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.
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