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CONNECTING WITH COVID-19

Some personal reflections following the progress of the pandemic

1. Living with Lockdown

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 vital 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.

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Furthermore, with less human activity comes less pollution of the atmosphere. Don’t the stars look

brighter these evenings?

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 7 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 Lord, 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

Michael L. Diamond, April 2020

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2. Getting Back to Normal?

Probably very few of us have found living in lockdown to our liking. Being largely confined to home,

denied of contact with family and friends, and worried about jobs, businesses and the economy have

brought new pressures on us as we go through such strange times. With having to be indoors so

much even the idea of ‘Home Sweet Home’ begins to lose its appeal. Understandably mental health

issues are likely to arise for some people as they struggle to cope with enforced restrictions.

Small wonder that some have experienced the temptation to rely on comfort food, alcohol, drugs

and other compensations to cope with the stress of such deprivations! Those of us who have

gardens have at least been able to get out and enjoy them during what has been the sunniest April

on record. Surely then our sympathies lie with families with children who live in small upstairs flats

without such amenities.

Several possible reactions to lockdown have been reported. There are those who willingly or

otherwise accept the necessity of staying home to protect the Health Service and so prevent deaths,

as the mantra goes. But support for the current measures is not found easy by everybody. Sadly

other groups of people are suffering. They may well appreciate that public support is necessary to

combat corona virus but that doesn’t stop them becoming anxious and depressed. Then there are

those individuals who simply resist being told what to do. As independent as they are, they much

prefer the first part of the slogan ‘Enjoy freedom. Live responsibly’ and not bother too much about

the last.

Yet, whoever we are and however we are responding to the present situation, most of us can’t wait

until things finally get back to normal and of course the question we are all asking is ‘when will that

be?’

But wait a moment! The idea of returning to normality does not seem to be in the minds of

government ministers. They are talking about the ‘new normal’ as if things won’t go back to exactly

as they were. Perhaps so much will have changed, possibly including ourselves, that to think of the

future will mean adjusting our ideas somewhat. It may not be the case of how things used to be so

much as how things have become. And, so far as we are concerned, it may be important to consider

what we have learnt through having to engage with a slower lifestyle, on one hand, and battling with

a great sense of powerlessness on the other. For surely there will be personal gains as well as losses

to reckon with. Balancing one with the other will be interesting.

Isn’t it something like looking through a window, as many famous and talented artists have shown in

their paintings, where from a dark or dull interior we look out through an open window to a bright

and colourful world outside? The world we can glimpse outside now may be somewhat unknown

but it is intriguing and we can’t wait to get to it.

Perhaps who or what we are depending upon now to get us through will determine how we shall be

later. Are we simply relying on government leadership, medical care and scientific advisers to steer

us through the current difficulties? Or are other resources available to sustain us and give us hope?

In the later forties when I was still at school, I found myself very ill in hospital. A Roman Catholic

chaplain visiting the fever hospital brought considerable comfort by giving me a little card (which I

have to this day). Printed in blue and red it said, ‘It matters to him about you’.

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The words ‘him’ and ‘you’ are coloured in red as if to emphasise the connection between the two

which in this instance was between God and me. It is of course a verse from the New Testament –

1Peter chapter 5, verse 7- expressing God’s personal care towards each one of us. The Good News

Bible puts it very actively: ‘Throw all your worries on him, because he cares for you’. Similarly a

more recent Bible version says: Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you’

If we matter to almighty God and He cares about us it means that we can bring to Him all the

struggles and problems of our daily lives expecting to receive help, guidance, encouragement or

whatever is our specific need at the time. Such is the wonderful ‘plus’ of the Christian faith.

We have been warned that confinement, however long it lasts, is for the best. Certainly we want to

avoid a second wave or peak of Covid-19 affecting our health, especially of the most vulnerable, or

sapping our confidence or resolve or further damaging our already weakened economy. It may for

example mean a literal ‘staycation’ instead of a proper holiday away from home and it certainly calls

for the exercise of even more patience.

A world religious leader has been reported as saying that the present global pandemic is ‘a wakeup

call to the human race’. Is there any truth at all in this controversial suggestion? We could put it this

way: are we going to learn anything from having endured lockdown and its associated deprivations?

