[A ‘Tuesday Challenge’ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during November 2024]
The 5th of November is one of those dates which seem to have a more than average frequency in a catalogue of world events. Even if we ignore the current headline-grabbing squabble amongst some dissident former colonialists,[1] events occurring on the 5th November have had a disproportionate effect on history.
Whilst on the topic of US elections, it has become customary for US citizens to go to the polls on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November; this year that day falls on 5th November. In most years the elections are for local or federal positions but in leap-years a presidential vote takes place. Amongst the presidents previously elected into office on 5th November are Bill Clinton (1996), Richard Nixon (1968) and Franklin D Roosevelt (1940), the latter for an unprecedented third term in office.
The 5th November is also World Tsunami Awareness Day. Many of us will recall the horrific scenes from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed nearly 300,000 people. Even this year we have see the effects of raging water with images of floods in many areas. But this is not new:
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:27 [NKJV]
In 1854 a tsunami struck Japan. An alert farmer saved many lives by setting fire to his crops as a warning for villagers to flee the impending disaster. He lost his entire year’s production but secured a place in history.
Talking of blazing fires we are reminded of our own history on this date. In 1605 Catholic conspirators including Guy Fawkes were caught in an attempt to eliminate the protestant king, James I of England. The king declared that the day should become a national holiday, celebrated by bonfires and general merriment. Later in his reign this King James sponsored the Authorised Version of the Bible, the precursor to the Bibles that we use today.
In 1688 another reversal of religious focus took place when the staunch protestant William of Orange deposed the unpopular James II who was considered to be too sympathetic to the Catholic Church. This effectively terminated the succession of Catholic monarchs to the English throne.
Finally, just in case all this history is too much to stomach, the 5th November is also National Doughnut Day in certain of the north east USA, an event that dates back to the 1930s and is believed to be an attempt by one baker to drum up sales of his pastries.
So what is the relevance of all this history to us today? These are examples of how one person can have an impact on society and influence the affairs of nations, for good or for bad. As we wait to see who the next ‘influencer’ will be we recall the man who has had the greatest influence on the whole of world history – the man Jesus Christ.
Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own lifeblood, for Thy diadem;
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Saviour, we are Thine!
Frances R. Havergal (1877)
References:
[1] The outcome of the 2024 US presidential election was not known at time of writing
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys