Rigmarole, Paddington and Kenaniah

…Chatting to Jack: ‘I love the word ‘Rigmarole’’, he said. We looked up several definitions… It’s a long, complicated, tedious procedure or explanation, set of actions or words, that’s without any apparent purpose.

We investigated further. It seems that it comes from the old English ‘Ragman roll’… ‘Roll’ were rolls of parchment, ‘ragman’ were lists of people on them… one reference was to a list of accusations or offenses, another to a list of nobles loyal to Edward 1…

…This morning reading 1 Chronicles 15: King David, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, invites all Israel to a great day of celebration. There’s lists of names. Priests are allocated responsibilities:

‘The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres…, and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps… (19-21)

Perhaps this is a ‘ragman roll’…

…Yesterday evening watching Paddington Bear on the news: I remembered…  A small bear arrives at London’s Paddington Station from the jungles of deepest dark Peru with his suitcase, red hat and label around his neck saying ‘Please Look After This Bear…’

I mused… Our children being born, children I’d taught in school… imagining a label around their necks – ‘Please look after this child’… Folks I’d chatted to through yesterday… their personal fears, anxieties, hopes, plans… I wondered if I’d noticed a ‘Please look after…’ label.

The Chronicles text continues: ‘Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skilful at it.’

Amongst the long rigmarole list of names, we’re introduced to one man, Kenaniah. It’s as if he has a Paddington label attached.

So today, as I encounter my rigmarole of people, my rigmarole of life, I pray that I’ll be aware of the individual Paddington and Kenaniah, note the ‘please look after’ label round their neck, and have the grace, wisdom and compassion to respond appropriately.