Page 25 - Contact Winter 2018
P. 25
We were full of genuine joy, perhaps On need and hunger in the world,
because in some sense, we had the last word must go to Rev. Dr Colin
removed and lost ourselves to Morris, the formidable, former Head of
others’ needs. BBC Northern Ireland, who sadly died
earlier this year. He was never afraid
One December, when I was a member to speak out against racial inequality,
of a Baptist church near Tottenham in his early days, as a Methodist
Court Road, I got the church choir to do missionary in Zimbabwe. He was so
an evening of carol singing at a local good at it that he reputedly reduced
homeless shelter. £100 from the church his church of almost all-white members
kitty enabled us to buy some simple from hundreds to a mere handful in just
party food which the hostel assistants four Sundays. He said:
heated up while we all sang carols.
I shall never forget the homeless guests ‘Being finite and fitfully loving human
falling on the food almost like wolves… beings, we can only really feel for a
it was just something they obvious- few – only God can love them all. The
ly hadn’t experienced for a very long most we can do is to take hold of
time… the food had nourished spirit as the near edge of one of these great
well as body. issues and seek to act at some cost to
ourselves. For me then, the question
There is great joy in simple living if we is always - ‘who represents that near
can only ‘dig down’ and find what really edge nearest to us – and how should
counts in life. One way is to follow we go on speaking for them?’
the example of Jesus, who showed by
example the importance of removing John Harmar Smith
ourselves from the mainstream and
refreshing ourselves, spiritually,
emotionally and physically.
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