Lent Reflections 2026: Palm Sunday and Humility

We have spent the past five weeks thinking about humility, and looking to Jesus as being both the exemplar of humility, and also the one whose Spirit enables us to to become more humble.

Today, we start Holy Week by remembering Jesus' entry into Jerusalem a few days before his death and resurrection. The Gospels record how Jesus came riding into the city, whilst the crowds lined the road, waving branches in celebration and laying their cloaks on the road as a carpet. They praised him as God's representative and hailed him as king. We call it Jesus' Triumphal Entry; not only does he enter in triumph but his entry is reminiscent of that of the Roman Emperor.

This doesn't seem to be very humble!! It's sometimes said that Jesus is showing his humility by riding a donkey rather than a horse, but the meaning of this (as we see from the quote from Zechariah 9:9) is that Jesus is coming gently and in peace, rather than on a horse, which symbolises war. The Zechariah quote also says that it is the king who comes on the donkey.

So, Jesus is clearly coming as king. He could have walked into Jerusalem along with everyone else; he could even have slipped into Jerusalem unnoticed, as he did in John 7:10. Instead, he deliberately sets up the situation in which through symbolism he claims to be the Messianic King, coming to the capital city Jerusalem to claim his throne. How can this be the actions of someone who is humble?

The answer comes most vividly as we read the second set of petitions in the Litany of Humility: freedom from the fear of being humiliated, despised, rebuked, calumniated, forgotten, ridiculed, wronged and suspected. Jesus knew he was the Messiah, and he knew that that meant that he would “be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him” (Mark 10:33-34). He knew that his throne in Jerusalem would be the cross – above his head would be the words “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19)

Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8), he was obedient to his Father, but he also humbled himself by putting our need for salvation above his desires for praise and even for life itself.   The proof of God's amazing love is that while we were sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8) – Jesus was hated so we could be loved.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem proclaiming himself as the Messianic King. But he would subvert the expectation of what that meant by pointing to what the Old Testament said about the coming Messiah. In doing so, he would show us what true humility looks like.

“This is our God, the Servant King. He calls us now to follow him.”

Lent Reflections 2026: The Litany of Humility 5

 

On our parish News Sheets this Lent, we're looking through the “Litany of Humility.”

A litany is a form of prayer with a repeated responsive petition and in the Book of Common Prayer, there is a litany that is “to be sung or said after Morning Prayer, upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

The Litany of Humility, at least in this form, was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, the Secretary of State to Pope Pius X, in the early Twentieth Century. C. S. Lewis found this prayer particularly helpful, and many people use it as part of their daily prayer life, especially during Lent.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

The Litany of Humility starts with asking Jesus to deliver us from un-humble desires, and it ends with asking for the grace of humble desires. In particular, we ask for the grace to desire that others 'succeed' more than us. The Litany takes us on a journey of ever-deepening humility: we start by asking to be delivered from the desire for praise; then for deliverance from the fear of disapproval; finally we pray that others would be preferred to us.

Gore Vidal famously said “Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies” which highlights how fragile our self-esteem can be especially when others do well.  And if this is true for our friends who we care about, how much more is it true for those we don't?  We might be able to cope with not receiving the praise we're due; we might even be able to cope with being despised; but it's really hard to want others to be loved, esteemed, praised and preferred more than us.  Humility is not just about being content with what we do or don't get, it is also about wanting others to succeed. And so we have to pray for the grace to desire it.

It is a grace because it is something we don't deserve.  We are naturally competitive, our instincts are self-centred and self-interested. James writes “What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight” (James 4:1-2).  Our fallen human nature deserves eternal punishment, but not only does God mercifully not demand that punishment from us, to those who trust in Jesus he graciously gives his Holy Spirit, to transform those desires into conformity with his own.  “Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants” (Romans 8:5 Good News Translation).

So again, Jesus is our model.  Although he is God, he emptied himself and became human, and more than that, he became a servant, who was content to die to take the punishment we deserve for our human nature (Philippians 2:5-8 and Mark 10:45).  So if he can lay aside his divine glory so that we can be forgiven and exalted, we should also lay aside our petty pretensions and rejoice when others increase and we decrease.  However, his example is an impossibly high standard for us to follow so we need his grace, his Holy Spirit, to change us into his likeness.

We even need his grace to help us to desire to be like him. We can easily say the Litany of Humility without really meaning it, or adding 'exceptions' to the petitions.

Jesus, grant us the grace to desire humility, whatever the cost.

Lent Reflections 2026: The Litany of Humility 4

On our parish News Sheets this Lent, we're looking through the “Litany of Humility.”

A litany is a form of prayer with a repeated responsive petition and in the Book of Common Prayer, there is a litany that is “to be sung or said after Morning Prayer, upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

The Litany of Humility, at least in this form, was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, the Secretary of State to Pope Pius X, in the early Twentieth Century. C. S. Lewis found this prayer particularly helpful, and many people use it as part of their daily prayer life, especially during Lent.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Alongside the fear of disapproval, in the second section of petitions we also ask Jesus to deliver us from the fear of being calumniated, wronged and suspected. These are similar to the fear of disapproval but carry with them the sense of unjust suffering. But again we're not asking to be delivered from unjust suffering, but we're asking to not let the fear of unjust suffering stop us from following God's ways.

This is a great reminder that becoming a Christian doesn't mean that our life becomes trouble-free. Indeed in some ways the opposite is true. Jesus tells us that following him means denying ourselves and taking up our cross (Mark 8:34), and that we will face unjust persecution just as he did (John 15:20). This means that not only will we face the normal difficulties of life, but that we will also face suffering when we do what is right and good. When we live as God wants us to live, and share our faith as he has commanded us to do, we may encounter not just ridicule, but our motives might be twisted and it may result in things like broken relationships, loss of social standing, or damage to careers.

