Sunday Reflections – The Green Tau

The Feast of Creation in Christ

6th September 2026

Reflection with readings below

Feasts are times for celebration and rejoicing. Therefore the Feast of Creation in Christ should be a day for celebrating the integral relationship between creation and Christ, rejoicing in all the wonder and bounty of which we are beneficiaries.

The Feast of Creation in Christ marks the beginning of the season of Creation which ends 4th October with the feast of St Francis. Creation-tide is, I think, a time to practice a generous and respectful approach to creation. It is to be mindful that it is here in creation that we can encounter God on a daily basis. It is also a time to remember that we are part of and not above creation; that we are partners with all that lives as members of a an intricate set of ecosystems. It is by remembering our co-dependency that we will learn to live within the Earth’s planetary boundaries and in so doing, fulfil our vocation to tend and cherish the Earth.

The reading from Isaiah is rightly full of praise and joy. Yet note, it is not humans who are doing the celebrating but the landscape and the vegetation. Throughout the Bible there are many other examples of non-human beings praising and worshipping God. When we praise and worship God, we do so not alone but in union with the rest of creation. Deborah Colvin, who led last Wednesday’s Green Christian talk on living waters, encouraged us to simply listen to the sounds from creation and in silence join our prayers with them. It is so easy for us to slip into attitudes that ignore creation. Spending time in nature whether that be sitting in a garden, walking under trees, standing by a river, staring up at the clouds, and simply paying attention to what is around us, is a way of joining in the worship of God. Such attentiveness will likely also make us aware of where and how we are mistreating creation and causing God to grieve.

These sentiments are re-echoed in today’s psalm.

Both New Testament readings explore the relationship between Jesus and creation. Here we hear that Jesus being both fully God and a distinct facet of God, was integrally part of the totality of the divine will that created all that exists. Here we also hear that Jesus in becoming fully human, has become the head of the body – the community – of the people of God – also known as the Church. And is the first born raised from the dead, and the first to lead us by the way of the cross, unfolding for us the gift of salvation.

We often talk of being one in Christ when talking about baptism, or belonging to church, or taking communion. I don’t think we so often say this when we’re gardening, feeding the cat, walking in the park etc. Yet if “all things have been created through him and for him … and in him all things hold together” then all things are ‘in Christ’. This should once again reinforce for us the need to see ourselves as one with the rest of creation and not superior to any part thereof, to be willing to join with the rest of creation in worshipping God, and being eager to care for creation as both our love of neighbour and as our love of God.

Realising a new our relationship with creation and therefore with God through Christ is a time for celebration and feasting!

Isaiah 55.12−end

You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the Lord’s renown,

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.”

Psalm 96

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendour and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Colossians 1.15−20

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

John 1.1−14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Proper 17, 13th Sunday after Trinity

30th August 2026

Reflection with readings below.

The overarching theme of today’s readings is that life is not free suffering – even for those who give their allegiance to God. Creation is still a work in progress?

I am reading Eat the Planet Well by Dave Goulson, a scientist who has specialised in bumblebees. He writes about adapting gardens and farmland to restore the lost habitats as a way of boosting the much depleted bumblebee population. He then writes about research he carried out on the effects of neonicotinoids on bees. His findings were clear and stark as to their highly detrimental affect.

But what surprised him more was the reaction of the pesticide industry, which threw vast sums of money at belittling his research – asserting it wasn’t truthful – lobbying politicians about the necessity of pesticides and the need to avoid legislation, bamboozling farmers about the multiple benefits of pesticides. Goulson records that the industry using the same game plan as the tobacco industry did in the 50s and 60s, as the fossil fuel industry has since at least the 1970s, and which both the meat and the plastics industries are also pursuing, falsely validating their product to ensure continued and increasing sales.

These are all industries that generate large profits for their shareholders, which use their size and financial clout to press governments across the world to protect their industries; which exploit the media to promote their product as good for society – Shell claims that they are key operators in ensuring energy security across the globe; which also use the media and think tanks to disabuse other viewpoints; and which have no regard for the damage their industries are causing. And indeed they are never asked to pay for the damage they cause.

Against these, campaigners and activists can feel overwhelmed. Will signing a petition, writing to my MP, joining a march, voting at AGMs, make any impact against mega sized corporations? Yet against the odds, they do continue to campaign.

Some campaigners conversely opt to undertake increasingly extreme actions to try and both raise public awareness and press governments to take action for the common good. Just Stop Oil took many nonviolent actions, such as closing down motorways, which did raise public awareness about the oil versus climate change issue but which also resulted in activists being imprisoned.

Such activists could echo the plaintive cry of Jeremiah. Why, he asks, does he suffer abuse and suffering from those who oppose God’s word? Why does he end up missing the parties and the good times because he is overwhelmed by the dire warnings of God’s? Is he in fact suffering pointlessly as he tries to adhere to God’s will?

