Scroll down to find previously published Week in focus resources.
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
Finding the right question?
Summary
Nicodemus needs imagination, and good will, when questioning Jesus (John 3: 1-17).
Context
Our society is asking police and politicians alike to ask searching questions with regards to the Epstein scandal and expects them to find truth. We seem less sanguine when we ask SEND experts to consider questions exploring ways to improve our society’s future. But Jesus encourages Nicodemus to ‘think positive’ as he tries to bring together his scholarship and his experience. What can this tell us about the relationship between diligent study and lived experience, not only in our faith journeys, but as we seek to live Godly lives?
Reflection
Years ago a preacher’s declaration that while adults worshipped at church, children came to learn, annoyed me. It seemed to deny the possibility that learning, exploring and wondering at what our God-given capacities can do, can be a form of worship for adults as well as children. Revelation and consideration are not exclusive alternatives but we often prefer the dramatic story where the atheist becomes a Christian ‘at a crash’ like Hopkins’ Paul The wreck of the deutschland (Part I, final stanza) to the acknowledgment of evolving faith. A crashing conviction perhaps demands less of the individual than Nicodemus finds himself having to do. He must reconcile what he as a scholar understands with what he intuits about Jesus.
Jesus respects Nicodemus’ scholarship. But elsewhere Jesus is sceptical, calling members of the scholarly caste ‘hypocrites’ (Matt 23:13), bent not on honestly expounding Scripture but on disturbing the belief of others. Their motivation is wrong. As politicians, the media and the public start to scrutinise the multiple documents in the Epstein files, what are their motivations? Whilst there are serious legal and moral questions to be asked, is there also a touch of scandal-mongering in some of it? Is passion and a desire for truth in this context comparable with a search for faith? Is it odd that there seems to be acceptance of the virtuous motivation of those charged with uncovering wrongdoing, but suspicion of diligent, questioning research into ways of improving, for example, SEND in schools.
We seem to assume that the difficult and even painful process of finding answers to pressing social questions and putting them into action could - and should - be managed risk-free. Downsides loom large, and gains seem overplayed. Nicodemus initially found Jesus’ inspirational imagery (v.5) less compelling than a dismissive, literal-minded comment! It is perhaps only too easy to shy away from a challenging prospect of potential good, while complacently accepting that people probably are as flawed as they appear.
Sermon ideas
Going back to that preacher. I was unfair. He had a point! He wanted to welcome the children while acknowledging that they weren’t just miniature adults. Explore in a discussion or a sermon ways of helping everyone to learn as well as to meet with God in worship.
Or
Are we too risk-averse in our current society when it comes to trusting politicians or the police or other institutions? Jesus asks Nicodemus to take a risk on him! How does risk fit into Godly lives?
Questions
- Where are you on the spectrum from once-and-for-all belief to life-long questioning?
- How can sharing our diverse religious experiences help us all move forward on our faith journeys gaining trust as we go?
Brenda Vance is a retired university teacher and a URC Elder.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
Questions, questions and more questions
At the moment the news seems to be filled with people being asked questions. Last week Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held for questioning. This week it was the turn of Lord Mandelson. Who will be next? We do not know nor do we know what questions these two men have been asked. What we do know, or at the very least hope, is that the purpose behind the questions is to discern the truth.
It was for a similar reason that Nicodemus went to see Jesus. His purpose was to discover the truth about Jesus. He knows that Jesus has come from God but he wants to know more. He has lived a holy life according to the scriptures as he understood them but he wanted to know if that was enough. That was the truth he sought from Jesus.
In the cases of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Mandelson there has been much speculation about the nature of the questioning and it is possible that one day we will find out more about it. We may even discover whether the interviewers got the answers they expected. In the case of Nicodemus John’s account is clear. The answer Jesus gave him was not what he expected.
Nicodemus was not afraid to come to Jesus with his questions and concerns. He was surprised by the answer but legend has it that he became a follower of Jesus. Truth is central to a good life and one way to discern it is to ask questions of Jesus. After all he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Stuart Wild is a Methodist minister in Lytham St Annes on the Lancashire coast.
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 22 February 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
Choices in testing times
In Eden and the wilderness, Adam and Eve and Jesus had choices to make. In testing times how do we choose what is right?