Peter wrote “if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed...it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:14,17). If we are afraid of such consequences we may shy away from living out our faith as whole-heartedly as we should.

One way God answers this prayer for deliverance from fear is to give us examples, both in the Bible and throughout the history of the Church, of those for whom following God's ways led to suffering. Stephen was the first of many Christian martyrs (Acts 6-7); Paul speaks of his sufferings for the gospel in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27; in Revelation, John describes himself as a “companion in the suffering” (Revelation 1:9) along with the churches he is writing to.

Another way God helps us is to show us that we don't have to 'grin and bear' this suffering, or, as Kipling would have it, to treat Triumph and Disaster as if they are the same. Instead, God caused words of anger, frustration and bemoaning to be recorded as part of Holy Scripture – indeed there is a whole book called Lamentations! The Psalms in particular give expression to these feelings: Psalm 13:1-2 says “How long will my enemy triumph over me?”; Psalm 73:3,13,14 says “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure...All day long I have been afflicted”.

However, most famously Psalm 22 starts with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, which takes us to the ultimate example of undeserved suffering: Jesus. He is the reason Peter says we should suffer for doing good. And if we share in his sufferings we will also share in his glory (Romans 8:17).

Lent Reflections 2026: The Litany of Humility 3

On our parish News Sheets this Lent, we're looking through the “Litany of Humility.”

A litany is a form of prayer with a repeated responsive petition and in the Book of Common Prayer, there is a litany that is “to be sung or said after Morning Prayer, upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

The Litany of Humility, at least in this form, was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, the Secretary of State to Pope Pius X, in the early Twentieth Century. C. S. Lewis found this prayer particularly helpful, and many people use it as part of their daily prayer life, especially during Lent.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

The second section of petitions ask Jesus to deliver us from the fear of certain things, though we're not talking about phobias. It makes sense for us to want to be delivered from ungodly or un-humble desires, as we pray in the first section But why pray to be delivered from fears?

The answer comes from looking at what those fears are: being humiliated, despised, rebuked and ridiculed. These are all opposites of the desires for praise and approval in the first petition. Humility means not just that we are happy not to have acclaim, but that we are content even if we have the opposite, even if we are despised and disapproved of.

But we are not asking that we are not humiliated, instead we are asking to be delivered from the fear of being humiliated. We are asking that the fear of disapproval doesn't dictate our actions, or lack of actions. Just as the desire for popularity and approval can lead us to act wrongly and not act rightly, so too can the fear of disapproval or ridicule.

In some ways the fear of disapproval is more powerful than the desire for approval. We often do things that get no recognition, and although that is disappointing, it doesn't stop us from doing them again. We can also do things in the knowledge that we will get no recognition for them, and we can even do things deliberately so that we get no recognition. As long as we don't act this way for smug self-satisfaction and a sense of superiority over 'approval-seekers', these are humble ways of behaving. However, we are more reluctant to do things deliberately that will draw criticism, even if it the right thing to do. The reason good people remain silent, allowing evil to triumph, is often because of the fear of the repercussions. In extreme times that might be persecution, loss of livelihood or even death, but more commonly good people remain silent or don't act because of a fear of disapproval or ridicule.

This is particularly seen when it comes to matters of faith. People are often afraid of whole-heartedly committing to being a Christian, because they know that that will mean a huge change in their lives, and they don't want to be seen as 'radical' or 'fundamentalist.' So instead they say they are a Christian but don't let it affect the way they live. Fear also stops people sharing their faith with their non-believing family and friends, whether that's the fear of not knowing answers to difficult questions, and therefore looking stupid, or again the fear of ridicule.

The apostle Paul wrote that he continued to preach Christ crucified even though it was a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:18-31), and he suffered much for doing so (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). And the Litany also helps us become more like Jesus, who also was not afraid to speak and act even though it led to him being despised and rejected.

Lent Reflections 2026: The Litany of Humility 2

On our parish News Sheets this Lent, we're going to look through the “Litany of Humility.”

A litany is a form of prayer with a repeated responsive petition and in the Book of Common Prayer, there is a litany that is “to be sung or said after Morning Prayer, upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

The Litany of Humility, at least in this form, was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, the Secretary of State to Pope Pius X, in the early Twentieth Century. C. S. Lewis found this prayer particularly helpful, and many people use it as part of their daily prayer life, especially during Lent.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

This week we're looking at the second four petitions in the first section of the Litany of Humility. The desire to be praised and the desire to be approved are very similar to the first four desires that we thought about last week. However, for all of them it is worth reflecting on the question “by whom?” The assumption (as it says later on in the Litany) is that we are asking to be delivered from the desire of being praised, approved, esteemed etc. “in the opinion of the world”, i.e. it is seeking the approval of other people that leads to bad actions and a lack of humility.

Jesus criticised those who prayed, fasted and gave charity “to be honoured by others” (Matthew 6) calling them 'hypocrites', which carries the sense of play-actors or pretenders. In a lot of his letters, Paul is dealing with a situation where people claiming to be apostles distort the gospel message in order to gain popularity with their hearers. He warns “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Paul knew that the gospel message is not always easy to hear and won't be popular but he also knew whose praise he desired: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

Whether we're proclaiming the gospel by our lips or by our life we should be aiming to please God, to hear him say to us “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21). If we seek the approval of others we will inevitably go astray, but if we seek to please God, we will do what is right just as Jesus did (John 5:30).

Within these second four petitions, two are slightly different: the desire to be preferred to others and to be consulted. These reflect the desire for our opinions to be heard, with the implication that they should also be agreed with. We easily fall into the trap of thinking that our opinion is held by all 'right-minded' people, and we therefore dismiss or scoff other people's views. Our conversations often involve us not really listening to other people, but instead waiting to say our piece, and then looking around for the approval and agreement of others. This is particularly a danger for those who have positions of leadership or responsibility, especially those who have a literal or metaphorical pulpit!

