About

Thomas Wingfold is a fictional clergyman of the Church of England in the 19th century preacher George MacDonald's novel The Curate's Awakening. In the story, Wingfold realizes that he is merely going through the motions of his faith and he begins to wonder if he is really what he professes to be. He wonders this aloud during one of his many routine sermons and this caught the attention of his parishioners. He was coming alive to God and they were intrigued. They talked and the next week more people showed up, if only to watch a person in an esteemed vocation like his ask honest questions of himself and others. Wingfold is also a metaphor of those of us who view ourselves as established Christians today. You are Wingfold and so am I. How do we react when challenged by trial or enemy? How do we address the spirit of the age? Does our walk reflect our talk? And the often asked question, if we were accused of being Christians, would there be enough evidence to convict us? Not all who are in the Church are of it and an awakening is needed if we are to truly bring God's Kingdom to Earth. An excerpt from MacDonald's story...

"There are those who in their very first seeking of it are nearer to the kingdom of heaven than many who have for years believed themselves in it. In the former there is more of the mind of Jesus, and when he calls them, they recognize him at once and go after him. The others examine him from head to foot, and finding him not sufficiently like the Jesus of their conception, turn their backs and go to church to kneel before a vague form mingled of tradition and imagination.

Wingfold soon found that his nature was being stirred to depths unsuspected before. 'This church stands here in the name of Christianity. But what is Christianity? I know but one definition. Christianity does not mean what you think or what I think concerning Christ, but who Christ is. I ask myself, do I then obey this word? Have I ever, have I once, sought to obey it? Am I a pupil of Jesus? Am I a Christian?'

The Lord says, 'Love your enemies'. Do you say 'It is impossible'? The Lord says, 'Aim for perfection'. Do you then aim for perfection, or do you excuse your shortcomings and say, 'To err is human'? The Lord says, 'Judge not'. Did you judge your neighbour today? Will you judge him again tomorrow? The Lord said, 'All things you would that men should do to you, do also to them'. You who buy and sell, do you obey this law?"

- From The Curate's Awakening

"Not everyone who says unto me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

- From Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:21

I don't believe I could ever think up, much less ask, a question too big for God to answer. Let us ponder the big questions in our hearts and ask them of Him. Let us be like the Bereans of Acts chapter 17 who were called noble because they "received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so." Let us love the truth and seek it - seek Him - diligently and discover the incomparable richness and goodness of the one true God for ourselves.

Wingfold