Rudyard
Kipling’s
famous
poem
‘If’,
commends
responsible,
courageous
living.
It
begins
with
the
well-known
words,
‘If
you
can
keep
your
head
when
all
about
you
/
are
losing theirs and blaming it on you...’
Less
familiar
perhaps
is
what
a
later
verse
says:
‘If
you
can
make
one
heap
of
all
your
winnings
/
and
risk
it
on
one
turn
of
toss-and-pitch,
/
And
lose
and
start
again
at
your
beginnings/
And
never
breathe
a
word
about
your
loss...’
For
in
Kipling’s
view
a
mature
approach
to
life
includes
being
willing
to
take
risks.
This
is
what
he
believes
is
part of being ‘manly’ or as we might say resolute or plucky.
Risk-taking
does
not
come
easy
to
many
of
us.
But
it
can’t
always
be
avoided
as
the
present
situation
in
the
progress
of
the
Covid-19
indicates.
It
is
tragic
that
over
forty
thousand
deaths
have
been
reported
so
far.
And
our
hearts
go
out
to
relatives
and
friends
who
could
not
be
with
their
loved
ones
when
they
passed
away
or
even
attend
their
funerals.
It
is
hard
to
imagine
their
great
loss
being
compounded
by
this
sad
effect
of social distancing.
Yet
such
is
the
reality
and
every
effort
to
control
the
spread
of
the
disease
involves
a
cost
which
has
to
be
borne
however
much
we
wish
we
could
avoid
it.
In
the
case
of
those
who
mourn
now
there
are
prospects
of
memorial
services
being
arranged
when
restrictions permit. But the delayed grief must be hard to bear.
When
we
observe
the
progress
of
the
pandemic-
in
this
country
at
least
-it
appears
that
we
may
have
reached
a
new
stage.
For
judging
by
the
present
rate
of
infections
the
virus
does
not
yet
seem
to
have
run
out
of
steam.
So
there
has
been
the
dire
prediction
that
it
might
go
on
for
some
time
still
with
the
unpalatable
conclusion
that
we
might
have to learn to live with it in the future.
Living
with
that
risk
may
not
be
altogether
disagreeable.
After
all,
washing
our
hands
more
often
and
more
thoroughly
is
sensible
anyway.
And
giving
people,
if
not
a
wide
berth,
but
suitable
space
is
also
considerate
behaviour
regardless
of
any
‘social
distancing’
measures.
Of
course
there
will
be
disadvantages
which
might
impinge
on
our
freedom.
The
journalists
amusingly
point
out
instances
of
‘ghost
football’
and
horse
racing
‘behind
closed
doors’
as
current
examples.
Travel
may
continue
to
be
limited and there will be other restrictions to work with.
However,
a
more
problematic
issue
in
living
with
risk
of
infection
will
be
the
requirement
to
exercise
personal
judgement,
discretion
and
to
use
common
sense
as
we
seek
to
find
a
balance
between
acquiescence
and
personal
liberty.
In
other
words,
we
shall have to face the challenge of risk-management.
But
what
is
risk?
A
dictionary
will
tell
us
that
it
is
doing
something
with
a
chance
of
bad
consequences
or
of
loss
(as
mentioned
by
Kipling
in
his
poem).
So
taking
a
risk
exposes
us
to
some
hazard
or
misfortune.
When
the
weather
is
bad
we
may
warn
someone
to
wrap
up
warm
to
avoid
catching
a
cold.
And
in
the
matter
of
risk-taking
there
are
at
least
two
kinds:
foolish
risks
and
calculated
risks.
It’s
the
latter
sort
which
is
of
special
interest
here.
For
the
‘new
normal’
as
it’s
sometimes
called
will
present
the challenge of deciding what it is best to do when options present themselves to us.
An
Army
officer
who
served
in
Afghanistan
was
reported
in
a
national
daily
newspaper
as
saying
that
when
he
entered
dangerous
situations
he
had
no
idea
what
he
would
face.