God urges him to stay strong and to remain true to his calling, speaking truthfully God’s word and withstanding the forces of those who oppose God’s will. God will be with Jeremiah, God will provide him with resilience, and ensure his deliverance

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples not to turn away from the challenges and potential suffering that can result from following him. It is only by facing these challenges that they will experience life in all its richness. Whilst Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us how we should live – loving and honouring others, being hospitable and generous – and how we should not fall into the trap of behaving like those who oppose God’s word. We should not revile or hate our opponents, nor repay evil with evil.

This is message for activists too. Our actions must bear the hallmark of what we stand for: they must reflect our beliefs. Equally we should not get sucked into responding to those who oppose us with words and actions that mirror theirs. We should continue to respect and be polite and honest in our actions and protests. Indeed we should bear in mind Paul’s words that we should go beyond the tit for tat, and actually minister positively towards those who oppose us when they are in need.

I also think part of the work of the activist, as it was for the prophet Jeremiah, is to bear witness to what is happening in the world around us, highlighting both what is going wrong and what is going aright. The horrendous tragedy unfolding in Nepal and Tibet is, in large part, the consequence of years of ignoring the damage caused by burning fossil fuels. We will not serve well current and future generations if we do not urgently address this issue – and here the ‘we’ has to be us as individuals, us as governments and us as businesses. Action will involve changing the way we live, consuming less, radically redistributing wealth. And so yes it will require us, if not to suffer, then at least to forgo what we see as pleasures and comforts – flying less, eating less meat and dairy, buying fewer electrical and fashion items, switching from gas boilers to electrical heating etc. But we may find life simpler and more enjoyable, and we will be doing all we can to avert further catastrophes that impact the lives of so many.

Jeremiah 15:15-21

O Lord, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.

In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult.

Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart;

for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.

I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;

under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
for you had filled me with indignation.

Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?

Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail.

Therefore, thus says the Lord:

If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.

If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.

It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.

And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;

they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,

for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,

says the Lord.

I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Psalm 26:1-8

1 Give judgment for me, O Lord,
for I have lived with integrity; *
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.

2 Test me, O Lord, and try me; *
examine my heart and my mind.

3 For your love is before my eyes; *
I have walked faithfully with you.

4 I have not sat with the worthless, *
nor do I consort with the deceitful.

5 I have hated the company of evildoers; *
I will not sit down with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, *
that I may go in procession round your altar,

7 Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving *
and recounting all your wonderful deeds.

8 Lord, I love the house in which you dwell *
and the place where your glory abides.

Romans 12:9-21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Proper 16, 12th Sunday after Trinity

23rd August 2026

Reflection with readings below

“What is the foundation of our faith, what underpins it, from what substrate does it grow, what is its backstory?” Such questions would seem to be what Isaiah is both asking and answering. What emerges is overwhelmingly positive.

God’s meta narrative (ie overarching story) is of restoration and redemption. What has become barren and desert-like will become as flourishing garden. The descendants of Abraham will receive instruction and justice, such that whatever the fragility of life, there will always be redemption and salvation. This is a story whose truth goes back to the beginning of time and continues to the end of time.

Our response, as the Psalmist reminds us, is to offer God due worship, sacrifice and praise. Whilst Paul’s words remind us that the sacrifice that God desires is to shape our lives, not according to the ways of the world – ways for example that are selfish, greedy and callous – but according to the ways – the wisdom – of God. ie. a mindset of which Jesus is the perfect exemplar.

We are then offered two different, or maybe overlapping, views of how the church might be shaped. Matthew’s Gospel, tells us that Jesus appoints Peter as the rock – the bedrock perhaps – on which the church will be founded. Peter is designated, or maybe ordained, to shape and lead the assembly of people that will become the Church. He will have the power to determine what will and what will not be lawful.

Paul on the other hand, has a vision of the church as being a collective that exists within the being – or presence – of Jesus, a collective in which each person has a role or a gift to contribute such that no one is less important nor more important than anyone else.

Of the two, I think the latter is both more demanding of each individual – and more rewarding. It is, perhaps, quite easy to understand and value our own skills, to see how important it is that we achieve our full potential – and receive our just praise and reward. It is less easy to understand and value the skills of a community that works together harmoniously. It is less easy to appreciate and accommodate in our lives, the skills and gifts that others have.

It would seem easier to have an understanding of ‘my personal vocation’, my personal role in following Jesus, in which my success will be doing what is right and my failure will be when others thwarted me. It is harder I think to have an understanding of the ‘community’s vocation’, of its role in following Jesus. For in that scenario I have to know my neighbours, I have to know and value their gifts. I have to work in harmony with them, ensuring that the joint efforts of our gifts is what flourishes. I have to accept what others have to give me, and be willing to share what I have with them. This is a community where teamwork is key, where trust and honesty are essential, where communication – both in hearing and in articulating – has to be clear, where the common good not personal gain is the objective. This is a community where forbearance and leadership must work together.

