Category: Sunday Reflections

A weekly reflection on the lectionary readings for Sunday

Proper 18, 17th Sunday after Trinity

10th September 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

All change! 

Many stories in the Bible are about change, often a radical change in direction. In the Book of Genesis, God’s relationship has been with individuals – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and their households. This changes in the Book of Exodus. God’s relationship is now with a whole people – a new nation in the making. God will lead not just individuals but the whole people of Israel out into the wilderness and there will shape them into a nation. The nature of the change was equally radical. One day they were people who had, over several generations, been sucked into a situation of enslavement; who had found their freedom of movement and action curtailed; who had become enmeshed into an unwilling dependency on the Egyptian authorities; who had become unwilling and possibly unwitting cogs in a system beyond their complex.

Overnight they were uprooted from their homes, their work, their daily routines. Overnight they were called to flee; to put their complete trust for survival in God; to face down the armed forces of their overlords. Then stripped from all that was familiar, they were to adopt a new nomadic lifestyles, learn new way of living, and accept their total dependency on God for the barest of essentials including food and water. 

Today’s story from Exodus describes a carefully orchestrated meal that is more than just a meal. It is a domestic event that binds together the whole community. It is a ritual that defines the identity of a people. It is an act of worship in which everyone is a celebrant. It is a sacrament that establishes a new and particular relationship between God and the people. 

The meal, both initially and annually thereafter, takes place in the home and not in a designated place of worship, sacred site or temple. The blood painted on the door frames identifies which households are part of God’s people and which are not. The killing of the lamb – one that is without blemish – is a sacrificial act carried out not by priests but by the householders. From now on, God will lead all the people – not just individuals who were noteworthy, but the whole community presumably including some who were good and some not so good.

Of all the stories in the Old Testament, this will become the defining one, the most significant. It encapsulates the recurring truth that God will save his people, will gather them and rescue them from evil forces and establish them ready for a new life.  Every year celebrating the Passover will be central to those of Jewish faith. It is the key feast in the life of Jesus, causing him, as with his thousands of his contemporaries, to make the special journey to Jerusalem. The meal itself is transformed by Jesus. It is given a new layer of meaning in which Jesus himself is the sacrifice, and whose blood marks the beginning of a new covenant – a new relationship – between God and God’s people.

All change is also St Paul’s expense. In his letter to the Romans, he is writing about an equally radical change. God’s relationship with people which was once through the Jewish Law is now widen to an understanding that we are all sinners, we none of us of our own will and strength can be righteous, BUT that all can be made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. The Law of the Jews, which St Paul calls the Law of sin, is now replaced with the law of God, the law of love. 

As we celebrate and share in the Eucharist, let us be ready for change, embracing whole heartedly the law of love. 

Exodus 12:1-14

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

Psalm 149

1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.

2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people *
and adorns the poor with victory.

5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *
let them be joyful on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their throat *
and a two-edged sword in their hand;

7 To wreak vengeance on the nations *
and punishment on the peoples;

8 To bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles with links of iron;

9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
this is glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!

Romans 13:8-14

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

16th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 17

3rd September 2023

“You’re standing on holy ground!”

How often have you been struck with awe and wonder? Seeing something that catches our attention. Brings us up short. Breaks into our busy life. Maybe it was a sunset, a snow capped mountain,  a perfect rose, a piece of music, rolling hills, a burbling stream, the call of a curlew… That surely was Moses experience when he saw the burning bush. He was jolted out of his everyday thoughts and into God’s space. 

In reality any and every space is God’s space ;all is sacred ground. God blessed the world as it was created, declaring all of creation to be holy. It is not therefore that it is unusual to stand on holy ground; rather it is unusual for us to be aware of it. And that is something we can work on. We can take time to pause and notice our surroundings, to be aware of the awe and beauty of nature, to be aware of the awe and beauty that can comes through human hands when we work in tune with with God. 

Later in the story of Exodus we will see and hear of the awesome and wonderful things Moses does in tandem with God – parting the Red Sea, causing a spring of water to flow from a rock. There really is benefit in taking time to walk in a garden or a park, to stand and watch the waves on the sea or the flow of a river, to carefully observe the movements of a cat or the industrious nature of a bee. There can even be benefit in standing in rain and using all our sense to smell and feel, taste, see and hear the rain. 