Context
- In both of the creation stories in Genesis, we read of the generosity of God in gifting the goodness of creation to humanity. The first calling of humanity is to care for God’s creation. When we get this right the results can be wonderful as the stunning landscapes at the Winter Olympics have shown us. But, as the climate emergency reminds us, we have not always made a good job of fulfilling this calling. In a recent Guardian newspaper article entitled Nothing says ‘I love you’ like Valentine’s tat, Amelia Tait points out that 62% of Britons throw away perfectly good homeware (70 million items a year). In testing times for the planet, and consequently for humanity, we have important choices to make.
- In Genesis 2, Adam and Eve were ashamed of what they had done and tried to hide from each other and God. They are not alone in this. The award-winning rapper Guvna B (who was featured on the BBC’s Songs of Praise on Sun 15 February 2026) gave a Word on the Streets interview during the 2020 Everything conference in which he said this: I'd say the only thing more exhausting than standing out and being true to yourself is waking up every day and having to put on a mask and pretend that you're someone that deep down you know that's not you. If you wake up in the morning and try your best to be who God has called you to be, it might be daunting. It might be risky, but you can go to bed knowing you've given it your all. And that is one of the most satisfying feelings that I've ever felt in my life.
Every day we have a choice to make. Do we put on a mask and live a pretence? Or are we true to who God has made us to be and to God’s calling on our lives?
NB In Matthew 4 the devil tempts Jesus to adopt the mask of superstardom by selling his soul to the devil. Jesus resists by remaining true to God and to himself.
- In his wrestling with the devil in the wilderness Jesus uses scripture to resist and repudiate the tempting offers presented to him. In 2025 Bible sales in Britain hit a record high, with sales surging 134% since 2019, marking the highest level since records began. Evidence perhaps that, in testing times, more people (and younger people in particular) are turning to the Word of God for the guidance they need.
- Both the Genesis and Matthew readings this week are stories of temptation. There has been much debate recently about the power of social media to tempt people – especially young people – into making harmful choices. Australia became the first country in the world to choose to ban under 16s from using social media to reduce the harmful temptations young people face.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- Explore how we make choices in testing and tempting times. Discuss the power of temptation and the forms of temptation that are particularly prevalent today. In particular you may wish to explore the temptations to live in a way that damages God’s creation contrary to humanity’s first calling to care for the natural world.
- This week’s texts could be helpful for an interactive talk around the guidance that informs the choices we make in testing times. What are the principal sources of guidance for us? Are they the cunning (serpent-like) algorithms of social media or the seductive but sometimes deceptive advertisements of powerful corporations? Or do we take our guidance from God’s two great texts: creation and scripture?
- You may want to take this further by exploring how we handle God’s word to us. Are we faithful to God’s word or, like Adam and Eve in the Genesis 3 story, inclined to ignore what God says in pursuit of the seductive and tempting? Do we ever misuse scripture taking isolated verses out of context as the devil did in the temptation narrative of Matthew 4? How can we be like Jesus staying faithful to God’s word to enable us to do what is right?
Questions for discussion
- How can we support one another in these testing, tempting times?
- What good news stories can you share of how people have:
- resisted and overcome temptation?
- cared well for creation?
- discovered the life-giving wisdom of scripture?
- What particular temptations:
- do we face in these testing times?
- do young people in particular face?
- pull us away from humanity’s first calling to care for creation?
- How do you read and use scripture in a way that is life giving and not damaging?
- What are the dangers of simply plucking a verse out of the bible?
Pastoral note
If you do choose to explore the theme of temptation you may wish to offer prayer for anyone who is really struggling with temptation at this time. If you do so, please ensure that all appropriate pastoral and safeguarding protocols are followed.
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).
Note from Ailsa, Roots Website Editor
To participate in creation care during Lent, have a look at:
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
Half-truths
As I sit down to write this, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – formerly Prince Andrew, 8th in line to the throne – has been released under investigation after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office this morning. This coming following the release of millions of files relating to Jeffry Epstein in America over the past few months. Without wanting to make any judgements before police investigations are complete, it could well turn out that years – decades – of half-truths, and potentially mistruths, are finally catching up with Andrew.
As we see in today’s reading from Genesis, deception and half-truths have been part of the human story since the fall in the Garden of Eden. "It wasn’t me, God; it was Eve... It wasn’t me; it was the snake..."
Sound familiar?
Whilst we may not be accused of the things that Andrew has, we can relate to the:
- half-truths and deception;
- implying that it might be someone else’s fault;
- distancing ourselves from a given situation to get ourselves out of a tight spot every now and again.
Throughout scripture, we see God challenging this human tendency of half-truths by bringing things hidden in the darkness into the light. God calls His people, His Church – me, you, those with whom you worship every week – to shine light where there is darkness so that these half-truths and deception can be brought into the light.
