Sunday 11th August

Tipping the Balance

The United Kingdom is not what it was – and in some ways it is good to think that. We would not want to return to the days when the distinction between rich and poor was immense; nor to the days following the Civil War, when anything that was “fun” was outlawed; nor to the poverty and slums of the 19 th century… There are a lot worse places to live! If we were to think about it, about what we now know about world affairs, we could
find many places where we could fervently say “I am glad that I don’t live there”

So, from a position of relative freedom, of beauty and of tradition, we can say that this is not a bad place to live. In spite of the outcry about losing the Winter Fuel Allowance (as long as they really do reallocate it to those in greater need) or the civil unrest in many parts of the country (a symptom not only of racism but also of mistrust in those elected to govern) we are still well off and blessed. We must look beyond self and see why it is that so many want to share what we take for granted that they will risk their lives to get here.

“God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world” used to be popularly quoted when I was younger. But all is not right with the world. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Climate change has given us blazing sunshine in recent days – but the same change is making some vulnerable to rising seas and flood and fire. There are richer nations who seem to care little that another famine is brewing in Ethiopia, and the demons of war are becoming more ugly every week. We need more angels, and less demons. More generosity and less covetousness, more love and less fear before the world becomes the place that God created, that Christ taught about, that the Holy Spirit will reform if we, who are rich, live closer to God’s word. Demons will go on existing and inequality will thrive until the angels that treat amongst us are seen and heard. One more voice may tip the balance.

Revd Barbara Bennett