Tag: following Jesus

Proper 20, 17th Sunday after Trinity

Reflection with readings below

In recent weeks we have been reminded again and again that there is wisdom that comes from ‘above’ – Godly wisdom – and wisdom that has a base origin – ‘worldly wisdom’. The latter is what drives stock markets and banker’s bonuses, that exploits workers and despoils the earth. The former seeks to honour God and love our neighbours – both human and creaturely. The former encourages us to care for, and be cared for, by each other; to be as children, trusting and open, understanding our dependence on God.

Jeremiah suggests the example of being like lambs, or like fruit trees. And drawing on Jesus’s own parable about fruit trees, the implication of the latter being that we should bear a rich harvest in response to God’s tending. 

This time of year when we celebrate creation-tide and – for those of us in the northern hemisphere – harvest, so the call to be fruitful is particularly apt. Being fruitful is about flourishing. In the second story of creation in Genesis, God sees an earth that is bare and void of life and desires to see it becoming a verdant garden teaming with life. To this end, God provides water, trees and plants, and beings to till and safeguard all that is growing. That I believe is still God’s desire. We – together with all the other creaturely beings that God created as helpers – have a calling to tend and care for the earth and its flourishing. We are called to tend the plants and trees, the soil and waters, and to care for each other – birds and animals, insects and waterlife as well as our fellow human beings where ever they live across the world.

To do that is to draw upon the wisdom from above – God’s wisdom. 

In the letter of James we read: “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” And “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”

And in Mark’s gospel we hear Jesus telling us: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” That is not the wisdom of the world. That is not about huge pay deals and share dividends; that is not about spending £1000s on new clothes; that is not about exploiting oilfields leading to extreme weather events that will cause devastation to those most vulnerable; that is not about seeking huge subsidies so that profits will not be diminished by costs. Nor is it about the 14,000 plus children killed in Gaza, nor the 4.3 million of children growing up in poverty in the UK.

Until we live by the wisdom that comes from above rather than by the wisdom of the world, such grief and suffering is going to continue. Until we can truly live out the command to love our neighbour as ourself, we are going to struggle to follow the example Jesus gave us. Until we become like children recognising our dependency on God, our need to learn from God’s wisdom, we are not going to be able to address these woes for we will constantly find ourselves coming up against the uncompromising negative impact of worldly wisdom – the wisdom that always puts self first. 

Let us once again affirm our desire and intention to be live our lives as followers of Jesus. 

Jeremiah 11:18-20

It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their evil deeds.

But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter. 

And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”

But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,

let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.

Psalm 54

1 Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might, defend my cause.

2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For the arrogant have risen up against me,
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.

4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my life.

5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.

6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.

7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Proper 23, 19th Sunday after Trinity,

15th October 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

If you are wandering in a wilderness without map or compass, who will be the better guide? A golden calf made from recycled jewellery, or God? Who best to follow?

The calf may look bright and shiny. It may feel solid and immovable – although that might itself be a problem. It may have ‘miraculously’ appeared out of the mould. But it is not going to lead the people through the wilderness. It is not going to guide them along the right path. It is not going to speak to them words of comfort nor is it going to teach them words of wisdom. 

Hearing the story four and a half thousand years later, the answer is obvious. The people should follow God! 

But are we any better today at avoiding false gods? They may no longer come in the form of shiny metal cattle. Their disguise is more subtle. Try GDP and neoliberal economics. That’s the guide we should follow to reach the promised land of endless growth and wealth. Try fossil fuels and their ‘cheap’ bountiful energy. That’s the way to boost the economy and help lift people out of poverty. Try free trade and cheap imports/exports. That’s the way to get the global economy moving. Try low taxation and cheap, un-unionised labour. That will create all the jobs we need. Try retail therapy. The more you buy, the happier you will be!

Each is a false god that offers wealth and happiness for all, but which in reality favours a select few at the expense of everyone and everything else. 

The parable from today’s gospel tells the same story. The people who are invited to the wedding feast are being invited to share their lives with the King’s (ie God). But instead they make a different choice.  They choose instead to seek happiness being busy at their farm, or concentrating on their business interests. They choose the golden calf over God. Perhaps they don’t realise it straight away but they have missed out on the opportunity of knowing true happiness. 

Other guests are invited and take up the invitation. This latter group of guests are keen and committed. They put on party clothes – they want to be in the groove, be part of the party scene. They want to be God’s people, to live their lives in fellowship with God. But maybe just as some might come and look at an idol and not worship, so others may come to the party but take part. Other parables remind us that saying yes and doing no, isn’t the right response.

Perhaps traditionally idols have been understood to be things or objects – be that a statue of a Greek god or a sports car. Or perhaps we have understood an idol to be a personality such as pop star or a football player or a politician. But what if a way of life can be an idol. What if we understand an idol to be that which is the the single focus of our daily life, the things that motivates our every action? That, I think, is what we are asked to do in worshipping God, in following Jesus – to have no other gods.

Exodus 32:1-14

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mould, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

1 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
for his mercy endures for ever.

2 Who can declare the mighty acts of the Lord *
or show forth all his praise?

3 Happy are those who act with justice *
and always do what is right!

4 Remember me, O Lord, with the favour you have for your people, *
and visit me with your saving help;

5 That I may see the prosperity of your elect
and be glad with the gladness of your people, *
that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 We have sinned as our forebears did; *
we have done wrong and dealt wickedly.

19 Israel made a bull-calf at Horeb *
and worshiped a molten image;

20 And so they exchanged their Glory *
for the image of an ox that feeds on grass.

21 They forgot God their Saviour, *
who had done great things in Egypt,

22 Wonderful deeds in the land of Ham, *
and fearful things at the Red Sea.

23 So he would have destroyed them,
had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, *
to turn away his wrath from consuming them.

Philippians 4:1-9

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

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

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

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

Matthew 22:1-14

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

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