Truth or fake news

From Helen 
This week the news has been full of election talk. It is such an important time but it is also a time when all sorts of fascinating bits of information come out. Most are true, surely but increasingly we are hearing of fake news stories. People hacking into politicians email accounts to cause trouble and to be honest you start to get a bit confused and wonder what is actually truth. What news is real ?

I remember when we were in Llandrindod I was talking to some teenagers and said, “ I am going to tell you three facts now. Two are correct and one is false.” I explained that I had been kissed by a prime minister, exchanged Christmas cards and letter with the then Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and had gone out with retired England cricketer Andrew Flintoff. 

Well, let me ask you? Which two are true ? I was kissed on the cheek by Jim Callaghan when I was 4 and he came to our Church, the Rowan bit is true but … Anyway straight away one of the teenage  boys said’ “you didn’t go out with Andrew Flintoff, he is way out of your league !” 

This morning we have heard about the real truth, no fake news, truth that dhows us the way to life, truth that shows us the way to God, truth that helps us everyday. 

In our gospel reading we heard of Jesus saying that He was the way, the truth and the life. Last week we thought about Jesus as the gate or doorway for the sheep and how that meant He protected and guided His sheep. This week we have been reminded that Jesus is the way. He is God and He showed us that if we ever want to know what God is like all we need to do is to look at Jesus. He is our way, He protects us, He guides us and He shows us the way to be more like Him and to see what He, God is like. 

Then Jesus said that He was the truth.  Jesus is truth, He is everything we need to know about life. Jesus taught us about Himself, He shows us the way to the Father and He teaches us how to love. 

Jesus had shown that He was the truth and He continues to do this. The life of Jesus is not fake news and this was something that Stephen who we hear of in the book of Acts (7:55-60) was determined to tell and show others. Stephen had found the way, the truth and the life and in Jesus he knew that he was living well as he followed what was real, as he followed who was real. 

Stephen was challenged to turn his back on Jesus but he refused. Jesus was good news and he wanted people to hear this news. I always think that it is amazing that Saul later the apostle Paul was watching all this and supporting the people stoning Jesus. Some of the people who would be seeking to persecute him later on. 

Anyway back to Stephen, when he was being stoned he was still concerned to tell people that Jesus was so real that he could even see him waiting to receive him.

Stephen at the darkest moment saw Jesus waiting for him.

Jesus was waiting for him as He promised the disciples He would be waiting for them and as He promises us that we do not need to have troubled hearts about the future because Jesus has prepared a room for us. We will have worries but ultimately we live with a promise that comes from the one who doesn’t just speak truth but is actually truth. 

Jesus is our way and He is life. That life isn’t just for after we die physically it is life for now as well,  knowing Jesus our way, our truth and our life. This is what we believe.

This is all so true but what does it mean for us when we see the news, fake or otherwise and see the pain and suffering going on around the world. 

Well the answer is that Jesus our truth loves us, Jesus our way is always there for us. When we pray for the world we know that God hears us, when we turn to Him knowing His love and His life then we know that He hears us and He weeps over the pain in the world. 

Jesus brings and gives life and that life is not for people to be suffering, God loves us all and He doesn’t want to see anyone left out feeling unloved. This is the truth.

In our reading from 1 Peter (2:-10) we heard of the love and care of God for those who were suffering.

The reading from 1 Peter is to those whose belief in Jesus as the way, the truth and the life had put them outside of society.  They were people who had been thrown out of the temple, they were people who were told that they were nothing. 

Yet, in this letter they were bring reminded that actually because of God whilst they may have felt that they were nothing they were in fact something. They were the people of God, loved by God, they were special they were chosen, they were a royal priesthood. Basically everything good that they could be was all in the love of God. Whose love was boundless. 

This is the way, this is the truth, this is life. That we will know God as we seek tpshare His love with others reaching out to them in love. Not talking maliciously about people behind their backs, not spreading fake news but spreading the truth that Jesus loves us, He is our way, our truth, our life our everything. Without God we are nothing, with God we have everything, we are in the right place. This doesn’t literally mean that we are rich and that life is perfect but it does mean that we can faith that Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life, God, loves us and He wants us to share that love with others. May we be ready and excited to share the good news that Jesus the way, the truth and the life is for everyone. Fake news, bad news spreads lets do our part to make the best news ever spread even further. AMEN