Creationtide is an especially good time to be motivated to both spend time in admiration of nature and its creation – and with psalmist, to praise God – and equally to be motivated to protect and nurture it, and to so live our lives so that we are part of nature, so that we are in harmony with creation. 

At times it is easy to forget the beauty and wonder of creation, when we find the world around is is full of suffering and misery, of foolishness and greed and inhumanity. It can seem as if there is no possible hope for a better future. That is where today’s extract from Paul’s letter to the Romans comes in to its own. Paul clearly understands and can visualise a better future, a better world – the one God desires, the one that Paul knows God is creating through Jesus. Paul doesn’t say that this better world will come into being on its own, but rather that it comes through the reorientating of the way we live, reorientating it to reflect God’s ways. Just as Moses is drawn aside by the sudden awareness of God’s presence and then reorientates his life, so Paul had in his turn been drawn aside by the sudden awareness of God’s presence – in the person of Jesus Christ – and then completely reorientated his life. And so it can be for us. We can let ourselves be drawn aside by God’s presence, let ourselves understand that we stand on holy ground, and allow our lives to be reorientated after the pattern of Jesus.

The gospel passage for today is a necessary reminder that the pattern Jesus gave us does not exempt us from hard times, from having to accept suffering and rejection. Those who are not in tune with God’s will, those who are not in tune with the harmony of nature, may pursue and promote contri lifestyles that will both cause us anguish and make us to be the butt of ridicule and hate. And not just ourselves but many others who are likely to be more vulnerable and more susceptible to the adverse effects of the way others treat the world. 

Creationtide is a time to pray and act for the wellbeing of those who are vulnerable – both plants and creatures and our fellow humans. This year’s theme is justice and re-echoes the words from Amos, “Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” Amos 5:24

Exodus 3:1-15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’“ God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:

This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c

1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvellous works.

3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.

5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.

23 Israel came into Egypt, *
and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.

24 The Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; *
he made them stronger than their enemies;

25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, *
and dealt unjustly with his servants.

26 He sent Moses his servant, *
and Aaron whom he had chosen.

45 Hallelujah!

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.”

12th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 16

27th August 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

The story from Genesis is one of various people collaborating with God in opposing the evil designs of the Pharaoh and ultimately in saving Moses. Characters such as the Hebrew midwives, trust in the importance of doing what is right, what is righteous- which is of course, to do the will of God. Even the Pharaoh’s daughter who doesn’t know God,  does what is right and therefore does what is God’s will. 

It could well be that the Hebrew midwives, who felt so strongly that they had to what was right rather than what the Pharaoh commanded, would not have lived long enough to see the positive outcome of their actions in the shape of the Exodus. Maybe that is how it is for climate activists, for social justice activists, for peace activists: they all choose to act according to what is right and to oppose rules and social trends that are destructive or  evil in design. And likewise many may not see the long term positive outcomes of their actions. 

Psalm 124 reminds us that to do what is right is to have God on one’s side -that can be a timely reminder for those times when we feel that our faith in a better, God-shaped, future is wavering.

Paul in his writings often contrasts the way of the world (ie bad) with the  ways of God (good). I often find this puzzling as for me the ‘world’ encompasses nature, the intricate and wonderful workings of ecosystems, the beauty of plants and creatures, the awe and wonder of snow capped mountains and  rosy sunrises. When Paul writes about the ‘world’ I think he is looking at the human machinations that create system of oppression, of destruction, of greed and selfishness. II is therefore in contrast with this understanding of the world that Paul sees the many gifts of God – prophecy and perception, ministering and caring, teaching and nurturing, exhorting and encouraging, generous giving and sharing, dispassionate leadership, compassion and cheerfulness.

And it is all these gifts, combined and used collaboratively, that can create the world that God desires. Indeed that is the story that unfolds in the Book of Exodus.

So to today’s gospel. Who is Jesus? What does it means for us to understand Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God? Peter makes his declaration on the basis of what he has seen Jesus doing, on his experience of walking along side Jesus, of seeing how Jesus responds to the ways of the world. We have the writings of the Gospels, which we can study Jesus’s actions, and our prayer life with which to build companionship with Jesus, and the fellowship of others, to enable us to know Jesus as Peter did. In this way like Peter,  hopefully we too can find in Jesus the perfect lived example of God’s righteousness. 

