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In touch

Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues

Staying true

Jesus asks us to look at our hearts and to keep them pure so that our walk matches our talk Mark 7.6

 

Context

It is hard for us to put ourselves in the place of others - to see things as they see them and to understand the daily battles that sometimes make up their lives. Compassion and empathy spring from really beginning to walk with others and to see their pain as being our own. It is this kind of compassion that leads us to question the status quo and to challenge unjust structures wherever we see them. It’s this kind of compassion that can lead to real change in the world.

The Paralympics began on Tuesday amid much soul searching about its transformational impact. Does it really change the daily struggles that people with disabilities face in their daily lives? Scope urges us to turn cheers to change where our words about inclusion and opportunity turn us to action.

The situation at Kabul airport worsens almost daily as desperate people try to get out of Afghanistan before the evacuations end in 24 to 36 hours.  What must it be like to leave everything you have known and to run, not knowing where you will end up or what your life will be like. How can our words about the people of Afghanistan turn to practical welcome and support?

Much has been said about the reliability or otherwise of our international allies and our own staying power. How do countries know how to choose their support and what are the mixed motives many governments display?  This week, questions are asked about the reality of the relationship between the UK and the US and a change in direction for foreign policy.

How do our political views shape our behaviours and choices and how quickly should we call other people hypocrites?

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

Put up a map of Afghanistan and/or watch some footage of the scenes in the airport in Kabul. Pray in silence with biddings or aloud for:

• the needs of those with nothing except the clothes they are wearing;
• children in the crush of the desperate seeking escape;
• the future of families seeking new homes and security;
• all those who have left behind someone they love;
• the future of the country and for what lies ahead;
• people in danger who will be left behind.

You might like to light a candle for each group or situation that you pray for.

How easy or how challenging is it to show welcome - in our neighbourhoods and in our nation?  And how do we keep showing it? What can we do to welcome others and to help them feel at home? You might like to think about those who have a gift of hospitality in your church community and give thanks for them.

Jesus was often found enjoying hospitality usually with those who found disapproval in society. He owned nothing, lived simply and challenged those whose lives were based on material goods - those whose hearts were in the wrong place. As a child, he became a refugee before he was two years old when Mary and Jospeh, warned of the murderous intentions of Herod, fled for their lives with Jesus. He lived his early years in another country. Pray for all in our world who are in need of acceptance, belonging and welcome.

The actions of many of our leaders often do not match up to their rhetoric. Sometimes we notice but at other times we shrug and comment that this is what all politicians do. At the moment in Afghanistan, promises are being made by the Taliban concerning the role of women in society and the kind of governance they will employ. This is a matter of serious importance that could alter the rights that women currently enjoy. In a situation where the West has very little leverage over the decisions to be taken, the world is watching to see how far the words about inclusion will be supported by actions and choices.

At home, the consequences of a lack of integrity in the lives of politicians may not seem crucial; however, it damages the whole of society if we too readily accept that talk is never matched by the walk. How can we work together in society for more integrity in our politics so that words and actions match and the stated good intentions actually turn into reality?

In our own lives we often promise more than we can deliver. In a world where so many voices compete for our attention is it often hard to say true to our calling and true to the radical intentions of the gospel and of the kingdom of God. Sometimes what is asked simply feels too hard for us and we say words that are not then backed up in changed lives. There is a call to root ourselves more deeply in the word of God and to feed our intentions with openness to God’s empowering Spirit. You may want to provide opportunities for the congregation to explore ways of resetting their hearts so that what is intended is put into action and find a tactile way for people to offer to God the ways in which, by their actions, they can be the answer to the longings they express in prayer. You might like to include physical engagement with this idea, inviting the congregation to offer themselves and their promises for action to God either using open hands as a gesture or writing on hand shapes.

 

Questions for discussion

Can we ever have our motives?

Do you know anyone who is a shining example of a person who lives and acts with complete integrity?

How easy is it for us to be sidetracked by outward appearances rather than actions that come from the heart?

There are so many issues that we are called to face in our world. Sometimes it is hard not to get weary. How can we help and support one another and strengthen each other in good deeds that spring form the love of God that we have experienced?

 

Diane Craven is a freelance education and spirituality consultant based in the Diocese of York.

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

This week, the delayed 2020 Paralympic Games get underway in Tokyo. Like many events and organisations, the ethos of the event is set by a series of values: courage, determination, inspiration and equality. How do you feel about these values? Are there any you would change? Have you seen any examples this week of athletes demonstrating these values?

When the new Scottish Parliament was being opened in 1999, a ceremonial mace was created. On its head were meant to be five values that politicians should follow, but the designer found he could only make space to include four. These were wisdom, compassion, justice and integrity. What should the missing fifth value be? What helps people to live by these values?

In this week’s passage (Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23), Jesus challenges us to consider whether the way we live is consistent with the values we hold in our heart. If you had to write down a set of values that you hold in your heart, what would they be? What challenges have you faced in trying to live out these values? What helps you to keep them consistently?

Decide on one practical action you can take this week to demonstrate one of your core values.

Darren Philip is a Youth and Children’s Development Worker with the Church of Scotland, based in Livingston United Parish Church – www.lupc.org.uk.

 

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