Today I took a bit of a mooch into town as I was after some self adhesive labels and other exciting items. I am usually pretty oblivious to what is going on around me- I did see a number of sandwich boards offering "free spiritual readings" on them and a gazebo in the town centre with a queue, but it was freezing so I was on a mission.
On my way home I was ambushed by a woman who offered me a free "reading". I was so surprised that I agreed almost without realising. I half expected it to be some money making scam, however, it turned out to be being run by the Kings Arms Church.
The "reader" started by telling me that Jesus loved me and all people, she then said that she was waiting for Jesus to speak to her so that she could tell me more about why he was pleased with me.
She told me that she felt jesus was telling her that I was intelligent, hard working, diligent and had a career in something "maybe medical". I did tell her where I worked and she felt that it was a pretty close match.
She then told me that I had a maternal instinct and was a "mother earth" with a soft heart but a difficult to read exterior. She said that Jesus loved how much I cared for others.
And then they prayed for me. Which was different, as the last people who prayed for me were Luton Mosque when we dropped off the donations for the refugees in camps in Paris. I have to say that the Islamic version sounded far more impressive, but maybe that is because I don't speak Arabic.
Either way, It was a kind thought and I appreciated the gesture in both cases.
I was left feeling like it was a bit gimmicky, but it was also really positive and the women running the event clearly felt that they were being genuine and doing god's work.
Frankly with the current climate I'm prepared to go out on a bit of a limb here and say that anything that encouraged community integration, discussions between people who would not usually talk and positivity about both strangers and religion can only been seen in a good light. However odd the premise might be, this was something which got people talking and made religion feel like something which encourages positivity, love, kindness and friendship, rather than something which should inspire fear and hatred.
I just hope that we see more people from the religious community out there building bridges and breaking down misconceptions as much as possible in the coming weeks.
It was also quite reflective. A reminder that Kindness is a virtue in all faiths and that we should be thinking of how we can look after each other- not just in the run up to Christmas (Or the week following Divali, or the Month following Eid, Although it would be a good start) and to remember to think of those who will be spending christmas out in the cold (Many of hem quite literally).
Christmas isn't just about presents and food. It's about doing something nice for someone else.
(And if I was feeling really political, it's a story about refugees who needed somewhere to stay and no-one would help them, except that one inn keeper who let them sleep in the stable, and he was rewarded by witnessing the birth of christ. I'm not suggesting any Syrians are going to have a Prophetic birth in your garage, just saying that maybe we should remember to be objective and to think of others in an empathetic way, especially at this time of year).
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