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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
That missed penalty…
Think about the significance of second chances in this week’s gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9)
Context
The play ‘Dear England’ has had an update. It’s the story of ex-England manager Gareth Southgate and it first hit the stage in 2023.
The real-life Gareth and his leadership of the England team inspired the playwright James Graham to pen a work that looked at the way Southgate took the once despondent and fairly unsuccessful England team to a group of players working together, loyal to their leader and, crucially, winning games. The intrigue was that the mild-mannered Gareth didn’t behave like famous successful club managers of the past – for example Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho – but embodied a high empathy model. He took advice from different sports, talked about responsibility, kindness and unity and shifted the culture in the team that, whilst not quite lifting silverware, took them closer to the top than they had been since the infamous 1966 World Cup.
The new play out this week adds the update of the 2024 Euros to the story and the way Southgate led the team through the campaign. But perhaps more significantly, the play looks at the way Gareth is formed and how his ideals are shaped. And of course, the striking feature is that much of his learning, motivation and passion for the work rest on his moment of public failure - the missed penalty in 1996.
The miss was seismic. It could have been the end. But Gareth was given, and took, a second chance. He replanted his failure, allowed it to grow in new soil and it bore rich fruit.
Today Gareth Southgate is no longer the England manager, but he continues to grow and influence others. He has just delivered the Richard Dimbleby lecture looking at the toxic culture young boys can inhabit when they are free from good role models - a conversation that is important and necessary.
For the writer of Luke 13:8-9, Gareth Southgate is a living example of the power of a second chance.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- Have you ever been offered a second chance? - perhaps in a friendship/relationship, job or piece of work. Think about the consequences of the second chance and the feelings it prompted. Can you be the agent of a second chance for someone else? - for a friend, colleague or neighbour?
- Use the words from Isaiah 55:1-9 as a prayer. Invite people to thank God for giving us the chance to come to him and receive his forgiveness and love over and over again. Thank God for not just one second chance, but a lifetime of chances to turn to him and receive all he has for us.
- Hand out small (A6) pieces of paper and coloured pens. Invite people to draw a large number 2 on the paper and decorate it. On the back of the paper, ask everyone to write their name. We all have a second chance through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Play the Rend Collective song ‘Second Chance’ and Invite people to bring their decorated sheets to the front and form them into a large cross shape on the floor.
Questions for discussion
- Do you feel like God has given you a second chance?
- How does God’s second chance shape your day-to-day life?
Fiona is a freelance leadership consultant and mediator.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
On Sunday the British Tennis No.1 Jack Draper secured a stunning victory in the Indian Wells Masters Championship, demonstrating extraordinary skill and consistency for a player aged only 23. This triumph propels him into the world’s top ten, and is much cause for celebration after being plagued with injuries in recent years. Just 8 weeks ago Jack had to withdraw from the 4th round of the Australian Open due to severe hip pain. Clearly it’s a sport he loves, but the cost of competing at this level is high. In a recent interview he described times of isolation as a teenager, travelling away from home and family for long stretches, and he considered quitting.
Jesus told a parable about a fig tree which was failing to fruit, and how the gardener persuaded the land owner to give him more time to feed and nurture the plant to fruitfulness. God’s desire is for us to live fruitful, good lives; yet God is also patient with us. We can look at the role of the Gardener (Jesus) who shows perseverance, and tender care, nourishing the tree. Tennis players have to nourish themselves and persevere to achieve results - eating healthy food consistently, staying hydrated, undergoing gruelling physical training, and sometimes psychological help to cope with anxiety and stress.
As followers of Jesus, in order to live well, we too have to show grit and make tough choices. But our fruitfulness comes from a close connection to Christ, who nourishes us and brings about good works in us. We receive a gift of the Holy Spirit to bear fruit including joy, peace, goodness and self-control.
Jack has a 2-word tattoo ‘Somebody said’ from a poem by Edgar Albert Guest –
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
When we lean in to Christ and depend on his Holy Spirit, we can live remarkable lives. We can live beyond what we might imagine, with love, justice and forgiveness. Jesus said that he came that we may have life and have it abundantly.
Question
What are you dreaming of? Invite Jesus into your plans and preparations.
Dr Angela Mak is a Licensed Lay Minister in Holy Trinity Shaw Church in West Swindon. She is also a schools worker, and retired biology teacher.
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