|
|
|
“ A time for reflection” “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.” Luke 4.v1
We are now well into the season of Lent, a time which the church has set aside for prayer and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Easter. In its keeping of Lent the church follows the example of Jesus who, before entering any activity during his ministry, always set time apart to reflect and wait upon God. If we truly wish to participate in the great Easter feast, we cannot lightly dispense with this process to which we are called in Lent. Attempts to do so can lead to our celebration being somewhat superficial and meaningless. The services in Passiontide and Holy Week are all integral to the meaningful keeping of the Lenten season. I urge you to set aside time to join us for some of them. If you do, you will find that by Easter Sunday your understanding will have been enriched.
I am well aware that in the political world also we are now in another season of preparation - for the General Election which will most likely fall on May 6th but, if the Prime Minister is feeling lucky, could be bit earlier - possibly in April. Amidst the business of the campaign I long for a time when our politicians might spend a bit more time in reflection rather than always feeling compelled to feed the great media monster with instant reactions and comments. I despair sometimes when I see politicians who, rather than pausing to think, jump aboard every public opinion bandwagon which is going past. Politicians devalue the meaning of our language by expressing themselves in hyperbolic terms. It seems that they have to be more outraged, more committed, more informed, more in touch, more human, more honest ... in fact, just about more of everything, than their political opponents. If only, I wonder, they could be more restrained and reflective. The leader of the Conservative party spoke of an end to ‘Punch and Judy’ politics. I see little evidence of that from him or any of the other leaders. They all seem to be caught up in the need to score points, or to denigrate their rivals, often in deeply personal ways.
I look forward to a time when politicians can return to discussing politics and not personalities, when they reflect before they speak or act, so that they can present real alternatives to the public who will then be able to make a genuine judgement. It is so important that we are able to have a proper debate about the critical issues, which are a challenge to us all. Finally, we must commit ourselves to pray and support all those who enter the political process. They undertake a sacred task on our behalf:- the responsibility for the government of our nation.
Matthew Baynes |
