In touch	Check-in	Intercessions
In touch begins immediately below	Scroll down or click for Check-in	Subscribers only: see intercessions [INSERT LINK]

 

In touch

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

Post-Christmas planning

Christmas has happened, the build-up and event is over, what comes next? (Luke 2:22-40)

 

Context

The date of the next government budget has been announced fuelling discussion about when the prime minster will call the general election.

The conflict in Gaza continues with concerns about a lack of planning for what might happen next. and the images of conflict in Bethlehem this Christmas Day going around the World.

Storm Gerrit is due to make landfall in the UK this week prompting warnings of high winds and potential powercuts.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

Politicians love announcements. The announcement of a Spring budget has people guessing that we will have a general election in May as the tax cuts and spending promises made in March are fresh in people’s minds. As ever, the key question with any announcement is going to be, “what difference will this make in the long-term?” but this isn’t the question that politics deals with. Voters will ultimately have to make up their minds based both on how much they think this announcement will benefit them as well as how the previous years of government have worked out.

As Christians, we are called to pray, “your kingdom come” which means all promises and pronouncements can be weighed as to whether they fit with God’s kingdom or not. Simeon and Anna, had waited a long time to see Jesus - and knew that his kingdom was still far off. We are called to take that longer view looking to how God’s work can be furthered or hindered by the choices we make now.

We are all grieving for the conflict in Gaza - seeing fighting in the place where Jesus was born at the same time as we sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is deeply incongruous. Beyond the horror at the violence we have seen, there is concern that the current actions are making a lasting peace even harder to achieve. We know from other conflicts that anger and hurt at what the other side has done fuels revenge attacks & continues the circle of violence. The way forward is going to take forgiveness and courage from individuals on both sides of the conflict and will not be easily achieved.

Jesus’ birth is a moment we celebrate as key in our faith: God come down to Earth, taking on human form and living as we do. However, it is only the start of the work that Jesus is going to do. In front of Jesus is thirty years of growing, learning, ministering and suffering before his resurrection which we will celebrate at Easter.

We put so much effort into preparing for Christmas but it is only the beginning of the Christian calendar. We are not finished when the turkey leftovers are used up (or thrown away) but we are just starting the next stage of our journey with God. Are we planning for the long haul or are we out of energy and finished before we even start?

More storm warnings have just been issued. It seems these are occurring with increasing regularity - insert your own reflections on climate change here - but it raises the question of how prepared we are. In our house there is a drawer with flashlights & candles prepared after the last power-cut showed us to be ill-equipped for such events.

The weather tests our preparedness, and makes us look at aspects of our homes that we might not think about in sunnier seasons.

The storm of Christmas is past but there are no guarantees that 2024 will be free of disturbances. There is space now to reflect on what disturbed or upset us in the days or weeks (or year) just passed? What do we need to put in place so that we are better able to weather the storms that might strike in the coming year?

 

Questions for discussion

• What are your emotions when Christmas is over for the year?
• What would you do differently next year to help you appreciate Christmas more?
• What aspects of Christmas would you like to last into the coming year?
• What enabled Simeon and Anna to recognise Jesus when they saw him? What of that could you take on in your own life?

 

Steve Taylor is joint-vicar of St James Alperton CofE church near Wembley. He shares the job with his wife, Ali, and shares his house with their two children, two cats and numerous fish.

 

Check-in

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

On Christmas Day, I saw a news article with photos of Cardinals Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Konrad Krajewski making the traditional visit to the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, the site where Jesus was born.

What’s so special about this, you ask? After all, Cardinal Pizzaballa is the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and would be expected to make this visit. But it wasn’t his face who caught my eye – it was Cardinal Krajewski – because he lives in Rome and, at this sad time of violence and war in Gaza, people would be well advised to stay away for their safety.

But Cardinal Krajewski isn’t just any cardinal – he is the ‘Apostolic Almoner’ meaning the person who looks after charitable work for Pope Francis. Krajewski could have spent Christmas in the splendour of Rome, or with his family in Poland where he was born.

But, no, instead, he travelled to be with the people of Israel and Palestine who need our help and our prayers at the moment. But if he hadn’t been in Israel, chances are Krajewski wouldn’t have been in Rome either. This is because he has spent months personally driving lorries with aid supplies to the poor people of Ukraine.

Seeing Cardinal Krajewski in Bethlehem on Christmas Day 2023, cuts to the heart of what bit of Christmas will be walking with me into next year. Presents – gifts, food, and treats – these are all important things which help us celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But presence is just as important – whether this be spending time with our families or with other people who need our help. After all, when we are present in the world and with those who need us, we are doing what Christ would have done – being there for everyone, no matter what.

Christmas is not the end. There is much to come, with Jesus’ presentation at the Temple being the first step. The words of Simeon are beautiful and poetic, showing that with the birth of Christ, the new work of salvation begins. The angels and the shepherds have beheld Christ in the manger and given glory, because of what he is but also because of what is to come. The work to bring about the Kingdom of God starts now.

Take some time to think about what bits of Christmas will walk with you into next year? I hope that you remember with fondness your presents and Christmas food. But, I also pray that you will think about the most important thing – presence, and loving and treating people as we would expect to be loved and treated in our hour of need. This is why Christ came to earth, and we must follow his example.

Joe Allen is a recent graduate of the University of Exeter, holding a BA and MA in Theology at the University of Exeter. He works as a Pastoral Assistant in the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, alongside coordinating the work of a fundraising charity for a major church in central London.

Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by ROOTS for Churches Ltd.

The week in focus is also available via Twitter and facebook.

ROOTS publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.