One Sunday evening, just before Christmas, his wife took the children to church while the farmer relaxed at home. Then the weather deteriorated into a blinding snow storm driven by a freezing north wind. He heard a loud thump on the window. Then another. He ventured out to see a flock of grey geese disorientated by the storm that had landed in his farmyard.

The farmer had compassion for them. He realised they needed the shelter of his barn. He opened the barn doors and hung up a lamp but they would not go in. He laid out a trail of bread but still they would not go in. He tried to shoo them in, but to no avail. Nothing he could do would get them into the shelter of the barn.

Utterly frustrated, he exclaimed, “Why don’t they follow me? Can’t they see this is the only way to survive the storm? Then he thought, “How could I get them to follow me? They will not follow a man. If only I could become like one of them, then I could save them.”

At that moment he stopped and realised what he had said. The words reverberated in his head. “If only I could become like one of them, then I could save them.” At last he understood God’s heart towards humankind. He fell on his knees in the snow and worshipped Him. When he looked up, to his amazement he saw the grey geese entering the barn, and a white goose was leading them.”

The white goose is the Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit.  May God’s Holy Spirit guide you into the wonderful truth of the Incarnation – the Word made flesh.

Rt Revd Richard Blackburn

Bishop of Warrington