Missing? Nothing There

Late Wednesday night… there was the sound of a helicopter overhead…

Apparently, just after 10pm, there’d been reports of shouting and screaming near the rocks on north Lowestoft beach.

Fearing that someone had fallen into the sea, emergency services were alerted. The Lowestoft lifeboat, HM Coastguard rescue team, and police all responded. A coastguard helicopter from Humberside joined them.

After three hours with no evidence that anyone was in the sea, the search was called off.

Missing Person? Nothing there.

Yesterday’s reading… First World War soldier Seigfried Sassoon was awarded the Military Cross: ‘For conspicuous gallantry during a raid on the enemy trenches. He remained for 1½ hours under rifle and bomb fire collecting and bringing in the wounded. Owing to his courage and determination, all the killed and wounded were brought in.’

This poet and writer, increasingly disillusioned through his war experiences, wrote ‘A soldiers declaration’ (1917) that included: ’I believe that this war, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has become a war of aggression and conquest…’

This could describe wars today.

Missing Purpose? Nothing there.

Yesterday a friend bought a can of Dr Pepper… ‘Why’s it called Dr Pepper?’ someone asked. The phones came out… Apparently Dr Pepper… first made in 1885 by pharmacist Charles Alderton… sold in Wade Morrison’s Drug Store in Waco, Texas…

Charles T Pepper was a real person… Some say that Morrison named it ‘Dr Pepper’ because Pepper gave Morrison his first job; others say Morrison never worked for Pepper. Some say that Pepper gave Morrison permission to marry his daughter; others say she was only eight years old at the time…

We discovered many theories…Missing Proof? Nothing there.

As I get older I question my Christian faith more, but it’s deeper, more certain. Some friends say there’s nothing there. For me Jesus is a person who lives with me, giving me a purpose for living; there’s proof in my daily experience. Person, purpose and proof certainly aren’t missing!