears", a reference to my doggy friend's long silky ears.
Tsebe was all ears for me. She loved me unconditionally, as only a dog can. We too are loved,unconditionally, by God, who is all ears for us.
Today, as my daughter takes her Easter egg entry of "The Last Supper" , with Jesus words,
" This is my body, broken, for you. This is my blood, shed for you. Do this in remembrance of me", I pray she will experience and know that unconditional love. I pray she will have an opportunity to speak of her entry with her friends without being ridiculed.