Thought for the Day
A one-minute read to inspire or challenge. Written by members of the church and updated every few days.
26th August 2026
In the BBC TV series Saving Lives at Sea, we see the volunteer lifeboat crews going out in all weathers, risking their lives to save those who, for whatever reason, are in peril on the sea. They are prepared to take on the worst storms, at any hour of day or night, and they are not bothered about who the people are who need rescuing; or whether, as in some cases, it’s their own fault. Nor do they ask whether some people are more deserving to be saved than others. Some people say they shouldn’t be trying to save asylum seekers or even refugees. When interviewed, the volunteers themselves simply say, “We’re here to save lives in danger, whoever they are, wherever they’re from.” That to me reflects the saving love of Jesus. It makes me very thankful – and indeed proud to be British.
The sea often does seem to have that effect, even in war. The fact-based film The Cruel Sea tells the story of a World War II corvette in the Battle of the Atlantic. After many months of combat and loss the ship at last sinks a German U-boat, to much joyful acclaim on deck. But the sea around the ship is then littered with German crewmen desperate for rescue. A naval rating reaches down to a German sailor: “It’s ok mate. I’ve got you. You’re ok now.”
That’s one human being to another. A parable for a world today, where we’re all in peril on the same sea, on the same planet. The biggest global danger we face is the loss of our humanity.
Keith Clements
21st August 2026
I have a diary from some years ago bought in Switzerland where each date is dedicated to a saint – 365 of them. Our small dictionary of saints omits most of them. It does include some but many that are there are said to be probably mythological. The well-known ones are those we see in […]
12th August 2026
After a slow journey north along the M6, car warning light on (eek!), we turned off at Penrith for the Lake District. The hills and mountains were ahead of us, around us – and our spirits lifted. I had somehow forgotten quite how beautiful it is in this part of the world. It was also […]
7th August 2026
Languages have long held a fascination for me. Indeed, I’ve often wondered where I’d have ended up if I’d placed the emphasis on languages rather than science when I chose my O Level subjects, followed by A Levels, followed by my first degree in Botany. Assuming at some stage I’d still have felt a call […]
5th August 2026
THE PORNOGRAPHY OF VIOLENCE. Reading the paper the other day, these four words stood out for me – the journalist was writing about how sophisticated drone warfare had become, so accurate that beyond the old ability to target a tank or other armaments, it is now possible to target an individual soldier and graphically display […]
1st July 2026 – Taking a break
Thought for the Day is taking a short break, but we’ll be back on August 5th.
26th June 2026
Merry and I can now report achieving our ambition to spend a night on the beautiful island of Iona – in fact, we had three. The weather was mixed, but this is the Scottish West Highlands after all! We heard corncrakes, exchanged ‘hellos’ with countless passers-by, enjoyed wonderful skies and the sea in a variety […]
19th June 2026
Sarah Dodds, good friend and former member (and organist) of Tyndale, has kindly given me permission to share a prayer she wrote for Music Sunday (14th June): Dear Lord, we thank You for the gift of music; for all the ways it enriches our humanity, touches the deepest parts of our being and brings us […]
17th June 2026
Some of you will know that I have become evangelical about hearing aids since I took the plunge and got a pair at the end of last year. My life has been transformed by them: I knew that I was not hearing very well but I had no idea just how many high-frequency sounds I […]
12th June 2026
I have been reading two psalms over the past couple of days. The first, Psalm 33, is from the lectionary for this week; the second, Psalm 88, is from Guidelines Bible reading notes. You may want to read them in full – they are quite short – but here is a selection of verses that […]