A short service and reflection for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

 

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.

                James, chapter 5, verses 13 to the end :-

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let him pray. Is anyone in good heart? Let him sing praises. Is one of you ill? Let him send for the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord; the prayer offered in faith will heal the sick man, the Lord will restore him to health, and if he has committed sins they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. A good man’s prayer is very powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us; yet when he prayed fervently that there should be no rain, the land had no rain for three and a half years; when he prayed again, the rain poured down and the land bore crops once more.

 

My friends, if one of you strays from the truth and another succeeds in bringing him back, you may be sure of this: the one who brings a sinner back from his erring ways will be rescuing a soul from death and cancelling a multitude of sins.

               Mark, chapter 9,  verses 38 to the end :-

John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and as he was not one of us, we tried to stop him.’ Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him, for no one who performs a miracle in my name will be able the next moment to speak evil of me. He who is not against us is on our side. Truly I tell you: whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you are followers of the Messiah will certainly not go unrewarded.

If anyone causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round his neck. If your hand causes your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life maimed than to keep both hands and go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes your downfall, cut it off; it is better to enter into life crippled than to keep both your feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes your downfall, tear it out; it is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into hell, where the devouring worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.

‘Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt loses its saltness, how will you season it? You must have salt within yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’

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

Reflection on the Readings

The simple message of our two readings is that we belong to one another, and we belong to God; and because of that we don’t need to conform to the way the world chooses to do things and decide things. So James writes that there’s no need for us to make promises on oath. As God’s people we should be able to trust each other; we should say what we mean and mean what we say, and if we say we’re going to do something we do it. “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no,” says James. Don’t pretend to be what you’re not, and don’t promise what you can’t deliver. And he goes on to remind us always to pray for each other, and to be quick to offer help when help is needed. Right across the board, we should behave as people who belong together.

In our second reading Jesus his disciples they should be salted. Do you recall those little blue bags there used to be in packets of crisps? Sometimes I was lucky enough to get two blue bags instead of just the one. Maybe that much salt wasn’t good for me, but it certainly made the crisps taste so much better. Jesus told his disciples to be like that blue bag of salt, and make a positive, flavoursome difference.

So disciples of Jesus must be salt to the world. We should each be doing our best all the time to make the world around us a better place. And just to make it all really clear, Jesus goes on to say that we should be at peace with one another. To belong together because we belong to God: that’s our promise in baptism, and also the duty laid upon us. Belonging together involves us in living well, caring for each other, loving each other, praying for each other. And it starts with taking to heart and placing at the centre of our lives the greatest of all examples of self-giving love, the love of Jesus whose sign is the cross.

That’s why the cross is marked on every newly baptized Christian. It’s a sign that can’t be seen, unless we make it visible. We do that by the way we live, by the love we show and share, and in our caring outreach to those in need about us.

That’s the message James wanted to get across in his letter, which was written to a church whose members had fallen short in their standards of welcome, fellowship and care. They needed to be geed up a bit. Be less like the world around you, and more like Jesus, was his message. The world’s full of folk who may look the part but don’t always live it. You, says James, must be the real deal.

In the letters of the apostle Paul we discover that we are saved not by how good we are but through the grace of God. We are his new creation in love, redeemed by what Jesus has done, by the cross on which he wonderfully paid once and for all the price of our sin. That’s why the cross has become our sign. But James reminds us of the duty and challenge the cross places before us. We who owe everything to Christ must do our best to be Christ-like ourselves, seeing the world through his eyes, and striving to be to be his hands and feet in service and blessing.

For Jesus gave his disciples the simple and great commandment: “Love one another, as I have loved you.” In other words, take my example to heart as the basis on which your life together is built. This is also the ground upon which the mission of the Church is founded, for as Jesus went on to say, “By this shall all people know that you are my disciples; if you have love for one another.”

I think it’s important that our churches should look good. But however good we look, however well-kept our buildings, however well sung our hymns and anthems, however well arranged our altar flowers - even however fully paid up our parish offer might be - what really counts is this: that we go Christ’s way and not the world’s way, and that in our fellowship together, and our reaching out to the world, we are Christlike in our welcome, our openness and honesty, in our compassion and care, and in our love. That our yes is yes, and our no is no, that our kindness and care can be depended on, and that we do what it says we do on the tin. In that way we glorify and honour God, and raise the cross of Christ high in 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 - 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 the United States of America, and for our brothers and sisters of the Episcopal Church. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for the nurture and direction of all who feel called to ministry.

