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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rev Canon Dr Jennifer Smith.

Good Morning.

In church, as in business, education, and other institutions, we assess risk to try to anticipate, quantify and avoid all possible accidents and catastrophes – we spend time trying to imagine what risks might be waiting for us, and how we might respond. This includes things like fire or flood that happen in an instant, and other things like ‘loss of community trust’ that can happen so slowly they are easy to miss, but no less devastating.

Risk assessments are a good thing, if a bit fiddly to get one’s head around at first. If (God forbid) we are ever dealing with a major disaster where I live and work, I will be very grateful not to have to rely solely on my instincts, but to have a plan.

But when we were reviewing our ‘major incident plan,’ I was struck by a difference in culture from the versions of yesteryear. Our protocols today quite rightly mandate specific actions with the priority on protecting vulnerable people, communicating well, and protecting property in that order. This is good.

By contrast the oldest plans, laughably quaint but no less wise, focussed on equipping persons on the ground and left specific actions to their good judgment. ‘Put on a pair of stout shoes,’ one from several decades ago began. ‘Make up a round of sandwiches, and a flask of tea.’

Some risks in life we can prepare for, others will take us by surprise. Then we will need to have confidence not only in policies, but in our own and others’ judgment and character, wearing whatever shoes we put on that morning, with or without a flask of tea.

Gracious God, protect your weak ones today, give us kindness, strength, and wisdom to face whatever comes.

Amen.

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