It is a community with a way of life that will be counter-cultural until such time as everyone embraces the reign of God. It is therefore a community that will have to think carefully as it seeks to find ways of living alongside – but not conforming to – the ways of the ‘world’. Holding onto the promise, the vision, of God’s meta narrative will be important.

We will, for example, need to be a community that welcomes the stranger, the alien, the outsider – doing so because that is part of God’s story even when the ‘world’ stigmatises such people.

We will, for example, need to be a community that respects and cares for the natural world because doing so is part of God’s story even when the ‘world’ sees nature as either a nice to have extra or as a mere resource to be exploited to maximise profits.

We will, for example, need to be a community that shares its resources so that there is neither rich nor poor, because doing so is part of God’s story even when the ‘world’ says we must hang onto our wealth to ensure that nobody else gets the better of us.

Paul does not ignore the role of leadership. Leadership is one of the gifts that is a constituent part of the church body – but it is a gift that is exercised in partnership with all the other gifts that make up the living body of the church – the living body of Jesus Christ. Such leadership is equally to be recognisable because it is counter cultural, because it is not conformed to the ‘world’s’ way of doing things but is shaped by the wisdom of God.

Isaiah 51:1-6

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.

Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;

for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.

For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,

and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;

joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;

for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.

I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;

the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;

for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;

but my salvation will be for ever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.

Psalm 138

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness;

3 For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.

4 When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.

5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.

6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
that great is the glory of the Lord.

7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.

8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.

9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Romans 12:1-8

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God– what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Proper 15, 11th Sunday after Trinity

16th August 2026

Reflection with readings below

To summarise today’s readings, they all in their different ways, tell us that God’s salvation is for everyone – whatever the race or creed. God’s kingdom – the kingdom of heaven – is for everyone, yet it is bizarrely something we can find hard to accept.

Let us look again at the gospel reading. It is not the only story where the disciples try to send people away from Jesus – to deny them Jesus’s blessing. When people bring children to be blessed, the disciples try and send them away, but Jesus reaches out and blesses the children – and describes them as owners of the kingdom of heaven.

When the 5000 and against the 4000 gather to listen to Jesus, the disciples try to send them away to find their own food, but Jesus tells them to gather the people and what food is available so that they can be fed.

Conversely we also read stories where those who were outsiders and who approach Jesus are blessed – the leper, the centurion, the two men of the Gadarenes who were possessed, the woman with the haemorrhage, and the two blind men. Indeed Jesus describes this growing crowd of people who seek his blessing – his healing – as the plentiful harvest for which there are too few labourers.

Where we read “Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”” I wonder if we should hear “Was I sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel?” Jesus is answering in response to the disciples demand that he send that he send her away because she is shouting so much. It is, I feel, the disciples – and the woman – who are learning that Jesus is not just for an exclusive few, but for everyone.

The kingdom of heaven that Jesus is establishing is for everyone – for the outsider and in the insider. Sometimes the insiders find this hard to accept and want either special treatment for themselves, or want to exclude everyone else. We see this shown through the example of the Pharisees but do also see it in the initial responses of the disciples. Sometimes it is the outsiders who find it hard to accept.

The mission of the gospel is to seek to find ways of bringing everyone into the understanding that God’s kingdom is for everyone. We are all crew.

Isaiah 56:1,6-8

Thus says the Lord:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,

for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.

And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,

all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant–

these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;

for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.

Thus says the Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,

I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.

Psalm 67

1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Matthew 15: 21-28

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Proper 13, 9th Sunday after Trinity

2nd August 2026

Reflection with readings below

It is God’s desire to feed and meet the needs of all that lives. That is the recurring message of the prophets and the gospels. It seems so obvious and logical that God, having created such a diversity of life – plants, creatures, humans – would wish to ensure that they all were fed, cared for and nourished. It is certainly true that parents desire the best for their children, that gardeners aim to create the best environment for their plants, that pet owners seek the best for their cats, dogs, goldfish etc.

Why then do governments not do the same for their citizens? Here in the UK and across the world we see many going un- or underfed. We see people inadequately houses, afforded insufficient health care and mediocre education. We see people ill-provided with access to green spaces and recreational facilities. We see people who are marginalised because of inadequate public transport. We even see bus and train drivers lacking access to toilet facilities!!

And yet at the same time we see governments supporting the rich, whether they are individuals or corporations. We see governments creating rules and sustaining systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice. We see governments watching, with complacency, the rich consuming at the expense of the poor, manipulating systems to meet their needs, and polluting the environment with no comeback.

