A short service and reflection for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

 

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

Collect

Almighty God, you search us and know us: may we rely on you in strength and rest on you in weakness, now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, trusting in God’s mercy and love.

Heavenly Father, help us to put away the sins by which we have displeased you. We repent of the wrong things we have done, and the good we have failed to do. Cleanse us from our sins and make us eady to do your will, for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

May almighty God cleanse and deliver us from all our sins, and restore in us the image of his glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - James, chapter 1, verses 17 to the end :-

Every good and generous action and every perfect gift come from above, from the Father who created the lights of heaven. With him there is no variation, no play of passing shadows. Of his own choice, he brought us to birth by the word of truth to be a kind of first-fruits of his creation. Of that you may be certain, my dear friends. But everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to be angry. For human anger does not promote God’s justice. Then discard everything sordid, and every wicked excess, and meekly accept the message planted in your hearts, with its power to save you.

Only be sure you act on the message, and do not merely listen and so deceive yourselves. Anyone who listens to the message but does not act on it is like somebody looking in a mirror at the face nature gave him; he glances at himself and goes his way, and promptly forgets what he looked like. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law that makes us free, and does not turn away, remembers what he hears; he acts on it, and by so acting he will find happiness.

If anyone thinks he is religious but does not bridle his tongue, he is deceiving himself; that man’s religion is futile. A pure and faultless religion in the sight of God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in trouble and to keep oneself untarnished by the world.

Mark, chapter 7,  verses 1-8, 14-15 and 21-23 :-

A group of Pharisees, with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem, met Jesus and noticed that some of his disciples were eating their food with defiled hands - in other words, without washing them. (For Pharisees and Jews in general never eat without washing their hands, in obedience to ancient tradition; and on coming from the market-place they never eat without first washing. And there are many other points on which they maintain traditional rules, for example in the washing of cups and jugs and copper bowls.)  These Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: ‘Why do your disciples not conform to the ancient tradition, but eat their food with defiled hands?’ He answered, ‘How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you hypocrites in these words: “This people pays me lip-service, but their heart is far from me: they worship me in vain, for they teach as doctrines the commandments of men.” You neglect the commandment of God, in order to maintain the tradition of men.’

On another occasion he called the people and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand this: nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him; no, it is the things that come out of a person that defile him.

‘From inside, from the human heart, come evil thoughts, acts of fornication, theft, murder, adultery, greed, and malice; fraud, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly; all these evil things come from within, and they are what defile a person.’

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

Reflection

There are many in these Covid times who are reacting strongly against such things as the wearing of masks, with marches and protests and even riots in places as they campaign for freedom, so called. But there are just as many I think for whom masks have become an essential of life. “I don’t feel fully dressed without my mask these days when I leave home,” said someone to me the other day. “It’s become as natural as putting on my jacket or coat.” And the same applies when it comes to taking hygiene seriously. Do you still hum or whistle “Happy Birthday” as you’re washing your hands?

To wash carefully before eating is obviously a good thing, and we’re now all doing it more and doing it better - and probably that’s had an impact beyond Covid, and will have reduced transmission of many other harmful agents beside the Sars virus.

So at one level the criticism levelled at the disciples of Jesus - that they were eating without first washing their hands - was, I guess, justifiable. And the ritual washings performed by the Pharisees will almost certainly have had their origins in some very sensible and necessary hygiene rules.

The problem is that they had gone well beyond what they were established to do. They’d become an end in themselves, and a means by which the Pharisees could show off their holiness and make clear how much better they were than the less pious folk around them. So Jesus was also justified in pointing out that in reality outward observances don’t count for very much.

When making a serious purchase, or entering into a contract relationship, it’s always good to read the small print. But at the same time too much concentration on the minutiae can mean you lose the bigger picture - you don’t see the wood for the trees, as the saying goes. The Pharisees were really good at the small print, but they’d lost the bigger picture. They were concentrating on the detail, at the expense of the living relationship with the living God that faith is really all about.

So Jesus tells the people that, yes, physical pollutants - the wrong sort of food, or unsatisfactory ablutions - can hurt the body; but only for a time. Far more serious are the things that pollute and cause harm to the soul. That’s where the radical action is needed;  that’s what we can’t afford to ignore.  The apostle James puts it clearly and plainly - if you don’t bridle your tongue, and if you fail to show simple care for those around you who are in need, then any religion you may claim to have is proved to be useless and futile. We prove our faith - or disprove it - by our action or reaction or by the lack of it. By the care we show or the care we don’t show. Where we are on a Sunday is less important than how we are the rest of the week.

