Why

Dear All Saints and St Marys

Before we decided to move to Bristol, there was a charming story in the national news that endeared me to this city.  Following troubles and riots, many were very angry with the Mayor, Marvin Rees.  In protest, someone painted a message on the road just outside his house with the message: “Marvin must die”.  Soon enough, the police were called and cordoned off the area – but not before, one of his neighbours had added a ‘T’.  So, now the message read: “Marvin must diet”!

Each one of us is allowed to be angry – but sometimes that is not all that has to be said.  Take an example from today: painting the middle of a mini-roundabout with a flag of St George.  Is that a message saying “we are proud to be British” (and, by implication: “migrants out!”)?  Yes, be proud to be British, but I believe you are required then to complete the sentence – WHY are you proud to be British?  And the answer cannot just be “because we hate the French”!

Occasionally, you might hear in a documentary a story about someone who came to this country and her life was turned around.  She will tell how, on arriving here, she felt safe, was enabled to go to university, raise a family and provide a future of hope for her children.  She is, very evidently, proud to live in this country – and we should be proud to be part of this country which made this happen.  How can we enable such a voice (of which there are thousands of examples) to be better heard?

This coming weekend, we mark the Dedication Festival of St Mary’s, partly by hearing the Gospel reading of the Magnificat.  It expresses not only Mary’s pride in her God, but also names why – God is the one who raises the lowly, and who feeds the hungry.  Mary was a single teenage mother.  Thank God a voice was found for her so that, even today, we can sing God’s praise, associate ourselves with God’s compassionate works and give hope to those in need.

Rev'd Bob