19th Sunday after Trinity Readings: Job 23v1-9&16-end; Psalm 22v1-15; Hebrews 4v12-end; Mark 10v17-31. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In the OT reading from Job, Job is telling his friends that he has done nothing to deserve the terrible suffering that life has sent his way. Job is so convinced that God is not punishing him for any wrong-doing that he says he is willing to meet with God and ask what is going on and why he has been made to suffer. Job is so confident in God’s goodness that he says that if he could get an audience with God that God would confirm that he had done nothing to deserve what life has thrown at him. However, all of that said, Job also is aware of and acknowledges that God has the authority and wisdom to do whatever God feels fit. This confidence that Job has in God is quite surprising because everyone in his era believed that bad things only happened to bad people, even though this is not true. For, if you check the start of the book of Job, you will find that all of Job’s troubles are being caused by Satan who has had the audacity to challenge God’s trust in Job. So what we learn from the Book of Job, is that suffering in this life is not something we deserve – because it is caused by Satan. The psalm is an interesting prayer because in it David is complaining to God about what is happening in his life. For David is grumbling that he is in physical pain and distressed by his exile and his loss of status. He is also irritated that even though he has asked God to intervene, just as God had done in the past for David’s ancestors that he is yet to be rescued by God. However, in spite of all of his moans about all that life has sent his way, David continues to trust that God will take action to turn things around. If you read the ancient books in the Old Testament, you will learn that God eventually saves David from the life he was leading and God’s plan that David would be king was fulfilled. So what we learn from this psalm is that it is okay to complain to God when we suffer. I believe that because suffering is a part of life here on earth that this is why God has always asked down the ages for us to use whatever we have to look after everyone who needs our help. For all of us may suffer at one time or another and surely this world would be a better place if everyone played their part by doing what they can to ease suffering and sorrow. I suspect that this is what Jesus was asking of the young rich man in the gospel of Mark. For in order to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him that he not only needed to continue keeping God’s commandments but also to use his wealth to help the poor. This instruction was something that challenged the young man and led Jesus to comment that the rich will find it hard to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then went on to teach that if we dare to sacrifice everything we have for God and his Kingdom, that God will do all that we need to open the door into heaven for us. I trust that this is true because as the letter to the Hebrews tells us: Jesus understands what our lives are like; and Jesus is a great high priest with access to God; and Jesus wants us to come to him to receive the mercy and help that God is offering to all of his creation. Let us pray: Holy and blessed God, fill us with your Holy Spirit, direct and rule our hearts, that we may honour you with our words and lives dedicated to the service of Jesus. Amen. Thank you for joining us.
Michael and All Angels Readings: Genesis 28v10-17; Psalm 1031v19-end; Hebrews 1v5-end; John 1v47-end. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: As we celebrate the feast of St Michael and all Angels, I thought we should take time to think about angels. Now, I am not sure what you already know about angels, but the word angel simply means God’s messenger. This messenger may be ordinary – a person just like you or me – sent with a message from God. Or it may be a messenger sent from the spiritual realm such as the God’s great and obedient arch-angels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. According to the psalm. these heavenly beings of the Lord are mighty creatures who exist to do God’s bidding, as well as to bless God whose throne is in heaven. And, as the writer declares in the letter to the Hebrews, the God of heaven and earth who sent his son into the world – has angels who work in the service of God, spirits who worship the Lord’s son and who are sent out into the natural world to serve each and every person who will inherit salvation. We see God’s angels at work in the reading from the Book of Genesis, an account sometimes referred to as “Jacob’s ladder”. For whilst Jacob slept, God drew close to him and communicated to him through a dream. In the dream, Jacob saw a staircase full of angels between heaven and earth. Then, God spoke to Jacob, promising to be with him and all the families of the earth wheresoever they may go – and promising never to leave them until all of God’s promises had been fulfilled. Later, when Jacob woke up, Jacob knew that he had been visited by God and that the place he was in was what we now call “a thin place”, places on earth where heaven can be felt. Then, in the gospel we hear an echo of Jacob’s ladder in the account of what happens between Jesus and Nathanael. For after Nathanael questions how Jesus knows him – Jesus describes something that Nathanael recognises as so profound – that he knows without doubt that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus then goes on to prophesy that Nathanael will see the heavens open and angels ascending and descending as they attend to him. Scripture tells us that here and now in our time, there are angels all around us in the heavenly realm. Some of them have duties that include looking out for us as our guardian angels and when we gather to worship God we join with the whole of heaven in worshipping God most high. Imagine that! Let us pray: Everlasting God, Lord of heaven, you created a wonderful order of your holy angels who serve you in heaven and your mortal beings who serve you here on earth. Help us to know that when we gather in worship that we join with the whole company of heaven, of innumerable angels and the spirits of the saints made perfect. Lord send your holy angels to help and defend us as we make our earthly pilgrimage until we come to share in your joy in heaven. Amen Thank you for joining us.
