O Taste and See how Gracious the Lord is.

Throughout Christmas, we have placed Sr Mericia's Nativity Cake in the centre of the table in Clergy House dining room, as an inspiration and as a work of art. Today, at the end of Sunday lunch, having admired her creation with reverent restraint, we asked her to come and cut it.

It required not just a steady hand, but a bold heart, to cut into the crib scene. Sister Mericia (one of the Portuguese sisters who works in Clergy House) showed no qualms.

However, nobody could quite bring themselves to eat the child in the manger.