Returning to Paul’s letter and his understanding of God’s diverse distribution of gifts functions best when brought together as parts of a body, can it be that as a community we may have people like Pater who clearly see who Jesus is,  and who can share that insight, and along side have people like the Hebrew midwives who understand what actions God wishes us to take. Combining these insights and through collaboration then we too can  produce result greater than we could imagine. 

Exodus 1:8-2:10

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labour. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

Psalm 124

1 If the Lord had not been on our side, *
let Israel now say;

2 If the Lord had not been on our side, *
when enemies rose up against us;

3 Then would they have swallowed us up alive *
in their fierce anger toward us;

4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *
and the torrent gone over us;

5 Then would the raging waters *
have gone right over us.

6 Blessed be the Lord! *
he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the Name of the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

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.

14th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 15

20th August 2023

Reflection (readings below)

Who will, or who is, God saving? That certainly seems to be the subject of today’s readings. Is just the Jew or the foreigner as well? Is it just those the Christians who believe in God as revealed by Jesus Christ, or is it the Jews too – who were the first to believe in God? Did Jesus come just to save those Jews described as the lost sheep of Israel, or those Gentiles who believe in his power to heal, too? And what of the Pharisees? Does their blindness, their failure to recognise Jesus for who he is, exclude them from being saved? Are they not also some of the lost sheep of Israel?

The passage from Isaiah suggests that salvation comes to those who ‘maintain justice and do what is right’, although the afterthought is that such salvation is for those foreigners who love God and live according to his covenant, his ways. God is God for all people, and there is a beautiful image of God gathering in all these people – a God with wide and open arms?

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, seems to be saying that in the past (pre Jesus) the Jews had been saved because of their relationship with God through the mosaic covenant but that now they are in an in between situation having not believed in Jesus, and yet have not been rejected by God. Indeed Paul is confident that this situation will be reversed such that both those who believe in Jesus now and those who do not as yet believe, will all be saved. All will be shown mercy – loving acceptance- by God.

Then in Matthew’s Gospel we hear of a discourse between Jesus and a Canaanite woman: who has Jesus come to save? Just those of the House of Israel, ie the Jews, or Gentiles too? Paying closer attention, is it any or all Jews Jesus has come to save, or just those who are lost? To be lost is not to know where one is or to know where one should be going. To be lost is to know one’s vulnerability and to know one’s need for someone to guide you. The Canaanite woman knows she is as is as lost as the lost of the house of Israel and she knows she needs help. And Jesus responds to that. 

That is how we are all saved: by realising and accepting our own helplessness and knowing that our way to healing, to salvation, is through following the guidance, the example, of Jesus. Jesus shows us how to live in harmony with God’s will and therefore in harmony with the rest of creation, in a life of justice and righteousness.

But what of animals and birds, fish and plants? Are they not equally part of God’s creation and worthy of being saved? Or is their salvation automatic rather than something to be sought? Or is their salvation tied to that of  we humans? Certainly it would seem that our human inability to live in harmony with each other and with the rest of creation, is the cause of much suffering – the depletion of the soils so that they cannot sustain plant life, the poisoning of the waters so that they cannot support life, the overloading of the atmosphere with greenhouse gases causing the planet to overheat, the expansion of human habitation (including industrial and agricultural land use) so that millions of species have become extinct. Yes, it would seem that the salvation of the whole of creation is linked to the salvation of humankind. We need all to realise and understanding our failure to do what is just and right, our fallenness – or lostness – that needs the wisdom of God to brings us back into the right way of living, back into harmony with God.

As today’s psalm says: “Let [God’s] ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations…[so that] the earth has brought forth her increase; may God, our own God, give us his blessing. May God give us his blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.”

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.

10th Sunday after Trinity, proper 14

13th August  2023

Reflection (readings are below)

What is faith?

Faith can be assurance, that feeling that despite what is happening around us, we are safe. Faith can be confidence, that feeling of being safe even is we don’t know what the end outcome will be. Young children have an implicit faith that their mother, their father, will keep them safe. They will run to them confident that their parents will scope them into their arms and save them. 

