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.

Salvation is for all

I was asked by a junior school pupil, ‘Why did Jesus have to start a new religion?’ One obvious answer is that salvation is for the whole world, not just a few people or one group. The risen Christ says, ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ Acts 1:8. The commission at the Ascension, is ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations’ Luke 24:47, and Peter declares at Pentecost, ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:21. Jesus’ message in today’s gospel is for all; ‘glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.’ John 17:1-2.

 

Earthly message – support for a few?

There has been a rise in antisemitism and anti-muslim hatred which now requires a concerted response. 

The Reform party campaigns against immigration, and Trump’s ‘make America great again' (MAGA) policy involves attacks on other nations, withdrawing troops from Germany, tariffs on most other nations, and persecution/murder of immigrants to the US by immigration agents.

 

Gospel message – support for all

Christianity set out from the very beginning to welcome all. Paul strove to unite gentile and Jewish Christians in his letter to the Romans ‘God shows no partiality’ (Rom 1:10-11). Peter proclaimed the miracle on the Day of Pentecost saying ‘God declares, "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh’’ Acts 2:17.

We see, with even greater clarity than St Peter did (1 Peter 5:9), the suffering of people across the world: in Sudan, in the war against Ukraine, and in economic hardship across the world in the wake of Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iraq and Lebanon.

The attacks on the Pope by Trump have highlighted the difference between the conduct of warmongers and the Christian gospel. In contrast, the communications between Pope Leo and the Archbishop of Canterbury are about seeking unity in the church and peace in the world.

When we see events both at home and around the world we might well regard them as a ‘fiery ordeal’ (1 Peter 4:12). We may indeed find that our faith is mocked – ‘reviled for the name of Christ’ (1 Peter 4:14). We are to find strength from the ‘Spirit of God’ and might also find Pope Leo’s Easter Sunday address a strong encouragement.

 

Questions for discussion

• This week we don’t know what the future of the prime minister will be, but there are still three more years of this parliament. Imagine you are prime minister trying to make a difference in the next three years.
  • What would your priorities be for the nation?
  • How might you express concern for all and include everyone in your vision?
  • What should your attitude be towards other nations?
  • How do you show you are interested in children, the elderly, people on low wages, the unemployed etc….
• Who are your suffering ‘brothers and sisters throughout the world’? Who should be our particular concern?
• Is there a  ‘roaring lion… looking for someone to devour’ in our society today? How do we ‘resist ,..  steadfast in faith’?
• If we are ‘reviled for the name of Christ’, what form does this take, and how should we respond?
• Who in particular faces a ‘fiery ordeal’ today, and what should our response be?
• And if a child asks, ‘Why did Jesus have to start a new religion?’ what would you say?

Tom Ambrose, priest in the parish of the Ascension, Cambridge.

 

Check-in

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

What do you do when you’re under pressure? Do you lash out? Blame someone else? Hide under the covers and doom scroll? This week, the papers are full of criticism for the prime minister, Keir Starmer. Everything he has done and plans to do is being scrutinised and picked apart. For a job that lots of people want to do, it doesn’t look like it’s much fun.

We’re into exam season. There’s pressure from teachers, from parents, and maybe from competitive friends. Pressure can help us to perform with shots of adrenaline to help us work at our best - it can also overwhelm us. Peter is writing to a church that was under pressure. It felt like everyone was against them and they were suffering in all kinds of ways.

Peter is clear in telling them that they need to be active in how they deal with this - not just to react as things happen to them. They need to actively give their worries and stresses to God and they need to be alert to anything that might cause them to hurt other people and resist it. They need to remember that they aren’t alone and that other people are experiencing some of the same things.

Keir Starmer looks pretty alone at the moment but I’m hoping he has people around him who are lifting him up and spurring him on. I pray that he can give God the stress and burden that he feels so that he can continue to do his best in his work.

Who is supporting you? Who are you supporting? God knows when we’re struggling and wants to carry those burdens for us and for us to support and encourage each other.

Steve Taylor shares the job of joint vicar of St Paul’s CofE Church, Harrow with his wife, Ali. They share their home with their youngest child, two cats, three chickens, some fish and a rabbit.

 

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.