He
said,
‘I
had
no
idea
how
I
would
manage
my
fear-you
can’t
prescribe
to
people
dealing
with
their
fear’.
Dealing
with
risk
(he
said)
is
‘a
deeply
personal
thing’.
He
concluded
that
people
will
have
to
make
their
own
judgements
about
the
risk
of
the
pandemic
continuing
and
when
‘Covid-caution’
has
to
give
way
to
‘corona-courage’
(as it has been put).
Common
sense
tells
us
that
during
lockdown
we
have
been
naturally,
even
inevitably,
focussing
on
ourselves
and
our
own
safety.
It
will
be
a
shock
when
things
change
and,
when
in
order
to
live
more
freely
and
concentrate
on
economic
recovery
we
shall
have
to
weigh
up
the
risk
of
contracting
the
virus
against
ways
of
enjoying
our
new
freedom.
Learning
to
live
with
the
virus
will
mean
that
difficult
decisions
will
have
to
be made and yet taking risks is part of Kipling’s vision of a balanced lifestyle.
This
should
not
surprise
the
Christian
believer
who
appreciates
the
stunning
fact
that
God
is
the
ultimate
risk-taker.
Coming
as
Jesus,
He
accepted
all
that
the
world
could
throw
at
Him
-even
crucifixion.
The
oft-quoted
gospel
verse
makes
this
clear
when
it
says,
‘God
so
loved
the
world
that
he
gave
his
only
son,
so
that
everyone
who
believes
may
not
perish
but
may
have
eternal
life’.
Having
made
Himself
vulnerable
for
our
sakes
He
knows
what
it
feels
like
to
be
exposed
to
danger.
We
can
constantly
take
much comfort from that assurance.
Furthermore,
while
it
is
wonderful
to
be
able
to
believe
in
a
great
God
who
is
utterly
beyond
and
above
us,
it
is
even
more
wonderful
to
know
that
He
actually
believes
in
us!
For
we
gather
from
Scripture
that
He
feels
for
us,
understands
our
weakness,
grieves
when
we
go
wrong
and
rejoices
in
our
well-being.
Amazingly
we
can
even
say
that He suffers with us.
During
World
War
1
Geoffrey
Studdert
Kennedy
volunteered
to
serve
as
an
Army
chaplain.
‘Woodbine
Willie’,
as
he
was
affectionately
known
by
the
soldiers
to
whom
he
distributed
cigarettes
as
well
as
personal
comfort,
must
have
witnessed
untold
horrors
on
the
battle
ground.
How
did
he
survive
such
an
ordeal?
‘My
only
real
God
(he said) is the suffering Father revealed in the sorrow of Christ’.
We
might
find
it
hard
to
think
of
God
suffering
with
us
because
we
are
taught
that
He
is
unchanging
and
thus
completely
dependable.
However
that
does
not
mean
that
He
is
unfeeling.
A
lovely
version
of
the
verse
in
the
prophecy
of
Isaiah
(chapter
63,
verse
9)
speaks
of
God’s
steadfast
love
for
His
people
by
saying:
‘In
all
their
affliction
he
was
afflicted’.
A
God
who
made
Himself
open
to
risk
by
coming
to
this
planet
and
who
can
be
moved
by
human
heartbreaks
inspires
us
and
indeed
helps
us
to
face
the
future
with
courage.
Should
the
virus
become
endemic
in
humans
–and
we
trust
that
will
not
happen-
we
shall
have
to
learn
to
live
with
the
limited
risk
of
contracting
it
in
order
to
simply
to
live.
But
then
we
shall
be
able
to
say
with
the
Psalmist,
‘Blessed
be
the
Lord
who
daily bears us up’.
A
Prayer:
Assist
us
mercifully,
O
Lord,
in
these
our
supplications
and
prayers,
and
dispose
the
way
of
thy
servants
towards
the
attainment
of
everlasting
life;
that,
among
all
the
changes
and
chances
of
this
mortal
life,
they
may
ever
be
defended
by
thy
most
gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
6. LIVING WITH RISK
CONNECTING WITH COVID-19
Some more personal reflections following the progress of the pandemic
Michael L. Diamond, June 2020
Of
course
we
should
put
it
differently
today
but
surely
a
great
truth
is
contained
in
the
words:
‘No
man
is
an
Island
entire
of
it
self’.
