Meditation for Sunday 20th July

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1)

Collect

Gospel Reading – Luke 10: 38 – 42

38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ 41 But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing.* Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

Meditation for Trinity 4 2025

Collect for Trinity 4

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide, we may pass through the things of this world and gain the eternal things: Grant this, heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our Lord.

Luke 10: 25-37

A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

Meditation for Trinity 3 2025

Collect for Trinity 3

Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: Give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20

The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag,  no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”

‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’…

…The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

Meditation for Trinity 2 2025

Collect for Trinity 2

Luke 9:51-62

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

The dog ate my homework…

Human beings are inventive when it comes to making excuses. The Bible is full of them.

Genesis 3:12 Adam: Eve made me do it. 3:13 Eve: The serpent made me do it. (We can imagine the serpent saying – what did they expect? I’m a snake. That’s what snakes do.)

Exodus 4:10: “Moses said “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Jeremiah 1:6: “Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak; I am too young”

Jonah 4:2 “I told you so! You should have listened to me!”

Judges 6:15: Gideon – “Excuse me, sir! How can I rescue Israel? Look at my whole family. It’s the weakest one in Manasseh. And me? I’m the least important member of my family.”

There are many more examples – including the excuses made to avoid Jesus’ invitation to follow Him:

Luke 9:57-62:
I will follow you wherever you go – by the way, which hotel are we staying at

Follow me, said Jesus. Give me a minute, said the man – I’ve got important things to do first then I’ll catch you up.

I will probably follow you, said another, but I’m not altogether sure, so I’d like to make sure I’d be welcome back home if it doesn’t work out.

Jesus is looking for commitment. Absolute, unconditional, commitment. When I think of what that means, I’m always minded of Martina Navratilova’s remark: “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.”

Follow Him. Or do not follow Him. Your choice – but don’t make excuses for your refusal to choose.

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Meditation for Trinity 1 2025

Collect for Trinity 1

Galatians 3: 23-29

Before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:33-34

It would appear that ‘Immigration’ has become an essential theme in every politician’s toolkit when they are seeking popular acclaim. We see anti-immigration legislation being used to further populist political advantage. There are echoes of nascent historical persecution. We see (co-ordinated) rioting whenever there is an opportunity to foster antagonism against people who are different, even though they may have lived in this country for many years, some whose families have been here for generations.

People, understandably, want safety for their families in the face of war, violence and persecution on the basis of culture, belief and ethnicity. They are prepared to take significant risk to achieve it, and as such are at the mercy of criminal trafficking and exploitation.

Whatever action is taken to ‘stem the tide’ of refugees (what a dehumanising metaphor), there is no doubt that this issue will grow – in particular as global warming renders equatorial countries becoming uninhabitable and migration to cooler countries becomes essential to survival.

There is no ‘quick fix’. More restrictive legislation and closed borders are not the answer – what is needed is acknowledgement of this inevitable issue and realistic strategies being put in place for the longer term – and I would suggest that Christians we have a fundamental responsibility to be at the forefront of those discussions. We live according to Jesus’ command to love ‘as He loved us’.

This is a complex issue, and there are many different but sincere views – all of which must be expressed and taken into account without suppressing opinions with which we do not agree. So let the debate start, but pray that the voice of Christ is heard.

The following are extracts from Sanctuary: The Hospitality of Host, Guest and Stranger, published by Churches Together in Great Britain and Ireland (CTBI)
It is an Ancient Tradition across the world that holy places are considered places of sanctuary for those at risk of persecution. In the Christian faith this principle is enshrined in Scripture and given powerful expression in the ministry of Christ and the disciples of the early Church, who sought hospitality as they journeyed to share the Good News in dangerous times. This resource aims to support individual Christians, church communities and ecumenical groups in reflecting on the significance of sanctuary for our times.

