Jenny’s letter August 31
Dear Friends,
As September begins, the rhythm of life shifts again. Many of our children and young people are back to school, uniforms pressed and pencil cases full, while families adjust to earlier mornings and fuller calendars. For some of you, I know, the turning of the season always brings with it a sense of new beginnings. For us as Christians, it is also a chance to reflect on how we are called to live faithfully in the times we are given.
In recent months, I’ve noticed something troubling.
Our national flags – the Union Jack, and especially the flag of St George, are increasingly being used in ways that divide rather than unite.
Symbols that might once have stood for community, celebration, or heritage are now sometimes presented as weapons, to mark out who truly belongs and who does not.
This is a distortion. We are being sold a story of threat: that our way of life is under attack, that our neighbours are to be viewed with suspicion, that loyalty means drawing lines of hostility. Fear is a powerful tool, and it is often used to control. But scripture tells us plainly: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18).
Our faith does not give us permission to fear or despise the neighbour. Quite the opposite. In Christ, we are commanded to love the stranger, to welcome the outsider, to see the image of God in all.
It is not wrong to love one’s country. But love of country must never be twisted into hatred of others. Remember, our Lord Himself was crucified under the flag of empire and violence, yet He responded not with vengeance but with forgiveness. If the flag of St George – a cross that once marked the witness of a Christian martyr – is used to stir up hostility, then we as Christ’s people must quietly but firmly say: not in our name.
This new school year is also a reminder that the young are watching us. Our children hear the way adults talk about belonging, loyalty, and difference. What do we want them to learn from us? Will they inherit suspicion and fear? Or will they see us choosing trust, compassion, and hospitality, even when the world urges otherwise?
Friends, let us be a people who resist the easy path of division. Let us challenge, gently but firmly, the narratives that seek to pit neighbour against neighbour. And let us hold fast to the better story – the story of Christ’s kingdom, where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
As flags are flown on our streets, may we lift high another banner – the banner of Christ’s love. It is love that drives out fear, welcomes the stranger, and heals division. May we be faithful enough to live by it.
With love and blessings,