Faith is relying on what we know to be true even if we have not yet have experienced it. Earlier this year I abseiled down from the ArcelorMittal Orbit – the helter-skelter shaped tower in the Olympic Park. I knew that I would be safe, that the equipment was fail safe, that I could trust the knowledge of the instructors. Yet I still had to place my trust in my faith. I still had to act in confidence on what I believed to be true. I had to lean back over the void and let the harness and the ropes support me. I had to step off the edge and let my body dangle freely in that void, before lowering myself hand over hand to the ground. 

Faith is the nature of our relationship with God. We know God through faith. We follow God through faith. We worship God through faith. Faith is not something that we have acquired through prayer or good works or discipline.  Faith is not something that one minute we didn’t have, and the next we do. It is something we are born with. Faith is gifted to us by God as part of what makes us alive. It is a gift within each of us. 

Yet it is like so many gifts, something we can push to one side, something we can ignore, something we can metaphorically lock away in a box and loose the key. I could have pushed aside my faith in what I knew on the Orbit tower and refused to make the descent. Sometimes people say, I have no faith, I have nothing to do with God. Or they may say, I choose not to believe because I place my faith in science. Which begs the question, the two exclusive? Some people  may look around the world, seeing pain and suffering, and say,  there is nothing here that makes  me believe in God. Yet looking round the world a lot of what we see is human-made and much of that does not mirror God’s image. 

So even though, as I suggest, we all have faith, we do not all choose – or are not encouraged – to exercise that faith. And for those of us who have neglected our faith, there can be a need to re-find our faith, to explore its depths and its breadth, to re-engage with God. We all need to practice leaning into our faith, trusting that it will carry us through life, with all its ups and downs. 

Today’s readings point to different experiences of faith. Joseph, in his story, remains sure in his faith that God has a plan for him even though all the circumstances suggest otherwise. His perhaps is an example of faith being what enables us to carry on doing what we believe to be right even when the outcome seems incredible or impossible. This I often feel is what climate activists have to struggle with. 

In his message to the Romans, Paul is explaining why we need to share the gospel, to make known what God has and is doing, to show people what God’s world can be like if we can all live drawing on the faith in God inherent in us. 

And today’s gospel story reminds us that faith doesn’t take away problems – there will always be storms – but gives us the courage to cope with them. Indeed, the story goes on to suggest we may have greater strengths and skills that we realise or allow ourselves to believe. Is it possible that as Christians, as people of faith, we can do more than we imagine to create a better world, to transform the world in the ways that God desires?

A recent Christian Climate Action chat evening – Brew Time – asked the question “How can we be a transformational power to stop climate collapse?” 

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.

He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him” —that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Psalm 105, 1-6, 16-22, 45b

1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvellous works.

3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.

5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.

16 Then he called for a famine in the land *
and destroyed the supply of bread.

17 He sent a man before them, *
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

18 They bruised his feet in fetters; *
his neck they put in an iron collar.

19 Until his prediction came to pass, *
the word of the Lord tested him.

20 The king sent and released him; *
the ruler of the peoples set him free.

21 He set him as a master over his household,
as a ruler over all his possessions,

22 To instruct his princes according to his will
and to teach his elders wisdom.

45 Hallelujah!

Romans 10:5-15

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?

“The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart”

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Feast of the Transfiguration

6th August 2023

Reflection (readings below)

Today’s readings all point to the awe and glory that surround God, and that attempt to describe what God is like. Descriptions that portray God as king or ruler, point to both the otherness of God and the power of God. Words such as judgement and dominion, justice and righteousness, point to the idea that there is a right way and a wrong way of living. But how do we know, how do we learn, which is which?

The gospel story has three characters standing on a mountain top. Mountain tops are traditionally places where God is encountered –  Noah and his ark on Mount Ararat, Moses on Mount Sinai, Elijah on Mount Horeb,  and Mount Zion where the temple was built. The mountain in today’s story isn’t named but is thought to be Mount Tabor. These three characters – Jesus, Moses and Elijah – represent three ways of receiving God’s wisdom, God’s guidance on the right or righteous – way to live. 