June 22nd, the Sunday at the end of World Refugee Week, is designated as Sanctuary Sunday to give expression through prayer and witness to the centrality of sanctuary and hospitality to the stranger in the Christian call to love our neighbours. At its heart, this work is about connecting people, locally and globally, with respect for the dignity of every human person as made in the image and likeness of God. There is a human, legal, moral and spiritual obligation on us all to provide safety and sanctuary to each other, and especially to those whose lives are in danger.

This is important and urgent in our times of open hostility and hatred particularly towards people from other countries seeking security and sanctuary among us. In contexts of isolation, it is important to do all we can to keep people connected, and to ensure no one feels alone. All people can be vulnerable at certain times in their lives, especially in communities that intentionally set out, like churches, to be welcoming to all and to be inclusive. It is essential in churches to be proactive in building safeguards and promoting cultures of safeguarding and environments of safety for all.

Let us Pray: God of justice, God of love, In whose image all are made, we bring before you all who have been forced to leave their homes, and have lost livelihoods, as a result of war, drought, famine, persecution and poverty.

We consider the often-perilous journeys they make, whether alone or with loved ones, as they seek sanctuary and a new place to call home, whether temporary or permanent.

We think of loved ones who are left behind or separated by the journey, and pray that they receive your divine protection.

We pray that those on the move receive hospitable welcomes at their places of destination, we ask that they may be able to settle and regain some semblance of normality in their new homes. We also pray that they do not experience hostility and intimidation from those who feel threatened by their presence.

We think of your Church and ask that congregations up and down these shores continue to show the love of Christ to those who are so much in need of it.

As Christians, may we never regard mercy and compassion towards others as weakness, naivety or gullibility, but display the traits which demonstrate that we follow a Saviour who came to rescue those left behind.

So, in Jesus’ name, we pray that you give us the courage to always do the right thing. Amen.

Although Neil Sedaka’s song ‘The Immigrant’ was written in 1975 and directed specifically to American policy, it has never been as relevant to the state of the world as it now is.

‘There was a time when strangers were welcome here.’ Let that time return.

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Meditation for Trinity 2025

Collect for Trinity Sunday

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

John 16: 12-15

Three in one and one in three?

In the ranks of clergy, there is a widespread feeling that preaching on Trinity Sunday is best left to either the Bishop or the Curate. The exam question is ‘How can something be three independent entities but also be one entity – at the same time?’

People tell you it’s not actually that difficult really – we just need to understand that God is one person – but three persons. Er…

OK that doesn’t help. Try again, Michael. What does it say in today’s creed? That we ‘acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the divine majesty worship the Unity.’ Yes but how?

The singer John Pantry recorded a song called ‘Builder, Buyer, Occupier’ (I couldn’t find it online, unfortunately) that helps in understanding the Trinitarian Roles of God the Creator, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; and it’s theologically spot on. But in practical terms, I sometimes use the example of a kite.

In Euclidean geometry, a children’s kite is a flying quadrilateral with reflection symmetry across a diagonal, the area A of which may be calculated as half the product of the lengths of the diagonals p and q. So A=0.5 (p*q) Did that help? No, I didn’t think it would.

Much better to ask a child, who will explain patiently that a Kite is a collection of sticks, paper and string glued together that blows in the wind. Three things in one thing.

The sticks, paper, and string are created by God. The glue that puts them together is Jesus our Redeemer. But that isn’t all. For a Kite to be a kite, it has to fly – which needs wind – or, you might say, the Spirit, the breath of God.
The sticks are still sticks. The paper and string haven’t lost their properties either. The wind blows whether there is a kite or not. But when they come together, they are one. Just like a church – God’s people created as unique individuals, brought together with a common creed, and living as the body of Christ in the power of the spirit. The whole is greater than the parts – in the case of the Kite. But in the case of the Trinity, each part is great in itself, so in that case, the kite metaphor breaks down. We need a better one. Answers on a postcard, please.

p.s. just a thought – you couldn’t fly a kite inside a church building –for the Kite to fly you’d have to go into the windy street outside. Where does that place the need for the Spirit to act???

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