Writing
in
seventeenth
century
somewhat
antiquated
English,
the
poet
John
Donne’s
warning
about
not
imagining
we can go it alone still has resonance for twenty-first century people.
Perhaps
we
need
a
cautionary
word
like
this
even
more
these
days.
For
having
experienced
the
unusually
hemmed-in
conditions
of
lockdown,
it
has
become
natural,
even
perhaps
inevitable,
to
think
about
ourselves
and
our
own
safety
before
anybody
or
anything
else.
And
while
we
are
thankful
for
the
National
Health
Service
and
are
ready
to
applaud
those
who
serve
unselfishly
in
the
caring
professions
as
well
as
appreciating
the
medical
and
scientific
research
being
carried
out
on
our
behalf,
it
is
only too easy to overlook others and forget to think more widely.
One
way
to
adjust
our
perspective
is
to
try
to
look
from
above
as
archaeologists
are
apparently
doing
in
their
work
today.
Discovering
ancient
remains
has
been
the
heavy
and
painstaking
removal
and
careful
sifting
of
earth.
But
now
thanks
to
ground-
penetrating
radar
an
entire
Roman
settlement
has
been
surveyed
without
anyone
getting
their
hands
dirty.
Instead
of
spending
hours
digging,
this
new
equipment
has
dispensed
with
spades
and
trowels
and
has
revealed
a
Roman
city
(not
far
from
Rome
itself)
complete
with
a
bath
complex,
market,
large
temple,
public
monuments
and
a
system
of
water
pipes
underneath
the
city
walls.
The
Cambridge
University
archaeologists
who
have
found
Falerii
Novi
can
truly
be
congratulated
for
discovering it all from above ground.
If
only
we
could
sometimes
look
at
the
whole
of
life
like
that,
adopting
a
perspective
from
above.
Or
perhaps
imagine
seeing
ourselves,
other
people
and
the
world
as
God
sees
it
all
and
trying
to
picture
how,
for
example,
God
regards
the
suffering
of
so
many
people
worldwide.
Obviously
this
‘top
-down’
approach
has
special
implications for the current global pandemic.
While
it
is
less
clear
when
it
began,
we
all
know
where
it
first
started.
And
since
the
focus
of
attention
has
been
on
the
Chinese
city
of
Wuhan
we
immediately
recognise
the
international
dimension
of
what
country
after
country
has
been
dealing
with.
So
we
are
obliged
to
think
much
more
widely
than
our
personal
safely
or
that
of
our
closest circle of loved ones.
Attention
has
been
rightly
drawn
to
the
vulnerability
of
people
in
the
United
Kingdom
from
black,
Asian
and
minority
ethnic
groupings,
sadly
including
those
who
are
particularly
exposed
to
the
virus
by
serving
in
the
caring
professions.
But
looking
even
further
afield
what
chance
have
people
in
poorer
nations
with
weaker
health services than our own to beat this (or any other) disease?
Reports
of
surveys
appearing
in
national
newspapers
suggest
that
many
times
more
people
in
some
parts
of
the
developing
world
could
die
of
Covid-19
than
was
previously
thought.
A
combination
of
less
efficient
health
systems,
governments
struggling
to
cope
and
pre-existing
health
conditions
among
their
populations
lead
to
fears
that
the
death
toll
in
such
countries
as
Brazil,
India,
South
Africa
and
other
African
regions
will
turn
out
to
be
‘dramatically’
higher
than
was
expected
with
the
prospect that it could be said that we are ‘sitting on a time-bomb’.
We
cannot
be
complacent
and
deceive
ourselves
that
the
disease
when
it
reaches
developing
countries
isn’t
going
to
be
as
fatal
as
it
has
been
here.
It
may
well
turn
out
to
be
even
more
so.