If our answer is in the affirmative it might be that we have come to appreciate more the valiant work

of the NHS and especially of the ‘nation’s fallen heroes’, as those health workers who have

themselves succumbed to the virus in the course of their duties, have been rightly called. We may

also have come to recognise the value of peace and quiet giving us the opportunity to think and

consider our priorities in life. Furthermore we may have become more sensitive to the appeal of

Nature since enforced inactivity has allowed us to look and listen to the natural world in ways which

we might have neglected in the past.

We could also ask if we have become better or worse persons as a result of social distancing or self-

isolation and whether our Christian beliefs, such as in the providence and compassion of God, have

been sufficient to sustain us during testing times.

Naturally we long for social and economic recovery and that industry, business, tourism and travel

will pick up again. And we may particularly hope too that medical research to produce an effective

vaccine which will both benefit us and be extended to the needy peoples of the developing world.

Meanwhile the message of the good news of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins but now lives in the

glory of heaven where He intercedes for us, is that we are not alone. Understandably we can’t wait

to get back to ‘normal’ even if it turns out to be different in ways which we can’t imagine. But shall

we be able to look back and say that through this unwelcome but necessary experience of lockdown

we have come to trust God in deeper, practical and more personal ways?

A Prayer: Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the

risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and

sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth, through Jesus Christ

our Lord. Amen.

Michael L. Diamond, May 2020

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3. A BRAVE NEW WORLD!

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of VE Day while still in lockdown after six whole weeks presented an

unexpected challenge. After all, street parties and social distancing don’t exactly mix! And wanting

to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in war to ensure our freedom we had to make do this

year with a digital ‘Wall of Remembrance’.

However, those with long enough memories will still be able recall the London blitz for example and

some will remember hurrying into shelters as the air raid siren warned them of a possible attack.

Then, when it was all over, came the moment everyone was waiting for. Prompted by the ‘All Clear’

siren, they emerged bleary-eyed from the comparative gloom of the shelter into the bright daylight

again. And the two questions in peoples’ minds were: ‘Is it safe to go out?’ and ‘What shall we find

outside when we do?’

Whereas wartime memories call forth a spirit of thanksgiving, whether or not we can express our

gratitude for peace in the streets publically in the way we have in past years, these weeks of semi

isolation are now as it happens raising similar questions for us as it did then.

Having conscientiously stayed at home to protect the NHS and save lives as we were constantly

exhorted, we now face the possible easing of lockdown restrictions. And even if it were done

gradually in stages, anticipating leaving the comparative safely of our home to venture out in the

world as it has become since the safety measures were imposed, may well stir up anxious thoughts

and quite serious worries.

And once we have got over the fear of leaving lockdown, there is the question as to what life post-

Covid-19 is going to be like. Having been kept indoors for so long, how are we going to make use of

our new-found freedom?

Knowing the future (or is it sometimes better not to know?) is a fascinating and yet frustrating issue.

Of course it’s impossible to know for sure what lies ahead in the present circumstances. We may

anticipate the gradual reopening of Britain for business once again but how will it leave us

individually and personally? That’s what we should love to know. Like spending all night in a bomb

shelter during the War, emerging from lockdown can also be uncertain and confusing. That’s a

challenge we shall all have to face.

However, there are those who claim to be able to see into the future. Probably better known for its

title than its actual contents, Aldous Huxley’s book, ‘A Brave New World’ written in 1931, offers a

disturbing vision of the future with people being controlled and manipulated by genetic engineering.

Far from being the utopia which we might hope for, it is a warning against a dystopian world state.

It’s not unlike George Orwell’s fearful prediction in ‘Animal Farm’ (it was written just after World

War 2) that ‘some animals are more equal than others’. Of course in the allegory he used he

intended to mean people.

Today, newspaper journalists are already speculating what kind of future we face when lockdown is

finally ended. So, one rather pessimistic outlook in the Daily Telegraph of 30/4/20 suggests that ‘it

will be a grimmer, more cautious, less optimistic and poorer world’ with the prediction that we will

be on a kind of ‘wartime’ alert by wearing masks and consciously avoiding risk. Not a very hopeful

prospect!

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How then can we overcome the fear of stepping outdoors even if it is a fear partially stoked by the

media let alone the Government’s successful ‘Stay Home’ campaign?

One positive way of approaching the future more hopefully may be to think what we have learnt

from recent experience and to hold on to what we have learnt.

