The talk for the Christmas Service at Douglas Academy:
During the Second World War much of British intelligence work was centered on a place called Bletchley Park. One of the most important people there was a man called Alan Turing. He was among the foremost Mathematicians of his day and an expert code-breaker. He eventually developed a machine that was a forerunner of present day computers that was able to decode messages coming out of Germany. Many people believe that this shortened the war and saved millions of lives.
A film has been made of Alan Turing’s work called ‘The Imitation Game.’ It doesn’t hold back on the man. Despite his genius he wasn’t the easiest person to get on with. He found personal relationships difficult and very often came over as rude, abrasive and offensive. His personal appearance didn’t inspire confidence. I actually knew a person who worked at Bletchley Park and she told me that it wasn’t uncommon for Alan Turing to come to work in his pyjamas. But beneath all of this was this powerful brain that was able to achieve great things for the benefit others. There’s a line that is repeated throughout the film: ‘Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.’
That made me think of a number of people I have known but in particular a lad who was in my class at school. He wasn’t an Alan Turing but I think it is fair to say no one imagined much of him. He had a serious weight problem, he found it impossible to participate in any sports, and academically he was never among the high-fliers. He left school early without many qualifications and I lost touch with him. But Facebook can be a wonderful thing and not long ago we made contact again. And he had a great story to tell. After school he went from one job to another until he found work in a Care Home. That made him think about nursing as a career, so he improved his qualifications, and now he is a Lecturer in an English University. Not only that he has had stints in universities throughout the world sharing his wisdom and experience. ‘Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.’
That truth lies at the heart of Christmas. The Magi came to Jerusalem to find a king. Instead they found a displaced family living in humble circumstances in Bethlehem. A family which was so poor that the mother had to wrap her baby in rags when he was born and use an animal’s feeding trough for a cradle. But this wasn’t the whole story. ‘Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.’ This was the Son of God who would grow to be the most important person in human history. The hymn says ‘Lo! within a manger lies/He who built the starry skies.’
Alan Turing saved lives. My old school pal has had a big impact on the lives of others. But this baby has opened up a better way for us to live in this life and given us hope for the life to come.
