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Good morning. The anniversary today of one event in the Falkland鈥檚 War has particular resonance for Wales where I live and work. Two troop ships were bombed in Bluff Cove, and on the Sir Galahad was a regiment of the Welsh Guards. Many died, and many of the survivors were very badly burned.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

聽Among those pulled out alive was a young soldier who would go on to speak of how that day redefined his whole life. His name is, of course, Simon Weston. He recovered from terrible injuries to dedicate himself to charitable work, for which he was eventually awarded the Order of the British Empire.

聽Life-changing events come in all sorts of guises; for Simon, it began with tragedy and trauma. For others, it can be unexpected good fortune that makes the difference. Finding ourselves in a situation not of our own making holds the possibility of seeing life in a whole new light.

聽One of those profound shifts is contained in writings of the Old Testament which reflect on the experience of national disaster. Israel was conquered by Babylon, and many of its people carried off into exile there, but their prophets and teachers came to a new understanding: God hadn鈥檛 abandoned them; he was alongside them in their sufferings.

And so that exiled people found a depth of courage in themselves that they could share with others, and a way to trust in the transforming power of God even in the harshest of circumstances.聽 They could sing the words of the Psalm: 鈥業f I say. 鈥淪urely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night鈥�, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day鈥�.

God of all consolation: lead us from sorrow to joy, from despair to hope. Fill our dark times with the light of your presence that we may follow where you lead, for our future is in your hands, now and in the world to come.

Amen.