Dear Friends,
In what and in whom do we place our trust? We, like Christians in every generation, must battle with this question at every stage of our journey of faith. There are strong forces in our world competing for our attention and trust: loud voices promising us material wealth, success and happiness.
In contrast, our readings for this Sunday (links below) focus on the theme of trusting in God as the source of true life and blessing. All three texts emphasise the importance of faith and the reality of the resurrection as a central tenet of Christian belief.
In our Old Testament passage from Jeremiah, the prophet paints a powerful metaphor of a tree planted by water to help us visualise the endless supply of blessings which flow from trusting in God. Contrast this with the images elsewhere in the passage—the hopeless, barrenness of those who rely on human strength and worldly things.
St Paul continues to urge the people of the church in Corinth to focus on those things which matter. To a people distracted by worldly concerns, he delivers a timely reminder that Resurrection of Christ is the foundation of their faith. Simply and boldly, if Christ did not rise, then Christian belief is meaningless and there is no hope for the future.
In our Gospel from St Luke, Jesus delivers the ‘Beatitudes’ to those gathered to hear him preach. It is those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the merciful, and those who are persecuted for righteousness who are recognised as blessed in the eyes of God.
Those who are lowly or even invisible by the standards of our world are favourable in his sight. That is who we are called to put our trust in: the one who allows us to embrace the hope of the resurrection even in the face of hardship and persecution.
Yours in Christ,
Ian
