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Rise and shine
Looking forward in the context of the past year (Isaiah 60:1)
Context
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
What have been the big news stories of 2025? One of the major stories has been the continuing saga of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. It is impossible to know what else will emerge but consider the allegations and events in the context of Isaiah 60. We can see a need for repentance but it's too easy to focus on the need of one man to repent. He is simply an illustration of the need to get down and repent before it is possible to arise and shine out.
The New Year’s Honours List 2026 provides a catalogue of people who have been rewarded for what they have done or possibly are still doing. The list contains a wide variety of people from a range of backgrounds but one of the more famous recipients is actor Idris Elba. However, his knighthood is not for services to acting. It is rather for his work in the community which has included a major focus on empowering young people. Sir Idris is shining as a result of his honour but his honour is because of the way he has allowed young people to shine.
One of the most successful TV series of the last couple of years is The Traitors. Addicts have been feeling deprived since the conclusion of the celebrity series in November. The new series began on New Year's Day and will be different from previous series in that there is a secret traitor wearing a red cloak. Other new features are rumoured to be included as well. Arising and shining does not mean remaining static. It means responding and growing in a way that is empowered by the light of Christ.
Questions for discussion
- In what ways was 2025 a year of light or darkness for you?
- What inspires you to shine brightly?
- Where do you see the glory of the Lord?
Revd Stuart Wild is the Superintendent Minister of the Blackpool and South Fylde Methodist Circuit in Lancashire.
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“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1.
As majestic as this sounds, in a world that often feels dark — full of challenges, worries and noise — this can be a real challenge. As we commence the new year perhaps there are seasons of darkness in 2025 that you would like to leave behind, and are looking forward to a 2026 with seasons of hope and of light. Perhaps you have already set goals and resolutions to help you get that ‘glow-up’ this year.
However, already in this new year, we are hearing in the news of darkness and tragedy:
After the beautiful Christmas celebration of light and goodness, it can make tragic news feel even heavier.
But as those Isrealites did in the Isaiah passage, after a long time of struggle and turmoil, we must be ready to receive the light again too. And like the wise men in our Gospel passage, we are also called to be awake to God’s goodness today.
Here at the start of 2026, many across the UK are literally arising into bitterly cold weather with snow and icy conditions affecting travel and lives. People are being urged to prepare, check on vulnerable neighbours and stay safe. In the same way, God calls us to look beyond the cold and the darkness and seek Jesus, who brings light, warmth, hope and guidance no matter the conditions.
As we face challenges, whether snowstorms, tragedy or personal struggles, how can we choose to arise and keep our eyes fixed on the light that calls us onward?
Reflection
- Where in your life do you need to arise?
- What distractions or fears might be keeping you from following Jesus boldly?
Prayer
Lord, thank You that Your light has come.
Help us to arise from doubt, fear, and distraction.
Shine through us so others see Your love.
Give us courage to face this year with hope and joy.
Amen.
Natasia Bullock is director of Christian theatre company The B Tales.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 28 December 2025
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And yet, hope.
In a world of horror and grief, there are those who embody the hope and goodness of God.
Context
- Unsurprisingly and quite rightly most, if not all, nativity plays end with a harmonious, happy, scene around the manger with Mary looking remarkably serene given all she has been through and Joseph benignly looking on. Few, if any have a final act featuring the story Matthew tells in this week’s gospel reading. It is a deeply challenging text. And yet it is also a text that offers hope.
- In his Guardian newspaper column of 19.12.25, Jonathan Freedland explained his custom of ‘devoting the last column before Christmas to reasons to be hopeful’. Reflecting on the terrible events at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, on Bondi Beach and in Gaza amongst others, he candidly admits being hopeful has become ‘especially challenging’ in recent years. And yet, in his article entitled ‘At the dark end of a brutal year, I’m grateful to these heroes for showing us the light’ he identifies and celebrates those whose courage and care have shone as beacons of hope.
- Amidst the joy and celebrations of the BBC’s annual Sports Personality of the Year, Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe, the fathers of two of the young girls killed in Southport last year, were presented with the Helen Rollason award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity. It was a deeply moving moment, one that clearly affected Rory McIlroy, the winner of the main award of the night who, before reflecting on his own success, paid tribute to the two fathers.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- You might like to take people on a journey from the joy of the nativity play and the celebrations of Christmas day to the challenging text that is Mathhew 2:13-23. Then take some time to reflect on those who like Rachel weep for their children (Matthew 2:18) or those who like Joseph need to take their families to a place of safety, perhaps because they have been evicted from their homes or because their own country has become too dangerous. And then develop the theme of ‘And yet, hope’. Celebrate the stories of those who have demonstrated courage or care in dark situations or have known God’s guidance or provision in situations of danger or great difficulty.
