The editorial from the T4CG Newsletter, Easter 2024. To view full version click here
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15
Dear Friends
When Pope Francis said eight years ago this is not an era of change but a change of era, he was sensing the early signs of the unravelling that is now becoming obvious to all. Some may have thought he was exaggerating, and even now, when we talk about dark times, some still think we too, are catastrophising. What you see depends on where you live and who you know. Having a strong grasp on reality makes us better able to discern our calling for the common good.
We are not in the business of false hope. Real hope only comes from truth, and truth comes from God and through deliberation with each other. Often people do not want to hear the truth and it can be hard to be the bearer. Jeremiah was thrown into a pit for it, but he turned out to be right. He conveyed God’s guidance on how human beings and creation can flourish, and how life breaks down when we breach the covenant.
This is a challenging time for Christians. There are aggressive ideologies at work and many traps are being set. One is a temptation into an individualistic salvation, another is to triumphalism, and another is to capitulation. But in Holy Week we are reminded that Christ came among us neither as a powerful leader nor as a people pleaser. He came neither to dominate nor to align with temporal power.
He came to teach us about truth, to love God and to love our neighbour. He introduced a vision of the Kingdom which challenged the dominant narrative of the time. He spoke truth to power to leaders in his own community who could not tolerate the truth and he was crucified for it. But the sacrifice of his death was like a seed that grew beyond all imagining and from which billions have since come into relationship with God.
Jesus is the central figure in the universe. If we are to see with the mind of Christ, then we are called to sacrifice our comfort too. We are called to tell the truth and to accompany each other in the struggles of life. He came as an ordinary labourer who lived in solidarity with the poor to teach people about true freedom in God. He assembled people together across class, ethinicity and educational background, modelling for us a coalitional, relational justice. He said to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants…I have called you friends”.
This theme of friendship and local relationships is fundamental. Our relational, embodied nature is the foundation of our communal life. Local relationships need constant nourishment, especially as the business models of big tech and big corporates are designed to profit from our digital engagement. The subordination of the physical to the digital leads to the atrophy of grounded relationships, leaving us at the mercy of vested interests.
Many Christians are confused about the calling of the Church in contemporary culture. However, in a society so deeply lost, there is much we can do, especially in the local. There is a great hunger for meaning and belonging and God is greater than the state and the market. People are longing for a sense of the transcendent, the sacred, for justice, for accompaniment, for a way to live. We are called to a holistic evangelisation in which we join in with God and with our neighbours in the reweaving of our common life.
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The work of T4CG goes to the heart of these questions, and so in this edition, I’m pleased to share with you my notes from a session addressing our calling for the common good in uncertain times, exploring the challenges and opportunities for God’s people. And I’m delighted to share a story by Phil McCarthy on why churches should keep their doors open, and how walking pilgrimage can be a way of encountering place and people.
In a culture of hyperliberal individualism, financialisation and digital domination, which generate alienation and loneliness, the importance of reciprocal, local, face-to-face encounter is critical. Especially so for young people, and this is addressed by Jo Stow in her latest update on our work with our Common Good Schools partners. Also in this theme of local relationships, I am including a piece about my mother, Grace Sheppard, how in facing the death of my father she made deep connections with her neighbours and in doing so, discovered the friendship of Christ.
Below you will also find links to the latest episodes from our Leaving Egypt podcast, where Al Roxburgh and I explore what it means to be God’s people in an age of unravelling, along with details of our monthly discussion Forum. And you’ll see I’ve been interviewed by Judith Ley for Manx Radio about the story of T4CG, and have been a guest of Phillip Ullmann on his channel, where we discuss the modern pharaohs and what can be done to restore human flourishing. Finally we include our latest signs of the times articles and recommended books. Something for everyone I hope. Please feel free to forward to a friend.
Wishing you and yours every blessing this Easter season
Jenny Sinclair, and the Together for the Common Good team
This is just the editorial from the T4CG Newsletter, Easter 2024. To read the full content, click here
Like what you are reading? More inspirational content from Jenny Sinclair can be found here: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/news-views/from-jenny-sinclair
Header image: L’Icône du Christ et de l’Abbé Ménas (Louvre, Paris)