And
while
we
wait
hoping
and
praying
that
a
vaccine
or
cost-
effective
treatment
will
be
found,
it
is
clear
that
time
is
certainly
not
on
our
side.
What then can be done and what, if anything, can
we
do?
John
Donne,
who
wisely
reminded
us
of
our
dependence
on
one
another,
had
quite
a
varied
career.
Born
into
a
Roman
Catholic
family
in
1572,
he
later
became
an
Anglican
during
the
reign
of
Elizabeth
1.
He
was
eventually
ordained
in
the
Church
of
England,
becoming
Dean
of
St
Paul’s
Cathedral.
He
is
variously
remembered
as
a
metaphysical (or visionary) poet, a scholar, a soldier (even) and as a notable preacher.
His
Christian
beliefs
would
surely
have
informed
him
of
God’s
concern
for
the
well-
being
of
the
poor
and
suffering.
‘Seeing
through
God’s
lens’
(as
it
has
since
been
put)
he
would
also
surely
have
been
aware
of
our
responsibility
towards
each
other
including those less fortunate than ourselves.
He
would
have
found
in
the
Psalms
that
‘The
Lord
is
near
to
the
broken-hearted
and
saves
the
crushed
in
spirit’
(Psalm
34,
v.18)
and
discovered
the
following
earnest
call
in
the
New
Testament
the:
‘Let
each
of
you
look
not
to
your
own
interests,
but
to
the
interests
of
others’
(Philippians
2,
v.4).
He
would
also
have
noticed
that
Jesus
simply
assumed
that
His
people
would
care
for
needy
when
on
one
occasion
He
said:
‘you
always
have
the
poor
with
you,
and
you
can
show
kindness
to
them
whenever
you
wish (Mark 14, v.7). See also Matthew 25, vv.31ff and I Timothy 6, vv.17ff.
Furthermore,
he
would
have
come
across
God’s
specific
command
in
the
Old
Testament
to
help
anyone
in
need:
‘If
there
is
among
you
anyone
in
need...do
not
be
hard-hearted
or
tight-fisted
towards
your
needy
neighbour.
You
should
rather
open
your
hand
willingly’
(Deuteronomy
15,
vv.7f).
So
as
Psalm
41
says,
‘Happy
are
those who consider the poor’.
This
divine
vision
for
a
caring
community
now
extends
far
beyond
the
confines
of
one
country,
be
it
Israel
in
Old
Testament
times
or
our
own
United
Kingdom
today,
for
nowadays
we
are
very
much
a
global
community.
Yet
this
doesn’t
mean
that
we
can
leave
all
charitable
work
to
government.
Whether
or
not
it
makes
sense
for
the
Department
for
International
Development
to
be
merged
with
the
Foreign
and
Commonwealth
Office
and
even
if
the
pledge
to
spend
0.7%
of
our
gross
domestic
product
on
international
aid
continues
to
hold
good
a
truly
outward
looking
Christian
faith expects that we individually play our part.
This
can
of
course
mean
several
practical
moves
such
as
the
following:
be
informed
and
know
where
the
greatest
needs
are;
pray
for
places
where
weak
governments
and
less
efficient
health
services
are
struggling;
lobby
a
Member
of
Parliament
if
need
be
so
that
foreign
aid
is
focussed
on
the
neediest
people
and
countries;
regularly
support
a
Christian
relief
organisations
such
as
Christian
Aid
or
Tearfund
(both
mentioned
below)
by
taking
their
literature
for
information
and
by
praying
and
giving.
Hartford’s
link
with
Kitegomba
in
Uganda
is
also
particularly
relevant
in
this
connection.
Above
all,
it
may
help
to
try
to
think
hard
and
imagine
how
all
the
pain
and
suffering
in
the
world
must
seem
to
God.
