God's Eye In Germany
From Berwick Advertiser
I have just returned, along with my sister Sally and others from the UK Borders, from a once-in-a life-time cruise down the River Rhine from Basel to Cologne – which is the one town whose marvellous cathedral the Allies decided not to bomb during World War 2. Yet as I scoured statues and museums, I realised that Germany lacks a much-needed model of a ruler who embodies Christ-like qualities of selfless service. Or does it?
Oswald, who became the Christ-like king of our British kingdom of Northumbria in the seventh century, prayed daily with his paalms open to heaven, invited the Irish Mission which transformed his Saxon and Celtic peoples, who fell in love with Jesus' Way, gave money to the poor (the origin of our monarch’s Maundy Thursday money gifts), worked closely with his pioneer missionary Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne to convert his peoples to Christianity, set slaves free, fought bravely and turned enemies into friends.
After his death a legendary ‘Life’ of Oswald caught the imagination of Germanic peoples, who built many churches dedicated to him. There are many such churches in Germany today.
The British and German royal families have been closely related. Saint Oswald helps us to relate in an even deeper way that promises hope for the future. He offers today's German-speaking peoples a template for Christ-centered Government.