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.