To
have
His
eye
view
of
how
disease
and
death
is
hitting
some
countries
and
devastating
the
poorest
of
the
world
will
inspire
and
motivate
the
generosity
contained
in
the
appeal
to
Christian
believers:
‘...let
us
not
grow
weary
in
doing
what
is
right...whenever
we
have
an
opportunity,
let
us
work
for
the good of all, especially for those of the family of faith’ (Galatians 6, v.10).
For Information: Christian Aid www.christian aid.org.uk.
Tearfund www.tearfund.org.
7. LOOKING FURTHER AFIELD
Michael L. Diamond, July 2020
8. RECOVERING EDUCATION
As
a
slight
variation
on
the
whimsical
question,
‘what
have
the
Romans
ever
done
for
us?’
another
could
be
asked
instead:
‘What
on
earth
do
we
owe
to
the
Greeks?’
Several
answers
could
be
put
forward
in
reply.
The
Greeks
of
course
gave
us
wonderful
classical
architecture.
They
left
behind
fine
sculptures
while
their
outstanding
legacy
of philosophical thinking is second to none.
So
it
is
hardly
surprising
to
find
out
that
the
ancient
Greeks
lay
great
store
on
education
especially
if
the
famous
philosopher
Aristotle
is
to
be
believed.
He
said:
‘Give
me
a
child
until
he
is
seven
and
I
will
show
you
the
man’.
Obviously
he
believed
in catching them young!
But
apparently
so
did
Plato
who
held
that
‘the
most
important
part
of
education
is
the
nursery’.
And
he
went
on
to
warn:
‘If
a
man
neglects
education,
he
walks
lame
to
the
end
of
his
life’.
Of
course
this
idea
is
not
just
confined
to
the
men-folk!
All
of
us
are
capable
of
‘limping’
through
life
in
some
respect
or
other
for
having
neglected
some
part of our schooling as youngsters.
It
is
interesting
then
to
hear
from
the
same
philosopher
what
the
best
kind
of
education
consists
of.
Plato
said:
‘The
noblest
of
all
studies
is
the
study
of
what
man
[or
the
human person] is and of what life he [or she] should live’.
Modern
thinkers
have
got
a
name
for
it.
They
call
the
age
we’re
living
in
the
‘anthropocene’
era
because
for
better
or
worse
the
focus
now
is
on
human
interests
and
behaviour
and
the
effect
our
activities
have
on
the
environment.
Sadly
this
is
often
detrimental
to
the
well
being
of
the
natural
world.
So
perhaps
a
good
education
should
not
neglect
the
question
as
to
how
we
should
conduct
our
lives
since
how
we
go
on
has
a much wider influence than we sometimes imagine.
The
education
of
our
children
and
young
people
is
a
particularly
live
issue
at
present
as
we
come
out
of
lockdown
and
schools
cautiously
reopen
again.
Much
time
has
been
lost
and
many
children
will
need
to
catch
up
unless
they
have
been
especially
diligent
in
on-line
learning
and
home
schooling.
Working
parents
will
need
to
be
able
to
go
to
work
without
worrying
about
the
safety
of
their
offspring
and
the
youngsters
themselves
will
have
to
get
used
to
working
in
class
again.
So
what
faces
them
as
they
return?
Will
it
be
comradeship
and
renewed
friendships
to
encourage
them
or
competition to spur them on?
And
what
are
we
looking
for
as
we
seek
to
provide
an
all-round
education
for
our
youngsters?
The
answer
may
depend
in
part
upon
our
outlook
on
life
in
general,
that
is, whether it happens to be largely optimistic, pessimistic or something in between.
The
political
thinker
Thomas
Hobbes
famously
declared
human
life
to
be
‘solitary,
poor,
nasty,
brutish
and
short’!
But
then
he
had
lived
through
England’s
Civil
War
and
all
the
upset
it
had
brought
to
everyone
living
in
this
country
at
the
time.
No
wonder
his outlook seems rather depressing!
Perhaps
factors
like
personal
psychology
and
upbringing
help
to
decide
whether
we
turn
out
to
be
‘Tiggers’
or
‘Eye
ores’
(to
recall
those
loveable
characters
in
‘Winnie
the
Pooh’
stories)
and
whether
we
see
the
glass
of
life
half
empty
or
half
full.