One of our sons who with his wife and young family live in Greater London has expressed

appreciation at the current friendliness of people in their street. Not being away at work during the

day they call out across the street or over the garden fence and enjoy being sociable at a safe

distance. Will such neighbourliness continue? And will those whose job permits want to go on

working at home so enjoying more time there and avoiding travelling in the rush hour? Surely many

us too have benefitted from this extra friendliness and time at home would like it not to stop?

War veteran Harry Billings M.B.E. has proposed that we go on doing what lockdown has already

encouraged to do and that is: thinking of others more, being more considerate and wanting to be

united in a common concern for the good of the community.

Since, as they say, winning the war is one thing but winning the peace is quite another, is there

anything even more effective than the practical things we can think of to confidently prepare for

leaving lockdown?

Surely inner confidence based on trust in a changeless, powerful God enables us to face the

unknown future. This is what the Bible assures us of when it says, ‘The Lord is near. Do not worry

about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests

be made known to God.’

Then the same passage goes on to promise: ‘And the peace of God, which surpasses all

understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’

So far, our lives have been shaped by lockdown in many ways. But when the sense of security that

has given us is taken away and we find ourselves in a new experience of having to balance caution

with risk and it’s hard to see where we are going, we can turn to Jesus Christ who said, ‘I am the

light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’.

(John chapter 8, verse 12).

Conquering quite understandable fears about leaving lockdown-or anything else for that matter-has

an answer. It means trusting in a God who is far greater than any of our misgivings or worries. In fact

because Jesus came into the world He knows from personal experience what human trouble of all

kinds is like and can help us –even in what may soon lie ahead of us.

A Prayer

God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the

kingdom of your Son: grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual

presence he may raise us to eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Michael. L. Diamond, May 2020.

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4. EASING LOCKDOWN

Sometimes it feels as if we are being asked to do the impossible! That’s true at the present time for

while we are being urged to ‘Stay Alert’ at the same time we know it’s also sensible to try to keep

calm and collected. How can we do both?

This shows that entering lockdown is simpler and easier that coming out of it. Even given that the

intention is to ease restrictions gradually the dilemma remains. We must watch out for danger signs

all around for us and others and yet, if we can, be relaxed about it.

William Shakespeare could have been describing our experience of lockdown when he wrote (in ‘The

Tragedy of Macbeth’): ‘But now I am cabin’d, cribb’d, confin’d, bound in/To saucy doubts and fears’.

Certainly people nowadays talk of having ‘cabin fever’ and of feeling shut in. For those who can’t or

don’t go to work after seven weeks of being confined to home life largely goes on as before. When

shall we see the family again? When shall we get to the hairdresser or be able to attend church? We

are still under siege!

The re-phrased government slogan calling us now to ‘Stay Alert’ in order to ‘Control the Virus’ and

‘Save Lives’ of course means continued social distancing, careful hand-washing and the appropriate

use of face masks. Yet partially lifting lockdown still means balancing extreme caution on one side

against ordinary common sense on the other. Somehow we have to ‘Keep calm and carry on’!

Why is this so essential? It’s because we are fighting a kind of war against an enemy which is silent

and unseen, which is no respecter of persons and knows no boundaries. Like death the virus is a

great leveller and we deeply regret the thirty-four thousand or more who have tragically lost their

lives in the battle so far.

Perhaps many of us will want to approach the current situation stoically with the typical British stiff

upper lip. If this happens to be our style then we are echoing those famous Greek philosophers who

lived three hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Stoics believed that happiness came by making a conscious effort to live not in the past or in the

future but in the present. It’s no use regretting the past or worrying about the future, they said. If

you can’t change the situation or leave it, just stop complaining and get on with it!

There is something in what those Ancient Greeks taught and many Christian people discover today

the value and importance of living in the present moment. Indeed this is what the Serenity Prayer

suggests we do when it asks:

‘God, grant me the grace to accept with serenity the things I cannot change, courage to change the

things I can. And wisdom to know the difference’.

On a similar note the Duchess of Cambridge has been reported as suggesting people produce

photographs illustrating the themes of ‘resilience, bravery and kindness’, qualities which are surely

needed in achieving the balance between alertness and serenity in the present circumstances.

In an article in the Church Times (of 3/4/20), a Christian psychologist offered some thoughts on what

can be learnt from times of stress and trauma: we are forced to see the world in a new light, to re-

examine our assumptions, review our priorities and discover new things about ourselves and others.

