Riots and Presbyterianism

Yesterday, with short notice, I set off with a dear visiting family, to a Presbyterian conference in London.   We were going to drive in their car (then found they don't comply with the low-emissions) then were going to go in our minibus - but parking was likely to be a problem even should we find a slot somewhere....   So we went on the train.  The family railcard was more expensive than the group-saver (on which each of the 5 children over 5 went at £1 each!!) and I acted as 'tour guide' - and ticket-manager.  We arrived late - though certainly sooner than had we driven (and tried to park!).
The talks were encouraging and reminded me of the kinds of things I used to think most important about church - singing solid (theologically, grammatically and musically!) things (from books!!), including Psalms, and listening to solid and 'lively' sermons.

It was delightful to meet lots of 'old' friends (one I'd not seen for 15 years at least!) and some new ones. it was cheering to hear of people (of all ages) being saved and happily signing up with 'sensible' 'no-frills' churches.   During the final talk (by Ian Hamilton) one became aware of the police helicopter circling around overhead and then loud, angry voices chanting and shouting - then police sirens.  The speaker went on, unperturbed (!!) and I closed my eyes and spoke to my Father on behalf of my dear brother who is in the Metropolitan Police and might have been out there.   This morning I typed in 'October 20 Oxford Street' and found a 3 minute you-tube video which revealed what was going on outside the doors.  Some anarchists, it seems, had taken exception to the 'tax avoidance' measures of certain of the stores and were being thwarted in their attempt to gain entry to the premises by Police officers.   Why anarchists (who are against authority and ought, it seems, to be cheering on those who are not willing to 'roll over and play dead' when the tax-man comes along cap-in-hand) should be at all perturbed by these companies is beyond me.  What interest the average anarchist has in how much (and from what source) money rolls into the tax coffers (unless it is because the average anarchist, being too busy rampaging around the streets to do an honest day's work and therefore dependant on the tax revenues from such companies, as re-distributed by the welfare state, needs the money for his train fare) I also don't understand.

However, this morning's sermon was given by a Syrian Christian who works in London.  He grew up in a Christian family and went away to study in Beirut in the '80's.   He said that whatever you see on the TV about war and riot, 60 seconds of really being there makes it far more 'real' than many hours of passive observance through the screen.   That though resonated with me.   To know that I was actually with 20 yards of all those angry, shouting men fighting with Police and heedless of 'innocent' bystanders, is sobering and not a thing I'd care to repeat.   I am thankful that a) my brother wasn't out there! and b) the rabble had moved elsewhere before we had to make our way back out of the building and down the block to the tube station.