- Understandably Mary, and mothers in general, are often presented as the primary carers for their children. But Matthew, in his telling of the infancy narrative of Jesus, gives prominence to Joseph. Unlike Mary, Joseph doesn’t get his own candle in the Advent wreath so you might like to take some time to reflect on and celebrate his character: his care, his courage, his obedience and his devotion to his betrothed and child. Many of the attributes that Luke ascribes to Mary, Matthew ascribes to Joseph. At a time when what constitutes good and healthy masculinity is being much debated, Joseph (like Sergio and David referenced above) is an interesting person to explore. He embodies hope and goodness – the antithesis of the highly toxic masculinity of the Herods.
- Another interesting feature of Matthew’s narrative is the way in which he presents Joseph being guided by God. Three times (vs 13, 19, 22) guidance comes by way of dreams. This provides an opportunity for an interactive talk about how we can know God’s guidance today.
Questions for discussion
What questions does Matthew 2:13-23 raise for you? If you so choose, this question and the answers given in response could be the basis for all the discussion time. Additionally, or alternatively, you could explore the following:
- Who today is weeping for their children like Rachel?
- And yet, hope. Where and in whom is hope to be seen and experienced in these difficult days?
- What does Joseph teach us about faithful devoted discipleship and healthy masculinity?
- In the nativity stories God guides Mary and Joseph through:
- Angels
- Dreams
- The Scriptures
- People of faith and devotion, such as Simeon and Anna.
How do you know God’s guidance? Do we need to be open to different forms of guidance? How can we be sure that what we think is God’s guidance, really is?
Andrew Roberts is a husband, father, Methodist Minister and the author of Holy Habits. He enjoys watching football and cricket and once appeared on national TV dressed as a giant sunflower (BBC Get Your Own Back).
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The government recently recorded the longest gap without small boat arrivals for seven years. There are around 117 million refugees in the world and the UK receives less than 1% of these. Once they claim asylum here they are not allowed to work, receiving a cash allowance of about £50 per week for each person in their household, and are offered temporary housing.
This week’s reading reminds us that, as a baby, Jesus and his family were forced to flee from the threat of violence. We are not given any detail about their experience in Egypt - whether they were welcomed or treated harshly. All we are told is that they were able to wait out the threat to Jesus’ life in Egypt, returning to Nazareth once it was safe.
- Do we treat people fleeing violence well in the UK? Is this how we would have wanted Mary and Joseph to be treated when they fled Herod?
- How do the statistics cited above compare with the tone of many stories about migration in the media?
The terminology around migration is often misunderstood. Spend some time parsing out the meaning of the terms migration, refugee and asylum seeker.
This is a sensitive subject and there may be young people (or adults) in your group with lived experience of fleeing their home in the UK due to criminal violence or domestic abuse as well as those who have come to the UK as refugees. Consider how you will support those who are upset by this discussion.
Victoria Etherington is University and Young Adult Chaplain in the York Methodist Circuit.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 21 December 2025
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Let’s fight the darkness!
Summary
Do we, like Joseph (Matt. 1:18-25), still look for God’s good purposes despite troubling events?
Context
The world needs light! Australia, indeed the world, has been shaken by events at Bondi beach. British Jews are frightened. Reports of Bondi here followed hard on the reporting of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ carol service which referenced the danger of the rise of ‘Christian nationalism’, antisemitism and Islamophobia. And a carol service full of unfriendly St George’s flags! How can the Christmas Christ bring healing?
Reflection
The gathering reportedly passed peacefully. But I was chilled by a pictured banner depicting Crusaders. ‘Christian’ kings fighting ‘the Infidel’ over Jerusalem in the Middle Ages is not a timely image. A different vibe, an inclusive one, came from a local Christmas Tree Festival where diverse groups that use the church halls had erected Christmas trees show-casing their activities. Alongside a prayer-tree, and one representing the Church’s Tots’ Group, sat one from a Yoga group showing how their organisation supports educational and health charities in India where its philosophical roots lie. Next to that was one from a local homelessness charity inviting people to write down their hopes for marginalised people and hang them on the tree, to be shown to the homeless so they know they are thought and prayed about. And there was an eye-catching tree from a local Parkinson's charity running a scheme to help Parkinson’s sufferers keep active through playing table-tennis. Among twinkling lights, in front of the Cross and under the gaze of Christ the Good Shepherd in the stained-glass window, the Church made common cause with those meeting needs local and distant, and highlighted Christ’s birthday as the right time to look outward.
In London it needed a counter-demonstration by Stand Up to Racism to raise the cheery banner, ‘Love Christmas: Hate Racism’. That holly-adorned banner made me think. Such Christmas-themed imagery hits home, especially for a younger generation! Need Christians distance themselves from the less tasteful Christmas razzmatazz? I visited a shopping mall and felt my spirits lift as I left the chilly street for lights, and Christmassy songs, teddy-bears riding in Santa’s sleigh and smiling people! Don’t let the kitsch dominate. But do let it rouse us from wallowing in grim news and divisive interpretations of the world’s ills.
Through the Incarnation God challenges us all. Like the child in the manger, be open and vulnerable, and let others’ joy heal us. But then, like the adult Christ, be bold and actively other-oriented! We can’t all be like the man, another Muslim, who grappled with a terrorist gun-man to save his fellow Australians. But we can emulate Jewish families here and elsewhere fighting hate with defiant Hanukkah candles; or the young people of goodwill who challenged the English nationalist slant of that carol service with their slogans. Let’s let our Christmas trees light up the darkness!
