Meditation for Trinity 12 2025
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire, or deserve:
Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask save through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Luke 14: 25 – 33
Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate** father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
**N.B. the word used is μισέω (miseō) – which literally means ‘To love less, or to prefer someone or something less than another’ – to translate the word as ‘hate’ implies anger and that is not a valid translation in this context.
er… can I just keep my stamp collection?
No.
Looking for a video for this week’s meditation, I found lots of versions. Most of them were missing a verse. Guess which.
Yup. You got it. The one that begins ‘Take my Silver and my Gold…’
The hymn ‘Take my life’ may possibly be the most difficult in the Hymn book to sing with sincerity. Just look again at what we are asking.
Take my life,
Take my hands,
Take my feet,
Take my voice,
Take my lips,
Take my silver and my gold,
Take my intellect,
Take my will,
Take my heart,
Take my love,
Take myself.
You will notice there are no exclusions. Take my everything, we ask.
Every single thing I am.
So, if we truly offer Him everything, does that leave us with nothing? Quite the opposite. When we give our life to Jesus, it includes the bad bits as well as the good bits. And it is given back to us, sparkling clean and pure. At no cost to ourselves other than a promise to now take on the role of being the body of Christ on Earth, in all we do and say.
And yes, we will find that to be an impossible challenge – but one to which we aspire, with heart and mind and soul (and all the others mentioned above). We miss the mark. Often. Fortunately, and blessedly, we can always sing that hymn again. The Lord will never tire to hear it and respond in unending sacrificial love.
Previous Posts
Praying Together 25th December 2023
Without the crib, there is no cross.
Without the cross, the crib has no meaning.
Unto us a child is born…
… a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.
Praying Together 17th December 2023
May you walk in His light throughout your life; may you be His body on earth, share Faith, Hope and Love, and use the all the gifts He gives you to bring His Kingdom in.
Praying Together 26 November 2023
They know what they should do. But they don’t do it. It is the ones who do God’s work, who serve without expecting any reward who will receive eternal life in the Kingdom.
Praying Together 19th November 2023
It might not be the trumpet. Or the Clarinet. A Trombone, Double Bass, a singing voice. It may not be music at all. If not, there are many other skills you may have been given that you are not yet aware of: artistic talent, hospitality, compassion, intercession, forgiveness, unconditional love. There will be some.
Praying Together 12th November 2023
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Praying Together 5th November 2023
“Do as I say, not as I do”. The mantra of hypocritical leaders through the ages. It is important to note that Jesus makes a clear distinction between the righteous observance of the Law and the self-important practice of the Pharisees.
Praying Together 29th October 2023
Hallowmas is a season we should not ignore, but instead celebrate as a festival of light, in the beauty of Autumn colours and enjoying a time for creation to rest in peace.
Praying Together 22nd October 2023
When the world lives in Christ, it’s laws are true and just. When it doesn’t, they are not, and we must reject them. There can be no compromise.
Praying Together 15th October 2023
Whoever we are – even unto this last -Jesus asks us to dine with Him. He has bought us the entrance fee. All He asks is that we accept Him as Lord.
Praying Together 8th October 2023
Throughout the centuries, God offers a gift being able to choose life and starting again, but when continually refused, He shakes the dust off His sandals and moves on. Could you blame Him, then, if He turns Hs blessing to the poor?
Praying Together 1st October 2023
The reward for accepting Him is the joy of knowing freedom, and then to accept His command to work in the vineyard, to feed His lambs – not with empty words, but with deeds.
Praying Together 24th September 2023
Heavenly Father, help us to work to accomplish your will for us according to our individual gifts without comparing ourselves to others. Help us to acknowledge our own failures and avoid condemning others for theirs.