Be careful what you wish for. Now there is an adage that has rung down the years.

Certainly, its true today as ever. Take the scores of children who went to their beds after reading the last Harry Potter novel - the deadly hallows - and prayed there would be one more story of the teenage wizard. Hard indeed, when its last scene leaves him as a thirty something parent. Well those children will now be at least teenagers themselves. And their wish is to some degree fulfilled. At least J K Rowling has written another book. But not about Hogwarts, butter beer and broomsticks. Instead her new novel is about poverty, prejudice and exclusion in modern Britain. Indeed, the publishers of A casual vacancy says this of its setting - "Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war." This tale then is no imagined magical world but one with the grit of reality. Harry Potters stories with their fantastic evil gives way to humdrum adult sinfulness. In fact, this new book takes the focussed badness of Voldermot and spreads it across the humans we meet in the street - that we live next to - and that we are ourselves. No wonder J K Rawling has suggested that her latest work portrays our society as Dickens would if he was alive. Since any self-reflective reading of Dickens leads us not so much outside ourselves but back inside and what we see can be uncomfortable. Christ too leads with his teaching his disciples back inside themselves. For they sought to exclude someone who was not a franchised follower, not an insider, not one of us. He, in turn, points out that no such red lines exist. He makes plain there are no them and us. He decisively redefines the boundaries of the kingdom to be all inclusive.

And how can he do that? He does it by turning the realm of God from a noun to a verb. Since in many ways the kingdom is not so much a place as a doing word - an action - a positively decided upon direction. Here then is a lesson for all who would wish to be considered religious across our strife ridden globe today. Its not the big ideas we have. It is not what rituals we are willing to kill for. It is not the book of sacred writings we intend to bludgeon others with. More insidiously, it is not the categories of the them and us we perpetuate. It is what we are actually doing - doing for the children - doing the children of all ages who are vulnerable. Those subjected to violence and neglect and prejudice. Those manipulated for profit or even more vile motives. Those excluded for whatever reason from the wonderful club of us if not the universe of being Gods children. And maybe it was Christs realisation that organised religion has huge power to divide and segregate that he issued such a dire warning. Of course, it is hyperbole yet it doesnt half strike home. Not least in how we ourselves may not be complete individuals but blinded by our judgement calls and crippled by carrying so many file boxes to put others in. How we may in our individualism cannot see how much we too need to be included. How that only when we see our own weaknesses and disabilities do we embrace and are embraced by the whole dickensian spectrum of humanity on our door step. For the truth is they are heading towards Gods realm too and will be our companions in eternity; that heavenly destination that if looked the wrong way round could be hell. It has been said that there is only two groups of people in the world. Those who divide the whole world into two groups of people and those that dont. Well I will leave you with that paradox. However, maybe Christs only us and no them realm

could be illustrated by a well known story. In fact, it is an allegory by Rabbi Haim of Romshishok [2]who was an itinerant preacher. He travelled from town to town delivering religious sermons that stressed the importance of respect for ones fellow man. He often began his talks with the following story: "I once ascended to the firmaments. I first went to see Hell and the sight was horrifying. Row after row of tables were laden with platters of sumptuous food, yet the people seated around the tables were pale and emaciated, moaning in hunger. As I came closer, I understood their predicament. "Every person held a full spoon, but both arms were splinted with wooden slats so he could not bend either elbow to bring the food to his mouth. It broke my heart to hear the tortured groans of these poor people as they held their food so near but could not consume it. "Next I went to visit Heaven. I was surprised to see the same setting I had witnessed in Hell row after row of long tables laden with food. But in contrast to Hell, the people here in Heaven were sitting contentedly talking with each other, obviously sated from their sumptuous meal. "As I came closer, I was amazed to discover that here, too, each person had his arms splinted on wooden slats that prevented him from bending his elbows. How, then, did they manage to eat? "As I watched, a man picked up his spoon and dug it into the dish before him. Then he stretched across the table and fed the person across from him! The recipient of this kindness thanked him and returned the favour by leaning across the table to feed his benefactor. I suddenly understood. Heaven and Hell offer the same circumstances and conditions. The critical difference is in the way the people treat each other. Today as never before men - and I use that gender advisedly are using religions, politics, race and social status to divide and exclude and oppress. They are literally hell bent on creat-

ing a them and us. Let us however not say better but do better. Let us offer up our blindness to those that have sight and our hearing to those who are deaf. Let us combine our limping efforts for every child of God. Moreover, Let us then struggle onwards - struggle upwards - struggle safely home together. Offering HYMN.