Jonathan Buckley is Youth Development Worker at YMCA White Rose and Redevelopment Manager at St Paul’s Church, Parson Cross, Sheffield.
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 15 February 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
A light shining in a dark place (2 Peter 1:16-21)
Context
‘I was there’ (the theme for Roots 15 February Transfiguration resources) is not good news at the moment. The release of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein name the wealthy and powerful ‘elites’ to whom he is supposed to have given money and favours. Politicians, royalty and wealthy people in industry have issued denials about being part of Epstein’s abuse of women and girls. Association with sleaze, corruption and criminality is ‘sticky’ and nobody wants it on them. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s top aides have resigned because of it. Nobody wants to say ‘I was there’ because it leads to shame and downfall.
By complete contrast, St Peter joyfully tells us ‘I was there’ at the revelation of Jesus’ nature and God’s purposes in the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-21). It is a story of breakthrough, a completely different kind of witness. Peter wants everyone to know that he was there to see the doxa, the radiance of God’s glory, as Jesus is confirmed as the beloved Son. Jesus’ truth leads to hope and salvation.
Reflection
As documents get reported in the press and pored over by social media, we hear how dark God’s world can become in the hands of the wicked who think they are beyond accountability and justice. At the heart of the Epstein affair are the many untold stories of women and girls, treated like commodities to be served like cocktails, and tossed aside like empty glasses.
So we need the breakthrough brightness of the Transfiguration more than ever today, not just to see Jesus as a shining counterpoint to the mire of sin wielded by the powerful, but as a way of describing truth and hope. Jesus fulfills the Law and prophecies of Moses and Elijah in a completely unexpected way: not by joining the power struggles of the great elites, but by raising up the voiceless, the powerless and the hurt. The disciples have to learn this and do so by literally seeing Jesus in a different light, confirmed as the Son of God. We need to be there too in this light in the darkness, when we wonder how to respond to human evil.
Ideas for a sermon, talk or conversation
What should we do about a ‘shameful’ past? We might cover it up or lie about it, especially if it could cost us our job, or even life. Even Peter lied about his association with Jesus, and he knew Jesus was the Son of God (Luke 22:54-62)! Why is it necessary to witness to the truth no matter the cost? And why is it so hard for people in power?
Questions for discussion
- ‘I was there!’ – what event would you want to talk about?
- What do you think the disciples talked about after Jesus was transfigured?
- How does our faith in Jesus help us cope with stories of evil-doing in current affairs?
Dr Anne Richards is part of the National Public Policy Team at the Church of England, focusing on modern society, popular culture, contemporary spirituality and apologetics.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
After the Super Bowl halftime show, many Christians took to social media to share strong reactions to Bad Bunny’s performance. For some, the style, music, or cultural expression felt uncomfortable, and the backlash was loud and immediate. Moments like this invite an important question: How are Christians called to respond when culture challenges or confuses us?
It’s okay to have personal boundaries. Not every form of music or performance will line up with our values. But our faith calls us to consider not only what we believe, but how we respond. Jesus never told us to agree with everyone; He told us to love everyone.
Bad Bunny’s performance reflects a specific culture and identity. For many, it was an expression of creativity and heritage. When our first response is criticism or dismissal, we may miss an opportunity to listen, learn, and reflect Christ’s love.
Jesus consistently chose compassion over condemnation. He met people where they were, not where others thought they should be. As His followers, we are called to engage with the world thoughtfully, not fearfully and with humility rather than outrage.
In a world where backlash spreads fast, choosing grace is countercultural. And sometimes, that’s exactly what following Jesus looks like.
Questions
- What was your initial reaction to the backlash around the halftime show?
- How can we hold personal convictions without judging others?
- What can Jesus’ example teach us about engaging with cultures or styles we don’t understand?
- Why do you think it’s easier to criticize unfamiliar things than to listen?
- What does it mean to be “in the world but not of the world” when it comes to pop culture?
- How can Christians show love even when they disagree?
- How can your response to cultural moments point people toward Jesus?
Emmanuel Chiweshe is an associate leader for Reach Nottingham, a multi-site church.
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 8 February 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
God’s type of fasting
Learning to do what symbols symbolise (Isaiah 58:5)
Context
Many of us will have had conversations with family members or friends about why they do not attend Church and why we do. In my student days in 1984, a friend once shouted at me, “I don’t believe in your God – he won’t give my boyfriend a job!” The couple were struggling financially at a time when the unemployment rate was a record 11.9%, and, despite the inherent contradiction in her words, my friend’s salvo has kept me thinking ever since.
