A View From The Vicarage - May 2021

Dear Friends,

Stand Up! Stand Up!

As I write this, the Royal Family, the Country and the Commonwealth are all in mourning following the death of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. For many of us, I’m sure, his death means that an integral part of the background to our lives has suddenly disappeared. Whether you are someone who remembers the handsome young man who married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 or one of the younger generations who grew up hearing about the Queen and Prince Philip, his death at almost 100 years old marks the beginning of a profound shift in the leadership of our country and the Commonwealth. Reading through some of the more well-known of his remarks I chanced upon the following: “At School I was not the least aware that I was different from any of the others. It’s true I had this title of Prince but it’s surprising how you can live it down.”

It is I think comparatively easy to imagine how somebody who lived his entire life in the public eye and most of it in the glare of publicity would want to become anonymous as often as possible and especially at school. It seems to me, however, that those words the Duke of Edinburgh used of himself, are or can be equally reminiscent of us at various moments in our lives. How many times have you yourself wanted to be anonymous? To blend in with the others? A way of escaping from unwanted attentions either from unpleasant schoolfellows or indeed even during adult life when you pray and hope that whoever it is or whoever they are simply won’t notice you or forget that you’re there? Following the tragic death of Sarah Everard, there was a staggering number of women who admitted that like her, there were occasions when they too had wished the same that whoever it was who’d seen them and followed them or made unwelcome advances simply hadn’t.

I’m sure you’ve noticed how much easier it is to seem anonymous when you’re wearing the face masks which have become such a part of our lives over these past months. The purpose of the face mask is indeed safety but it’s to protect everybody else from us rather than the other way around. It’s a layer of protection against a disease that we ourselves may be carrying however inadvertently.

Anonymity likewise offers protection but of ourselves from the actions of others but anonymity is not always possible as Prince Philip knew only too well. I’ve just finished reading the most fascinating book called “Jeshua.” It’s a retelling of the life of Christ written in the form of a historical novel. The origins of the book were a conversation between the author Moelwyn Merchant and some Jewish friends who asked incredulously: “Tell me; if you and I returned to Nazareth over nineteen hundred years ago and stood on the village square, would you take me by the arm and, pointing say to me: “‘You see that young man over there- he’s God you know.’ Is that what you’re seriously saying?”

The answer to that question as astounding as it may seem is an unequivocal yes because that is what, as Christians, we do believe that man all those years ago was indeed God in human form. Sometimes, he to sought anonymity or at least rest away from the crowds who followed him and from his friends as well. The reason why he died is because unlike the late Duke of Edinburgh, the leaders of his nation and religion could not acknowledge who he truly was.

There are moments in our lives when in common with Christ and Prince Philip we desire anonymity or at least an opportunity to escape for rest and recuperation, sometimes these occasions are not merely desirable they are essential. However, there equally times when to misquote Moelwyn Merchant we need others to point to us and say: You see that person over there (s)he is a follower of the Son of God.

One of my favourite jokes, not attributable to the late Prince Philip is: The Vicar announces to the congregation: “Our next hymn is “Stand Up, Stand up for Jesus” and we’ll sing this hymn sitting down.

However much we may on occasion both crave and need anonymity, we must also remember that our calling is to Stand up, Stand up for Jesus. No, you can’t do that sitting down!

With my love and prayers as always           Ben.