Tag: law

Third Sunday after Epiphany

26th January 2025

Reflection with Readings below

We are still in the season of Epiphany – a word that means to reveal or make manifest. In today’s passage from the Hebrew Testament we hear that Ezra, having called together all the people of God, reads to them the Law of Moses. This is a community of those who have returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem – maybe it is the first time they have heard these words spoke in this holy city. They are overwhelmed by what these words reveals to them about God – God’s glory and God’s wisdom. It is an epiphany moment for them.

In today’s psalm it is creation that is revelling in and revealing the glory of God. And as in the words read by Ezra, it is the wonder of God’s law that is celebrated. Maybe creation is more consistent in praising God than we fickle humans.

Echoing the reading from the Hebrew Testament, the gospel tells of Jesus standing up to read the scripture to the people. It is a passage that reveals Jesus’ mission  – his calling – that he is the fulfilment of God’s will, that he is the one who will reveal to us the good news of God’s favour, not just through words but through action. Was this also an epiphany moment for his listeners?

If we were to read on we would hear how the people in the synagogue were amazed but also puzzled: wasn’t Jesus Joseph’s son yet here he was saying he was the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophesy? And they  try and kill him. Is the truth too overwhelming for them to accept? Is it too impossible for them to believe that one of them – the carpenter’s son – is the messiah? 

Is that puzzlement, that unwillingness to accept what is revealed, what lies at the heart of Paul’s parable? Maybe some of the people in the church at Corinth find it hard to accept that a slave or a gentile – or a woman? – can be just as important, just as special as themselves. Or maybe some of the people in the church in Corinth find it hard to accept that they – be they a slave or a gentile or a woman – are just as important, just as  special as all the others in that community. 

In this season of Epiphany, it is a good time to be reminded that not just humans but nature too can recognise and rejoice in God’s glorious creativity and wisdom. It is a good time to be reminded that no one is more important – nor less important – than anyone else. And extending the parallel, to be reminded that humans are not more important than – nor less important – than the rest of creation. We have all been created for and are valued by God. God’s law that we should love our neighbour includes not just people like ourselves, but people of all backgrounds and places, and not just humans, but all beings that share this God-given existence.

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

All the people of Israel gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart; *
the commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever; *
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offence.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. 

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor. 

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free, 

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Wisdom learned from creation

2nd November 2024

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of her hands. Psalm 19:1

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A reading – Psalm 119: 4-6, 18-19,27- How to live: 

You, O Lord, have charged that we should diligently keep your commandments. 

O that my ways were made so direct that I might keep your statutes.

Then should I not be put to shame, because I have regard for all your commandments.

Open my eyes, that I may see the wonders of your law.

I am a stranger upon earth; hide not your commandments from me.

Make me understand the way of your commandments, and so shall I meditate on your wondrous works. 

If  the idea of obeying commandments sounds too authoritarian, too black and white, think of God’s commandments as the instruction manual for the world, the user’s guide, best practices for living – or even as an expanded set of the rules of nature.

A further reading, Isaiah 55: 6-9:

As the rain and the snow come down from above, and return not again but water the earth,

‘Bringing forth life and giving growth, seed for sowing and bread to eat,

‘So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; it will not return to me fruitless,

‘But it will accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the task I gave it.’


For the sun and moon 

that mete out the seasons,

and measure out the days and weeks:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For chlorophyll and photosynthesis, 

for leaves and phytoplankton,

that turn sunlight into energy: 

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For H2O in all its forms,

for evaporation and precipitation that waters the earth 

and quickens life.

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For the air we breathe, 

a fluctuating mix of gases 

whose balance must be conserved for life to bloom:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For rocks and mountains,  

erosion and sedimentation, 

that lays out a rich blanket of soil: 

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For DNA building blocks 

that see life adapt and evolve, 

reminders of our network of kinship:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For flora and fauna that twist and twine, 

building habitats and 

grounding ecosystems:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

As ‘Johnny-come-lately’ to this world,

Lord grant us the humility to learn from what is already here, 

to look with awe and wonder at what is happily established, 

to treat with respect ecosystems built up over millennia, 

to study and understand the laws of nature, 

to observe and respond to the natural cycles that maintain life,

to cooperate with others 

and with sensitivity to share this space where all can be at home.

