Today’s Scripture Reading (April 3,
2014): Lamentations 3
Harold
Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. His reign actually lasted
for less than a year. His reign seemed to start with his excommunication from
the Roman Catholic Church. But his excommunication seems to have come for
political reasons rather than religious ones. It was Harold’s departure from
the Church that opened up the possibility of his military defeat. Because
Harold was removed from the list of active monarchs in the Catholic Church, it
made the conquest of England by the Norman, William the Conqueror, a proper and
legal action – William’s conquest of England was an action that could be
supported by the Catholic Church.
Harold died
on October 14, 1066 C.E. at the Battle of Hastings trying to defend England
from the Norman invaders. But the saga of Harold Godwinson (or Harold II) did
not end with his death. Harold Godwinson died and his body was divested of
absolutely everything that gave any idea of Harold’s rank or identity. Even his
head, the head that had once bore the crown of England, was removed from the
body. In one story of Harold’s death, his widow is called in to identify the
naked body of her husband, and the only way that she could do it was by identifying
a private mark on his body that only she knew about. Harold’s body was placed
into the hands of his enemies. We are told that Harold’s mothered offered her
son’s enemies Harold’s weight in gold so that she could regain control of the
body of her son and give her son a proper burial, but the offer was refused.
Instead the body of Harold Godwinson was disposed of – and it seems that it was
disposed of in such a way that his supporters would never be able to find the
body of their king. Some rumours maintained that his body was buried at sea,
where no one could find it. There were even some who maintained that Harold had
not died, that he had somehow escaped the Battle of Hastings and lived as a
hermit in some remote back corner of England for the rest of his days. In 1954,
an Anglo-Saxon coffin was found in a church in Bosham, Harold’s birthplace.
When the body was exhumed, it was found to be missing its head, one complete
leg and the lower portion of his other leg – wounds that are identical to the
wounds of Harold II. For some, no other evidence was needed, this was the body
of Harold Godwinson – the excommunicated king.
The purpose
of the story Harold’s demise was really an attempt to erase Harold Godwinson
from the pages of history. The belief by Harold’s enemies was that Harold was
literally beyond redemption. And even if there were religious reasons for this
belief (which we don’t know of from our position in history), the belief is
untrue. The beauty of the story of God is that no one is beyond God’s
redemption.
Jeremiah is
listing all of the reasons why Judah has been cast off and discarded. Yet he
still holds out a hope – because Jeremiah knows that no one is cast off by God
forever. And this is our hope – and our story. No matter what it is that we
have done, no matter how we are seen by religious people or even by the church –
even if we have gone through the fire of removal from the church, God still
stands at the ready to redeem us and bring us back into his community – and into
his presence. It is a promise found buried deep in Jeremiah’s weeping that
brings hope to all who will believe.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Lamentations 4
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