Category: Sunday Reflections

A weekly reflection on the lectionary readings for Sunday

Proper 24, 20th Sunday after Trinity

Reflection with readings below

Today’s reading from Isaiah sounds like the fulfilling of the scenario posited by the Song of the Vineyard which we heard a couple of week’s ago. Isaiah is describing what he sees as God enabling a foreign power to come in and defeat the nation of God’s people – either a punishment or as the inevitable consequence of the failure of God’s people to follow and be faithful to the ways of God. The last lines – ‘I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.’ – are nevertheless a reminder that God is always wanting to re-establish well being. The word ‘weal’ has the meaning of wellbeing, welfare and prosperity – and often is used to refer to the wellbeing of the common good. Hopefully this reading reassures us that whatever humans do to harm each other and the planet – and the woe that they cause – God still desires and seeks our ‘weal’, wellbeing.

The Psalmist too reasserts that God’s gospel is that of salvation – the healing and restoration of the planet, its inhabitants. Their thriving reflects the glory of God – so the Psalmist then urges us to praise and worship God just as the trees, the fields and the seas already do. The natural environment naturally follows God’s will but humans need constantly to be called back to that wisdom. Humans seem all to ready to follow the ways of idols – be that free-market economics, racism, global domination, or just simple greed.

As Christians we are called to reflect the image of God, adhering to the wisdom and way of God. We are in this called to love our neighbours – both neat and far, human and creaturely- so that in the healing and flourishing of Earth, God is glorified.

A recent Green Christian workshop on ethical purchasing laid out the rational for us as Christians to think -and research factually – about where the things we buy  and the services we use, have come from, who has laboured to make and deliver them? Have they been fairly paid? Has care been given for their safety? How nature has been handled – has nature been  cherished or trashed? Has consideration been given to the sustainability of any extractive processes? Has consideration been given to any pollutants that might be released or waste discarded? Who has profited most from the purchase? Have taxes been appropriately paid?

This thought process is clearly one in which we are checking that are actions are compatible with loving our neighbours, and are in line with God’s wisdom.

Is this what is at the heart of today’s gospel story? The Pharisees and the Herodian see money as just money albeit money that may bear a graven image on one side. But Jesus understands that money is more than just coin. It has something that has a back story: how has it been earnt? Does it represent the fruit of exploitation or fair trade?  What does it represent – just or sharp practices? Who will it benefit? The one who needs it or the one who already has more than enough?

The question of money, of where it comes from, of who uses it, and of how it is used, is just as valid today. The Green Christian talk was given by the campaign charity Just Money. One of the main focuses is on challenging us to think about our money and in particular the banks we use. Does our bank use our money (and all banks do use the money that passes through their coffers both to make more money and to enable other businesses to function and expand) to enable good businesses to flourish or do they enable to continued trading of business that cause harm? Do, for example, the banks we use enable renewable energy projects or do they fund the continued expansion of the fossil fuel industry? Do they, for example, protect and enhance biodiversity or do they fund business that continued to deforest the Earth? Do they, for example   enable social housing projects or energy hungry dat centres?

Are our lives a ‘work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ’? Do we need to review where our money comes from, how it is used and why effects it has on our neighbour?

Isaiah 45:1-7

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped

to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,

to open doors before him–
and the gates shall not be closed:

I will go before you and level the mountains,

I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,

I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,

so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,

I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,

so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.

Psalm 96:1-13

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

2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.

5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.

6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendour of his sanctuary!

7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the Lord honour and power.

8 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.

9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.

10 Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King! *
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.

12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the Lord when he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.

13 He will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his truth.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead– Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

The Gospel

Matthew 22:15-22

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Proper 23, 19th Sunday after Trinity 

11th October 2026

Reflection with readings below

Everyone enjoys a good party! And a feast is the opposite of a famine. So when God invites us to a feast we should expect a scenario where they will be plenty of food and plenty to drink, plenty of joy and happiness. If the feast is a wedding feast then we should know this as a celebration of a lifelong union, of an eternal covenant. 

Last week’s readings had a focus on vineyards. In Isaiah the story focused on the vine and the failure of its fruit, whilst the gospel story focused on the tenants – those who were meant to tend and harvest the vine’s fruits, passing on what was due to the owner. Isaiah’s story focused on the fruitfulness of God’s people; the gospel on the honesty of those who were tasked with looking after the people of God.

