The Intrepid Squire

It was a busy Christmas day in London, as crowds of people flocked to the local chapel. One of those people was Sir Ecter, an elderly and respected knight who had two sons, Sir Kay, a tenacious new knight, and the 18-year-old squire, Arthur.

 Although it was Christmas, the people were melancholy because the king had died and there was no heir. Suddenly, during the church service, a beaming, blinding light blasted through the windows and a loud bang was heard. A mammoth marble stone appeared in the churchyard. All the bewildered townsfolk flooded outside and the Bishop read aloud the words which were embellished on the strange rock: “Whoso pulleth the sword out of this stone is rightwise born king of England.” Every resolved knight tried and tried to pull out the sword, but it wouldn’t budge. 

It was New Year’s day and all the knights held a tournament in a field near where the sword was located. Unluckily, Kay had forgotten his sword, so he scowled at Arthur and yelled, “Go back to the inn and get my sword, you pig!” The young brother replied, “I’m so sorry, I’ll go fetch it right away.”

Instead, Arthur dislodged the sword in the stone, which was a quicker option. None of the people believed that Arthur had obtained the sword, so the knights put it back in yet all failed in removing it. But like a knife through butter, Arthur easily pulled it out to everyone’s amazement. The squire intrepidly brandished the sword, and all of the people bowed to their new king.

The Great Archbishop of Canterbury

It was a misty morning in a slave market in Rome. As the extremely busy merchants and shoppers went about their daily work, a fetid stench filled the air. Pope Gregory III, who was bewildered, saw some peculiar boys. The Pope said, “Where are these boys from? I’ve never seen anyone like them.” The slave trader responded, “They’re from the island of Britain.” Generously, the humble Pope bought them to take home with him. 

Unfortunately, these slaves didn’t know about the Bible. The Pope was sad and decided to convert England to Christianity. The Pope called on a devout monk named Augustine, who was accompanied by 40 other monkres. 

St. Augustine of Canterbury

Resolved to preach the Bible, they intrepidly sailed to England and lived in Canterbury. Augustine fervently taught the Gospel and on Christmas of 597 AD, he baptized 1,000 people. Churches and monasteries, which  were built all over the country, helped Britain become a Christain nation. Triumphantly, Augustine was extolled by being crowned Archbishop of Canterbury.  

The Beginning of Islam

Mohammed, who didn’t like the busy city of Mecca where camels spit, people argued, and hot air burned his shoulders, often journeyed alone to the desert. On one of these peaceful trips, he wandered into a cool, dark cave. The melancholy man heard soothing music, so Mohammed looked up and spotted and felt the warm glow of what he thought was an angel. He also noticed a scroll with fiery letters. Although Mohammed was illiterate, he somehow directly read it and the instructions clearly stated that he was to be Allah’s messenger. He traveled home and told his bewildered wife about the strange event, and she encouraged him.

Modern day Mecca

The “angel” visited Mohammed more and advised him to preach to the people of Mecca. Some listened and believed, whereas others didn’t and he made extensive enemies. The prophet and his friend and follower, Abu Bakr, who were eating dinner heard irate soldiers banging violently on his door. “We should find a hiding place before those soldiers get inside,” screamed Abu Bakr. Abruptly, they fled to the nearest cave for refuge. 

Evidently, there was an unbroken spider web across the entrance of the quiet cave, so the soldiers thought that if they had gone in there they would have broken it. Mohammed and his friend who were miraculously saved, were relieved. This event marked the beginning of Islam.