A short service and reflection for All Saints' Day

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age: as we rejoice in the faith of your saints, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

We have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels, to God the judge of all, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

We confess to almighty God and to one another that we have sinned in our thoughts and our words, in the things we have done, and in the things we have failed to do; and with the saints of every age we come to kneel before his throne of grace, praying to the Lord our God in the name of Jesus our Saviour, that we may receive his forgiveness and mercy.

May God our Father forgive us our sins, and bring us to the fellowship of his table with his saints for ever.  Amen.

God’s Word - I John, chapter 3, verses 1 to 3 :-

Consider how great is the love which the Father has bestowed on us in calling us his children! For that is what we are. The reason why the world does not recognize us is that it has not known him. 

Dear friends, we are now God’s children; what we shall be has not yet been disclosed, but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. As he is pure, so everyone who has grasped this hope makes himself pure.

    Matthew, chapter 5,  verses 1 to 12 :-

When Jesus saw the crowds he went up a mountain. There he sat down, and when his disciples had gathered round him he began to address them. And this is the teaching he gave: 

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

Blessed are the sorrowful; they shall find consolation. 

Blessed are the gentle; they shall have the earth for their possession. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail; they shall be satisfied. 

Blessed are those who show mercy; mercy shall be shown to them. 

Blessed are those whose hearts are pure; they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called God’s children. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of right; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

‘Blessed are you, when you suffer insults and persecution and calumnies of every kind for my sake. Exult and be glad, for you have a rich reward in heaven; in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

What exactly is a saint? What is special about saints, and how are they different from the rest of us? I remember asking a group of youngsters at some school event. Lots of hands went up. Saints have funny lights on their heads, said the first child. Fair enough, saints have haloes. Saints are boring because they have to be good all the time, said someone else. Saints live in heaven where they have wings and play harps, said a third. Certainly that’s what saints in cartoons seem to do. What do they all have in common? - I asked, hoping to get an answer to do with faith, and following Jesus. One hand went up. They’re all dead, was the answer.

Well, yes, they are. They have completed the race, you might say. They’ve been promoted to glory, to use a different euphemism. They’ve all passed, to use a phrase current today. And maybe they have all passed, to take a different meaning of that word. In some sort of celestial version of the old eleven plus exam, they’ve attained a score that qualifies them for grammar school, or whatever the equivalent is up there. But what about us, when our turn comes? Will we be condemned to eternal metalwork and domestic science in some heavenly secondary modern?

I can see I’m going to have to give up on this educational theme fairly soon, but not before I at least suggest to you that what God in his love and mercy offers us is not divisive but comprehensive. Salvation is for all, his mercy is needed by all, even the best of us, and everyone who takes the cross of Christ to heart as their sign is brought into the fellowship of all the saints.

Many a saint can be found occupying a stained glass window, and that’s not a bad place for them. Like the figures in a stained glass window, saints are radiant. They shine in a way that brightens the world around them. But again, like the figures in the window, they shine with a light that’s not their own. Saints shine with the joy of Christ, with the love of Christ, with the compassion of Christ. Saints shine with the light of Christ.

So how does that help us? I think first of all that they can be examples to us of how to live as Christian folk. These are people who’ve met many of the same problems and issues and stumbling blocks that we face, and they’ve kept going, they’ve not given up, their courage hasn’t failed them. And not because they are somehow so much better than us. There isn’t a saint in the book who would have thought himself, herself, better than us. What they were though, perhaps, was specially open to Christ, specially in tune with his will.

Saints can instruct us in Christian living. And they can also inspire us. Some of the stories of saints are hugely inspirational, enormously moving. When I was a new boy at school, the Sixth Form prefects were supermen, gods almost, whom we both envied and feared. Then one day we got to that pinnacle ourselves, and to our slight disappointment found that we were still just ordinary kids. But maybe to the new kids then, we were the same godlike figures the prefects had been back then.

I think it’s a bit like that with the saints. They were just ordinary people, who maybe did some special things but didn’t actually stop being ordinary people. One of the titles given to the Pope is “servant of the servants of God”. And all saints are servants of the servants of God - ready to follow and to serve, but knowing that the one the serve said to his friends, “I am among you as one who serves. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.”

