The Keys to the Castle
I don’t know if
you heard the news article yesterday, but a stolen key has
been returned to English Heritage after nearly 50 years.
The location is St Leonard’s Tower in West Malling, Kent.
It’s the site of a well-preserved Norman tower that could
go back nearly to the time of William the Conqueror.
For around 50 years, the key for the tower was missing.
That is until a few days ago, when English Heritage opened
the post to find the missing key and a note saying
“Borrowed 1973, Returned 2020, Sorry for the delay,
Regards”.
Well English Heritage were so intrigued by the anonymous
note that they put a message out there on social media
encouraging the sender to get in touch. They’ve said that
unlike library books, there is no fine for late return of a
key, and in fact they would like to reward the honesty of
the person who returned the key with free membership of
English Heritage.
I love that. It’s always satisfying when something from
many years before turns up. But for me there’s something
rather touching in the way they have reached out to the
naughty individual who owned up.
We don’t know how the key got borrowed and not
returned for nearly 50 years, but I half imagine the key
falling into the hands of a teenager who is well into their
70s or older now, holding onto this thing that they
shouldn’t have had over many decades.
It’s what is called in the Bible, mercy. Not getting what you
deserve- a fine or a telling off. In fact it goes further than
that positively into grace- the gift of English Heritage
membership when you don’t deserve it!
It all reminds me of Christmas which we look forward to
celebrating after this long and difficult year.
The angel told Mary “You will give him the name Jesus
because he will save his people from their sins”.
God didn’t send Jesus into the world to give us a telling
off, or a fine, though we deserve worse! He sent Jesus into
the world to give us mercy and grace. Forgiveness, an
amnesty from all our wrongdoing. So there we are.
Grace and mercy, and the story of the Key to the Castle.
Charlie Newcombe