Today’s gospel story may be a combination of both. The wedding feast reminds us of all that God has prepared for us to enjoy – the bounty and beauty of creation. God’s good earth is wonderfully productive and resourceful. Even with this century’s projected human population of ten billion, the Earth’s produce would more than satisfy their appetites. Surprisingly it is not a lack of food that underpins hunger and famine but a lack of equality and of a fair distribution of resources. Equally it is note lack of accommodation that causes homelessness, but a lack of equality and of fair distribution. (There are in the UK 309,000 long term empty houses against 290,000 people who are homeless!)

It is not the feast that is a problem. Rather it is the unwillingness of those invited to engage with the king. Those who are rich, those whose lives are self sufficient, those who feel no need to pay attention to anyone else, turn down the invitation. They do not want to waste their time and effort in a celebration that benefits others. 

And is that not what we see with those in our world today who are rich, who are self satisfied, who have not concern for anyone else? They take all they want – and more! – and do nothing! ensure that the bounty of the Earth – the feast –  is intended for everyone. 

And so yes, as is told in the parable, surely we would love to see those who have been marginalised, those cast out by the rich and powerful, those who lack any fair share of resources, being invited to share the abundant bounty of the Earth’s harvest. 

But hang on a moment! Are we not actually some of the rich and powerful -maybe not super rich but certain,y richer than most of the world’s population? Are we ready and willing to participate in this feast, are we ready and willing to ensure a just and fair distribution of food, of drink, of homes, of safety even if that means forgoing some of our pleasures and privileges, even if it means forgoing some of our wealth and incomes? Are we in danger of saying yes to the invitation but then failing to act accordingly? Are we in danger of wishing to benefit from the Earth’s bounty whilst pressing for a fairer share of the feast? Are we in danger of arriving at the feast underdressed?

There is still time to repent and make amends. Isaiah long knew that the people of God were easily distracted from their invitation to enjoy rich lives if they stuck to following God’s ways. He knew that these false ways would lead to eviction and deportation. But Isaiah also know that God would always quickly be ready to help those who turned thwir back on sin, those who were repentant and sought to live a better life following the way of God.

Jesus knew that many were caught up in systems, caught in the snare of wealth and high wages. He knew that they could repent and be welcomed I to God’s kingdom. He also knew that for some it would be a difficult choice to make because it would be sacrificial. But he also knew that individuals could make the right choices, and that if the band of disciples was growing in numbers, then more and more would respond to that message.

May God release us from the ties of wealth and privilege and give us the courage to invite and enable everyone to enjoy the feast that God’s Earth has to offer equally and fairly. Amen.

Isaiah 25:1-9

O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name; 

for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 

For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin; 

the palace of aliens is a city no more,
it will never be rebuilt. 

Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 

For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. 

When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, 

you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled. 

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 

And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.

Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken. 

It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. 

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Philippians 4:1-9

My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Proper 22, 18th Sunday after Trinity

4th October 2026

Reflection with readings below

Again the teaching from the prophets – in this reading Isaiah – is that we are not aligning our will with God’s; that we are not shaping our lives and lifestyles to conform to God’s expectations – that we are sinners. But there is still the option of turning back to God, allowing God’s wisdom to shape how we live. It might involve accepting radical change, accepting pruning but also gaining from God’s nurturing guidance.

But note too that had the vine been responsive it would have had a flourishing life and would have produced beautiful sweet wine. God truly wants us and all creation to have good and flourishing lives. God’s ways are not random nor arbitrary; they are the means of a bountiful and eternal life.

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul declares that his confidence  – his certainty that he is pursing the right way to live –  comes not from following the Law (an inspired yet still human construct) nor from status, nor from race or class, nor from inherited traditions, but from following Jesus, from becoming more and more Christ-like. The Hebrew understanding of righteousness is to be in a right relationship with God and therefore with one’s fellow creatures. To be righteous is to reflect the face – the image – of God. To pursue righteousness is to become more Christ-like: in John’s gospel we hear Jesus saying that whatever the Father does, the Son does. 