Sermon ideas
- Our faith is mediated by our precious communal heritage. How can we celebrate our shared heritage without letting it become something that excludes others?
- Looking at the Christmas razzmatazz what would you keep as helpful e.g. a town Christmas tree as a communal focus, and what would you get rid of as exploitative e.g. Christmas-themed toy franchises?
Questions
- You’re King Charles, or the Town Mayor, or the school’s Head Teacher. What would be the most important point of the Christmas message you would deliver to your community? And why?
- Think about the events and services your Church or Group has planned or participated in this Christmas season. Which do you think the most important? And why?
Brenda Vance is a URC Elder and retired university teacher living in Sussex.
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The name Emmanuel is sung, spoken and preached throughout the month of December every year. But what does that name really mean to us? What does it mean to us at Christmas? Emmanuel – God with us. And what does that look like all year long? Emmanuel – God is Always with us.
In this week’s passage, we focus on Joseph’s fear, uncertainty, and confusion. Mary, his betrothed, is unexpectedly pregnant, and Joseph doesn’t yet understand what’s happened or why it happened. But an angel comes to Joseph and says: “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife… for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” And then Matthew tells us that the child’s name shall be Jesus — because he will save his people from their sins — and that his name is Emmanuel, God with us.
This isn’t a small detail — it’s the heart of the Gospel. God isn’t distant. God doesn’t stay in heaven tucked safely away from life’s fear, uncertainty and confusion. No — in Jesus, God chose to come close. God chose to be with us in every part of our human experience — including the fear, uncertainty and confusion!
And we’re reminded of that in the world right now. Just last week, in Sydney, at Bondi Beach, a joyful Hanukkah celebration — a moment meant for peace, light, and family — turned into horror and heartbreak when gunmen opened fire on the crowd, killing many innocent people and injuring dozens more.
Families have lost loved ones. Children were present. A community’s celebration became trauma. Such events like this arouse fear, create uncertainty and leave us all utterly confused. Which in turn can raise questions for all of us: Where is God in all of this? How can God be with us when we see such evil and pain?
But this is precisely where the truth of Emmanuel becomes real and personal. Jesus comes not only to be with us in comfortable, happy moments, but in the moments that shake us to the core. God with us means God doesn’t turn away from our grief. God doesn’t pretend suffering isn’t real. Instead, Jesus enters into suffering. He walks alongside humans who are afraid, wounded, and grieving.
Jesus knows what it feels like to be afraid. Mary and Joseph felt fear. Jesus felt betrayal. He felt pain, and ultimately death. Yet, in all of this — God with us — promising justice, peace, and compassion that will be fully realised even if not yet fully seen.
So what does Emmanuel mean for us in a moment like this?
- God is near when we hurt. We can bring our pain, questions, and heartbreak to God honestly.
- We are called to be with others in their hurt. When the world suffers, we are called to bring God’s presence: through our prayers, our compassion, our actions. We can be the comfort the angel brought to Joseph.
- The coming of Jesus shows us that love is stronger than hatred. Emmanuel means that no darkness — not even violence and terror — can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
This week let us pray and act so that we bring Emmanuel — God with us — into every broken place of the world, into our communities, and into our hearts.
Natasia Bullock, The Director of The B Tales
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 14 December 2025
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Doubt is good!
Christians experience both faith and doubt – and that’s alright! (Matthew 11:3)
Context
Who can take even a casual glance at the state of God’s world in Advent 2025 and still fail to notice that not everything is as (we believe) God wants it to be?
Faced with the suffering endured by so many of our sisters and brothers through conflict, climate change, poverty and pollution, to the overcrowded hospitals, record numbers of homeless people and pressure on food banks, who can honestly not ask themselves what has happened to Jesus Christ’s 2000-year-old words about “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10)?
It's a good question – and I mean a really GOOD question. It’s the kind of question we, as Christians, should ask ourselves for, as American novelist Anne Lamott pointed out, 'The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within, for the sense one was born with, the sense, for example, to go for a walk.' Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, Penguin 2004
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
Today’s Gospel reading finds John the Baptist not captivating crowds of people, denouncing the Pharisees and Sadducees or baptising Jesus at the River Jordan, but in prison, facing death, and wondering whether all that preaching and baptising had been a ghastly mistake. Having proclaimed Jesus with prophetic conviction (Matthew 3:11-12), he is now full of doubt and sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he really is the man he’d believed him to be.
What this tells us is profound. While the writer to the Hebrews tells readers, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), John’s experience teaches us that doubt and questioning are also a legitimate part of the Christian journey. It’s alright to doubt, especially when we’re feeling trapped or hopeless or facing death. Doubt doesn’t make us “bad” Christians. Given the sadness and suffering and sin all around us, it's a natural part of being Christians. Christianity is not a competition to find out which of us has the most faith. No one should ever feel compelled to be – or pretend to be – joyful all the time. A real Church is a community where, at any time, those who are happy support those who are sad, those who are healthy support those who are sick, those who have plenty support those who have little, and those who are hopeful support those who are doubtful.
