'We will win - that's what we do!'

 I find myself a little misty-eyed as I write this, having just watched the Livestream of the funeral service for Captain Sir Tom Moore. It was sad to see only 10 people in the Bedford crematorium as I'm sure many thousands would have gathered in a cathedral to honour a man who has captured the nation's heart during this pandemic. There were around 22,000 devices watching the Facebook Live stream with me, and probably many more on other media.

Coincidentally I have also just finished reading his autobiography 'Tomorrow will be a Good Day' and feel like I knew the man very well. I was so impressed with his high sense of duty, decency, determination, (I am running out of 'd's!) combined with unrelenting politeness, perseverance in trial and positivity. I love the fact that at 90 years old he travelled on his own to Kathmandu in Nepal and hired a small plane to fly around the summit of Everest! Two years later he was back in India again, this time in the company of his daughters, revisiting his wartime haunts. Famous for his £38.9 million fundraising for the NHS during 2020, this great man seemed indestructible - but he never claimed it so, acknowledging the privilege he had been given in living so long.

Elsewhere in the book Captain Sir Tom spoke endearingly of his quiet Christian faith, perhaps in keeping with that of the awesome lady of his own generation, Queen Elizabeth, who knighted him at Windsor last year. 

When speaking of the Covid virus pandemic he said: 'Faced with a common enemy, we were all in this together - comrades in arms - only now the battle was against a virus. And just like the war, I knew that we would win. We always do in this country. It often takes time, but we win. That's what we do'. The battle against Covid is a global one, and we can forgive the old warrior boasting of his own land, but the sentiment and positive example is stirring.

What I also find heartening about the adulation and attention being given to this unassuming and very normal little man, is the amount of respect being paid to the fading generation of which he was part. If there is any silver lining to the dark storm-cloud of the pandemic, it may be that so many of us have sacrificed and worked together to save the lives of as many senior citizens as we can. In a time when older folk were at best marginalised and ignored, and at worst maligned, mocked and abused, by a world obsessed with youth and looks, it is gratifying that millions have paused to honour the passing of a generation that suffered greatly, who accepted duty and sacrifice with equanimity and yet hope, and who laid down foundations of Christian behaviour from which we would do well to learn.

Farewell, Sir Tom. May God bless and comfort your dear family.

Baring our Hearts and not just our Arms

I was grateful for a mild fever last weekend. It was the day after my second vaccination against Covid-19 and although it meant a few hours with a headache or feeling a bit out of sorts, this was a good sign. My immune system was working away, identifying, and reacting to, the vaccine, and it quickly passed. I am so thankful for the huge crowd of folk who have made this possible, from the scientists who rose to the challenge of producing this great weapon against the virus, to the doctors, nurses and front-line vaccinators who are offering it in Guernsey today.

Yet, it was my choice to respond to the phonecall telling me that, due to my medical history, I was being offered this injection now. I have friends who have misgivings about it. I respect them but hope that in time they will come to see that this is God’s gift to our communities. It is something to be grateful for and not to be afraid of. But it will still be for them to choose. I cannot bare their arms for them. Scientists have developed vaccines against a variety of diseases, but even in countries where these vaccinations are readily available, often free of charge, the diseases have not always been eradicated. The reason? People must choose inoculation to enjoy immunity. This vaccination campaign in Guernsey, as elsewhere, is not mandatory. The science has provided the gift, but we must each choose to receive it. I hope that when your turn comes, you will feel able to do so.

There is another virus at work in our society today. The Bible calls it ‘the power of sin’ and it leads to all kinds of social and personal distress and disaster. God’s solution is ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29). He has provided for us a way to be forgiven and to learn how to forgive. Through Jesus he offers us an intervention against both the power and the penalty of sin. But just as with Covid-19, everyone must make their own choice, baring not their arms this time, but their hearts. Without that moment of willing surrender, the process of healing and internal change cannot begin. But with it, a new life opens ahead of us, and God’s ‘new normal’ starts to appear.