Were I a Roman Catholic like my uncle, I would pray to the saints, choosing a particular saint depending on the cause. That’s not my practice, but the idea is that you ask a saint to pray for you; and I have no problem with the idea that the saints pray for us. Surely they must.  Like in our school marathon each year, those who’d already crossed the finish line would stay there to cheer on the ones still running. I do like to think of the saints as those who are cheering on the ones still running - you and me - as well as proving that the race is worth the running. We run, not to receive an empty wreath, but to thank God for life that is already ours in Christ.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

On All Saints’ Day, we pray for churches dedicated to All Saints, and that we may minister with the same love for Christ and for his people that we honour in those we call saints. Today in the world Church we think of Christians in West Africa, and especially the Anglican Province of West Africa. We pray for our own Diocese and for Bishop Richard, for this week’s Diocesan Synod meeting, and  for the churches and communities of the Ludlow Deanery.  

We pray for the world, and especially for the government and people of the United States, as the election campaign there draws to its close. We pray for all in our world who are working and campaigning for peace and justice, and for all who are treated unfairly and exploited. As lockdowns and other measures to combat the Covid virus happen in many places, we pray for their success, and for all who are working to develop a vaccine. 

We pray for all who are ill today, for their care and treatment, and for those who provide that care, especially in those places where hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed. In the week of National Stress Day we pray for all who suffer from stress-related illness, and for all who provide care and support.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for those who will serve the churches of our group and deanery as churchwardens over the coming year. And we pray we may continue to act with responsibility and care, looking out for each other, and keeping safe ourselves.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Blessing - 

May God keep us in the fellowship of his saints, may Christ the Servant-King enable our service in his name, and may the Holy Spirit unite us in holiness and joy on our pilgrimage together.  Amen. 

A short service and reflection for the Last Sunday after Trinity

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Merciful God, teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty, that trusting in your word and obeying your will, we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

Jesus says, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” So let us turn away from sin and turn to the Lord, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

When we are slow to follow the example of Christ, Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

When we turn aside from the way of the cross, Christ, have mercy:

Christ, have mercy.

When we fail to be recognised as disciples of Christ, Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - I Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 1 to 8 :-

You know for yourselves, my friends, that our visit to you was not fruitless. Far from it! After all the injury and outrage which as you know we had suffered at Philippi, by the help of our God we declared the gospel of God to you frankly and fearlessly in face of great opposition. The appeal we make does not spring from delusion or sordid motive or from any attempt to deceive; but God has approved us as fit to be entrusted with the gospel. So when we preach, we do not curry favour with men; we seek only the favour of God, who is continually testing our hearts. We have never resorted to flattery, as you have cause to know; nor, as God is our witness, have our words ever been a cloak for greed. 

 We have never sought honour from men, not from you or from anyone else, although as Christ’s own envoys we might have made our weight felt; but we were as gentle with you as a nurse caring for her children. Our affection was so deep that we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but our very selves; that is how dear you had become to us!

    Matthew, chapter 22,  verses 34 to the end :-

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees came together in a body, and one of them tried to catch him out with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?’ He answered, ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” That is the greatest, the first commandment. The second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Everything in the law and the prophets hangs on these two commandments.’

Turning to the assembled Pharisees Jesus asked them, ‘What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ ‘The son of David,’ they replied. ‘Then how is it’, he asked, ‘that David by inspiration calls him “Lord”? For he says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’” If then David calls him “Lord”, how can he be David’s son?’ Nobody was able to give him an answer; and from that day no one dared to put any more questions to him.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Paul’s letters are among the earliest pieces of Christian writing, and his letters to the new churches in Thessalonica were among the first he wrote, we think, set in a time when the Church was not yet fully formed, but still taking shape. The Thessalonian Christians had not been followers of the Jewish faith, by and large. Before hearing Paul and accepting his message, they’d worshipped the pagan idols in the same local temples, as everyone around them. Accepting this new faith had brought upon them some degree of opposition and persecution, but they had held firm.

