Although are not allowed to sing or hug each other, this is the first step towards being together as a community. May God fill us with his joy.
<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Rom 7 is about wanting to do what is right as Christians but not managing it and doing evil instead. “Not doing what we want to do, but doing what we hate,” is particularly true when we think about the institutional and economic systems that are exploitive and unjust which we sadly struggle to detach ourselves from.</span>For example, our country has borrowed from the World Bank to help us through the pandemic at a low rate of interest. This has meant poorer countries have been downgraded and are unlikely to get loans during the crisis that is likely to hit them.Our desperate need for PPE to save the lives of doctors and nurses has partly been resourced by modern day slaves. Our globalised economic system is not something our government, church or ourselves can easily detach from; hence cries of hypocrisy when it was discovered the church had shares in oil companies and Wonga, while we criticised what these companies were doing.When we consider modern day slavery both here and abroad, carpet workers in India, gold miners in Ghana, those who live off rubbish tips in Brazil and those attempting to farm in drought ridden climates etc we see so many people contending with impossible conditions imposed upon them by others We are in a constant battle against wrongdoing and will always be because when we win the battle against one form of injustice others occurWe know that Jesus has won the battle. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ who died to forgive us our sin and enable us to live by the power of his Holy Spirit.Our gospel reading shows us how we might align our will and values to Christ’s and share in his victory.The society Jesus describes surprisingly seems much like ours. Jesus talks about those who are critical, judgemental and controlling. His generation was also expected to dance to the tune of the piper and mourn when required to do soEven though modern management style, league tables and emails didn’t exist, popular gossip about both John the Baptist and Jesus himself (real fake news) existed.Instead of getting het up about it Jesus spends time with his heavenly Father praying and focusing upon his values. He then says, “Come unto me.” Find out what I am like yourself.Some of us, like Jesus, have been unfairly maligned and have suffered injustice. Some have become trapped under exploitive practices and have been no longer able to work in those contexts and stay well. We become weary and heavy ladenJesus tells us the only way we can become free is to become yoked to him. The yoke is a symbol of oppression and hard work. It is the piece of wood which rests across the necks of oxen and horses when they are ploughing too keep them in line and enable them to pull heavy burdens.It is also a symbol of slavery. Jesus spoke into a world where the majority were not playing in the market place and gossiping. He spoke to a slave culture which was inhumane and unfair. During the transatlantic slave trade, Africans stolen from their homeland were yoked together like beasts. People became the property of their owners to kill or rape at will. When the policeman placed his knee on George Floyd’s neck killing him it was a potent symbol of the yoke or knee placed upon the necks of black people throughout history.Slavery was awful, yet the Church of England condoned it. None of the Bishops in the House of Lords supported Wilberforce’s efforts to abolish the trade in human beings.Sadly there are more slaves today than before. Thankfully the church no longer condones it.Millions of children and adults are trapped in slavery in every single country in the world, including ours.Modern slavery is all around us, but often just out of sight. People can become entrapped making our clothes, serving our food, picking our crops, working in factories, or working in houses as cooks, cleaners or nannies.From the outside, it can look like a normal job. But people are being controlled – they can face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have had their passport taken away and be threatened with deportation. Many have fallen into this oppressive trap simply because they were trying to escape poverty or insecurity, improve their lives and support their families. 40 million people are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery worldwide: One in four are children, almost three quarters are women and girls and over ten thousand were identified as potential victims by the authorities in the UK in 2019.Everyone, everywhere should have the freedom to make safe, dignified choices about their livesJesus gives us a choice to be joined to him, to walk and work with him. He says, “Take my yoke.”Jesus takes the yoke too. He comes down to our level. He is gentle and meek, not like the arrogant bosses. He is lowly of heart.When we walk with his power alongside, not in our own strength, there is no striving to get ahead. We walk, at his pace, in the same direction; we are winners because we cross the finishing line with himJesus tells us his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Jesus is the Master carpenter. Our yoke is a perfect fit with no pressure sores or splintersJesus came to free us from the slavery of sin. We therefore need to work with him to free both the exploiter and exploited from the social, economic, legal, and political systems which need changing so that all God’s people can be free. Jesus yoked himself to us on the cross bringing us into relationship with him.He comes alongside us in our work, in our shame, when we are burnt out and tired because we have been doing things for God rather than with himWe need no longer be yoked to the powers of this world, we no longer have to dance to its tune because Jesus invites us to live our lives a better way, to come, to take his yoke, and to learn from him. He says the result is that we shall find rest for our souls.Gracious Father,by the obedience of Jesusyou brought salvation to our wayward world:draw us into harmony with your will,that we may find all things restored in him,our Saviour Jesus Christ.