We need the humility to listen not just to other people, but primarily to God. He declares “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Jesus has the words of eternal life (John 6:68), sometimes his teaching was hailed as authoritative (Mark 1:27) but often, and ultimately, he was rejected (Luke 19:47). But he promises that if we allow his word to be preferred to our own we will be fruitful (Matthew 13:23).

Curling: a great sport for Lent

Here's my article for March:

Photo by Richard Berling from Flickr

Last month we had the spectacle of the Winter Olympics in Italy.  Despite some people dismissing them as just lots of different ways of sliding, I really enjoy the Winter Olympics and will happily watch almost all of the events.  But my particular favourite is the curling.  For those that have never seen it, it is a cross between archery, bowling and housework on ice: players throw/slide stones into a target area (or 'house') and the team with the closest stones to the centre wins that 'end' and the team with the most points after a set number of ends wins.  I enjoy it because it's a games of tactics, but it's also dramatic with stones smashing into each other, and slightly comical with people sliding while sweeping the ice.

Target games like curling, archery, bowling and darts have an ancient pedigree, probably stemming back to practicing for hunting or warfare. They are useful practically but also metaphorically: we talk of being 'on target' to achieve things.

This metaphor helps us to understand what the biblical concept of 'sin' means, which is especially relevant in this season of Lent.  We often think of sin, if we think of it at all, as being individual acts that are morally wrong.  We also often rank some sins as being worse than others, almost like the rings of the archery target, and as long as we get closer to the centre than others, we feel satisfied with our performance, and consider ourselves to be good.  However, in some ways curling gets us closer to the biblical meaning of sin.

The stone closest to the centre scores and so do any other of that team's stones that are nearer to the centre than any stones of the opposing team. The non-scoring stones are discounted and swept away. Thus, one team can have all eight of their stones in the house, but if the other team has just one closer to the centre, all eight stones are worthless.

In the Bible, to sin is to 'miss the mark'; it doesn't matter how close you get, if you don't hit the target the effort is worthless.  Jesus tells us what the mark is: "be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  Anything less than being as perfect as God is being sinful.  Unlike archery where you get points for being near the centre, when it comes to morality only the bullseye will do, all other shots are worthless. (Of course, in curling you only have to have the stone closest to the centre and in the house, so you can score even if you're not in the centre, but this just proves that metaphors are limited!)

So Paul says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), echoing Isaiah who said “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”  (Isaiah 64:6).  That means that even our best efforts and best actions are so far away from the target that they don't count for anything. Therefore, “the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is” (James 2:10 The Living Bible), 

If you want God to judge you on your good deeds, he will, but the target is perfection, the pass mark is 100%  - anything less and you fail.  But Jesus, the only one who hits that target, invites us to join his team so that we win the prize of eternal life, not because of what we do but because of what he has done.

Lent Reflections 2026: The Litany of Humility 1

On our  parish News Sheets this Lent, we're going to look through the “Litany of Humility.”

A litany is a form of prayer with a repeated responsive petition and in the Book of Common Prayer, there is a litany that is “to be sung or said after Morning Prayer, upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

The Litany of Humility, at least in this form, was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, the Secretary of State to Pope Pius X, in the early Twentieth Century. C. S. Lewis found this prayer particularly helpful, and many people use it as part of their daily prayer life, especially during Lent.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

The Litany of Humility is divided into three sections, each of which we'll sub-divide into two, so this week we'll look at the first four petitions. But before we think about them, we need to note that the Litany starts with asking Jesus to hear us, and addresses him as the one who is meek and humble of heart. As we pray this prayer for humility we should remember that we are asking to become more Christ-like. Jesus is the model we are to emulate, so if we want to become more like him, a good starting place is to read the gospels to see how his humility showed in his words and deeds. But more than being a model for us, Jesus also gives us his Holy Spirit to change us into his likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This first section of petitions are for Jesus to deliver us from various desires. When we ask to be freed from desire, we are not asking for it in the same way that Eastern spiritualities like Buddhism do, that seek to overcome material desires and personal wants. Nor are we wanting to be nonchalent about everything. The things being desired are all good things, but we are asking Jesus to deliver us from seeing them as being the aim and focus of our lives.

We all want to be loved and honoured, but desiring them as the aim of our lives can have dreadful consequences; think of dictators past and present – their desire to be loved and honoured leads to oppressive and coercive regimes, where all opposition is quashed and silenced to give the impression of universal approval. Even in democracies, out of a desire for being honoured, extolled and esteemed, politicians can choose to do what is popular rather than what is right.

Not many of us will be in the position of politicians and rulers, but none of us are immune from the desire for honour, popularity and love, and aiming to achieve those desires can lead us to ignore what is right. Jesus reminds us that adultery starts with lust (Matthew 5:27-28) – the mis-directed desire for being loved. And in lots of other, seemingly minor, ways our desire to be honoured affects how we behave. But perhaps the main way it affects us brings us back to the purpose of the Litany – to become more humble.

This is because desiring to be esteemed, loved, extolled and honoured necessarily involves airbrushing our lives, covering up those parts of us that would make people detest, despise, denounce and decry us. We are all too aware of our faults, and we are all too ready to expose the faults of others, so we try to hide them from each other. In short, we lack the humility to be honest with each other. But we cannot fool God. He knows our desires and he knows the actions that spring from those desires, to him all hearts are open and all desires known. He sees the depths of our hearts, but amazingly he still loves us. And because of that love, because he doesn't reject us because of our faults, we can have confidence to ask him to deliver us from those desires.

Betrayal and how to deal with it

Here's my article for February (and my second inspired by The Traitors!!):

Photo by Lance Reis on Unsplash

Again this year we seem to be in the grip of 'Traitors-mania': Celebrity Traitors before Christmas was widely praised and the latest series of the normal format started last month.  As the title suggests, it is all about trust and treachery and although “it's only a gameshow” it involves real people trusting other people and often being really betrayed.