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A learning curve like that may feel uncomfortable at times but on the matter of keeping alert

Christians have always had something to contribute. St Peter urges believers: ‘Discipline yourselves;

keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around’. Or St Paul says, ‘Pray in the

Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert...’ And in another of his

letters he warns, ‘let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober’. After all

Jesus himself had bid his disciples maintain a continual alertness especially regarding the prospect of

his Second Coming. (I Peter 5, verse 8; Ephesians 6, verse 18; I Thessalonians 5, verse 6 and Mark 13,

verse 33).

It should be second nature for Christian believers to concur with the idea of keeping vigilant in the

current circumstances (or any other) as they fulfil Jesus’ command to ‘watch and pray’ in the face of

trials and temptation. So, it’s significant that recent surveys have indicated an encouragingly modest

increase in people praying and reading their Bibles.

Furthermore, like many parishes up and down the country, in Hartford we have benefitted from

inspiring on-line Sunday services with hymns, prayers and uplifting addresses coupled with lovely

views of our churches, beautiful sacred music and reproductions of great religious art. And besides

encouraging and using the technical expertise of church members, such services as they are being

directed into peoples’ homes are surely reaching many more folk than those who usually make up

the regular weekly congregations.

Recently, after the intercessions during one such service in a Sussex parish the following words were

said: ‘May we never be afraid to trust our unknown future to a known God who is always with us.

We will never walk alone’.

It must be said that one of the more fascinating features of lockdown so far has been watching on

television the daily ministerial briefings from 10 Downing Street. This has given viewers an unique

opportunity to observe government ministers close up and to see and hear them being questioned

by members of the public and quizzed by ever-persistent journalists -looking for some crack in their

armour.

In addition have been the informative contributions of medical and scientific experts with their

colourful charts and hopefully descending graphs. Yet the story their facts and figures tell is still not

very heartening. Until the numbers of deaths have declined we have to remain alert or as our French

neighbours have been exhorted ‘restez prudents’, that is continue to be careful or vigilant.

So far the steps taken on the long road to recovery seem rather few and the thought of remaining

largely as we are for quite a while longer is not appealing. The Prime Minister in one of his television

appearances said he is relying on everyone to ‘use good solid British common sense’ to see us

through. So we must try to combine vigilance with a calm determination to trust in the reserves God

has given us and not be daunted. For as the Lord assured the Apostle Paul: My grace is sufficient for

you, for my power is made perfect in (human) weakness’. (2 Corinthians 12, verse 9).

A Prayer: God, who...taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your

Holy Spirit: grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things and evermore to

rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Michael L. Diamond, May 2020.

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5. LOOKING AFTER OUR MENTAL HEALTH IN LOCKDOWN

One of the almost shortest possible letters appeared in a national newspaper the other day. It simply

ran: ‘Dear Sir, I am fed up with being fed up’. We know how that correspondent feels! Though brief

but very much to the point this sentiment echoes the feeling of boredom and frustration which

many of us experience as lockdown restrictions continue and don’t seem to come to an end.

It seems such a long time ago when at the end of last year (or was it the beginning of this year?)

when something happened which was to change countless lives the world over. A new and unknown

virus invaded human lives globally and turned them upside down. And apart from the enormous

personal suffering and tragic deaths Covid-19 is leaving in its wake, it’s the mysterious nature of the

disease which is so disconcerting. For as we are only too well aware, this enemy of human health

and well being takes no prisoners. Usually the elderly but sometimes the young, occasionally even

the new born and too often members of particular ethnic groups may succumb to its vicious attacks.

While huge efforts are being made to find a vaccine to protect us from the virus and research is

trying to establish whether so-called ‘herd’ immunity is likely, large-scale testing aimed at tracking

the extent of the pandemic is being carried out. All this is being done at great expense in order to

save lives and secure livelihoods. But as a Swedish epidemiologist has warned, ‘we’re in the early

stage of a virus we still don’t understand’.

However, the recent Mental Health Awareness Week has emphasised the need to take into account

the effect this uncertain situation is having on a particular aspect of human personality. For while we

value and want to protect both our physical health and our financial prosperity, there is also the

crucial matter of our mental well being to consider. And in times of stress and anxiety such as we are

going through now the urgency of attending to that part of ourselves becomes a real cause for

concern. The usual advice for keeping calm while being under stress (whatever its cause) goes along

common-sense lines.