The gospel message, and therefore the Christian calling, is to challenge systems and traditions, governments and vested interests, that fail to care for everyone – including every living thing – fairly. We should be challenging the assumption that the markets will ensure fair play and a fair distribution of resources to meet needs. We should be challenging the focus on profits, on unending growth, on the diversion of resources into the control of a minority.

This week Shell revealed that their profits for the last quarter have more than doubled to £10billion for the second quarter. Wael Sawan, the CEO, cannot be unaware of the crises facing so many people. Indeed he commented “These are difficult times, undoubtedly, and I think the government, from everything we pick up publicly, is trying to do what it can to be able to support. And [the] UK is our headquarters, is our home, and we will offer any support that we can to the government as they try to navigate these difficult waters” BUT at the same time urging for greater support for drilling in the North Sea – an activity that only fuels extreme temperatures and wildfires – and doing everything to avoid further taxation of their profits.

God has created an amazing world with the capacity to feed and sustain all its inhabitants – but only if we don’t abuse the various ecosystems and seek only our own wellbeing. In today’s gospel we often highlight the amazing generosity that means everyone is fed, but do not so readily focus on the fact that no one is greedy, no one tries to hang onto the excess for their own profit. In the parallel story in Exodus, the generous gift of mana comes with the warning that the people should only gather what they need for that day; greed is punished by mould and maggots. We need take only what we need and only what is sustainable. We need to normalise a culture that expects resources to be shared and used according to need and not gain or greed.

Last Thursday was Earth Overshoot Day, the day on which we have collectively consumed a whole year’s worth of the Earth’s renewable good and services. We cannot go on burning oil and gas and expecting the Earth to absorb the excess. We cannot go on extracting more and more water from rivers and aquifers and expect them to refill at a faster and faster rate. We cannot going on eating meat whilst expect nature to squeeze into an ever smaller margin of the land. We cannot throw away more and more plastic and expect the oceans to simply absorb the waste. We cannot continue to indulge our consumerist society and expect the poor and vulnerable to simply cope better on less and less. A good life is not measured by how much you earn or how much you spend, but by how you love your neighbour.

Loving our neighbour is not always about baking them a cake or paying their medical bills. More often it is about us changing our lifestyle so that we don’t damage their chance of a healthy, happy life. Loving our neighbour is very much about reducing not just our carbon footprint but our environmental footprint. Loving our neighbour is about flying less, about switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump, about opting for active travel, eating substantially less meat and dairy, making things last rather than frequently upgrading and replacing. Loving our neighbour is also about pressing for system change whether by our local authority – to plant more trees, retrofit homes, improve public transport and cycling infrastructure. Whether by our government – to phase out fossil fuels, invest in grid infrastructure, mandate prioritisation of nature, promote uptake of and access to healthier diets. Whether by businesses and institutions – do they know what you, the consumer, actually wants as opposed to what they want you to want?

Loving our neighbour – and showing our love for God – is about living within the sustainable limits of the world’s ecosystems, and ensuring a just sharing of and access to resources. Looking again at today’s story of the feeding of the five thousand, we see how team work and cooperation are key in the success of the event.

Isaiah 55:1-5

Thus says the Lord:

“Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;

and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.

See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.

See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,

because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.”

Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-22

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, *
and you give them their food in due season.

17 You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.

19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.

20 He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.

21 The Lord preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.

22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.

Romans 9:1-5

I am speaking the truth in Christ– I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit– I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Proper 12, 8th Sunday after Trinity

26th July 2026

Reflection with readings below

I do realise that my reflections may be deemed to minimalise or skip over tough words that are presented to us in the Gospels. But there are some which I feel cannot be taken at their face value as they run counter to the overriding gospel message that God loves us unceasingly and unconditionally, that everything that God has created is good, is blessed and is of value – and therefore God will not hate nor destroy.

Indeed in the letter to the Romans, we have the famous words of Paul: “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What the scriptures do reveal is how easily we humans can make mistakes, how easily we can separate ourselves from God’s wisdom – ie that which we find in God’s word, God’s law and in studying the Book of Nature. When we ignore this wisdom and pursue a different path – often one that seeks self gratification rather than the common good (and here we should remember common includes human and non human interests) – then suffering and destruction ensues.

The need for God’s wisdom is clearly articulated in today’s readings. It is God’s wisdom that will embed God’s kingdom here in earth as in heaven. In today’s gospel Jesus gives us a series of images or metaphors by which to imagine the kingdom of heaven. The first four delight our imagination.

The kingdom of heaven is something that will grow beyond our expectations! It will become home to more than we can imagine.

In the kingdom of heaven small things cause huge changes.

The kingdom of heaven once encountered will become our heart’s desire.