Betrayal is doubly cruel because it not only means that someone has harmed you in some way, but that the person was someone you trusted.  We hear this double pain in the words Shakespeare gives Julius Caesar as he is being assassinated: “Et tu, Brute?”  Caesar would have expected his enemies to want to kill him but not his friend Brutus.  If we love and trust people we risk not only being let down by them, but also being betrayed by them.  Therefore Tennessee Williams said that “We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal.”  This is a potential solution, but it's not a world I would like to live in!  So, how can we cope with betrayal, whether that's in a small matter or in a significant matter?

In this season of Lent, our attention is turned towards the events of Jesus' final week before his crucifixion and betrayal is a common theme.  We might initially think of Judas' actions, but Peter also denied knowing Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75) and the rest of the disciples abandoned Jesus when he was arrested (Matthew 26:47-56).  Even the actions of Jesus' opponents in accomplishing his death are also cast as betrayal (Acts 7:52). 

The opposition to Jesus can be quite puzzling if we just see him as being a kind and gentle person who tried to encourage people to love each other.  But when we see Jesus' mission as bringing in the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that challenges all earthly power and rule, the opposition of those holding earthly power becomes more understandable.  This shouldn't be a surprise if we pay attention to what we heard as we celebrated his birth at Christmas.  Simeon prophesied that “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against” (Luke 2:34). John tells us why this opposition was also a betrayal, using perhaps the most tragic words ever written: “though the world was made through [Jesus], the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).

Jesus responded to this betrayal on the cross, saying “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).  He forgave them not just with words but by dying so they could be forgiven.

Jesus' words of forgiveness apply not only to those who crucified him and to those who deserted him; they apply to each of us too, because we also do not receive him when we sin.  The good news is that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It's only by accepting the forgiveness Jesus offers for our betrayal of him that we can have the strength to forgive those who betray us.

Faithful or Traitor?

Here's my article for March:

Photo by Lance Reis on Unsplash

“Are you a Faithful or are you a Traitor?” This question reverberated around the heads of many people who watched the latest series of 'The Traitors' which bills itself as being “the ultimate reality game of trust and treachery.” IMDB summarises the show as “Twenty-two strangers compete in a series of missions for a chance to win £120k. However, amongst the players lie the 'Traitors', who meet in secret and decide who to eliminate from their fellow players known as 'Faithfuls'.” The Faithfuls have to try to guess who amongst them is a Traitor and vote them to be banished. It's basically an elaborate game of wink murder!

I only started watching it halfway through the previous series, but it has an addictive quality akin to morbid curiosity, and I'm not quite sure what to make of my interest in it. There is something about the premise of the show which revolves around lies and deception that makes me uncomfortable, and although “it's only a gameshow” it involves real people trusting other people and often being really betrayed. And I'm not sure whether it makes it worse that these are 'good' people pretending to be bad, but doing actual bad things in order to win a game. In some ways I'd rather it were 'bad' people doing bad things because ironically at least they would be being 'faithful' to their nature.

But perhaps what really makes me uncomfortable about the programme is the mirror it holds up to me. In reality I am like the 'Traitors' – projecting a 'good' persona to hide my inner self-interest. Jesus was the first to use the word 'hypocrite' in the way we use it today (before that it simply meant an actor), and he once said to the religious leaders of his day “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27-28.)

The temptation is to blame our surroundings for the way we behave; just as the contestants justify their behaviour because 'it's the game', so we say we have to be self-centred because the world and everyone else is fallen. However, the Christian doctrine of Original Sin exposes that as simply an excuse. There are many jobs that we say we will do 'when we get around to it', but the COVID lockdown proved that many of those jobs don't get done not because of lack of time and opportunity (there was plenty of that in lockdown!) but instead because of a lack of will and motivation. According to Douglas Murray, Original Sin teaches us that “we are this very, very contorted being which is capable of incredible greatness and beauty and kindness and forgiveness and also capable of their opposites and that it's not that you are one and other people are the other but all of us all of us are both all the time.” In the perfection of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose disobedience and self-centredness, and demonstrated that the problem is not our environment, but ourselves. As is often said “the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.”

Jesus likened himself to a doctor (Luke 5:31) who both diagnoses the problem but also offers the remedy. In Lent we are encouraged to face squarely our hypocrisy, not to crush us with guilt but to direct us to Jesus who took on that guilt, our guilt, on the cross. We are all 'Traitors' but the one we betrayed died taking our punishment – that is a priceless prize!

I am what I am

Here's my February magazine article:

Lent is often a time for introspection and self-examination; a time for assessing one's life. Three common responses to this self-reflection centre around the phrase: “I am what I am”.

The first use of this phase is a pessimistic resignation: “I don't like who I am but I can't change it (even though I've tried)”.

The second is the more common use, signified by the hit song of that title from the musical La Cage aux Folles. Used this way the phrase is a celebratory declaration of pride in who you are, warts and all, and regardless of what anyone else thinks about it.

The third use, perhaps surprisingly, is to be found in the Bible: in 1 Corinthians 15:10, the Apostle Paul says “by the grace of God, I am what I am”. Although the second use is also sometimes given a religious overtone: “I am the way God made me”, the way Paul uses it is completely different. He is talking about his status as an Apostle, one of the select group who were acknowledged as having the highest teaching authority in the early Church. He says that because he used to persecute the Church he shouldn't be called an apostle, but he is because of God's grace, God's undeserved favour, and not because of anything Paul himself can take credit for. Paul knows he's been given a position he doesn't deserve, so the glory for who he is is God's alone.

Paul's phrase was picked up hundreds of years later by John Newton, the slave-trader-turned-abolitionist who wrote “Amazing Grace”. Towards the end of his life he is quoted as saying “though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was; a slave to sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowledge, 'By the grace of God I am what I am.' ” In his self-examination he acknowledges his faults but neither despairs at them nor celebrates them. Instead he looks at how through God's grace and help he has repented and is reforming and will continue to do so.