Unemployment has been steadily rising again over the past three years - the most recent figure put it at 5.1% towards the end of last year. This raises many issues: among them the amount of taxpayers’ money spent on out-of-work benefits; the increasing cost of state pensions, and the growing workplace roles of robotics and artificial intelligence.
These are not merely economic issues to be solved using computers and spreadsheets. Every statistic represents a story of individual human lives being either fulfilled or wasted, in terms not only of economic activity, but also of aspiration and frustration.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
As Christians, we are inheritors of a tradition brimming over with symbols. The Biblical writers used a vast array to help their hearers and readers grasp something of God’s nature and purpose for our lives. Not all these symbols are objects like rock or substances like bread; some of them are actions, and it is one of these to which today’s Old Testament reading draws our attention. Its practice may not be as widespread as it once was, but among many Christian and other faith communities, fasting remains a powerful symbol.
But a symbol of what?
Today’s reading from Isaiah (or, as most scholars now call this section, Third Isaiah) lays it out in uncompromising terms (Isaiah 58:6-7). Fasting, abstaining from rich food, or all food, for a period of time, is a symbol of giving up something in one’s own life to ensure that others have better conditions in their lives. The symbolic act of fasting should remind us that God requires us to use our privileges to bring justice to the oppressed.
The examples given in our reading, although written some 2500 years ago, are still strikingly relevant in many places in the 21st century. Consider:
In this context, what constitutes privilege? Not every individual has all of the following, but we are not just individuals – we are churches:
- Prayer: the confidence that when we ask for the ability to do God’s will, it will be given;
- Health: our abilities to think, walk and talk;
- Education: our abilities to read and write;
- Wealth: any disposable income we may have as individuals or as churches.
How may we use some part of these privileges to answer Isaiah’s challenge and make our symbolic actions meaningful?
Questions for discussion
- Make a list of symbols from the Bible and talk about what they stand for. Here are three to start you off:
- Why did (Third) Isaiah feel the need to speak so strongly?
- What privileges do we enjoy, as individuals and as a church community, and how might “fasting” apply to them, and how might this benefit those in need?
Robert Beard is an NHS worker and Church of England priest.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
I wonder if any recent news story has been hard for you to navigate? The world is full of wonderful things, stories of kindness, beauty and innovation. But we can sometimes be bombarded with bad news. It’s perfectly normal to experience sadness, a heightened sense of stress, confusion or frustration when we hear upsetting news. Being honest about our feelings can help, but so can praying about the situation and how best to respond.
On Sunday night at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, several celebrities spoke strongly against Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts in Minneapolis in recent weeks. Popular British artist Olivia Dean was among them and, like many others chose to wear an “ICE Out” pin.
Politics aside, there has been increasing condemnation across the US and beyond, of the aggressive or violent tactics of armed ICE agents in removing people suspected of not having citizenship documentation.
Sometimes we can feel helpless when we hear of oppression or violence against others; one response is to speak out against it. Celebrities have a bigger platform for their views, but as Christians we should respond to injustice in ways that we can. The prophet Isaiah challenges believers to “loose the bonds of injustice and let the oppressed go free.”
Whether a distant situation, or one we are closer to, it can help to voice “For me, I don’t agree”. But God is love, and above all asks for compassion and kindness. Communities across Minneapolis have inspired us with their loving responses of great generosity to those living in fear, including bringing them food and medicines. Standing up for justice can be about sensitively responding to needs around us; loving the person as God does. Being ‘light that shall break forth like dawn’.
Question
Olivia Dean’s album is titled “The art of loving”. Is there someone you could love with creativity and sensitivity this week?
Discuss
Share ideas of how to cope with upsetting news. It can help to regularly look at good news too e.g. Happy News Teens (Issue 122 4 Feb 2026).
Dr Angela Mak is a Licensed Lay Minister in the Holy Trinity Shaw Church in West Swindon. She is also a school’s worker and retired biology teacher.
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 1 February 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
"Oh my people"
The refrain ‘O my people’ comes from Micah 6:3. where it is God’s lament over his unfaithful people. It is used in the Reproaches which contrast the cruelty Jesus suffered with the kindness of his purpose and the message of the beatitudes.
Context
‘Oh my people,’ cried God over the defeated German nation after the First World War. But they looked for a victim on whom to take out the bitterness they felt, resulting in the Holocaust, the murder of 6 million innocent Jews. 27 January, Holocaust Memorial Day, is the day when the cry ‘Oh my people’ is once again God’s cry over the suffering of people as they recognise and respond to their maker. It's also a reproach against those who have turned away.