And now Paul writes to them about perseverance in the face of suffering, using his own experience as an example - for he’d experienced plenty of suffering himself, not least in Philippi just before he came to Thessalonica. Paul hadn’t allowed this to deter or silence him. The message of salvation was too important for that, and this message wasn’t an idea or philosophy or programme - it was a person.

Paul had surrendered his life to Christ - and this was what gave him and his fellow workers the courage to pursue their mission. Hardship and opposition could never halt them. Some people rejected or opposed their message, but nonetheless they continued to preach it. Theirs was a mission rooted in the power of God; they knew themselves to be called by God, energised by God, and answerable to God.

Paul goes on to say something about the humility of leadership. He isn’t interested in being flattered or honoured, he’s not currying favour. He has a sacred commission to fulfil, and his model is the servanthood of Christ, who said to his disciples, “Take note of this: I am among you as one who serves.”

Mike Kirk and I, as Rural Dean and Lay Co-Chair, have signed a mission agreement last week between our deanery and the diocese. It covers the work of Mark Hackney as Intergenerational Missioner, but it’s not just about him, it’s also about how we as a deanery will share and support his work. Mark is with us as a missioner, so mission is what he’s here to do, not for us but with us. There’s a list of expected outcomes in the document - targets for mission and growth. That can seem a pretty big ask at a  time when we think of our churches mostly in terms of decline - but Paul too was working with small groups and facing a huge and daunting task. It’s nothing new.

With that in mind, as the song goes, “It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.” Paul’s words suggest that successful mission requires perseverance and humility. Nurture comes into it as well, I think. There isn’t a sudden thunderclap moment that changes someone into a Christian disciple. Or not often, anyway. For some of us it can take years; in fact, for all of us, it takes at least a lifetime, for there’s always further to travel and more to experience and understand. That’s why Paul wrote his letters - to keep in touch, to respond to issues, to encourage, to maintain contact.

Our second reading has the Pharisees making one last effort to trap Jesus into saying something they can use against him. “Which is the greatest commandment?” they ask. That’s a typical Pharisee question, given how hooked they were on keeping every last nuance of the Law of Moses.  But Jesus quotes back at them not a single  commandment, but instead the summary of the Law. Everything in the Law and the Prophets rests here, he tells them. All of it is really one single commandment.

There’s no separation between Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself: they are closely intertwined. Jesus is perhaps warning the Pharisees against any thought that their passionless and compassionless concentration on the legal minutiae could be the same thing as “loving God”. You can only really love God if you love your neighbour too. So mission is about caring, reaching out, being there for others. It takes a kind and gentle touch. It puts God first, and our neighbour alongside him. If we get that right, then we really can grow God’s kingdom - or, I should really say, God’s kingdom can grow through us, if his love is seen in us.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

Today is Bible Sunday, and we pray for the mission of the Church world-wide, and for the Bible Societies and all they do. We pray too for mission where we are, and for Mark and the other Intergenerational Missioners working around our diocese. In the world church our prayers today are asked for the churches of Wales, and for the Anglican Church in Wales just over the border from us here. Within our own diocese we pray for Richard our Bishop, and today for the churches and communities of the Leominster deanery.  

We pray for the world, and for those in places of authority and power, in government, in commerce and as opinion formers. We pray for integrity, awareness and compassion in those in leadership roles. We pray for peace and justice in those parts of our world where there is division and conflict and where people are suffering. 

We pray for all who are ill today, including those infected by the Covid virus. We pray for all who work in hospitals and healthcare, and also that where stricter rules have to be applied, they will be obeyed. We pray for all who are working to improve treatment and tracing, and to develop a vaccine.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. We pray for Greg Smith, announced last week as the new Rector of Pontesbury and Stiperstones, as he and his wife prepare for their move to our diocese. And we pray we may continue to act with responsibility and care, looking out for each other, and keeping safe ourselves.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Blessing - 

May we walk in the light of our Lord, and may his love be our guide and strength. May his blessing rest upon us, and give us the courage, the kindness and the compassion to be a blessing to others in his name.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for Trinity 19

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Faithful Lord, your steadfast love never ceases, and your mercies never come to an end: grant us the grace to trust you, and to receive the gifts of your love, new every morning in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

We come to God the source of forgiveness and peace, to make confession of our sins and to be strengthened in service and witness by his Spirit.

