If you are able to enjoy a holiday this August, why not give a thought to the unsung heroes of the last year.
As I write, the news is full of the resignation of the Health Minister, Matt Hancock, for breaching the Covid guidelines; no one seems to me much interested in his breaching of the seventh commandment on adultery, though I hope he will become repentant about that as well.
His resignation and the possibility of holidays have made me think, not about our ministers and government (though of course we pray for them with all the good they have done as well as the mistakes) but about the unsung heroes. Over the last year the public thanking of those working in the NHS and care homes has been great. While in Birkenhead as a bishop, I was glad to be out there simply acknowledging the immense work everyone in the hospitals was doing. We’re no longer on the doorsteps, but if you’ve met people working in the health service recently, you’ll know everyone is completely exhausted, and needs a holiday. But it is not the health workers I want to remember as unsung heroes this summer. Don’t get me wrong, I wish them well and pray they have good rest. It’s the people who, over the last year and this summer if they can, will be helping our children and young people remember the commandments (as well as the guidelines), and to know what God has done when we (all) break them.
From Russia to the CofE, we need prophets!
If you want a suggestion for summer reading, how about Jeremiah or Ezekiel? If quite a lot of prophecy is …