Theodor Meron, the ‘The Holocaust survivor judge who issued Netanyahu’s arrest warrant’ still feels, at the age of 95, a responsibility to ensure the horrors of Nazi persecution are never forgotten, but upholding justice also requires him to act against injustice committed by fellow Jews. He hears God’s cry made over the people he loves, as Micah proclaimed it, and with it, in great sorrow, asks why they have turned against God, forgetting all he has done for them. Micah not only accuses the people of idolatry but extreme rejection of their true God in offering human sacrifice: ‘Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression?’ (Micah 6:7).
Psalm 15 addresses a people embittered by their suffering. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah are long gone, and the remnant of those once enslaved is all that remains. Instead of acting in kindness (Do justice, love kindness Micah 6:8) they look for a victim on whom to take out their anger, and think making a sacrifice of an animal or, in extreme cases, their firstborn, is appropriate conduct. Time and again the prophets had warned that making sacrifices was not pleasing to God (Amos 5:21-25). God asks only for justice, as epitomised in the life of Theodor Meron.
But we don't learn. Today would-be political leaders cry out that our country is ‘broken’. Their rhetoric is designed to give people a feeling of grievance like that felt by defeated Germans after WW1. And with that comes a feeling that the solution is to lash out, to make a sacrifice of others as in the days of Micah. It could be immigrants or anyone who can be used as a target, as during the 2024 riots in Southport. Tragically, faithful Jewish people, who do justice and love kindness, have also been targeted.
All need to hear the gentle voice proclaiming God’s blessing on all victims, and blessings on peacemakers, the merciful, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
Reflections
‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ Can peace be found from those who peddle a sense of grievance? From Putin, who thinks he has a right to control Ukraine which was once part of the Soviet empire? From Trump, whose cry to ‘Make America great again’ is based on the grievance that he believes America to have been robbed and he needs to respond with tariffs or even war? From Netanyahu, who has made Gaza a land only of refugees? The feeling of grievance gives way to the even more dangerous feeling of entitlement - the right to:
- obliterate Gaza or Kiev, bombing hospitals in the process;
- capture a president;
- turn national troops on one’s own nation.
God laments over these, his people, also.
Questions
- Are there dangers in political rhetoric? What can be done to avert them?
- The week of prayer for Christian unity ended on 25 January. How does the disunity of Christians grieve God, and have we ceased to care?
- The first of the beatitudes in the NEB says ‘Blessed are those who know their need of God.’ In what ways have you found knowing your own need to be a blessing?
Revd Dr Tom Ambrose is a retired priest, ministering in the Parish of the Ascension, Cambridge.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
There’s lots going on for sports fans this week, with the Six Nations rugby championship beginning on Thursday, the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games being on Friday and the Australian Open tennis championship coming to its final round.
There has been some controversy around player privacy at the Australian Open after footage was broadcast of American tennis player Coco Gauff smashing her racquet in the players’ area following defeat. In a later interview, Gauff told reporters that she once smashed a racquet in frustration while on the court, but she vowed never to do that again. She explained that she needed a way to let out emotion but didn’t want to take it out on her team or to set a bad example in front of children in the crowd. By going somewhere she thought was private, she was consciously altering her behaviour to try to act more kindly towards others. When have you intentionally changed the way you do something to be more kind to others?
In Micah 6:1-8, the people of Israel ask God what sort of offering they should bring. Micah tells them that God doesn’t require sacrifices or burnt offerings, but actions which show justice and kindness. When we consciously make an effort to act justly or kindly, we are also making an offering of worship to God. In what ways might you show justice and kindness this week?
The Winter Olympic opening ceremony will take as its theme ‘Armonia’, meaning ‘harmony’ or ‘fitting together’. The organisers have said that this is to bring the world together to showcase shared values and to unite and inspire people. At a time when so many stories in our news around the world are about division, conflict and disagreement, this concept of ‘Armonia’ offers an alternative: a way of approaching difference with love, kindness and justice.
- Where do you encounter difference?
- How might a spirit of ‘Armonia’ help you live out Micah’s call to do justice and love kindness in that situation?
- How would that help you walk more closely with God?
Darren Philip works for the Church of Scotland and is author of Being an Intergenerational Church: Practices to Bring the Generations Back Together.
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 25 January 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
No more gloom
How might the promise of ‘no more gloom’ (Isaiah 9:1 NIV) transform the way we live?
