Weekly Blog 

Here our minister shares a weekly reflection: 

Sunday, 16 March — Mother Hens and Pharisees

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly polarised: either someone is said to be a messiah or the devil incarnate. There’s little in between, and in the world of politics and much of our media this is especially the case. People who see the world differently from us are othered or, in a sense, dehumanised making it easier for us to write them off or deny them the same rights we enjoy.

In our gospel reading this week, some Pharisees come to warn Jesus that he is in danger. We tend to read this suspiciously, so often have we painted the Pharisee as a pantomime villain, but these Pharisees come to point Jesus to safety — there’s no indication this is a plot against him. Perhaps it is another moment of temptation for Jesus, to give up on his journey towards Jerusalem, but Jesus is clear that he goes there despite the danger that awaits him.

These verses are a reminder for us that a Pharisee isn’t intrinsically bad. Elsewhere in the gospel of Luke, Jesus accepts hospitality from them, and he seems to address them often. Yes, he has harsh words for some of their religious practice, where it verged into hypocrisy, and overlooked the dignity of those in greatest need, but the Pharisees had a shared belief in resurrection and eternal life.

We could almost imagine Jesus and these Pharisees sharing in this lament over Jerusalem, the centre of Israel’s religious and political power, that was forced to bend the knee to Rome under the leadership of the Sadducees in the temple court, and the vassal King Herod. Jesus, throughout his journey to Jerusalem, stands against power that seeks to protect tradition and status at any cost. Instead, Jesus uses his power to lift up the downtrodden and protect those harmed by the malignancy of empire and oppressive religious practice. He is said to be like a mother hen taking up her chicks under the wing.

These are themes that remain relevant for us today. Do we use our power in different situations (however limited it is) to selfishly maintain the status quo, or to protect and lift up those in need? Do we fall into the trap of writing whole people or organisations off on account of who they are? Can we see beyond what we know about God and the institutions that we are a part of, in order that we can pay heed to the prophets when they raise their voice amongst us?

These are big questions, often without straightforward answers. As we engage in discussion over the future of our church building, may we avoid polarisation, and be receptive to the prophetic voices in our midst. Amen.

Sunday, 09 March — Remembering Our Identity in the Wilderness

As we enter the season of Lent, we hear from Luke’s gospel account of Jesus’ time in the wilderness. Following his baptism, where his identity as God’s son was confirmed, the Holy Spirit is said to have driven him out into the desert.
 
Just as with the transfiguration story that we heard last week, this is an event that roots Jesus in Hebrew history, his forty days and nights there are in line with the 40 years it took the Israelites to reach the promised land. We hear that Jesus was put to the test by Satan, much as Job was, tempted to rely on his own provision of food and to use his power to take over the world by force.
 
Through all of this, Jesus is shown to stand firm, assured in his identity and purpose. He chooses to limit himself, for the kind of authority that Jesus has is rooted in the love, mercy, and the justice of God. Power is not something to be seized as the devil tempts him to do, but something to be shared through the liberating presence that Christ brings to the world in his life, death, and resurrection.
 
In the season of Epiphany (between Christmas and Lent), we have reflected on a number of passages of scripture that reveal to us the identity of Jesus Christ and also confirm us in our own identity as children of God, disciples, and equally important members of the body of Christ. It is this shared knowledge, common identity, and sense of belonging, that is to keep us rooted in God’s hope and love as we engage in our day to day lives and encounter the many challenges that the world throws at us.
 
Jesus enters the wilderness, this place of chaos and disorder, reassured of his identity and filled with the Holy Spirit. In a time of testing, this is what sustains him and allows him to keep focused on the mission of God to bring freedom and reconciliation to the world.
 
In our own wilderness times, when we find ourselves in trouble, surrounded by chaos and disorder, then may we too be able to rest secure in our identity and in the knowledge of who we are, a precious child of God. It’s this that will help us to navigate our way through challenging times, sure of God’s presence with us, and sustained by God’s Spirit.
 
This Saturday is International Women’s Day, and the World Day of Prayer this year features material put together by the women of the Cook Islands. Tarani Napa and Tevairangi Napa, a mother and daughter duo, write the following, reflecting on Psalm 139:14:
 
As guardians and caretakers of God’s marvellous works, we always treasure these words, ‘I made you wonderful’. Our women play a vital role in keeping our heritage and traditions alive. They are the keepers of talents, teachers and mentors. From mothers to daughters, the cycle of life, faith and love continues here on our islands of paradise. We show our respect and love for God and for one another in harmonies of song and prayer. Our precious Tivaevae quilts represent patience, love and unity. We honour God’s love and mercy with hats we wear to church, woven by skilful loving hands from the strands of rito, the young coconut leaf. We adorn ourselves with sweet, scented Tiare tropical flowers, made into crowns and garlands. From the heart, we teach and nurture our beloved children, the younger generation, our future.
 
