蜜芽传媒

Good Morning

In what seemed an act of self-effacement on the part of Radio 4 last Wednesday Justin Webb told listeners affected by the stormy weather to tune into their local radio stations!

Well, here I am in the studios of 蜜芽传媒 Radio York. But only just! Because last week they had to abandon this building as the floods took out the lines of communication. They carried on broadcasting from a borrowed studio as listeners tuned in for news of all the heroic stuff being done to make good a bad situation.

Around the country local radio stations have come into their own.

Over twenty years on Merseyside and in Yorkshire I鈥檝e seen the power of local radio and regional television to connect with people differently from the national media.

What happens to us, most of the time, happens in a local place. It may on occasion find its way into the nation鈥檚 headlines but the impact is primarily local. Something that may merit two or three minutes on a major channel can be explored at length on a local station.

As politicians rediscover the power of localism with elected Police Commissioners and Mayors not to mention the Northern Powerhouse it鈥檚 the local media that can provide the forum for debate and accountability.

Yet it鈥檚 quite natural to think that the national鈥檚 more important. That鈥檚 where the power lies. It鈥檚 mirrored in the direction of travel of some people鈥檚 careers. They start local and end up in a national job. That鈥檚 the trajectory of power.

And it鈥檚 why the trajectory of Christ鈥檚 life is so moving. For it went in the opposite direction 鈥� from the cosmic to the local.

It was said of him 鈥榟e didn鈥檛 count equality with God a thing to be grasped鈥�. In a different and dramatic act of self-effacement he went from the stellar to the stable. Bethlehem and Nazareth - where he was born and lived. All local events. True, as we complete the twelve days of Christmas, they eventually assumed international significance.

But by coming to a specific place he showed that it was in the local battle to do good that God was to be found. In a riposte to those who had difficulty in seeing where exactly God was at work in a troubled world he said, 鈥淭he Kingdom of God is among you鈥�.

It鈥檚 as if he was sanctifying what was local and sending a note to those with power, 鈥榙on鈥檛 ever be blind to what is happening on the ground鈥�.

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