Readings
Jeremiah 15: 15-21;
Psalm 26: 1-8;
Romans 12: 9-end;
Matthew 16: 21-end

Collect
God of constant mercy,
who sent your Son to save us:
remind us of your goodness,
increase your grace within us,
that our thankfulness may grow,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Reflection

As I watched the news last night one story jumped out at me as it was in stark contrast to almost every other item. It was the great news that naturally-occurring Polio has been eradicated in Africa, and has the potential to be eradicated from the whole world very soon with only Afghanistan and Pakistan being the only countries left where it is still prevalent. The World Health Organisation talked about what is possible when nations and agencies work together to defeat a deadly disease. This is something we should be truly celebrating and will make a massive difference to people throughout the world. I am left thinking if only…nations would work together to fight COVID-19 instead of pitching themselves against each other and blaming one another, accusing organisations of being in league with others, by claiming we have the best this that and the other…politicians would stop promoting division between nations and people.  Whether that’s to do with trade, ethnicity, status or religion…people would not enflame division by posting inflammatory statements on social media but would post wisely, contribute to discourse, check facts, resist cheap digs so that bitterness can be transcended enabling us to disagree better.

It seems to me that these ‘if onlys’ aren’t a popular choice. They are certainly not the easy route but they are the way of the cross.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans he sets out his arguments for a new way of imagining community.  Gone are the ways of empire where, if you want to get ahead, you need to look up and ally yourself with a more prominent citizen.  Instead Paul says that we need to look in the other direction to the needs of the poor, offering hospitality and anything else that will make lives better.  This is something was so counter-cultural at the time and is still so today.  

We are constantly hearing or reading stories of division that it’s almost like the old wartime strategy of divide and conquer.  There is very little evidence of nations and communities working together to achieve something amazing where all are valued no matter their status, skin colour or faith.  If you look at the words our political leaders use, very few talk about healing divisions; instead they tend to create fear and division of those that are different.  You only have to look at the language used about those who are risking their lives to cross the English Channel in an attempt to seek asylum here in a country where they think they will be safe.  Then there are the discussions this week about the British Empire and the row about what is sung at the Last Night of the Proms.  If we look across the Atlantic we see the fear-mongering of the presidential election campaign and the continued division of race as Jacob Blake is yet an other victim of intolerance and fear. 

Surely, we are being challenged today to be counter-cultural, to build a new community, a new world where all can live in harmony with one another.  We are being called to take up our crosses to stand alongside those who are marginalised, to love our neighbour, to build up the brokenhearted.  It doesn’t stop there though, we are encouraged not only to do these things in support of those who are dispossessed and in need but also to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  It seems to me that more than ever the message of the gospel is clear and something that we have to take seriously.  If we can do this, then through our actions God can build a whole new world where love, justice and hope can flourish.  So I wonder, what can you and I can do differently that will transform community? 

I want to leave you with another good news story.  There’s a program on Channel Five called rich house, poor house where two families swap places and have to live for a week on each other’s weekly income.  I’ve not seen it but as a result of swapping places one rich family decided that they needed to do something to help the poor family they swapped with, despite the rules prohibiting this.  As a result of struggling to live on £122 a week the family offered to write off a large part of the crippling family debt.  This act of kindness and love has changed the lives of both families forever and is surely an example of what it means to create a new community. 

Mike Morris