Bear Grylls in Ukraine

 I was very moved by the documentary last week on Channel 4 showing Bear Grylls, the scout ambassador, survival expert and TV presenter going into Ukraine to meet with and interview President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was a striking interview for a whole number of reasons: the courage of the individuals he met, many of whom had lost loved ones. The perseverance of the Ukrainian people through the challenges of winter and winter, and the resilience and leadership of Zelenskyy himself.

At one point in the programme Bear Grylls met a Ukrainian family. The mother and young son had returned to Kiev from exile to live with the dad, seeking to carry on with normal life despite the considerable risks and threat of shelling. They gave Bear a pack of tea. They called it Victory tea, and they said that he needed to keep it until the war was over. At that point he could drink it to celebrate the victory.

I found that very moving. Here was a normal family, like the ones known to some of us in the Huntingdon area. They are living out their lives in such difficult circumstances, but they refuse to be discouraged and look forward with great confidence and hope.

This weekend Christians celebrate events 2000 years ago that give us great confidence for the future. Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

We don’t know exactly how horrific events that bring suffering in different parts of the world will end. We don’t know how difficulties in individual people’s lives will end. But end they will one day. God promises a future where he will wipe away every tear, and it’s built on the solid confidence of historical facts of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Jesus was fully dead, but three days later he was fully alive. God brought him back from the dead, smashing death in two, and giving us hope for the future.

For anyone who has in previous years considered Easter just a day for eggs and bunnies, why not this year give church a try. There are churches within walking distance of everyone listening to this programme, as well as many that have a livestream, enabling you to watch from home. And this weekend they will be welcoming people through their doors, whatever their backgrounds, whatever their beliefs. It’s a chance to find hope in a broken world. It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away.

Charlie Newcombe, 05/04/2023