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10), and the word “may” (or “might” - Greek: ἔχωσιν, echōsin) is not a guarantee – that would be “will” or “shall” – but an offer. God’s people may have life in all its fullness if they follow in the way that Jesus walked before us.
If Christian faith cannot enable us to face sorrow as well as joy, if it cannot equip us to challenge suffering as well as to celebrate success, then it has little to do with the Jesus Christ who both entertained the children and healed the sick, who both drank wine at a wedding and spoke up for the poor, and underwent his Passion and Crucifixion before his Resurrection and Ascension.
Questions for discussion
- What are our greatest concerns at present, as individuals and as a community?
- What doubts do we feel for ourselves and for the world?
- How does our Christian faith equip us to face sorrow and challenge suffering?
- What signs of hope do we see as we approach Christmas?
Robert Beard is an NHS worker and Church of England priest.
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Australia has just banned social media accounts for under 16s - some are calling for the same in the UK. There are nuanced arguments for and against a ban but recently I experienced one of the arguments for in an unexpected and somewhat harsh way.
This particular argument goes: social media is detrimental to face-to-face relationships. The truth of this was brought home to me when I went for a hearing test. Members of my family had been saying that I was going deaf. I thought they were mumbling (I have teenage sons!). Turns out we were all wrong. After confirming my hearing was fine the audiologist told me about the research that shows we listen least well to those closest to us. We listen to our close family whilst doing other things and so are less likely to give them our full attention. Sometimes you just need to talk whilst doing life, but at other times it’s more insidious - familiarity can breed contempt and we become more interested in the new things presented to us on social media than we are in the people immediately in front of us.
But doom scrolling doesn’t just stop us hearing from our family, it stops us hearing from God.
It is important to try to resolve problems politically but some things will not be finally solved until Jesus comes again. This Advent, as we approach Jesus’ first coming, our reading reminds us of Jesus’ second coming. It is full of amazing promises of great joy but what leapt out to me was that “the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped” (Isaiah 35:5).
Banning phones for U16s will have some benefits but might also cause other problems and not be as successful as we hope. Jesus’ second coming on the other hand will remove all the barriers to joy and the flourishing of human relationships because it will finally remove the last barrier between us and God.
Dr Gareth Crispin is Tutor for Youth and Children's Ministry at Emmanuel Theological College.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 7 December 2025
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A peaceable kingdom?
How do we recognise and welcome Isaiah’s Messianic kingdom? (Isaiah 11:1-11)
Context
A wonderful aspect of the Internet is animal stories which echo Isaiah 11:6-9.
It’s up to each of us to become bringers of peace.
In a time when the “other” is becoming more and more demonised, some people prefer hope.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
It’s been 2000 years since God’s love entered human flesh in Jesus and yet our world is no closer to the peaceable kingdom foretold in Isaiah 11:1-11. Russia’s war rages in Ukraine; people continue to die in Gaza; Trump’s masked agents continue to tear families apart and the list goes on. What has become of “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain.”(v9)? For this writer, the answer is provided by an American cartoon character named Pogo who once said: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
For too long we have believed that the attributes of the Messiah described in Isaiah 11 will be automatically given to humanity, with no effort on our part. Yet Jesus plainly taught his followers that “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). If you do…i.e. Jesus never said he would do it for us; rather he gave us an example for all time. God is not a cosmic nanny who puts right all our wrongs. The peaceable kingdom begins with you and me; and it’s a 24/7 vocation. It is that simple and that hard.
Isaiah speaks of a “shoot” coming out of the stump of Jesse — King David’s father. In Judaeo-Christian tradition, David is often portrayed as the best King of Israel. I challenge this view in my novel, Joab. If you read 1&2 Samuel closely, you might do the same. David murders, lies, commits adultery and more. Isaiah doesn’t mention David by name but insinuates a coming king who will embody the best of the past (David?) whilst incorporating qualities scarcely any ruler in history has ever possessed. You and I live in a time when too many world leaders tend to compete for the most repressive and violent regimes: Trump, Putin, Xi and more. One man (and it’s usually a man!) needs to prove something to the world at everyone else’s expense. Even people of faith seem content to postpone an equitable government until after said government has done its dirty deeds. Can we simply sit by?
Questions for discussion
Think of a time when you had to make a decision between being righteously angry and being kind/peaceable. If you chose righteous anger, how did that feel after the event? And how did it feel, if you chose to be kind/peaceable?
We live in a time when populist governments and parties blame their countries’ ills on immigrants and ethnic minorities. If only those “others” would change, life would be so much better. This always lets me/us off the hook.
- Have you ever fallen into such a point of view? If so, why?
- How might you react if you discovered that we had killed or deported the Messiah?
- What sort of people might we have to become in order to receive the kingship of the Messiah?
The Revd Dr Jack Lawson is a freelance writer and novelist: Doing Time, No Good Deed, Criminal Justice, The Woods and Dirty Business. His newest novel, Joab (Wipf & Stock), is based on the life of King David.