Lord of mercy, we have sinned in your sight. We confess before you the wrong we have thought and said and done, and the good we have failed to do. For the sake of our Saviour Jesus Christ, lift from us the burden of the past, and help us to live each new day in his light and love. Amen.

May God the Father forgive us, and lift and strengthen us to walk in his light and to share his love, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

God’s Word - I Thessalonians, chapter 1, verses 1 to 10 :-

From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:  grace to you and peace. 

We always thank God for you all, and mention you in our prayers. We continually call to mind, before our God and Father, how your faith has shown itself in action, your love in labour, and your hope of our Lord Jesus Christ in perseverance. My dear friends, beloved by God, we are certain that he has chosen you, because when we brought you the gospel we did not bring it in mere words but in the power of the Holy Spirit and with strong conviction. You know what we were like for your sake when we were with you. 

You, in turn, followed the example set by us and by the Lord; the welcome you gave the message meant grave suffering for you, yet you rejoiced in the Holy Spirit; and so you have become a model for all believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. From you the word of the Lord rang out; and not in Macedonia and Achaia alone, but everywhere your faith in God has become common knowledge. No words of ours are needed; everyone is spreading the story of our visit to you: how you turned from idols to be servants of the true and living God, and to wait expectantly for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the retribution to come.

    Matthew, chapter 22,  verses 15 to 22 :-

The Pharisees went away and agreed on a plan to trap Jesus in argument.  They sent some of their followers to him, together with members of Herod’s party. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know you are a sincere man; you teach in all sincerity the way of life that God requires, courting no man’s favour, whoever he may be. Give us your ruling on this: are we or are we not permitted to pay taxes to the Roman emperor?’ Jesus was aware of their malicious intention and said, ‘You hypocrites! Why are you trying to catch me out? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ They handed him a silver piece. Jesus asked, ‘Whose head is this, and whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Then pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.’ Taken aback by this reply, they went away and left him alone.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

The word “holy” actually means “set apart” - particularly in the sense of being set apart for sacred use. On the one hand, a plate, that you could put your sandwich or your slice of fruit cake on; on the other a paten, a holy plate set apart for use at communion. On the one hand, a cup, such as you might use for your coffee or cocoa, and on the other a chalice, set apart for the wine blessed at the altar, which is itself a holy table, and not to be used for ordinary things.

Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, a church that had faced and endured opposition and persecution, praises the people there for being steadfast in the faith, and daring to be different from the pagan world around them. Jesus, neatly side-stepping a trick question posed by his enemies, makes a clear distinction between what is due to the state, or in this case Caesar, and what is due to God. So we too should be holy, and set apart from worldly things, for the service of God.

A week today, God willing (and Covid willing too, I suppose), I’ll be on my way to spend a time of retreat in a holy place, a religious community down in Devon, and it will be good to be, just for a few days, completely set apart in a beautiful setting and among people who live their Christian lives at a different rhythm from the frenetic way of the world.

And yet - this isn’t an enclosed community, cut off from the world, but one that is in fact very open and engaged. Its leader is one of my circle of Facebook friends; and they’re not at all separate from the village community around them. And I’m reminded that holy also means pure, complete, and being as God would have us. In that regard, it derives from the Old English halig, and is related to our modern English words heal (h-e-a-l) and whole (w-h-o-l-e).

And if we are set apart, it’s for a purpose. As we draw closer to Christ, being set apart to be his disciples, and apostles, and friends, so we see that he is always engaged with those around him, always reaching out, always seeking to be a source of healing and blessing and positive change. And it’s the difference they are making to others that Paul most praises in our reading from Thessalonians today - “Everyone is spreading your story,” he tells them.

“Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s,” says Jesus. As good citizens, we should pay our taxes, obey the laws, and support what the state is doing to promote peace and wellbeing, and to provide safe space in which to live. The reason a coin had the head of the emperor on it - the reason our coins carry the head of our queen - is that it was deemed to belong to him. So it wasn’t just a clever answer but an accurate one to say “Give to Caesar what is his anyway.” 

