Introduction
Jesus calls us to follow him but sometimes, like Peter, we misunderstand him and need to be corrected. This week’s readings call us to recognise the sacrificial nature of God and to take seriously his command to ‘take up your cross’.
Context
This week, EU & African leaders take action to reduce refugee deaths, responding to ongoing migrant crisis.
Andy Murray pulled out of the US open tennis tournament citing a hip injury he has struggled with for a number of years.
Actor, Ed Skrein, turned down a part a in Hollywood blockbuster to take a stand about Hollywood’s ‘whitewashing’ of ethnic roles by casting white actors into them.
Reflection
European and African national leaders met this week to discuss the refugee crisis. They have agreed to try to reduce the number of those attempting the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean, by introducing ‘pre-asylum’ registration centres in Chad and Niger. These moves come after several years of lobbying for a more humane response to the refugee crisis by various groups and individuals, including the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury. As Jesus’ rebuke of Peter shows, challenging those who are in authority, or who assume authority, is part of our role as bringers of God’s kingdom. Peter was operating from good motives but had missed what God was doing in Jesus. Christians need to have confidence to rebuke those in authority when they see things happening that are contrary to God’s justice and grace.
Andy Murray has pulled out of the US Open with an ongoing hip injury. This is apparently an historic injury that he has struggled with throughout his career. We often describe something like this as ‘a cross I have to bear’. Murray’s reasoning for pulling out of this tournament is that, by resting his injury, he will be more likely to have success at future tournaments. When we look at people succeeding in life, we often gloss over the suffering and pain that they have gone through on their journey. We are not called to ‘success’ as society around us would categorise it, but whatever we do in life we can expect difficulty and pain. Church is a place where, as fellow followers of Jesus, we need to encourage each other in our times of pain as well as celebrating with each other when things go well.
British actor, Ed Skrein, made a statement this week by turning down a part in a Hollywood superhero blockbuster after a backlash that the character he was due to play is Japanese-American in the original comics. This follows ongoing accusations that Hollywood ‘whitewashes’ films by casting white Caucasian actors as characters of other ethnic origins. Skrein’s stance will have cost him a Hollywood blockbuster salary, but he argues that it is the right thing to do. We might not have such a public decision to make, but following Jesus is costly too. As Christians, we should expect our choices to lead to things being less comfortable for ourselves, in doing so we are following the example of our Lord.
Prayer
As an introduction to a time of confession, or as a response to the sermon, you could use the following prayer.
Suffering Lord, even your closest disciple, Peter,
needed to be rebuked and corrected by you.
Show us where our attitudes or understanding of you are wrong or unhelpful.
Give us the strength to admit our mistakes
and the faith to receive your forgiveness and encouragement.
Amen.
Questions
- Would it change your understanding of the gospel, if Jesus hadn’t suffered in order to restore our relationship with God?
- When was the last time you felt ‘rebuked’ by Jesus? What did you do as a result?
- To what extent does your church point people towards ‘taking up their cross’ as part of its life and work? What would be the impact of emphasising this part of Jesus’ teaching more?
Action
Ask people to think about a way in which they suffer or struggle in their daily lives, and then to think of a way in which another person or group of people suffer or struggle (this might be the homeless, people with a particular medical condition, a bereaved acquaintance). invite them to share their thoughts in small groups, and to agree an action they can take in the come week or so to support or encourage people belonging to one of those groups (e.g. visiting the housebound, taking coffee or a sandwich to a homeless person who has a regular pitch, taking donations to a related charity shop).
Give out cross shapes cut from plain card, and pens, and invite people to write their name on the vertical section and the agreed action (or the people to whom to the support is to be given) on the horizontal section. Ask people to take the cross with them as reminder during the week. As people go out into the world at the end of the service, pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, in our suffering and struggles,
help us to take up our cross and, in following you,
support those people who are suffering and struggling around us,
so that your name would be known and praised.
Amen.
Young people
Look up the video online of ‘college kids respond to racism in America’. Watch this together. Discuss the role of individuals in the video in ‘rebuking’ attitudes and behaviour in the people that they know. Have they ever rebuked someone else? In what context? What was the result? Are there situations they have been in where they think Jesus would have spoken up and rebuked the person involved?
Steve Taylor is joint-vicar of St James Alperton CofE church near Wembley. He shares the job with his wife, Ali, and they shares their house with their two daughters, two cats, numerous fish & a hamster.
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