The 21st December 1988
seemed like just another cold winter’s day. The STV regional news programme was
on in the background, reporting on a meningitis scare in Lanarkshire,
highlighting that they would offer further updates later that evening. The
regional news programme made a return to our screens around an hour later, only
with a surprise report that a plane had crashed on the town of Lockerbie, the
initial account inaccurately suggesting onto a petrol station. Shortly
afterwards, this was followed by an ITN newsflash and pictures emerged of this
quiet little down being engulfed in a sea of fire that had come from the sky. These
simple reflections are seen through the prism of a then 10 year old mind but
there was the sense of horror and that things had changed.
The disaster was the biggest act
of terrorism on British soil and 270 people lost their lives and was
orchestrated by Lybia. In the midst of the carnage, people went to check on
loved ones and neighbours. Lockerbie resident and Social Work Assistant, Jasmin
Bell was visiting her brother that night as they saw the doomed Boeing 747 fly
low over the house and the fuselage land on Sherwood Crescent. Their instant
reaction was to get some people together to assist in rescuing people, noting
that most of their neighbours were elderly. Jasmin continued to assist locals
in the context of her day job in helping them gain information on loved ones
and retrieve essentials from their ruined homes. On the hillside above the
town, some locals found the cockpit of the Pan-Am jet with bodies lying around.
Jasmin Bell poignantly observed:
“The whole experience had a big impact on me and on how I view life -
just as I believe it had for most Lockerbie folk and the many people who helped
in the aftermath of the disaster. It brought out the best in Lockerbie folk,
helping out and showing concern for each other Life goes on – Lockerbie
survived”.
The process of rebuilding lives
brought together townspeople and families of victims, many of whom are still in
contact today. The 25th anniversary commemorations took place in the
town, Westminster Abbey and in Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. In London, the
leader of the victims group, Dr Jim Swire encouraged everyone to pray for the
innocent family of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi, the only person convicted
of the bombing and that those who have wrestled with hatred will be healed by
God’s love. He also asked that people pray for those families where they sit
down at a Christmas table with a place forever empty and that may find peace.
Triumph in the face of adversity and reconciliation can certainly be seen in
the story of Lockerbie as it can in the gift of that first Christmas.
In November of this year, the
world was shocked by the devastating natural disaster that occurred in the
Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan. The UK diverted its Aircraft Carrier, HMS
Illustrious to assist the aid efforts, supported by a Type 45 destroyer, HMS Daring.
HMS Illustrious carries several helicopters to drop aid and both ships
delivered over 300 tonnes of food and aid to the disaster zone, helping over
50,000 people to get some much needed supplies. This deployment meant that the
crews would not get home to see their own families at Christmas. In addition,
there were churches and charities all over the UK who distributed aid to those
in need. The work of those from Non-Governmental Organisations and our brave
servicemen and women in this stricken area sum up the spirit of generosity and
sacrifice associated with this season.
The favourite Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas, reminds us of our
responsibilities to the poor. This hymn does not make any direct reference to
God or Jesus Christ but instead discusses the reaction of a 10th
century Bohemian monarch seeing a poor man battling against the elements,
gathering fuel to keep his family warm in a harsh winter storm.
After enquiring of his Page about
the peasant, the King is stirred to action:
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather”
The song then describes the
unyielding determination of the monarch to not give into the punishing conditions
in his quest to deliver the lifesaving food and warmth to the peasant. The
final verse issues a challenge:
“Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing”
The words of the Carol may be
atmospheric but epitomise the meaning of Christmas. The message of helping the
poor firstly mentions the wealthier members of society but the full lyric
“wealth or rank possessing” arguably opens up the duty of care to a much wider
range of people. We also shouldn’t forget that throughout the hymn, the monarch
was assisted by his trusty Page in his humanitarian outreach.
Just as the first weekend of
Advent was about to commence, the city of Glasgow was rocked by the shocking
disaster of a Police Scotland helicopter crashing into the Clutha Vaults pub in
the city centre. The disaster cost 10 lives, three of whom were in the
helicopter and the other 7 were revellers in the pub. It would’ve been
understandable for people caught up in the chaos to go into survival of the
fittest mode, instead footage emerged of people forming a human chain to help
the injured to escape. In the aftermath, there was also tales of kindness
towards those affected by the tragedy. This included an appeal fund that raised
over £220K in around 2 weeks from business and private individuals, Glasgow’s
main taxi company offering to transport relatives of the injured for free if
they needed to visit their loved ones and a benefit gig for the victims, where participating
celebrities gave their time for free. Such qualities are in keeping with the
character of the city but also demonstrates the Christmas message of doing good
to all mankind.
Last Christmas Eve in Sheffield,
Maureen Greaves waved goodbye to her husband Alan, who was making his usual
visit to play the organ at St Saviour’s church. Alan was never to reach his
destination as he was savagely beaten and left for dead by two thugs near the
railings of the local park and succumbed to his injuries on the 27th
December. In these circumstances, it would be understandable to feel a sense of
hatred towards the killers. Remarkably, the grieving widow has said that she
forgives them and encouraged everyone to pray for them. On Christmas Eve this
year, St Saviour’s church will hold their Carol service in the open air at the
spot where their organist fell. At this service, a new carol called The Bethlehem Star by Bob Chilcott, who was
deeply moved by the tragic death of Alan and felt compelled to write the hymn
in his honour.
In her 2012 Christmas message to
the Commonwealth, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2, appraised some of the meaning
of the traditional Christmas story:
“This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son
'to serve, not to be served'. He restored love and service to the centre of our
lives in the person of Jesus Christ”
She also commented on the spirit
of togetherness at the scene of the nativity on that first Christmas with that
young family and the shepherds who came to worship following the angelic vision
on the hillside. The qualities of togetherness and serving others are
transmitted to us in the humility of that nativity scene. In our world, we
often put ourselves first but Her Majesty’s observation reminds us that we need
to put others first and consider what we can do for them as much as we do for
ourselves. Indeed, the Socialist protest singer, Billy Bragg, says in his song, Do Unto Others:
“In the Bible, we are told
God gave Moses in the days of old
Ten great commandments
For his people to hold true.
But the greatest commandment of all
Is in the book of Luke as I recall.
Do unto others as you would have them do to you”
This song was not written as a
religious or Christmas song but the central theme helps us to understand our
responsibilities to our fellow man.
There are many festivities
associated with the Christmas season but the core scriptural message of peace,
love and a fresh start with God mean that this event is much more than the son
of Satunalia. All of the diverse stories in this blog show the qualities that the
spirit of Christmas did not end with that remarkable night in a stable in Bethlehem,
but the legacy of that night burns brightly in the heart of mankind today.
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