Yet
surely
a
balanced
education
can
help
us
to
see
the
bright
side
of
life
without
ignoring
its
shadow
side
and
at
the
same
time
preventing
us
from
dwelling
only
on
trouble
and
gloom
and
not
seeing
the
good.
For,
to
be
fair,
the
human
condition
shares
both
sides
of this strange divide.
The
aims
of
a
good
education
may
be
thought
to
produce
fine
character,
a
cultured
person,
good
citizenship
and,
further,
a
consistent
Christian
approach
to
life
and
living.
And
regarding
the
last
objective,
the
Biblical
emphasis
certainly
begins
with
the
young:
‘Train
children
in
the
right
way,
and
when
old,
they
will
not
stray’
(Proverbs
22,
v.6).
However
Scripture
boldly
declares
the
path
to
wisdom
by
saying:
‘The
fear
of
the
Lord
is
the
beginning
of
knowledge
(Proverbs
1,
v.7).
Reverence
for
God
does
not
in
principle
mean
being
afraid
of
Him.
It
is
more
like
having
a
positive
attitude
of
worship
and
obedience
to
a
gracious
Heavenly
Father
which
even
children
can
learn
to
adopt.
In
ancient
times
teaching
the
young
about
God
was
not
considered
optional
among
His
people:
‘You
shall
put
these
words
of
mine
in
your
heart
and
soul...Teach
them
to
your
children,
talking
about
them
when
you
are
at
home
and
when
you
are
away,
when
you
lie
down
and
when
you
rise’
(Deuteronomy
11,
vv.18-19).
The
best
start
in
life
is
to
know
and
love
God.
And
in
the
era
of
the
New
Testament
Christian
education
was
not
restricted
to
children.
Thus
St
Paul
urged
Timothy
his
protege
in
the
faith:
‘Train
yourself
in
godliness’
so
that
the
young
man
would
become
‘a
good
servant
of
Christ
Jesus’
(1Timothy,
4,
vv.6
and
7).
True
Christian
disciples
were
-and
still
are
-meant
to
be life-long learners, always open to God.
A
positive
feature
of
lockdown
so
far
as
our
churches
in
this
country
are
concerned
has
been
the
provision
of
on-line
Sunday
services
and
often
mid-week
ones
too.
Imaginative
efforts
to
bring
church
to
our
homes
to
compensate
us
for
not
being
able
to
attend
church
and
the
‘eucharistic
fast’
(as
it
has
been
called)
which
has
denied
us
participation
in
Holy
Communion
have
been
more
than
commendable.
It
is
even
thought
by
some
that
these
will
continue
in
some
form
after
our
places
of
worship
have
been
reopened.
But
how
much
these
virtual
occasions
have
actually
appealed
to
children
and
young
people
is
a
moot
point.
Unless
special
provision
is
made
to
design
worship,
prayer
and
teaching
suitable
for
the
younger
age
group
this
tranche
of
church
members will continue to miss out to the cost of the Church’s future.
If
back
-to
-school
is
the
current
educational
watchword
warnings
have
been
given,
however,
that
this
might
mean
offering
students
a
reduced
curriculum
when
they
all
return
to
their
studies.
The
danger
is
that
in
order
to
help
people
catch
up
what
they
have
missed
by
being
a
home
they
will
have
to
concentrate
on
so-called
core
subjects.
Maths
and
English
will
naturally
head
the
list.
But
while
this
restriction
lasts
it
will
not
constitute
a
rounded
education.
So
in
the
present
febrile
social
climate
the
study
of
history, for example, may be particularly apposite.
Since
the
time
of
the
celebrated
poet
Alexander
Pope
we
have
recognised
the
truth
that
a
little
learning
is
a
dangerous
thing.
Understanding
the
past
(upon
which
the
present
is
built)
is
a
far
cry
from
simply
digging
up
the
wrongs
of
days
gone
by.
Of
course
we
try
to
see
historical
characters
as
they
really
were,
‘warts
and
all’.
