Praise and congratulations to the cast and crew of our school musical this year, Spamalot. Not only was this an incredibly professional and thoroughly entertaining show but it also has given me inspiration for one of my last entries in Black and White before I head off into the green pastures of Bulahdelah bush in April.

This musical, based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is all about King Arthur and his loyal companion Patsy, and a ragtag band of “Knights” who go out in search of the Holy Grail. For this search they need cunning, good luck and above all great perseverance (which also happens to be the theme of the House Chapel I conducted this week for Fletcher House).

Eventually with all of these things in place, and against seemingly unsurmountable challenges, including the Knight of Ni, the Black Knight, Tim the Enchanter, and a vicious flesh-eating white rabbit, they succeed in their quest and find the Holy Grail.

And one of the underlying themes of course, in a very humorous way, is that we all have our own “holy grail” to pursue. This is all well and good except what if we find out at the end of our journey that our “holy grail” is worthless and futile – a “chasing after the wind” as the Philosopher Ecclesiastes has so succinctly put it? What do you do?

Surely it is incredibly important that what we are chasing after is worthy of our commitment? If the “holy grail” for our young people is merely a university degree (or three of them), and a high paying job – will this really deliver the happiness, the deep inner sense of fulfilment and peace that a life of determined perseverance deserves? Some of the most miserable and empty people I know are the wealthiest and most highly educated and at the end of theirs days I’ve seen them experience the “clunk” of a broken bell – of a life wasted.

A great saying of Jesus was “seek first God’s kingdom and all the rest will be added to you.” This means recognising that “all is vanity and a waste of time” (Ecclesiastes again) unless God our Creator is at the centre of one’s life – as tough as that may be to commit to in the society in which we live right now.

May God bless you as you seek to discern the worth of your “holy grail”, and that of the children within your household.

Rev David Williams
College Chaplain