Moses represents the Law, the commandments received from God on Mount Sinai. These laws covered many aspects of daily life – what to do when a neighbour’s livestock escapes and damages your crops, safeguards for the wellbeing of live stock and of slaves, which foods you might safely eat, how to resolve disputes that involve physical injuries, safeguarding widows and orphans, the payment of tithes/ taxes  etc. These in their day were practical laws designed to ensure justice and harmony within communities. The Mosaic Law is not unique. The Sumerians had the Code of Ur-Nammu, and the Babylonians the Code of Hammurabi, both of which are similar in character to that of Moses. Written laws may not be perfect but they do establish the means for some form of justice, and justice is key to the righteousness that God desires. 

“And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” Deuteronomy 6:25

Elijah represents prophesy – and as the Letter of Peter reminds us, prophets are moved to speak by the Holy Spirit. Prophets speak out loud the truths that God wants us all to hear. Sometimes we need to hear the truth about what we are doing that is wrong and destructive; sometimes we need to hear the truth that tells us how wonderful things could be if only we followed the ways of God. 

“The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” Isaiah 32:14-18

And Jesus who is the living word of God! He not only speaks, but is the embodied presence of God. In his daily life, in his actions and activities, he lives life as God wills. He is the exemplar of how we should live, and by following in his footsteps, we walk in the ways of God.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12  “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 “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.” Matthew 11:29

Can we use these three sources – the law, the prophets and the living word – to understand God’s wisdom in addressing the current  climate and environmental crises?

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18 This law clearly underscores everything we should be doing. It also should be a good test for the value or justice of the laws which currently influence climate change  policy and action for the wellbeing of the environment. As Christians we should ensure that those laws which protect the environment and tackle climate change are observed by both ourselves, those in business and by all those in authority. There are times when it is clear that this is not always the case.

As Christians we are also called to be prophetic, to speak truth to power. When we are conscious through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that people are not caring for the world, for its environment, for its many diverse inhabitants, in the ways that God desires, we should speak out. Sometimes with words, sometimes with actions, sometimes with prayers – we can look to the actions of the prophets (often highly radical) for inspiration. 

And above all we as Christians are called to follow the example of Jesus – Jesus who was attentive to the needs of all he met, who sought to heal them and to reassure them of their value in God’s eyes. Jesus who wasn’t diverted from doing or saying the right things even when it was politically incorrect or was being criticised by the religious authorities. Jesus who shared his whole life with others that they might have life in its fullness. Jesus who helped people to realise that they were called to be God’s children, all equal in God’s eyes. Jesus who taught that forgiveness was God’s unceasing gift. 

We should bring all these traits, these examples to bear, when we consider each day how to safeguard the environment, how to tend and protect and love all of God’s creation.

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy. and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
    and an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
    and its wheels were burning fire.

A stream of fire issued
    and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousand served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgement,
    and the books were opened.

As I watched in the night visions,

I saw one like a human being
    coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
    and was presented before him.

To him was given dominion
    and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
    that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
    that shall never be destroyed.

Psalm 99

1 The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.

2 The Lord is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.

3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.

4 “O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.

6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.

8 O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.

9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

2 Peter 1:13-21

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Luke 9:28-36

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

7th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 11

23rd July 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

The story from Genesis is beautifully visual. The ladder connecting heaven and earth, a thoroughfare of heavenly two-way traffic – and its clear message that God is with us, always and everywhere. The message of God’s closeness to us, that is both intimate and unceasing, also comes to us strongly in today’s Psalm. It is a reminder we need because however much we understand that God is with us, we so easily forget or ignore the fact. People talk of thin places – places where the closeness of heaven and earth feels so tangible, often places of great natural beauty such as a mountain top or a place steeped in generations of worship. It is as if we need a physical prompt to remind us of God’s proximity, or maybe it is that we need to be shaken out of our everyday blinkered business, to be aware of where we are. At other times it is as if we need a shock or a jolt to make us realise that we are – always – in the presence of God. Perhaps that is how it was for Jacob. Away from the trappings of home and the comfortable reassurance of family life, fearful of the discord he has created, he perhaps has the space to contemplate God, the openness of mind to be aware of God – and the  need to hope for the reassurance of  God’s presence. Whatever it is, Jacob wakes up knowing for sure that God is and will always be, with him. 