Anyone who honestly examines themselves will agree with Newton's assessment: “I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be” because “if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The choice then is what we do with this assessment: do we despair that we could ever change, or do we celebrate our sins as being essential parts of who we are? Or do we, with Paul and Newton, acknowledge our failings and repent of them in the knowledge that “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

To fast or not to fast...

Here's my magazine article for March:

To fast or not to fast that is the question for Lent!  Lent was traditionally a time to give things up (especially 'luxuries' like fat, eggs, meat and alcohol) but it has become more common in the past few decades to instead take something on (for example charitable works or spiritual exercises).  Whilst these things that are taken on are good things to do, I think that we lose something important if we avoid the practice of giving things up for a period of time.

There is often criticism of Millennials, Zoomers and Gen Alphas that they display feelings of 'entitlement' – they want everything 'put on a plate' for them and like the worst of fussy eaters they demand what they want, when and how they want it, often regardless of how if affects other people.  Whether or not that is more true of those generations, it is definitely true that entitlement is not exclusive to those generations.  Entitlement is a human condition because humans are selfish by nature – it is one of the observations that reminds us of the truth of the Biblical narrative that human beings are 'fallen' beings.  By giving things up at Lent (or at any time!) we are reminding ourselves that the world doesn't revolve around ourselves and our desires – and traditionally this giving up of things was linked with fasting.

Fasting is not unique to Christianity or even to religion, but there is something distinctive about Christian fasting.  We see three types of fasting in the world: health, political and religious fasting.  Some people fast as part of a health regime, which used correctly might be a benefit, but done badly can also lead to eating disorders.  Political fasting is used by people, e.g. Gandhi, to put pressure on authorities to make certain decisions.  Religious fasting can sometimes be similar to political fasting – trying to pressurise God into doing something we want him to do – or it can be a way of earning 'Brownie points' to 'get into heaven'.

One of the early sermons authorised for use in the Church of England was on the topic of true Christian fasting and it gave the following three aims which make fasting beneficial to us and acceptable to God.  Firstly, to discipline and control our desires, especially those desires that are contrary to the way God wants us to live, not really in order to make ourselves more holy, but so that by refraining from things that give us worldly pleasure we can find contentment in the greater pleasure of a relationship with God.  Secondly, that we may be more earnest and fervent in prayer, both by giving us time to pray and also by transforming a physical hunger into a hunger for God's kingdom to come.  Finally, as a way of showing our repentance and sorrow for our sins so that when we say sorry for our sins it's not just a trite statement.

To give things up, even good things, for a period of time can help us to rely less on ourselves and more on God.  It can also to help us to see how we make 'gods' out of the good things God gives us, so that by putting them aside we can re-discover the God who satisfies our deepest hunger and longings.

Do you feel like giving up?

Here's my article for the February magazine:


Lent is traditionally a time when we forego pleasures and treats in order to detach ourselves from the temptations of 'the world, the flesh and the devil' and focus instead on God and the blessings he brings. Although we may not be so good at the second part of that, we seem to have been going without pleasures and treats for almost a year now – lockdown and COVID restrictions are almost a state-enforced Lent!

This imposed 'giving-up' is causing a deeper mental health issue of people giving up on life: the strain of coping with uncertain futures or job prospects; added to the worry about catching the virus, or loved ones catching it; on top of trying to get children to learn at home; all this can become too much. Help might be sought in alcohol or drugs, or even just wanting to hide in a dark corner and cry for hours. If you do feel like this, please find someone to talk to, and you're welcome to contact me, or to pop into church any time we're open.

But perhaps there is a healthier way to 'give up'. I read an article last year that had some good advice about some things that we should be giving up. Firstly, “give up thinking you are the only one feeling this way, struggling this way. You are not alone. It is normal in a time of huge uncertainty to feel somewhat lost, frustrated, fed up.” One of the benefits of talking to people when you're feeling that everything is getting on top of you is that you find out that others are feeling the same way. Around thirty or so years after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, Peter wrote to some groups of Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus with these words: “you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:9). Give up feeling you are alone.

Secondly, “give up trying to come up with a grand plan, and instead focus on some small wins.” This is particularly helpful for those who are trying to teach children at home – perhaps getting a child to do twenty minutes of work happily is better than forcing them to do four hours of work reluctantly. It would certainly be better for the family atmosphere!! But all of us are tempted to create big dreams for ourselves to give ourselves hope and purpose, things like “In a few months time, when this pandemic is over I'll go there or do that.” When the circumstances change and we can't fulfil those dreams, we end up despairing – better to have small short term aims that have a realistic chance of being achieved.

Finally “give up thinking it is entirely up to you. God hasn’t given up, and that is our single biggest source of encouragement. God is not surprised by anything that is happening. God is still at work, and wants to help us through.” None of us as individuals can stop the spread of the virus, or prevent people dying, or save the NHS; nor can we keep all of the plates spinning in our own lives. We need the help of family and friends, which is still possible even in lockdown, and of course God is not bound by government restrictions! God knows you and loves you; God knows your situation and your struggles; turn to him for hope and help. The writer of Psalm 71 cried out to God in his time of trouble and was able to say “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up” (verse 20).

COVID reflections

From the start of lockdown with the suspension of public worship, alongside our online services (which you can find here) the interim Methodist minister, Rev. Enid, and I alternated to post reflections on Facebook each Sunday, and every day in Holy Week.

Sunday 29^th March 2020: Lent 5

It goes without saying that we are at a time of crisis – and I'm not just talking about the lack of toilet roll! A virus that can strike down anyone, including Prime Ministers and that has no cure as yet, can be a terrifying thing. And we see the scenes from other countries of rows and rows of coffins, with the ominous warning that we may only be four weeks or so from a similar situation. The result is a growing sense of fear.

The famous Psalm 23 (“The Lord's my Shepherd") speaks of confidence in a God who loves us and provides for us and was probably written when King David faced a time of crisis of his own. But rather than give in to fear he says “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (verse 4). Belief in God doesn't protect us from trouble, hardship or suffering but we can be confident that if we ask he will give us the spiritual and mental resources we need to get us through even the darkest of valleys.

As we start to think about the events of Holy Week and Easter, we're reminded that God doesn't look upon our suffering from afar, but came to us in Jesus to share our life and ultimately to die. But Easter also reminds us that that isn't the end of the story – Jesus was raised to life and death has been defeated – we have nothing to fear!! He now invites each of us to believe and trust in him so that we can dwell in his house for ever.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, our ever-present help in trouble, our fortress and our God: calm the anxious fears of all who turn to you; give strength and healing to those who are sick, and courage and skill to those who care for them; grant wisdom and clarity to those in authority; and humble us all to call upon you that we may be saved not only in this life, but also for that which is to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Monday 6th April 2020: Monday of Holy Week

On the Monday of Holy Week Jesus went back into Jerusalem (having stayed the night at Mary, Martha and Lazarus' house in the village of Bethany) and went into the Temple courts. The Temple had four basic parts: the outermost part was the Court of the Gentiles. Entry to the other parts of the Temple was restricted to certain people, but this was where anyone could come to pray, and this was also where people could buy animals to sacrifice in the Temple and exchange their money into the Temple Shekel.

It was this outer court that Jesus entered and he “began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.” (Mark 11:15-16). This is not the 'gentle Jesus meek and mild' of popular imagination. This is a Jesus who rails not just against the corrupt and exploitative practices there, but more importantly against those who stopped it being a 'house of prayer for all nations'.

In these days when our 'houses of prayer' are locked to all of us, it is good to remind ourselves of how important Jesus considered worship and prayer to be. But we can also rejoice that we no longer need Temple or Church to worship God (John 4:21) – not just because we can gather online – but because Jesus is the one in whom we worship and he is available to all of us wherever we are. It is important for us to gather together to worship, but it is essential that we continue to worship even when we cannot gather.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, on the Monday you overthrew the market tables in the Temple. Give us the courage to challenge situations of injustice, and to worship you at all times and in all places. Lord, by your cross and passion, save us and help us. Amen.

Wednesday 8th April 2020: Wednesday of Holy Week

The Bible doesn't tell us what Jesus did on the Wednesday of Holy Week, so it is generally assumed that he and the disciples spent time with his closest friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  He had had a busy couple of days full of drama, confrontation and noise, so perhaps he needed a day to rest amongst those he loved in preparation for what lay ahead – this was possibly his last night's sleep before his death.

So the message of Holy Wednesday would usually be: don't forget to take time out of your busy life to spend with family and friends and God.  However, at the moment the government is enforcing such rest on many of us!  Some people are longing to get back to the chaos and rush of normal life.  Others are longing to see loved ones who live at a distance.  Rather than being a time of rest and refreshment, to many this is a time of frustration and worry.  So what can Holy Wednesday say to us if that is how we are feeling?

The frustration comes from this rest being enforced and 'until further notice', however it should not stop us having a renewed appreciation of God's wisdom in commanding a Sabbath rest.  This doesn't necessarily need to be a Sunday (although that will leave you free to come to church!!) but we should all aim for an uninterrupted 24 hour rest period each week as far as possible.  Jesus knew he needed to rest if he was to be able to fulfil his mission the cross, and we need to rest otherwise we will be 'neither use nor ornament.' But this is also a time to reassess our priorities: in the rush to get back to normality we might want to think about what parts of normality are worth rushing back to.

To our key workers who would love to have this rest; thank you! To the rest of us, whether this time is a joy or an irritation, let us use it to listen to what God might be saying to us about the way we live our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, on the Wednesday you spent time with your friends. We pray for our own families, friends and loved ones whether they are too close or too far away.  We pray for all who feel lonely and all those who need a rest. Lord, by your cross and passion, save us and help us. Amen.

Saturday 11th April 2020: Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is another day that the Bible doesn't tell us about, but it is easy for us to imagine.  Jesus was dead and buried.  The religious leaders and the Roman authorities were breathing a sigh of relief that the troublemaker was gone.  The crowds looked for the next person they could hail as Messiah. But what about Jesus' disciples?

We know that on Easter Sunday they were in the upper room where they had celebrated Passover a couple of nights before, with the doors locked because they were afraid of the religious leaders (John 20:19).  And they had good reason to be afraid: Jesus was put to death partly because he had threatened the power and status of the  Jewish and Roman authorities, so it would be logical that his followers would be arrested for the same reason. But in addition to that fear, and probably overwhelming it, would be an immense sense of grief and loss; not just of a Master and a friend, but also of their hopes and dreams.  They had given up jobs and left behind families to follow Jesus three years earlier; they believed him when he said that he was the Messiah and that the kingdom of God was at hand; they thought that they would be significant players in the new kingdom.  But now all their hopes and dreams were shattered.  They had left everything and now they had lost everything.

COVID-19 has had a similar effect on people.  Some have lost loved ones.  Some have lost livelihoods.  Some have seen their plans for the future torn apart.  And everyone has seen their normal lives turned upside down, with little or no sense of when or if 'normality' will return.

In these circumstances it's easy to skip over Holy Saturday in a rush to get to Easter Sunday – and we do need to focus on hope for the future, as the Queen put it: “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”  But perhaps we could take today to focus on the desolation the disciples felt and the desolation of many people in the face of this virus.

Maybe take some time to read through the Psalms – you'll be surprised at how honestly some of the despair is described, or perhaps read Lamentations 3.  The fact that God allowed these prayers of anguish into the Bible reminds us that we needn't fear telling God exactly how we feel.

Prayer: In the depths of our isolation we cry to you, Lord God: give light in our darkness and bring us out of the prison of our despair; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

Sunday 12th April 2020: Easter Sunday

As Jesus bursts from the tomb on Easter Sunday, so joy should burst from us as we celebrate his resurrection.  It is the greatest day in history: it changed the whole of creation forever.  Why? Because death has been defeated! We Christians sometimes say that too easily, and those who don't believe dismiss it too easily.  But think of the implications of that truth.  Death is defeated.  It is no longer a threat. It is no longer the end.  As the hymn says “Jesus lives; thy terrors now / can, O death, no more appal us.”

We live in a world that fears death: in normal times millions is spent on products that rejuvenate, or at least hide the effects of ageing. Diets and exercise plans are great when used for a healthy lifestyle, but too often are vain attempts to put off death.  And one thing that COVID-19 has shown us is that we still fear death.  Now I'm not suggesting that we ignore government advice, but I am encouraging you to think about how you personally feel about the possibility that you could die.  Not to think about how it would affect your loved ones but how you face your own death.

The most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, says that whoever believes and trusts in Jesus as their Saviour shall not perish, but have eternal life. That is why St Paul could write “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).  He knew that neither death nor life could separate him from God's love that is in Jesus (Romans 8:38), and so he, like many Christian throughout the centuries, was willing to suffer and die for his faith.  For those who believe in him, Jesus' resurrection brings “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”

Without the resurrection, life is meaningless: we will be forgotten in just a few generations, and few of us will leave a legacy that lasts beyond that - ultimately the world will be destroyed and everything humanity has achieved will disappear.  But with the resurrection, we can spend eternity in the presence of the God who delights in us and all our achievements, however small.

Jesus lives! Death (and COVID-19) is defeated! And in the words of another hymn: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives!”

Prayer: Our God and Father, in whose great mercy we have been given new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: strengthen us with that solid hope and calm our anxious thoughts and fears in the midst of the dangers we now face, that we who often stagger in desperate times may rejoice and be satisfied with him whose painful anguish of soul brought us the light of life. For we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Thursday 23rd April 2020: St George's Day

Although this wasn't part of the pattern, I did a special reflection for St George's day.

St George, soldier and martyr – and that's pretty much all we know about him! According to tradition he was tortured and beheaded c.304 at Lydda, Palestine, and according to legend he killed a dragon. As a patron saint against plagues it is perhaps particularly appropriate that his feast day falls during a lockdown caused by a virus!

Although the story of George and the dragon is a legend, it perhaps reminds us that there is someone more powerful than those 'dragons' we face, whether they're viruses; uncertainty about the future; grief; broken relationships or anything else. In the legend George went into battle knowing God was with him, just like David did against the giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17), and God invites us to trust him and let him face our dragons with us.

And by being a martyr, by being willing to be put to death for his faith in Jesus, George reminds us about what we have just celebrated at Easter: that death holds no fear for those who trust in Jesus: “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

Prayer: God of hosts, who so kindled the flame of love in the heart of your servant George that he bore witness to the risen Lord by his life and by his death: give us the same faith and power of love that we who rejoice in his triumphs may come to share with him the fullness of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen.

Sunday 26th April 2020: Easter 3

For this Sunday I shared a link to Bear Grylls' reflections on Easter: https://youtu.be/pJmAMlU-wNU

Sunday 10th May 2020: Easter 5

The Coronavirus is a global crisis; it reminds us of the interconnectedness of our world – a virus starts in Asia and spreads over the whole world in a matter of a few weeks.  We are also constantly looking at how other countries are responding to the crisis and comparing their statistics with ours.  But it also makes us suspicious of other countries and makes us look after ourselves first.

This week is Christian Aid Week, an annual chance to remember that no matter how bad things are for us, usually our problems are small compared with others throughout the world.  COVID-19 is spreading across the world’s poorest countries, putting people living in poverty at great risk.  These people are already facing a lack of water, food and healthcare.  Some are homeless or refugees.  Some are living with underlying health issues.  Some are also suffering from floods, famines, droughts, war and other disasters.

This week we have the chance to help not just our physical (but socially distanced!) neighbours but also our global neighbours.  If you'd like to help this week, or any time, go to https://www.christianaid.org.uk/

Prayer: God of heaven and earth, in these times of isolation, apart from loved ones, distant from friends, away from neighbours, thank you that there is nothing in all of creation, not even  coronavirus, that is able to separate us from your love. And may your love that never fails continue to be shared through the kindness of strangers looking out for each other, for neighbours near and far all recognising our shared vulnerability, each of us grateful for every breath, and willing everyone to know the gift of a full and healthy life. Keep us all in your care. Amen.

Sunday 24th May 2020: Easter 7

As we navigate when and how we ease out of lockdown there is a lot of anxiety about a second wave of COVID-19.  In the Church year today is the Sunday after Ascension Day, and in some way marks the second wave of grief for the disciples.

After Jesus' death the disciples were devastated and despairing, but their grief was short-lived as it turned through confusion to amazement to rejoicing as the news of Jesus' resurrection filtered through.  He then spent forty days with the disciples; eating with them, teaching them and commissioning them to go out and tell people about him.  Then, as we remembered last Thursday, he  was taken up to heaven, where he was made ruler of all things (Ephesians 1:20-23).  We are told that the disciples stayed in Jerusalem – what might they have felt? This second wave of grief would not have been as bad as the first wave because they knew that Jesus was alive, and more importantly why he had had to die.  But they still faced a separation from him, he would no longer be physically present with them as he had been before.  And now they had this commission to go out into all the world and tell people about Jesus.

They must have wondered how a dozen or so people could achieve this, particularly as they faced possible arrest and execution if they tried.  The answer was to be found in Jesus' cryptic promise that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them (more on that next week from Enid!).  However even before they received the Holy Spirit, they had the resources they needed.