Wearing a mask is not a very good or effective defence against the Covid virus, or so tests seem to suggest. Those results have helped to fuel support for the anti-mask lobby. But that’s if the most important thing for me is me; what if the most important thing for me is you? Most scientific and medical writers agree that if I wear a mask that does limit quite substantially the chances of me passing on the virus to you. Peter Hitchens in the Daily Telegraph may claim otherwise, but most medical opinion is against him. So I shall continue to wear my mask. For the Pharisees religion was mostly about saving me; for Jesus religion was entirely about serving you. That division, between saving me and serving you, still scars the face of religion in today’s world. But I will go, as best I can, where Jesus leads me.

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 - Pray for the Church everywhere to be visibly a community of care and compassion. Pray for Christians in South Sudan, and for the Episcopal Church of South Sudan within the Anglican Communion. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for all who offer guidance on the care and conservation and creative use of our church buildings.

Pray for the world: for all who are working to bring help to those in need, and relief to those who are burdened and oppressed, and that those in places of power may exercise the authority they have with compassion and concern, and with peaceful intent.  Continue to pray for the international response to the chaos and suffering we are witnessing in Afghanistan. Pray too for the Covax Scheme, and that all who need it may soon have access to Covid vaccination.  

Pray for all who are ill, troubled or in need: may they find healing and peace, and may those who care for them do so safely. Pray for those infected with Covid 19, and for a swift and effective response to new outbreaks.

Pray for families and friends, and the life of our communities. Pray we may be able to open our schools and colleges safely and without a new surge in Covid cases, as we prepare for the start of the new school year. Pray that all of us 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 faithful to his word, and ready to share his love; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always.   Amen.

A short service and reflection for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

 

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

Collect

God of constant mercy, who sent your Son to save us: remind us of your goodness, increase your grace within us, that our thankfulness may grow, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

We come to God in sorrow for our sins, and we seek his help and strength.

O Lord our God, we confess before you the sins by which we have displeased you: the wrong things we have done, and the good we have failed to do. Aid us and restore us, cleanse us from our sins and renew us in your service,  in Jesus’ name. Amen.

May almighty God free us from our sin and from all that may harm us, and make us worthy of the kingdom of his glory.  Amen.

God’s Word - Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 10 to 20 :-

Finally, find your strength in the Lord, in his mighty power. Put on the full armour provided by God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the stratagems of the devil. For our struggle is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark age, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the armour of God; then you will be able to withstand them on the evil day and, after doing your utmost, to stand your ground. Stand fast, I say. Fasten on the belt of truth; for a breastplate put on integrity; let the shoes on your feet be the gospel of peace, to give you firm footing; and, with all these, take up the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the burning arrows of the evil one. Accept salvation as your helmet, and the sword which the Spirit gives you, the word of God. Constantly ask God’s help in prayer, and pray always in the power of the Spirit. To this end keep watch and persevere, always interceding for all God’s people.  Pray also for me, that I may be granted the right words when I speak, and may boldly and freely make known the hidden purpose of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak of it boldly, as is my duty.

John, chapter 6,  verses 56 to 69 :-

Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him. 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 which came down from heaven; it is not like the bread which our fathers ate; they are dead, but whoever eats this bread will live for ever.’ Jesus said these things in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum.

On hearing them, many of his disciples exclaimed, ‘This is more than we can stand! How can anyone listen to such talk?’ Jesus was aware that his disciples were grumbling about it and asked them, ‘Does this shock you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh can achieve nothing; the words I have spoken to you are both spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who have no faith.’ For Jesus knew from the outset who were without faith and who was to betray him. So he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by the Father.’

From that moment many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the Twelve, ‘Do you also want to leave?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? Your words are words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are God’s Holy One.’

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

Reflection on the Readings

I have never been a soldier, and I suspect that if I had been one, I wouldn’t have been very good at it. I wish we didn’t need our armed forces, and that we and all the world could live in peace, but the reality is that we do need those who can defend us, and I have enormous respect and gratitude for those who serve our country in this way. Over the years I’ve met quite a few who’ve served our country in various conflicts, and one or two who have been specially decorated for bravery. I once made the mistake of referring to one such gentleman as fearless. “Don’t call me fearless,” he replied. “I was always afraid, in fact. And if I hadn’t been, I think I’d have been much less use as a soldier.”

What he meant was that for himself and for those for whom he was responsible, he needed to be fully aware of the dangers they faced. There’s an important difference between being courageous and being foolhardy. Fear has to be managed, but it’s a good and healthy thing; and it’s not the opposite of courage, but its ally.

Paul the apostle and the people he was writing to in Ephesus will have known a lot about the Roman soldier. The might of Rome was built upon its military victories, and the high reputation of its armies. They were well led, and well marshalled and trained, but above all they were well equipped. So Paul uses that image of the well equipped soldier as he encourages his readers to find their strength in the Lord.

I’m not going to spend time here going through the list item by item that Paul gives us, but I would encourage you to read those words again and reflect on them. For what was true for Ephesus two thousand years ago remains true for us today, if we’re being serious about being Christians. There’s a lot that can turn us aside from where we’re meant to be, and what we’re meant to be doing. And I don’t only mean those who actively oppose what we stand for and preach.  Alternative philosophies, the attractions of an easy life, the false doctrine of “do your own thing”, and the idea that today there is no single “truth”, we’re free to create our own.

Our churches can sometimes appear to be part-time and half-hearted, with the faith as something fitted in to the schedule, one hobby or pastime among many. But that is very different from Paul’s image of the soldier, with his good boots, his helmet and shield, and the great sword of truth. The same for those who defend our shores today: they have to be fully committed, completely on message, and thoroughly well defended. We don’t serve a part-time God, so we shouldn’t be part-time in our service. The spiritual armour Paul wrote about was all about being fully connected to God, and placing ourselves under his protection and power.

Now I can see that not everyone is going to hear a message like that gladly. Only the other day I was chatting with a friend who quite candidly said, “I wouldn’t mind coming to a church service now and again, but in the end I mostly stay away, because you lot keep telling me I should come every Sunday.” In our Gospel reading we see that some of those who followed Jesus ended up walking away, because, to be honest, he wanted more from them than they were prepared to give. So Jesus asks Peter and the rest of the Twelve, “Are you going to walk away too?”

Peter’s answer is important. “To whom else can we go? You have the words of life.” If we truly believe that in Jesus we have life, that in Jesus we have something that cannot be found elsewhere, that no-one else can give, that no-one else could have won for us - that should change our life, that should re-set our priorities. And the process of that happening is what is sometimes called “conversion”.  Which is not that we’ve turned into a happy clappy or any other caricature of a Christian; or that we’ll no longer be fun to be with or be able to enjoy life; but it is the process which changes a person from being a bystander to being a participant, and perhaps also a soldier on active service. And when we make that move, the armour we shall need is provided for 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 - Pray for the Church worldwide to bear the marks of kindness and concern, and to be constant in service. Pray for Christians in South America, and for the Anglican Church of South America. Pray for our own Diocese and for Bishop Richard, and for the churches and communities of the Condover Deanery.

Pray for the world, and world leaders, that they may have vision and understanding, a desire for peace, and a concern especially for those who are poor, marginalized or vulnerable. Pray that nations may co-operate in a wholehearted way in the fight against disease of all kinds but especially the present threat of Covid. Pray for all competing in the Paralympics beginning in Tokyo.

Pray for all who are ill or troubled, and for their healing and health; pray for those infected with Covid 19, wherever in the world they may be, and for those places where new waves of spread are occurring. Pray too for the health, safety and protection of health care workers.

Pray for families and friends, and the life of our communities. Pray for our local wildlife trusts, for nature reserves and those who manage them, and for those who work with schools and community organizations to promote awareness of and care for our wildlife. 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 steadfast in faith, joyful in hope and constant in love; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always.   Amen.

 

A short service and reflection for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

 

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

Collect

God of glory, the end of our searching, help us to lay aside all that prevents us from seeking your kingdom, and to give all that we have to gain the pearl beyond all price, through our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Confession

Trusting in God’s gracious mercy, let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

Almighty and eternal God, you are the source of all healing and peace. We confess the times when we have failed to follow your word as we should. We are truly sorry and repent of our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that henceforth we may delight in your word and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

May the Lord God have mercy upon us; may he deliver us from all our sins, and strengthen us in all goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 15 to 20 :-

Take great care, then, how you behave: act sensibly, not like simpletons. Use the present opportunity to the full, for these are evil days. Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not give way to drunkenness and the ruin that goes with it, but let the Holy Spirit fill you: speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and songs; sing and make music from your heart to the Lord; and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ give thanks every day for everything to our God and Father.

John, chapter 6,  verses 51 to 58 :-

Jesus said, ‘I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; if anyone eats this bread, he will live for ever. The bread which I shall give is my own flesh, given for the life of the world.’

This led to a fierce dispute among the Jews. ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they protested. Jesus answered them, ‘In very truth I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you can have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. My flesh is the true food; my blood is the true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him. 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 which came down from heaven; it is not like the bread which our fathers ate; they are dead, but whoever eats this bread will live for ever.’

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

Reflection on the Readings

Today is St Mary’s Day, and our services in church will follow the readings for Mary. However, for this service we’ll continue to follow the course set three weeks ago, of Ephesians - a letter with so much in it that is edifying and good - and John chapter 6, where Jesus having fed five thousand folk with a few loaves and fishes, talks at some length about himself as the bread of life.

All the way through St John’s Gospel you see people refusing to accept what Jesus is saying, or else failing to understand what he really means, mostly because they are taking something very literally that should be understood in a spiritual way. When Jesus says “I am the bread” of course he doesn’t mean bread as in the loaf picked up every morning from the local bakeshop. And when in today’s reading he talks about those who eat his flesh, he’s not advocating cannibalism.

But he is talking about reconnecting; he’s talking about the way in which God reaches out to us, though we fall and fail and turn our back on him. Because, as John wrote elsewhere, “God is love, and those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” The other day I shared a wedding I was taking with a vicar from London, who gave the address, and I was privileged to hear a talk about love that was both entertaining and inspirational. And within his opening remarks, he mentioned that when people he meets realise he’s a vicar, they often mumble something about not being all that religious themselves, really; to which his response is that nor is he.

I’ve known some people for whom religion was what it’s all about. Getting it right, keeping to the rules and observances, never missing a holy day. And yet somehow it wasn’t leading them anywhere, it wasn’t speaking about anything beyond itself; it had become a mechanism, like one of those clever mechanical toys that looks amazing but has no useful function other than to entertain or amuse.

That’s not to knock religion or dismiss it as worthless. But I do want to distinguish between religion and faith. They aren’t the same thing; they’re related, sure, or they should be, but they aren’t the same. Faith without religion can be something of a loose cannon; it can be out of control, unmoderated, even dangerous. But religion without faith is just pointless, and a waste of time.

The people Jesus was talking to were all very religious; but they’d lost touch with God, and they’d lost touch with love. Their religion was about rules and customs and observances, getting it right, looking good. But it was going nowhere. That’s why Jesus told them, “What you have to do is to believe in the one whom God has sent.” What they had to do is to reconnect. To rebalance religion and faith in their lives.

A lot in our modern lives has to do with targets. Even clergy get set targets, and certainly those employed by the church on special projects have some very precise targets, this being how they justify the grants that support their employment. But is there perhaps a tyranny of targets that means they become more important than they should be?

A little story. A few years ago a friend of mine asked a police constable for directions to a place he was trying to find. She gave the directions, but went on to ask, “Do you mind if I breathalyze you?” Slightly taken aback, my friend assured her that he’d had nothing stronger than a coffee that day. “Oh, that’s all right,” said the policewomen, “it’s just that I’m a long way short of my target, we’re supposed to do so many breathalyzer tests each week.”  This was in the run-up to Christmas, so fair enough I suppose. But my friend did wonder whether there weren’t lots more important things for a young police constable to do than to breathalyze someone who was obviously sober just so a better number got entered into the box.

Of course, having aims and targets can be a good thing, and anything that helps us measure how we’re doing can help us to be confident in our work. But too much emphasis on targets can result in just ticking boxes; and when that happens the targets are taking us over. Paul writing to the Ephesians certainly points out the things they should be doing, but it isn’t targets but connectedness that will keep them on track. “Let the Holy Spirit fill you,” he tells them; and, “make music from your heart to the Lord.”

For it’s where our hearts are that matters, and - whatever the details of the practice of our religion - what expresses our faith and matters in mission is that we truly are following Jesus, in thought and vision and practice, and letting his will rule our hearts; and that, as those who believe in the God who is love, and who loves even the least loveable of his creation, our life together is founded in love, nurtured by love, and a witness to love.

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 - Pray for the Church worldwide to learn to be one body, true to the commands and example of Christ, especially that first and greatest command, that we should love one another. Pray for Christians in Southern Africa, and for the Anglican Church in those nations. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard and for all that encourages and supports a ministry that is socially responsible and active, and environmentally aware.

Pray for the world, and for every place of disharmony and division, including the people of Afghanistan, as the Taliban make further gains. Pray for the nations of the world as they face up to the urgent challenge of climate change and global warming. Pray too for places of poverty and for those whose crops have failed, and for all who are working to bring emergency help and to support longer-term rebuilding in poorer communities.

Pray for all who are ill or troubled, that they may be restored to health; pray for all in hospital or other places of care, including those infected with the Covid virus, here and around the world. Pray for the health, safety and protection of health care workers, and also for the Covax Scheme aiming to make vaccinations widely available across our world.

Pray for families and friends, and the life of our communities. Pray for all who manage and use our local village halls, sports grounds and other community resources.  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 God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, restore, establish and strengthen us on a sure foundation; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always.   Amen.