The kingdom of heaven is beyond value.

But the fifth parable, that of the net cast into the sea? How do we make sense of it?

Parables do not have a fixed meaning, but rather niggle at our thought processes time and again, often challenging our traditional view points. Is the kingdom of God the net or the sea? That’s one ambiguity! If the latter, then why the net and vice versa? What do the fish represent?

Does this parable mirror that of the parable of the wheat and tares? Might the sea, like the field, be the space where ‘good’ and ‘bad’ behaviour co-exist in the short term – but where ultimately only good behaviour (that which is in line with God’s wisdom) will prevail. As I reflected last week, sometimes actions to do what is right, are curtailed by systems which currently prohibit or reduce the scope to do what is right.

Seeing the ‘bad fish’ as systems and practices that are not aligned with God’s wisdom that will ultimately be ‘cast out’ maybe a useful reading of this parable. Certainly until we loose such systems and practices, we cannot claim that God’s kingdom has come on earth as in heaven.

Jesus’s final words point to the importance of people who have studied and focused their attention on learning God’s wisdom so that the whole household – the whole community – can benefit. Such learning and the sharing of such knowledge is critical in supporting and enabling the incoming of the kingdom of God. Improving our knowledge and using it to transform unjust systems – even of our actions seem as small a scrap of yeast – is our challenge as followers of Jesus.

1 Kings 3:5-12

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.”

Psalm 119:129-136

129 Your decrees are wonderful; *
therefore I obey them with all my heart.

130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *
it gives understanding to the simple.

131 I open my mouth and pant; *
I long for your commandments.

132 Turn to me in mercy, *
as you always do to those who love your Name.

133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *
let no iniquity have dominion over me.

134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *
and I will keep your commandments.

135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *
and teach me your statutes.

136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *
because people do not keep your law.

Romans 8:26-39

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Proper 10, 7th Sunday after Trinity

19th July 2026

Reflection with readings below.

We have heard in previous weeks of Paul wrestling because, although he know what he should do, he does what he shouldn’t do. We have heard Jesus and the Pharisees puzzle why a ‘good’ person chooses to mix with ‘bad’ people – and that it is those who are ill who need the attention of the doctor. We have considered that sin might be ignoring – or being ignorant of – and pursuing the opposite of, God’s wisdom. And we have considered systemic sin – sin we are sucked into not by choice but because it is a sin that embraces the whole system or structure within which we live.

For example, God’s wisdom tells us to welcome the stranger but we in the UK live within a system where the current law makes many strangers unwelcome – and indeed turns them away. This system makes it impossible to fully fulfil God’s word. This is not to say we shouldn’t repent of the sin, nor that we shouldn’t try to do as best we can to welcome the stranger, nor that we shouldn’t try to change the system. However as individuals are ability will be limited.

The parable from today’s gospel may be one way of exploring the issue of systemic sin. We believe and trust that the world which God has entrusted to us, is inherently good.But we are also acutely aware that systems have grown up within our societies that are not inherently good. Systems that have different objectives from those desired by God. Think of our economic system. God’s desire is for the flourishing of all people alike, for the flourishing of the natural environment, for flourishing biodiversity. Our economic system is predicated on the objective of maximising profit. It is not concerned with who gets the profit but the systems bent is such that once someone has wealth they will tend to grow richer, whilst someone who hasn’t will start off from a disadvantage. The system is also bent in favour of things which have a clearly identifiable monetary value – it favours building houses which have a market determined price, rather than the value of family life. It favours things that can be bought and sold – it favours oil and gas which have a market determined price rather than clean air, for air is too fluid and uncontainable to be bought and sold.

It would be lovely to be able to completely uproot the economic system that we have and get rid of its systemic evil. But to do so would – at least in the short term – lead to loss of jobs and livelihoods; it would cause the collapse of shops and supply chains leading to theft and rioting; it would lead to power cuts, the failure of water supply and sewage systems, the collapse of social care infrastructure etc etc.

This stickiness should not prevent us from trying to prune and reshape – and overcome and replace – the economic system we have inherited.

Last week, members of synod debated a motion calling on the Church Commissioners to restore and protect 30% of the land they control for nature – for the restoration and conservation of biodiversity. The motioned failed even though it is clear to everyone that we have already lost so much biodiversity that it threatens the health and wellbeing of our future. Declining biodiversity will lead to more flooding, poorer soils, more disease, less protection from the elements, poorer harvests, less happiness.

The motioned failed because the way we farm the land is tied up within an economic system that can put a price on a tonne of wheat but not on sky full of swallows, that can put a price on a pint of milk but not on a stretch of clean river, that can put a price on a plank of wood but not on the life of an oak tree.

