May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
Merciful God, your Son came to save us and bore our sins on the cross: may we trust in your mercy and know your love, rejoicing in the righteousness that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession
We come to the cross on which our Lord died to free us from our sins, to make our confession and to seek his mercy and grace.
When our selfishness betrays you, Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy.
When we turn from your call and fail to follow, Christ, have mercy:
Christ, have mercy.
When we are afraid to be known as your people, Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy.
Through the cross of Christ, may God have mercy on us; may we know we are forgiven and be at peace. May he strengthen us in all goodness, and keep us in life eternal, through Jesus our Saviour. Amen.
God’s Word - James, chapter 2, verses 1 to 10 and 14 to 17 :-
My friends, you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ who reigns in glory and you must always be impartial. For instance, two visitors may enter your meeting, one a well-dressed man with gold rings, and the other a poor man in grimy clothes. Suppose you pay special attention to the well-dressed man and say to him, ‘Please take this seat,’ while to the poor man you say, ‘You stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my footstool,’ do you not see that you are discriminating among your members and judging by wrong standards? Listen, my dear friends: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? And yet you have humiliated the poor man. Moreover, are not the rich your oppressors? Is it not they who drag you into court and pour contempt on the honoured name by which God has claimed you?
If, however, you are observing the sovereign law laid down in scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ that is excellent. But if you show partiality, you are committing a sin and you stand convicted by the law as offenders. For if a man breaks just one commandment and keeps all the others, he is guilty of breaking all of them.
What good is it, my friends, for someone to say he has faith when his actions do nothing to show it? Can that faith save him? Suppose a fellow-Christian, whether man or woman, is in rags with not enough food for the day, and one of you says, ‘Good day, keep warm, and have a good meal,’ but does nothing to supply their bodily needs, what good is that? So with faith; if it does not lead to action, it is by itself a lifeless thing.
Mark, chapter 7, verses 24 to the end :-
Jesus moved on into the territory of Tyre. He found a house to stay in, and would have liked to remain unrecognized, but that was impossible. Almost at once a woman whose small daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Gentile, a Phoenician of Syria by nationality. She begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be satisfied first; it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ ‘Sir,’ she replied, ‘even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.’ He said to her, ‘For saying that, go, and you will find the demon has left your daughter.’ And when she returned home, she found the child lying in bed; the demon had left her.
On his journey back from Tyrian territory he went by way of Sidon to the sea of Galilee, well within the territory of the Decapolis. They brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. He took him aside, away from the crowd; then he put his fingers in the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with spittle. Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ which means ‘Be opened.’ With that his hearing was restored, and at the same time the impediment was removed and he spoke clearly. Jesus forbade them to tell anyone; but the more he forbade them, the more they spread it abroad. Their astonishment knew no bounds: ‘All that he does, he does well,’ they said; ‘he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection on the Readings
In our first reading today, we hear the apostle James urging the young church to deal with everyone fairly, and without favouritism. We have to assume that they weren’t always doing that - otherwise why would James have needed to say anything? One of the people who trained with me for the ministry went on to be a prison chaplain, and I remember him telling me some amazing stories of people coming to a very real and vivid Christian faith whilst “inside” - but then how hard it often was to place them with a welcoming and supportive church once they’d left prison. Of course, we’re always short of money, and needing to raise what we can - so it’s very tempting to be especially welcoming to anyone who looks as though they might be good at giving. The other day the collection at a wedding I took amounted to £7.11. The temptation was to be dismissive and critical about that, rather than to say, “Well, that’s £7.11 we wouldn’t otherwise have had, halleluiah!” After all, the couple had already paid the fees we charge, so we weren’t out of pocket.
Turning to St Mark’s Gospel, we see how in Jesus the love of God breaks through the barriers we erect to meet all kinds of people in their need. First, the Syrophoenician woman, to whom Jesus at first refuses his help, saying, “My own people need my help first.” That, incidentally, is the one place in the Bible where we almost find the line that often gets quoted at me, that “Charity begins at home.” I’ve heard it again these last few days, from what I have to say are “the usual sources”, regarding Afghan refugees. I’d be more impressed if I really felt that some of the people who give me that line were charitable even towards their own next-door neighbours. In my experience, people who show charity to strangers have already shown charity to friends and neighbours; partiality is what James criticises. Anyway, Jesus goes on to show how, though charity may indeed begin at home, it doesn’t have to end there.
Then in the second miracle of healing we see how Jesus breaks through the barriers caused by disability. A deaf man is healed and restored; and maybe that word “ephphatha” (be opened) is addressed not only to the man’s useless ears but also to all of us - that we should be open to the saving work of God’s love, and be part of that work ourselves. As James wrote, faith that doesn’t lead to action is lifeless.
The Tokyo Paralympics were an inspirational demonstration of how disability can be overcome, and we included Jim Roberts and the wheelchair rugby team in our prayers last Sunday at Trelystan. It seemed to work. But not everyone can achieve those sorts of heights, and even top para athletes can be to a degree be sidelined or imprisoned by their disability. Often the problem isn’t people being deliberately nasty or partisan, just people not thinking, not realising, not making the effort. As Christians we should be at the forefront of any action that breaks down barriers and makes new connections, because that’s always what we see in Jesus. As Paul often reminds us, without Jesus we have no hope, so our great call and task is always to bring hope and to be hope for all who need it.
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 everywhere may be a place where all find a welcome and barriers are overcome. Pray for Christians in Sudan, and for the Anglican Province of Sudan. In our own Diocese, pray for Bishop Richard, and for the churches and communities of the Hereford City Deanery.
Pray for the world: continue to pray for the people of Afghanistan, for the resettlement of refugees and for those still trapped within that country and in danger. Pray for all who give their time and talents to build bridges of peace where communities are divided, and bring help to those in need, and that political leaders may have a real concern for a justice that overcomes barriers to make for a fairer and more equitable world. Continue to pray for a global response to Covid, and for vaccines available to all.
Pray for all who are ill, troubled or in need: today, and for all that is done to help and heal them. Pray too that all who care for them may be able to do so safely, with support and protection. Pray for those areas where Covid cases are increasing, and for an effective response to new variants as they arise.
Pray for families and friends, and the life of our communities. Give thanks for the beauty of the land around us, and pray for all who work the land. Pray too for those preparing to start at new schools, colleges and universities. 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 Christ crucified draw us to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us always. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment