Tag: choice

3rd Sunday after Trinity, Proper 9

6th July 2025

Reflection with readings below

The Isaiah prophetic writings cover the period before, during and after the exile to Babylon. The northern Kingdom of Israel and and its people had already been conquered and exiled by the Assyrians – the previous regionally dominant empire. Small states like Israel and Judah were routinely offered the choice of becoming a tribute-paying vassal state or of being invaded and destroyed  – or exiled – by the dominant power. Judah, the southern kingdom was caught between two such powers – Egypt to the south west and first Assyria, then Babylon, to the north and east. Those ruling Judah vacillated between the options and were eventually overrun by the Babylonian army.

The prophets of the time, sought to discern God’s will in all that was happening. Were the people being punished by God for their sins? For their failure to love God, to keep God’s commands, or even simply to trust in God’s love for them? The prophets continued to wrestle with this in exile and also to seek to discern how God wanted them to behave. What laws could they follow when they no longer had a temple? How could they appropriately worship God without a temple? Would – and if so how – would God restore the people? Would they return to their homeland? Would they rebuild the temple? Would they have a king again? Would they be blessed, would they prosper and flourish? Such thoughts shape the writings and topics covered in the Book of Isaiah.

Not all the people from Judah were exiled to Babylon; the Babylonian empire took captive the wealthier, more influential people (those who could otherwise cause unrest and who had skills the administration could utilise) but had left behind many of the peasant and labouring people – they were of more value if they remained on the land, ensuring it produced food, wealth and taxes for the Babylonian empire.

70 plus years later, with a new dominant empire – that of the Persians after they had routed the Babylonians – those who had been exiled were permitted to return to their homelands. However, many of the Jewish people choose to remain in Babylon. They had made homes there, had set up businesses, had developed ways of worshipping God and of being Jewish that did not depend upon a temple in Jerusalem. Up until the 20th century there were many Jewish communities in places such as Iraq and Iran.

Here in today’s reading, the prophet’s writings extol the virtues of Jerusalem, the restoration of her wealth and prosperity, and in parallel how Jerusalem reflects the love God shows to the people.  The people are encouraged to rejoice in their new home, to find salvation there  and to renew their identity as God’s people. (NB isn’t it wonderful to hear of God described in feminine terms!)

But was the passage just to be heard by those returning exiles? What about the people who had never left Judah, or the people who,had stayed behind on Babylon? 

Is it perhaps to be heard by all who are making a return – physical, metaphorical or spiritual – all who are embarking on a new life in which they intend to live in accordance with the teachings, the ways of life, the way of God? 

Is Jerusalem in this reading to be understood only as the 5th century capital of a small vassal state or is a metaphor for the kingdom of God? Certainly this Jerusalem is not to be understood as being the Jerusalem that the current Israeli Government dominates! 

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer we say ‘may your kingdom come, your will be done’. With these words we are undertaking to be subject to God’s rule, to live within the reign of God. So maybe we should hear these words as addressed also to us, to envisage in this image of Jerusalem, the character and capacity of the kingdom of God that could be present here on Earth.

Every time we pray ‘may your kingdom come, your will be done’ we are committing ourselves to living not according to former ways (which St Paul in writing to the Galatians terms ‘according to the flesh’) but in the new ways shown to us by Jesus – or as St Paul describes, ‘according to the Sprit’. 

Today’s Gospel reading reminds is that the way Jesus taught was not a mere ‘easy-going, do what you want’ way being, but a way of living that both challenged and transformed people’s lives. Indeed it is a way of living that brings the Kingdom of God ever closer. So let’s be inspired and encouraged to be optimistic and expansive in our imagining of the kingdom of God, and to be radical and energetic in pursing the way of life that Jesus opens up to us. 

Isaiah 66:10-14

Thus says the Lord:

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her; 

rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her– 

that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast; 

that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord:

I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; 

and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
and dandled on her knees. 

As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies shall flourish like the grass; 

and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
and his indignation is against his enemies.”

Psalm 66:1-8

1 Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
sing the glory of his Name;
sing the glory of his praise.

2 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! *
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.

3 All the earth bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your Name.”

4 Come now and see the works of God, *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.

5 He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in him.

6 In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up against him.

7 Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of his praise to be heard;

8 Who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.

Galatians 6: 7-16

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised– only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule– peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’

“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Proper 16, 13th Sunday after Trinity

25th August 2024

Reflection with readings below

Many fashion chains that originally began by selling women’s clothes, have gone on to sell men’s and children’s wear, and household goods. They aim to sell you a whole Life Style look. You can be a Next household, an M and S household, a Zara household. Next month Oxfam has its Second Hand September promotion, so maybe you could also be a second hand household – now there’s a challenge that could reduce our environmental footprint. 

When I was church warden I worked through the Ecclesiastical Insurance health and safety proforma to create a health and safety policy for our church. The policy focused on the simple principle of accessing and then mitigating risks. It is an approach that has become for me second nature: I need a jar a from the top shelf. Can the stool take my weight? Is the floor flat and the stool stable? Is there a support I can hold into? Risks assessed and minimised: jar safely retrieved.

