Be Historic by Stewart Perry
I am hearing many say that history will be made this weekend with the coronation of of King Charles III. It appears that you don’t have to support the monarchy or even think well of King Charles to agree that this weekend will be historical.
It made me wonder what makes something historical and how can we be sure that we don’t miss it?
I was reminded this week, that this year is the 40th Anniversary of Australia’s historic winning of the America’s Cup for the first time when I saw an interview with the skipper of Australia II, John Bertrand. During the interview the classic question was raised: “where were you when…”. When that happened I was 11 so I do remember it, I do remember the news reports, Bob Hawke’s famous statement and the fanfare after it… but did I actually watch the final race, I’m pretty sure that I didn’t. I’m sure there’s a few but not many 11 year olds are into yacht racing… at least this one wasn’t.
I’m almost finished the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famous German theologian and pastor who stood against the Nazi regime and was executed in a concentration camp. Numerous times throughout the book I’ve wondered to myself what would I have done in his circumstance, would I have actually realised what was happening around me or like many other Germans, and Christian Germans as well caught up in the propaganda of the times. His biography details how he discerned that Hitler and the Nazi regime were evil but to the outside world and I suspect to many Germans that evil wasn’t fully realised until after the war.
History only becomes historical after it happens and sometimes we don’t recognise it and we’re not present enough to realise it.
There’s a classic African-American Spiritual: “Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)” that asks the question about what it would be like if we were there with Jesus at his death and resurrection. Like many Christians, I expect, I’ve imagined how amazing it would have been to actually have been there at the time when Jesus walked the earth, to hear him teach, to see the miracles and to be moved by the power of that first Easter. Yet every time I hear or sing that hymn I am challenged, would I have noticed, would I have realised that the greatest moment in human history was actually unfolding before my eyes?
I’m pretty sure the commentators are right. This week will be historic. However, in the vast majority of history, it is only history when we look back and realise the magnitude of what has happened. So the real question is how do we make sure we don’t miss history? Or maybe the better question is: how do we ensure that we remain ‘present’ and aware in all things?
Maybe our theme for this year is at least part of the answer to the question: attention with intention…
No-one can be fully switched on at all times and in all places to what is going on around them. Even Jesus needed time to withdraw and retreat to quiet places. There are times when we do need to prioritise ourselves, our well-being and especially our relationship with God. But we do that so that we can “go therefore” as it says in Matthew 28:16. If we pay attention with intention to ourselves then we should be filled by the restorative power of the Holy Spirit to pay attention with intention to others.
I am as guilty as the next person of regularly going about my day with the one clear mindset – as long as it works for me and as long as I’m ok… then everything is ok… but with that mindset I’m going to find, more often than not, that the big moments will pass me by and I’ll only notice them when someone else points them out.
Rather, we are called to have a mindset that has us paying attention to our relationship with God so we can be confident that we are indeed OK, simply because we are beloved of God and because of that our attention shifts off ourselves onto the world around us and so we ask different questions like: what’s happening here, I wonder why they feel that way, how can I help or serve? We start to notice the subtleties of life… which in my experience are often more profound that the big ‘historic’ events.
As we continue to journey with this challenge of paying attention with intention, I do pray we are gentle with ourselves, as well as open before God… not for our benefit but for the benefit of others.
Have a historical weekend!