大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Mark Clavier.

Good morning. Today marks the anniversary of two events that have cast a long shadow, particularly where I鈥檓 from in the American South. On this day in 1861, the Confederacy was formed, and in 1915, The Birth of a Nation premiered. The latter, a groundbreaking yet deeply controversial film, glorified the Confederacy, vilified African Americans, and played a role in reviving the Ku Klux Klan. Both moments, though distant, produced and shaped narratives of division, racism, and inequality, the effects of which linger on into the present.

I鈥檓 standing here now in Brecon, at my church St Mary鈥檚, next to a memorial to Bishop Thomas Coke that offers a counterpoint. A pioneer of the abolitionist cause, Coke heard the call of Christ鈥檚 reconciling love and acted upon it, crossing oceans to proclaim the dignity of all people. His life reminds us that faith is not a passive inheritance but an active labour.

We must cherish what is true and confront what is painful. Renewal requires rejecting the falsehoods we鈥檝e inherited and may be tempted to perpetuate. As Paul writes to the Ephesians, the walls of hostility have been broken down in Christ, making us one people. Let us, therefore, tell stories that encourage us to live not as strangers but as neighbours.

Lord of justice and mercy, We confess the sins of division and hatred in our world and in ourselves. Give us courage to confront the truths that pain us and the grace to embrace them. May Your peace renew our hearts, and Your truth set us free; through Christ our Lord. Amen.