[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church, 15th October 2020]
On the 15th October in 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte began his exile on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. He had been Emperor of France and had controlled much of Europe but now he was reduced to living in a damp outpost of the British Empire.
In the mid-sixties my family regularly visited an elderly lady then in her nineties. In her younger years, she had been the matron of the hospital in St Helena. Great Aunt Elizabeth claimed to have known someone who had known Napoleon Bonaparte; arithmetically, it could indeed have been as she said. Not many of us can claim to have some form of link with someone in charge of most of Europe (although corresponding with the deputy-head of the European Commission might be a first step).
Do you know someone who knows someone famous? Perhaps you know someone famous personally, or maybe you are someone famous yourself. What does fame mean? How long does it last?
In the Bible we find the names of many famous people, some recorded as having done what was right in the sight of the Lord, and some who did not. We can also see the names of other people who are mentioned only once, perhaps in a genealogy or as a record of their hospitality. They are not insignificant, they are essential links in the chain of God’s dealings with His people.
In the church we have high profile people but we also have others whose contribution is known only to God (and the admin team). You don’t have to be high profile to be essential – you just have to play your part in God’s plan.
In Psalm 24 David posed the question “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” and responded “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart.”
The 15th October each year also happens to be ‘Global Handwashing Day’ – somewhat less famous than other ‘days’, perhaps it will have a higher profile this year when disease control is more important. Yet more important still is the spiritual parallel – have your hands been washed and your heart made pure?
You know where the Fountain is!
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