But that doesn’t alter the fact that we are already citizens of the Kingdom of God. And it is our citizenship of that Kingdom that leads us to be good citizens of whatever earthly kingdom we may reside in. They are not two separate and distinct allegiances, occupying different sections of our lives. Our higher allegiance is to God; where the state is promoting the common good, it can command our respect - but if the state is acting in an unjust way Christians should be among the first to speak out.

That hasn’t always happened. The confessing Church, so called, was brave and unyielding in its opposition to Hitler, but it was a minority movement, when most Christians felt they were bound to support whatever government held power. But though Caesar may own the money, and money may seem to equal power, God has prior claim on the heart. Ultimately, of course, those who opposed Jesus would make use of the might of Caesar to have him put to death; but they couldn’t and didn’t win. For no Caesar can last for long, even if we can find his fading image still on old coins. Only God’s love stands firm for ever - and we are set apart to be always his, and his not for ourselves alone, but for the world.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

Today is anti-slavery day, and we pray for all those in our world who are denied their freedom, and for all who work for the release and freedom of those who are treated unjustly. We pray for those who live in places were government is corrupt, unfair and undemocratic, and for all who face persecution because of their faith. And we continue to pray for the nations of the world to work together against the continued threat of Covid.  

We pray for the Church to be clear about our higher allegiance to God’s call and Kingdom, and that we may be ready and unafraid to speak up for those who are abused or treated unjustly. We pray for the churches of the United States, as the election campaign enters its final stages, and for the Episcopal Church, within the Anglican Communion. We pray for Bishop Richard, and for all that develops and resources ministry within our own diocese.

We pray for all who are ill today, including those infected by the Covid virus. We pray for all who work in hospitals and healthcare, and also that where stricter rules have to be applied, they will be obeyed. We pray for all who are working to improve treatment and tracing, and to develop a vaccine.

We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. On St Luke’s Day we pray for our local doctors and health workers, and in the week of Apple Day for fruit farmers and growers. And we pray we may continue to act with responsibility and care, looking out for each other, and keeping safe ourselves.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Blessing - 

May God bless us in his service; may his light be our guide, and his love our hope. So may we walk in his ways, and glorify his name.  Amen.

A short service and reflection for Trinity 17

You may wish to light a candle before you begin.

May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.

Collect 

Gracious God, you call us to fullness of life: deliver us from unbelief and banish our anxieties with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

We come to God as one from whom no secrets are hidden, to ask his forgiveness and peace.

Lord our God, in our sin we have avoided your call. Our love for you is like the morning mist, like the dew that quickly passes. Have mercy on us and deliver us; bind up our wounds and revive us. Bring us back to your love, and strengthen us anew in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God who loved the world so much that he sent his Son to be our Saviour forgive us our sins, and make us holy to serve him in the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Philippians, chapter 3, verses 4 to 14 :-

If anyone makes claims (of confidence in their heritage as a Jew), I can make a stronger case for myself: circumcised on my eighth day, Israelite by race, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born and bred; in my practice of the law a Pharisee, in zeal for religion a persecutor of the church, by the law’s standard of righteousness without fault. 

But all such assets I have written off because of Christ. More than that, I count everything sheer loss, far outweighed by the gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I did in fact forfeit everything. I count it so much rubbish, for the sake of gaining Christ and finding myself in union with him, with no righteousness of my own based on the law, nothing but the righteousness which comes from faith in Christ, given by God in response to faith. 

My one desire is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and to share his sufferings in growing conformity with his death, in hope of somehow attaining the resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have already achieved this. I have not yet reached perfection, but I press on, hoping to take hold of that for which Christ once took hold of me. My friends, I do not claim to have hold of it yet. What I do say is this: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what lies ahead, I press towards the finishing line, to win the heavenly prize to which God has called me in Christ Jesus.

