Reflections

November Reflection

Love changes everything

As I sit writing this reflection today I am conscious of the date. 5th November!  Tonight all over the country bonfires will be lit and the sky will be filled with light from a myriad range of fireworks. For most people it will just be an evening out with very little attention paid to the small figure at the top of the bonfire. That figure is of course meant to represent the infamous Guy Fawkes.  In 1605 he and a group of fellow conspirators smuggled barrels of gunpowder into the Houses Of Parliament with the aim of killing the King and his Lords at the state opening.  Guy was a fervent Roman Catholic who had hoped that the new King James the Sixth of Scotland and First of England would end the persecution of Catholics in England at that time. When it became obvious that this was not going to happen he decided that mass murder was the only alternative. Unfortunately for Guy and his friends an anonymous letter warned of the plot and all the conspirators were arrested. Guy subsequently met a grisly end on the scaffold. Later this deliverance of the king was celebrated every 5th of November by burning Guy’s effigy on a bonfire.

As I reflected on this story it struck me with great sadness how often religion is used as an excuse for violence. King James and his courtiers thought the only way to deal with Roman Catholics was to violently suppress them.  Guy thought that the only way to respond to that violence was more violence. Over the centuries the church has often used violence to protect its religion. The Spanish Inquisition was one grim example of that. Yet what a contrast we see in Jesus. He never used any kind of oppression in his ministry. His ministry was characterised by compassion for the sick and the poor and the outcast. Indeed his greatest act of power was his death. Far from overcoming his enemies by power he allowed them to overcome him so than he could take the blame for our sins. That act has literally transformed the lives of millions over the centuries. He also warned his church that persecution would be a regular feature of its life. Today over 300 million Christians across the world can testify to that reality

Jesus sets Christians like me a powerful challenge. Only love can overcome violence and hatred. .Violence only begets more violence and hatred likewise. Yet love has the power to break that cycle and make things new.  Martin Luther King once said, “”I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” His love snd forgiveness changed a whole society.  Our love and forgiveness can change ours.