We need to love thy neighb our

David Jones on how history has ignored the suffering which racism has caused

I HAVE contributed a weekly ‘ Thought’ to the Llanelli Star for nearly all the years of my ministry here in the town.

I’ve always appreciated and still do the opportunity of bringing a Christian perspective to the events of the day and I am grateful for the kind comments as well as the occasional disagreements which have made it all so rewarding.

The then editor of the Llanelli Star, Mr Robert Lloyd, gave a limit of 400 words and I’ve tried to keep to that because, after all, it’s a ‘thought’ and not a sermon!

Most times I exceed and even double that limit on the first draft. I tend to ‘ramble’ on and type away and before I realise the word count glaringly displays the excess of words. So, I begin to review, to cut sentences and words and gradually see the number count come down.

When it reaches the right wordcount I use the ‘spell check’ (although that has its problems!) and then make sure it makes sense and I’m not repeating myself. I go back and check it again and read it through as objectively as I can. If it seems OK, I press the ‘send’ button and that’s it!

The events following the tragic death of George Floyd have had us all looking back and re-evaluating attitudes and prejudices which need to be looked at again. This act of brutality has hit us like a tornado – and nothing can or will be the same again. History has, in the main, ignored the depths of human suffering which innate racism has caused which is completely at odds with Biblical revelation.

The Bible affirms that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made and that every life is precious and loved by the God in whose image we are made.

An expert of the law once asked Jesus ‘ What must I do to inherit eternal life’? Jesus replied that loving God and his neighbour was the pre-requisite for fulfilment of the law.

Then Jesus told the parable of the ‘good Samaritan’. A parable that affirms that our neighbour is anyone of any race, creed or social background who is in need and that loving our neighbour, as did the Samaritan, means acting to meet that need.

At the end of the parable Jesus told the expert of the law ‘Go and do likewise’. Seems to me we need to do just that!