#unfiltered #Jesusfilter
Preacher: Revd Ruth Kennedy, Digital Ministries Advisor for the Church of Scotland
Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26
In addition to being a Church of Scotland Minister, I volunteer as the sports chaplain to Scottish cycling mountain bike race series – the cross country kind attending many races in this capacity – and also pit crew for my own racer (and my own races actually!).
One thing I have noticed, perhaps you have too, is how some people spectate the race.
We see it at many other events or when celebrities pass us.
There is a fascinating phenomenon of viewing the experience through a handheld rectangular box in front of your face – secondary viewing in real life via the mobile phone.
I’m sure you have seen it?
People are really excited about seeing an event or person and when they come to pass them by, instead of fully engaging with the moment –
this barrier and filter goes up and they watch the screen.
Or spectators who no longer applaud at races because they are too busy holding the filming devices.
As the church of Scotland’s digital ministries advisor, I fully understand the trend, interest and the integral part of life reels and short form videos are
I have tried – to film and clap and cheer wildly or embarrassingly dependent if you are mother or son.
Inevitably the phone films the mud – I just get so engaged and think ‘wow, look who our child is’ in utter amazement –
most parents do or we have another person in our lives who is, quite frankly amazed with us for being us. They might have never said it or shown it and when we’re not sure if there is someone who thinks we are quite wonderful, open up the bible, Psalm 139 and read verse 14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made – marvellous are God’s works, and my soul knows it very well.
We are one of God’s wonderful works, therefore, we, you and me are made with distinction, you are distinguished and admirable. According to God you are extraordinary.
You always have this love of God.
Even if another human can’t, doesn’t or won’t express that to you. Hopefully, we can receive this from God and perhaps express that to others?
For God isn’t distracted from loving you, God is fully engaged with loving this world – no secondary viewing through another filter.
And what about when view someone else’s reel of experience, we are behind them on a secondary device or time. Living the occasion through their lens – both literally and metaphorically.
When we approach life with the lens of another in front of us we experience it through their filter. Like a photo on Instagram, automatically giving a number of filter options to apply to the real photo to enhance it, make it a bit more moody, fun.
But Has anyone else then posted an image that has been so breathtaking in it’s true state we tag it #unfiltered? because we want people to know – this is an Authentic image – this is really how it was or they were, no artificial manipulation – just raw honesty.
There are times the reels, images, stories digitally told and those told face to face are just that, authentic, unpolished, unfiltered. Those words of Jesus that we are blessed when life is A bit bumpy and lumpy, they are hard to hear about – but life can be like that can’t it?
Tricky, hard to walk through, a swirling amount of opportunities, possibilities, and ideologies. The perceived Shrinking security and safety both in a nuclear world and now with the climate crisis – we need the refuge of Jesus more than ever.
If we look at life unfiltered we bump into a vast array of wonderful experiences – and there are also awful experiences;
The utter poverty which 82% of the population of Venezuela live in.
Christian Aid let us know and enable us to help the 7.1million people in South Sudan who face hunger and food insecurity.
one in three 18–24 in the UK are reporting symptoms of ‘common mental disorders’ (eg anxiety and/or depression) – our young people more than any other age group are ‘crying’ – to use the words of Jesus.
Open Doors tell us worldwide; 1 in 7 Christians face persecution today.
Honest, unfiltered life in 2025. So similar to those words of Jesus we heard in Luke;
“Blessed are you who are poor, when you;ve lost it all
you who hunger now, needing the good food for your bodies and from God,
who weep now, with free flowing tears
when people hate you, exclude and insult you and reject your name as evil,
Jesus did not deny these tragedies, He spoke into these very situations and gave an alternative perspective, a different way of journeying through them – one with Him.
For the poor, hungry, those who weep and those who are hated, when the circumstances are awful – unbelievably there is life-changing hope – that is why the large crowd at Jesus that day included a great number of people who journeyed from all over Judea, Jerusalem, even the coast of Tyre and Sidon – modern-day Lebanon, some 50miles away and these were people not of the House of Israel –
why else would all these people come to Jesus unless there was hope, miraculous, holy power on this earth.