Context
- It is easy to think that there is nothing but doom and gloom everywhere at the moment. On 15 January two good news stories barely flickered on TV news programmes. The first was news of the UK economy growing by more than expected. And the second was the news that NHS waiting lists were at the their lowest for nearly three years. One wonders how much more time would have been given to these stories had they been the opposite.
- There are newspaper reports that the BBC seems to be acknowledging a tendency to dwell with the gloomy with its new Rise and Shine feature on BBC Breakfast which deliberately offers and celebrates good news stories of hope and positivity.
- Long before three-word slogans became the stock-in-trade of advertisers and politicians, Isaiah offered a vision of ‘no more gloom’ for those who were in distress. Key to this was the light of God’s presence, not apart from, but in the darkness. It is not denying reality but encouraging a hopeful, life-giving response to real challenges rooted in the recognition of God’s presence even in the darkest places.
- 25 January is the final day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026. Again, it is very easy to be gloomy about the state of the Church and not see and celebrate the good things that God’s light and presence are creating all around us. For example:
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- Notice and explore the context of Isaiah’s promise of ‘no more gloom’. The promise was not some fanciful denial of reality. Far from it. The message is for those ‘living in the land of deep darkness’. It is precisely in the midst of the darkness and distress (Isaiah 9:1) that the presence of God is recognised and the promise of ‘no more gloom’ is offered. Real hope does not deny reality, it transforms reality. Notice how in Matthew the hope-filled ministry of Jesus is prefaced by the quoting of Isaiah 9:1-2 and in particular the promise of light for those living in darkness.
- How might ‘no more gloom’ be more than a slick slogan? How might it:
- In Matthew’s account of the calling of the first disciples Jesus tells his new followers that he will send them out to fish for people (Matthew 4:19) - a commission that is reiterated by the risen Jesus at the end of Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 28:19). Present a summary of the key conclusions of the Quiet Revival. As well as being an antidote to gloom what hope does the report offer to us?
Questions for discussion
- What good news stories do you have to share?
- In our meetings together do we focus more on the gloomy news or the good news? How can we rebalance this?
- Taking note of the context of the promise of ‘no more gloom’, in what ways do we need to be pastorally careful when talking of hope?
- As another Week of Prayer for Christian Unity draws to a close, is the outlook for the Church gloomy or bright? And what does this mean for the wider world?
- What do you make of the Quiet Revival report? Please note there are a number of critiques of the report e.g. Quiet revival: myth or reality? (Church Times article; Church Times podcast) and BBC More or less.
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).
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
‘The time for talk is over.’
So, it’s finished! Everyone in the castle knows who the faithful were and all the traitors have been revealed. The people who had been stumbling around in the darkness in Scotland, unable to work out who was who, which players were being played and what on earth was really going on are now basking in the light of the end of the game. The Traitors is very much a game of walking around in dark confusion, unable to see, and eventually moving into the light of revelation! Watching people trying to work something out is part of the appeal. It’s been very enjoyable hearing the faithful's theories – some bang on and others wildly wrong. It’s also been a lot of fun watching the traitors plotting their next moves in the tower; then wondering if they’re going to get away with their dark plans!
Of course, darkness to light is a theme that is repeated again and again in lots of different ways on film, in TV shows and even computer games. In the classic Star Wars films and series e.g. Mandalorian you will see characters trying to work against the forces of darkness and restore light and hope to their universe. It's also a theme in the latest season of Stranger Things which finally saw dark forces vanquished.
In many ways the central story of the bible – the death and resurrection of Jesus – is the ultimate darkness to light story. The powerful victory of the resurrection, a moment where the forces of darkness were truly conquered, is at the centre of our faith. As Christians we are people who, as Isaiah says in chapter 9, ‘have seen a great light’ and this great light of Jesus gives us hope, purpose and a future. So the interesting question is, why aren't we telling everyone about this light so that our friends can have the opportunity to see the light of Jesus and experience the life-changing hope, purpose and future Christ brings?
Today’s Isaiah reading might provide the inspiration we need to tell our story of Jesus bringing light in the darkness and make this story the subject of conversation with our friends alongside The Traitors finale and the end of Stranger Things. Unlike chat about TV shows, our story of hope and purpose also brings people real joy, rejoicing, and a way to help us with the difficult things in our lives that weigh us down and have hurt us.
So maybe the time for talk is not over! In fact, maybe the time for talk is just beginning. Now is the time for:
- talking to friends about what we know to be true;
- talking about what has happened in our lives;
- talking about our relationship with Jesus.