The difference between the pre- and post-resurrection griefs is illustrated in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians: the church there had been rocked by the the deaths of some of their members, but Paul did not want them to “grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (4:13-14).  Before the resurrection the disciples grieved without hope, but after it they had confidence that death was no longer final; more than that, because they saw Jesus keeping his promise to come back to life, they could also be confident that he would keep his promise to be with them always.

So what keeps you going through this pandemic? Is it a vague, fingers-crossed hope that things will turn out OK, or is it a trust in the never-failing one who promises “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, our ever-present help in trouble, our fortress and our God: calm the anxious fears of all who turn to you; give strength and healing to those who are sick; and humble us all to call upon you that we may be saved not only in this life, but also for that which is to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Sunday 7th June 2020: Trinity Sunday

Today is Trinity Sunday, the day when we particularly remember that God has revealed himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; as the Athanasian Creed says: God is “one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the divine Being...not three Gods but one God...all three Persons are co-eternal with each other and co-equal.”  Not the easiest concept to get our heads around, but that is who God tells us he is in the Bible.

And this helps us understand another easier-to-grasp definition God gives us of himself: “God is love” (1 John 4:8).  Love cannot exist alone, the one who loves has to have someone to love.  God existed before there was anything else so the only way he can be love is if he has always existed as a communion of co-eternal persons.

The Trinity is not an abstract theological concept, it is a description of how God reveals himself in the Bible and how he has been experienced by millions of people throughout history.  But it also has practical consequences for us humans too.

At the moment people all around the world are rightly concerned about racial justice, and the slogan 'Black Lives Matter' is all over the news and social media.  For many people it seems incredible that still in the 21st Century people from BAME communities face prejudice and discrimination from individuals and organisations because of their race.  The question is frequently asked “Why does racism still exist?”

The answer is that racism is rooted in the sin of pride – thinking of ourselves as better than others, and it will only be solved when all of us admit to our own sinfulness, repent and ask God to forgive us and fill us with his Holy Spirit so that we will be more like him.  And part of God's nature as Trinity is being one in essence yet three distinct Persons and “in this Trinity there is...no greater or less”.  Unity yet diversity; equality yet difference.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit model for us the only way we as humanity can truly live in harmony, and the only way racism and other forms of discrimination will be no more.

Prayer: Almighty God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit; you exist in a perfect communion of Persons, forgive us our pride in thinking of ourselves as better than others, and help us to live as you live, in a perfect unity of love in difference. Amen.

Sunday  June 2020: Trinity 2

In today's Gospel reading (Matthew 10:24–39) Jesus warns his disciples that being a Christian will not be easy, in fact it will be very dangerous.  And according to tradition, all but two of the original twelve were put to death for their faith in Jesus.  The early Christians were put to death in an attempt to silence the message about Jesus and we often think that such actions belong to the un-Enlightened past, but recent events have proved that wrong.

The pulling down or vandalising of statues of figures from the past, some actions of whose we now regard as wrong, is a symptom of what has become known as the 'cancel culture'.  People or views with which we disagree are no longer argued against, they are simply silenced and erased.  There is no room for reason or debate, suppression is the only answer to things we don't like.  Truth, context, logic and even science can all be set aside if someone shouts loud enough or can portray themselves as a victim.  And ironically this is usually justified by doing it the name of 'tolerance', 'equality' and 'diversity'!

The reality is that only some things are tolerated; some are more equal than others; and only certain types of diversity are welcome.  J. K. Rowling has recently found this out when she dared suggest that women's rights were being overlooked in favour of (some) trans rights, and received vitriol and hatred as a result.

The faults of a society, however, reflect the faults of us as individuals.  All of us would like to airbrush out those parts of our past that we regret, and all of us would prefer not to hear opinions that we disagree with or that make us uncomfortable.  It was this human tendency to silence inconvenient truths that led the authorities to crucify Jesus.  But ironically it was Jesus' death that makes it possible for our past mistakes and disturbing truths to be forgiven and forgotten, at least by God.

Prayer: Holy Lord Jesus, you know the depths of our hearts, yet you still love us.  Thank you for coming to take the punishment we deserve and for sending the Holy Spirit to make us more like you. Amen.

Sunday 5th July 2020: Trinity 4

Yesterday was 4th July when the USA celebrated being released from the shackles of British rule, and when England celebrated being released from (some of) the shackles of lockdown.  This easing of lockdown has caused great relief and rejoicing in some people, and renewed horror and fear in others.  Many businesses are able to resume trading; many employees are more confident about their financial future; and many people are able to be reunited with loved ones.  However, the new freedoms also increase the risk of a resurgence of the virus, as Leicester knows only too well.

A couple of weeks ago we thought about the dangers of trying to airbrush our history, and this week we're reminded again of the need to learn from the more recent past and not simply to carry on as if the virus never happened.  Our reading today from the gospel of Matthew (11:16-30) carries a similar warning about not learning from history.

Jesus criticized the people of some of the towns where he had performed miracles because they hadn't repented: they were more interested in being entertained than listening to the message Jesus was bringing.  The miracles were signs that God's kingdom was breaking into this world and bringing healing, renewal and restoration – and that included the restoration of the relationship between us and God which was broken because of our sin.  But people weren't listening.  So Jesus warns them that on the Day of Judgement notoriously evil places like Sodom would fare better because if they had seen those miracles they would have repented and not been destroyed!  This should make us think too.  We have the privilege of having the whole of God's word revealed to us in the Bible, so we will have not have the excuse on Judgement Day that we didn't get the chance to hear Jesus' message.

The point of this is not that we have a massive guilt-trip, but that we repent and are renewed.  So Jesus' invitation in verse 28 is for all who are weighed down with sin or worry or pain: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Prayer: Eternal God, comfort of the afflicted and healer of the broken, lead us to repent of our sins and to bring our worries and needs to you, that you may fill us with your peace that is beyond our understanding.  Amen.