Summer Reflection

              Summer time is here, I hope you will have some time of rest and relaxation, perhaps to enjoy God’s beautiful world, and even reflect on your walk with God. I know I’m hoping to get some miles on my bible reading clock, as well as some trips away for Holiday.

Life often seems busy when we forget to make time to reflect. Holiday clubs, Frampton Festival and a whole series of family celebrations has meant the weeks leading into the summer have been hectic. Of course the world of the news has managed more than the odd headline: new Prime Minister, new relationship with Europe, abject failure in the football (unless you are lucky enough to be Welsh) and of course the old old story of terrorism! France’s ‘Bastille’ day marked by utter carnage, shootings in Germany, coup attempts in Turkey and attempted kidnappings for serviceman to name but a few. How can we celebrate and go on as if all of life is normal whilst others weep in sackcloth and ashes? Last month two of my children graduated, P-j my colleague became a Grandpa, my Father celebrated 60 years as a minister, surely I must rejoice and celebrate. Yet at the same time the devastation of Nice, the impending famine in Nigeria and indeed on-going devastation of Syria or Libya leave us with so many questions, to say nothing of the homeless, unemployed or mentally ill all around us.

              How do you cope?

              Some try simply to ignore it. It isn’t because they don’t care, but perhaps they reach a point that they ‘can’t care’ anymore. If we open our eyes to all the struggles and pain of others we can be swamped, and our own health or well-being disintegrates. Others isolate themselves, they focus on those situations and peoples that are close to ‘home’ and make their focus there. I must be honest and say I don’t like that attitude, but I do understand why people do it. If these two responses can be described as burying our heads in the sand, then surely there is some merit in them…. After all when we raise our head, open our eyes the devastation, the inequality, the suffering is simply too great.

              How do I cope?

              I try to turn back to God, and hopefully not just in summer when there is a bit more time! I will admit sometimes I feel God is hard to find. On the morning of the Nice attacks I was leading communion at St. Peter’s Church. I scrapped the readings I was going to use and simply turned to Psalm 22. It is a Psalm (song) of David written thousands of years ago and is the Psalm that seemed to comfort Jesus whilst he was being murdered on the Cross. ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me…… all who see me mock me: “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him.” ….trouble is near and there is no one to help…..my strength is dried up…and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.’ It is as you can see not exactly a ‘happy’ song, but it is real, brutally honest. This is why I love it. But it doesn’t only shout WOE, WOE, WOE, it also, from the depths of the pit, whispers FAITH. ‘Yet you (LORD) brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast……But you, O LORD, be not far off, O my Strength, come quickly to help me….All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.’ I have long since decided that the only way to face the realities of this world is to do so head on and ask for strength. It is fairly obvious that we live in a wonderful and yet terrible world. To deny either is to obscure the truth. We must face both and live. Our guru, Jesus, sums up what our response needs to be like when he noticed that his generation neither danced with those who dance nor mourned and wept with those who wept. This is how I try to cope. I want to dance with those who dance, to celebrate all that is good in life, to laugh and rejoice with those who rejoice. But I also know that I am called to stand beside those who weep, to watch with those that mourn through the long reaches of the night. In truth this empathy for and with others, is an absolute key to what it means to be human. It is the reason why ultimately I believe all terrorism will fail, because even though some become radicalised and filled with hatred the very nature of that hatred is ‘inhuman.’ Know this, many many Muslims are just as disgusted by the actions of these ‘haters’ as you or I am. In the past even the most ardent Republicans or Unionists from Northern Ireland simply became sick to the core at the inhumanity of what was once called ‘the struggle.’ Our humanity will always weep with those that weep, and though we may want, or even try, to shut the doors of our heart to the needs of those not like us, the television screens and maybe even our immigrant or refugee neighbours will not allow us to. Each one is precious wherever they are from, and something deep in our hearts always knows this.

As I said Dad celebrated 60 years as a church minister recently, he chose a reading from Matt 25 which simply said, ‘whatsoever you do for one of the least of these you do for me.’ So whether you are relaxing or working this summer our calling is essentially the same: we are called to dance with those who dance, but also to be ready and to stand and weep with those who weep. In effect we are to recognise the core humanity, even the reflected divinity, of all those who are around us and to serve each one, even if they may appear to be our ‘enemies,’ as if in effect we were either dancing or weeping with Jesus himself.

Stephen