Yet
weight
must
be
given
to
both
good
as
well
as
evil
deeds
in
a
chequered
history
such
as
ours.
How
otherwise
can
we
form
a
balanced
appreciation
of
the
past?
For,
the
truth
lies
not
in
one
side
alone
but
in
both
which
a
truly
objective
and
critical
historical
sense
is
bound
to recognise.
As
we
credit
our
teachers
for
their
noble
work
in
teaching
our
children,
caring
for
them
in
many
ways
and
training
them
to
be
good
contributors
to
society
may
we
pray
that
the
younger
generation
of
which
we
are
so
proud
be
brought
up
to
know
and
love
our
mighty
God
and
Saviour
and
so
see
themselves,
others
and
the
world
in
the
widest
and
best perspective of all.
Michael L. Diamond, July, 2020.
I
imagine
that
you,
like
me,
have
been
watching
the
Sunday
and
other
services
from
our
church
at
home.
By
doing
our
bit
to
observe
lockdown
we
hope
and
pray
that
the
excellent
work
of
the
National
Health
Service
will
be
protected
and
that
this
will
lead
to
the
saving of many precious lives.
As
it
happens,
during
the
course
of
my
ministry,
I
have
been
in
several
prisons,
including
one
in
this
county.
It
was
only
to
visit
of
course!
But
I
did
not
expect
to
experience
lockdown
personally,
let
alone
at
home.
Nor
did
I
ever
expect
that
our
churches
would
be
closed
for
public
worship,
although
I
think
it
once
happened
for
a
while
in
the
early
Middle
Ages
when
we managed to fall out with the Pope at the time.
So
it’s
about
doing
church
and
engaging
in
Christian
worship
rather
differently:
digitally
and
at
a
distance.
It’s
a
case
of
church
at
home.
This
means
we
can
even
stay
in
our
pyjamas
if
we
liked;
surely
no
one
would
ever know!
Yet,
joking
apart,
how
Psalm
42
expresses
some
of
our
thoughts
as
we
miss
going
to
church
when
it
says,
‘My
heart
breaks
when
I
remember
the
past,
when
I
went
with
the
crowds
to
the
house
of
God,
and
led
them
as
they
walked
along,
a
happy
crowd,
singing
and shouting praise to God’.
Then
the
Psalm-writer
adopts
a
more
positive
tone
as
he
asks,
‘Why
am
I
so
sad?
Why
am
I
troubled?
I
will
put
my
hope
in
God,
and
once
again
praise
him,
my
Saviour and my God’.
As
we
know
only
too
well,
the
corona-virus
is
an
invisible,
largely
unknown
and
certainly
a
strong
challenge.
It
is
of
course
a
danger
not
only
to
health
but
also
to
the
national
economy.
So,
extreme
measures
have
been
taken
to
combat
it.
However,
I
was
amused
to
read
that
Dr.
Tilly
Blyth
of
the
Science
Museum
said,
‘The
second
week
into
lockdown,
my
kids
turned
to
me
and
said,
“Mum,
for
once
we’re
actually living in a historic moment”’.
But
let’s
face
it,
living
in
unprecedented
times
does
not
suit
everybody.
I
wonder
how
you
feel
about
the
lack
of
human
contact.
Not
seeing
loved
ones
and
friends
can
leave
us
feeling
isolated,
alone
and
even
friendless.
Many
have
said
how
they
simply
miss
a
hug, that is, receiving or giving one or both.
Yet,
can
we
manage
to
think
at
all
positively
despite
this
unsettling
situation?
Can
we
imagine
light
at
the
end
of
the
tunnel
however
long
it
turns
out
to
be?
Can
we
picture
a
time
when
things
get
back
to
normal?
That should give us hope.
But,
what
about
just
now?
As
we
try
to
understand
what
effect
this
surrender
of
personal
freedom
is
having
on
us
do
we
perhaps
realise
that
it
has
at
least
given
us
the
gift
of
TIME
-
time
to
think,
time
to
listen
and
time
to
pray?
