What caused the lump in my throat, as I sat reading Carolyn Weber’s, Surprised by Oxford?
In chapter ten I read the description of the high table in Oxford, where intellectuals discussed the God factor over a sumptuous dinner served by attentive waiters. Did God exist, was the thrust of the conversation, and if He did why all the suffering in our world? Candlelight flickered around the table where Carolyn sat. She had been invited by her provost to join him in honour of her Commonwealth scholarship. How beautifully this chapter unfolds, as she draws closer to the Creator.
I know now when the lump occurred. The Great doors in the dining area opened and guests wended their way out into the hall. It was Christmas time and the voices of the college choir could be heard singing, “O Holy Night.” I read the words on the printed page and that’s when the lump occurred.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth,
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine when Christ was born…
Truly He taught us to love one another.
His law is love and His gospel peace.
Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Can you imagine all the hatred and misunderstandings gone, because all human kind truly followed our Jesus?
Food for thought don’t you think?
Mary