The week in focus
Connecting to the world right now
A prayer for the Royal Family on the death of HRH Prince Philip
Eternal, Everlasting God, we pray for those we know and love and hear of this day. Especially, we pray for the royal family mourning the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh, as devoted wife, sons and daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren and so much more. For the staff who have been Covid-secure with the family, giving all the care and support they could. And as we pray for them, we give thanks for the life of Prince Philip, for his devotion to our Queen and his family, for his devotion and duty to our country and the commonwealth and beyond. For his steadfastness and his community support and engagement and for his faith and witness.
God, in whom we believe:
Bless them.
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.
Don't be too afraid!
In a time of fear, we must be ready to think even more carefully.
Context
Recent statements regarding blood clots as a possible side-effect of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 have varied between those cautiously derived from scientific research, to others couched in hysterical terms and offering no evidence for their assertions.
The European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, also known as the Age of Reason, saw the results of scientific enquiry drive out many of the unfounded beliefs that had dominated most Europeans’ thinking since before the Middle Ages, and often frightened them into observing all sorts of strange rites and rituals from their convictions that these would ward off evil spirits or promote good harvests.
Although observant people recognised that the implementation of scientific innovations often led to serious social issues – for example, the Luddites, or pollution from coal burning – it wasn’t really until the Second World War, and especially the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that science began to be perceived as presenting serious risks, even to the survival of the human race, first from the Bomb and more recently from climate change.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- The Gospel writers did their best to convey the Apostles’ encounters with the risen Christ, portraying Jesus sometimes as recognisable and sometimes as unrecognisable, as able to eat with them and also able to pass through closed doors. These paradoxes convey the impression that Jesus’ body was not merely resuscitated but transformed in ways they could barely describe. Similarly, the presence of the risen Christ evoked both joy and fear in different witnesses and at different times.
- I often think that St Thomas’ scepticism is actually rather healthy; it was a superstitious era, and he seems to have been less susceptible to hearsay than many others might have been.
- The emotion of fear undoubtedly plays a vital role in individual survival, not least in the ‘fight or flight’ reflex that occurs when we find ourselves confronted by an aggressor, but it can also paralyse us or lead to panic, and is unlikely anyway to aid rational thought. We are rightly afraid of catching the Covid-19 virus and/or of passing it on to others, but it is better calmly to take the recommended precautions than to flail around in a panic.
- For scientists working in laboratories, fear of the virus cannot be allowed to interfere with the calm pursuit of their work; and frontline medical staff have continued to provide the best care for patients despite the risks to their own health.
There are many examples of stories that you might draw on here, including:
Questions for discussion
- Fear can sometimes paralyse not only our bodies, but our minds too. What reassurance does the story of ‘Doubting Thomas’ offer us in our different walks of life, especially during the current pandemic?
- How might we use the reassurance that we, as Christians, draw from the risen Christ to help address other people’s fears - including those who may not share our faith?
Robert Beard is a freelance writer and Church of England priest.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people.
When was the last time you lied about something? Perhaps you gave your parent/carer the impression that you were doing your Easter holiday homework in your room when in fact you were actually getting ready to start but just had a few more buildings to finish on Minecraft…
Or maybe you’ve lied to try and help someone? ‘Do you like my new trainers?’ ‘Oh yes, they’re gorgeous’ you reply secretly hoping you are never forced to wear such a tragic pair of shoes.
In any case, the idea of truth seems a bit slippery these days. Were Meghan and Harry telling the full truth about what happened to them, or was it just their version? Would Kate and William have a different ‘truth’? And what about fake news? TikTok conspiracy theories? The truth about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine? Who should we believe? What do you think about the word ‘truth’? Is it hard to talk about absolute truth in 2021?
It seems we all have to make decisions virtually every day about what the truth is, whether to say truthful things and what to believe in in the first place. That’s why the story of Thomas, in the Gospel for this week, is so interesting. He found it hard to know what the truth was. He wanted to see the evidence as he had missed out on seeing the risen Jesus for himself. He was trying to work out what to believe. Do you ever feel like Thomas? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing… Thomas is often referred to as ‘doubting Thomas’ but maybe he’s more ‘truth-seeking Thomas’. How can you seek out truth in what you see and experience around you?
Fiona Dorman taught English in secondary school for 20 years and is currently working as Bristol Cathedral education officer and as an educational consultant.
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