Maybe
that’s
a
rather
special
blessing in our usually busy lives
For
instance,
we
have
the
opportunity
to
listen
to
Nature:
simply
to
enjoy
the
quiet
and
to
appreciate
the
singing
of
birds
on
some
of
the
lovely
spring
days
we’ve
had
recently.
And
it’s
funny
how
when
humans
retreat
Nature
begins
to
take
over
as
the
New
Forest
donkeys
and
Welsh
goats
invade
the
streets
and
wild
boars
come
out
to
help
themselves
to
crops
in
Italian
fields and gardens.
So
we
have
the
chance
to
do
things
more
slowly
and
thoughtfully
and
to
consider
what
is
important
and
what
is
less
so.
Maybe
our
houses
have
not
ever
been
so
clean
and
tidy
and
our
gardens
more
manicured
and weed free!
Think,
too,
of
the
books
we’ve
meant
to
read
or
the
crafts
we
could
take
up
or
that
DIY
that’s
waiting
to
be
done.
And
besides
jigsaws,
puzzles
and
board
games,
there
is
the
joy
to
ringing
someone
up
and
making sure they are not lonely too.
Yes
we
are
living
in
a
kind
of
limbo
wondering
how
long
it
will
last
and
whether
we
can
avoid
a
second
peak
of
the
covid-19
onslaught.
The
Christian
poet
and
thinker,
Malcolm
Guite,
(known
to
some
of
us
in
Hartford)
put
it
well
when
he
wrote:
‘...our
world
is
shrinking
now,
and
we
are
held
in
a
still
space
between
‘’before
all
this
happened’’
and
‘’when
this
is all over’’: a space between memory and hope.’
Certainly
there
is
hope.
For
if
anyone
is
feeling
particularly
friendless
at
the
moment,
let
me
say
that
there
is
no
social
distancing
with
God!
We
are
assured
of
this
fact
in
the
New
Testament:
‘(God)
has
said,
‘’I
will
never
leave
you
or
forsake
you’’’.
Then
it
goes
on:
‘So
we
can
say
with
confidence,
‘’The
Lord
is
my
helper. I will not be afraid.’’’
A
few
sentences
later
we
are
greatly
encouraged
to
read:
‘Jesus
Christ
is
the
same
yesterday,
and
today
and
for
ever.’
Can
we
believe
that
whatever
we
are
going
through
and
however
we
feel,
the
Lord
is
close
by?
He
is
near
us
and
accompanies
us
on
life’s
journey.
He
is
the
same
unchanging,
loving
and
merciful in the midst of life’s ups and downs.
Very
soon
after
Jesus’
crucifixion
and
resurrection,
two
people
were
walking
back
to
their
home
village
about
13
miles
from
Jerusalem.
All
at
once
they
became
aware
that
Someone
else
was
walking
beside
them.
It
was
Jesus
having
risen
from
the
dead
although they didn’t recognise Him just then.
As
they
reached
their
destination,
Jesus
made
as
if
to
go
on
but
they
begged
Him
to
come
and
stay
at
their
home.
He
was
invited
in
and
so
that’s
just
what
He
did. Then the two travellers knew who He was.
Staying
at
home?
We
do
not
need
to
be
alone.
Do
we
feel
lonely
and
friendless?
We
can
say
with
the
authority
of
Holy
Scripture
that
if
we
invite
Jesus
into
our home He will come in with His gracious presence.
It
may
of
course
mean
doing
a
‘spring
clean’
for
none
of
us
is
perfect.
But
then
He
comes
to
the
humble,
penitent
believer
bringing
His
unique
peace
and
joy
transforming our homes.
An Eastertide prayer
Risen Christ,
You filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope:
Strengthen us to proclaim your risen life
And fill us with your peace,
To the glory of God the Father
Amen.
Living with Lockdown
Michael L. Diamond, April 2020
CONNECTING WITH COVID-19
Some personal reflections following the
progress of the pandemic
All Saints Hartford
