The three nails

It was good to welcome Robins class from year 3 of Southwark Park primary School to St James this afternoon, and we are looking forward to welcoming Sparrows class next week.

It was their first visit to St James's Church. We started off in the gallery to get a panorama of the church.

Then downstairs we gathered round the font to see how we do baptisms. Then we saw the big book with stories about Jesus - the Bible. Then the picture of Jesus ascending into heaven.

Then we talked about Communion, the special meal Jesus left us to remember him, and how we eat the bread and drink the wine. Then they had LOTS of questions. They were a lively and inqusitive group.

Everyone got to handle the special cup and the special plate, dating from 1829, that we use for communion, and we noticed that on the cup and the plate, in addition to the cross, there are three nails (I wonder how many of the congregation have noticed them?)

Why are there three nails?  Because the nails were put through Jesus hands and his feet.

One of the children then noticed that in the Ascension picture you can still the nail marks in Jesus hands and on his feet.

It seems strange that we want to remember something so horrible, but we do, because it shows us how much Jesus loves us, dying for us on the cross, I told the children.