So we come to today’s gospel, again with a parable about a vineyard. But here it is not the vine that is the focus, but the tenants who tend the vine – the ones who are standing in for the owner, ie God. Do the designs and action of these tenants reflect the image of God? No, they are clearly self interested and motivated by the potential for their own gain. Whilst the gospel writers of the day clearly saw the Pharisees as the tenants, in the current day we might rather see the parable as addressed to us as humans in all our roles and guises where we have not tended the vineyard – ie the Earth and all its bounty – in a manner that reflects God’s ways. Like the vineyard tenants, we have sought to impose our own values on how we deal with what has been shared with us, and seek to maximise our own gain at the expense of others. 

Can we yet refocus and discern what is important in how we conduct our lives? Can we seek out the corner stones that will allow us to rebuild a better way of life? Can we identify what are the key components of a thriving ecosystem, a thriving economy, and build on them, setting side our own arrogance and selfishness? 

This does sound like – and in reality is – a huge change of direction. It  will involve systemic change at the highest levels, requiring global cooperation, the de-prioritisation of the rich and wealthy, a genuine sharing of resources between all creaturely beings, replacing destructive economic models, and reforming and reasserting justice for all. But that is not to say that it is impossible, nor is it to say that we as individuals can’t do our bit. 

We are each called to reflect the image of God – to be Christ-like in all that we do. This will involve us in re-examining our relationships with one another – with our human and non human neighbours. It will involve us in re-examining our lifestyles – what we buy, what we eat, how we travel, how we share our gifts and our financial resources. It will involve us in spending time with and rebuilding our relationships with the rest of creation. But we will not be doing this on our own: Christ will be there with us, giving us strength and guidance. And the goal will not be a diminished life nor a diminished world, but a life and a world of beauty and peace in which all flourish.

Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard: 

My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill. 

He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines; 

he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it; 

he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes. 

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah, 

judge between me
and my vineyard.

What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it? 

When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes? 

And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard. 

I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured; 

I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down. 

I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; 

I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it. 

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel, 

and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting; 

he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed; 

righteousness,
but heard a cry! 

Psalm 80:7-14

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; *
you cast out the nations and planted it.

9 You prepared the ground for it; *
it took root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered by its shadow *
and the towering cedar trees by its boughs.

11 You stretched out its tendrils to the Sea *
and its branches to the River.

12 Why have you broken down its wall, *
so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes?

13 The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it, *
and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it.

14 Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven;
behold and tend this vine; *
preserve what your right hand has planted.

Philippians 3:4b-14

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 21:33-46

Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” 

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: 

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone; 

this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’? 

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” 

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realised that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Proper 21, 17th Sunday after Trinity 

27th September 2026

Reflection with readings below

“‘The ways of the Lord are unfair!’ Are they?” replies God. 

Ezekiel then takes the viewpoint of God to expose to the people how it is their unrighteousness, their iniquity, their failure to live according to God’s ways, that have brought them into such dire straights. It is not God’s ways that are at fault, but the people’s inability to live by them. Yet there is still the option of repentance and a fresh start with ‘a new heart and a new spirit.’

I believe we are in the same position as those hearing Ezekiel’s accusations. This week it is reported that ‘The planetary life support systems relied upon by humans have deteriorated to their worst levels ever recorded amid ongoing pollution and habitat destruction, according to a key yet grim annual update by scientists. Of the nine “planetary boundaries” that help determine whether life can flourish on Earth, seven are being breached at their highest ever levels of transgression, according to the latest planetary health check, a process that was established in 2009.

‘The seven key indicators in the danger zone include climate change, change in biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater change, modification of biogeochemical flows, introduction of novel entities and, for the first time last year, ocean acidification.’ (1)

Yet despite all the evidence we are not, as global community, addressing this crisis. Rather it is seen as unfair to press fossil fuel corporations and states to end fossil fuel production. It is unfair to diminish their profits. It is unfair to encourage eating less meat and dairy, to encourage  a switch to a much healthier plant-rich diet. It is unfair to end the use of private jets and to shrink the air industry. It is unfair to curb the individuals right to choose even if that choice destroys the choice of a healthy life for others. It is unfair to restrain the expansion of AI, to limit the artificial creation of cute cats videos or to expect people to write their own essays. It is unfair to tax and redistribute the wealth of those who earn more in an hour than others earn in a year. It is unfair to redistribute wealth between nations – but it is not unfair for rich nations to spend more on weapons than they do on aid.

