Public Truth

'For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples.
A light for revelation for the Gentiles’ (Lk 2.30-32a)

Reflection

When I got ordained and arrived at my new home as a full-time curate, a postcard was lying on the doormat. It was from a Church of England communications officer and it began with the words YOU ARE NEWS. It urged me to report my arrival, and tell my story, not just in church circles but in the public sphere.
 
It did not take long, after doing so, that I found myself featured in the local media and meeting my local MP, who happened also to be the Prime Minister, Sir John Major.
 
Seeing that message as I crossed the threshold into my new life was a relief. It reassured me that, in making this transition, I could retain my deeply held belief that faith is for all of life, and that the truth about God is public truth.
 
It is partly on the prophetic utterance of Simeon that I base this belief. When he held in his arms the tiny yet almighty creator of the universe, he declared in the words above that the salvation this child represented was universal.
 
Simeon, in other words, had a moment of epiphany (revelation) that the epiphany Christ offers is open and available to everyone.
 
This must mean it has repercussions for all issues people face, however practical, material or ‘secular’ they may seem.
 
Response
Christian faith is personal but not private. What opportunities do you have this week to reflect Christ’s light in the ‘public’ domain (beyond your domestic and church circles)?

Prayer
Come Holy Spirit, enlighten my heart with your truth and help me live that truth in the public sphere.

Next steps
An organization helping Christians think through the implications of their faith for public life is the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge.

This Week's Author

Peter S Heslam, Director of  Faith in Business


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