Still here, still working for you, for me, for all.At all times, there is even joy, there is something wonderful for each of us. All heaven applauds, cheers you on, God blesses you even in those circumstances – when our hearts are set to Him.
But what about when hearts are not set to God? When we live life on another filter and we have people who are
rich who deny even basic comfort others creating poverty,
or those with food who keep it to themselves without thinking of others, actual food or spiritual who just store it all up for themselves,
or mockers, judgmentalists, who do not have compassion and mercy on those who need it
Or when we seek accolades, likes, kudos and praise from people woe to you, Jesus said.
Woe – an exclamation of grief, it’s trouble ahead, horrible.
You won’t get the riches and treasures of the glories of heaven, you’ll not be satisfied for long and you will reap what you sow. For this comes from lives with hearts set against God.
This is a filter, a way of life that is not to be admired, nor pursued.
But now and then, people live life with this filter because it seems to be the way to win.
Jesus rejects their view of the world, undercuts the dispositions that orient the actions and inclinations that make up their daily lives. He teaches God’s Kingdom and ways are not the same as this.
Society then and now constructs – and we as part of that same society construct a lens’ through which to perceive ourselves and others – and God. There is, sadly, on offer an unrighteous filter on life that directs us to selfish ambition and internalisation for satisfaction;
When the heart intention and our internal motivation is as Jeremiah puts it – ‘turned away from the Lord’ these things only bring drought, loneliness, rootlessness and aimlessness.
Jesus spoke about them because there was a similar filter, or view of the world in biblical times.
And we find Jeremiah describing comparable trends in around the late 7th and early 6th century BCE.
Riches, abundance, podiums might still be part of our lifestyles when our hearts are turned to God, but there is such a significant difference in our approach to life, our trust in Jesus here.
The alternative lens Jeremiah offers is where we put our trust in the Lord, have our confidence and faith in Him – not our selves or human decided definitions of success.
JEREMIAH v8
JEREMIAH v8 – as we trust in the Lord we are perfectly placed where we can grow healthily, with security and purpose,no fear when there is external pressures or crisi because God has us,
and even when life is hard and society is hopeless, we still bear fruit – words of comfort, hope, healing. Love, value because our roots are grounded in God and we are nourished from there. That transforms our lives and the world in which we live.
And Jesus draws on this as he redefines the world for His hearers then, and now.
The filter Jesus offers us to look at life with and indeed to live life through is one which draws attention to His merciful Father, with love, eternal life, and healing for us and for us to share out to others.
We can see Jesus constructing a filter, a belief system where all experience life through Him, within the community of faith, where we are surrounded with holy love, with joy, peace, righteousness and power in the Holy Ghost – for such is the Kingdom of God.
There is an invitation from Jesus to trust in Him, enter into the community of faith and have a life perspective that is shaped by the values of heaven, of God’s Kingdom. Have you accepted it?
Today, I pray we have put down those metaphorical cameras and take off any worldly filters, in order to be here in the presence of God and consider a holy filter
As we do so, all of us can receive a Jesusfilter in life and we can and do go on, and out and be part of societal transformation, revival in our land, and for some a new or renewed commitment to be in this incredible community of faith following our Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
If you want to decide that Jesus is your Lord for the first time or a renewing time today, let God know during our worshipful response and let myself and Donald know so we can pray with you.
Fo all of us, Today is a great day to say yes to Jesus and live with the #Jesusfilter.
Let us pray;
Wonderful, Blessed and beloved Lord
will you send your Holy Spirit to us just now and removed any wrong filters form our hearts. Forgive us for them.
Bless us with new eyes to see ourselves, this world and you from your Kingdom perspective. bring spiritual renewal in our hearts and communities and will you fulfil your word here that says;
Blessed are those who trust in you, who stick with you.
They are like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers – never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit in every season.
For your glory and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.