Countless words have already been written about the psychodrama (or whatever you want to call it) involving Prince Harry and the Royal Family – a narrative which still seems to have some way to go, we note somewhat wearily.
A few (if not many) of the secular comment offerings have contained a certain amount of wisdom. Take this, for example, from Lucy Mangan in The Guardian, writing about one of Harry’s interviews: ‘It left me only with a great sorrowful weariness: for all that has been done wrong, all that has been lost and how, in the end, how sad and ordinary every little life, however gilded, can be.’ Or this, from Matthew Syed in The Sunday Times: ‘Before we make strident judgments, is it not at least worth reflecting on the fact that we do not truly know [William and Harry] and … what we do know has been filtered and distorted by scriptwriters and advertising experts we rarely see or acknowledge… ?’ (Do pray for Syed, a thoughtful columnist, by the way – he professed a living evangelical faith until his 20s before embracing atheism).
As evangelical Christians we would want to go further, though, wouldn’t we? We would want to say we are reminded of the New Testament exhortations about our words – whether public or private. As James says: ‘Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire… [and] sets the whole course of one’s life on fire…’
We would also want to point to the great dangers of making any human being an idol – whether politician, music star, Pope, royalty, President… or indeed evangelical leader, for that matter.
Ultimately we are reminded that we are all fallen sinners, whatever status or label in this life we may have; all sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness. In the stunning Fernando Ortega song version of Just As I Am (available on Spotify or YouTube), there is a small section spoken over the music – some recorded words of Billy Graham about a time in hospital when he thought he was dying: ‘I didn’t say to the Lord, I’m a preacher – I preached to many people. I said, “O Lord, I’m a sinner… I still need your forgiveness, I still need the cross”.’
Let us pray that all in positions of power, influence and authority may find what they are really looking for – if only they knew it: the cross.
