Connexions
Faith & Creation
Bible Studies

Heart2Heart
100 prayers &
liturgies from this
web site

August

I was privileged to take part in a very ancient ceremony not so long ago. It happened as my son was awarded his degree at Cambridge University. Although the university is at the forefront of modern technology and thinking, it was interesting to step back in time and be a spectator at a ceremony that has its roots steeped in history. There were officials present with such titles as Praelector, Esquire Bedell, Proctor and Pro-Proctor, and a traditional ritual was enacted before us in the Senate House as each student was firstly presented to the College Master as worthy of the honour being bestowed on them, and then knelt before the Master for a blessing.

In many ways I could have dismissed the whole show as outmoded and in need of radical updating to bring it screaming into the 21st century, but I can’t because it was a really special moment and will remain a fond memory for many years.

Yes, it was a bit over-the-top and theatrical but what it did was connect those students and their parents to generations of others who have walked the same path of learning, knelt in the same way and heard those same Latin words intoned over them. And that link to the past is something to be encouraged, not rejected. It’s an acknowledgement of a debt owed.

In so many areas of life we find the ‘old’ dismissed as belonging to the past, and we are encouraged to encompass the ‘new’ because it is more relevant and meaningful. But we reject the past at our peril, because within it is a wealth of experience and learning. Human beings are fallible - you may not have discovered that yet but believe me, I know it to be true! I learn quite often through my mistakes, and through these often painful experiences I hopefully have grown in character and maturity. It’s these lessons that I try to pass on to my children because I don’t want them to make the same errors. Of course, they’ll go right out and make their own unique mistakes, but then that’s life!

What we do in our daily life and work is soak up the accumulated experiences and wisdom of others and then use and adapt them for our own purposes. I do this particularly when I’m designing adverts for my company – I take the best points from various other companies’ ads, ignore what I consider to be their failings and blend that knowledge into an effective campaign for us.

The same is true in my spiritual life. I would not have the faith that I do now if it hadn’t been for the teaching and experience of a host of Christians long since departed this life who have left their mark on history. From the writings of the apostle Paul to John Wesley, C.S. Lewis, Oswald Chambers and so many more - each has had an influence on my understanding and left their mark on my individual faith. Without those saints living out their faith in a very real and public way, and passing on their wisdom through words and actions, I would be struggling to understand the Scriptures and vulnerable to all the strange belief systems that pervade our world at this time.

What I don’t do is cling to that past, and I think that is important. I acknowledge my debt to those who have played no small part in helping me to be the person I am today, but I look to the future and how I can go forward and be a positive influence for others. That way I can hopefully repay, in part, the debt I owe and maybe even show a small profit!