And so the global economy continue to do all the same things that have pushed, and continue to push, us into the danger zone that exists beyond safe planetary boundaries. And we continue to experience at an ever increasing rate the consequences – extreme weather events, rapidly declining biodiversity, growing water shortages, plastic pollution, disease and conflict. 

When will we repent? When will we listen and look, reflect and learn, the ways of God – the only ways that leads to the flourishing of all life? Just as was offered to the people of the days of Ezekiel, God will reinvigorate us with a new heart and spirit, if we but cast off our sinful lifestyles.

Looking into the etymology of the word ‘authority’, in the 1300s one understanding was of the “author whose statements are regarded as correct.” And in the 1400s “power derived from good reputation; power to convince people, capacity for inspiring trust.” In our present age we are well aware of the scope for fake news, for disinformation and misinformation spread by disingenuous news channels, by discreditable individuals and by social media, to know that you cannot always trust the authority behind their stories. We know too how easily those fake or disingenuous view points are funded and spread by large, wealthy -often shady – third parties. 

So maybe the Jewish authorities were right to question the authority behind Jesus’ words. But it seems as if they had not done their homework. If they are now questioning Jesus’s authority one presumes they have made previous inquiries of other people in similar circumstances, of whom John the Baptist would have been an obvious candidate. Back in chapter 11 of Matthew’s gospel, John the Baptist asks this very question of Jesus: ‘Who are you? Are you God’s expected one?’ To which Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor”. (Matthew 11:4-5) In other words Jesus is saying, Look at the things I do, and you will know who I am; pay attention to my actions and you will know who sent me.

It seems as if the Jewish authorities have neither done this with reference to John the Baptist nor with reference to Jesus. The gospels record multiple examples of deeds and actions that point to Jesus’s intimate relationship with God. Indeed Jesus has given this very teaching in chapter 7 “By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.” (Matthew 7:16-20)

Jesus then presents the Jewish authorities with a telling parable: It is what you actually do, rather than what you say you will do, that matters. In a sense it is immaterial on whose authority you are given an instruction – what counts is whether you fulfil that instruction. Have the authorities fulfilled the instructions given to them by God? Do their deeds reflect their words? Having heard God’s word, have they followed through with action?

The letter to the Philippians reminds us that we are called to be like Christ: to have the same mindset as Christ, to have the same love for one another, to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but to act in humility, to look not to our own interests, but to the interests of others. 

And that takes us back to the plight of life on earth. Those who have discerned and know God’s wisdom, those who have studied the Book of Nature, those who have a grounded and robust scientific understanding, all tell us that we are at a crisis point. Do we hear and respect the authority they have? They also tell us what it that we must to do if we are to dial down this disaster, how we must reform our lives – be less greedy, live in harmony with nature, restore what has been damaged and share equitably  what remains. Do we act on what they tell us? Sadly it seems as if many nations, businesses and institutions, say ‘yes’ but do ‘no’.

The challenge for those of us who follow Christ is to be the ones who both say ‘yes’ and do ‘yes’! And not only that, we must also, just as Jesus did, just as Ezekiel did, stand up and tell truth to those in power, demand repentance  – ie a complete change of direction – and press for a new, genuinely enacted, God-led, approach to living our lives on earth. 

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/21/planetary-boundaries-breached-scientists-warn-climate-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32

The word of the Lord came to me: What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die. 

Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live. 

Psalm 25:1-8

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you; *
let me not be humiliated,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2 Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

3 Show me your ways, O Lord, *
and teach me your paths.

4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

5 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.

6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

7 Gracious and upright is the Lord; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8 He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.

Philippians 2:1-13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 

who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death–
even death on a cross. 

Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name, 

so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. 

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Matthew 21:23-32

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

Proper 20, 16th Sunday after Trinity 

20th September 2026

Reflection with readings below

God is a God of mercy, of forgiveness, of second chances.

Likewise we are called to be as generous and as forgiving. But to forgive, is not to condone or encourage the continuance of words and actions that are contri to God’s wisdom. Rather than condoning shortcomings – whether in ourselves or others – we are called to encourage and put into practice lifestyles that pursue God’s wisdom. And as the letter to the Philippians reminds us, our Christian calling will include sacrifice – will include putting the needs of others before our own.

We all have a duty to look at our own actions, to see what is contri to God’s wisdom, and to repent and reform our lives. We also have a duty to speak out when we see wrong happening in the lives of others, when we see wrong being condoned, and when we see systemic wrong.

