A Prayer for those in the Public Eye

I heard an interview with three pop stars on the radio on the school run last week. They were now middle aged and had been famous for quite a few decades, and they were sharing stories about their music and careers. They were all going to perform over last weekend at a big festival organised by BBC Radio 2.

All of them were quite funny and self deprecating, having come from pretty humble working class backgrounds. They recognised that they had been lucky at various points to get some big breaks. Maybe, a single they had written had performed really well and became globally famous. Maybe, they got to support a famous band on tour and built a following of their own. Maybe, an influential record producer had seen them perform when they were unknown, and signed them and promoted them, so that their talents became known to a much wider audience.

They spoke about how fame had changed their lives. Because of the global interest in the pop industry, they could no longer pop down to the supermarket, or go to restaurants, without booking out the whole place to themselves. Fans would want autographs and selfies and they would get no peace or time with their families.

There’s a lovely side to this kind of recognition, but there’s also quite an invasive side. One of these gentlemen heard an extract from his autobiography being read by the radio presenter about how when he first became famous. He became very wealthy on the back of one of his early singles, and was up a ladder one Saturday morning cleaning out the gutters which had lots of leaves and debris after a storm. It’s never a pleasant task and, as he was scooping out all sorts of muck, his autobiography described how a thought came into his head, “I bet Robbie Williams and Ronan Keating and Gary Barlow aren’t cleaning out their gutters this morning!!” He thought to himself, with his new wealth, he could hire someone to do the job, but his working class roots reminded him that he shouldn’t get ideas above his station, and so he continued with the job at hand.

In recent weeks, two politicians have been in my thoughts. The deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, recently resigned over the underpayment of taxes on a property she had bought for her disabled son. The case attracted a huge wave of publicity as Ms. Rayner was the housing minister, and it seemed to many that she should have been aware of all the tax implications of this house purchase.

What captured my attention more was the impact all this publicity had upon her family, rather than whether she had done right or wrong. You recognise that those who hold public office are held under quite a level of scrutiny and, in this situation, all sorts of personal information about Ms. Rayner’s marriage and her son became the subject of public debate. It can’t be easy if you are the child, or spouse, of someone in the public eye and members of the public are saying hurtful or nasty things about your mum or your spouse and you cannot protect them from these things.

The Tanaiste, or co-leader, of the government of the Republic of Ireland, Simon Harris, has also been in the headlines. He and his family have been the object of kidnap threats, alongside vile personal threats being targeted towards his wife and children. This kind of reprehensible behaviour is sadly becoming increasingly common in a bid to threaten or undermine those who have high profile jobs. It doesn’t seem enough to criticise people, those who hide behind their keyboards are trying to weaponise their families to hound them out of office. They want to prey on the vulnerability people feel when those close to them are threatened.

Does the Bible have anything to say to this kind of situation or behaviour? In St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy chapter 2 verses 1-2, he calls people to “pray for everyone, for kings and those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness,” and how this is pleasing to God.

While a part of many people longs for fame and attention, we are reminded of the negative sides. Whether we agree with their politics or not, let’s pray for those who hold the weight of government and decision making upon their shoulders, asking that God will guide them and give them wisdom.

Let’s pray for civility in public discourse, and for all those who feel vulnerable and frightened by the ugly attacks made upon them, as they embark on public service and dedicate their lives to making life better and fairer for others.

Don’t forget that, as our activities resume this week, people are welcome to try out organisations and activities for the first time. A warm welcome awaits you. We are particularly keen to invite those who are interested in exploring the meaning or purpose of life to our Alpha course beginning on Wednesday 17th September at 7.30 pm in the coffee bar.

Looking forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

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