Dear Friends,
I think that it matters little whether you are a royalist or not, the platinum Jubilee at the beginning of June is a landmark event in all our lives. Bearing in mind that our Queen was only 25 years old when her father died and she took the weight of being the head of the British Commonwealth on her shoulders, it is highly unlikely that any of you who are reading this letter will experience another Platinum Jubilee, so we are right to mark this event, which is a red letter day in the life of the whole world.
Communities around the country are celebrating this special bank holiday with a range of events, so please look at the local press, social media, and good, old-fashioned posters and engage with what is going on. After a period in our lives when meeting others was forbidden for our own safety, this promises to be a weekend of partying, so let’s come out of our houses and celebrate together!
The wonderful thing for me as a Christian is that the jubilee weekend lands on the same weekend of the Christian celebration of Pentecost, a time when God poured out his Spirit on the early Christians and the Church of Jesus Christ was born. The world makes a big deal of celebrating Christmas and to a lesser extent Easter, both of which are marked with Bank Holidays. When I was a lad the Spring Bank Holiday was always linked to the festival of Pentecost, which in the olden days was called Whitsuntide and events were always held on Whit Sunday and Whit Monday, traditions which have by and large fallen by the wayside now.
One thing that has staggered me over the last two years is the physical and psychological effect that the Coronavirus and the Lockdown in particular have had on so many people. In the midst of all the celebrations, please don’t forget all those people who are not in a position to join in, maybe because their health won’t permit it, or maybe because they are fearful of being in crowds of people.
Please think about your neighbours, elderly relatives, and friends. You don’t have to drag them to a party, but maybe in the Spirit of the pandemic at its height, drop in a card, some flowers, chocolates, or a cake, and help them feel a part of what is happening.
With best wishes.
Derek