Does this certainty, this knowledge, change Jacob’s circumstances? Does it remove his need to run away, to escape his brother’s wrath? Does it suddenly give him a job and a home and wife? Does it suddenly reconcile him with his brother? Does it suddenly wipe away the injustices Jacob has created? No. God’s presence with us doesn’t change our circumstances but it does change our ability to cope with them. Much later in the story we will see Jacob returning to and being reconciled with his brother. 

And I think that is also a way of interpreting today’s psalm. It is not that we seek the grave or the uttermost parts of the sea or the darkest parts of the night to escape God, but that if, for whatever reason, we find ourselves in such places we will find God there too. There is no place of suffering or destruction – or evil – where God will not also be. 

Following on from Psalm 139 we have hear the words from Paul that we should not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. When Paul talks of living according to the flesh he means that way of living that closes itself off to the spiritual, the blinkered view that ignores the subtle clues of the richer world around us that is ‘filled with the grandeur of God’. The view that works so hard to push away anything other than material thoughts. That stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that we are not independent beings that need not rely on – nor love –  anything other than ourselves. That cares only for one’s physical well being. Whereas to live according the the Spirit is to be aware of God’s presence in the everyday world around us, to be aware that we are part of a greater and interconnected whole, to be aware of the prompting -the guiding and reassurance of God. To live in the Spirit is for us, as Christians, to follow the way of Christ.

In the next paragraph Paul is talking of the earth groaning and longing to be set free of its bonds, of creation being in the pangs of birth, of an ongoing – at present – suffering of which we are all apart. And what he writes is true. We do live in a world where there is pain and many groans of anguish. We do live in a world full of suffering and injustice – and human stupidity. And I don’t think we can easily escape the feelings of distress and alarm. Indeed if we could, I am not sure it would be helpful. We need to be conscious of the realities of life in order to seek to change what is wrong. (Jacob needs to feel the pain of injustice to seek reconciliation with his brother; the prodigal son needs to experience rock bottom to mend his relationship with his father; we need to experience the pain of witnessing the events of Good Friday to understand what sin and love look like). 

Perhaps that too is a way of understanding the parable in today’s gospel. Jesus is reminding us that we live in a fallen world – that is a world where there is pain and suffering, a world where people can make bad or foolish or misguided choices, a world where people do not always share the same values, do not always or everywhere acknowledge the spiritual, where sometimes people are only  aware of a life lived according to the flesh. And the solution,  says Jesus, is not for God to step in and magically transform everything. To do so would be to cause more damage. Veering away now from the parable and towards the example of Jesus, Jesus’s message is surely one of second chances, of healing and restoration, of enabling people to find the right paths and to develop their true potential as children of God. 

The Christian calling is, I believe, to work with God in the healing of creation, in being midwives in helping the world through the pangs of labour that will give birth to the kingdom of heaven reigning  here on earth. This is why we must act for justice, for compassion and for the care of creation – and do so always remembering that God is there too. Whether we feel that we are winning or loosing, resting or working, God is always with us.

Genesis 28:10-19a

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.

Psalm 139: 1-11, 22-23

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.

3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.

10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”

11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.

22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *
try me and know my restless thoughts.

23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

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 labour 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!”

6th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 10

16th July 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

Last week’s reflection looked at what makes people good, what helps us do the good things we know and want to do. Ultimately the answer is in our relationship with God. In accepting God, trusting in God, being responsive to God – letting God be at work in us.

In today’s story from Genesis we meet two people – Jacob and Esau – who are the same and yet different. They are both the children of Isaac and Rebekah, both conceived as a result of prayer. But where one pushes forward, the other is more patient. Where one is hairy, the other is smooth skinned. Where one loves hunting and the great outdoors, the other loves the quiet, orderly way of domestic life. Where one lives in the moment, the other is planning for the future. Later in the story we will learn that one is his mother’s favourite, whilst the other is his father’s favourite. 

That people are different (not necessarily meaning better or worse, and actually everyone has their faults) is a repeated narrative in the Bible: Cain and Abel; Joseph and his brothers, Moses and Aaron; Peter and Paul, Mary and Martha. Being different, having different skills, different insights, living through different experiences, is key to God’s creation of the human race. When we work together utilising those diverse skills and experience life is enhanced. When we oppose each other, despise our differences, make them a means of discrimination, then life is diminished. 

