Seeker

In these days of lockdown due to the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, we are discovering who the people are on whom are lives depend. Many of the keyworkers at this time are those least valued by society in monetary terms. I'm thinking of people like careworkers, hospital cleaners, refuse collectors, the lowest paid in food production and distribution etc. You can make your own list. When Jesus' disciples had an argument about which one of them was the greatest, Jesus placed a little child by his side as a symbol of someone less valued than those who boasted of their importance, but who should be welcomed in Jesus' name. He told them that "the least among all of you is the greatest" (Luke 9: 46 - 48 NRSV). Today is Maundy Thursday. It is the day when Christians remember the last meal that Jesus shared with his friends. John's Gospel tells us that during supper Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer garment, tied a towel around himself and began to...

I am old enough to remember Wednesday 6 February 1952. I was not old enough to fully comprehend the significance of what the head teacher of my junior school was telling us. We had been called into the school hall for an unscheduled assembly. This was unusual. I remember wondering why. Was it an emergency? The teachers looked solemn. They had already heard what we were about to be told, "The King has died." We must also have been told that Princess Elizabeth would now be Queen, but I don't remember that. Or perhaps we weren't - the Accession Council did not meet until 5 pm that afternoon. Perhaps our head teacher was carefully observing protocol before the official proclamation, although the succession was not in doubt. I do remember we were told to expect grown-ups to be feeling upset and if we passed shops on our way home from school we would find them to be closed.  I remember a sense of shock, although certainly not grief. In my child world King George VI w...

I've recently returned from 3 weeks in South Africa. One of the things that made an impression on me was the personal service we received in places like shops, restaurants, petrol stations. While not universally good, mostly it was friendly, helpful and enabled us as customers to feel cared for and special. Some people have the gift of cheering the spirits of others. The voice of the cynic in me said that if wages are low then customer tips are important and providing excellent service helps ensure a good tip. Whether or not that was the motivation for some, the people offering the service still provided a positive experience for the customer. At home in the UK the customer experience varies enormously. However there is one supermarket where I regularly shop partly because I know the experience will be positive, the staff are courteous, helpful and will go the extra mile when needed. And they don't expect to be tipped! A supermarket cashier in Rhode Island Maxine Dennis...