Sermon for the 16th of April - Holy Monday

Today is Holy Monday, we are approaching Good Friday and the cross is looming. In the gospel reading Mary anoints Jesus feet, with the kind of perfume they used to embalm the dead. Mary recognises Jesus and has a sense of what is coming. Whereas Judas can only see the financial implications of what she is doing, Mary can see the bigger picture.

The second part of the gospel reading is about the chief priests planning to put Lazarus to death, as well as Jesus, because people were turning to Jesus. This is a clear demonstration of those in power not wanting to be challenged and not being willing to lose their power.

And reflecting on these two themes – of recognition, and of challenge to power, I have to confess, my thoughts turned to the US. And whilst we don’t usually get political in sermons, I think today we have to…..

Since taking office in January, Trump has signed executive orders which reverse environmental protections, remove the US from international organisations like the WHO. He has put sanctions on the international criminal court and shut down many government agencies including USAid. He has scrapped support of DEI policies, and declared there are only 2 genders. He has made independent regulators answerable to the White House and is banning certain teachings in schools and universities. He has deported people to inhumane prisons in El Salvador and frozen refugee admissions. He has also paused the prosecution of Americans bribing government officials and pardoned defendants from 6th January storming of the White House. Not to mention creating the potential for a mass economic recession with his tariffs. And that is just after 4 months in office.

You may be thinking, well it’s not the UK so we’re somewhat removed but the global impact of his actions is inevitable. How far behind the US are we?

We need to recognise what is happening here, not just in the US, but more widely – recognise the hunger for power, the financial greed, the blatant lack of care for the poor, the marginalised and our planet, and the injustices that are taking place. And then recognise the power and governance structures that enable this and the impact it has.

The increasing support for far-right parties both in the UK and overseas is a clear sign that something isn’t working and many people are feeling ignored, unheard and marginalised.

This is a far cry from Jesus teachings, and the biblical messages where we are repeatedly reminded of the need to care for all those less fortunate that ourselves, where we are reminded that anyone is our neighbour if they need our help, and where peace and justice are frequently connected.

As the Isaiah reading reminds us – we are called in righteousness, called to be a light to the nations, to set prisoners free. Jesus spoke truth to power and challenged the status quo and was willing to lay down his life – and we are his followers – we too are called to bring justice.

I’d like to suggest that now is the time to act. And I’d like to repeat the words of Edmund Burke that I shared on Ash Wednesday - “all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing”.

Each week in church, we pray your kingdom come, your will be done. On this Holy Monday, we certainly need to pray, but we need to do more than pray. We need to speak out, write to our MPs, sign petitions, choose where we spend and invest our money, and take every opportunity to recognise and call out injustices – both here in the UK and abroad. We may want to increase our giving now that the world’s largest aid organisation has been decimated. We might even need to be willing to pay more tax! We are not powerless, and even if we can not change everything, we can change some things.

In the gospel reading today, Judas just sees the money – Mary recognises who Jesus is and responds accordingly, even though her actions may have seemed foolish or inappropriate to others.

As Teresa of Avila wrote “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours.”

Are we brave enough to be like Mary, recognise what is happening and take action? Can we be Christ’s body on earth? I pray that God would give all of us the strength and wisdom see what is true, recognise where God is, and respond accordingly, just as Mary did.