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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with The Reverend Canon Grace Thomas.

Good morning.

A young girl tumbles down a hole, and into an extraordinary adventure, where she meets a grinning cat, encounters a rabbit who is late, joins a very unusual tea party, and even plays croquet with the Queen! With each step, she gets curiouser and curiouser. Many may recognise this as the story of Alice in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll, and published for the first time 160 years ago today.

When I was growing up, I was captivated by this story. I watched an animated version of it numerous times, and I would imagine myself stepping into a scene, full of colour and surprise. Stories like this, have the ability to bring joy, and evoke images of new worlds, drawing us into a place of wonder. There in the realm of story, we can look on, and think about our own position. I love getting lost in a good story now as much as ever, and look back with fondness, at the way with which I was enthralled by the story of Alice and her adventures.

For me, the greatest storyteller was Jesus. He taught many complex and important lessons through story, as it gave his followers a chance to draw deeper into the meaning of his words, and place themselves within his teaching. Jesus’s parables have stood the test of time, and today people will be familiar with phrases like a ‘good Samaritan’, for example.

So today I pray with gratitude for the gift of story, and for all whose words invite us into new worlds. I give special thanks to Jesus, whose storytelling enables me to understand more about God, my faith and my life.

Amen.