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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
Giving thanks for generosity
An extravagant response brings love to the struggle with injustice (John 12.1-8)
Context
Russia promises withdrawal in Ukraine peace talks; but others are sceptical and are yet to see the signs on the ground. In neighbouring countries like Poland, citizens show generous support for those fleeing the violence, but can it last?
How do we respond to conflict? Will Smith’s violent reaction to an ableist joke about his wife is the talk of the Oscars, while a positive blow to ableism is seen in the inspiration the Oscar-winning film Coda has for deaf students.
Generosity is needed at home as food banks report unprecedented demand, and we face cost of living rises, food and fuel poverty.
Even in tragedy and loss we can be thankful; the Queen gives thanks for the life of Prince Philip, her lifetime consort, in a memorial service in Westminster Abbey.
Reflection and ideas for a sermon, talk or conversation
In my work with abuse survivors, I’m often incensed at the lack of justice that victims face and the uncompassionate responses of institutions. It pushes me to shout about injustice and fight to challenge abuse, discrimination and oppression.
We might feel the same about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or the suffering caused by fuel and food poverty here in UK. Will Smith felt the same about the ableist joke directed at his wife. But how do we challenge injustice and suffering without causing harm ourselves? I explored this in relation to my own abuse in a poem ‘Peace doesn’t come at any price’ and wondered:
‘What if I am so obsessed with being right that I am losing sight of my destination?
Perhaps my destiny is not to vanish or to vanquish
but to be a manifestation of the peace I long to see.’
One way to manifest peace without abandoning justice is to practise generosity and thankfulness. I’m inspired by survivors who give their time to work with institutions like the church for change, and thankful for allies that stand with us. Moving from anger at abuse and violence to the difficult work of dismantling unjust systems - working with those who caused the hurt - is an act of extravagant love.
How do we meet injustice with love rather than anger or violence? The positive message and impact of a film like Coda achieves more for deaf and other disabled people than Will Smith’s impulsive reaction. Mary’s outpouring of love for Jesus provides a model here. In the injustices we may be facing, can we find a generous and loving response? Even when – as we see with the Ukraine war – this is in the most difficult of circumstances and there is no quick fix? Our generosity will need to be sustained, after the initial crisis has passed and there are difficult consequences to deal with.
It can be easy to lose hope in hard times. Finding ways to be thankful can help us to hold on to hope. We can be:
- Like the Queen - thankful for the life of someone we’ve lost;
- thankful for the generosity of the people who keep food banks going during rising poverty;
- thankful for peacekeepers and people opening their homes to refugees;
- thankful for positive opportunities that create inclusion.
This is not to deny the injustice or pretend false positivity. In the midst of it all, can we “always look on the bright side of life”?
Questions for discussion
In our own struggles, and our concern for the world, where can we find people or moments to be thankful for?
Is there a situation of need facing us right now where we can respond with generosity?
When have we reacted angrily to someone? How could we have responded with love, even where we feel our anger was justified?
Jane Chevous is an activist, writer and sailor, and leader of Survivors Voices. She researches and writes about abuse, theology, mental health and the sea.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
This week saw the 94th Academy Awards (the Oscars) take place in a glittering ceremony, which became embroiled in controversy as Will Smith slapped the comedian Chris Rock live on stage. The comedian, Rock, was presenting an award when he made a joke about Smith’s wife – Jada Pinkett Smith - who suffers from hair loss due to alopecia. This was not the first time Rock had used Jada Pinkett Smith as comedy material (he made remarks on her publicly in 2016), and her husband Will left his seat to slap Rock in the face before using some choice language to insist that Rock refrain from mentioning his wife again.
Later in the ceremony, Smith took the award for best actor for his performance in King Richard, a film exploring the life of the father of Venus and Serena Williams. In his acceptance speech, a tearful Smith apologised for his actions but remarked that Richard Williams had also been a “fierce defender of his family”.
In this week’s passage, we see Jesus defending Mary from the comments of others, as she anoints his feet with costly perfume, albeit in a markedly less violent way. I wonder how it felt to be Mary, hearing Jesus defend her actions. I wonder how it felt to be Jada watching Will defend her honour…
There are many nuances to both events. Each centres around a group of people who each have their own stories, triggers, agendas, humanity.
- Is it ever right to respond with violence in any given situation?
- Is it ever right to use someone’s appearance/illness for a cheap laugh?
- Is it ok to be seemingly wasteful with something that could have done so much good for those in poverty?
- Is it okay to do whatever feels right to defend another?
- Is it ever right to cancel someone on the basis of one action?
- Is it possible to sort through a situation and rewrite it in the perfect way?
In a society increasingly devoid of grey areas – where you are either right or wrong – how can we learn to see situations through the lens of grace and mercy and understanding?
Jenny Cheung is a choir nut and missional pioneer. She lives in Glasgow with her family of teenage children.
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