In examining ourselves and the world around us we are not to judge according to our own desires and bias, but according to God’s wisdom – and we may be surprised, even discomforted, when this seems to favour others rather than ourselves; when this seems to involve us in making sacrifices, putting the needs of others before ourselves – or what can be even harder –  putting the needs of others before our own families and communities. Here we might empathise with Jonah’s grievance that God, having judged the wicked behaviour of the Ninevites, is so quick to shower them with benefits when they repent, whilst Jonah goes unrewarded. 

We might equally empathise with the all-day workers in the vineyard whose long and gruelling working receives no greater reward than the light-weight input of the latecomers. I think we might equally find it hard to persuade the all-day workers that they were not being penalised, to explain that in reality the whole community benefits when all are provided for equally. This understanding is countercultural to many norms of the present day. Indeed the political and economic systems of our world reinforce the idea – and practice – of rewarding those who are already advantaged, and disadvantaging those who are already struggling. 

This week three such instances come to mind. The Guardian has been highlighting the newly published Register of British Slave Traders that reveals the widespread extent to which British individuals and organisations promoted and benefitted from the transatlantic slave trade. Profits accruing from the economic advantage of cheap labour plus the profits accruing from commandeering the natural resources of other countries through colonialism, boosted the British economy ensuring that we are today one of the richest nations in the world. Many will argue that as much as we abhor slavery, the era of the transatlantic slave trade is in the past and no one from the current generation can in any way be responsible for what happened then. Nevertheless the economic well being we enjoy is rooted in those profits. Should we not then be pursuing restorative justice? 

Next week at the UN conference in New York, members will be considering the creation of an International Panel on Inequality- similar to the International Panel on Climate Change – to find a way of reversing the acceleration distribution of wealth across the globe. Between 2000 and 2024, the richest 1 % of the global population has captured 41 % of all new wealth, while the bottom 50 % saw their wealth increase by just 1 %. And 83% of countries, representing about 90 % of the world’s population, have highly unequal societies. Further data suggests that accumulated and inherited wealth — with an estimated $70 trillion expected to be passed on over the next decade — as a key driver entrenching inequality and undermining social mobility, fairness, and opportunity for lower-income populations. Inequality invariably leads to democratic decline, political instability and the potential for conflict. Would we be willing to see a global redistribution of wealth and resources as well as a redistribution of wealth within our own society? Should we be willing to see our personal wealth taxed? 

Nepal is seeking a payout from the Climate loss and damage fund to enable them to rebuild lives and infrastructure destroyed by the glacial tsunami. This fund was established in 2022 to pay for loss and damage that results from climate change events, with the intention that the  developed nations would each make appropriate financial contributions. Those nations who had contributed most to the climate crisis through – and benefited most from –  decades of coal, oil and gas fuelled industrialisation, would contribute most to the fund. However many nations, including the UK, reneged on the scale of their promises, and the fund is already struggling to pay out on the 100 plus prior claims already in the queue ahead of Nepal. Again the question has to be are we willing to forego some of our wealth and income to aid those most impacted by the consequences of our actions?

In each example I would argue that God’s justice demands a self sacrificing generosity. Equally I would suggest that to do so will not only benefit the recipients, but ourselves too. For it is the whole community benefits when all are provided for equally. Like the all-day workers in the vineyard we may initially resent what is being asked of us, but when we step back and see the benefits of the in-coming of God’s kingdom here on earth, we will share in the rejoicing.

How do we achieve this in practice I’m not sure. It could be by giving sacrificial to appropriate charities. It could be by campaigning alongside groups such as Christian Aid, Oxfam and Global Justice. It could be by campaigning directly to change government policy. It could be by encouraging and supporting the reparative justice objectives of the Church of England’s Spire Project. It could be by talking with our family, with our friends, normalising the concept, rooting it as a key part of our Christian discipleship.

What is important is that is those with the most wealth and income who contribute, not those with the least. And that it is those with least who then benefit. 

Jonah 3:10-4:11

When God saw what the people of Nineveh did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Psalm 145:1-8 

1 I will exalt you, O God my King, *
and bless your Name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless you *
and praise your Name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.

4 One generation shall praise your works to another *
and shall declare your power.

5 I will ponder the glorious splendour of your majesty *
and all your marvellous works.

6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and I will tell of your greatness.

7 They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness; *
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.

