Transfiguration Psalm 71

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, free me;
pay heed to me and save me.

Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
Free me from the hand of the wicked,
from the grip of the unjust, of the oppressor.

It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth;
from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
My hope has always been in you.

My fate has filled many with awe
but you are my strong refuge.
My lips are filled with your praise,
with your glory all the day long.
Do not reject me now that I am old;
when my strength fails do not forsake me.

For my enemies are speaking about me;
those who watch me take counsel together.
Saying: “God has forsaken him; follow him,
seize him; there is no one to save him.”
O God, do not stay far off:
my God, make haste to help me!

Let them be put to shame and destroyed,
all those who seek my life.
Let them be covered with shame and confusion,
all those who seek to harm me.

But as for me, I will always hope
and praise you more and more.
My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help
(though I can never tell it all).

Lord, I will declare your mighty deeds,
proclaiming your justice, yours alone.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.

Now that I am old and grey-headed,
do not forsake me, God.
Let me tell of your strength and justice to the skies,
tell of you who have worked such wonders.
O God, who is like you?

You have burdened me with bitter troubles
but you will give me back my life.
You will raise me from the depths of the earth;
you will exalt me and console me again.

So I will give you thanks on the lyre
for your faithful love, O God.
To you will I sing with the harp,
to you, the Holy One of Israel.
When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice
and my soul, which you have redeemed.

And all the day long my tongue
shall tell the tale of your justice:
for they are put to shame and disgraced,
all those who seek to harm me.

Reflection

Until opting to write this Devotion, Psalm 71 was one of those I scooted over, instead preferring the more muscular and butch (eg 27), the reassuring (46) and the triumphant (124) alternatives. After all, 71 reminds me of WB Yeats’ poem ‘When You Are Old’. Rather crepuscular. A little wearying. Somewhat sad.

But on closer inspection, it is far more complicated than that.  It’s a marvel of competing and all-too human emotions being worked through in the mind of someone who has seen and done a great deal. We read of fear, vulnerability, defiance, recollection yet, ultimately, hope and trust in God. It urges me to put things into proper perspective.

I must admit to being ambivalent about the ageing process. I enjoy the reasoned, classical assurances of Cicero’s A Treatise on Old Age, although I cannot shake off the manner of his demise. Yet, my own atheist parents are grimly belabouring under significant health burdens – whilst remaining feistily independent. I wonder if their striving for independence is another and unnecessary weight for them to carry?

The Psalmist’s theme here is surely dependence? His dependence throughout his life on God. He recalls that God has provided safety, and this proven reliance gives hope for whatever the future holds.

In our fellowships we are also dependent or interdependent on each other. Most of our churches are undergirded by those of advancing years. In our keenness to try out new forms of worship or to reach out to newer, younger people, we musn’t sideline those who’ve lived long lives. And sometimes long lives in faithfulness to God.

I think that we need to do more to record and share the Psalm 71 life and faith stories of our older brothers and sisters-in-Christ. I think we are missing an evangelistic opportunity by not reinforcing our muscle memory by listening more closely to others’ life of challenge, faithfulness and true hope. In them, lies real hope.
 
Prayer

O Lord, we thank you for the gift of the older members of our fellowships and wider society. Attune us to listen to their stories. Of faith. Of challenges. Of bad times. And of good. Ensure that we do not forsake them, but recognise our mutual interdependency as we strive to witness to your glorious Love. Amen.
 

St 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.

Reflection

I’m writing this in Advent 2024 when John the Baptist forms part of the Church’s preparations for Christmas. He too did some straight talking about the religious folk of his day.

‘It is one of the supreme handicaps of the church that in it there are so many distant followers of Jesus and so few real disciples’ (from William Barclay’s DSB of Luke’s gospel,1953). That harsh verdict is justified by the text before us. Would he have written that of the church in Britain in 2025? Of our society today?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (in The Cost of Discipleship) wrote ‘The disciple is dragged out of his relative security into a life of absolute insecurity, from a life which is observable and calculable into a life where everything is unobservable and fortuitous, out of the realm of the finite, into the realm of infinite possibilities’.