Maybe it’s time for this type of talk.
Questions
- What ‘dark to light’ stories, movies or games do you like?
- What light has Jesus brought into your life?
- Who would you like to talk to about the story of Jesus’ light in the darkness?
Activity
Give everyone a picture with the outline of a candle and a pen. Invite the young people to write the name of someone they would love to talk to about the story of Jesus’ light in the darkness. Put the names on the paper candles around a real, lit candle and gather round quietly. Encourage the group to pray in silence for the names on their candles.
Fiona Dorman is a freelance leadership consultant and mediator.
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 18 January 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
Fear of freedom
If “the truth will make you free,” why does it scare us so much?
Context
Pontius Pilate’s dismissive question, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), is one of the most insidious political utterances ever made, but the underlying notion that there can be different – and conflicting truths – has been utilised throughout history, from Machiavelli’s concept of Verità Effettuale (“effectual truth”) to Kellyanne Conway’s infamous defence of Sean Spicer’s statements about Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration, that he gave “alternative facts”. Public distrust of UK politicians led to the launch of two petitions seeking to make it a criminal offence for MPs to mislead the public or lie in parliament, which were debated and rejected by the government in October 2023. MP Luke Myer has recently put forward a similar idea as part of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill - also known as the Hillsborough Law - which is designed to stop cover-ups.
Deception is practised in everyday life, too. At one end of the scale is the infant who lies about some trivial misdemeanour for fear of punishment, while at the other end is the 2015 survey in which 20% of men and 19% of women admitted (N.B.) to having had an affair, and the 2022 Social Attitudes Survey conducted by the National Centre for Social Research which observed there had been a noticeable fall in the number of people who said particular acts were never acceptable. These included buying stolen goods, accepting a bribe and falsifying a benefits claim.
Research consistently links these changing public attitudes towards dishonesty with the UK’s rising socioeconomic inequality. The Equality Trust draws on research showing that by 2022 the UK “had the 9th most unequal incomes of 38 OECD countries”, while a 2024 Health Foundation report identified a clear connection between inequality and higher crime rates.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
Today’s reading from Isaiah – or Second Isaiah – describes God’s Servant as “one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers” (v7). Why? Because the Servant speaks the truth as revealed by God; and the truth is not always welcomed by those who hold power. Since 1942, when Black American Quaker activist and civil rights leader Bayard Ruskin first described his purpose as “speaking truth to power”, the phrase has been adopted up by prophetic figures as diverse as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Vaclav Havel, as well as by countless ordinary activists determined to raise their voices against abuse, exploitation and oppression of many kinds.
Speaking truth to power is fundamental to the prophetic tradition, and the reason why so many prophets were persecuted long before Jesus was confronted by Pilate with that insidious question, “What is truth?”, and the number of prophetic figures who have suffered for the same action is growing to this day.
The fear of suffering, whether incurring someone’s displeasure, or the break-up of a relationship, or personal violence, or punishment under the law, or even martyrdom, is often what inhibits us from deceiving others, but equally it often holds us back from telling the truth – and this is as true in our private lives as it is in the public sphere. “I made a mistake, and I’m sorry,” can be as difficult for us to say to a friend or relative as it is for a politician to say to the public because we fear the consequences in a culture all too ready to condemn those who confess to wrongdoing.
Suppose, however, that across the world there were local communities in in which penitent sinners could hope for forgiveness rather than condemnation. Suppose that, while rightly requiring a realistic measure of restoration for an offence committed, those communities then offered reconciliation rather than endless recrimination. Might we not then celebrate honesty instead of punishing it? Might this not catch on and spread? Might the truth actually set us free?
Questions for discussion
- What truths should the Church be speaking to power?
- What truths are most unpopular with the public?
- What truths do we find it hard to speak among our families and friends?
- What can we do, individually and as the Church, about the above?
Robert Beard is an NHS worker and Church of England priest.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
What do you need to do to achieve your goals?
This can be a question we ask ourselves a lot at the beginning of the year. Often we keep these goals hidden, mainly because on 31st December we may have a long list of goals which would result in us taking up a bunch of healthy habits which make us the best version of ourselves that we could possibly be and now, just over halfway through January, our best laid plans may be quickly unravelling as our ambitions make contact with reality.
In the news recently there has been lots of talk about what countries need to do to achieve goals on matters like security. There are some countries which are definitely not hiding their agenda. Never in history (probably) has Greenland and who it currently belongs to and who it should belong to been discussed in such detail. When we hear the president of the United States talking about his country will do whatever it takes to make Greenland part of their country, it is a reminder of the extent to which people will go to achieve their goals.