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I don’t know where the negotiations concerning peace in Ukraine will be when you read this. The proposed deal seems to change by the day. Suddenly it has developed an urgency as President Trump desires peace. I’m not sure why that makes any difference but if it adds to the momentum, I am not going to complain.
The imagery of peace in Isaiah 11 is vivid and moving. Ferocious wild animals cohabit peacefully with vulnerable and weak young creatures. This is not a zoological fact. It is an aspirational image and an image that speaks to the conflicts of our world today. Isaiah writes that this image becomes real as a result of the presence of the Spirit of God.
We should hold Isaiah 11 and the peace talks about Ukraine together and allow the words of the prophet to shape our prayers. Let us believe that peace will happen and let us pray that those engaged in seeking it may be guided by the spirit of wisdom and understanding; the spirit of counsel and might; and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Peace in Ukraine - now that would truly be a great Christmas gift for the world.
Methodist Minister Revd Stuart Wild (Superintendent Minister of the Blackpool and South Fylde Methodist Circuit in Lancashire) is praying for peace and hoping that you will join your prayers with his.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 30 November 2025
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Turning anger to acceptance
What does Isaiah 2.1-5 say to our society about turning weapons into welcome signs?
Context
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
Violence and oppression, or vision and opportunities? The recent Tommy Robinson rallies that have inspired some younger men in particular to explore Christianity raise questions:
- Are they doing this for the appropriate reasons? Or is there a sense of nostalgic nationalism at play here that has little to do with the the core principles of the Christian faith in Jesus Christ?
- Are people defending something they never had, simply because they fear what others might put in its place – i.e. faiths other than Christianity?
- In what ways are there opportunities here for the Church to genuinely encourage those exploring Christianity, without weaponising it?
- Whilst the Church should welcome all comers, so as not to detract potential faith explorers, how can it also protect those who are vulnerable to the vitriol of far-right politics? Advent 2025 might just be that opportunity to enable some people to glimpse the light in the darkness, to set aside weapons of anger and love their neighbour.
People in society in the UK are scared for all sorts of reasons. In particular they fear to lose an idealised model of society that they think once existed. But fear can lead to intolerance of other faiths and immigrants. Following his recent experiences of trying to walk the way of Christ amongst those at recent Tommy Robinson rallies, the Bishop of Kirkstall, Arun Arora, asked : “How can we disagree well?” How can we open the lines of communication with those who express extreme views about the people they share a country with?
Isaiah’s model of Kingdom building, which sits so well alongside Jesus’ teaching, does not seem to reflect the Tommy Robinson approach to Christmas. Robinson’s worryingly threatening approach to putting ‘Christ’ back into Christmas, seems to miss the point reflected in the light of the Gospels, of a Messiah who challenged powerful aggressive and oppressive national leaderships with a message of love! Isaiah tells the people of his day that they are taking the wrong approach and that they should be encouraging peace. They (and their use of the Temple) are missing the point, rather than trying to be the best example of God’s love that they can be. Isaiah’s famous call to transform weapons into farm implements, is a reminder to us that we still have a lot lot to do to fulfil his vision of Zion several thousand years later! As we once again begin the season of Advent we only have to glance at the place of Jesus’ birth, the so-called ‘holy-land’, to be reminded more than ever that we need to set aside weapons of war, to come together to take up the tools of tolerance and peace, and so to walk in God’s light!
Questions for discussion
- Bishop Ceirion Dewar (a bishop in the small, conservative, traditionalist Confessing Anglican Church) was invited to lead the start of Tommy Robinson’s rally in prayer. He accepted the request as he felt it was his "Christian duty”. He said he saw thousands there who sincerely felt that Great Britain was "founded on Christian principles and from the Christian faith" and that this was being “eroded". How does this view relate to the model of faith taught in Isaiah 2:1-5?
- Advent is about being ready, as we are reminded in Matthew 24:33-44. How ready or prepared was the person who discovered a valuable painting of the Madonna and child in their garage for what happened when it was sold at auction? How might your church use the discovery of such an unexpected Christmas gift to fund the building of relationships within diverse local communities?
- The Archbishop of Canterbury-elect Sarah Mullally recently described the UK as a divided society, warning "people are frightened for lots of reasons, and often that then presents in ways that, for other people, may feel threatening”. How can Isaiah 2:1-5 help us to address people’s fears for society and turn hatred into tolerance?
Tim Lowe is a minister of the United Reformed Church, serving in the Leeds URC Partnership. He lives with the challenges that narrow mindedness brings to the diversity of people within the city. However, he is yet to discover a valuable painting in his garage that will pay for repairs to his church’s leaking roof!
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Wicked 2 has just been released grossing $225 million over its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening for a Broadway film to date. I will not write any spoilers in this piece. However, I can say that we see a struggle; a fight between good and evil; tension boils over; and all is in chaos. The plot line reflects real life globally with its wars; highly contentious peace negotiations; and tension boiling over in multiple locations; and, closer to home, in our own lives.
