A call has been made to all adults across Anguilla to shout for their children who need love and care – rather than for politics – this heated political season.
The admonishment came from the Reverend Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, Superintendent of the Anguilla Methodist Circuit. He was at the time delivering the Palm Sunday homily at the historic trough in The Valley, a week or so before the island’s atmosphere becomes highly charged again with the resumption of the general election campaign, after a break for the Lenten Season.
Addressing Methodists, Anglicans and Roman Catholics just before the Palm Sunday procession, the Methodist Minister made reference to the Biblical account of Christ’s triumphant entry into the ancient City of Jerusalem to the shouts of the crowd.
“Those who went before and those who followed were shouting. But the children were shouting too. Why were the children shouting? Because adults were shouting”, Rev. Dr. Gumbs stated. He continued:
“In a real sense, we are mimic people. We follow what is popular and that’s perhaps the key danger of this celebration then, and crowds following now today. That is me, that is you. They can follow for all the wrong reasons. They were looking for a king to confront the Roman authorities, and spill blood and have a new kingdom but, in fact, the king was riding a donkey. They did not recognise the symbolism. They were for blood…Sometimes I wonder why we shouting. We have an election year. Why are you shouting? Are we shouting because we are committed to a cause, or because others are shouting too – and the danger, sociologically, the crowds always seem to be right. But are they? When you ask the crowds why are they shouting? They say ‘I don’t know’. In fact, the same question Jesus asked the crowd – ‘why are you shouting?’ They looked around and said ‘well others are shouting, so we shout too.’”
The Minister went in: “Our coming today is a symbolism of our understanding of the coming of the Christ among us because we shout hosanna – because that hosanna means much more… For us, personally, he is the king – the king who comes to us paradoxically dressed in military hardware – no guns and bombs to throw. He comes on a stupid donkey – a symbol of peace, of possibility. No one rides a donkey in a procession. We want what demonstrates power and might, but our Saviour chose a stupid donkey. What a lesson for the church in the world! The path of humility demands us to disrobe ourselves of what we wear, and put on the robes of humility, love, caring and sharing and, in particular, to hear the voices of children; and when they shout the wrong way, we must shout for them the right way.
“They, the children, were shouting hosanna with the crowds. But there is a line that ‘children sang their praises the simplest and the best’. What an irony…Children implicitly understands goodness and love, mercy and kindness. They were shouting perhaps for the one who put his hand on their heads and blessed them. They knew why they were shouting and doing so from their hearts.
“As you return to our chapels, churches and meeting places, may the voice of the children be heard above the voice of politics in our island – the voice of children calling for care, the voice of children calling for understanding. Those homes that are broken by our ignorance and our sin need for us to shout for them. Let’s shout for them this political season. Let’s shout for them in our chapels, our homes, schools and our ways of life. Let’s shout for our children so that they can indeed become the men and women they ought to become.”