What else can shape our lifestyle choices? Our politics. Our culture. Our religious faith.
So it is in the first of today’s readings we hear Joshua asking the people if they will choose to follow the God of Israel. This has to be a very clear and definite choice. To follow the God of Israel has to be an absolute commitment – a surrendering of all aspects of their lifestyle choices to that one God. There is no option for a ‘yes but also’ approach, no option for a ‘pick and mix’ approach. On the other hand it is a commitment that is undergirded by their experience that God is the God who cares for them, stands by and protects them. 

Jesus is laying out the same challenge, the same invitation in his address to the people in the synagogue. But it is an invitation that offers an even deeper connection with God. It is not just to live a life absolutely committed to do things God’s way, but to live a life in which one internalises God, in which you live eat and breathe God through Jesus, the living – the eternal – word of God. 

If we live, breathe and ‘eat’ Jesus, then our lives – our lifestyle – will be shaped completely by that relationship. But that is not to say that we won’t be challenged by alternative or competing  choices – by rulers, authorities and cosmic forces as the letter to the Ephesians describes them. We might talk about these distractions as the lure of money, of popularity, of fashion, or as feelings of failure, inadequacy or despondency. Prayer, study, worship, learning, community and fellowship, are in opposition to these, all important ways of maintaining a visceral relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  

From psalm 86: 11 “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; knit my heart to you, that I may fear your name.”

Post script – I write about what I believe to be true but I find it hard to act upon it. 

Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:

“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Psalm 34:15-22

15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, *
and his ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, *
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *
and delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted *
and will save those whose spirits are crushed.

19 Many are the troubles of the righteous, *
but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.

20 He will keep safe all his bones; *
not one of them shall be broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked, *
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *
and none will be punished who trust in him.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

John 6:56-69

Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Advent 5

December 2022

These two colourful doors are from a street in Norway. Both radically different yet neither door stands out as being more important than another. We are often faced with multiple choices in life and feel the pressure to make the right choice. We can fret over which choice to make, regret the choice we do make and convince ourselves that we have made a mistake. But is it not possible that there may be two or even more equally different but equally right choices? The choice we make is no better nor any worse than the choices we do not make; just different.

Similarly there is no one right way to mark Advent nor one right way to celebrate Christmas. Let us not over worry about the choices we make and rather have the humility and the flexibility to go along with the choices others may make.

The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps. Proverbs 16.9 

Green Tau Reflection

Life choices that bring blessings 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;  and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:38-42

The above comes from the Beatitudes: Jesus’s teaching to the crowds on the approach to life that would bring its own blessings. 

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth sounds very mercenary. A contractual arrangement in which neither side looses out. A fair’s fair deal that leaves no space for argument not for generosity. It has the feel of a fixed price market. Anyone who tried to pay more than the asking price would be a fool. Yet Jesus invites the listener to be that fool. To pay more than the asking price. To give more that is required or demanded. To act in a way that undermines the normal way of doing business. It is a radical counter-cultural way of being that will bring its own blessings.

In the world of the climate crisis, old ways of doing things will have to change, old traditions and  old  norms will be replaced by new ways. Heating homes with gas will be history; the supermarket run in the car and the lift to school will disappear; holidays won’t start at the airport; strawberries will be a treat for the summer not Christmas.

Change like this can be hard to accept. After a life time in which cars have become the default means of transport, it is hard to rethink in terms of walking times. After a life time in which air travel has become part and parcel of the holiday package, it is hard to rethink in terms of trains and local destinations. After a life time in which seasonal food describes food linked to sporting/ social events, it is hard to re shape our eating round a annual cycle of what is currently in peak production: raspberries in June, plums in August, avocados in February. 

Change can be expensive as new practices, new products are scaled up and developed. The bonus of economies of scale take time to kick in, the benefits of lower energy bills will be felt gradually over the years whilst the initial cost of new equipment – heaters, electric cars, solar panels – may be steep.  

Following Jesus’s teaching, we can become trend setters, living a new lifestyle, adopting ways that will curb GHG emissions and restrain the climate crisis. We can lead by example and do things that are not the norm, that are not (yet) fashionable. We can choose to walk or cycle that bit further than usual rather than going by car. We can refuse to buy the plastic wrapped fruit or sandwich. We can explore the UK rather than the world. We can decline avocados in summer and strawberries in winter. 

Those of us with money can invest in carbon neutral technology, we can buy the eco friendly products and services, and we can do so generously, supporting producers as well as the climate. Train travel can be more expensive that going by car or plane, but we can choose the climate friendly option. Organic food may be more costly – now – but we can choose it over cheaper products that are less environmentally friendly.

Jesus asks that when we choose how to live, that we choose to think of the needs of others and be ready to meet their needs first. The results? A transformed world!