Triathlon Tragedy                 Word on the Week            26^th August 2023.

The recent drowning of two participants who were competing in the triathlon in the sea off Youghal brought a sombre note to the event.  The Ironman competition, as the name suggests, requires extremes of physical fitness in those who compete.   It is a mixture of three sports, Swimming, Cycling and Running over set distances in one race.  

The idea of a superman lies dear to the heart of most boys.   We had a number of weekly Boys Magazines where no challenge was too hard for the hero.    I cannot remember for sure but I think in one such magazine he has the common name of ‘Wilson’.   This was part of the idea that his achievements were within the grasp of any of us!

This was followed by the era of Superman where again the hero was an ordinary bloke who could transform into the extraordinary at will.   He performed acts of valour but took no credit for them, transforming back into his normal guy image.

At Youghal the sea was rough, especially near the shore.   This is caused by waves of seawater being forced upwards by the beach, forming crests which break making it difficult to get past them into deeper water.

Once into deeper water swimmers, buoyed up by their rubber wetsuits, had the tidal flow of the water to contend with.   The amateurs among the swimmers would have found the surface turbulence interfered with their breathing, some requiring assistance from the safety dinghies. 

It would have been brought home to them that ‘Iron’ does not float unless by miracle (2 Kings 6 Verse 6)!  Ironmen are also human and subject to the usual human constraints.    Our sympathy goes to those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.   They did however realise the dangers of the Triathlon having signed a disclaimer to the race organisers as part of their entry paperwork.

In Scripture the sea usually represents chaos.   The Gospels record Jesus with his disciples, caught in a storm in the sea of Galilee.   Jesus slept while the storm raged sufficiently to put the fear of death into the men, many of whom were experienced fishermen (Luke 8 verses 22 to 25).   The disciples woke Jesus who rebuked the wind and raging waters and the storm subsided.  

Jesus demonstrated his authority over creation and in his resurrection he showed his power over death (John 1 verses 19 to 22).   This the disciples recalled after he arose from the dead and they believed.   May it be so for those who mourn the loss of loved ones today.          

The 100,000 welcomes which Ireland is so famous for has suffered some reductions to its number in recent days!   It was brought to light when an elderly American tourist was randomly beaten up in Dublin city centre, receiving some life changing injuries.

This was followed by three teenage boys being hospitalised after an incident in Dublin’s Temple Bar area.   They had come from the UK to support their football team who were here to play a friendly match.    It seems the match lived up to its name but the ‘afters’ less so!

In both incidents the culprits were youths who were duly charged with the offences.   The difficulties of policing these crimes is exacerbated by the low numbers of Garda on the beat.  In addition, there has been an increase in the availability of drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The attraction of crime is not limited to youth.   We had a computer clinch in the Bank of Ireland’s cash dispensers which enabled the withdrawal of €1,000 irrespective of how much money was in the account!   Thanks to the smartphone many were alerted as friends told each other where to obtain ‘free’ cash.   The Garda were required to control the crowds!

These were bank customers, wielding their bank cards to withdraw the maximum from the system.  Doubtless they had a background in fiddling their income tax and inflating their insurance claims.   This was just the latest opportunity to come their way! 

Where is moral rectitude to be found?   Many pursue it by way of self-reformation but it seldom lasts long.   It requires the total transformation that coming to faith in Jesus Christ brings.  It is a new relationship, entered into by a prayer of confession of sin and a genuine repentance, into a new life.

St Paul puts it well in Ephesians 4 verses 28 to 32: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.   Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

The Apostle made it plain to these new converts at Ephesus that life must match lip.   It is the same today.   The 100,000 welcomes will then be a reality.

Ode to Joy             Word on the Week                    12th August 2023.

I have borrowed the title of Schiller’s poem to pay tribute to Joy Cantwell-Moore who went to be with her Lord and was buried this week.   During her life she radiated joy.   She will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.

Sometimes when parents name their children the name they choose does not appear to be all that appropriate.   Not so with Joy!   It was an inspired name which she adorned with her Christian profession and shared with others.  In fact, the old acronym JOY – Jesus, Others, Yourself; reflecting the order of priorities in the Christian life, fitted well with her selfless life.

All this comes from the Bible.   In no other religion or literature is joy so conspicuous as in Christianity.   It is the measure of a healthy faith, enriching all our talents and affections and merging them together.  

On a wonderful occasion when the Israelites were restored to their land after years of exile they requested Ezra the priest to bring out the Book of Moses.   There had been a famine of the Word and when the people heard it read they realised their shortcomings and were sorrowful.  Nehemiah, the governor, proclaimed the day sacred to the Lord and there was to be no mourning or weeping.

Instead Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8 verse 10).

In Galatia the church had lapsed into legalism, away from the life of freedom they enjoyed when they first heard the Gospel. When the Apostle discovered this on his second visit, he asked the question, “What has happened to your joy” (Galatians 4 verse 15). 

Wonderfully they regained their joy in Jesus and the Apostle was able to write to them “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5 verse 6).

This love comes from the Lord and expresses itself as Joy, the second of the nine fruits of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control (verses 22/3).

It was said of Jesus at the time of crucifixion, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12 verse 2).   May it be that our lovely Joy is experiencing that joy now in heaven.

Fulmar – Wind Junkie                Word on the Week          5^th August 2023.

There is one bird for whom the yellow wind warning of the Met Office spells delight and that is the Fulmar.   A bird of sea and sky and cliff ledge nesting places where the one large white egg is incubated by both adults in turn.

In days long ago when wild bird egg collecting was not banned the Fulmar’s egg was coveted.   It required considerable rock climbing skills and an ability to withstand the evil smelling green fish oil the bird could eject at any would-be assailant.   Mother never could get the smell out of my clothes!

A more enjoyable pastime was to lie on the clifftop on a breezy day where the wind whipped the sea into ‘white horses’ and admire the Fulmars hovering a few feet away.   The bird would then inscribe a couple of circles and arrive back at the same spot without ever flapping a wing!

This performance continued for as long as you were prepared to remain.   It demonstrated effortless travel which enabled the bird to travel 1,500 miles to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to stock up on the dense planktonic life there.   It is an area the size of France which is currently being considered for conservation.

According to the Fulmars GPS this bird returned to Orkney via Galway a round journey of 3,900 miles in 2 weeks!    The winds were strong and the wing beats were few!   Not all go on such lengthy journeys between their turn at egg sitting but if the wind is right they seem to memorise routes to where food is to be found and distance is no problem!

After approximately six weeks the egg hatches and the birds take turns at gathering food for the chick.  The baby accesses the food by putting his beak into the adult’s mouth so that the parent bird vomits the oily, smelly fish oil to where it was intended, the chicks stomach and not my jersey!

It is part of the wonders of God’s creation that He has produced a bird which almost has the secret of perpetual motion.   The Fulmars mastery in the air, using its feet to steer and the upward thrust of the wind in the valleys created by roller waves enables flight with minimum of effort.

The Lord gives the promise of strength renewed to those who hope in him.  

^“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”           (Isaiah 40 verses 29 to 31)

Reader – may you get your wings!