Hands on the rail

Today was the first day of the new term. Along with the hour and a half Methodist covenant service which normally accompanies the beginning of the spring term, there was a really good insightful sermon by the newly licensed member of staff, ending with the words from the Iona community’s morning prayer:

‘We will not offer to god, offerings that cost us nothing.’

However, it was not that, that struck me the most today.

Whilst on the rural ministry project, one of the incumbents said that during the distribution of communion he rarely met peoples eyes, but looked at their hands. Far from the thoughts of not dropping the host, he was concerned with the story the hands of those at the communion rail told

I suspect ours today, mine included, would be a little too well manicured and clean to be at home in many churches he ministered to.

Perhaps though, it is the clean and well manicured hands that are the dirtiest of all.