View from the Vicarage

The EMMA factor

Most of us won’t forget in a hurry that moment at 11.15 at night that Emma Raducanu won the American Open Tennis Championship.

We found it difficult to believe that this attractive, articulate 18 year old school girl had just moved through the qualifying rounds and one by one picked off the greatest names in women’s tennis to win the championship.

It was an almost unbelievable story and gave us all great joy amidst all the tough news we were coping with at home and abroad at that moment. Things like this just don’t happen in normal life – but yes they can! It was a great uplift for everybody.

CS Lewis wrote one of his many books “Surprised by Joy”. Brought up in Belfast he openly and honestly in the book traces his life long search for joy. It took him from school to university at Oxford and eventually into becoming one of the most able 20th century exponents of Christian living. He admits as he came to faith that it was through being guided and surprised by joy that he found God for himself. Finding God for him was finding in Jesus the perfect solution to all the challenges he was to face in his long life.

Others come to joy in different ways. William Wordsworth, the poet, wrote about joy some time after losing his 4 year old daughter Catherine in 1812. The very memory of her, the images of her that he retained in his mind and memory, the very reality of her passing and departure gave him joy.

We may find it hard to think of some like Wordsworth who find joy through the pain of death and separation. We may even find it difficult to empathise with CS Lewis who in his early life struggles faced great uncertainties but who eventually found joy and peace by putting his faith in God.

Jesus reminds us in Luke 6 :22 that as Christians we will be misunderstood, excluded and insulted. However, He says we are to rejoice in that day and leap for joy because great is our reward in heaven. There is great joy in being part of the Christian family but we should not expect that joy always to be founded in an easy or happy experience.

I do hope you will take time to celebrate God’s goodness to us as we enjoy the harvest festival season together.

John Rennie