The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life:
of whom shall I be afraid?.....
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
(New Revised Standard Version)
Today in our calendar of readings and prayers we remember the Seven Martyrs of the Melanesian Brotherhood, who died in 2003. They were members of an Anglican community that worshiped six times a day to include the Eucharist. The community had been founded in the Solomon islands in 1925 by a policeman and the local Bishop.
During the early part of this century there was considerable tribal tensions and many people were killed. The brothers were instrumental in bringing peace, with the exception of one particular tribe. On Easter Day one of the brotherhood who knew the tribal leader personally went to try and effect peace with them. When he did not return the Brotherhood guessed the worst had happened and sent six of their brothers to ask for his body back. It was subsequently discovered that all seven brothers had been killed, a number of them having been first tortured over a period of days. At the final Eucharist of the Lambeth Conference* in 2008 their names were added to the book of contemporary martyrs.
I bring you this story to remind us all that while we are called to live the Christian life in a very difficult time because of Covid 19, nevertheless most of us are not called to martyrdom for our faith. Let us pray today for all who are called to die for their faith.
*The Lambeth Conference is held every 10 years with Bishops from every country in the world where there are Anglican churches, like the Church in Wales.
Lord God,
We pray for all who will die this day
because of their work:
for hospital workers,
for care home staff,
for those still teaching the children
of essential workers,
and especially for those who continue
to work because of their faith.
Amen