Watching the funeral of Lady Thatcher recently, reminded me of how much we had in common with each other. Margaret lived her childhood days in a flat above a grocers shop, whilst I was also brought up in a flat above a grocers shop. Margaret endured the “winter of discontent” and the miners’ strike and so did I. Margaret went on to become “the iron lady” and a famous figure on the world stage, while I went on to write, “Tales from Corpus Christi,” it’s amazing how things turn out isn’t it?


Do you remember reading “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped” as a child, these stirring tales of adventure beloved by all children and written by Robert Louise Stevenson? He had great success with his writing, but in later life he suffered from ill health and once as he lay in bed, he watched the “Lamplighter” going round lighting the gas street lights one by one. Stevenson remarked to a friend, that he was watching a man making holes in the darkness. Now, when you stop to think, it only needs one light in the darkness to make a difference and “black holes” are not black if there’s light somewhere.
Going back to the miners’ strike, reminds me of the power cuts we all suffered lasting from one to sometimes three hours, when our homes would be plunged into darkness and we had to rely on the humble candle once more. It was a truly humbling experience to sit in a darkened room illuminated only by candle power with no central heating or television to entertain and inform you. Looking out of the window, all you saw was darkness, broken only by the occasional car headlight lighting up the road.


Jesus is the light at the end of our road and he reassures us that he will be there when we are eventually called home. But we must ensure that through our faith, our prayers and the way we live our lives, that the world sees our light shining out of the darkness of sin and disbelief.