Tragedy!


Seeing the smiling pictures of the Bee Gees it seems ironic that the word that comes to mind is tragedy! It is that song that they sung in which "tragedy" is continually repeated that seems so appropriate today


The big news today is the funeral of a much loved Member of Parliament. Southend will say goodbye to much-loved MP Sir David Amess with a procession through his constituency and funeral service today.



Conservative MP Sir David Amess died after being stabbed several times at his constituency surgery, almost 40 years after entering parliament.

It is a tragedy, irrespective of where we stand politically. Indeed in the past decade a number of MP's of different political positions have been tragically killed, the last one being Jo Cox who was a Labour MP. In a world that seems to often to be a harsh place where everyone tries to bring others down, but on this occasion all political persuasions in Westminster came together to speak well of this man loved across the political divide.


It does seem a little ironic that today is also the anniversary of President Kennedy, shot in Dallas on the 22nd November 1963. I recall coming home from the cinema to be greeted with the words "The American President is dead!" It was hard to believe at the time, but it was true. 


President Kennedy’s motorcade was turning past the Texas School Book Depository at Dealey Plaza with crowds lining the streets—when shots rang out. The driver of the president’s Lincoln limousine, with its top off, raced to nearby Parkland Memorial Hospital, but after being shot in the neck and head, President Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1 p.m. He was 46 years old. A generation of Americans, as well as in our own country in the UK, would forever remember where they were when they heard about the president’s assassination, as it would have a profound political and cultural impact.



Yet, more than that we have a reminder that whatever our politics or our nation we all come as vulnerable human people, and no matter how great may be our status in life we all come with human needs that need to be addressed. Often those in politics are conscious that they are at risk when they make a stand for what they represent. As a Christian I know I also need to ask the question, am I prepared to take the risk for what I stand for. After all, the Bible describes us as being Ambassadors for Christ, and there maybe times when that means paying the ultimate price, just as Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. Are we ready?





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