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As we were clearing my mother-in-law’s home in England, we discovered many fabulous heirlooms and souvenirs. There was, for example, a theatre program for the first London stage performance of “My Fair Lady”, a musical version of George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, “Pygmalion”, a satire on social classes about an aristocratic professor of phonetics who takes an impoverished, crude street seller with unpolished language and educates her so she speaks with eloquence and passes as a lady of the upper classes.
    There was a German porcelain stein mug, with its iconic decoration and pewter lid, a mug that dated from the pre-war years. There was a brass plaque, known as a “horse brass” because these plaques were used to decorate horse harnesses in nineteenth-century England. Today, they often line the oak beams of old Victorian pubs. There was a gentleman’s clothing brush, no doubt the accessory of the well-presented gentleman. There was a book entitled, “Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English.” I thoroughly enjoy this type of book, correcting as it does any tendencies toward poor grammar or incorrect use of words and phrases.
    It is fascinating and humbling to go through the cherished family belongings from a previous generation. We discover details we didn’t know and gain a richer sense of who a person was. These heirlooms and souvenirs become very precious.
    Our journey through Lent – following the focus on “40 Days of Prayer” – will, I pray, open our eyes, our minds, our hearts, and our lives to what it means to live in relationship with God. The purpose is to draw us closer to the Lord and to his amazing grace shown us at the cross. Today, let’s us be reminded of 1 Peter 1:18-20:

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

    These heirlooms and souvenirs are precious to me and my family. We cherish them dearly. And yet, these cannot compare with the most precious gift we have: our Lord Jesus, who gave himself for us.
    May you be drawn closer to Jesus today and throughout this Lenten season. May the cross of Christ loom large on the horizon of your soul. May the love of God soar in your life and swell in your hearts. Christ is the most precious gift we have.

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum