May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
God the Father, help us to hear the call of Christ the King and to follow in his service, whose kingdom has no end; for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, one glory. 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.
O King enthroned on high, filling the earth with your glory: holy is your name, Lord God almighty. In our sinfulness we cry to you to take our guilt away, and to cleanse our lips to speak your word, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son, and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days. Amen.
God’s Word - Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 15 to the end :-
Now that I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and the love you bear towards all God’s people, I never cease to give thanks for you when I mention you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the all-glorious Father, may confer on you the spiritual gifts of wisdom and vision, with the knowledge of him that they bring. I pray that your inward eyes may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope to which he calls you, how rich and glorious is the share he offers you among his people in their inheritance, and how vast are the resources of his power open to us who have faith. His mighty strength was seen at work when he raised Christ from the dead, and enthroned him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all government and authority, all power and dominion, and any title of sovereignty that commands allegiance, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He put all things in subjection beneath his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him who is filling the universe in all its parts.
Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31 to the end :-
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne, with all the nations gathered before him. He will separate people into two groups, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; he will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
‘Then the king will say to those on his right, “You have my Father’s blessing; come, take possession of the kingdom that has been ready for you since the world was made. For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me into your home; when naked, you clothed me; when I was ill, you came to my help; when in prison, you visited me.”
‘Then the righteous will reply, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and come to visit you?” And the king will answer, “Truly I tell you: anything you did for one of my brothers here, however insignificant, you did for me.”
‘Then he will say to those on his left, “A curse is on you; go from my sight to the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his angels. For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat; when thirsty, nothing to drink; when I was a stranger, you did not welcome me; when I was naked, you did not clothe me; when I was ill and in prison, you did not come to my help.” And they in their turn will reply, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and did nothing for you?”
‘And he will answer, “Truly I tell you: anything you failed to do for one of these, however insignificant, you failed to do for me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.’
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection on the Readings
When I was a little boy in Methodist Sunday school we used to have Bible quizzes, and when we had a quiz we were always divided into two teams, the sheep and the goats. So whenever I read that story from Matthew’s Gospel I always find myself back in the schoolroom with Mr Martin our Sunday school superintendent, who probably never realised just how big an influence he had on my journey into faith and eventually towards ordination. Even if I did always get put in the goats team.
The image of sheep and goats being divided would have been a familiar one to the people listening to Jesus. Sheep and goats were often herded together, but sheep were more valuable, and less able to take care of themselves too I suppose, so in the evening the flocks would be divided, goats to fend for themselves overnight, and sheep to be protected in the sheep fold.
But here Jesus re-uses this familiar image as a way of talking about judgement. And we discover that those brought in, and those turfed out, both the sheep and the goats are equally surprised by the judgement made. You have my Father’s blessing, says the King, because when I was in trouble or in need or just down and out, you helped me. A curse is on you, he says to the others, because when I was in need of the help you could have given, you just passed me by.
When did we see you, and help you? - say the blessed ones. When did we see you, and pass you by? - say the others. There are many fairy stories, and some real ones too, that involve kings and princes dressing down and mingling with the crowds, to find out what’s really going on, what’s really being said. It’s a good thing when they do. Too many leaders of nations are so surrounded by sycophants and shielded from reality that they lose and never rediscover the common touch.
But Jesus is so completely identified with those in need - the hungry, the lepers, the impoverished, the prisoners - that he is able to say: “When you helped them, you were helping me.” And, of course, “When you passed them by, you were passing me by.” This is why C.S. Lewis wrote, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
Many people at the time thought that the way to being blessed by God was through keeping the rules, as set out in the Law of Moses; maintaining your own purity, not being sullied in any way by the dirt of the world. But in this parable we discover that those who are blessed are in fact those who get their hands dirty and take risks with their own purity in the service of others.
Jesus explicitly refers to the one who will judge - himself, in other words - as the king in this passage. And he has a lot to say about the kingdom. His people are those who choose to live in the kingdom. And the kingdom is a place where those who need it are helped and healed and soothed and cheered and lifted up, and recognised and loved for who they are.
And the people of the kingdom, and the sheep in this story, are people who are, to put it at its very simplest, doing their best to be like Jesus, to see as he sees and respond as he responds; to bless as he blesses. As St Theresa or Avila put it, “Christ has no hands now on earth but yours . . . yours are the hands with which he blesses his 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 -
Father God, we praise you today for Christ our King, and we ask you to bless, encourage and inspire us to live lives of fruitful service and faithful care within his kingdom. Within the world Church we pray today for Christians in Bermuda, and also for the work and witness of the Mothers’ Union throughout the world. We pray for our own Diocese and for Bishop Richard, and on the traditional date of St Cecilia’s Day we give thanks for the gift of music to enable and inspire our worship, and we pray for Christian hymn and song writers and composers.
We pray for the peace of the world, and for every place where peace is lacking. We pray for the Queen and for the government of our nation. And we pray for every nation as we continue to battle against the present pandemic, and in the development of treatments and vaccines.
We pray for all who are ill today, and for those who care for them, and for our hospitals, health centres and care homes. We pray too for all who are treated badly by others, and especially for victims of domestic violence, and those who offer care, support and refuge.
We pray for our families and friends, and for the life of our churches and communities. This week we pray for all who care for a friend or family member in need, and for their nurture and support. And we pray we may continue to look out for each other in these testing times, and keep 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 Christ our King make us faithful and strong to do his will, that we may reign with him in glory; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
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