Mike Hellawell

Our Lady of Victories Church writes

I know we live in a celebrity society but I must admit I was a bit surprised the other morning listening to a local radio station.

The announcer asked people to phone in if they had actually touched someone famous. Then the same week there was an article in an evening paper where the writer told of all the famous people she had met over the last 20 years or so.

How times have changed. I remember in 1964 the England football team was training for a few days at Hendon. Sir Alf Ramsey the manager who two years later would lift the World Cup, was taking training on the Tuesday afternoon.

After a gentle work out he called all the players together and said: “We’ll go to the pictures tonight lads, there’s a good film at the Hendon Odeon, This Sporting Life, starring Richard Harris. About 20 of us, mostly full English internationals trooped into a full cinema that night to reserved seats.

No one batted an eyelid, I don’t think anyone even asked for autographs. It’s hard to believe as Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and Gordon Banks were just three of the big names at the film.

Anyway, you may say what has all this got to do with a Christian Viewpoint in the Keighley News, in March 2011.

Well about 2,000 years ago to Christians the biggest “celebrity” who ever lived walked the Earth.

One day a woman who had been ill for years heard that Jesus was in the district. She made her way to where all the crowds were gathered. She managed to touch the hem of his garment and an amazing thing happened, she was immediately healed of her illness. In the present time Jesus is still touching people’s lives.

Today’s celebrities will come and go, but “the celebrity” will always be there.