Where in all of this are we to take encouragement? Faithful folk need  encouragement as much as chastisement. Jesus gives us a clue based on two well known activities of the human race, building construction and war making. To succeed in either needs intentionality. By that I mean all our awareness (physical, mental, spiritual) needs to be focussed on the endeavour in which we’re involved. In this way our lives are open to the leading of God’s Spirit. This shouldn’t be interpreted as a plea for greater effort, the kind of effort that can lead to ‘burn out’. It is the disposition of heart, mind, body and spirit focussed on following the gospel of Jesus Christ, together, day by day.

Prayer 

Gracious God
grant that what we sing with our lips,
we may believe in our hearts;
and what we believe in our hearts,
we may practice in our lives.
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

St Luke 14: 7 – 14

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable.  ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.  For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’

Reflection

Welcome to our church – we hope you will find a home here.  This is your service sheet that tells you how we do things here.  This is your hymn book that contains all the music we include here.  Feel free to sit anywhere – but not there as that is someone’s seat.  Oh, and not there unless you have a good voice as that is where the choir sit.  Oh and don’t sit at the back because our regular members sit there.  But welcome.

Sound familiar?

So often we think we are welcoming as we greet people at the door, but then immediately set restrictions on what they can do, where they can sit, and how they need to behave.  We have reduced our welcome to a “hello” and then insist that anyone new becomes like us.

This is so far removed from the “Church” that Jesus was going to build on Peter the Rock.  If we never allow for difference, how will we change?  If we never allow for change, how will we grow (and not just in numbers)?  Worship is not about a God who is hidden behind the altar while we get on with what we have always done.  Worship is about a God who has done amazing things in our lives and we want to shout about it, or sing about it, or dance through it – but can’t, because that is not “done” here.

Rather than restricting change because it is different, let us embrace diversity because it is from God.  New ideas, new voices, new music bring a new perspective and a new challenge to our daily lives that we may not have seen before.  It can consolidate what we already believe or challenge us to think differently – but only if we are open to it.

May our welcome be open and genuine, our worship be expressive and real, and our God be allowed out of the box to work in our lives and those of our community.

Prayer

God of welcome, as we come to your table, may we welcome diversity – not to relegate those who are different to the “cheap seats” but to embrace all into the full fellowship of your meal that we may learn from each other and grow more in our worship of you.  For you are worthy of all praise for all you have done for us, within us and in those around us.  Amen.

St Luke 14: 1 – 6

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?’  But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?’  And they could not reply to this.

Reflection

Sometimes, when you read a familiar Bible passage afresh, something different strikes you about it. For me that “something different” was the first part of the first sentence: “Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal”. A Pharisee offering hospitality to Jesus, and Jesus accepting! We often get the impression that Jesus had no time for the Pharisees, but obviously he interacted with them and dined with them too. No matter how much I tried to move past this and write a reflection based on the rules of the Sabbath, I found myself drawn back to this sentence. 

It reminded me of a conversation I was having recently about social media. I have various friends on my social media, not all of them of the same religious or political persuasion as I am. From Brexit and the American elections through gun reform to transgender people’s involvement in gendered sporting events, some friends have some quite strong and differing views and don’t hold back when sharing them on social media…. so much so that I have often found myself hovering with my finger over the “block” or “unfriend” button. But many on my social media have similar views to me. I can easily convince myself that I am right because “everybody thinks the same – it’s a majority view”. It’s why Brexit came as such a surprise. The echo-chamber effect is unhealthy – it’s decidedly healthier to form one’s opinions through hearing all points of view openly and prayerfully, respecting people’s right to think differently. And if I block, unfriend or avoid people who think differently to me, how can I share with them what I believe or model to them a different way? Through the hospitality of the Pharisees’ leader, Jesus prompted them to question what they vehemently believed. Maybe I should do likewise.   

Prayer

All-knowing and all-loving God, 
there is room in your kingdom for all. 
Nobody has it all right, or all wrong for that matter. 
Help us to listen, to truly listen, even when we don’t agree. 
Help us constantly to evaluate the opinions we hold. 
Lead us away from the echo-chambers and open us to challenge. 
And give us the confidence to share our beliefs with others, whenever the opportunity arises.
Amen. 

St Luke 13: 31 – 35
 
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.”  Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!  See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’
 
Reflection
 
The Pharisees warned Jesus.  We usually read of them opposing Him.  Was this like the situation is in so many parts of the world today where various political factions support each other to oppose the greater threat?  Herod was one of the hated, cruel Roman leaders and Jesus was a Jew, so it is not surprising that they would want to protect one of their own people from a foreign tyrant. 
 