So to begin with an obvious suggestion it is to make sure we are eating well and getting enough

sleep. Exercise is also important to relaxing the mind especially when combined with getting out in

the sunshine and absorbing vitamin D. In addition, laughter (they say) is the best medicine-if we are

able to see the funny side of things.

Then it helps to work out what is troubling one the most. And to pinpoint the cause of anxiety it may

be good to sit down and even write down what is bothering one in particular. Is it a financial

problem or worry about work? Is loneliness a threat to our peace of mind? Is it a very practical

issuse, say, the use or otherwise of face masks? Is it the prospect of not having a foreign holiday? Is

it whether it is safe to send children back to school? Is it concern about how overseas health services

are managing? Or is it simply the question as to when lockdown will end? It’s said that

understanding the enemy is half way to defeating it. So knowing what triggers anxiety and naming it

is a great step towards dealing with it. In this case, however, the most worrying thing may well be a

simple fear of the unknown.

A further interesting suggestion about alleviating mental strain was offered by former Chief Rabbi

Lord Sacks in a recent BBC ‘Thought for the Day’ broadcast in which he commended the therapeutic

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value of kindness. For of course showing kindness to someone as well as receiving kindness from

others tends to take one out of oneself and plainly does you good!

Perhaps this is what a contributor to Crosslinks (missionary society) Prayer Diary had in mind in a

personal observation: ‘Like everybody else, I am looking forward to normality, but no doubt it will be

a different normality, where we appreciate each other more deeply and have strengthened our faith

in the one who is faithful and never changes’. The self healing effect of thoughtfulness towards

others should indeed be taken into account as we try to look after our own mental well being.

That last comment reminds us that stress can also be eased by talking to someone about it. After all,

as it’s often said, ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved’. And in the case of Christian believers we

always have someone to talk to. This is illustrated by the words of the hymn ‘What a Friend we have

in Jesus’: ‘Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be

discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer’. A unique and powerful way to release tension in

lockdown is to turn our anxieties into prayer.

It may be true, as a recent university survey is apparently discovering, that the over 50’s and, more

surprisingly, extraverts are experiencing less stress at the present time than younger and less

outgoing people. However another survey conducted by the University of Copenhagen has found

that there is a rise of 50% in searches on Google for ‘prayer’ as people presumably of all ages and

types turn to God for comfort in a crisis. The conclusion is that ‘we pray to cope with adversity’.

The ever changing sight of the river running past the main door of Hartford Church is partially hidden

by large trees growing on its bank. They are a constant feature which we always look for as we

imagine their roots reaching deep into the water and drawing strength and vitality from its life-giving

source.

This is how the Bible describes believing people: ‘They (it says) are like trees planted by streams of

water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all they do they

prosper’. The Psalm from which these words are taken pictures people being sustained and even

fruitful in tough times by their relationship with a Creator-Saviour God whom they love and seek to

please. Come wind or rain, heat or cold the Hartford trees survive well because they are fed by the

river. So, Christian people have a hidden source of inner strength and refreshment which is always

available. For, as the Psalm goes on to say: ‘the Lord watches over’ them.

Jesus did not ever promise that his people would have an easy time in this world. He even warns

that they would face religious persecution. But, as He did so, he assured us that we can have peace

in the midst of trying and adverse circumstances. This is because He told us: ‘I have conquered the

world’ (John 16, verse 33). For our part we do well to heed the advice of another Gospel hymn:

‘Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey’.

Lancelot Andrewes, an Elizabethan bishop of Winchester, was recognised in his day as a great

preacher. He is also remembered for his prayers, one of which is appropriate to echo in these days

of lockdown: Be, Lord within me to strengthen me, without me to preserve, over me to shelter,

beneath me to support, before me to direct, behind me to bring back, round about me to fortify.

Amen.

Michael L. Diamond, May 2020.

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6. LIVING WITH RISK

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.

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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

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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. Michael. L. Diamond, June 2020

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7. LOOKING FURTHER AFIELD

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

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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’.

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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).

Michael L.Diamond, July, 2020.

For Information: Christian Aid www.christian aid.org.uk.

Tearfund www.tearfund.org.