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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.

 

Peace be with you

Jesus twice says ‘peace be with you’ (John 20:21 & 26). How does this feel in today’s world?

 

Context

Two news stories stand out as I write mid week. First is the news that news that human beings have now travelled further from earth than ever before and observed the far side of the moon in some detail. By Sunday they should have returned to earth. Second, was the threat to bomb Iran into the Stone Ages, a threat which was real as I started writing but which seems to have been overtaken by a ceasefire agreement for two weeks. Perhaps war crimes were threatened but not committed.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

How do we respond to the resurrection stories in a world riven by conflict? And where the most powerful nation on earth seems to be led by a bully acting rather like a boy in a school playground?

Surely Jesus’ words of peace to his disciples are as much spoken into our contemporary situation as they were spoken in the locked room to the ten disciples and to Thomas. Certainly Pope Leo thinks so despite the attacks on him from what we might call the ‘war party’ in the USA.

Did Trump’s threats amount to war crimes? The Guardian reported on 7 April that ‘Donald Trump said he was “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran did not meet his deadline . . to reopen the Strait of Hormuz’. There is good reason to think that even what has already happened in Iran does not meet the classic test for a just war.

And what about the story of Jesus’ exchange with Thomas? Especially in a world full of fake news? Was it unreasonable for Thomas to want to see for himself? As someone who is a firm believer in the scientific method, I find myself sympathising with Thomas’ wish for proof. Without lots of scientific evidence it would be impossible to reach for the moon, let alone Mars. Are human beings being unreasonable in wanting evidence about the far side of the moon?

And then there is the fact that these stories of Jesus’ appearances to the disciples in a locked room are quite unusual amongst the resurrection stories because it seems that the disciples recognised Jesus straight away. That is not true of the meeting by the lakeside (John 21:4) or of Mary in the garden (John 20:14) or of the couple on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:16). Even in Matthew’s ascension story, some doubted (Matthew 28:17). Uncertainty and doubt seem to be common in these stories. So, can we reasonably criticise Thomas, or for that matter ourselves, for doubt and uncertainty, especially since in this generation we have not experienced actual resurrection appearances?

 

Questions for discussion

• Do you sympathise with Thomas? Do you experience doubt and uncertainty? And, if so, about what issues?
• How do we respond to the conflict in the Middle East? Or the conflicts in Myanmar, Sudan and Ukraine which the story about the Middle East has largely driven from the news?
• What do you make of the Artemis space programme? Is it money well spent?

 

Dudley Coates is a local preacher in the Salisbury Methodist Circuit and a former Vice President of the Methodist Conference.

 

 

Check-in

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

This week's theme: Knowing together can be a difficult theme for anyone who experiences doubt, especially young people who may believe that they are the only ones who don’t ‘know’. These feelings may be exacerbated for those who are living with challenges, or who struggle with the negative content of the news. For some these two will collide, as they worry about cost of living increases due to the Iran war. How do we encourage them that doubt and hope can co-exist, and there is nothing wrong with them or the quality of their faith?

One way is to talk about doubt, to normalise it as a part of faith and knowing. Many famous religious figures have wrestled with doubt, including Pope Francis and Mother Teresa.

Another way is to look around. The world is such an amazing place and can help young people to remain connected to their faith. You could take a walk outside and look at the blossom and leaves as they start to unfurl. Alternatively, have a look at the picture gallery from Artemis II. It is difficult to doubt in the face of such awe-inspiring pictures of God’s creation.

 

Victoria Etherington is University and Young Adult Chaplain in the York Methodist Circuit.

 

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