May we praise our Creator in the care we show for all he has made, and in our conservation of earth’s natural resources. Pray for peace and healing in divided communities, and that faith groups may 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 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. This week includes Rabies Day: pray for the campaign to eliminate rabies deaths in our world by 2030. Pray also for all who suffer from heart disease, and for research, treatment and therapy.

Pray for families and friends. Pray for children learning road safety and cycling skills, and for all that encourages both fitness and safety awareness in the young. 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.

 

A short service and reflection for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

 

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

Collect

Lord of creation, whose glory is around and within us: open our eyes to your wonders, that we may serve you with reverence and know your peace at our lives' end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

Let us confess our sins to the Lord of creation, knowing that he will hear us and meet us with his love.

Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to take your love to heart.

Lord, have mercy:                           

Lord, have mercy.

Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to respond to our neighbour in need.

Christ, have mercy:                         

Christ, have mercy.

Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to use reverently what you have made.

Lord, have mercy:                            

Lord, have mercy.

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we choose the light, and repent of our sin, he will forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So may we have peace in Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

God’s Word - James, chapter 3 verse 13 to chapter 4 verse 3, and verses 7 to 8

Which of you is wise or learned? Let him give practical proof of it by his right conduct, with the modesty that comes of wisdom. But if you are harbouring bitter jealousy and the spirit of rivalry in your hearts, stop making false claims in defiance of the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes from above; it is earth-bound, sensual, demonic. For with jealousy and rivalry come disorder and the practice of every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above is in the first place pure; and then peace-loving, considerate, and open-minded; it is straight-forward and sincere, rich in compassion and in deeds of kindness that are its fruit. Peace is the seed-bed of righteousness, and the peacemakers will reap its harvest.

What causes fighting and quarrels among you? Is not their origin the appetites that war in your bodies? You want what you cannot have, so you murder; you are envious, and cannot attain your ambition, so you quarrel and fight. You do not get what you want, because you do not pray for it. Or, if you do, your requests are not granted, because you pray from wrong motives, in order to squander what you get on your pleasures.

Submit then to God. Stand up to the devil, and he will turn and run. Come close to God, and he will draw close to you.

Mark, chapter 9,  verses 30 to 37 :-

Jesus and his disciples left that district and made their way through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know, because he was teaching his disciples, and telling them, ‘The Son of Man is now to be handed over into the power of men, and they will kill him; and three days after being killed he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said, and were afraid to ask.

So they came to Capernaum; and when he had gone indoors, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ They were silent, because on the way they had been discussing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a child, set him in front of them, and put his arm round him. ‘Whoever receives a child like this in my name,’ he said, ‘receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.’

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

Reflection on the Readings

Last week at the family service at Middleton we took the theme of heroes; and it was interesting that one of the traits that the heroes people mentioned had in common was modesty. True heroes don’t puff themselves up; what makes them heroic isn’t what they say, but what they do, what they achieve, how they are, what they give. Heroism can’t be manufactured, it’s not the same as celebrity.

And that’s very much the theme of our readings this week, as we hear James encouraging his readers to prize the modesty that comes from wisdom, and as in Mark’s Gospel we find Jesus dealing with the way his disciples have been arguing about which one of them was the greatest.

Something like this should be carved over the door of every church: “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” That may be the way of the world, especially in the celebrity culture of today; but we are called to be heroes, each one of us is, when Jesus says to us, “Follow me.” Our servant King calls us to be servants too; and we read St Paul in Romans chapter 12: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; outdo one another in the honour you show.”

In the 1987 movie “Wall Street”, Gordon Gekko, as played by Michael Douglas famously says: "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good," going on to say that greed is a clean drive that (quote) "captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind." I can see how that might be so; and I can understand how rivalry and competitiveness is a natural part of how we are made. We applaud our winners and award them gold medals, and we ignore and sometimes even punish those who fail to deliver. The start-up company for which my son-in-law works has the aim, he told me, to become the biggest and best in its field, and surely there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious in such a way.

