Good Friday
Whatever our creed or background and outlook on life, there are times of the year that are set into the annual calendar when we mark our diverse cultural heritage, and which celebrate certain aspects of humanity, and different faiths.
For Christians, Holy Week, leading up to Easter Sunday, is probably the most important. This is the time of year, coming after a long winter, when we contemplate death, and spiritual rebirth, coinciding with the arrival of spring, and symbolised in the chocolate Easter Eggs we enjoy on the day. In the days before Easter Sunday, the focus is on the story of Christ’s final hours, culminating in his betrayal into the hands of his enemies and his crucifixion and death the next day – the day that came to be known as Good Friday. The human aspect of this story is powerful, as the betrayal of Jesus, the man, comes from within his closest circle of friends. Anyone who has ever experienced such an act will identify with the painful sense of loss of faith in the goodness of human nature, and the despair that follows. Yet, in his final words, Jesus asks his Father in Heaven to forgive his enemies, and thus begins a whole new concept in how to move forward from that darkness into the illuminating power of love – or in other words - goodness.
This understanding is explained in the New Testament in the resurrection of Christ on Easter morning, giving meaning to the idea that love really does triumph over everything, being more powerful even than death, because it never dies. The sacrifice of one man’s life was to teach us this truth. It is the concept that has underpinned our Western civilisation for the last 2000 years, as we strive against the darkness of corruption, and which still holds sway in our secular world today.
Many men went to war in previous eras, and many laid down their lives to fight the evil forces of our world, whether they were Christian or not, simply for the love of their fellow man and to uphold the freedoms and values that we enjoy
today. Their courage will never be forgotten. The fact that we memorialise each and every fallen soldier so beautifully in war graves throughout the world is to remind us that every single life is as symbolic and valuable as that one original life that was given so long ago, and that love has triumphed over death.
It’s somewhat heart-warming therefore to learn, that the funeral of an RAF hero from the Second World War, Flight Sergeant Peter Brown, will finally take place at 11 am on May 25th, due to the volume of those wishing to attend. Peter Brown, a Second World War veteran, died alone in December aged 96, and neighbours who feared that his funeral would be poorly attended put out a call to see if any relatives might be out there. A groundswell of mourners emerged, and numbers became so great that the original chapel in southwest London at Maida Vale could not accommodate them, so the funeral was postponed. It will now take place at St. Clement Danes, the RAF Central Church in Westminster.
Funeral organisers at Westminster City Council began a search for relatives, and made sure that his life was properly researched in order to give him the send-off he deserved.
Flight Sergeant Peter Brown was born in Jamaica In 1926, and travelled to the UK to enlist in the RAF Volunteer Reserve in September 1943, going on to fly Lancaster Bomber planes. He trained as a wireless operator/air gunner and was posted to RAF Scampton. After the war, he enlisted in the RAF again, working as a signaller.
An RAF spokesperson said: ”Flight Sergeant Brown is an example of the selfless contribution of all Commonwealth personnel who have served through the RAF’s history. We should never forget their sacrifices, which have defended our freedom and kept us safe.”
Easter is a time when we remember especially all those who have risked their own lives for the sake of others, and give thanks for the love they bore us. It is a good time to think about how best to live our own lives, and what we can actively do to make a difference whilst we live and breathe on this earth. It is a time of renewal and hope.
Tonight I am looking forward to seeing a performance of Blackadder Goes Forth by our excellent local amateur dramatic society. Anyone who remembers that final scene needs no reminding of the powerful message it conveys.
Happy Easter!
