NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE

Have you watched some of the many Titanic programmes which have been on television recently in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the luxury liner in 1912? The only bit I saw was the final segment of the wonderful 1958 film “A Night to Remember” starring Kenneth Moore. By the time I tuned in, the film had reached the point when ship had already hit the iceberg and begun to sink. People were panicking (and rightly so, as it turned out) about getting into lifeboats with the hope of saving their lives. The traditional call of “women and children first” was employed, but there were not nearly enough boats to save everyone – and all the steerage passengers were held back until it was too late for many of them. However, there were many brave moments too. There was the elderly couple who decided to remain together until the end and freed up space for others in the lifeboats, while another woman gave preference to a mother who had children waiting for her. When people took the time to consider the possibilities, there were some heroic decisions made. While other people simply panicked, many of them died. Yet, working together even after the “every man for himself” shout was given, provided the best result possible. I have to admit that I began wondering how I would have reacted, although, of course, we don’t really know unless actually in such a situation ourselves

The band played on. Hoping to provide some element of calm, just as when they played at mealtimes, the small band on the Titanic played music until almost the very end. Although some claim that the last song was a piece called “Autumn”, traditionally it’s been said that the last tune was really the hymn “Nearer my God to Thee”, which certainly would have been appropriate. Everything that we do as Christians should be aimed at bringing us nearer to God – whether that be prayer, acts of charity or kindness, or simply leading a good life. All those aspects seemed to come together for different people, in different ways, at that particular moment of crisis.

Today it’s sometimes when I celebrate what we call an “occasional office” that I feel nearer to God. Baptising an infant, officiating at a wedding, or conducting a funeral. Those are key points in a person’s life, and it’s a privilege to be part of that. We make promises to God and each other at baptisms and weddings and renew our own baptism vows at Eastertime each year. We commen the souls of loved ones to God at their funerals. While these are all crucially important aspects of our Christian lives, what makes the real difference is how we live our lives in between those events.

The wedding vows include the promises to be there for each other “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health”. It’s not just for the good times, the happy days. It’s for all the days that follow, particularly when the going gets difficult. This strikes me especially when I officiate at the funeral of someone who has suffered through a long-term illness and been lovingly cared for by their husband or wife. That’s why I sometimes will repeat the words from the wedding service at a funeral. It’s a testament to the bond between those people that they have honoured their vows until released when “death do us part”. Part of that same love, though, is the recognition that with the best intentions in the world we cannot always continue to offer that love and support at home, and often professional nursing care is required at a care facility.

Throughout all this, of course, it is prayer that brings all of us “nearer to God” and God nearer to us every day. Each morning I receive from the US an e-mail from a monastery where I used to attend services regularly. These small daily meditations from the monks always offer some real cause for thought. Recently Brother Curtis wrote: “You’ll notice that what we call the Lord’s Prayer is in first person plural, not first person singular. We don’t begin the prayer by saying, ‘My Father in heaven.’ Nor do we pray, ‘Give me today my daily bread.’ Our Father; our bread. Our relationship with God is quite personal, but it is not private”.

So, as we pray and draw nearer to God ourselves through the good times and the difficult ones, remember that we also need to draw nearer to each other and draw closer to God together. Remember. We’re all in the same boat!

Your brother in Christ,

Ed

Contacts

Rector

Revd Edward W. Hanson

Hon. Asst. Priest

Canon Glyn Jones

Associate Priest

Revd Max (Steven) Blake