We said Vigils earlier than usual this morning, so at six o'clock Duncan and I were walking towards the Ridgeway, past the lambing fields. Lambing begins quite late here, so the first lambs are only just putting in an appearance. They frisk and frolic in the sunshine and give every sign of enjoying life, with ne'er a thought of what may lie in store. At Mass we invoke Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. When we do so, we are thinking primarily of the Passover lamb, the lamb of sacrifice, and Jesus as the sacrifice which takes away the sin of the world – serious theology packed into a few words. Serious theology, however, doesn't need to be glum, indeed it oughtn't to be. Perhaps we should take a second look at the lambs in the fields. The Lamb of God takes a huge joy in the whole of creation. That is why he was ready to sacrifice himself for us, and as Hebrews reminds us, ready to do so joyfully..