Author: pilgrim

The King and I

2 comments

The following is the parable of the King and the Maiden by Soren Kierkegaard:

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden who lived in a poor village in his kingdom. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes, she would surely not resist – no one dared resist him. But would she love him?

She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she had left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know for sure? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal.

The king, convinced he could not elevate the maiden without crushing her freedom, resolved to descend to her. Clothed as a beggar, he approached her cottage with a worn cloak fluttering loose about him. This was not just a disguise – the king took on a totally new identity – He had renounced his throne to declare his love and to win hers.

servant-king

Learning from the Artist’s art

One comment

tuscany

“[Y]ou can learn a great deal about an artist from the works he creates. Surely you see that God is more creative than we can possibly imagine, and romatic to the core. Lovers and honeymooners choose places like Hawaii, the Bahamas, or Tuscany as a backdrop for their love. But whose idea was Hawaii, the Bahamas or Tuscany?” – John Eldridge, Epic, Page 46

Happy Hanukkah!

Leave a comment

Sunset last night marked the beginning in the Jewish liturgical year of “Hanukkah “, also known as the “Festival of Lights”.

Hanukkah is an eight-day feast which commemorates the re-dedication of the Jerusalem Temple after the Maccabean Revolt in the Second Century BC.  A description of this revolt is found recorded in 1st Maccabees, a book  found in the Deuterocanon and therefore absent from Protestant Bibles. It is interesting to note, however, that we know for a fact that this festival was celebrated by Jesus:

“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.” – John 10:22-23

Today on Facebook I’ve been re-publishing my previous Hanukkah posts (such as this and this), but my favourite definitely has to be the a cappella version of “Dynamite” by the ever-creative Maccabeats:

Best of British: Part 7

Leave a comment

In my last Best of British post I started to share some of my favourite British comedy shows which have aired more recently.

The Office

Today I’d like to talk about a show with which most residents of the United States will be familiar, “The Office”. However, not all Americans will know that this was originally a British TV show which played its final episode long before there ever was a Michael Scott or a Dwight Schrute.

I’ll admit that, when I first heard that they were making an American version of “The Office”, I became extremely indignant (“Why can’t these Americans handle British comedy?!” etc.). However, after watching the first season of the American version, I was converted. Whereas the British version limited itself to two brilliant seasons, the American version still continues when it should have been put out of its misery several seasons ago…

The original British show’s humour is far drier. You will spend far more time watching the British version through your fingers, trying to shield your eyes from the awkwardness produced by the boss from Hell, David Brent. The clip below is one of the more light-hearted moments though, where David performs the activity dreaded in every office, the performance reviews…

Extras

As I said above, the British version of “The Office” only lasted two seasons. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant then went on to write the show “Extras”, following the characters David and Maggie as they “star” as extras in movies and TV shows. I think it probably nicely captures the boredom of the job which would involve a lot of standing around.

Each week, some celebrity would make a guest appearance, such as Kate Winslet and Patrick Stewart. My favourite though was probably when Orlando Bloom made his guest appearance shortly after “Pirates Of The Caribbean” had been released:

1 … 464 465 466 467 468 … 587