 At the closing of a gathering, our Tongareva elders always say these powerful words of encouragement: ‘Kia mau te serenga! Kia mau te napena! Kia mau!’ This means ‘hold on tight to who you are, in all aspects of your existence!’ We are wonderfully made by God, and we should cherish all the aspects of who we are!

Sunday, 02 March — Hope in seeing more of Christ and going beyond our limited view of the Messiah

It has been a busy week in church and at Regent’s Park College with a couple of events marking the launch of Oxford’s Centre of Black Theology taking place. We hosted a book launch on Wednesday evening for Tim Judson’s book, The White Bonhoeffer: A Post-Colonial Pilgrimage. It was well-attended by people from the university and by those beyond the academy, finishing with a enlightening question and answer session that mainly explored how white supremacy, colonialism, and Christendom became entwined. We still see the effects of that today, where a warped version of Christianity is used to help justify far right and nationalist movements that have Western and white supremacy at their heart.
 
Bonhoeffer spent a formational time studying in the USA, in Harlem, a neighbourhood in New York City, where he engaged with the Black community there. Living alongside a persecuted people wrestling with racism and injustice expanded his horizons and gave him a new understanding of what it was to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It opened his eyes to see how Jesus identified with the oppressed and marginalised, and no doubt played a part in leading to his active role in the resistance to Hitler’s Nazi regime.
 
This week, on the Sunday before Lent begins, we encounter a familiar story in which Jesus is seen in a new light by his closest disciples. Jesus had warned his followers that he would suffer and die and be raised again. Yet this didn’t fit within the expectations that they had for a ‘messiah’. They struggle to take it in, and don’t understand that Jesus is talking about.
 
Following on from this, Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter, John, and James to pray. In that moment Jesus is transfigured before them, and his glory is fully revealed as he stands alongside Moses (representing the law) and Elijah (representing the prophets). Then a voice comes from the cloud, confirming Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved son, commanding the disciples to listen to him.
 
It is the ultimate ‘mountaintop’ experience, and Peter quite wants to stay there to soak it all in, but this moment of revelation and confirmation is to be followed by a return to lower ground. Their limited view of who Jesus was is to be left behind, and this glorious revelation of the nature of Christ is to give them encouragement, confidence, and hope as they continue on the journey ahead of them towards Jerusalem.
 
As we enter this period of Lent, may we find the time to pray and take what opportunities we have to come to a greater understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. May we find the time to journey alongside people who are different to ourselves, and to have our eyes opened to the ways in which our understanding of God and salvation have been hitherto limited. May we encounter Christ as we gather together, and have more of his glory revealed to us, so that we can engage in our world enlivened and encouraged by the one in whose footsteps we follow.

Sunday, 23 February — Hope in the midst of injustice and chaos

This week we will hear the following from Psalm 37, which is a Psalm that is said to be an ‘Exhortation to Patience and Trust’:
 
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
 
In our world at present, it is hard for us not to fret. President Trump is flooding the airwaves with all sorts of conflicting and concerning executive orders, and enacting a destabilising foreign policy that significantly impacts us in Europe, especially with regard to Russia and Ukraine. We have our own problems to face too, with an economy and NHS that is still struggling, as well as an ongoing cost of living crisis for many. Then there is the looming spectre of the climate crisis, which is further deepened by the increase of power seized by corporations and billionaires with no interest in reducing the consumption of the earth’s resources.
 
It's easy for us in this context, alongside 24/7 news, social media, and our own work, study and household stresses, to feel overwhelmed by it all. In many ways that is exactly what Trump seeks to do with his incessant output of triggering and divisive rhetoric, to wear us out.
 
In some ways, the words of hope that we come across in Psalm 37 seem naïve and detached from reality. They could lead to us doing nothing and awaiting some future moment in which everything is fixed by God, and the wicked get their comeuppance.
 
However, what we come to know of God through Christ is that God is with us now. The waiting patiently, being still, and trusting in God is not about simply doing nothing, but it gives us the space to be able to discern with others how best to respond and to it as we seek to subvert such injustice with God’s abundant love and mercy. Only then can we avoid being overwhelmed by the likes of Trump and the climate crisis. Rather than fear leading us into a fight, flight, or freeze (rabbit in the headlights) response, we are called to trust in God, and to place our hope in the one who is present with us in everything we face.