Another continuing narrative of the Bible is that biggest, strongest, first, is not always best. God chooses small people from small tribes, like Gideon and David. God chooses unpopular people like Jeremiah and Saul of Tarsus, and those from unpopular or despised professions like Matthew the tax collector and Rehab the prostitute. God chooses unreliable people like Thomas and Peter. God chooses insignificant people like Ruth and Mary. God chooses outsiders like Abraham the Aramean  and Cornelius the Gentile. We might say that God chooses upside down values that are not the way of the world. The first shall be last. The rock that was discarded will become the corner stone.

The last verse from the Genesis reading could be translated as ‘He did not esteem primogeniture’. Maybe there was more to Esau response than just hunger.

People are different but sometimes those difference change – are even reversed – over time. Later in the story of Esau and Jacob we hear that Jacob flees fearing his brother’s anger – indeed Esau has threatened to kill him. But later yet in the story, and we see Esau full of welcome and forgiveness for his returning brother. Likewise the arch persecutor Saul becomes the ardent convert Paul. The rash and unreliable Peter becomes the strong rock. The retiring widow Judith becomes the courageous assassin. The ability to change and develop, to be adaptable and flexible are useful traits that God uses to good effect. 

The working together of people who are different, the constructive use of diverse skills, the ability to change and adapt, are all going to be essential as we as a human race work with God in facing up to the climate crisis we have created, and thus working together in  transitioning to a net zero carbon world And not just net zero carbon, but net zero pollution, net zero injustice, and net zero biodiversity loss too. As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, May your kingdom – ie God’s rule, God’s reign – come on earth as in heaven.

So what then do we make of the parable in today’s Gospel? Sometimes it is called the parable of the Sower, or the parable of the seeds or even the parable of the soils. It is a parable about difference but it starts with sameness – it is the same seed that is being sown everywhere by the sower. But everywhere the seed lands is different. The  parable suggests that everywhere that the seed lands, the soil has the potential to allow the seed to grow. It is not then that the soil is different but that the circumstances, the environment surrounding the soil and the seed, that determines what fruit the seed produces. These environmental factors do not give the seeds an equal chance, an equal opportunity, to flourish. Does that sound familiar? How often do we hear that people do not have successful lives because they have not had an equal opportunity to flourish? The different circumstances of their back ground, of the environment they have grown up in, has put the, at disadvantage. Their skills and characteristics have not been discerned or have been despised as unsuitable, unwanted. Maybe hearing this parable today, we should be hearing a challenge to ensure equally opportunities for all, a challenge to value diversity, a challenge to nurture flourishing for all God’s creation? Can we scare away the ‘birds’ that prey on others? Can we remove the obstacles of poor diet, low educational standards, lack of green spaces and places to exercise? Can we provide an attractive alternative to the consumer driven market? Can we in this way also experience the reign of God?

Genesis 25:19-34

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided;

the one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger.”

When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Psalm 119:105-112

105 Your word is a lantern to my feet *
and a light upon my path.

106 I have sworn and am determined *
to keep your righteous judgments.

107 I am deeply troubled; *
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.

108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *
and teach me your judgments.

109 My life is always in my hand, *
yet I do not forget your law.

110 The wicked have set a trap for me, *
but I have not strayed from your commandments.

111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *
truly, they are the joy of my heart.

112 I have applied my heart to fulfil your statutes *
for ever and to the end.

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.”

5th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 9

9th July 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

Paul in his letter raises in an interesting question, why do we find it so hard to be the good people we want to be? Most of of us go through life thinking we could have done better, tried harder, had more luck etc. Most of us have regrets, or thoughts of ‘if only’ or ‘what if’. Maybe this is part of being human – we can imagine how things might be different.

What can we do if wish to become the good people we wish to be? Is it nurture or nature? 

Abraham’s servant is keen to find a good woman to be Isaac’s wife. He does two things – he prays to God for guidance and he seeks to find someone who demonstrates goodness in their daily existence. And so it is he comes across Rebecca. She is willing and eager to be kind and helpful to both a stranger ( Abraham’s servant) and to the animals he comes with ( the camels). In last week’s Gospel we read of Jesus saying, “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.” And later in that gospel we have in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, the teaching that in helping those in need, we serve Jesus. Being good in small things is indicative of being good in other ways too.

