In touch	Check-in	Intercessions
In touch begins immediately below	Scroll down or click for Check-in	Worship Together subscribers only: see intercessions

 

In touch

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

 

What was he thinking?

Amid the world’s noise (Matthew 21:9), we must listen for God’s still, small voice. 

 

Context

God knows the world is full of noise.

Some very loud noises have their proper place. The pounding of surf (100 decibels), the crash of a thunderstorm (120 dB), and the clicks of a sperm whale (230 dB, but fortunately underwater!) are part of the natural order. The fortissimo of an opera singer (110 dB), the thunder of a rock band (140 dB), the bangs of fireworks (150 dB), the blast of a rocket launch (200 dB), are expressions of human passion, solidarity and drive, and have their place in the modern world.

Few I hope would disagree, however, that some noises should have no place. These are associated with our continuing failure to love our neighbours as ourselves: angry mobs, bombs exploding, or the hammering of intruders on our doors. Here, it is not the decibels that matter, but the physical and psychological destruction of lives, limbs and livelihoods.

Warfare and conflict are at their highest levels since the end of World War 2, with 23 international wars, 67 armed conflicts and 9 military occupations directly affecting 831 million people, a further 110 million displaced from their homes and 305 million people requiring humanitarian aid. Alongside these are the innumerable fights and disputes that bedevil people’s lives in our institutions, social spaces and homes.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

The gospels sometimes tell us not only what Jesus said, but also what he thought (Matthew 9:36, 26:37; Mark 1:41, 3:5; Luke 10:21, 22:44; John 11:33). Whether he shared his thoughts, or whether the writers inferred them, they give us insights into his inner life, or how his disciples perceived it.

At other times Jesus remains a closed book; and today’s gospel reading describes such an occasion. We hear his instructions to his disciples before his ride (Matthew 21:1-3), and witness his actions afterwards (Matthew 21:12ff); but throughout that slow progress of a mile or more, the writer focuses exclusively on the crowd.

What was Jesus thinking?

Did he spend the whole ride chatting with the disciples, smiling and waving to the crowds, perhaps greeting people he knew, or blessing children as he passed?

Or did he sit quietly, acknowledging the surrounding people, but otherwise lost in solitary contemplation of what was to come, the process that would follow his return to the centre of hostile Jewish power? Was he listening to that still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12) who had inspired his life, and now asked him to surrender that life in the most barbaric way the Roman imagination could devise?

Previously, he had withdrawn from the crowds when he needed to pray and consider his course of action. Now there was no such escape. Now he was surrounded by excited people; but there was nothing exciting about where he was going.

How often have we found ourselves in the middle of a noisy crowd, a party or family gathering where everyone is either having a marvellous time or shouting and arguing, when we ourselves feel lost and lonely?

Perhaps, on Palm Sunday, Jesus was focusing on the voice of God while a sea of excited faces surged around him. Perhaps we, too, when all around us seems chaotic and insecure, should listen, and help others to listen, for the still, small voice reassuring us that, whatever happens, we are not alone.

 

Questions for discussion

• What noises make you excited, or fearful?
• Have you ever felt lonely in a crowd? What was it like? What did you do?
• Amid the world’s noise, where do you hear the still, small voice of God?
• How can we help others to hear the still, small voice of God?

Robert Beard is an NHS worker and Church of England priest.

 

 

Check-in

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

Royalty, a journey, an interesting mode of transport, and crowds cheering. No this wasn’t Jesus entering Jerusalem, but Greg James completing his mammoth Comic Relief challenge. Described as the ‘most gruelling and absurd challenge yet’ Radio 1 presenter Greg James cycled 1000kms from Weymouth to Edinburgh on a tandem bike, raising over a staggering £4million in the process.

Whilst riding through the countryside of South Yorkshire he was even joined on the bike by Prince William, quite a surreal experience! The crowds that had gathered to cheer Greg on couldn’t quite believe their eyes.

And maybe this is how the crowd who were cheering Jesus on felt. Could they believe what they were seeing? Royalty riding on a donkey! The thing both Jesus’ and Greg’s crowd have in common is that they stopped what they were doing to seek out this special moment, and a special person. From palm leaves to banners, people lifted up encouragement and cheered.

Would you stop what you’re doing to seek out Jesus? Would you gather with others outside of church to celebrate and praise him? Let us take a moment to pray into that with our young people today.

Lindsay Wright is a freelance writer and designer from Lancashire www.startswithabrew.co.uk

 

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 facebook and Instagram.

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