My family has been fortunate enough to possess a grandfather clock of an early English type and it now stands rather imposingly in a section of the sitting room it chose for itself rather than conforming to our initial choice of place for it, since it was too tall and broad-faced to fit elsewhere.

It has to be said that there are long case clocks in the world a great deal more elegant than this one, and with much more advanced mechanisms, but with its ample proportions and the loudness of its strike it has a commanding presence and character.

My great-grandfather’s mother-in-law’s name is inscribed on the skirt around the base of the clock.

It is immensely comforting to me just to sit down and listen to its familiar tick, and watch its second hand going round the wrong way as it always did, and to wind it up in the evenings and through actual contact just enjoy and be part of something that has been going on for several generations (and until you wind up the weight in an old clock you have never really experienced the meaning of “winding up” anything).

I have renewed an old friendship with something that was always part of me.

Notwithstanding a certain roughness and simplicity about its design and manufacture, its value to us is largely that it has been used for several generations of our family.

The whole point about it necessitates its being old and used. Because it was seen and touched and used by those who went before us, it imparts to us a degree of self-knowledge.

Through what has been handed down to us we gain a certain sense of contact with those forbears who possessed and handled and no doubt loved it before we did.

I believe St John was of a slightly similar mind to this when he wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life ... that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

St John expresses here the truth that the proclamation of Christian truth, “the word of life”, is a handing-on of something that is already in existence.

Along with the word of the Gospel was the fellowship or communion. “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that your joy may be complete.”

The spread of the Gospel and the expansion of the Church are two aspects of one reality, which is at the same time the dynamic extension of the Incarnation.

1 John 1: 1-4 shows that the proclaiming of the Gospel goes beyond a form of words passing from tongue to ear. We have seen that St John speaks of it as extending the fellowship that was enjoyed at the beginning by those who walked with Jesus and therefore with His Father.

That fellowship was something that was manifested not only through hearing, but through sight and touch as well. St John 20: 19-31 shows Jesus not only using words, but sight and touch also. He shows His disciples His hands and His side, and they feel His breath upon them when He gives them the power of forgiveness.

Indeed, words only, the words of the disciples themselves, were not sufficient to convince the one who was absent, Thomas, of the remarkable truth of the word of life.

This was not accomplished until the following first day of the week, when the risen Jesus came again and invited St Thomas not only to look at but to feel the wounds of His body.

The Church extends the word of life in the same way, not through hearing alone.

We testify to and proclaim the word of life and forgiveness. We receive the Body and Blood of the Lord by means of the material of the sacrament.

Water is poured over us. We come, or are brought, to be given the touch of blessing or ordination. For particular needs we may be anointed with oil. Some of this may be compared to the old furniture giving us a sense of personal place in God’s scheme of things for us.

But they are not mere symbols: they are the means by which the koinonia, the fellowship or communion of believers with the Father and the Son is made manifest to each one of us.

For commentary, information and devotional material see www.churchofenglandcayman.com and www.anglicansatprayer.org