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Good morning. When fifty-five years ago today Berlin was split in two by a Wall dividing the East from the West, it quickly became a powerful political symbol, turning the Iron Curtain into a concrete reality. The Berlin Wall had many victims, shot down while attempting to cross to the other side. There were also amazing stories of the ingenious methods used by those who succeeded in escaping. Then suddenly in 1989, almost miraculously, the Wall was breached. The state and system which had created this barrier was no longer able to sustain it. Ordinary people danced in triumph on top of the Wall, and concrete chunks from it were sold as souvenirs. The dramatic change created both challenges and opportunities for the German people.

Walls can sometimes be a source of division or contention. Yet they may also become a necessary means of protection - something to keep us safe. Not every wall is a Berlin Wall, indeed, as the old saying reminds us, there are some occasions when ‘good fences make good neighbours’. Discerning which barriers should be broken down and which maintained, and how we should respond to the new situations and realities that will inevitably emerge, requires both courage and wisdom. At the heart of such decisions should lie concern for our fellow human beings, each of them infinitely valuable in the eyes of God.

Heavenly Father, in an uncertain world where some walls divide and others protect, guide us as we seek to discover which ones need tearing down and which need shoring up. Help us to love and respect our neighbours, and by doing so to work towards the healing of your wounded world. Amen.