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

Philippians 1:21-30

To me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well– since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” 

Proper 19, 15th Sunday after Trinity 

13th September 2026

Reflection with readings below

The reading from Genesis talks of the gift of forgiveness – its ability to dispel fear and restore relationships – and the importance and freedom of not holding a grudge. Today’s psalm expands on this by declaring how it is that God bestows benefits on us: forgiving our sins, healing our infirmities (our shortcomings), redeems and gives value to our lives, satisfies our needs, and executes righteousness and judgement for us all. All this is encapsulated in the phrase ‘compassion and mercy’. 

God’s character is to show compassion and mercy to all creation. Our calling is to imitate God, or calling on the language of Genesis 1, we who are made in the image of God, are to ‘image’ in our behaviour the behaviour of God. We are to show compassion and mercy to all creation. We are to forgive sins – and not hold grudges. This may mean letting go of privileges or rights or possessions or land, that we previously valued more than our love for our neighbour.  We are to heal broken relationships and mend what we have damaged. This includes making peace with those we deem our enemies but also establishing right relationships with those we have abused. 

Some of these are inter human relationships such as our failure to ensure our young people have access to loving families, to accessible education, to green spaces, secure homes and safe streets. Or our failure to provide loving homes and attentive care for our elderly citizens. Or our failure to take any responsibility for those in other lands affected by colonial oppression, climate change etc.

Some of these are relationships with wildlife, and here we have clearly failed when we see and measure the extent to which populations have declined and species have become extinct. Only this week did I read that one in in nine migratory birds are threatened with extinction and 45% of migratory species such as cuckoos, turtle doves and Arctic terns are in decline, which are overwhelmingly caused by humans and include the intensification of farming, unsustainable hunting, pollution, invasive species and global heating. (1) 

Some of these are relationships with domesticated creatures, hens forced to live severely curtailed lives (often not more than 6 weeks for a bird that could live as many years) in cramped lives devoid of access to the natural world; cows that must give birth annually only to have their baby removed within hours, and who may have their own lives prematurely curtailed after 3 or 4 years. 

Some of those are relationships with ecosystems such as soils which we pollute with herbicides and pesticides, and rivers that we pollute with a similar cocktail of chemicals to which we add sewage and industrial waste. Or with ancient woodlands and tropical forest which we have cleared to replace them with monocultures of Sitka fir, palm oil and soya beans for yet more cattle fodder.

We are to redeem life which must include restoring lives that we have damaged – lives not just of people but of plants and animals, of river systems and marine environments, of the air we breath and the water we drink.

We are to satisfy the needs of all our neighbours – ensuring food and homes, and environments within which to thrive. Ensuring provision for health, for education, and opportunities for fulfilling work. Ensuring a fair sharing of wealth and resources.

We are to act righteously and ensure justice for all. And it’s not that we don’t know what is needed!! And it’s not that we can’t do this!! We have the wealth and the resources globally to ensure everyone can live sustainably. We have the knowledge and the skills to effect this. We have enough visionaries and prophets to be able to visualise this as a reality. What we seem to lack is the will! We are so reluctant to share our wealth, to change our lifestyles, to adapt our diets, to forgive and make peace, to pursue justice and ensure restoration.

Here we need to turn again to our faith, to studying and drawing strength from scripture, from the prayer and practice that draws us closer to Jesus, following more closely his way, for studying the book of nature and realising and imbuing the love of our creator. We must let this power is into action – for action is needed! 

Action cannot be a nice extra. Actions cannot be what someone else does. Action cannot wait until everyone steps forwards. !

We must make the changes in our own lives, to speak out where  God’s will is ignored, where error and damage persist, to help others and to receive their love and help in return –  do it now, for that is to act in the image of God.

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/11/migratory-birds-species-threatened-extinction-decline-global-report?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Genesis 50:15-21

Realising that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. 

Psalm 103: 1-13

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins *
and heals all your infirmities;

4 He redeems your life from the grave *
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5 He satisfies you with good things, *
and your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6 The Lord executes righteousness *
and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7 He made his ways known to Moses *
and his works to the children of Israel.

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

9 He will not always accuse us, *
nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, *
so far has he removed our sins from us.

13 As a father cares for his children, *
so does the Lord care for those who fear him.

Romans 14:1-12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.” 

So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Matthew 18:21-35

Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

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.