The Inauguration of the 46th

The 46 degree halo is a rare member of the family of ice crystal halos, appearing as a large ring central on the sun, with light entering one side of the crystal and exiting from another. Whether the 46^th President sees himself and his inauguration in such a light and whether this day heralds a new era of transparency, reflection and refraction remains to be seen. What is certain is that the eyes of the world will be beaming down upon him and expect something iridescent in return. It would be a great reassurance if, in the back of Joe Biden’s mind, if not articulated in person, were the words on the lips of JF Kennedy exactly forty years ago: ‘Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.’

At a time across our world where we have needed State and government intervention like never before, it might seem unpopular, and indeed cruel, not to ask for our country to respond to need and to those in dire straits. However, it is in those times when men and women are in a state most perilous, that the light can shine brightest. We have been privileged to witness over past months many acts of courage and fortitude in the face of danger – most noticeably in our hospitals and in care homes where men and women have put themselves at the utmost risk to save lives and are shining forth, amidst sacrificial sweat and tears. For all of us, there may be challenges in the home, in the virtual school, and in relationships we have, which may seem overbearing at times. We have grown up in a culture in the West where we have expected the Nanny State to look after us, and yet it is in digging deep, when life is at its most raw that we can ask again – what can we do for our country? What can we do for our community and the neighbours living next to us?

It is the 46^th chapter of the New Testament, Luke 2, that we have the birth story of our Lord Jesus, where mother and father are near the end of their tether at the end of a long journey to register for the census, rewarded only with a stable as a bed. It is just near there that the angelic glory shone around those bedraggled shepherds and it drives these ordinary countryfolk to identify with their Lord and show support – and what was the result? They went back to their fields glorifying and praising God for all that they’d seen – such is the reward for those who seek to serve and find. For me, in hard times, when up against it, I have often fled to the psalms and particularly to Psalm 46 which shines out more than any crystal that the world affords: ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble…be still and know that I am God…the Almighty …is our fortress.’ May those words be true for those across the Pond on this auspicious day, who claim ‘In God we trust’, whether Democrat or Republican. May it also be true for us whatever stance we may take in life, as we are open to the Sun of Righteousness shining through to bring His halo of love and light in the darkest of places: that indeed can and will bring an inauguration of something new for all of us in time to come… if we give him permission.

(Reproduced with kind permission of Rev Alex Aldous, school chaplain)

What’s in a number?

Just recently a friend shared with me that on April 29th this year it was the 87th anniversary of the Everton v Manchester City FA Cup final. What was the fascination with this match? It was the first time players wore numbers on their shirts: Everton wore numbers 1-11 and Man City numbers 12-22.

VE Day commemoration

Many of us have also just held socially distanced street parties to commemorate another date – the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. We celebrated on May 8th 1945 but the Russians on May 9th (as the Soviets were not happy with the Western Allies coming to terms with the German surrender a day early). My Mother recalls being in school at this time and sitting in her Geography lesson while the teacher moved flags around on a large map depicting the position of the various armies as peace approached. My Dad says he can’t remember VE Day – he was working in the shipyards on the Clyde – but it’s possible he was in the pub! (Very sadly for him the last days of the war were blighted by the death of his two cousins: they were helping out at a First Aid station when a German bomb aimed at Coates’ Mills in Paisley missed its intended target and hit their post instead.) For many, such as my wife’s family, the end of the war in Europe was a false dawn: my wife’s grandfather was still a POW of the Japanese and did not get back home until well into the Autumn of 1945 – and only then could they properly rejoice.

School numbers

At my two schools I was allocated numbers: in my Prep School I was number 58 (and apparently the 58th boy to join this new boarding school in Ayrshire) before becoming number 677 at my senior boarding school in Edinburgh (where the numbers were allocated according to your House). Having numbers meant it was easier for parents to mark up clothing and seemed to go well with the fact that you were generally known by your surname – Reid in my case – for much of your school career. (Boys with brothers, such as my best friend, Tom, had attributions after their surname: Tom’s eldest brother was Davidson Major, his second brother was Davidson Minor and Tom was Davidson Tertius.)

More Maths

We are living today in a time of crisis and once again numbers have become all important. (Not that I’m someone who’s any good with numbers: when I first took O Level Maths – yes, I am that old – I just managed a pass with a grade 6. My Maths teacher was furious: ‘Reid, you’re in set 1. You can do better than this – take the exam again next term’. I did so and promptly got a grade 7, a fail.) The Prime Minister and his medical experts are talking about the R number (sounds like an O Level equation – help), countries are being compared according to the number of virus-infected patients and, tragically, the number of those who have died. It’s all like some macabre league table. It is all too easy to become a statistic and for us to feel insignificant and of no account.

