The following sermon was delivered by Rev Joel Edwards at a church service attended by Prime Minister Tony Blair. The servcie, at St Peter's Church, Brighton, was organised by the Christian Socialist Movement to mark the beginning of this year's Labour Party Conference. I am no admirer of chat show morality. But I do appreciate those Oprah Winfrey moments. Those moments where family members, separated by time, space or attitudes are reunited and the audience is caught up in the emotion of it all.
Human relationships can come apart for a whole host of reasons.
Today, our relationships face immense hurdles and challenges making the need for reconciliation all the more pressing. In fact, our society has a kind of Siamese condition. On one hand, we recognise that we are now part of the same global community, held together by technology, trade and even health. And in this setting, we talk of 'joined up' policies and actions. On the other hand, we all want to be individuals.