Lent Eleven "Get up and Walk"

Norham Castle at Sunrise - J Turner - Tate Britain

He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.                                                   Adam Bede Chapter 33. G Eliot.

There was a very primitive cartoon that my father used to show to the boy's camp he ran every summer for years.  It was called number one, about a man who could only see others as blobs.  Number two was his wife.  As he was convinced of his selfishness, he began to see others about him.  This was the revelation.

Revelation Chapter Two

Addressed to the Angel, the messenger and guard, of the church in Ephesus.

 “I know everything you do. I see your hard work, your patient endurance. I am delighted that you do not tolerate evil, and discern what is true, and what is distortion. You have never contemplated giving up. Bravo. My complaint however, is that you have forgotten your original joy. This is essential. A relationship requires this intimacy, and shared expression of life. The fact that you hate evil practices makes me believe you will rekindle your love. Remember, we live from the perspective of eternity. Everyone who is victorious will receive the joy of life eternal.” 

PRAYER:  I desire my first joy.  The love that was overwhelming.  That changed me forever.

Second Sunday "Get up and Walk"

'Surprised!' by Henri Rousseau -National Gallery, London

He said that he would prefer not to know the source of the Nile, and that there should be some unknown regions preserved as hunting-grounds  for the poetic imagination.  

G. Eliot - Middlemarch.

Perhaps it is easier not to know some things.  But somethings are to be known, like your name, and your parentage.  Not knowing is foolishness.  And by the way, why not know?  What's the problem?  

Paul's letter to the Roman's Chapter Nine

With Jesus as my witness, I earnestly desire every word I write to be true. I am deeply grieved that so few of people within my own community accept Jesus. I would willingly undergo any torture if this would make a difference. These are the people who have been privileged to hear the message spelt out to them across the ages. They have had a box seat. The Creator has honoured this special relationship, Which has been a great blessing for which we are thankful, So has the Creator failed to deliver on promises to my people? No, indeed, for membership of the community is not to be taken for granted. An example of this was when Isaac, the great father of the nation, had two sons. Convention was flouted, because the younger son picked up the mantel of leadership, not the elder son.  The Creator knew in advance who was open to the way, and who not. Another example was when the king of Egypt was harsh on my people. The Creator knew that this would bring about the wonderful purpose in store. The hard heart of the king was part of the chain of events leading the birth of Jesus. Is it fair that some people are open and therefore chosen, some closed and miss out? We are all different, but originally made from the same clay. The Creator who knows our desires and actions even before we do, And all eventualities are used to bring about this story of redemption. The Creator shows equal mercy, justice and compassion to all people across time. Those with an open heart find the path of restitution and forgiveness. As has been said by wise people of old, "People from outside our community are called." And also, "You who are not from our culture, are called to become children of the Creator." And for people born into my culture it is said, "The same rules apply to all equally. Don't think that you will get away with evil just because of your birth." This is the paradox. "The people who have no idea about the Creator's great plan are drawn in and transformed. The people on the inside, given special privileges, miss the point, tying themselves up in knots of confusion." Also we know the saying, "There will be a stone place in the centre of Jerusalem. To some it will become their foundation stone. For others they will crash into it and fall. Those who put their trust in Jesus will stand firm."

PRAYER: All you have given me provides me with the courage I need to live to the full.

Lent Ten "Get up and Walk"

 

Dancer Misty Copeland recreates Degas' painting 

He that lives in hope danceth without musick- 

George Herbert (1593 - 1633)

There is a wonderful story of the imprisoned Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Baptist minister,  who in freezing solitary confinement.  He calculates that it this day was Christmas, and he pulls himself up onto his feet and danced for joy around his cell.  This is the same hope that is offered to us.  It is a hope that is based on believing that Jesus has seen how things turn out.  It's a bit like when Margaret and I watched Spike Lee's film 'The Black Klans Man' for the second time we were not nearly so nervous.  We knew that the key innocent people were not lynched. It's very comforting.

Paul's letter to the Romans Chapter Five

Our trusting relationship with Jesus has brought us into peace with our Creator. What Jesus has done gives us complete assurance that we share royal privileges! We are ready for trials and endurance tests. These reveal the character, confidence and hope that grows within us. Our hope will strengthen because we have the presence of Jesus, filling us with the knowledge that we are dearly loved. Now, few people would be willing to die for a good person. Perhaps some to save an extra special person. But we know that Jesus chose to sacrifice himself for us when we, as a race, hated and despised him. Jesus has stood in for us to take the Creator's judgement. What a wonderful thing it is to now be in union with the Creator and designer of all thing! The very first person on earth was given the choice to honour the Creator or not. Choosing to hurt the Creator, the relationship was marred, followed by separation, which led to death. Stepping in to rescue this first person, and all others to follow, is Jesus. With the first person came alienation, divorce and death. With Jesus come restitution, forgiveness and life. Even when what is honouring to the Creator was spelt out in words, it made no difference. People continued to do things that destroyed the vital link. The Creator knew this would happen, and with the love of a parent for a disobedient child, made a way for the relationship to be restored so that we can return to the original plan; that is, to live in close harmony with our maker, with Jesus, forever. 

PRAYER: May you be praised in all things.  May I honour you today.

Lent Nine "Get up and Walk"

 

Dutch Master

I got me flowers to stew Thy way,

I got me boughs off many a tree;

But Thou wast up by break of day,

And brought’st Thy sweets along with Thee. 

 Easter Song- George Herbert.

Everything has been thought of.  Everything considered.  As we walk around the shops; this person and that. All are of equal concern to the one who made them.  Here is a story to illustrate.  The outsiders understood the paradox, whereas the insiders were caught by a false assumption..

 Do We Do Greek? (From John's Gospel Chapter Twelve)

Andrew:           What about Greek?  Do we do Greek?

Jesus    :           Who's asking?

Andrew:           Philip's asking, he's chatting to some Greek tourists.

Jesus    :           Does Philip speak Greek?

Andrew:           I should think so. He's got a Greek name.

Jesus    :           Yes, then he can translate.  This is for everyone.

 

My record of what Jesus says…

 The people listened intently, with knitted brows and concentrating hard.

 "I am now standing on the edge.  I can stay back, or step forward."

 "Just one grain of wheat must be buried in the ground and 'die' in order for it to become a plant to provide a 100 grains, and feed many."

 "The paradox: if you love your life so much that you grasp hold of it to keep it, it will be crushed, and you will lose it.  If you hold it lightly, willing for it to be of benefit to all, you receive the priceless gift of life eternal.  Are you willing to 'step' with me?"

 "Yes, I feel this is terrifying- not easy.  But there is no going back.  I am committed to glorifying my father."

  {And then everyone heard a loud, powerful voice saying, "I have done so, and I will again."}

 People there were astonished.  “I think it's an angel helping him to be strong”, said one.

 "Not for me, but for you - right now, you need strength."

 "This is when evil will be driven out; my body will be lifted up, exalted." 

 He looked across at the crowd.  The Greeks understood that they were included.  They understood the double meaning - the paradox.

 "Hang on!" someone shouted out. "You can't be the 'Messenger for all time', and also the one whose 'body is exalted'?  The Bible does not allow it."

 {Audible sigh} "Now is when all this stuff is clear and plain to sort out.  Soon you will have to figure it out on your own." 

 He left us with all these bewildered people.  I recall that we've been warned that, despite making it 'barn door' obvious, 'people coming alive' for instance, many will not put two-and-two together.  I could see that quite a number had been affected however, even those with considerable power and influence, although there is no way they would admit it. For goodness sake, he made it blindingly obvious what he meant.  Any fool could understand him it they were so inclined.   

PRAYER:  It might not always make sense, but I know I experience the joy you have put within me. 

Lent Eight "Get up and Walk"

The Potato Eaters - Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh Museum- Amsterdam

To lift up hands in prayer gives God glory, but a man with a dungfork in his hand, a woman with a slopepail, gives him glory too.  He is so great that all things give him glory if you mean they should.

Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sermons.  'On the Principle or foundation.' 1881-1882

These words bring security.  A fruit tree will not fail to produce fruit.  It is in its nature.  Those with the Spirit of their Creator in them will not fail to praise and honour the Creator in all they do.  They will bear fruit.

Hebrews Chapter Thirteen 

So priorities: 

Love each other, 

Care for strangers, 

Remember prisoners and those being mistreated. Honour marriage, 

Don’t love money, Jesus will help you when you are in need. 

Remember your leaders who care about you - follow their example. 

Jesus is constant and with never fail you. 

