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.