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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

 

Prophets, Presidents and Prime Ministers

Who will God raise up as prophetic leaders in our generation? (Deuteronomy 18.15-20)

 

Context

• Ron DeSantis drops out of the American Presidential Race and Donald Trump wins another presidential primary.
• The Prime Minister of India inaugurates a new Hindu temple on the site of a former mosque.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

• 2024 will be a year of many elections. We do not yet know exactly when the elections to the UK parliament will take place but already the parties are lined up and their leaders are in competition as to who will be the most statesmanlike.
• In the USA, although primaries will still take place with the withdrawal of Ron DeSantis and Trump’s victory in New Hampshire, it looks almost certain that the contest will be between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Although Mr DeSantis had presented himself as the Republican candidate who could deliver Mr Trump's populist agenda without the drama or baggage, he now says that the Party has made clear that they want Mr Trump.
• In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of using the inauguration of a Hindu temple in Ayodhya for political gains. Critics have also accused the government of going overboard with what is essentially a religious celebration in a country which – according to its constitution – is secular.
• The Israelites were not a democracy. Moses was their leader and he promised them a prophet who would speak the words of God to them. They are to listen to the prophet whom God sends. In a way they are in a similar position to the electors of 2025 who are asking to whom they should listen. Discerning God’s will requires wisdom and American, Indian and British voters need the same wisdom as the Israelites in discerning whether a prophet was or is of God. It is not always easy; it is not always obvious. Some prophets proclaim religion; some do not. Some are overwhelmingly popular; others are not. Just as God spoke through Moses and his successors, he will speak today and we have a responsibility to seek to discern through whom he is speaking.

 

Questions for discussion

• Which people is God speaking through today?
• How can we discern what is of God?
• When we pray for wisdom how do we know when our prayer is answered?

Revd Stuart Wild is Superintendent Minister of the Blackpool and South Fylde Methodist Circuit.

 

 

Check-in

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

This week sees the finale of the popular reality TV show ‘The Traitors’. Similar to games such as Werewolf, Mafia or wink murder, a small (but unknown) number of contestants is chosen to be ‘the traitors’ and each night, they secretly remove a player from the game.  The following day, all the contestants gather round a table and vote to banish the player they believe is a traitor from the game. Their aim is to remove all the traitors before the final. In order to survive, the traitors must lie and deceive, convincing other players that they can be trusted. What signs would you look for to help decide whether or not something is truthful?

In Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Moses is preparing his people for the leader that will follow them. He urges them to pay attention to what God says through that leader, but to be careful not to listen to people who falsely claim they are speaking for God. Like ‘The Traitors’ contestants weighing up whether someone is speaking truthfully, we must think about what we are told and consider whether it really comes from God. How can we tell what comes from God? How do we judge when something rings true?

As contestants in the game spend more time with each other and get to know one another better, it becomes easier to tell whether something sounds authentic to that person. Many of us will have experienced this – the more we spend time with someone, the more we understand their values and come to recognise their voice. What practices can help us spend time with God so that we learn to recognise God’s voice? In a world where we are faced with many different messages, recommendations, and influences, how can this help us decide who and what we should listen to?

Darren Philip is National Stewardship Consultant with the Church of Scotland where he writes resources for intergenerational ministry.

 

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