But Paul says, “Outdo one another in the honour you show,” and the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” The Gordon Gekko philosophy is that human progress requires that greed that drives us on to want more and to want better - for ourselves. But if it does, the Letter of James reminds us that if that is unchecked, and if it’s always every one for themselves, the end result is disorder and a world where bad things are dominant.  He goes so far as to say that this way of life is demonic.

At school I was told, “It isn’t the winning that matters, but the taking part.” Though, to be honest, it sure felt as though the winning mattered. What about the taking part, though? That doesn’t mean just turning up and going through the motions. In I Corinthians chapter 9 Paul uses the image of running races at the games to describe Christian discipleship. Each runner aims to win, he tells us, and though there can only be one first prize, what matters is that everyone is aiming for it, and doing their best. James tells us that if we submit to God, and stand firm against the devil, he will turn and run; in other words, that rivalry and greed don’t have to be the last word.

Jesus placed a small child before his disciples - as an example of innocence and simplicity, perhaps? No - small children can be as full of greed and rivalry as the rest of us; indeed, sometimes, sadly, sibling rivalry can be the worst of the lot. He makes the child a symbol of dependence. Let us never forget that the world’s way isn’t the only way, and that in all the turmoil of wanting to do more, to have more, to achieve more, to get more recognition, we need kindness and care for those who can’t do it all for themselves; otherwise anything we build ultimately just falls apart.

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 that the Church may be true to the example of Christ our servant-King, and may be a place where those who need comfort, support and healing may find it. Pray for Christians in Uganda, and for the Anglican Church of that land. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, for the communities and churches of the Kington & Weobley Deanery, and for churches planning and preparing for harvest festival.

Pray for the world, and that we may work to conserve environments that are being degraded and put at risk, and take seriously the signs of climate change and species loss. Pray for peace and justice where communities are divided and people are denied basic rights, and for all who are homeless and landless. Continue to pray for a truly global response to the challenge of Covid, without which the disease will not be beaten. 

Pray for all who are ill, troubled or hurt today, that they may receive the attention and care they need. Pray that all who care for others are protected themselves and properly resourced. Pray also for all who suffer from eye diseases, and for all who help and support those who live with sight loss.

Pray for families and friends, and for the life of our communities. In Recycle Week, pray we may find ways of recycling more, and reducing our use of what can’t be recycled. And 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 bless us and watch over us; may his face shine upon us, may he be gracious to us; may the Lord look kindly on us, and give us his peace.   Amen.

 

A short service and reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

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

Collect

Lord God, defend your Church from all false teaching, and give to your people knowledge of your truth, that we may enjoy eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession

let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments, and to live in love and peace with all.

When we are led astray from your teachings, Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

When we close our ears and minds to your call, Christ, have mercy:

Christ, have mercy.

When we fail to be generous with your gifts to us, Lord, have mercy:

Lord, have mercy.

May God have mercy on us and  bless us; may we be freed from our sin and renewed in his service, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - James, chapter 3, verses 1 to 12 :-

My friends, not many of you should become teachers, for you may be certain that we who teach will ourselves face severer judgement. All of us go wrong again and again; a man who never says anything wrong is perfect and is capable of controlling every part of his body. When we put a bit into a horse’s mouth to make it obey our will, we can direct the whole animal. Or think of a ship: large though it may be and driven by gales, it can be steered by a very small rudder on whatever course the helmsman chooses. So with the tongue; it is small, but its pretensions are great.

What a vast amount of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest spark! And the tongue is a fire, representing in our body the whole wicked world. It pollutes our whole being, it sets the whole course of our existence alight, and its flames are fed by hell.

Beasts and birds of every kind, creatures that crawl on the ground or swim in the sea, can be subdued and have been subdued by man;  but no one can subdue the tongue. It is an evil thing, restless and charged with deadly venom. We use it to praise our Lord and Father; then we use it to invoke curses on our fellow-men, though they are made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and curses. This should not be so, my friends. Does a fountain flow with both fresh and brackish water from the same outlet? My friends, can a fig tree produce olives, or a grape vine produce figs? No more can salt water produce fresh.