Your strength comes from your Creator, not from codes or magic. 

The old system was a revelation of the new. 

Put Jesus first in everything, with your eyes fixed on the final goal. 

Doing good and sharing with the needy; this is the Creator’s desire. 

Honour your spiritual leaders. 

Pray for me, ask Jesus to enable me to come back to you. 

Now may the author of peace, who raised Jesus from the dead, 

Our guide who risked all for us, Give us all we need to fulfil his will. 

All wonder and power be to the Creator forever more. 

Please note everything said in this letter. Timothy has been released for prison. If he comes to me, I will bring him with me to see you. I greet your leaders and all believers Greeting too from the faithful in Italy. Be filled with perfect grace.

PRAYER: May I be so aware of your presence that I see the stranger, and understand the need.

Lent Seven "Get up and Walk"

If I was a nightingale I would sing like a nightingale; if a swan, like a swan.  But since I am a rational creature my role is to praise God.    Epictetus, Discourses, 2nd Century.

Were we designed to praise and honour the Creator?  What do people do who do not know the Creator in this way?  We marvel at the beauty of creation.  We marvel at the experience of love.  We marvel that there is something to live for.

Habakkuk Chapter Three

I hear what you are saying. I know that you what you have done is amazing. But in this time of our great need, remember what you did for us in the past. And in your anger against our failings, remember mercy. 

I see the Creator moving across the desert. The whole earth is lifting up arms in praise. The Creator comes in the brilliance of the rising sun. Rays flash across the sky. The enormity of the Creator’s power is hidden. Pestilence sweeps the earth. It shakes and trembles. Permanent mountains of certainty and shattered. They tumble into nothing. I see people suffering; in terror. Are you angry and displeased? 

Your actions bring salvation. You split dry land and rivers pour forth. Your anger is against wickedness and injustice. Those intent on destroying Israel fall victim to their own weapons. I am trembling inside. My legs are giving way beneath me. I am waiting patiently for the day when justice will come to our land. 

Even though all the flowers on the fruit trees fail, and no grapes appear on the vine; the cattle in the fields die; and our barns have nothing to show; yet I will rejoice in my Creator, and be joyful in my saviour. 

The Creator is my strength. The Creator keeps my feet from slipping, and makes me as sure-footed as a deer, scaling rocky crags.

PRAYER:  From the moment I awake, I praise you, to the going down of the sun.  I even praise you in my dreams.

Lent Six "Get up and Walk"

 

"The Acorn and the Pumpkin" by Sebastien-Lepage.
Art Institute Chicago.

A man cannot become an atheist merely by wishing it.  

Napoleon, Maxims, early 19th century.

Perhaps we forget that we do not live in a vacuum.  Our lives are full of beliefs and assumptions.  We are fish in the goldfish bowl examining the nature of water, and wondering if it really exists.  Just as we imagine ourselves to be self-supporting.  We are all as dependent on the systems around us as much as people living on state benefits.  We do not realise how much our beliefs are subconscious.  We are free, but we must take up our freedom and apply it.

Acts Chapter Twelve

At this time the Jewish king Herod used his troops to persecute the followers of Jesus. He had James beheaded, and when he saw how pleased this made the Jewish leaders, he had Peter arrested. It was the festival time so the courts were closed. Peter was put in prison with a very strong guard. Peter’s friends were very worried for him and stayed up through the night seeking the Creator’s help. In the night, with guards physically chained to him, a messenger from the Creator appeared in the cell. The messenger woke Peter saying ”get dressed, time to go”. The chains fell from his wrists as the guards slept. They walked straight out of the prison past guard posts, and out through the main gates. When it was safe, the messenger disappeared. Peter was amazed and knew that the Creator has authority over everything. He ran through the dark streets to when his friends had gathered. He knocked as quietly as he could. A young girl called Rhoda came to the door. Instead of opening it she was so over joyed she raced back upstairs to tell the others. The others assumed she had gone delirious because they knew the Peter was not going to get out of that prison. Peter was forced to knock harder, and eventually he was let in. He explained everything that had happened to him. Meanwhile as dawn broke, there was chaos in the prison. Herod was furious and many innocent guards’ lives were forfeited that day. Herod was so disgusted he left the city and went to the Roman port of Kingston. There he decided to extend his kingdom into Tyre and Sidon. This he did with careful pressure. On the day he marched into the cities as the new ruler, he became ill, and died a painful death. He, like the other rulers, was not a follower of the Creator. 