The motion failed because farm tenants are paid to grow crops, not to supply clean air; to rear cattle, not to maintain flood plains; to produce eggs, not to protect pollinators. The motion failed because farm tenants have to maximise profits to pay rents, and because the Commissioners have to maximise returns on investment to finance the Church. The motion failed because we as consumers want cheap food or – as is often the case – because the economic system does not pay us enough to pay a fair price for fairly produced food. The motion failed because we as consumers don’t want to pay for clean air, for fertile soils, for flood management etc. Or maybe because there is no way as consumers we can buy these life-giving products? The motion failed because as consumers we want to eat more meat and dairy rather than eating more plant based items – and therefore require a land-use pattern which allocates land for livestock rather than nature.

What then should we do? What then is the wisdom of God? The people of Ancient Israel took on board God-given laws that required that the land have time to rest and recover, that fields and trees should not be stripped to the bone, that the harvest should be shared with the vulnerable. The prophets passed on God’s wisdom about caring for the land, caring for the vulnerable, and being in a good relationship with God and with all that God has created. Jesus taught the importance of questioning the rules and traditions we grow up with, about sharing what we do have, about avoiding greed, about caring for the vulnerable and for those society despises. We have the radical example of the early church pooling and sharing their resources.

As Christians we have a wisdom that counters the systems we live within. It is not always a wisdom we can follow as individuals because we maybe so constrained by those systems – the degree of constraint depending upon personal circumstances – but as communities and as the Church we do have more scope to be counter-cultural. We could – surely – mandate the Church Commissioners to use funds to support tenants willing to restore and enhance nature on the land they farm. We could – surely – mandate that the Church Commissioners could accept a lower rate of return on farm investments. But at the same time we would have to accept a smaller distribution of funds for the Church and instead look to our own pockets to make up the shortfall (depending on our means as per the early church).

We could at the same time, look to our own lifestyles – choosing a diet that is compatible with the restoration of more land for nature. We could reprioritise our spending to support nature.

As a Church – as a significant land owner and as a prophetic voice – we could challenge the system that allows the degradation of nature at the expense of profit. We could challenge the system that doesn’t provide every citizen with a fair wage. We could challenge the system that doesn’t ensure every citizen has access to affordable healthy food. We could challenge the system that doesn’t protect the environment for the wellbeing of generations to come.

As individuals and as a Church, we are called to speak out and act to bring in the reign – the rule – of God so that God’s will is done on Earth as in Heaven.

Isaiah 44:6-8

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:

I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.

Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.

Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.

Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!

Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.

Psalm 86:11-17

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.

12 I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.

13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.

14 The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent men seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.

15 But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.

16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.

17 Show me a sign of your favour,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Romans 8:12-25

Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh– for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ– if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Proper 10, sixth Sunday after Trinity,

12th July 2026

Reflection with readings below

Most parables come without an explanation thus prompting the listener to ponder and explore the underlying message – or indeed – messages, for parables do not necessarily have only one meaning but lend themselves to multiple interpretations which may change according to circumstances or overtime. So for the purposes of today’s reflection I am going to set aside the second half of the gospel and ponder the parable’s meaning without that guide.

If the sower is God, it suggests that God’s behaviour is one of rashness, scattering the seed not just where the soils may be good but everywhere. And it suggests a generosity that comes from an overflowing fount of love.

It also recalls the conversation from a few weeks ago between Jesus and the Pharisees when he points out that it is the sick who need a doctor.

The parable is reflective of what happens in nature. Seeds are sown randomly by the wind, by birds and animals, by water, and even by explosions orchestrated by the plants themselves. Where the seeds land is a lottery, with each seed doing its best to sprout wherever it falls. And yes, often seeds will end up as food for someone else before they have a chance to take root.

The people gathered on the lake side are almost certainly hungry for food and hungry for the transformative knowledge of God. Jesus’s words reassure them that seed time and growing seasons are followed by a good chance of successful harvest, for such is the world that God has created. His words would have reminded them of the work the farmer can do in preparing and caring for the soil, and in protecting the crops from damage.

What Jesus’s parable doesn’t make explicit is that not everyone who grows the food gets to eat it. Both then and now, the reality of a good harvest does not guarantee that everyone gets fed. Unjust systems, poverty and corruption, all gouge out chunks from God’s generosity such that whilst some have way more than enough, others do not even have a bare sufficiency.

What does the word of God say to us about justice? What does the word of God say to us about caring for the poor? What does God’s word say to us about speaking truth to power?

Thinking of Paul’s words, we might pause and reflect how easily we can get sucked into systems and ways of thinking that ignore the word of God – systems and ways of thinking that are sinful and destructful of life. Consider how quickly refugees have become illegal migrants. Consider how quickly the expansion of private car ownership has diminished public transport. Consider how quickly air flights have shifted the perception that holiday means an overseas holiday.

