Dear Readers,
Like many I’m looking forward to the World Cup; the tournament is now nearing its climax and England will, no doubt, be on their way to a semi-final clash with Germany, or Argentina, where they will lose in a penalty shoot-out (I’m not sure if that’s optimistic or pessimistic).
It’s good to have something to look forward too and I always look forward to the World Cup every four years. I have to be honest and say that I don’t really enjoy it in the hope that England will win but more because I simply love the game of football and the thought of seeing a whole variety of styles of football from a variety of countries is very appealing.
This year is notable for being the first World Cup finals to be held in the African continent and South Africa is an interesting choice as for so many years the nation was boycotted by other countries because of the apartheid regime there.
Sport and politics are inextricably linked whether we want to admit that or not; sport doesn’t exist in a vacuum and the plight of people who live in poverty or through times of war can’t be ignored because of a football match. In some way sport, and especially football, might be able to bring people together in a spirit of harmony and respect. The shame is that this respect might only be temporary.
Religion can be like that too; we would rather keep politics out of it. When we gather in a place of worship we sometimes can be guilty of wanting to shut the world out and exist for a short time in a refuge from all that is painful. But God is not aloof and we cannot keep God out of suffering. Indeed, God will work in the opposite direction to us if we try to do that. I believe God insists on drawing to our attention the plight of the poor, of the refugees from war, of those whose lives are oppressed. Equally God wants us to celebrate our lives and the diversity of humanity; the Gospel of good news does not allow us to wallow in self-pity but instead invites us to change what is unjust so that everyone, absolutely everyone, can rejoice in the freedom of Gods love.
The South African ‘Freedom Charter’ adopted at the Congress of the People, Kliptown,on 26 June 1955 states: South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation - not war; Peace and friendship amongst all our people shall be secured by upholding the equal rights, opportunities and status of all.
May we echo that sentiment, whatever country we support at the World Cup, and may your summer be filled with peace and joy.
Revd Steven Rothwell