<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Rom 7 is about wanting to do what is right as Christians but not managing it and doing evil instead. “Not doing what we want to do, but doing what we hate,” is particularly true when we think about the institutional and economic systems that are exploitive and unjust which we sadly struggle to detach ourselves from.</span>For example, our country has borrowed from the World Bank to help us through the pandemic at a low rate of interest. This has meant poorer countries have been downgraded and are unlikely to get loans during the crisis that is likely to hit them.Our desperate need for PPE to save the lives of doctors and nurses has partly been resourced by modern day slaves. Our globalised economic system is not something our government, church or ourselves can easily detach from; hence cries of hypocrisy when it was discovered the church had shares in oil companies and Wonga, while we criticised what these companies were doing.When we consider modern day slavery both here and abroad, carpet workers in India, gold miners in Ghana, those who live off rubbish tips in Brazil and those attempting to farm in drought ridden climates etc we see so many people contending with impossible conditions imposed upon them by others We are in a constant battle against wrongdoing and will always be because when we win the battle against one form of injustice others occurWe know that Jesus has won the battle. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ who died to forgive us our sin and enable us to live by the power of his Holy Spirit.Our gospel reading shows us how we might align our will and values to Christ’s and share in his victory.The society Jesus describes surprisingly seems much like ours. Jesus talks about those who are critical, judgemental and controlling. His generation was also expected to dance to the tune of the piper and mourn when required to do soEven though modern management style, league tables and emails didn’t exist, popular gossip about both John the Baptist and Jesus himself (real fake news) existed.Instead of getting het up about it Jesus spends time with his heavenly Father praying and focusing upon his values. He then says, “Come unto me.” Find out what I am like yourself.Some of us, like Jesus, have been unfairly maligned and have suffered injustice. Some have become trapped under exploitive practices and have been no longer able to work in those contexts and stay well. We become weary and heavy ladenJesus tells us the only way we can become free is to become yoked to him. The yoke is a symbol of oppression and hard work. It is the piece of wood which rests across the necks of oxen and horses when they are ploughing too keep them in line and enable them to pull heavy burdens.It is also a symbol of slavery. Jesus spoke into a world where the majority were not playing in the market place and gossiping. He spoke to a slave culture which was inhumane and unfair. During the transatlantic slave trade, Africans stolen from their homeland were yoked together like beasts. People became the property of their owners to kill or rape at will. When the policeman placed his knee on George Floyd’s neck killing him it was a potent symbol of the yoke or knee placed upon the necks of black people throughout history.Slavery was awful, yet the Church of England condoned it. None of the Bishops in the House of Lords supported Wilberforce’s efforts to abolish the trade in human beings.Sadly there are more slaves today than before. Thankfully the church no longer condones it.Millions of children and adults are trapped in slavery in every single country in the world, including ours.Modern slavery is all around us, but often just out of sight. People can become entrapped making our clothes, serving our food, picking our crops, working in factories, or working in houses as cooks, cleaners or nannies.From the outside, it can look like a normal job. But people are being controlled – they can face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have had their passport taken away and be threatened with deportation. Many have fallen into this oppressive trap simply because they were trying to escape poverty or insecurity, improve their lives and support their families. 40 million people are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery worldwide: One in four are children, almost three quarters are women and girls and over ten thousand were identified as potential victims by the authorities in the UK in 2019.Everyone, everywhere should have the freedom to make safe, dignified choices about their livesJesus gives us a choice to be joined to him, to walk and work with him. He says, “Take my yoke.”Jesus takes the yoke too. He comes down to our level. He is gentle and meek, not like the arrogant bosses. He is lowly of heart.When we walk with his power alongside, not in our own strength, there is no striving to get ahead. We walk, at his pace, in the same direction; we are winners because we cross the finishing line with himJesus tells us his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Jesus is the Master carpenter. Our yoke is a perfect fit with no pressure sores or splintersJesus came to free us from the slavery of sin. We therefore need to work with him to free both the exploiter and exploited from the social, economic, legal, and political systems which need changing so that all God’s people can be free. Jesus yoked himself to us on the cross bringing us into relationship with him.He comes alongside us in our work, in our shame, when we are burnt out and tired because we have been doing things for God rather than with himWe need no longer be yoked to the powers of this world, we no longer have to dance to its tune because Jesus invites us to live our lives a better way, to come, to take his yoke, and to learn from him. He says the result is that we shall find rest for our souls.Gracious Father,by the obedience of Jesusyou brought salvation to our wayward world:draw us into harmony with your will,that we may find all things restored in him,our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Will we ever be able to hug each other and share from the same cup again? As COVID 19 continues to work its way across the world and people are still dying here in the United Kingdom, it doesn’t look as if we will be getting back to normal soon. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin are death. Many have suffered and died because of the sins and mistakes of others. Prolonged isolation and fear is the price many are paying because others have failed to observe restrictions.Hugs or more formal handshakes for those we don’t know well are needed more than ever. Those who have been isolated for more than three months now, need the reassuring, comforting touch of those who love and care for them. It has been hard avoiding hugging those who have lost loved ones recently as they have endured Spartan funerals. Hugs bring healing and happiness. They make us feel good, reducing stress and showing support. They reduce our fear and pain and enable us to communicate more effectively. It has been said that we need four hugs a day for survival.When we hug, we open our arms wide in welcome and love and draw others into the circle of our love and warmth.In our present health crisis, however, touch has been banned. Hugs and handshakes can injure or kill. Because of the risk of infection, we must learn to show our welcome differently. Even now, with lockdown coming to an end, we are only able to provide a bubble with another householdWe’re expected to keep a 2 m distance, treat others as lepers and cover our faces with masksWe are not allowed to eat with neighbours and as Christians are not able to partake of Holy Communion together, worship at the same table and receive the welcome Christ gives to us in the form of bread and wine.Welcoming one another into our homes, into our church and into our lives is important. It enables us to know that we are accepted unconditionally, valued and not aloneWelcome is an act of grace. We give hospitality even though we may receive nothing in return in this life. I am blessed because I don’t live alone. The present situation must be horrendous for our elderly, mainly widows or widowers, particularly as many are unable to access zoom and do not have an internet connection.Although we are now able to access are church building for private prayer, it is not the welcoming place it once was. We have to sign a book to show we are there and sanitize our hands on the way in and the way out, just in case we are carrying something that might infect others.The soft furnishings and toy box has been removed, along with Bibles and hymn books.We cannot light a candle for ourselves to remember our loved ones. We have to wait for the person on duty to light it for us.Sometime during this month, when the Bishop’s guidance on how we are to proceed has been received, we will reopen for public worship on Sunday mornings. We will not be able to sing or receive Holy Communion but a service of Morning Prayer with social distancing will be possible. It will take some of you back to the times when Holy Communion was not the main service of the day and an occasional monthly tag on. Our zoom services are encouraging but hardly inclusive as those without the relevant technology, (often the elderly and poorer members of our community) cannot join us. We cannot give an open invitation as interlopers are signing into zoom services to destroy them. I am happy, however, for you to invite your friends and families and give them the means to participate.Jesus tells us in Matthew 10 that when we welcome followers of Jesus, particularly those who have been rejected or are outsiders, we are welcoming him and his heavenly Father who sent him. Hebrews 13:2 tells us that when we entertain strangers we may be entertaining angels without knowing it. Jesus continues by saying that when we receive the message of a preacher of truth, we receive a prophet’s reward. When we welcome a righteous person in the name of a righteous person, in other words, when we are right with our Lord Jesus Christ ourselves and they are right and we do right together, we receive the reward of the righteous. Even giving someone a cup of cold water like Jesus did receives a reward.Welcoming is costly. We know we are unlikely to receive financial reward in this lifetime. When we welcome others, however, we become rich in love, often getting to know others at a deep level. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Jesus shows his welcome to us by setting us free from all that has been sinful in our lives and giving us the gift of eternal life. We can welcome others as he welcomes us through welcoming unreservedly, and being willing to bear the costs. So how do we welcome others when the hugs and hospitality we would normally give can kill?A greeting in the street, a thumbs up, and a telephone call helps. Being trapped in gives us a chance to get our near neighbours over the garden hedge if we are blessed in having one.Telling our nearest and dearest that we love them by whatever means are at our disposal raises both our spirits and theirs.We can use our imaginations and memories to remind us of the welcomes and hugs we have enjoyed in our past, reliving them in our hearts and be thankfulSince we are unable to entertain in our homes or church hall, we can give generously to food banks and charities. We can continue to remind ourselves and others of Christ’s welcome which transcends the boundaries imposed upon us. We can invite him into our hearts and minds, thank him for his love and use our imagination as we spend time with him, receiving the warmth of his welcoming hug and his gift of life.Let’s continue to remember each other our prayers, find new ways to connect with others and keep other people’s interests uppermost in our mind.Whether you come back to our church building for Sunday worship or continue to meet with others on zoom, I am always delighted to see or hear from you. Hugging physically is the wrong thing to do for the moment, but be reassured that you are welcomed from the heart.God our saviour,look on this wounded worldin pity and in power;hold us fast to your promises of peacewon for us by your Son,our Saviour Jesus Christ.