The words from Isaiah and the Psalmist describe Nature in all its rich diversity of rain and snow, hills and mountains, seeds and trees, grazing land and flocks, as beings in their own right with the capacity to honour and praise God. Nature is not a passive participant in creation but one that is active and ordained by God. When we failed to acknowledge this and instead treat Nature as a commodity to use and abuse as we wish, we sin. And sin has consequences.

When we mistreat the soil, over-working it with intensive cropping, fouling it with pollutants, killing off its biodiversity with pesticides and herbicides, then the soil will become lifeless dust, crops will fail and starvation will ensure. Even now we are repeating the mistakes that led to the dust bowl in the USA.

When we unhinge the climate with excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, we damage the weather patterns that heretofore ensured rain in due season and warmth for ripening – and instead find ourselves at the mercy of droughts and heatwaves, floods and storms, events that decimate crops and destroy livelihoods.

When we draw too much water from the rivers and aquifers, when we consume water at a faster rate than rainfall can replenish; when we allow climate change to consume glaciers diminishing rivers downstream to a trickle, we suffer. And not just we humans, but the we that is all of Nature, includes plants and birds, animals and insects.

When we fail to cherish the earth, to care for and protect it as God commanded, we destroy the good ground in which the seed should be growing. Now we must open our ears to hear the word of God, now we must open our eyes to see the wisdom of God’s word. We must repent of our sins – those sins against the earth and those sins against our neighbour – and make recompense. We must renew our methods of agriculture, we must curb our wasteful overuse of resources, we must end our consumption of fossil fuels, we must restore Nature, and we must establish systems of justice that benefit everyone.

To echo the words of Pope Francis we must, Hear the cry of the Earth and hear the cry of the Poor.

PS You might like to find out more about – and support – the Nature’s Rights Bill going through the House of Lords: https://greenchristian.org.uk/natures-rights/

Isaiah 55:10-13

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Psalm 65: 1-14

1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.

2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.

3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.

4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.

5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.

6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.

7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamour of the peoples.

8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvellous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.

9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.

10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.

11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.

12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.

13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.

14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.

Romans 8:1-11

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law– indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Proper 9, 5th Sunday after Trinity

5th July 2026

Reflection with readings below.

How do we explain wrong doing and sin either in the world at large or in our individual lives?

Is it evil within us? Is it that we live in a system that favours sin, that fosters evil?

Is it within our control to control or are we powerless on our own to do what is right? Or is it – according to circumstance – sometimes we can act differently and other times we are powerless to act?

Last week I suggested that we might understand sin as ignoring or going against God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom would include God’s word – whether that is from scripture or from a prophetic voice or from the example of Jesus the Living Word – or from the wisdom that comes from study of the natural world (which is also referred to as the Book of Nature), or from prayerful contemplation and discernment. All these are subject to interpretation and error as they come to us through human understanding.

Our knowledge of God’s wisdom is imperfect and only partial. So to sin is perhaps to be expected. This doesn’t, I think mean that we are born evil: rather that we are born to seek out and grow into the likeness of God. As Paul so eloquently puts it, we have a tendency to be contrari – to do what we shouldn’t and not do what we should – it was there in the beginning with Adam and Eve. It may well be a useful trait encouraging us to explore and learn and thus to grow. Would Paul have been such an ardent evangelist if he hadn’t experienced his earlier opposition to the new faith? If he hadn’t been so aware of his own propensity to act against God?

When we are young or naive we do do things that hurt others or ourselves. Usually we learn from the experience, understand the harm it does, and are forgiven. Mercy and forgiveness are as much part of God’s wisdom as love. It is perhaps why it is often Jesus’s first reaction, when meeting people who were struggling, to pronounce forgiveness.

But sometimes sin – ignoring God’s wisdom – becomes bad habit and not a lesson learnt. And then we see individuals and communities and nations causing immense suffering to others. Then sin becomes systemic.

In the Hebrew Testament we hear many stories in which God is bewailing and chastising God’s people for doing what is wrong, and for sinning in such a way that the unavoidable consequence is self destruction.

Systemic sin sucks in people against their freewill. Jeremiah for all his opposition to the wrong that Judah was doing, could not escape the consequences of their sin. Citizens in Iran cannot escape the consequences of the war that has arisen because of the systemic sinfulness of both the USA and the Iranian governments. Farmers in Kenya cannot escape the consequences of the systemic sinfulness of the West that has accelerated climate change. Householders in the UK cannot escape the rising cost of living that comes from the systemic sinfulness that fails to address social inequality.

Nevertheless that doesn’t mean that individuals are completely powerless. Jeremiah may not have changed the system but he provided a counter narrative prepared the ground for a future era of restoration and that benefited subsequent generations. He gave a counter narrative that sought to better understand and explain God’s wisdom.

