Grace – Straightforward?

At Men’s Shed the other day a number of gents were telling stories of their work at sea – African ports, North Sea fish, extreme weather conditions…

We recalled Grace Darling… One stormy morning in September 1838, Grace, the twenty-two-year-old daughter of a lighthouse keeper, spotted the wreck and survivors of a boat that had foundered on rocks and broken in half. Grace and her father, risking their own lives, rowed out to the wreck, rescuing four men and a woman…

Grace’s bravery is celebrated. Many parents I know, if Grace was their daughter, would criticise her reckless stupidity. Grace Darling – brave heroine or reckless fool? Is it straightforward?

Yesterday I came across this beautiful song, telling Grace Gifford’s story.

Joseph Plunkett, Grace’s fiancé, was a leader in the 1916 Easter Rising – part of the Irish war for Independence. Captured by the British, Plunkett was sentenced to execution. Seven hours before his death, Grace arrived at Kilmainham Jail where he was being held. They were married in the prison’s chapel. Then, at dawn, Plunkett and his fellow rebel leaders, were shot by a British firing squad.

This song’s an imaginary dialogue between Grace and Joseph just before his death… Was Plunkett a heroic freedom fighter or a criminal revolutionary? And Grace – a loyal lover, or a tragic co-conspirator? Straightforward?

Yesterday’s local news recalled metal detectorist George Ridgway. In September 2019, in a field near Ipswich: ‘I found two Roman brooches, then a Julius Caesar silver denarius dating from 46-47BC… After about two hours, I had found 180 coins…’ After three months, working with archaeologists, a total of 748 coins were uncovered…

I remembered… Jesus’ story of treasure discovered in a field… illustrations of Christian grace, God’s undeserved favour… discovered by ‘accident’.

Many others could have discovered the Roman coins; it happened to be George who found them. Many others can discover God’s grace – it’s available to all; it’s me that’s found it… God’s love to the unlovely, God’s peace to the restless…. Is it that straightforward?