Isaiah describes a beautiful vision of peace and light. Yet, in the brief moments of ‘peace’ in our lives, who finds themselves becoming restless and seeking action? In Wicked they famously sing, ‘Because I knew you, I have been changed for good’ so let us come to know God, and prepare ourselves for peace so it doesn’t feel so awkward. Let us pause our storms and not engage with the chaos. Let’s swap the script by replacing doom scrolling with a prayer journal. And let’s create times of stillness where we can be by ourselves with God.
Lindsay Wright is a freelance writer and designer from Lancashire www.startswithabrew.co.uk
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
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Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 23 November 2025
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A refuge you can trust
God is our refuge (Psalm 46:1) in stormy times.
Context
Snow and ice hit parts of UK as some schools closed and travel disrupted.
Russian spy ship on edge of UK waters directed lasers at RAF pilots.
Andy Murray leads ecstatic reaction to Scotland's World Cup qualification.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
Extreme weather tends to come as a shock. It's either completely unexpected or more severe than anticipated and can cause chaos for many people - schools are closed; travel plans are majorly disrupted; people are isolated; cars are abandoned. Warnings and sound advice are given but are frequently ignored. Is this just in cases of extreme weather or is it an allegory for the world we live in? The issues faced appear more acute and possibly closer to home but actually:
- many children in our world are deprived of education for all sorts of reasons;
- people are not always free to travel as they would like;
- many face loneliness and social isolation much of the time.
Into this world and these situations the words of the psalmist can offer stability, sanctuary and hope.
The reports of Russian spy ships close to UK waters remind us of the fragility of any peace. Ostensibly we live in a nation with a deep and lasting peace or do we? Situations can change rapidly and the actions of the Russians at times are deeply disturbing. Times change but God does not. God’s love is constant and solid and can always be relied upon.
The football match between Scotland and Denmark provided great excitement and a thrilling result for all Scotland supporters. The outcome was never a foregone conclusion as first one team and then the other seemed to have the advantage. Tennis player Andy Murray was quoted as saying that there was never any doubt that Scotland would win. Clearly he is a man of faith. He trusted (apparently) through thick and thin that his team would be victorious. Is this an illustration of the application of Psalm 46:1 to an international football match? Are there ways in which such confidence can be applied to other aspects of life?
Questions for discussion
- How has God helped you in times of trouble?
- What sorts of challenges do we face if we say that God is our refuge?
- A refuge is a place of sanctuary. How can Christians offer practical sanctuary in our communities?
Stuart Wild is the Superintendent Minister of the Blackpool and South Fylde Methodist Circuit in Lancashire.
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Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
As I ponder what to write and share – and as you’re pondering what to share with your friends, family and those you meet on Sunday and beyond - I’m conscious that there will be a mix of emotions for all of those we meet this week.
For some of us, including myself, we can watch the news / read the newspapers / follow social media and think, "What on earth is going on in the world? Is God really in charge in the world?"
I’m also conscious that for some of us, we will be going through such personal heartache and trouble that we, too, will be shouting, screaming and crying through gritted teeth, ‘Where is God in this mess?’
- Where is God when my Dad’s got a terminal illness, my Mum’s had to take time off work to look after him and we’re now going to the food bank most weeks to help put food on the table?
And for many of us, we’ll be going about our daily lives knowing that situations like these are going on around us, somehow trusting that God is at work in and through us and those God calls His Church.
Today’s Psalm is a reminder that God is our refuge and strength; an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1 NIV). God doesn’t take away our trouble for or from us but he does walk through the trouble with us.
As you ponder what to share or to bring with you to church on Sunday, maybe all you need to bring is yourself so that you can be with those who feel as if they’re going through a turning world. Maybe it’s a hug that someone will need. Or a smile. Or an offer of a coffee after church or work this week. Or a card (with a chocolate bar...) popped through their letterbox.
We don’t need to change the world – that's God’s job. But maybe we can be open to the Spirit’s prompting to see who we can be with today and over the coming weeks and months ahead.
Jonathan Buckley, Redevelopment Manager at St Paul’s Church and Youth Development Worker at YMCA White Rose.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 16 November 2025
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The Here and Now
How can we be more active in the kingdom of God on earth? (2 Thess 3:6-13)
Context
It is/was the Children in Need Appeal Show on Friday 14 November. Established in 1980, the charity has been raising money to support disadvantaged children and young people most prominently through the annual telethon featuring the much-loved Pudsey Bear.
Every year people take on amazing feats to raise money and 2025 is no exception. It’s been inspiring to watch Sara Cox covering 135 miles in just 5 days in her attempt to return Pudsey Bear to Pudsey.
But, along with feats of endurance and the annual silliness, the Friday night programme showcases many of the different projects supported by the charity. In many ways the whole event reminds us all of the requirement to support people to live well in the here and now. The projects paid for by Children in Need are a vivid example of giving children and young people reasons to live and thrive, not to have to sit and wait, or to languish in hopelessness. The charity invites disadvantaged children and young people into a full life now! It’s proactive, not passive; its industrious not inactive; it’s about starting things and not ceasing.
