Sunday 24th July 2011: Today's Sermon

Good morning,

Firstly, after last week’s “If I was Prime Minister the first thing I would do is…” comment, a very kind person has sent in a lovely poem that I thought I’d share with you…

The Day Martin Allen Became Prime Minister

All the banks gave away their money
Jimmy Tarbuck said something funny
Marilyn Monroe sent kisses from the grave
A Scottish goalkeeper made a fantastic save

The Match Of The Day Tune was played on Big Ben
The day Martin Allen moved into Number ten
Palm leaves were held by the stems
Mad Dog walked across the Thames

“A miracle”! The Archbishop cried
Martin said was it?
Then Graham Souness thought it’s now or never
Then proudly came out the closet

The crowd went ecstatic and sang You’ll never walk Alone
Then Mad Dog said it was legal for the Ganja to be grown
He sold the monarchy to the States
On a thousand year lease
They all moved out to Hollywood and gave us all peace
He received an autographed photograph
From the cup winning team of Dynamo Dubrovnik
The day Mad Dog formed the British Democratic Republic

His Play-Off Teams were given the seats in the House of Lords
And the peers were sent to Dagenham to work at Ford’s
Political power was handed down to the conscience of youth
The Sun newspaper actually told the truth

The world’s loneliest bachelor became happily married
To the world’s loneliest spinster
The day Mad Dog became Prime Minister

Alan Hansen was relied upon to say something bland
Middle England, public smoking and the off side trap were banned
Nostradamus had prophesied it
John Cooper Clarke became the Poet laureate
The planet was visited by captain Kirk
The aristocracy were put to work

There was a fair distribution of the Commonwealth
Real Ale was put on the national health
Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!
Echoed down the corridors of Westminster
On that great and unforgettable day when Mad Dog became Prime Minister

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As a young footballer, I spent a lot of summers during pre-season in remote parts of Sweden and Norway.

The people were very calm, very serious-looking people, the countryside was beautiful, the pace of life much slower and reserved. There’s very little crime, a lot of lakes, a lot of trees and it seemed, content people living a disciplined lifestyle.

Seeing the pictures on TV and the pain and heartbreak that man has caused to so many people, it is to me quite staggering.

I wonder what it was that tipped him over the edge – to do something so extreme, to carry out such a barbaric act in such a peaceful, calm, nice part of the world?

Of course now this morning he is enemy number one, however, and this may sound a bit bizarre, I would like to meet him, just to ask him what it was, and why he has done these things. If it’s something in his upbringing that was totally extreme, as there must be something in his life that has affected him and taken him down this route.

I wonder if his family know, I wonder how they must be feeling in the devastation that their ‘blood’ has caused.

Shocking, shameful and very, very sad, but it could happen at any time, any place, to anyone.

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How crazy is it that so many incredibly talented young people die so young?

It’s so sad that Amy Winehouse has lost her battle with her addiction.

People thought that Albert Einstein was mad – but he was proved to be a genius. The same applies to Amy, as well as numerous other talented people who have tragically lost their lives too soon. The highs are high, but the lows can be too much.

Best wishes

Martin