Amen.

The Grace

Green Tau issue 88

10th April 2024

The law, juries and justice 

In the UK laws are made by Parliament. The Parliamentary process  should involve in-depth scrutiny and widespread consultation with those likely to be affected to ensure that laws are both fair and effective. 

(I use the word ‘should’ because the reality at the moment is that often such scrutiny is lacking. The following comes from a Legal Action Group report: “Speaking at the annual Bingham Lecture, Lord Judge, who now sits in the House of Lords, observed that parliament produces around 3,000 pages of primary legislation a year, along with 12–13,000 pages of secondary legislation. Disturbingly, he expressed doubts about how much of this was even ‘read, just read’ by parliamentarians, ‘let alone scrutinised’.” https://www.lag.org.uk/article/201782/parliamentary-scrutiny-of-our-legislation-is-being-lost-to-misused-executive-power)  

Once passed, the laws are enforced by the legal system, including the courts where the interpretation of the law can be explored. 

The English legal system is renowned for it jury trials – trials where the defendant’s guilt or innocence is determined by twelve of their fellow citizens. The jury hears the evidence, for and against, and then retires to deliberate amongst themselves as to whether or not they think that the defendant is or is not  guilty. At the outset each witness, including the defendant, swear that they will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This ensures that the jury has all the relevant evidence. 

The role of the judge is to make sure that the case is conducted in accordance with the law. They use their knowledges and experience in interpreting the law, elucidating for the court what they believe the law says or means. The judge can also determine which evidence is relevant to the case and can therefore be heard in court. When the evidence has been heard, the jury – not the judge – gives the verdict of guilty or not guilty. In this way the democratic process is brought to bear upon the legal system: it is the decision of twelve randomly chosen fellow citizens who determine whether or naturally a law has been broken by the defendant. Having heard the juries’ verdict, the judge – of the defendant has been found guilty -determines the sentence that concludes the case. Again this is done within the guideline laid down by law.

Judges have to be impartial ensuring that everyone – defendants, witnesses and jurors, are treated equally and fairly. 

Jurors too have to be impartial and must make their decisions about the case purely on the basis of the evidence that they hear whilst in court. They must not look for information elsewhere – be that via the internet, the media, friends or family etc. Rather they must only discuss the evidence they hear in court with – and only when all twelve are present – their fellow jurors. They must determine on each count whether or not the defendant is guilty or not guilty.  Their decision must be one that reflects their joint thinking. Their decision is one of conscience based on the evidence that they have heard. Jurors do not – and  indeed must not – explain what they discussed and how they have reached their decision. 

At The Old Bailey there is a plaque beating the following text:

“Near this site William Penn and William Mead were tried in 1670 for preaching to an unlawful assembly in Grace Church Street. This tablet commemorates the courage and endurance of the jury, Thos Vere, Edward Bushell and ten others who refused to give a verdict against them although locked up without food for two nights and were fined for their final verdict of not guilty. The case of these jurymen was reviewed on a Writ of Habeas Corpus and Chief Justice Vaughan delivered the opinion of the Court which established”The Right of Juries” to give their verdict according to their convictions.”

It concerns a trial in which the jury was not willing to find the defendants, William Penn and William Mead,  guilty. The judge then ruled that the jury must find defendants guilty. When they refused, the judge had them locked up without food and water for two days. When they still would not find the defendants guilty, the judge fined the jury members. Those who refused to pay were imprisoned.  Edward Bushell appealed to a higher court that he was being unlawfully imprisoned. The Chief Justice released him and declared that jurors could only be punished if they behaved improperly and not because they came to a decision that did not suit the judge or appeared contri to the evidence. 

This right that juries should convict according to their conscience is now the subject of debate, following the arrest of Trudi Warner – for holding up a placard bearing that same inscription as depicted on the plaque inside The Old Bailey – for contempt of court. 

Not surprisingly there has been a strong reaction to this and a group called Defend Our Juries has been coordinating actions outside Crown Courts (where jury cases are heard) where individuals have become human billboards,  sitting in silence outside the court holding a replica sign summarising the words from the Old Bailey. 