Mark, chapter 8,  verses 27 to the end :-

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ They answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others one of the prophets.’  ‘And you,’ he asked, ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter replied: ‘You are the Messiah.’ Then he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him;

He began to teach them that the Son of Man had to endure great suffering, and to be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes; to be put to death, and to rise again three days afterwards. He spoke about it plainly. At this Peter took hold of him and began to rebuke him. But Jesus, turning and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter. ‘Out of my sight, Satan!’ he said. ‘You think as men think, not as God thinks.’Then he called the people to him, as well as his disciples, and said to them, ‘Anyone who wants to be a follower of mine must renounce self; he must take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel’s will save it. What does anyone gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his life? What can he give to buy his life back? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this wicked and godless age, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

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

Reflection

We were told as children, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” It’s not true, of course. If it was true, there’d be no need for anyone to say it. Words may not cause us physical damage, but they certainly can be painful, and indeed they can cause permanent harm. Ask anyone who’s been subjected to attacked by trolls on social media, for example.

That little rhyme about sticks and stones can even do more harm than good - adding to the hurt caused by unkind words a sense of guilt at being hurt by them when I shouldn’t be. The apostle James has it right, I think, when he compares the tongue to the bit that controls the whole horse, or the rudder that steers a great ship. As a youngster I remember grounding a narrow boat that I was supposed to be steering on a youth club evening out on the canal. I was just a fraction or so out of line, and not paying attention. No great harm done, but very embarrassing for a lad who was making himself out to be an expert helmsman.

It’s just the same with the tongue: little moments of inattention can have immense consequences. I was reading a book not long ago about people who’d been the subject of abuse on social media. Social media effectively amplifies the tongue, and makes it even more powerful; people “say” things on social media platforms that they’d never dare say - and indeed would never choose to say - in a face to face conversation, and they band together to become a mob.

People who are bullied in this way have often done nothing to deserve it, but many of those in the book had, in that the trolling was a response to some stupid or hurtful thing they themselves had said, in a moment of inattention. Not that that excuses the violence of the response they received. But it’s maybe a good adage not to say anything to anyone that you wouldn’t say to the world. And clever comments at the expense of someone else are never really clever at all.

In our Gospel reading, Peter is severely rebuked for speaking out of turn. Jesus has been speaking plainly to his disciples about what lies ahead for him - but it isn’t something they can accept. “This can’t happen to you, Lord,” says Peter, in the version of this story told in the other Gospels. Faith is challenging, it involves difficult decisions, it requires us to give in all kinds of ways; and that can be hard for those who want their faith to be something that soothes and cheers and comforts them.

But at the same time, faith is to do with love in action; it is far more than a series of “thou shalt nots”, and those who make it exclusive are not being true to the example of life Jesus offers us. James is right to suggest that not many should set themselves up as teachers. Does my life match up to what I teach? Did Peter’s - or James’s? To teach is to claim to know better than those we teach - or at least, the temptation is there to hide our own ignorance or frailty.

Anyway, let’s just be aware of the tongue - or the pen, or our fingers on the keyboard - as the weapons they potentially are;  to be used with care, and with consideration and compassion. As with the rudder on a boat, let’s steer a straight course, mindful at all times of what is right and good. A word to close not from the Gospel, but from the Dalai Lama:  “Be kind; and if you can’t manage to be kind, at least do your best to do no harm.” Amen.

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 as it challenges the way in which the world sees things and does things, that we may speak with care and consideration, and that our actions may match our words. Pray for Christians in Tanzania, and for the Anglican Province of Tanzania. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for all who visit our churches for whatever reason, that they may find a welcome, and a sacred space.

Pray for the world, and for every place of conflict, division and turmoil. Pray for those who seek to being help and support to those denied welfare and justice, or driven by the violence of others from their homes and lands. Pray also for the world’s response to the present pandemic, and for the Covax scheme seeking to enable vaccines to be available to all.  

Pray for all who are ill, troubled or hurt today, and for all that is done to bring help and healing to those in need. Pray that all who care for others may do so safely, with support and protection. Pray for all who are wounded by the bullying or abusive words of others, and for people living with balance and mobility problems.

Pray for families and friends, and for the revival of our churches and communities as Covid restrictions ease. Pray that any surge in Covid cases may be controlled, and that 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 Christ the Good Shepherd lead us and guide us, and may we be enabled to share his love with all those around us;  and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always.   Amen.