Paul’s memo to the Thessalonians warns his readers against inactivity or in some translations ‘idleness’. In many ways he is speaking into a similar idea of the call to action and transformation Children in Need is making. But we are called by more than a charitable endeavour. We are called by God to live and to act in the world we find ourselves in. It’s part of being in God’s family in the here and now as well as the world to come. As Paul comments, it’s about living according to our teaching: living life to the full, being agents of change and transformation and actively bringing the hope we have in Christ to wherever we are here and now.
Ideas for reflection
- Play the Rend Collective song ‘Build Your Kingdom Here’. Invite people to use both the lyrics and the following questions to reflect on their lives in the here and now.
- How do we live our daily lives as part of the kingdom on earth?
- Are we motivated by our faith towards action?
- Which situations require us to make a choice to be less passive and more active?
- Summarise all of the projects, events and different works people in the church are currently involved in day-to-day. Invite a couple of people to talk about the work they do as part of God’s active kingdom here on earth, or set up a series of mini interviews. Thank God and pray together for all that happens in your community.
Fiona Dorman is a freelance leadership consultant and mediator.
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Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
When Youthscape and Tearfund researched young people’s views on the environment they found that over 90% of young people are concerned about climate change and that over 90% thought their church was not doing enough about it. It also found that they wanted to act but wanted help from adults in church to do so. As COP30 (the latest UN conference on climate change) happens in Brazil this week, now is a good time to re-double our efforts to steward the good creation that God has given us to look after and to partner with the young people in our churches to do so.
But why haven’t we done more up until now? Why does it seem so difficult to look after the world God has given us? Yes, governments and corporations have responsibilities, and climate change will be difficult to halt without action from them but why haven’t we changed what we do personally and as churches? There are of course all sorts of reasons but one is that looking after the planet is inconvenient. The easy way is not normally the environmentally friendly way.
In our passage today Paul warns against those who are lazy, who tire easily of doing good. One thing about such people is that they become a burden on others. In that instance the issue was people not working and then expecting others to give them food. But it isn’t at all a stretch to also see not looking after God’s world as (in part at least) laziness. Paul sets an example of not taking food but paying his way. Young people are looking for us to set an example too by not giving in to convenience. Let’s give them the example they want and need - let’s never tire of doing good in this way.
Dr Gareth Crispin is Tutor for Youth and Children's Ministry at Emmanuel Theological College.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
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Fake news?
Paul writes, amongst other things, to correct fake news which has reached Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 2:2).
Context
Fake news seems to be all around us today. Almost any major event seems to prompt people to create fake news arguing that the culprit must be an immigrant. The national curriculum is to be changed to cover the identification of fake news and disinformation. Moreover, the way some use social media to disseminate such false narratives seems to be forcing police into giving more information to help dispel these stories.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
This week Roots focuses on Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica. It seems that fake news had reached the Thessalonians that ‘the day of the Lord is already here’ (2 Thessalonians 2.2).
It is hard to be sure who spreads fake news today, especially on social media. But those who leap to blame migrants for everything which goes wrong (like the Southport murders and last weekend’s train stabbings) do not rush to tell us all that the LNER staff member who saved many lives last weekend on that train has a foreign-sounding name! Many of those who spread such stories seem to have a very narrow view of Britishness (or is it Englishness?). Then there are people in the public eye who deliberately spread fake news. This link is several months old now but it seems that Musk still believes that ‘the fundamental weakness of western civilisation is empathy’. And some so-called Christians, at least in North America, seem to support this view. To my mind it is alarming that one of the world’s richest and powerful people takes a view which I think incompatible with Jesus' teaching that we are to love our neighbours. Jesus' teaching is that neighbours include despised foreigners (Luke 10:25-37; The Rift between Jews and Samaritans).
I find it striking that fake news existed even in New Testament times. I wonder who sent the news ‘as though from’ Paul. But perhaps even then it was just as difficult to be sure of the source of fake news as it is in this age of social media. It is easy to imagine that the issue of fake news is a new one, solely driven by social media; but clearly that is not true. How easy do we find it to distinguish fake news from the truth? Are we easily fooled?
To link these thoughts with Remembrance Sunday it may be useful to recall that fake news about war is also common. Many people seem to have forgotten that thousands of Hindu and Muslim troops, mainly from India, fought alongside the Allies in the Second World War (WW2). For some years we lived near a former WW2 airfield and, alongside several British war graves including a Women’s Auxiliary Airforce (WAAF) grave, the parish churchyard contained one Czech and one Polish war grave. Over 2000 Polish war graves are in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Of course the UK also used fake news during the world wars; one example is the use of the ‘Dam Busters’ squadron to fool German radar into thinking that the D Day invasion was happening near Calais.
Questions for discussion
- Discuss your response to fake news and disinformation - how easy do you find it to distinguish it from the truth?
- Is the dissemination of fake news ever justified? And, if so, when might it be legitimate?
Dudley Coates is a local preacher in the Salisbury Methodist Circuit and a former Vice President of the Methodist Conference.