For more information about these issues – https://defendourjuries.org/

Third Sunday of Lent

3rd March 2024

Reflection – readings are below

“The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.”

The Psalmist reminds us that God’s statutes are there to make us happy.  The psalmist uses statutes as an interchangeable word with commandments, and I think we could add further words which would convey similar meanings: rules, precepts, laws, policies, undertakings, promises etc. All these suggest a relationship and a common understanding between the participants. (Although I can envisage a situation where there may only be one participant: for  example I might promise myself that I will go to bed at ten each day, or go for a daily walk).

In today’s psalm, the Psalmist explores the relationship between God as creator and those bits of creation we might consider to be inanimate – the sun, the stars, the land itself – and how by following the laws of nature, the actions of even inanimate beings praise God. By being true to their identity – that identity God gave them in creating them, they declare the glory of God and testify to the will – the laws – of God. 

Since we too, as humans, are God’s handiwork, and were given our identity – our purpose and calling – by God, then we glorify God and affirm God’s laws – the will of God – by living lives true to that will and calling. 

It is by the power of God – by living according to God’s will, God’s Laws – that we are, says Paul, saved. Contrary wise, if we do not live according to God’s will, God’s laws, but according to the ways of ‘the world’ then we perish. The ways of ‘the world’ in this context do not mean the natural laws, the self sustaining interconnected ways of natural ecosystems. Rather they are the unnatural ways of commodification, commerce, capitalism, self-centred individualism. These do not lead to salvation. They do not ensure flourishing and wellbeing for all. So it is that Paul can parody this perverse set of opposites by saying  ‘God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom’!

Humans are easily distracted from following God’s ways, fromliving in accordance with God’s wisdom. We easily think that we are more important than our neighbour, that our rights trump those of others, that it is ok to steal or kill or destroy someone else’s life if it benefits us. We easily measure our importance as being more important than God, of believing our wisdom takes precedence over God’s. 

It is not surprising that the Book of Exodus gives us a set of God-given commandments to live by. It is not surprising that the Psalmist tells us that God’s laws, God’s ways, are “More to be desired … than gold, more than much fine gold, sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb” and that they will truly enlighten us! It is not surprising that Paul tells us in blunt terms that there is nothing so perverse as human wisdom when compared with that of God.

Paul is quite right to say that God’s wisdom will act like a stumbling block. And it is a good thing to have such a stumbling block, for how else can you turn around someone who is ‘hell-bent’ on ignoring God’s wisdom in favour of worldly wisdom. How else can you break into the mindset that says there is no better way of living than that of capitalism, of commodification, of self interest; that only belief in the world of markets can solve the world’s problems? It is often the case that when someone is so blinkered to other views, so embedded in their own echo chamber, that there needs to be some disruptive action to cause them to halt, to stop and think, to open their eyes to the bigger picture. 

This is often what climate activists are striving to do: to raise the alarm, to wake people and companies, governments and organisations, up to the urgency and scale of the climate crisis. This week across the world, climate activists were raising the alarm for insurance companies. Insurance companies can themselves be directly affected by the impacts of adverse weather events, yet many of them at the same time continue to underwrite fossil fuel projects that will only compound these adverse weather events!

Jesus knew and understood the blinkered and wayward nature of the people he came to save. He saw the ways in which tradition, invested interests, the maintenance of existing power structures, prevented people from following God’s ways, from listening to God’s wisdom, from working with God to tackle the injustices and inequalities that had built up in the world. He saw how misdirection, misplaced values, and corrupted habits, prevented people from truly being the people God had created. How they were prevented from living in harmony with each other and with all of creation. How their lives failed to give glory to God.

In today’s gospel reading we hear how Jesus went into the Temple and disrupted its activities, and that he did so because they were corrupting the relationships between people, between people and other creaturely beings, and between people and God. He disrupted their activities physically and audibly. He allowed his actions to be driven by righteous anger because what was taking place was destructive of human – and creaturely – flourishing and wellbeing. At the same time he did not let his anger run over in to violence to people or to creatures. 

Let us place prayer at the heart of our lives, and let us be zealous in following the ways of God, listening to God’s wisdom and glorifying God through our actions.

Exodus 20:1-17

Then God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart; *
the commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever; *
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offence.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

John 2:13-22

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.