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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
Think! But set truth free!
Summary
Confrontational ‘wrangling’ (2 Tim 2:14) hurts but don’t hide behind bland words!
Context
A Manchester synagogue was murderously attacked last Thursday. In Peacehaven in Sussex, a mosque was set on fire two days later. Rallies have taken place in London and elsewhere:
- on Sunday commemorating the Manchester tragedy and the second anniversary of the attack on Israel;
- and on the previous day opposing the banning of Palestine Action.
Reflection
The message now seems to be, ’Don’t engage, by word or gesture!’ But by engagement we learn and move forward. I am grateful for a conversation I had as a teenager at the end of the controversial Six Days War. Cautiously, I asked my good Jewish friend how she felt. "My family are horrified. We are not Zionists." she replied. I understood. The trouble is this degree of two-way communication doesn’t transfer easily to wider exchanges.
Whilst typing the ‘Context’ paragraph above, I found myself picking my words extremely carefully. Was this ‘terrorism’ or just ‘violence’? Was that an ‘atrocity’ or merely an ‘attack’? I opted for blander terms than I might have chosen if talking to my friend. But on a local chat group was a message of sympathy and support for all affected by the Peacehaven mosque fire. It was scorned by some as ‘woke virtue-signalling’. What followed was hurtful:
- comments dismissive of honest concern;
- hostility towards Jewish and Muslim neighbours indifferently - none of it designed to build up.
Should we then, because of the risk of ruffling feathers, approach potentially controversial topics only with close friends, or within circles where concurrence is a given?
But 2 Tim 2:15 talks of ‘rightly explaining the word of truth’. To do this we need not only to think about what we are saying, where and to whom but also, sometimes, find the courage to reveal an opinion. I remember the picture shared by the local Imam in other troubled times for use in our agreed RE syllabus. Chosen to address the distrust between Islam and Judaism, it showed a group of Muslim clerics praying before the Auschwitz memorial captioned, ‘Such suffering must be lifted into the divine presence.’ Not controversial words, but well-chosen, and brave. Sometimes we need to address the ‘elephant in the room’.
Many accounts of the ‘rallies’ or ‘hate-marches’, the ‘attacks’ or ‘atrocities’, whilst recounting peaceable words dismissed as ‘virtue signalling’, also record demands for words to be replaced by actions. As negotiations begin on Trump’s latest peace proposals for Gaza many commentators point to their vagueness. Thus Trump avoids the opprobrium heaped on devoutly Christian David Lammy for just proposing the early recognition of a Palestinian state. If people are to be released into the freedom only justice and peace can offer, people of goodwill, whether they be national leaders or Joe on the neighbourhood chat, will have to find the right forums where entrenched and hostile views can be admitted and exchanged respectfully. Marches, despite the free speech question, are perhaps not the answer.
Sermon ideas
- Different denominations have different ideas as to how much conformity among members or communicants is desirable or necessary. But, to ‘unchain truth’, achieving some sort of consensus is usually desirable. What is the right approach from church leaders to dissentient voices? At what point does appropriate exploration and discussion descend into deplorable, ‘wrangling’?
- Given that social media plays such a large part in deepening divisions and whipping up vociferous dissent, should Christians be urged to keep clear of it? Can social media channels do good if properly used e.g. by setting people free to express themselves?
Questions for discussion groups etc
- Discuss ideas for events or activities to promote community cohesion/improve inter-faith understanding in your neighbourhood.
- Are you a marcher? A rally-goer? What sort of causes do you feel deserve support? Or not? Do you feel marches and rallies achieve good outcomes?
Brenda Vance is a URC Elder and retired university teacher living in Sussex.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
Let’s set the scene: the crowds are roaring, the stadium is full and all eyes are on you. Your team may be winning, but this is football - anything can happen. One more goal would ease the pressure of an opposition comeback. Then, in extra time, you find an opening, you pass to your team mate, they pass back, an opening happens and boom, the ball goes into the back of the net! It’s thrilling and even louder than before - yet you take this moment in front of thousands of people to drop to your knee and give that goal to God.
On the same day, in another country, another footballer scores a meaningful goal, creating a much needed equaliser for his team. Yes, he praises God on the pitch, but this time he takes it a step further by posting about it on social media.
This is what happened with Bukayo Saka for Arsenal and Senny Mayulu for PSG. These simple yet powerful actions, unshackle God’s words and place them in people’s minds. In a moment of glory observers can see how the real glory lies with God.
Although simple, these actions can be hard to do. So what can we do to help strengthen us and inspire us to take simple steps? If you like football, maybe follow Christian footballers, or channels such as Footballers for Christ to stop yourself from becoming shackled by fear.
Lindsay Wright is a freelance writer and designer from Lancashire www.startswithabrew.co.uk
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