Predictable, Unpredictable and Two Otters

Earlier this week I went to a ‘Halloween Pantomime’. I love the pantomime’s predictability. There’s always audience participation, children are invited onto the stage. There’s chaotic humour, corny jokes and a slapstick scene. ‘He’s behind you’ and ‘O no it isn’t…O yes it is’ exchanges with the audience are compulsory. The contrived and sketchy plot always has a happy ending.

Knowing those involved… I knew that Josh, who wrote the show, would include some of his magic tricks; Emily, who has a beautiful voice, would sing a song or two, Cerys would arrange a little choreography, and all of the content would be appropriate for young children.

Because it was predictable I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This morning I read of Jesus watching rich people putting their gifts in the temple treasury. What Jesus does and says is unpredictable…

Churches and charities today would explain why the money is needed, praise generosity, ask the generous to give even more, encourage those who hadn’t given to realise that they should give…

Jesus does none of these. Spotting a poor widow giving two very small copper coins he says, ‘…this widow has given the largest offering today. All these others made offerings they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford…’ (The Message)

We often visit ‘Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden’. Their monthly newsletter reports on their wildlife – the birds, mammals, insects, trees and plants.

Their November News arrived yesterday, reporting on a stunning chainsaw sculpture. An ash tree was hauled out of a dyke, and ‘Matt Darge’ transformed it into a seat with a pair of otters on the end – as they’re often seen in the water nearby. Matt could see potential in an old tree trunk and turn it into something beautiful… totally unpredictable…

Musing… seeing something of my God in… Josh’s comfortable pantomime predictability… Jesus’ unpredictable gift of valuing the humanly value-less… and Matt’s skill in seeing a beautiful pair of otters in a lump of old wood – and then creating them.