Sea, sand and sermons

Began the day by going to a communion service at St. Michael’s Church in the little village where we’re staying - Penbryn, with Gaynor (while the others went down to explore the beach closest to our cottage).

Really interesting sermon reflecting on the shootings in America (and the Bible passages for the day - mainly the one in Hebrews about faith), and how actually the gun laws aren’t the cause of it getting worse (even if they are stupid - they existed long before it got so bad), nor is Trump the main cause (even if he is... the problems were there before he was ever even a candidate), nor is mental health the cause as most of the guys doing the shootings aren’t actually medically mentally ill (though clearly unwell in some sense!). The vicar concluded that what these guys all have in common is that they are the center of their stories (extreme post-modernism), and can’t see or accept any truth but their own narcissistic view of the world... but that it is clear that their way is not real ‘truth’ due to the consequences of their way of living. But that as Christians, what we call ‘truth’ doesn’t have us at the center but Jesus, and if we are really living out that faith then the fruit from our lives should be in line with the fruits of the spirit - which will be in stark contrast to the self-centred narrative of the world around us... and that what is truth, can only really be measured by the outworking of that faith and what it produces in our lives.

At the end of the service the vicar - Matthew (extra) asked where we were from. Turns out he lived on Jerrard Drive (just round the corner from our house in Sutton) till he was 9 and went to school in the building that is now our church! He is also good friends with the Beasleys!

We then wandered down and joined the rest on the beach, followed by a lovely lunch at the cafe above the beach - where an old work colleague of Gaynor’s happened to turn up and sit on the table behind us!