Collect for Trinity 2
Romans 5: 1-8
Matthew 9: 35-10:4
Peter. Fisherman. Impetuous, always speaking his mind and acting on impulse. Rock on whom the church was founded.
James son of Zebedee. Another fisherman
John. Brother of James. Both known as the ‘Sons of Thunder’
Andrew. Peter’s brother. The first to be called by Jesus.
Philip. Probably Greek-speaking. Brings Nathaniel to Jesus.
Bartholomew??
Matthew. Tax collector – member of One of the most reviled professions in first-century Judaism. Matthew collected taxes for Rome from his fellow Jews in Capernaum.
Thomas – ‘Doubting’ Thomas? Or ‘Practical’ Thomas?
James son of Alphaeus??
Thaddeus also known as Jude the apostle.
Simon the Zealot. may have belonged to a Jewish sect known as the Zealots, who were bent on revolution and looking for a Messiah to violently overthrow Rome. Or he may have simply been zealous for the Mosaic Law. Or zealous for Jesus and his teachings.
Judas Iscariot. The betrayer. Many different opinions on his motives. In art, usually depicted wearing yellow clothing and with red hair
What a bunch. Fishermen. A tax collector. A terrorist. A sceptic. Couple of hotheads. Not sure they’re the ones I’d pick, if I were Jesus. Not even sure they’re entirely trustworthy. Surely it would be more effective to go for celebrities – people who are well known and who could act as ‘influencers’?
Well, actually, no. The Gospel isn’t a fashion accessory. It’s real, and it needs real people to proclaim it. Jesus doesn’t choose people for their looks – He is interested in picking the right ones to do the job and to initiate the word being spread abroad. He chose ‘ordinary’ (actually, no-one is ‘ordinary’ as far as Jesus is concerned) people who would be believed by their friends and neighbours – in turn they would spread the word to their own contacts, and so on in turn. To use a current term – going ‘viral’.
Someone once asked who would be the best person to talk about Jesus to a lorry driver. To which the answer is ‘another lorry driver’.
Who would be the best person to talk to your friends and family about Jesus?
You.
Previous Posts
Praying Together 10th August 2025
And while we think of the things we value most, do we remember that we are of such value to God, that His Son was prepared to go into the flames for us?
Praying Together 27th July 2025
In a word, it is all prayer, a rich sequence, choreographed in different moments of gathering, praise, listening and communion.
Praying Together 20th July 2025
Jesus comes to us in many ways and with many faces. Are we aware we may ‘entertain Angels without knowing it?
Praying Together 13th July 2025
May we never miss meeting your gaze,
in the eyes of our sibling, the stranger.
Praying Together 6th July 2025
Always remember that ‘success’ is simply doing His will – it’s not necessarily achieving the outcome we would ourselves consider to be ‘successful’. Leave that definition with Him.
Praying Together 29th June 2025
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.”
Praying Together 22nd June 2025
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.
Praying Together 15th June 2025
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?
Praying Together 8 June 2025
Of all the strange things happening on the Day of Pentecost, perhaps the most puzzling is when God appears to have second thoughts. In Genesis 11, He makes it difficult for people to understand each other’s language
Praying Together 1st June 2025
The song by Mary Black, ‘Bless the Road’, while written as from a parent whose child is leaving home alone for the first time – maybe first day at primary school, going to college, beginning an independent life – always puts me in mind of the thoughts and blessing of Jesus as He prays for His disciples before His Ascension.
Praying Together 25th May 2025
‘Peace I give to you… do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.’
His peace is not remote and only there at the end of things – His Peace is with us now.
Praying Together 18th May 2025
So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.