One of my abiding memories from our recent family holiday is of a boat trip to the Farne Islands during an evening. The operators offered a ‘sunset cruise’. Unfortunately, the sunset did not appear apart from one small part of the sky, and the trip as we bounced up and down in the North Sea, was less than luxury-cruise like. This said, the clouds were dramatic, and I found that every time I changed position the view was different as the light changed.
The most powerful thing that struck me was an eery effect when the suns rays penetrated through, reflected off what seemed like an oily black sea, and illuminated the underside of the heavy cloud in the sky to the point that you could see their texture. It reminded me, in a strange way, of how as Christians we can be living in less than ideal settings, buffeted by the waves (spot the link with this week’s gospel reading), we nonetheless have within us the light of Christ that can illuminate and beautify the storm clouds that are above us, and in doing so point to our creator. I will stop there before the poetry continues but do be encouraged.
Another moving moment was how the story of Grace Darling (from which we have the term ‘you are such a darling’, hit home as we surveyed the rocks which tore the Forfarshire steamer apart in 1838. It was Grace who spotted the wreck from her bedroom in the early hours of the morning and alerted her Father. The storm was so bad that they deemed it unsafe for any lifeboat but nonetheless ventured out in their 6-metre rowing boat. In the first wave, Grace and her father saved three people, with Grace steadying the boat. In the second wave, they saved another four. One lifeboat, launched from the ship independently, was found later the next day.
Be in no doubt, there was a tragic loss of life, and only a fraction survived. I am not sure what moved me the most; the loss of life; the fact that you could see the Grace Darling’s bedroom in the lighthouse from our boat – and the knowledge that her attentiveness saved lives; or the scale of Grace Darling’s legacy; her actions inspired our nation in the values of bravery and simple virtue – and this was compounded by the fact that it sat so uneasily on her humble shoulders. Ultimately, I feel that it was the scenery which brought the scene to life, and served as a reminder that whilst we may feel powerless in the face of a calamity, our attentiveness, and our willingness to be brave and do our part, will save lives. As I reflect today, it serves as a reminder to everyone involved in our local churches to be attentive the needs of those who surround us.
Today, our storm is the pandemic, and we will make a difference.