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Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
There is a lot going on at the moment. This week alone has seen fireworks night all over the country and the switching on of Christmas lights (at least where I live!). Halloween happened a few days ago and, as soon as the pumpkins were sold out, the Christmas things started to appear. This weekend, and in the coming week, we will mark Remembrance – in memory of all those soldiers who have died defending our country. Put simply, there is a lot grabbing for our attention at the moment whether they are noble traditions (wearing our poppies) or newer cultural trends (trick or treat!).
Once we have remembered those who have died in war, the next big cultural date will be Christmas. But don’t let the shops and the lights and the excitement detract from our duty as Christians. St Paul in this week’s reading (2 Thessalonians 2.1-5,13-17) reminds us that Jesus has not yet returned after his ascension into heaven. In the same way, we do not mark his birth in November or early December or even until the night of Christmas Eve! First, there is Advent. A time of watching and waiting for the coming Messiah. There are lots of traditions in life – some important, some less so but still incredibly popular. As Christians we are not called to the popular but to the Christian. So, when you see the Christmas lights and start doing your Christmas shopping, do it knowing that Christ is coming, but he is not here yet.
Joe Allen is a PhD Theology candidate at St Mary’s University Twickenham. Holding BA and MA Theology Degrees from Exeter University, he combines study with ecclesiastical finance work for the (CofE) London Diocesan Fund alongside various freelance projects. He has worked across several Anglican dioceses and for a Roman Catholic Cathedral. He reads voraciously and lives in central London.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.
Sermon and discussion ideas for week beginning Sunday 2 November 2025
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Every Wo/man
Summary
Zacchaeus stands as all of us: Insignificant sinners in need of God’s grace (Luke 19:7).
Context
Saint Francis is the patron saint of insignificant creatures.
The most recent canonized saints could be you or me, but they aren’t celebrities.
Like little Zacchaeus, this man could have been easily overlooked.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
I live in France and I can imagine that Zacchaeus would have been thought of and treated in a similar way to the French citizens who collaborated with the puppet Vichy (Nazi) government in 1940-44. Zacchaeus collected taxes for the dreaded Roman occupiers. When I first started visiting France decades ago, I was warned never to ask anyone who had lived through The Occupation what he or she did during the war. There remained, and remains to this day, great bitterness towards those who served the Vichy government. Such would have been Zacchaeus’s predicament.
Notice that the very first words Luke’s Gospel has Zacchaeus say are a statement of his righteousness according to Jewish law (see Ex. 22:1 and Lev. 6:5). Despite the fact that Zacchaeus received Jesus “joyfully”, did he think that Jesus was as liable to condemn him as his fellow Jews? “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” (19:7). Well frankly, who isn’t a sinner — particularly with respect to the 613 laws found in the Hebrew Bible!? That is one of the ways in which Zacchaeus represents all of us. One infraction renders one a “sinner”. The story of Zacchaeus is not unlike the medieval morality play “Everyman”, as we are all in the same boat. However, for Jews, it is also the case that the number of laws reflects the magnitude of God’s grace. If there were only two or three laws and we broke them, then what hope for us? But no-one can break all 613 laws!
Questions for discussion
- If Mr Jesus pitched up at your house, what might be your first statement? Would you be aware of guilt and seek to justify yourself or might you have questions for Jesus? In either case, what would you say?
- “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.” These are Jesus’ first words to Zacchaeus. Jesus doesn’t take Zacchaeus through the entire 613 laws to see how his behaviour matches up. What is Jesus’s mission as regards Zacchaeus?
Revd Dr Jack Lawson is a freelance writer and novelist: Doing Time, No Good Deed, Criminal Justice, The Woods and Dirty Business. His most recent novel, Joab, (Wipf & Stock) is based on the life of King David. For more information visit: www.jacknlawson.com; https://jacknlawson.com/blog; https://wingsepress.com/pages/lawson-jack-n
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Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
The World Health Organisation estimates that 4.1% of 10– to 14-year-olds and 5.3% of 15– to 19-year-olds experience an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder causes excessive fear or worry which may be about something specific, or a broad range of everyday situations. Whilst the causes of anxiety disorders are complex, research indicates that using social media to get their news can lead to so-called ‘headline stress’ in young people.
As an adult watching the news, with its menu of racial injustice, climate change, political divisiveness, domestic terrorism, war and cost of living headlines, is anxiety inducing, even without experiencing any of the situations described. I can only imagine how it might feel as a young person.
This week Paul writes to the Thessalonian church to encouraging them to celebrate all that God is doing in their lives. It is a reminder of how easy it is to get caught up in the negatives of life, rather than watching for and celebrating where God is at work in our lives and the world.
Questions for discussion
- Where do the group get their news from?
- What news stories have they heard this week that are on their hearts and minds?
- Where do they see God at work in these situations?
- Where have they seen God at work in their lives this week?
You could encourage the group to keep a record of where they see God at work in their lives and the lives of others.
Victoria Etherington is University and Young Adult Chaplain in the York Methodist Circuit.
Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.
The week in focus is also available via facebook and Instagram.
Roots publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines. FIND OUT MORE.