Advent Sunday
29 November 2020
10.30 Morning Service
Revd Nicholas Mercer
A few years ago, whilst I was still serving in the Army, I prosecuted a soldier for causing death by dangerous driving
Given the gravity of the offence it was a General Court Martial with all its pomp and ceremony
In those days, swords, medals and gloves were worn
There was a great deal riding on the case
The individual knew that he faced a substantial term of imprisonment if he was convicted
The family of the deceased wanted justice to be done for their son as did his partner
And the wife of the accused knew that she might lose her husband
I felt enormous pressure as I faced my opponent across the court room.
The facts of the case were tragic
The accused was a young soldier who had recently been promoted
The increase in his earnings brought about a chance to finance a faster car and he bought himself a two litre Rover
One night, after a party, he decided to take his best friend for a spin
They had been drinking heavily but, typically, had just decided to go round the block
It proved to be an immensely foolish decision
As they drove back towards home the car spun out of control and crashed into the verge just to the side of a bus shelter
The passenger, despite wearing a seat belt, was propelled out of the car like a javelin
His head was buried in the earth and his neck was broken
He died instantly whilst the driver remained unconscious at the wheel, air bag inflated
The scene was attended by the German police who called the emergency services
An ambulance took the driver to hospital and a sample of blood was removed from him despite him being unable to consent
He was found to be twice the legal limit
In his interview under caution, the driver claimed that his best friend had tried to grab the wheel of the car before it crashed
A forensic expert estimated that the car had been travelling at twice the speed limit
The case was not without its problems
The blood alcohol reading was challenged on the grounds that the sample was taken without the consent of the accused
The defence sought to put forward expert evidence that the dead passenger was responsible and, in any event, they claimed that the driving was not “dangerous”
These difficulties were overcome by the Crown
And the accused was duly convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment
But the case was not only legally draining but also emotionally draining at the same time
I would hold a conference with the family of the deceased at the end of each day to explain what was going on at court and what was to come
The wife of the accused wept as he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment and so did the accused
But, as well as being emotionally draining, it was also cathartic
The mother of the deceased thanked the witness who had tried to give her son CPR at the roadside
The partner of the deceased spoke to the court about the man she had loved and lost
And the father shook my hand at the end of the proceedings
But a strange thing happened to me towards the end of the trial
I obviously felt the pain of all those involved but, before the trial had ended, I suddenly felt consumed by the love of God
I rose above the car crash and knew that despite the tragedy and despite the loss
This ghastly situation was redeemed by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ
I felt profoundly moved whilst sitting in the court room
I knew that, whatever life threw at any of us
What had been twisted so grotesquely out of shape in a car crash, was now untwisted
God’s redeeming work was at hand
You may ask what all this has to do with Advent Sunday?
It may all seems a bit bleak for what is the beginning of the countdown to Christmas
But, in my view, it illustrates so clearly what Advent is about and even more so this year
Because, for intents and purposes, this year has been a car crash – a car crash for the country, for individuals and for the economy
People have lost lives, loved ones, livelihoods and certainties
And we are all, to an extent, caught up in the wreckage
But being caught up in the wreckage can be paradoxical as my courtroom experience showed
Because amidst the wreckage, the twisted metal, blood, broken limbs and relationships
God had, peculiarly, never been clearer
The Flemish painter Jan Gossaert painted a Nativity Scene called “The adoration of the Kings”
It was a painting of the nativity set in a scene of total devastation amongst ruined buildings.
A scene, if you like, of utter devastation
Many of the sixteenth and seventeenth century paintings of the nativity are set in such landscapes and are deeply symbolic
Because despite the destruction, the sovereignty of God is proclaimed in the ruins
The Christ child could not be clearer in the painting
And God becomes understandable through the birth of a child when so much else is unintelligible
And so here we are on Advent Sunday
A year in which we have seen the death of over 55,000 of our citizens
The lockdown of Churches and immense damage to our economy and to ordinary lives
To a degree, we are inhabiting the ruins of our own faith also caught up in the wreckage around us
But the majesty of Christianity is that we know how the story unfolds
We know that amidst the ruins of our life
The disasters, the wars, the graveside, the pandemics
That goodness cannot be extinguished
To quote Iris Murdoch, “in a world of pain and loss, religion proclaims the imperishable sovereignty of God”