The Rockin' Rev May 2020

Powered by Love

 
After testing positive for coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a week confined to a flat above 11, Downing Street. As his condition worsened he was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital. Despite being in good spirits it proved necessary for him to be moved to intensive care. Upon discharge from hospital on April 12th Boris, along with his partner Carrie Symonds, arrived at Chequers to complete his recovery
 
With a sense of relief and gratitude Boris addressed the nation by video from his Twitter account. “It’s hard to find the words” he said, before going on, seemingly without effort, to find them. He found the words to praise and to thank the NHS workers, nurses and doctors who had looked after him. Strikingly, he thanked two nurses, Jenny from New Zealand and Luis from Portugal, who looked after him overnight. He seemed remarkably well for someone for whom, as he put it, “things could have gone either way” just a few days ago
 
As someone who had suffered from the coronavirus, and as someone determined to lead the national effort to contain the damage it is wreaking, Boris went on to say, “Our NHS is the beating heart of this country. It is the best of this country. It is unconquerable. It is powered by love”. The Boris we all know (even if we can’t bring ourselves to either like or love him) was back and he was in charge again!
 
Alongside the political authority with which Boris delivered his message to the nation there was a glimpse of real humanity, of real humility and real vulnerability. It seemed very genuine
 
Boris aside, many people are feeling that this time of ‘abnormality’ brought upon us by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves, to reassess our values and to ask the type of questions the business and the busyness of live often prevents us from asking: What do I care about? What is important to me? What are my priorities?
 
Sometime in the future (who knows when) life will return to ‘normal’ or perhaps even a ‘new normal’.  My hope is that the amazing support and appreciation given, not just to our National Health Service but to carers in every sector will continue, and that we will endeavour as individuals, as a society, and as a church, to be our very best and that means being ‘powered by love’
 

Rev Brian Hall

Vicar, St Andrew’s Church

as published by St Andrew's Church in the Gorleston Community Magazine

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