HRH and the Chindits

I went for a walk out of the Close this morning. On my way, I counted 20 police vehicles. Why, because this afternoon we've had a visit from an HRH. Prince Charles, as it happens.

The occasion was a 65th anniversary service, to celebrate the second expedition of the Chindits, and to mark the laying up of the Chindits' standard.

The who's? The Chindits. A Chindit is a mythical dragon-like Burmese beast -- statues of which (Chinthay) guard Buddhist temples. The Chindits were the SAS of their day: the largest of the allied Special Forces fighting in the Burmese jungle during the 2nd World War. They were formed and lead by Major General Orde Wingate DSO -- an exceptionally brave soldier, and incidently a thoroughly convinced Christian, whose religious views led him to support the establishment of an Israelite state in the 1930s. Theirs is an inspiring story of courage and of victory against the odds -- but I must say at various points today I found myself wondering what Wingate would have made of the service, and the preparations for it.

For one thing, it was necessary to close the Cathedral to the general public all day today. This always grieves me. It seems to me that an open door is a fundamental statement about the nature of the Christians gospel -- Jesus extended a welcome to all. But from dawn this morning, the Cathedral (and indeed the Close) has been accessible to the privileged few.

It's good to know that our royal family are so effectively protected. There's no doubt at all that the police offer thorough service. Every drain cover was lifted, every bin emptied, every parked car inspected, every visitor challenged. But I'm sure I wasn't the only person left asking how much the overwhelming police presence must cost, and I was startled to think of operations on this scale happening not just daily, but -- assuming each member of the royal family receives something like the same service wherever they go -- several times a day.

Then there was the service itself. I'm quite a patriot really. I sing the national anthem with gusto. I'm profoundly grateful to be living in an era of peace, and I'm easily moved to think of the sacrifices made for the cause of freedom and liberty by previous generations. I'm also a bit of a sucker for ceremonial and pageantry. So I quite enjoyed part of the afternoon today. I'd not met Prince Charles before and was glad to see him in the flesh.

But I have to admit to being a tiny bit disappointed by the address. I'm sure Viscount Slim is a good and sincere man. But he managed to get through an entire address from the pulpit in our Cathedral, without every refering to God or Jesus -- and from the litte I know about the founder of the Chindits, my impression is that would have frustrated Orde Wingate every bit as much as it frustrated me.

If we are going to hold these services in our Cathedrals, it is vital that we do so in a robustly Christian context. We must at least address the question, it seems to me, what is the God's eye view of the events we are commemorating? How does the history we are celebrating relate to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?