Context
Jesus’ zeal in John 2.13-22 causes uproar with the Temple authorities and businesses of his day; while we, these past few weeks, have witnessed people in the entertainment media industry and in sport not holding back in expressing the passions that drive them. Zealous outbursts offering a deeper wisdom are standard!
- Snow and ice in South Korea provided the battleground for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Four years of zealous preparation show that you need brains as well as brawn to win your game.
- At the Brit Awards last week British grime rapper Stormzy won awards for best male artist and best British album, with his 2017 album Gang Signs and Prayer. In his rap performance, he attacked the PM’s handling of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Yet, in interviews backstage he said he gives ‘all the glory to God’ for his work.
- Black Panther, the latest Marvel comics movie, stands out for being the first African superhero film whose cast consists largely of black actors. However, it is the serious world issues behind the zealous storyline which make this film a bold and revolutionary watch.
- Fairtrade Fortnight runs from the 26 February to 11 March 2018. Time to challenge unjust trade, again!
Reflection
Although much of the UK might have woken up to snow at some point in this past week, and possibly been challenged by the inconveniences our ‘mildly extreme’ weather brings, it's nothing when compared to the snow and ice thrill of the BBC’s coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics from Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team GB brought home a record five medals, and the celebrations will no doubt last a while. But all athletes have but a few precious moments to show who they are and the what potential they’ve got – rather like Jesus storming into the Temple precincts. No matter how long has been spent in the wilderness of preparation, or how much of your life you have given to achieving your goal, you will be judged on the one moment of your big public event!
We can celebrate with Team GB medalists Dom Parsons, Izzy Atkins, Laura Deas, Lizzy Yarnold and Billy Morgan, as well as others who achieved much, but we might also feel for the likes of Elise Christie – those who fall by pushing themselves beyond their limits, and who will have to decide if they will get up again. We also witnessed those who have fallen in other ways, such as athletes from Russia whose fall came about through not observing the rules of the game. Much like the original intent of the ten commandments (Exodus 20.1-17), rules are there not to hold people back, but to give a fair framework within which events can function, and within which participants can push themselves to the best of their natural ability. Yet, while the wise know how to win within the framework of the rules, there will always be a minority who foolishly cheat.
We are in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight, a time for Christians and churches to remind themselves of the people behind the products in our consumer driven culture. This is that two-week time of year to run (metaphorically) into homes and churches and shops, overturning dinner tables and communion tables and display tables, as we get angry on behalf of those who too often go unnoticed and underpaid. Those who are cheated by us, the consumer. With more than 7000 churches in the UK signed up as Fairtrade churches, do your actions live up to the label that adorns your church notice boards?
As well as giving ‘all the glory to God’ in his interview with the BBC, we also heard Stormzy use the zeal of his freestyle lyrics in the show’s closing performance, with a mix of several of his songs used to chastise the prime minister about injustices close to his heart: ‘Yo, Theresa May, where's that money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?’ A characterful yet gracious artist, it would seem that Stormzy really pours his heart and soul into his work. What might be seen as an angry outburst in the eyes of some, was backed by an intriguing tableau of the Last Supper, illustrating a modern yet personal twist, as he lays out the table of his own faith. What tables might the UK government do well to clear, so that space can be created for those they ought to be asking to join the feast?
Since its release on 16th February, Black Panther, the latest offering from the Marvel comics super hero cinematic genre, has been heralded as going a bit deeper than its contemporaries. This is a film that challenges world wisdom by addressing table-turning themes such as third-world poverty, social revolution and isolationist foreign policy. To create a fairer world, only a fool would leave such tables unturned. Here is a film that sees action and fair-rule walk hand-in-hand – world leaders, please take note!
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, began his speech at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics by saying that these games were both ‘a homage to the past and an act of faith in the future.’ He thanked athletes for respecting the spirit of the Olympic truce, shown in the potential of the relationship between North and South Korea. This he saw as a sign of hope in a fragile world – it had been ‘a games of new horizons’.
In the spaces cleared by the expulsion of those who cheat at sports, the tearing up of unfair trade rules and exposure of the foolishness of misdirected political effort, so may we witness the building of a new Temple – and so bear witness to the telling of the glory of God!
Prayer
This might be used as a simple prayer of confession.
Forgive me
for cheating others and myself,
for stuffing my hands in the pockets of consumerist commercialism,
for my lack of action to aid others.
Expose my foolishness
Help me
to play fairly and to the best of my ability,
to expect to pay daily for that which I receive,
to refocus my actions to aid those most in need.
Expound your wisdom
May zeal for the glory of God,
love for Jesus Christ,
obedience to the Holy Spirit,
and desire for the salvation of the world,
be the driving force
to make me live at my limits.
Amen.
Questions
- How do you feel about the issues of unfairness mentioned in this week’s material? Consider the reasons behind the white roses worn at the Brit Awards as symbols of solidarity with victims of harassment and abuse. Or, consider the message sent by those who dressed in black at BAFTAs in support of the Time’s Up or Me Too campaigns. Where else can we see examples of zealous ‘table-turning’?
- How does our anger sometimes help us to address issues in such a way as to clear the way for change?
- Reflecting on Jesus' table-turning moment in John 2.13-22, how do we stop ourselves being consumed by our anger and, instead, endeavouring to make space for God to fill?
All-age activity
Listen to Stormzy’s gospel-inspired song, ‘Blinded by your grace’, from his award winning album Gang Signs and Prayers. Consider how you might use this as a reflective act of devotion? Explore how you might ‘give God the glory’ through musical devotion.
Young people
Anger, zeal, drive and passion for something can be used to propel us forward and clear things out of our lives that need to be got rid of. But what fills the space that is left? Discuss issues that need to be cleared away, like Jesus' clearing of the tables in the Temple, and what could healthily fill the space that remains. Look at the examples used in this week’s context section – the issues arising from the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Brit Awards and Black Panther as a starting point. How might this be applied to issues surrounding FairTrade?
Tim Lowe is a minister of the United Reformed Church, recently having taken up a new post in Roundhay, Leeds. Tim is interested in using visual expressions of faith and loves SNOW!
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