I started writing my sermon for tomorrows services this morning and kept getting distracted by the news and the social media posts that I have been reading this week and then I saw one of the readings is from Jeremiah 1:4–10 and this has prompted me to try and put some thoughts on paper again. I was reminded that my calling as a priest should be not rooted in comfort or silence, but in courage and truth.
God touched Jeremiah’s mouth and said, “I have put my words in your mouth,” As a priest in the Church of England, I believe I am called to speak, not only within the walls of the church, but into society. To uproot what harms, to plant what heals, and to speak for those whose voices are unheard or ignored.
I’ve have felt saddened by the voices in our community and nation that suggest our struggles are caused by a particular group of people. It’s a narrative that oversimplifies complex issues and sows division. And when we say “different,” let’s be honest, these individuals are not truly different in any meaningful way. They are human beings, just like us, who happen to come from another country. That alone should never be a reason to blame or exclude. There’s a word in Scripture that’s both ancient and painfully current: scapegoat. In the book of Leviticus, the scapegoat was the creature symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and sent out into the wilderness. It was a ritual of release, but also of exclusion. The goat carried blame so the community could feel clean and better about itself.
It’s a powerful image. And it’s one we still live with today.
In times of fear or uncertainty, we look for someone to blame. Someone to carry the weight of our discomfort. And too often, that burden falls on those who are already vulnerable, asylum seekers, refugees, people who look or sound different from us. They become the scapegoats of our headlines, our politics, and sometimes even our conversations.
But Scripture doesn’t leave the scapegoat in the wilderness. It tells a deeper story.
Jesus himself was a refugee. As a baby, he fled with his family to Egypt to escape violence and persecution. He knew what it was to be displaced, to be at risk, to be dependent on the welcome of strangers. And throughout his ministry, he stood with those cast out, the leper, the Samaritan, the woman at the well. He refused to let fear define who belonged.
At the heart of the Gospel is a radical truth: no one is disposable. No one is beyond the reach of grace. And no one should carry the weight of our collective fear alone.
In our own community, we are blessed to know and worship alongside people who have come here seeking safety. Some live in the hotel nearby. Some have become part of our church family. We’ve shared stories, prayers, baptisms, and cups of tea.
They are not scapegoats. They are neighbours. Friends. Fellow children of God.
So when we hear voices that stir suspicion or spread misinformation, let us respond not with anger, but with clarity. Not with shame, but with compassion. Let us tell a better story, one where welcome is stronger than fear, and love is louder than blame.
Because in the wilderness, Jesus didn’t send people away. He fed them. He healed them. He called them by name.
May we do the same.
Rev’d Dean, Alfred Jewel Benefice
Thank you Rev Dean for shining the light of Christ into this situation. When I feel uncomfortable about the migrants at the hotel (and I do quite regularly) I remember the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to “love your neighbour as yourself.” Even if some are here to disrupt our way of life, our Lord commands that we “love our enemies.” In other words, whatever we may think about migrants and their reasons for being here, if we are a Christian, our Lord gives us no option but to love. It does help when we meet them face to face though – as at that point they stop being a news story and start being real people. We do not attend St Mary’s but I have been particularly struck by the children we have met at our church; they did not choose to be brought here, they are innocents caught up in a world they do not understand and over which they have no control.
Whilst you are absolutely right to call out the oversimplification of complex issues by those who seek to use them to their own political advantage, may I also suggest that when people feel unable to air legitimate anxieties and concerns for fear of being labelled racist or far right, that ironically creates an environment which allows division and hatred to flourish. There are many wounds in our nation, much poverty and a feeling of hopelessness and confusion. As any doctor will tell you, any wound that is left in the dark festers. I strongly believe that we need an open national conversation about immigration. Let us bring this into the light, and God willing, into the light of Christ – because ultimately it is only in Christ our great Physician that true healing and harmony is possible.
Lord have mercy on our nation.
Dear Paul
I agree in many ways with you. I have tried not to brand everyone as racist or far right that has concerns about imigration.
But the sad fact is that the far right are using these topics to stir up fear and hatred.
Jesus calls us to love our neighbours and these people fleeing war and persecution are our neighbours and we have a duty to over them safe refuge.
But I also agree with you that we must have these conversations out in the open as shutting them down is not helpful and causes as you say for people to feel unheard, which just causes more division.
Take care and God bless
Dean