Today’s reading from the prophet Zechariah tells us that God doesn’t rely on physical strength or the power of weapons to achieve her aims. The strength of God’s wisdom is that humility and hope are more effective tools for change. The more people and societies and governments learn this, the better.

Our Psalm tells us that the way of God’s wisdom is to be found in compassion, mercy, kindness and faithfulness. The more we learn and embrace this wisdom the better.

And in our Gospel, we hear Jesus – the living wisdom of God – offering to share our burden, to make it lighter for us. The more we come alongside Jesus, walking the path he walks, speaking the words he speaks, the less sinful will we be. And rather the better witnesses we will be, living examples of the practice of attending to and following God’s wisdom. We can be the Jeremiahs and the Zechariahs and the evangelists that provide a counter narrative to systemic sinfulness.

Zechariah 9:9-12

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!

Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,

humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;

his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Psalm 145:8-15

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.

11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;

12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.

14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.

15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

Romans 7:15-25a

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Proper 8, 4th Sunday after Trinity

28th June 2026

Reflection with readings below

Today’s reading comes towards the end of the Book of Jeremiah. At the time that Jeremiah lived, there were two competing world powers – Babylon to the east and Egypt to the southwest with Judah in between. For small nations like Judah, but also such as Edom and Moab, the easiest option was to become a vassal state, paying tribute, to which ever world power they felt was strongest. Nowadays we might see this with small nations establishing trade agreements with one or other of the powerful nations of the world. Judah was -maybe temporarily and subject to review – paying tribute to Babylon.

Jeremiah was of the opinion that Judah should knuckle down under the power of Babylon – in fact he symbolically fastens a yoke of straps and bars around his neck – as he senses that this is God’s will, and that by submitting to God’s will they will ultimately be restored to full nationhood by God. Jeremiah sees Judah’s subjugation by Babylon as the deserved consequences for failing to adhere to God’s laws.

Judah has already suffered one defeat at the hands of the Babylonians which had led to both vessel from the Temple and senior figures being taken away to Babylon. Now an uneasy settlement existed between Judah and Babylon in which some favoured the status quo whilst others favoured rebellion and the option of siding in favour with Egypt. This latter was a popular view in the Judean ruling circles, with many prophesying that anytime soon the tables would be turned on Babylon and all Judah’s wealth including the Temple vessels would be restored to Jerusalem.

One of these prophets was Hananiah, who in the verses preceding today’s readings says “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon”. To make his point, Hananiah breaks the wooden yoke from around Jeremiah’s neck.

Jeremiah’s response to Hananiah as we heard in today’s reading, is somewhat in the vein of ‘the proof of the pudding will be in the eating!’ Jeremiah persists with his less favourable viewpoint and later, in verse 13, we hear the Lord tell Jeremiah to replace the wooden yoke with one of iron bars, for such it will be to serve the king of Babylon. Being a truthful prophet can be very uncomfortable.

Today the greatest crisis the world faces is that of unrestrained climate change – the discomforts of which we have been feeling this last week. I do not for a moment think that God has created climate change to punish us. But I do think climate change is a natural consequence of human action in burning excessive amounts of carbon fuels. As in the days of Jeremiah there are strong voices on either side of the divide between those who say climate change is not caused by human activities (only this week the so-called Alliance of Responsible Citizens held their annual meeting in London with speakers expounding this view) and those who say the reverse; and between those who say we should address the issue by urgently and at scale cutting emissions to zero, and those who contend that we should worry more about ensuring the economic growth that fossil fuels have so far generated.

Today’s psalm – in line with the message of the entire Bible – reminds us that we only thrive and flourish as God intends when we adhere to God’s wisdom. To ignore or obstruct the ways of God’s wisdom is to sin. And as Paul reminds us, to sin is to be as one who is dead. To seek forgiveness is to be raised to new life and to be bound – enslaved – to the ways of righteousness.

Our gospel reading brings us back to the role of the prophet in speaking of God’s truth. It is a worthy calling. As disciples of Christ we are called to speak the truth, to advocate for God’s wisdom and to embrace fully the ways of righteousness.

For our current generation I believe that our prophetic role is to call for the rapid curb in the production and use of fossil fuels, as well as a call for a just and fair sharing of the Earth’s resources that reflects the needs of everyone – humans and creaturely beings alike.

Jeremiah 28:5-9

The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfil the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

Psalm 89:1-4,15-18

1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; *
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.

3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:

4 ‘I will establish your line for ever, *
and preserve your throne for all generations.'”

15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.

16 They rejoice daily in your Name; *
they are jubilant in your righteousness.

17 For you are the glory of their strength, *
and by your favour our might is exalted.

18 Truly, the Lord is our ruler; *
the Holy One of Israel is our King.

Romans 6:12-23

Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 10:40-42

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”