This sermon was given by The Revd Canon Guy Hewitt, Church of England Director of Racial Justice, during the Eucharist celebrating Black History Month on Sunday 5 October 2025.

"God is love, and those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them"

1 John 4.16 is my favourite Bible verse as I believe it best captures the essence of our faith. As the Beatles also told us 'All You Need Is Love.'

However, it can be challenging to understand what 'love' really means. In my pastoring, I have encountered many people for whom, due to various emotional and psychological factors, love became selfish and possessive. There are also those who are unsure how to convey their love; let me say for the record, that unless specifically asked for, buying kitchen appliances as a gesture of love generally misses the mark.

1 Cor 13 now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. So how do we live in love? This is a particularly appropriate to ask given all the racial tensions taking place in our country, and as we journey through Black History Month.

The 13 September 'Unite the Kingdom' protest march exposed a dangerous fusion of Christian imagery and far-right ideology. While it is apparent that many who attended came not due to racism but despair, both about the material deterioration of their lives and also their sense of voicelessness, the torrent of abusive anti-Muslim and anti-migrant rhetoric was terrifying to many from Global Majority Heritage and UK Minoritised Ethnic communities.

The gathering was reminiscent of National Front marches 50 years ago, but more unnerving as today it is by no means a fringe movement. It was this racist abuse from the 1970s that influenced my parents of Indian and Caribbean heritage to leave Britain to raise our family in a more secure environment. As I recall the racist chants: 'there ain't no Black in the Union Jack', I can relate to the sentiment of the Prime

Minister when he suggested that we are in a fight for the soul of our country every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war.

The proliferation of crosses, St George flags, Bible verses, and prayers at the far-right protests, with increasing incidents of violence, abuse, and intimidation, superimposes a veil of false piety on a nativist message imbued with an aversion towards the modern reality of multicultural Britain.

It is vital for us as Christians, for our faith, and for the well-being of our nation to reclaim our Christian imagery from being desecrated by those who would seek to use it to divide us as a people. It is essential for us as a Church to exemplify in all our works, the Kingdom values of love, peace, justice, and inclusivity.

One of the most compelling things about our Lord Jesus Christ was his radical inclusivity; the way he reached out to those whom society would prefer to marginalise, oppress, and 'other.' When asked what was most important in expressing our faith, our Lord emphasised the horizontal and vertical dimensions of loving God and loving others.

Our Lord was clear that the whole of the law could be summed up in the commandments to Love our God with all our heart, mind, and strength and to love our neighbour as ourself. Importantly alongside Christianity, the teachings of Judaism and Islam share the consistent Abrahamic message of welcoming the stranger and loving our neighbour.

We are exposed to the radical nature of love through the parable of the Good Samaritan. And we know from the Parable, the religious – the priest and the Levite – fail the love command as they cross the road and abandon the severely injured man.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, if we as a Church do not use our voice to advocate for those who are being attacked and abused, we join the priest and Levite and fail in our duty of mercy and love.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, if we as Christians are reticent in our preaching or prayers or pastoring about supporting those who are victims of violence or hatred, we join the priest and Levite and fail in our duty of mercy and love.

If we fail to show mercy and love, we are ignoring our Lord's instruction to us, using the example of the Good Samaritan, to go and do likewise.

The cure of souls is a ministry of love to the entire community, not just a call to be chaplains to our congregations. We are called to work with others, including our interfaith brothers and sisters, in this journey of unity and faith, especially in the care for the vulnerable.

I was reassured by the inclusion of former archbishop Lord Williams and the bishops of Winchester, Manchester, Southwark and others, among the signatories to the 19 September joint letter from church leaders voicing concern at the use of Christian symbols, particularly the cross, at the 'unite the kingdom' far right protest. Desmond Tutu reminded us that if we are neutral in situations of injustice, we inadvertently choose the side of the oppressor.

However, it is important to add that the Church, through the Lords Spiritual, have supported the need for policies and measures for controlled migration. Notwithstanding, they have also advocated for border enforcement with compassion, and opposed those who exploit the vulnerabilities and insecurities of ordinary people for political gain or those who seek to blame migrants, in particular Muslims, for the tribulations of the working class.

Confronting bigotry and racism, and embracing the marginalised and oppressed is essential to our Christian identity. This is a missional imperative as set out in the Anglican Communion's fourth Mark of Mission, "to transform unjust structures of society" and one of the Church of England's bold outcomes to "fully represent the communities we serve".

Our racial justice mandate flows not from identity politics but from our primary identity in Christ, for it is in the character and being of Christ that we find the reason and motivation to combat racism. In Christ, our differences are not erased but rather embraced, valuing the unique ways we each reflect the image of God. Every neighbour, regardless of colour, class, creed, or any other protected characteristic is an image-bearer of God, and as such a sister or brother.

My multiple heritages made me aware that the quest for racial justice cannot be achieved unless we are all committed, and that this isn't a struggle between racial groups, but finding unity across them.

To achieve this I offer the analogy of Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese practice of using gold and lacquer to restore broken pottery, symbolising the beauty of imperfection and the value of broken things. When we hold to the hope of Christ, the lover of broken things; when we bring our imperfections and shattered selves to him, he, as the master craftsman, can make us whole again. The cracks formed by our sufferings and human failings are healed when we allow our lives to be transformed through his divine love.

Imagine if we, the body of Christ, made up of every nation, tribe, people, and language, took the lead in showing a hurting, divided world what real love looks like. If we can imagine it, Christ can do it, according to his power that is at work within us.

I conclude with a story from Winnie the Pooh, where Pooh Bear responds to Piglet's question about "how to spell 'love'?" with the humorous yet profound affirmation: "You don't spell love…you feel it."

God is love, and those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them…

The Revd Canon Guy Hewitt
Director of Racial Justice
Church of England