PRAYER: May I be conscious of my choice to live life to the full every day.

Lent Five "Get up and Walk"

 

Lewis Chessmen

Heathen, n.  A benighted creature who has the folly to worship something that he can see and feel.  

Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1906

There is compelling evidence that humans roamed the earth for may thousands of years before judo-christian religions were invented.  What did human's believe?  What might we hold in common?  Interestingly, only 'this present time' actually exists.  What is happening right now is of infinite significance.  Let us treasure the present moment.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 5

Let your words be few, as you enter a holy place. Come with reverence. Keep your commitments. Don’t think these things are inconsequential. Where there is power there is misuse of power. Those who serve money will always be slaves. Wealth does not equal happiness, Though honest hard work does equal a good night’s sleep. Enjoying what you have, with good health, food and drink; This is the greatest gift from above. People who focus on the good received today. Have no time to brood on the injustice of the past.

PRAYER:  I believe in the meaning you have put in me, and in my people for today.

First Sunday "Get up and Walk"

By Tim Ferguson (courtesy of Serious Comedy)

It is ridiculous to suppose that the great head of things, whatever it may be, pays any regard to human affairs.  

Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 1st Century

Another thinker contemplating the egocentric belief that I have significance.  I agree that it is extraordinary.  Yet all things are significant.  Me, by family, my community, my city, my nation, my continent, the world, the universe.

Hebrews Chapter Fifteen

Faith brings knowledge of security about the future. There is so much we cannot see that requires faith. People from history are celebrated for the faith they displayed. Only by faith can we understand how the universe came into being. By faith people honour the Creator, giving their best, when the Creator is invisible. By faith old people continue to trust in their relationship with the Creator as they approach the inevitability of death. By faith people set out on projects they believe are right when others see them as impossible or foolhardy. By faith some people leave their communities and travel to live in other countries with other peoples. By faith people believe that they will have children when science tells them it’s impossible. All these people ‘tread lightly on the earth’ holding onto their relationship with their Creator foremost. By faith our ancestor Abraham did as he thought he was instructed, and was prepared to kill his only son, as the people of the time were doing. This was despite the Creator promising that he would be head of many peoples. Abraham knew that the Creator had an ultimate plan that would succeed. It was by faith that our forefathers trusted that our people would survive against the odds. It was by faith that our people survived their turbulent history, with the threat of extermination occurring many times. Different people knew their part and were able to help, saving lives in the nick of time. There are so many stories I could relate that illustrate this wonderful quality which is to be treasured. Many people suffered greatly, and never saw the ultimate goal of peace and justice. But they knew that their Creator was to be trusted and ultimately had control over their story. We now see what the plan was and the route made clear to restoration and completeness. 

PRAYER:  I accept the impossible- that I am loved and special.  That my life has purpose and a meaning.

Lent Four "Get up and Walk"

'Hold Me Together' by Aykut Aydogdu 

 If God were not a necessary Being of Himself. He might almost seem to be made for the use and benefit of men.  John Tillotson, Sermons, 1694

Tillotson, the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, was drawn into the many discussions of the time about the nature of Christ.  All the orthodoxies were being questioned.  It was an exciting and unstable time.  In the modern age, it is 'science' that has become the 'god of the gaps'.  Now there is an explanation, but how much does it faces this 17 century scrutiny?  

My personal quote based on Tillotson is:-

Science is not necessary for life, but it does calm the nerves.

John's Gospel Chapter One

Truly indescribable- in fact, I'm lost for words,

Complex from the beginning, as a murmuration of birds.

Omnipresent coexistent, appears in human frame,

I am charged to go before, this mystery to explain.

Of existence, all that's stable, true and upright,

Joy, energy, wisdom, come together to ignite.

But many see right through this, as if it were not there,

It's not what they expected, not what they hoped to dare.

Those that even dimly see, and want to cast their crown,

Will never be the same again, their world turned upside down.

Aware that I’m unworthy his shoes e’n to unlace,

Tearing up the form book, He reaches to embrace.

 It's as if the queen comes knocking saying, "Let me in, make haste,

I want to get to know you, it's good to see and taste."

