The 4th Plinth, God and us

The 4th Plinth, God and us

I recommend a visit to London before October 14th, in particular, to Trafalgar Square and a look at what is happening on the ‘4th plinth’.  The day I went, I watched a lady putting together a picture on an easel with paints and stickers, another lady hanging out quilt squares and advertising a quilting society and a young man who made himself comfortable, sat on a picnic chair and every so often got up and looked at everyone!  Mind you, you can look at whatever is going on at any one time by going to the live webstream at www.oneandother.co.uk  

I put my name down in August for October but haven’t heard anything so assume they don’t want me!  Actually this isn’t surprising as there were over 33,000  applications for 2400 places.  One Methodist Minister did get a slot early on in the 3 month project and helped celebrate communion from his exalted position.  I don’t think I would have done anything so religious, perhaps made origami birds or recited poems (I do a good recitation of the cautionary tale ‘Jim’ by Hillaire Belloc – I am open to invitations!) or lit candles. 

One thing that this ‘plinth experience’ has done for me is to give me a very contemporary image of the way God regards us.  I’ll come back to that in a sentence or two but first back to the plinth – which gives the person on it – for an hour – a very special and privileged position.  Of course, the person is very visible to all in Trafalgar Square and has the particular attention of those gathered around the plinth area but, because there is a camera which is sending live images across the internet, anyone anywhere in the world can log on to the website and watch what is happening at any one moment.  How special is that?!  And so, the contemporary ‘us and God’ picture for me is that of each of us on our own personal plinth having the special and privileged attention of God not just for an hour but for every minute of every hour of every day of our lives.  How even more special is that?!  Christianity is the only religion that says that rather than having to earn God’s love, it is given to us on a plate (or plinth) and that we don’t have to do anything to be special and significant and important.  Of course, once we know we are loved in that way, then we want to serve God in return.

So, what would you do on the plinth?  Email me if you would like to!

Jacqui Horton

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