Thought for the Week

by the Rev Steve Proudlove, curate at All Saints Church, Ilkley

The “theme of the month” at All Saints Ilkley is the word, “Unstoppable”.

Many things seem unstoppable in the world around us. The rain seemed as if they might never stop and the unstoppable power of the floods will stay in our memories for years to come. Perhaps we have deep worries about whether threats to our way of life such as terrorism, ISIS, global climate change, and so on are actually unstoppable. Or maybe we dread the unstoppable, slow, relentless march of time as years turn into decades and decades merge in our memories; ever moving forwards towards an end we’d rather not think about. There are many aspects of this world which seem unstoppable and cause us anxiety.

But there are also things which appear to us as timeless and unchanging in a positive way. The love of family or partner, the solid rocks on the moor, perhaps even the ancient buildings in Ilkley including its churches. We can anchor ourselves on these things, feeling the security of time beating within them when everything else changes or when concerns about “unstoppable” threats arise.

But anyone who has ever been hurt by an unfaithful partner, or by a deep family dispute will tell you that even these “constant” ties are not unstoppable. Anyone who has experienced an earthquake will bear witness to the liquefaction of “solid” ground. Anyone who has seen a ruined castle will tell you that all things break apart given time. The things which we see as timeless, solid and trustworthy may not be as unstoppable as we thought they were.

And so things look bleak and threatening. Or would do if it wasn’t for God. Whether amidst the heartbeat of time, the drum beat of war, the roaring of floodwaters, or the storms of climate change, God is unstoppable. Truly unstoppable. In God we have a love which is perfect, faithful and eternal. In God we have an eternal “rock” in whom we can place our trust. And in God, we have true release from our chequered past, life has meaning in our present, and we have hope for our future.