Today’s passage in Isaiah contains a goal that seems nearly impossible. Isaiah is writing at a time when the people of God have been exiled and their temple destroyed. The words in verse 4, “I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all,” would have resonated with their situation.
And yet, in the second half of the passage we are told that the first goal of restoring Israel is too small a goal. Instead the servant spoken about in this passage will be a light that restores the entire world. This passage points to the arrival of Jesus and how his approach to achieving his goal is a stark contrast to the approach of many of our world leaders. There will be no boasting, no feats of strength or bravado. Instead, he will choose to rest in God’s power and lay down his life to bring restoration to all of us - a hidden saviour.
If you are feeling a bit lost already in 2026, remember that God’s hopes and plans are greater than any hopes and plans we have for ourselves and the best versions of us are not revealed through our own strivings and achievements, but by simply resting in God and his love for us.
Chris Neilands is the co-founder of Play it by Ear drama company, based in Belfast.
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 11 January 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
Hope, when it seems impossible
In the hopeless situation which faces Isaiah, he reminds his hearers that hope is in the creator and sustainer of all that exists. ‘I am the Lord’ he says time and again in Isaiah 42.
Context
The forces of chaos threaten at home and abroad:
Into this situation the BBC ‘Thought for the Day’ reflection by Giles Fraser on the day after the Epiphany is timely as he ponders kings and kingship.
Before we dismiss Matthew’s story of the star of Bethlehem as a fantasy it is worth studying the paper (and its 167 references!) about the appearance of a comet in 5 B.C. which conceivably ‘stood still’ over Bethlehem. We may not regard the appearance of a comet as significant but, in Matthew’s day, people who studied the skies, both in the Middle East and China, certainly did think such events noted by experts were highly significant. Matthew’s story emphasises the work of the creator, ‘the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it,’ (Isaiah 42:5).
As such it provides a proper introduction to today’s gospel in which ‘a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved’ (Matthew 3:17).
Reflection
From the moment the wise men are directed away from Jerusalem, Matthew will reveal in his gospel how God has rejected the awe-inspiring temple which Herod is building and the corrupt religious leadership that goes with it. The Christ is born in David’s city, Bethlehem but he is revealed as such by the Jordan.
Whilst it may seem strange that initially only three strangers from the East acknowledge the Messiah, Matthew concludes his gospel with the clear command: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' (Matthew 28:19), just as Jesus had been baptized at the Jordan.
The rejection of the Jerusalem Temple is reflected also in the fact that it is the place of Jesus’ temptation by the devil (Matthew 4:5-7). In Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus laments: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’
Questions for discussion
- In the light of the astronomer’s paper about the Star of Bethlehem, it appears that Matthew could have been reporting the passage of a comet, understood by the ‘wise men’ of the day. Does this help in reading Matthew’s gospel and seeing its significance?
- What are our hopes for 2026 and what are the challenges to be faced?
- The Pope called his first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals on 7-8 January. What might we hope and pray for and how might it affect Christians of churches such as ours? Imagine what you would like to say to the Pope. What you would like him to say to you?
Revd Dr Tom Ambrose is a retired priest, ministering in the Parish of the Ascension, Cambridge.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
What should a leader be like?
The passage in Isaiah describes God’s servant - the one who would speak his words and bring God’s way of living to the world:
“I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (v.1)
You may have had people say to you: "You are the leaders of tomorrow." So it’s worth thinking about what being a leader looks like. God’s servant, we’re told, “will not cry or lift up his voice” (v.2). We’re also told that he won’t crush something that is struggling - the bruised reed or smouldering candlewick (v.3).
Over the last week, we have seen a different type of leadership as Donald Trump has:
- sent soldiers into another country (Venezuela) to remove its leader;
- talked about the ways in which America could ‘obtain’ Greenland.
Opinions vary about how effective Trump is as a peacemaker but he certainly takes a different approach to that of God’s servant in Isaiah.
As Christians we are called to follow Jesus. Jesus condemned those who hurt others and who made life more difficult for those who were struggling but he encouraged people who found themselves on the outside, excluded by others.
Questions for discussion
- Who are your role models?
- How do they lead?
- What will you do in those places where you have power and control this coming week?
Steve Taylor shares the job of joint vicar of St Paul’s CofE Church, Harrow with his wife, Ali. They share their home with their youngest child, two cats, some fish and a rabbit.
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 4 January 2026
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
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.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
“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.