The week in focus
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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
Truth for today
The Holy Spirit speaks truth each day, all that we need for life. (John 16.12-15)
Context
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- A week is a long time in politics. The ongoing discussions over whether Boris will still be leading his party at the next general election exposes an essential difficulty in political life. Government is trying to balance so many competing priorities that actions which seem sensible in February can look wrong-headed in May. It is very hard for anyone in politics to admit to making mistakes as such an admission can become the only thing they are remembered for. It is absolutely appropriate for an electorate to judge the character of its politicians, but our passage reminds us that only God knows the future. We cannot expect anyone to accurately predict what is going to happen – but we do ask that they use wisdom and discernment to make the best choices they can in the moment. For Christians, the same applies. We are called to be led by the Holy Spirit or ‘advocate’ day-by-day, because knowing all we need for the coming months or years would be too much for us to cope with. God is kind, not looking to judge our mistakes but ready to offer wisdom and truth to help us make the best decisions we can each day.
- ‘It’s the hope that kills you’. Football fans of every stripe live by hope. Fewer clubs than ever dominate the league and cups in most European countries now, but every football fan will have reasons to hope that this year will be different: a new manager, some new investment, a key player signed from a rival club. The back pages of our newspapers are full of gossip about which players are moving and which clubs might sign them, and for how much. The comedian, Reginald D Hunter, once described professional sports as ‘soap operas for men’ and there certainly seems to be a lot of drama invested in events which don’t accrue points or league position. Football in the UK follows a pattern set by many other aspects of life where it is suggested that success or happiness can be achieved with the acquiring of the right player or manager (for a football club), car or appliance or home decoration. It’s so important for us as Christians to live in the present, enjoying what God has given us and receiving the strength we need from His Holy Spirit. We do have hope for the future but our hope for the present is just as strong – and vital if we are to witness to God’s presence to those around us.
- A friend was afflicted with a back problem and couldn’t get out and about. They waited patiently for appointments at the hospital, then for injections that would fix the problem. When the injections didn’t work they waited for surgery, then for physio, then for further surgery when the pain was still there. My friend has been housebound for six years now, but only for the last year have they started to consider that their life is not going to get back to how it was before. They are slowly learning to pray for strength to face each day and to leave the future in God’s hands. It is painful but they told me it feels better to be living each day instead of waiting to live one day.
Questions for discussion
- Is there anything you wish you had known five years ago? What would be different if you had known?
- What do you hope for? Are there things that you are waiting for where you know your life will be better once these things have happened.
- The passage says, ‘He will declare to you the things that are to come’. What experience do you have of hearing from the Holy Spirit?
Steve Taylor is joint-vicar of St James, Alperton (CofE) near Wembley in London. He shares the job with his wife, Ali, and shares his house with their two daughters, two cats and a few fish.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
The show Obi-Wan Kenobi has arrived onto Disney+, an exciting moment for any Star Wars fan. Indeed, in my excitement, it would be tempting to fit in as many Star Wars puns as possible in the next few sentences, but I don’t want to force it.
Get it?
Force it. Because they use the force in Star Wars.
Anyway…
The story takes place between the original trilogy and the prequels. Obi-Wan is hiding on the desert planet Tatooine. He’s keeping his head down low, believing that the Jedis are defeated. If you aren’t a Star Wars an and that reads like complete nonsense, just know this - Obi-Wan has given up.
In the first couple of episodes there is this tension between Obi-Wan being weighed down by this sense that everything has gone wrong and different characters who are urging him to keep up and do something - that there is still hope!
It can be easy to look around the world and feel like we can’t do anything to make a difference, but in John 16, Jesus makes a promise to his followers that gives us a reason to be hopeful even when things seem bleak. He promises that they receive a helper - the Holy Spirit - who will speak God truth into their lives. They won’t have to face any of life’s ups and down alone, rather they will be guided by the Holy Spirit.
We don’t know how Obi-Wan Kenobi is going to end yet but we do know that with God working in us through the Holy Spirit, no matter what situations we find ourselves in, there is always hope.
Chris Neilands is the co-founder of Play it by Ear, a Belfast-based drama company that uses performance and workshop to help people explore the Bible.
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