TEACHING SERIES: Letting The Light In SERMON TITLE: Betrayal BY: Sarah Auger DATE: Sunday 10 March 2024 ‘BIBLE PASSAGES: John – Chapter 18, verses 1-11 EXCERPT: When someone you trust lets you down, and betrays that trust, it can be one of the most devastating events in life. It is disorientating and gutwrenching. It’s one of the reasons why the TV series, The Traitors, has become so popular – it gets to the core of some of our most complex emotions, and painful experiences. A few short words in the bible remind us that Jesus understands all about betrayal. As Jesus is praying one night in a garden, with a few of his closest friends nearby, we read the words, ‘So Judas came to the garden…’ (John 18:3). And with that, the rest is history. And yet, rather than resist the betrayal, he goes on to almost willing embrace it (John 18:11). In the same moment that Jesus identifies with our feelings of being betrayed, we catch a glimpse that betrayal doesn’t have to be the end of the story, after all. “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.” (C.S.Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) Welcome: What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together in-person is still true of us online. We are on a journey together to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers across Birmingham and beyond. Riverside is a church made up of people from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences all with one thing in common; our discovery of God and His amazing love. We hope you will feel at home among us and that you will find our weekly services, events and groups welcoming and relevant to your life. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church please visit our website: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Useful Links: # OUR WEBSITE: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ # READ ONLINE (Church Blog) - https://www.riverside-churchblog.org.uk/ # WATCH ONLINE (YouTube) - https://www.youtube.com/RiversideChurchBirmingham