Heart beating fast, descending stairs, I leave my attic view,

Choose to be adopted royal, because? Simply, "I love you."

PRAYER: All the answers you give are a bonus-  All I need is to hold your hand.

Lent Three "Get up and Walk"

 

Love Letter To to a Very Rocky Creek (Hume Response)
by Ash Keating- Melbourne, Australia

There are certain questions which are made unimportant by their very magnitude.  For example, the question whether we are moving in Space this way or that; the existence of God, etc. 

Thomas Hardy in F.E. Hardy, The Later Years of Thomas Hardy (1930)

I agree with Hardy.  It's ridiculous! The idea that this 'ant' walking on the surface of this planet, set in one specific galaxy, set amongst a multitude of galaxies, has any significance.   And yet there is hope.  

                 Ecclesiastes Chapter Three

A Time for everything

 A time to be born and a time to sleep, 

Sowing in faith that one day we’ll reap. 

From death and hell comes a spirit of healing, 

Tears at this moment knowing joy is coming. 

A time to grieve and a time to dance, 

Stones are scattered, and stones gathered up. 

Today we embrace, tomorrow stand-off, 

All day I’m searching, but time says ‘enough’. 

Treasure once held is now cleared away, 

Yesterday torn up, then restored today. 

To love perchance to make a date, 

Not when a heart is full of hate. 

Unleash we now the dogs for war, 

And when it is done push peace to the fore.

But for most, the burdens of life are heavy. 

And yet all around us we see perfection. 

Simply try to enjoy your life, 

Enjoy the fruits of your labour. 

The line in the sand is final. 

There is no going back. 

Eternity has been planted in our hearts. 

It is purposed that we honour of Creator. 

And yet this paradox continues; 

Everything has happened before. Nothing is new.

PRAYER:  I am significant to you, and you are significant to me. And that's amazing.

Lent Two "Get up and Walk"

 

Creation of Adam- Michelangelo-
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated.  

Voltaire, Le Sottisier, 18th Century

Feuerbach puts it more kindly.  The 'divine' is the way human consciousness  projects 'the greater good' onto a shared concept of purpose and meaning in life. The problem for me is that after you have met the person of Jesus, everything changes.  It is a bit like being married.  When you marry someone you start everything from the perspective of being married.  When you know Jesus, you see life from the perspective of knowing Jesus. 

Philippians 1: 20-26

I will never be ashamed of Jesus, and will always be bold to honour him. It doesn’t worry me whether I live or die. I don’t even know which is better; but I know I still have a function, to encourage you and help you grow. And when I see you again we will be so full of joy because we see what Jesus is doing through this relationship.  The most important thing is to live as if we are already in heaven. Have no fear for the people who oppose you. They will see that Jesus succeeds, for we even count suffering for him as a privilege.

PRAYER: I desire to see out of my own eyes and see the world from your perspective.

 

Lent One "Get up and Walk"

Something from Nothing by Karin Goeppert
For sale on Art2Arts

Our dream dashes itself against the great mystery like a wasp against a window pane.  Less merciful than man, God never opens the window.  Jules Renard - Journal, 1906

In 1985 Joe Simpson and Simon Yates scales Siula Grande, a 6344 meter mountain in the Peruvian Andes.  On the way down Joe slipped and fell off an ice cliff.  Strapped to each other by rope, Yates attempted a rescue.  When this failed he famously 'cut the rope'.  Simpson fell 46 meters into an ice crevasse.  In the film 'Touching the Void' Simpson says that at that moment he called out to 'God' offering himself and asking for a 'spiritual experience'.  Absolutely nothing happened.  Simpson then went on to crawl for three days out of the icing tomb, and made it back to their base camp alive.  'Mountaineering' magazine described this in 2012 as "amongst the most remarkable instances of survival against the odds". - So was his pray answered?  I believe many assumptions about what 'a Creator' should do were being made here.

 John 14: 15-30

“If you desire to love me, see things from my perspective.

You will always to be able to do this because we'll do it together…

 “… I'll be a living presence in you.  We'll travel together…

 “… Our relationship together will help you to see and know things clearly.

Don't be put off if others cannot see my presence.  You see me because of our bond…

 “It goes like this…

 “…I am linked to the creator of all, I am linked to you, and you are linked to me.  Therefore, you are linked to the creator. I hold you, and you hold me.”

 Then Judas (the other one) spoke up.

