Making the Headlines

Musing on words from Ecclesiastes:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favour to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

…Life’s not just about the quickest, strongest, richest, cleverest or most powerful…

Many sporting headlines this week have celebrated England winning through to the final of the Euros. Usually the headlines include a name – Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka… yesterday it was Ollie Watkins.

I’m remembering …the many who play football with passion but will never play for their country, those who wish they could play football, but are unable to, those who enjoy football but will never make the headlines

Political headlines from the UK this week have included Keir Starmer and his new cabinet; US headlines are invariably about Joe Biden or Donald Trump; French political headlines include Marine Le Pen or Emmanuel Macron.

I’m remembering the millions whose lives are affected by these politicians… the forgotten ninety-year-old in a care home, the young couple trying to find a home, the mother with terminal cancer, the responsible father just made redundant. The unknown, un-headlined…

Proud parents create headlines for their children at this time of year, posting pictures of their eleven-year-old children leaving primary school, their sixteen-year-olds at their high-school prom. Gushing praise describes how wonderful they are and how much they’ve achieved.

I’m remembering those who’ve quietly got on and been unnoticed; those who’ve done their best, but somehow it hasn’t been good enough; those whose parents haven’t bothered to ask how they’ve done, let alone celebrated it. Those without headlines…

Musing on Jesus’ words:

 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,

…Jesus’ involvement with the unnamed, un-headlined poor, imprisoned, blind, oppressed…