After lunch I went back to my room on the third floor of F Block and opened my Bible to the first chapter of Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus. Something about this dry record moved me. There was a sense of building tension, like the main theme in an overture being introduced. My drapes were drawn open and the sun was angled into my eyes, getting more and more intense as I read to the point that I couldn't discern the words anymore. It was about the seventeenth verse when I looked up. Bright flecks like snow or dust were slanting past my window. The sun was pouring through the clouds above York Minster, lighting up the sudden rain. I put down my Bible, opened the window and stood there looking out over the city until the rain stopped. I felt blessed somehow. The wind was blowing lightly and people were coming to and from classes, laughing and covering their heads. It's sunny today for the first time in four days.
"Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham
to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and
fourteen from the exile to the Messiah." – Matthew 1:17
On a different note, I watched the American Superbowl two nights ago. Dan, a bartender at the Student Union and new acquaintance of ours, invited us over to his flat. The game was more or less a disappointment first because the Colts lost (and as a former Indiana kid, I was obligated to cheer for them) and second because it was broadcast without the typical bombast of Superbowl commercials. Normally I feel the back of my hands start to itch when I have to sit through advertisements, but everyone knows Superbowl ads tend to be more interesting than the game itself. The evening did give us a chance to debate the true identity of a package of chocolate-covered wafers: cookies (the Americans) or biscuits (the Britons)?
No comments:
Post a Comment