Matthew, chapter 21,  verses 33 to the end :-

Jesus said, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard: he put a wall round it, hewed out a winepress, and built a watch-tower; then he let it out to vine-growers and went abroad. When the harvest season approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect the produce due to him. But they seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another, and stoned a third. Again, he sent other servants, this time a larger number; and they treated them in the same way. 

‘Finally he sent his son. “They will respect my son,” he said. But when they saw the son the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come on, let us kill him, and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, flung him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When the owner of the vineyard comes, how do you think he will deal with those tenants?’ 

‘He will bring those bad men to a bad end,’ they answered, ‘and hand the vineyard over to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop when the season comes.’ 

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the main corner-stone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes”? Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that yields the proper fruit.’

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they saw that he was referring to them. They wanted to arrest him, but were afraid of the crowds, who looked on Jesus as a prophet.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

Reflection on the Readings

Jesus tells a story - speaking to the Pharisees and their allies - about some very badly behaved tenants in a vineyard, tenants who decided to act as though they owned the place rather than renting it, and refused to hand over the share of the harvest due to the landowner. The landowner is remarkably patient with them. They’ve already killed one of his servants, and yet he continues to send people, eventually his son, to try and change their minds, or maybe their hearts.

But these guys are not for turning, not for changing. And in the end even the most patient landowner is going to have to remove tenants of that sort, and bring in better ones. And as Jesus told the story, the Pharisees will have known exactly what it meant, and who it was aimed at.  Themselves.

It seems to me that the Pharisees had pretty much perfected a false and godless religion. If you know you’re getting everything exactly right, there isn’t really any great role for God, other than to confirm your own high opinion of yourself.

Paul had been a Pharisee; but now he writes to the Church in Philippi that all his past achievements he has written off; none of it counts any more; it’s all just rubbish. All that matters for Paul is Christ Jesus. In Christ he has died to his old life, seen it for what it is; through the resurrection of Christ he is born anew - now he’s running a new kind of race, where the victor’s prize is already guaranteed. 

“Increase in us true religion” goes one ancient prayer of the Church. If there is true religion there is also false religion - but how do we tell? What does false religion look like? Here’s what I think. True religion always points away from itself; false religion is always self-protecting and self-seeking. False religion is about ticking boxes; true religion is more interested in changing lives.

Christ is at the heart of my faith; I can say like Paul that with Christ I have everything, and without Christ I have nothing. But that doesn’t mean I say that Christianity is true religion, and other faiths are false. I might say that other faiths are incomplete, but I can see how that true / false divide is present in other faiths, and I can certainly recognise it in my own.

Paul’s remarkable justification of his own Jewish heritage was in response to people who were trying to persuade the Philippians that they could only be proper Christians if they first accepted all the requirements of the Jewish Law. I see similar movements in today’s Christian moral right. But Jesus surely came not to close minds, but to open hearts. I don’t mean that anything goes - but I do mean that the test of true religion is a heart test, not a rules test, and for me, religion should seek to welcome and link together, and not to exclude or divide.

Statement of faith - 

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers - 

In a week that includes National Clean Air Day, pray we may reduce air pollution here and around the world, and pray for those who suffer from asthma and similar conditions. Pray for peace and understanding where societies are divided, and for faith groups to be part of that healing process rather than a cause of division. Pray that world leaders may govern with insight and integrity, and be peacemakers and bridge builders.  

Pray that the Church may be true to the example of our Lord in its readiness to care, to welcome, to show compassion and to speak up for those who are excluded by others. Pray for Christians in Tanzania, and for the Anglican Province of Tanzania, including our link dioceses there. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for all who pray for others, and offer counselling and spiritual direction.

Pray for all who are ill, troubled or in need of care, and for all who minister to them. May those in need find help and healing, and their carers do so safely. In National Braille Week we give thanks for all that enables those living with sight loss to be actively involved in community life. Continue to pray for all infected with the Covid virus, and for those striving to develop a vaccine.

Pray for families and friends, and today especially for the many community groups and organisations that are still unable to meet. Pray we may continue to act with responsibility and care, looking out for each other, and keeping safe ourselves.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Blessing - 

May the Lord of peace himself give us peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with us all, and his blessing be upon us and upon our loved ones.   Amen.