Page 42 - Demo

42 Phonebox Magazine | May 2025OLNEYThis month we commemorate the end of the World War II in Europe and later in August the end of hostilities in Far East. This marked the end of the bloodiest confl ict in human history with over 50 million lives lost as a direct result of the war and many more being lost because of the impact of war. Britain spent at that time much of the nations wealth on the war and was saddled with loans which took years to repay. As we commemorate the end of the war we are reminded of the high price that was paid in terms of human life and material resources in order to achieve victory over a great evil and secure the freedom we continue to enjoy. Yet as we do this we are being painfully reminded that wars are still going on in the world and in Europe as well. We are it seams still unable to settle our diff erences without resorting to the violence of war and to violence within our society. Many have sought to try and understand why this is so and suggest ways in which this can be prevented or at the very least reduced. While some of these suggestions undoubtedly have merit they still do not address the root problem that lies behind all human confl ict, which is the constant confl ict within the human heart. This is captured well by the apostle James who writes in his letter in James Ch 4 vs. 1-2:%u201cWhat causes confl icts and quarrels among you? Don%u2019t you know they come from passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fi ght%u201d.The message of Easter which we have just celebrated reminded us that our confl ict with others whether abroad or at home comes from the confl ict that is within each of us because we are in confl ict with our creator. On that fi rst Good Friday Jesus by his death made peace between God and man for as St Paul says in Eph. 2 v 14:%u201cFor he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility%u201d.So as we give thanks for the peace and freedom we enjoy and think of those in other parts of the world who are struggling to fi nd peace let us remember the Christ of the cross who died to bring peace between God and man and who can off er eternal peace to the restless human heart.Rev Stuart J. MacdonaldMinister, Olney Baptist Church. NEWPORT PAGNELLFriday night is usually fi lm night in our house with our eldest son who is a bit of a fi lm buff . His choice of fi lms can be rather esoteric and frequently subtitled and by Friday evening I am exhausted and more than often fall asleep only half an hour into the fi lm! This week was another foreign language fi lm, but it was so uplifting and, in so many ways, a real tonic to the tough week of news. %u2018Perfect Days%u2019 is a Japanese fi lm about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. It is a fi lm where, to be honest, not very much happens but it is a study in contentment and attention to the day that we are given. We observe the main character as he goes about his day, meticulously cleaning the toilets, noticing the sunshine on the trees as he looks up at the sky, off ering small acts of unsolicited kindness with an authenticity and simple generosity. I didn%u2019t fall asleep until the credits at the end and I found myself moved and uplifted.The world news is constantly challenging at the moment, from the huge loss of young innocent life in Gaza, to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the many %u2018unseen%u2019 wars in Sudan and numerous other places in our world. Closer to home many people are struggling fi nancially and current political climate in the US is deeply troubling for many. It is not easy. We can feel so overwhelmed and there are no simple solutions to the poverty in our world, to the wars, to the refugee situation%u2026but if we are touched by God%u2019s love for us, then when we look at our world we respond from a place of compassion. God is our creator, the source of our being, the one who makes us who we are. If we believe in our common creation, then we recognise that the outsider is not an outsider but our brother and our sister. Charity begins at home if we recognise that our home is the whole world.%u201cBe joyful and keep the faith. Do those little things you have seen and heard from me.%u201d (St David%u2019s last words to his monks). As I watched %u2018Perfect Days%u2019 I was reminded of this prayer. The challenge to be present in this moment, to do the little things, to keep the faith, and maybe the biggest challenge of all, to be joyful.Rev Ruth MaxeyMinister, Newport Pagnell United Reformed ChurchChurches Together