The body was being wheeled on a trolley to the morgue, my wife said.
It was in a body bag, of course – after all, they do these things decently in a hospital, which was where we were at the time. But such a sight is always sobering – whatever and wherever the context.
While much of the UK was pre-occupied by what was going on with Brexit in Parliament last week, we were just a few miles away from the nation's MPs at a top-quality NHS medical facility in central London.
And that location certainly puts everything else in context – including Britain's plans to leave the European Union. When you're in a hospital, suddenly everything that dominates the headlines seems, well, rather less important. It made me ask myself, 'What's really important right now?' So here – in a rough, but only rough, ascending order, from lower to higher in priority, are a few of the things which came to mind:
5. The environment: If you've been pre-occupied with Brexit, like the media, then you might have missed the news that 2018 was the hottest year ever measured. You can read the evidence in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Science. Scientist John Abraham, one of the research collaborators involved, commented: 'We scientists sound like a broken record. Every year we present the science and plead for action. Not nearly enough is being done. We can still tackle climate change, but we must act immediately. We have the means to make a difference, we lack only the will.' Christians, as stewards of God's earth, should be at the forefront of speaking out about this and encouraging action.
4. Homelessness: Towards the end of last year, it was reported that a staggering 320,000 people were homeless in 2018 in the UK. Yes, that's not a typographical error – the figure is three hundred and twenty thousand. You find such a figure hard to credit? Well, read an analysis of the data on which that figure is based. If anything, statistical analysis suggests that figure might be an under-estimate rather than an over-estimate. Go read the article.
3. Hunger: The Food Aid Foundation estimates that '795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life'. This is about one person in nine on the planet. The foundation also suggests that one-third of food in the world is wasted. The World Food Programme has a phone app called 'Share the Meal' which is a simple way of making a small difference. Come to think of it, if everyone reading this article were to install and use the app from time to time, then collectively that difference might become quite significant.
2. Loving your neighbour: When someone is in hospital, you realise the importance of relationships. Indeed, from a Christian perspective, we are 'made for relationship'. That's part of the message of the Bible. Do you need to put down your phone – and look up at your partner or family members more over meals? What kind of neighbour are you? What does it mean for you to be a good neighbour and to 'go and do likewise' as Jesus instructed the snooty lawyer in his famous Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:37)? In our hospital context at the moment, we've certainly been touched by the amazing kindness of both Christians and non-Christians. It makes a real difference.
1. Loving God: Jesus says this is what's most important (Matthew 22:37), so it has to be at the top of this list. Not a Christian? Wondering why this is even 'a thing' worth thinking about? Well, if you want to know what God is like, or indeed whether there is one, look at Jesus. Read a gospel. Get to know him. If you feel slightly resentful about the whole idea – and in fact don't really want any kind of 'God' in your life – then that's perfectly normal. In fact, Jesus also helps explain why you feel like that, what it signifies, and why it really matters. And if you are a Christian, can you de-clutter (spiritually, emotionally, whatever) to focus on Jesus more clearly? At the end of the day – at the end of our lives – it really all does boil down to this: you, and Jesus.
At the end of the day during which my wife saw the body on the way to the morgue, we left the hospital quite late. As we walked towards the main entrance, we fell into step with a young couple carrying a new-born baby in a pram. Outside, the mother wheeled the child down the long accessibility ramp zig-zagging beside the steps. The father was now ahead, walking backwards in front of them, taking photos of his new child constantly. In the midst of Brexit there are things that are far more important. Death and life. Heaven and hell. In the midst of life, we are in death. Alongside death there is always the chance of new life. Jesus says he has come that we might not 'perish' but have life in all its fulness.
We clapped and cheered the young couple with their baby as they walked away. The mother looked round, and smiled.
David Baker is a former daily newspaper journalist now working as an Anglican minister in Sussex, England. Find him on Twitter @Baker_David_A