17th Sunday After Trinity Readings: Wisdom of Solomon 1v16-2v1 &12v22; Psalm 31v10-end; James 3v13-4v3 &v7-8a; Mark 9v30-37. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: From the book of the wisdom of Solomon, we hear a prophecy about the difference between the righteous person and the ungodly one. For the righteous man: opposes sinful actions, reprimands the sinful, avoids unclean ways and claims that God is his father. By comparison, the ungodly: are unsound in their reasoning and led astray, are blinded by their own wickedness and set traps for the righteous man, and summon their own deaths by condemning the righteous man to a shameful death. In our day, as Christians we believe that this prophecy came true in the life of Jesus; and in the gospel of John, Jesus is telling his disciples that he will be betrayed and killed but will rise again three days later. It seems from the gospel of Mark that the importance of what Jesus was saying was lost on Jesus’ disciples because they did not understand nor were inclined to ask him about his meaning. So, Jesus changed the subject and asked them what they had been arguing about on the way to the mountain that they were now leaving. The disciples stayed silent and did not answer the question because they had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest. This silence did not obstruct Jesus because he already knew what they were arguing about and, even though they did not own up to it, Jesus taught them what true greatness is. For Jesus says that true greatness is to be the servant of all and to welcome children - for in welcoming and receiving children we welcome Jesus and the Father who sent him. However, being truly great people is a big ask. For James’ letter, warns that earthly, unspiritual and devilish people are those who are full of envy and selfish ambition. Character traits that leads to disorder and wickedness of every kind in order to get whatever we want. Now whilst this is a truly sorry state of affairs for humankind - there is a remedy. For it says in the psalm: if we turn to God, God will vindicate us, help us, hear our prayers and deliver us in our times of trouble. And, in the letter of James, we are told that the devil runs away from us when we submit to and draw near to God. For only when we draw close to God and ask for his help will we be able become the kind of people that God wants of us. A people who are peaceable, gentle and merciful who live lives full of good works that are sown in peace and delivered in gentleness. This is our calling. To be a people who recognise our tendency towards sin. A people who turn to God for help and guidance. A people who grow day-by-day into being God’s people here on earth. Let us pray: Almighty and ever living God, you made us for yourself and put a restlessness within us to guide us to search for and find you. Thank you for drawing us to yourself, thank you for the peace you give us when we find you, thank you for the love you pour into us. As we live out our lives, help us to do good works each and every day, so that at the last, we shall see you face-to-face in your heavenly kingdom. Amen Thank you for joining us.
16th Sunday After Trinity Readings: Isaiah 50v4-9a; Psalm 116v1-8; James 3v1-12; Mark 8v27-end. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In the book of the prophet Isaiah we hear a description of the Messiah, the servant of the Lord. For the Messiah will be the one who listens to the Lord God and then be obedient to his call. The Messiah will support the weary with a word and be helped and supported by God, so that he can cope with the cruelty and insults of his enemies. The Messiah will be vindicated and not discredited or dishonoured or found culpable by God. This is the kind of person that was prophesied that the Messiah would be. Then, in the gospel of Mark, we hear that God has revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Messiah. This is even though other people think that Jesus is someone returned to life: like John the Baptist, who was killed by Herod; or the prophet Elijah, who was foretold would return to earth one day; or one of the other prophets from ancient times. However, even though Peter knows who Jesus is, he is unable to accept that Jesus must suffer and die, so when Jesus tells him that this is what must happen, Peter tries to dissuade him. It seems to me that Jesus finds Peter’s reaction inexcusable – so he rebukes him in the dreadful words “Get behind me Satan” and follows this with telling him that he has set his mind on human concerns rather than those of God. Whenever I read this I feel sorry for Peter and wonder how horrible this must have been for him. Yet, what we do know from what Jesus taught is that God knows best for Jesus knew that he had to die in order to save us from our sins. Jesus’ response to Peter is a warning to us all and being careful what we say is something that James also warns about in his letter. For James believes that our tongues are full of an evil that no-one can tame and James says our tongues can set ablaze a fire fed by hell through what we say with them, and stain the whole of our bodies with deadly poison. So James advises us to take care what we say and do our best to control our tongues – for we should not be using them to bless and praise God alongside cursing our brothers and sisters, who are made in God’s likeness. As we are warned by Jesus and James - keeping our tongues under control is an impossible task for us, but as the psalm tells us, if we call upon the Lord and ask him to help us that we will be delivered from the snares of death that surround us. For through God’s gracious compassion we can be saved and eventually walk before the Lord in the land of the living. This suggests to me that only God can control our tongues and only if we ask God for help to keep our tongues in order. Maybe today this is the cross that Jesus wants us to carry. Maybe controlling our tongues is what Jesus wants us to do to deny ourselves in order to follow in his footsteps? For there are many crosses that need to be carried if the world is to be put right before God. And, if we carry the cross that God has for us, then as Jesus explains, we will gain more than we ever give up, not only in this life but also in the life yet to come. Let us pray: Gracious and loving Lord God Almighty, in your compassion hear the prayers of all your creation and answer us with that which is best for us and your world. Guide us each day so that we know what we ought to do, and grant us the help we need to do it – so that through our lives we may fulfil your law by loving you with all that we are and by loving our neighbours as we would want to be loved. Amen Thank you for joining us.