 "Why can't this be for everyone?" he said.

 "Everyone who wants to follow my way does so because they love me, and the creator,” Jesus replied. “We are friends and live together.  I'm not making this up.  It has been said from the dawn of time."

 "The gift that I give you is peace in your heart and mind.  This is something no one can take from you. These current tribulations enable you to know the reality of what I am saying."

A 'Friend', a 'Guide' (courtesy of dreamtime.com)

PRAYER: I accept you they way you are, just as you accept me.

Other aphorisms by Jules Renard

• The horse is the only animal into which one can bang nails.
• The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse.
• Writing is the only way to talk without being interrupted.

"Get up and Walk" - A Lent series that starts tomorrow

The Beggar - by Rembrandt

We live our lives like those with a million pounds available to us in the bank.  Every day these resources are there for us to draw on.  This is the presence of the Spirit of our Creator.  And yet so often I sit in the courtyard, needy and begging, like the man Peter and John met when they went to pray in the temple.  

 Acts Chapter Three

Two of Jesus’ friends, Peter and John, set out to the meeting place. As they entered the courtyard, a paraplegic man, who survived by begging for money called out to them, as he did with everyone passing that way. He was hopping for some charity. Peter stopped and looked the man straight in the eye. “I’m sorry”, Peter said, “we have no money; but willingly give you what we do have. In the name of Jesus, get up and walk.” At that instant the man knew that he could walk, and was completely better. He began walking and running around in complete joy. Lots of people recognised him and were astonished. Word passed swiftly around the place and soon a large crowd of wondering people joined Peter and John as the man hugged them tightly. Peter then engaged with the people. He explained this was no magic, but a continuation of the work of Jesus, and through Jesus, the Creator of all. “Do you remember Jesus, who was handed over to the colonial authorities, despite never having done anything wrong? Indeed, having done many wonderful things, he was condemned by you lot, and executed. Well, you are witnesses that this was not the end, and what has happened proves that he is alive today. It is through trusting in Jesus’ life that this man is now walking.” “I know that you did not know the enormity of this error as you supported the death penalty. You did not realise that you were ‘stabbing a knife straight into the Creator’. But the Creator had planned that this would happen, and the very act was foretold hundreds of years ago by many wise people. The Creator used this death to free all people from being locked into evil and ignorance. By turning to Jesus and rejecting wrong motives, you can heal your relationship. Look, every single person from the past who we revere today has pointed to this event, which we are now a part of.”

For the next forty days I have prepared a thought provoking quote, and a bible passage and prayer.  The theme is "Get up and Walk".  I am challenging myself to stop sitting, begging, and start living my life to its full potential.  

PRAYER:  How much of the journey have I made so far?  Lead me on Lord.

Pancake Day, By Basile de Loose, (1845)
For Sale- Bindery Gallery, Braodway

Lessons from Lockdown

 

What we have learnt so far.

This is a disease that emanates from rich counties.  But it’s the poor countries that are suffering.  We in the West are largely being inconvenienced.  The real suffering in happening in the poorer countries of the world where there is hunger and needless death. (No big bank loans and furloughs there.) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/

The people who are at risk of death in the West do not exist in the same numbers in poorer countries.  This is an illustration of one of the greatest inequalities present in the world and suggests “Rich Lives Matter”.

Is it polio? Or is it flu?  We cannot decide.  Are we trying to eradicate it, or find a way to live with it?

We, as a society, embrace the religion of science.  It is the vaccine that will save us. 

We forget:-

1)      Up to 80% of people do not seem to be affected. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/50-percent-of-people-with-covid19-not-aware-have-virus#How-transmission-works

2)      The research shows around 80% efficacy of the vaccine.  However we should expect this if the above research is factual. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n18

3)      It might be that people of ethnic minorities are more reluctant to have the vaccine because they are less scared of dying.  The vaccine’s significance is less to people who see this life as a step along the way.  It is well known that the UK’s ethnic minority communities have a stronger faith in God.

So finally a quiz- Furloughed or not Furloughed?

Ø  Bailiffs (Eviction ban extended to end of March except for nasty neighbours)

Ø  Doormen / women (The job that limits touchpoint contamination)

Ø  Lollipop Ladies/ Men (children still need to cross the road safely to school!)

What is the etymology of the word furlough?  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furlough