Abraham’s servant, I think, sees that by choosing someone who is good in small things,  he will be ensuring that the nature of household over which she presides will be good. Being with good people, being nurtured by good people, makes it easier for others to be good too. The other take away from Genesis is the value of prayer in helping us do what we want to do.

Nevertheless for Paul, his sense of failure is acute. He feels that how ever much he wants to do what is right, his own body does the opposite. He calls this propensity sin and believes that it is something that has been deeply rooted within his very being. There is nothing he can do to uproot it – yet he knows someone who can: Jesus. 

Paul understands that that which we cannot not do for ourselves, Jesus can do for us. To accept that can be hard – it requires a humility that does not come easily. We are more often sure that we can sort out our own problems. Often we believe that if we can’t sort out these problems ourselves it is because we are not wise enough, that we are not trying hard enough, that we are letting God down. Yet Jesus tells us time and again to be like young children, like infants that know nothing other than reliance on their parents to help them. Jesus tells us to trust in him, to share our worries and our shortcomings with him, because he can and will come along side and help us. 

Returning to where I began, that like Paul, many of us struggle to do what we think we should do. It is not something that I am good at (!) but listening to and trusting in Jesus is key. 

One Easter service we were asked to imagine that we were there in the garden and encounter Jesus: what would we ask him? ‘How can I save the world’ was my cry – to which the response was ‘ That is not your role but mine!’

Another time, when I particularly felt I had failed to do what God wanted, I sensed Jesus telling me ‘Whatever you do or don’t do, I am not going to love you anymore or any less.’ To live a good life is perhaps, to let ourselves love and be loved. 

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

The servant said to Laban, “I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’

“I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also” —let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’

“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.”

And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.” Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Psalm 45: 11-18

11 “Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father’s house.

12 The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honour.

13 The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favour.”

14 All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.

15 In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.

16 With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.

17 “In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.

18 I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

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.”

4th Sunday after Trinity, Proper 8

2nd July 2024

Reflection (readings follow on below)

‘How long, O Lord?’ How often has that been said or thought? I’m sure it is as much now on our lips as it was when the psalmist was writing. We live in a world which is imperfect, which incorporates suffering in some form into every day life – whether that is the pain of childbirth, or the suffering when nature’s predators are successful, the suffering that accompanies earthquakes and floods, or the suffering caused by war, by oppressive regimes, by uncaring systems that permit starvation etc. Not all suffering can be avoided but a lot can if we have the will and the power. We can with medical intervention reduce pain and suffering. We can with good ecological practices reduce the suffering that arises from climate change. We can with investment and good education reduce wars and conflicts. We can improve the systems that distribute food, create jobs, administer justice, provide loans and grants etc. We can cultivate communities and societies where love and compassion prevail. This maybe what Paul means when he writes ‘present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.’ We can use our lives, the skills and capabilities that we have, to do what is righteous – what is right and true. To do so is to be alive in the truest sense, to be alive to God and to be alive in the way God wishes. To do so brings us joy.

Not all choices we face in life are easy. Sometimes the best option feels as if it is in reality the least worse option. Sometimes the options do not have clear cut outcomes and we may feel that we must start off with hope, not knowing what the final outcome will be. Is this where faith comes into play? Is this how  Abraham felt as he climbed Mount Moriah?

How can we as Christians, as churches, help and support those facing difficult or impossible choices? How do we build up hope?How do we embolden faith? How do we strengthen the confidence needed to take the longview? 

Every time we come together to pray, every time we come together to share bread and wine, we are reminded that Jesus’s teaching was that strength comes through helping one another, through sharing in fellowship, through union with God.

Genesis 22:1-14

God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Psalm 13

1 How long, O Lord?
will you forget me for ever? *
how long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long shall I have perplexity in my mind,
and grief in my heart, day after day? *
how long shall my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look upon me and answer me, O Lord my God; *
give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” *
and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.

5 But I put my trust in your mercy; *
my heart is joyful because of your saving help.

6 I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly; *
I will praise the Name of the Lord Most High.

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.”