Radio Leicester Thought
for the Day
© John Denney 8 May 2003
Another tradition
bites the dust. Bingo at Butlins will never be the same
again. It seems that bingo players at Butlins are getting
younger and don’t relate to the old number rhymes. Out
go Tom Mix – number 6, and Danny La Rue – 72. Jump
and jive – 35 has gone, and perhaps saddest of all,
“Sweet 16 – never been kissed” will be heard no
more. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given the latest
statistics from the 2001 Census. Only 45% of people are
married, compared with 64% 20 years ago. And a quarter of
children live with only one of their parents. The fact that
one in five girls and one in four boys under the age of 16 have
had a sexual relationship also show the change that has come
about in this country over the last 30 or 40 years. “Sweet
16” just don’t ring true any more.
What is your
reaction to all this? Is it like the couplet from the hymn:
Change
and decay in all around I see:
O
Thou, who changest not, abide with me!
Or
do you see change as inevitable – necessary, even? I
guess it’s the pace of change that is hardest to bear.
Products change their names at the drop of a hat – where
have Spangles, Marathon bars and Jif cleaners gone? And
I’ve lost track over whether it’s Royal Mail, the Post
Office, or Consignia.
But
change is central to God’s plan for the world – to put
things back how they should be. I've come to change everything,
turn everything right side up… said
Jesus. [Luke 12:50] And the change that Jesus was
talking about was a complete life-change. In the historical
accounts of the first Easter and its aftermath, we read: that the
disciples who had run away and hidden when Jesus was executed had
a life-changing experience when they met Jesus, brought back to
life. Their timidity gave way to boldness. Fear gave
way to love. People who denied knowing Jesus because they
feared for their lives became preachers of the gospel, giving
birth to the church that has come down to us. Change
isn’t always for the worse. Sometimes it’s just
what we need.
Now, eyes down!
71, J-Lo’s
Bum; Number 8, Gareth Gates; 32, Jimmy Choo; 15, Stroppy teen; 73,
Camomile Tea, 75, on the skive; 52, Chicken vindaloo …