In touch	Check-in	Intercessions
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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

No matter what

Jesus calls us to follow him whatever the consequences (Matthew 16:21-28).

Context

• UK air traffic collapse branded an 'international embarrassment'
• Ulez expanded to include whole of outer London
• Tributes paid to Nottinghamshire police officer who died trying to save man’s life

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

• The scenes this week of families sleeping on airport floors and trying to find ways to begin their holiday or to make it home as a result of the Air Traffic Control system breaking down have been a constant on the news. There are always stories among the people affected of weddings being missed or of health issues worsening due to an interruption in treatment. Everyone affected has done nothing wrong and is suffering due to a malfunction that no-one saw coming. There is anger and there is the regular pointing of fingers as to who is responsible for these problems. When something goes wrong that affects so many people, the anger is understandable but possibly indicates something in our collective approach to life. In the West, many people are comfortable in terms of having a home to live in and food to eat. We see suffering as avoidable so long as we have worked hard and prepared well. Jesus offers a very different vision of the future: He warns the disciples that following him means sacrifice, pain and difficulty. As we are planning our own futures and making decisions about what we will do it is important to ask where our focus lies. Are we focussed on following Jesus first and foremost, whatever this might lead to? Or are we focussed on our own comfort and safety, looking to ensure that tomorrow looks as much like today as possible? Jesus’ words to his disciples suggest that the two are not compatible.
• In the recent by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip (following Boris Johnson’s resignation), the London Ultra-Low-Emission-Zone (ULEZ) was held up as a major reason why the Conservative party held on to the seat. It has led to a change in tone from our politicians in discussing ‘green’ policies. They seem to have sensed that, while people are in favour of caring for the environment in general, there is little appetite for any big, personal sacrifices for themselves. Notwithstanding the role of large companies in reducing carbon-use and pollution, the call from Jesus to a sacrificial life must apply here. As Christians, we should be leading the call to carefully steward the world God has entrusted to us and modelling the kinds of personal sacrifice that will encourage others to take the actions we all need to commit to if the future of the planet is to be a positive one.
• ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (John 15:13). The occasion of a police officer tragically losing his life as he looked to save a person in danger causes us to admire that person’s commitment to their vocation and to pray for their grieving family. It is also an occasion to reflect on our own faith journey. Sgt Graham Saville was committed to helping people and risked his own life to that cause. We can only speculate as to the split-second choices he was making at the time. The value he placed on other people’s life and his decision to put others first is shown by how he placed himself in harm’s way. Our faith will similarly be shown for what it is by the choices we make in split-seconds of pressure. Are we committed to following Jesus no matter what? Peter was clearly set back by the future Jesus was laying out for the disciples, but Jesus brooks no argument. It might be frightening to contemplate a future of difficulty and persecution but there is a reassurance that, if we are following Jesus, then our life with him is assured for eternity and there is peace in knowing we are following him.

 

Questions for discussion

• Where does your faith lead you to feel like you are ‘taking up your cross’?
• Have you ever felt you were making a choice between following Jesus and staying ‘safe’?
• How would you ‘sell’ following Jesus to someone else? What are the benefits? What are the risks?

 

Steve Taylor is joint-vicar of St James Alperton with his wife, Ali. They live with two children, two cats and a dwindling number of fish.

 

Check-in

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

School starts this week (sorry). Hopefully everyone used the summer to take a break, relax and recharge ahead of the new term. You might have seen some people who had a holiday abroad then got stuck there when the Air Traffic control systems crashed. People got really angry. This was their break, they had paid for the chance to relax somewhere hot and now they were suffering because of someone else’s mistake.

How would you react? What would a ‘Christian’ reaction to being in this situation look like? In today’s readings Jesus tells his disciples that their future is going to involve sacrifice and suffering and Peter jumps in to say “This can’t be right”. Jesus doesn’t change what he says - and calls Peter out for not seeing things God’s way.

We talk a lot about the upsides of our faith: the peace, joy, forgiveness; the assurance that we are loved no matter what. We don’t talk so much about picking up our crosses. We don’t talk about Jesus’ expectation that life will be difficult for us if we follow him. Are we up for that? Or would you side with Peter and say “That’s not what we thought this was about”? What might picking up your cross and following Jesus look like this week?

Steve Taylor is joint-vicar of St James Alperton with his wife, Ali. They live with two children, two cats and a dwindling number of fish.

 

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