Public celebrations of community experiences and events tend to foster a sense of unity and oneness of spirit among those who are identified with that community – whether it is a community of faith or a community of citizens.
A sense of unity and oneness was evidenced this week as thousands celebrated Anguilla Day on May 30, commemorating the 55th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution.
Many of the celebrations this year included church services which referenced the occasion and provided a central point of focus for those attending – ‘national unity’.
I was particularly captivated by the church service held at the Pro-Cathedral of St Mary, and led by Canon Simon Reid who crafted his thoughts on the biblical account of the Apostles James and John jostling for power and prestige by requesting to securing a place to the immediate right and left of Jesus. The sermon focused particularly on the High Priestly Prayer – “Father, I am praying that they may be one, just as you and I are one.”
Canon Reid noted that “human nature is wrapped up in a quest for power, authority and control” and is underpinned by selfishness and greed. “However,” he explained, “anyone who wants to be a leader – who wants to be first – must become the servant of all.”
He continued: “To become a servant of all, means that we understand the other, we trust the other, we are able to offer or live a tolerant life towards the other. It means that we have love for the other person, for their intrinsic worth and value. Therefore, we treat them not as a means to an end, but as someone of worth and of value.”
He observed that very often, even in churches and communities of faith, there are persons who like to push their power and authority because they are focused on themselves and ignore the importance of others – their plight, their worth and their value. He reminded listeners that if they would see themselves as being bound together by Christ’s love they would “live a life of sharing in a ministry together, [recognising] that none is more important than the other and that all must be involved [in the work] together.”
He iterated that “a life of service is what is important. It recognises that I play my part, somebody else is doing their part, and all of us are working together for the well-being of the glory of God…not of self.
“We must know that we have value…that each of us has value and worth. We are called to understand that none of us is eternal within the earthly understanding of our ministry and our mission. We are working together, parts of a whole…recognising the work and worth of each part.”
He emphasised that our personal agendas are not what a life of service is about. Rather, it is about what we do to the glory and praise of God.
“We have to realise that there is something special within us, and we must have something to offer to the well-being and glory of God. We must be able to play our part, with each of us bearing one another’s burden; each one of us living in understanding and compassion and tolerance of each other, and most of all, [each of us living in] God’s love. For at the end of the day, it is when people see how we love one another that they’re able to recognise the power and the presence of almighty God,” he stated.
Canon Reid wove the message of oneness into his remarks on the Anguilla Day celebration.
He said: “The topic of unity comes at a time when we are observing the Anguilla Day weekend.
“The God whom we serve is a God who was involved in communal life. God in Christ is not removed from our life in community, and the God who dwells within us demands that we live lives that reflect his power and presence in our national lives. This entails loving our brothers and sisters as part of each other.”
Canon Reid reflected that in the past, “a sense of homogeneity, togetherness and love brought us together as a people, but over the years, we have allowed greed, our quest for power, our envy, hatred and ill-will to gain the ascendancy in our lives, and we no longer – or limitedly – have an appreciation for each other as Anguillians.
“It is now more about ‘me’ and ‘what I can get’. Instead of playing our part in the development of our nation and our national pride, we litter and don’t care for our land, and [lack] pride in our work – we cheat and short-change our employers, and our contribution is being retarded and stymied because we are concerned only about ourselves.”
Canon Reid observed that, as Anguillians, we have also allowed religion to divide us in terms of Christianity and denominationalism, resulting in a lack of respect for each other’s religious practices and “not impacting the Anguillian society in an extremely positive way.”
He noted: “The greed, selfishness, teardowns, and shootings are increasing. Meanwhile, churches all around and everybody [appear to have] the solution, but our witness must translate into society and the world around us.”
Reflecting on the recent by-election, Mr Reid noted that persons within the church community were among those persons “immersed in partisan politics” tearing others down with “unsavory” comments.
He said: “We tear each other down, we castigate one another, and we strip each other naked, all at the expense of the [political candidates and parties], and the day after the election we say, ‘let us heal each other, let’s work together.’
“But it does no good,” he said, because “the unity which should be fostered and developed within national life is slowly fading away and we no longer have that interest in national growth and advancement.”
Acknowledging that we have a right to different mindsets and opinions, Canon Reid noted that, as nationals and citizens, “we all must play our part in building and advancing our nation regardless of who is in government. We must pray for our leaders,” he admonished. We must build a life of community, build a nation where we are committed to each other and advance the cause of Anguilla.
Canon Reid concluded that our forebears “fought to make sure that this land would be where it is today. Fifty-five years ago, those who played their part to make sure that Anguilla can stand proud today, who stood for pride, who stood for country, knew one thing – they wanted to chart a destiny for the country, and it meant tolerance, entertaining different views, using cohesion to go forward together and, as a nation, affirm that we are a nation united before almighty God.”
Canon Reid encouraged listeners to pool their talents, resources and energies to advance the cause of Jesus Christ – not for self but for the glory of God – and it will translate in their lives.
“We are all Anguillians,” he said, “working together to advance the cause.”
He challenged listeners to “remember hither-to has the Lord blessed us and brought us through fifty-five years as a people standing proud. [Let us] go out and do all we can in our national life to make sure that Anguilla advances. We are called to be one with the saints in heaven and certainly on earth.”