Not a number but a name

And so I am reminded of the New Testament story of Zacchaeus. Whatever our faith position, it’s a great encouragement to read of Jesus calling out to a man who, for fear of those whose numbers he’d been fiddling as a tax collector, had effectively been self-isolating. Jesus calls him down from the sycamore tree and addresses him by name – a person whom He had never met before. Moreover, the Bible assures us that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it – and that every hair of our heads is numbered. This is the God who goes after the one missing sheep to return it to the fold with the other 99 – and the God who welcomes the prodigal back home with open arms.

So, how ever you are feeling today, let’s remember that we are not just a number. Our ‘football shirts’ have our name on the back – with God’s name as the sponsor on the front! Oh, and by the way, Everton beat Man City 3-1 back in April 1933 at the FA Cup Final (and my Liverpool family are Everton season-ticket holders)! Stay safe and well – and remember that you are named and loved.

With thanks to Alex Aldous, chaplain of Prestfelde School, for the football numbers and idea

When words and numbers are inadequate

Mere numbers

I wonder if the following sequence of numbers will appear in a future sports’ quiz with the corresponding question being, what do these mean: 601000216000610120621466210000104410060004? Perhaps a clue will then be given, as follows: 74 off 42? 1 off 17? Any ideas? One last clue: 67 for 10 and then 362 for 9…

These numbers, as you may now have guessed, even if you are not a sport lover let alone a cricket fanatic, relate to England’s amazing / historic / unbelievable / superhuman (you choose the adjective) Ashes’ Test match victory over Australia at Headingley this past weekend. (The figures above, in order, relate to: firstly Ben Stokes’ ball by ball display after the ninth and penultimate English wicket had fallen; secondly, he scored 74 runs off the final 42 balls (having managed only 2 runs off 50 balls the previous day); thirdly, Stokes’ final partner at the crease, Jack Leach, scored only 1 run off 17 balls he faced; and, finally, England’s woeful 67 all out in their first innings and then their 362 for the loss of all but the final wicket in their second innings which saw them pull off probably the greatest sporting ‘Houdini’ trick in history.)

These heroics are all the more remarkable given how badly England had played in their first innings – their worst score in Test cricket for nearly 70 years. Understandably, they were being written off as ‘humiliated’, ‘inept’, ‘woeful’ (etc.) – until, that is, the extraordinary display by Ben Stokes and Jack Leach under a cloudless sky on the afternoon of Sunday, 25th August 2019.

Mere words

Clearly, I don’t need to add to the many wonderful summaries in the Press of this fine sporting achievement. I do, however, want to pick up on a few, wider, observations. Ben Stokes himself was lost for words when first interviewed after the match. His England team were elated but also appeared shell-shocked. I need not comment on how the Australians were feeling. The sports writers in the Press also seemed speechless but it didn’t take long for their craft to kick in. Kevin Garside in the iNewspaper, writes: This was not just England’s moment, or cricket’s. This was one for the whole world of sport to savour, demonstrating the capacity of an ostensibly trivial pastime to say something profound about humankind…Stokes gave expression to genius and might rightly be considered as accomplished in his field as Ludwig van Beethoven, Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh were in theirs. Garside, and others of his ilk, then invoke the language of faith to try and sum up Ben Stokes’ exploits: not a mere mortal, a worker of miracles, someone who has achieved the impossible – the person who resurrected English cricket in its darkest hour. Mere words, indeed, are inadequate, even meaningless – as are the statistics.

My simplistic ‘take’ on all this is: Stokes couldn’t have achieved what he did without the rest of the team and especially Jack Leach (and to Stokes’ credit, he did so acknowledge this); the Test-match crowd at Headingley also played an incalculably important part in exhorting Stokes et al; this achievement was also made possible by Stokes’ hard work (apparently without match in the current England team) – as well as his skill, self-belief and never-say-die attitude; if was also made possible by Australia, the opponents, faltering and eventually falling short themselves.

The truly unique moment in history

And so, what do we ‘mere mortals’ learn: it’s good to utilise inherent strengths and skills – and often this is only possible with dogged hard work. It’s vital, also, to share a responsibility with a team, a family, colleagues, a church – and to give credit where it’s due. We need to embrace the difficult task – even welcome it – as a means of strengthening ourselves and learning humility when we have to pick ourselves up yet again. Ultimately, as a Christian, I should be aware of the cheers and encouragement of the ‘cloud of witnesses’, seek to throw off anything impeding me and push on to reach the goal of completeness in Christ Jesus (cf Hebrews 12:1-3). That is the true miracle based on the most amazing event in history – ever: the Resurrection. No words, no numbers, can sum up that singular, unique, ultimate event.