Description
Reflection on two separate events that brought a community together in tragic circumstances.
Thought For The Day (Community Spirit in the Face of Tragedy)
There’s something about a tragedy that can bring a community together in a way that nothing else can. Two separate events recently perfectly highlighted God’s love for mankind in relationship to this.
The first illustration came from the fictional TV drama, Broadchurch, which had us gripped to our seats for its conclusion. It was revealed to us that the person responsible for the murder of a young boy at the beginning of the series was a member of that close community. As part of the eulogy during the boy’s funeral, the vicar relayed to the small island community the message that God loves every one of us, and he talked about how God demonstrated this by sending His only son to pay the price for our sin. He said that we should forgive others as God has forgiven us, and even though forgiveness seems impossible in these circumstances we owe it to God to at least try. The final scene was set on the cliff top, above the beach where the boy’s body had been found, and the mother of the boy, surrounded by family and friends, lit a bonfire as a final farewell to her son.
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Written May 2013 by Julie Fairweather