Pastoral letter from Revd John Gordon October 2024
Dear friends,
It is often said that if they make a film of a very popular book that the film never does the book justice. I have often found myself watching a film or a TV series and then going out and buying the book on which the film or series was based.
I am a fan of the Ian Rankin novels and his stories of the gritty Edinburgh policeman John Rebus. I thought the recent TV series “Rebus” gave a good account of Rankin’s manifold novels about the complex fictional detective, struggling with alcoholism, marital breakdown and the stress of chasing down violent and unpredictable criminals while trying to keep on the right side of the law!
Recently, I watched a TV dramatized interpretation of Ben Macintyre’s book “A Spy Among Friends”. Macintyre reconstructed the story around the life of the spy Kim Philby. I bought the book which revealed more of the nature of Philby’s betrayal of friends and country during the second world war and the early years of the cold war with the then USSR.
I found myself being fascinated how the fictional John Rebus and the very real Kim Philby held up a mirror to the human condition.
Despite their best efforts, Rebus and Philby were unable to control the life events that unfolded around them. Philby thought he could help create a perfect Communist society and ended up betraying many innocent people to their deaths. Many of the Psalms talk about the danger of putting our trust in human leaders and their war chariots. Only God can invite our loving, undivided loyalty towards Him. Nothing else can demand such obedience.
At the end of the day, Rebus and Philby only had themselves to blame for their actions. Good intentions often would lead to failure and destruction. It is all too easy for us to blame someone else for the way we behave.
Jesus talks about our lives displaying the fruits of the Spirit. If our actions hurt or deceive we are not acting in a way that brings glory to God.
We can only find happiness and genuine purposefulness when we are true to the real person that God has made us to be. It was remarkable how Philby hid his real self even from his closest friends – those who loved him the most. He lied and used all the people around him. At the end the act of betrayal was profound.
Bonhoeffer talks about Christian ethics being a way of life, whereby we are totally surrendered to the will of God in any given moment. The foundation of the will of God is always reconciliation which is demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus. We are called to be real to ourselves, honest with each other and caring and gentle as we walk through this world in which God has placed us.
With every blessing,
John
