August 8th 2026
I was lucky to have grown up in a family that were blessed in so many ways. We were given hand-me-down books, puzzles, toys and as time went on, lots of hand-me-down Lego. In fact, I still have a very large box of Lego. If someone were to buy that Lego new nowadays, I’m guessing it would likely cost several hundred pounds.
I was looking at all the Lego at Houghton Conquest Church this week and all the children engrossed in it, and it brought back a flood of memories. How blessed we are. It is amazing that for many people, you just don’t outgrow Lego. Such a person in Lego jargon is call an AFOL or Adult Fan of Lego. The history of Lego goes back to Billund, Denmark in 1932 when Ole Kirk Christianson started a small carpentry workshop which produced wooden toys. The name Lego comes from the Danish phrase “Leg Godt”, meaning “play well”. In the 1940’s Kirk Christianson switched over to plastic. The Lego brick in its’ present form was launched in 1958. The interlocking design hasn’t changed since. In the year 2000, Lego was awarded “The Toy of the Century” beating the teddy bear, Action Man, and Barbie. Since the company’s inception, over 600 billion Lego bricks have been produced. That’s 86 bricks for every person on earth.
Beyond the fun and creativity, Lego can teach us profound spiritual lessons about our relationship with God. Every piece of Lego has a purpose. Consider a complex Lego set with hundreds of pieces of many varying differences. Each piece, even the smallest one, is essential to complete the picture. Similarly, each of us has a unique role in God’s plan. Recognize your value and the value of others in the body of Christ. Together, we complete God’s beautiful design for His church.
PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE NO SERVICES THIS SUNDAY AT ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS AND AT MARY’S CARDINGTON
Fr. Paul
________ _____________
Rev’d Fr. Paul Messam SCP (Society of Catholic Priests)
Team Rector,
Elstow Abbey & Elstow Team Ministry.
Assistant Area Dean of BedfordAbbey Vicarage
Church End
Elstow
Bedford
MK42 9XT01234 261477
vicar@elstow-abbey.org.uk