May the grace, mercy and love of God be with us all. Amen.
Collect
God, our judge and saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession
We confess our sins in penitence and faith to the God of our salvation.
Almighty God our heavenly Father, we acknowledge before you our sin: the times when we have avoided your call to choose our own way, and the times when our actions or inaction have caused hurt. Forgive us by your love, and restore us in your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the Lord God forgive us our sins, and restore us to pureness of heart and righteousness of life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God’s Word - Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1 to 4, and 2, verses 5 to 12 :-
When in times past God spoke to our forefathers, he spoke in many and varied ways through the prophets. But in this the final age he has spoken to us in his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things; and through him he created the universe. He is the radiance of God’s glory, the stamp of God’s very being, and he sustains the universe by his word of power. When he had brought about purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of God’s Majesty on high, raised as far above the angels as the title he has inherited is superior to theirs.
For it is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, which is our theme. There is somewhere this solemn assurance: “What are human beings, that you should remember them; what is a man or woman, that you should care for them? You made us for a short while subordinate to the angels; with glory and honour you crowned us; you put everything in subjection under our feet.” In subjecting everything to us, God left nothing that is not made subject. But in fact we do not yet see everything in subjection to humanity.
What we do see is Jesus, who for a short while was made subordinate to the angels, crowned now with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that, by God’s gracious will, he should experience death for all mankind.
In bringing many children to glory it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings; for he who consecrates and those who are consecrated are all of one stock. That is why he does not shrink from calling us his siblings, when he says, “I will make your fame known to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.”
Mark, chapter 10, verses 2 to 16 :-
Jesus was asked: ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ This question was put to test him. He responded by asking, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They answered, ‘Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife by a certificate of dismissal.’ Jesus said to them, ‘It was because of your stubbornness that he made this rule for you. But in the beginning, at the creation, “God made them male and female.” “That is why a man leaves his father and mother, and is united to his wife, and the two become one flesh.” It follows that they are no longer two individuals: they are one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.’
When they were indoors again, the disciples questioned him about this. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and remarries commits adultery against her; so too, if she divorces her husband and remarries, she commits adultery.’
They brought children for him to touch. The disciples rebuked them, but when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you: whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’ And he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
Reflection on the Readings
At first reading, our Gospel for today seems to consist of two quite unrelated stories, one about marriage and divorce, containing what may seem to us some hard and inflexible teaching; and one about children being brought to Jesus, which is sometimes read at services of infant baptism. They’re read together here just because the one happens to follow the other in this chapter of Mark.
It is now possible to be married in church if you’ve been divorced; but for much of the Church’s history it hasn’t been, and the Church has taken this teaching of Jesus as not only allowing, but requiring, a hard-line approach which essentially permanently labelled a divorced person - or someone who married one - as a sinner. So my Roman Catholic aunt, who, having been widowed herself, met and married a divorcee, was excluded from communion from that point on, until her second husband died.
Was that the intention of Jesus? To single out those whose marriages fail for special condemnation? I don’t for one moment believe so. He happened to be asked a question about marriage and divorce - a question deliberately framed to test him - but his reply would have been similar had he been asked about any example of human failure. The people who were asking that question believed they were leading perfect lives; Jesus wanted them to realise they weren’t. They believed in a God they didn’t really need, so long as they kept all the rules; Jesus wanted them to realise just how much they did need him.
This is what he wanted them to realise. That it isn’t about the rules, it’s about the heart. It isn’t the stuff you believe, it’s the relationship you have. When something goes wrong in your life, whatever it is - the breakdown of a marriage, yes, but maybe also the ending of a friendship, a task skimped instead of being done properly, a promise broken, a good intention forgotten when something more fun came along, a hasty word spoken out of turn: all of these things matter, all of these things potentially do damage, people get hurt, the world is a gloomier place. All are equally sinful. When something goes wrong, fess up, say sorry, seek God’s help. God’s love for us isn’t cancelled out by our mistakes, but we can turn that love away by believing we’re better than we are.
And so it’s worth my saying that there isn’t a rule that says that if you come to church every Sunday you get into heaven. That’s not how it works. You don’t come to church to achieve anything: it’s something we do because we have a relationship with God that draws us to want to worship him, and to do this together; to seek and to do his will, again in company with others.
And that’s why Jesus said what he did about the children the disciples wanted to turn away. Their intentions were good - they didn’t want their teacher hassled and overworked - but they’d got it wrong. Children know their need of others - of guidance, direction, protection, love. They are dependant - we get maybe too big for our boots. Be like a child, says Jesus: know your need of God.
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 a place where the forgiving love we see in Jesus is preached and taught and practised. Pray for the churches of Wales, and for the Anglican Church in Wales. Pray for our own diocese, for Richard our Bishop, and for the churches and communities of the Ledbury deanery. In the week of St Francis Day, pray for all who follow his rule today.
Pray for peace and understanding throughout the world, and for all who are discriminated against or denied civil rights because of their faith or culture or the colour of their skin. Pray that world leaders may govern with insight and integrity, and for co-operation among nations in the fight against Covid.
Pray for all who are ill, troubled or in need today, especially those in hospitals or care homes and those who minister to them. Pray for cancer research and treatment, and especially for those living with and receiving treatment for breast cancer. Pray too for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and for parents, carers and teachers.
Pray for families and friends, and for families that are widely separated, in the sense of isolation some continue to feel. Pray for the continuing work of vaccination, and give thanks for the many volunteers helping with that work. 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 who is our peace, grant us peace at all times and in every way. May his blessing rest upon us and upon all those for whom we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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