Jesus reacted by calling Herod a fox.  Today we might think of a fox as being cunning and clever but in the days of Jesus a fox was also considered to be inept and insignificant.  Jesus was not afraid to speak against the unjust ruler.  Jesus was clear that He was going to continue His ministry of healing and casting out of demons.  Jesus knew that He would not die until He reached Jerusalem.  
 
Jerusalem was a city He knew well.  Jesus had visited the temple with His parents.  It was the centre of the Jewish faith.  As He talks, Jesus either quotes from scripture or alludes to passages of scripture, mainly the Psalms and Jeremiah.  It is good to have a knowledge of the bible as it gives us something to draw on when we need divine strength or solace.  
 
Jesus knew what would happen when He reached Jerusalem, but He was still willing to follow the will of His Father and go there, knowing that it would lead to His death and resurrection.  We can follow this example by being obedient to God even if it seems to be leading us in a way that might not be the most comfortable.
 
Prayer
 
Loving God we thank you that Jesus was willing to obey you.
We thank you that Jesus was able to use scripture to show how He was following your plans for Him.
Show us how we can immerse ourselves in scripture which we know is your true and everlasting word.
Teach us how to obey you even when we are afraid and want to choose an easier path
We bring our prayers in the name of Jesus, Amen

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Sue McCoan

 
Welcome

Hello, and welcome to this service of worship for the seventh Sunday after Epiphany. My name is Sue McCoan, and I’m the minister of two churches in West London. It’s good to be with you. Let’s worship God together.
 
Call to Worship 

Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like grass, and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land and enjoy security.    (Psalm 37: 1-3)

Hymn     God of Mercy, God of Grace  
Henry Francis Lyte (1834) Public Domain played by Augustine Sobeng and friends and used with his kind permission.
 
God of mercy, God of grace, show the brightness of thy face.
Shine upon us, Saviour, shine; fill thy Church with light divine,
and thy saving health extend unto earth’s remotest end.

Let the people praise thee, Lord! be by all that live adored.
Let the nations shout and sing glory to their Saviour-King;
at thy feet their tribute pay, and thy holy will obey.
 
Let the people praise thee, Lord, then enjoy thy rich reward!
God to us his blessing give, we to God devoted live,
all below and all above one in joy and light and love.

Opening Prayer

We lift our eyes to you, wonderful God,
   above the interests and distractions of daily life,
   above the difficulties of the world, above our fears and concerns.
We lift our eyes to you, the source of all life.
You are the love that brings worlds into being;
You are the energy of inspiration;
You are the peace of all eternity and we put our trust in you.
In this time of worship, let us look on you in wonder, love and praise. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

God of love,
We confess to you the times we have let our feelings get the better of us,
when we have reacted in anger,
when we have kept quiet out of fear,
when we have envied success or begrudged sharing our time and gifts,
when we have been quick to judge and slow to forgive.

silence

You are full of mercy; you are kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 
We claim your mercy now.
Give us the grace to accept your forgiveness, in penitence and faith,
so that we may live in the light of grace, to the glory of your name. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Prayer for Illumination

Open our ears to hear your word, 
and open our hearts to receive what you wish to say to us today. 
In the name of Jesus your living Word, Amen.

Hymn     There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy  
Fr Frederick William Faber (1862) Public Domain BBC Songs of Praise
 
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good.
There is mercy with the Saviour, there is healing in his blood.
 
But we make God’s love too narrow by false limits of our own,
and we magnify its strictness with a zeal God will not own.
 
For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind,
and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.

If our love were but more simple, we should rest upon God’s word,
and our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord.
 
Reading     Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.  For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest.  God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.  So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.  Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.  You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.  I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.”… And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Reading     Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.  Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.  Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;  give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Hymn     The Great Love of God   
D T Niles (1908 – 1970) © East Asia Christian Conference OneLicence # A-734713. Sung by Paul Chapman to a tune of his own creation.  
 
The great love of God is revealed in the Son,
who came to this earth to redeem everyone.
That love, like a stream Flowing clear to the sea,
Makes every heart That from sin would be free.

It binds the whole world every barrier it breaks
the hills it lays low  and the mountains it shakes
It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given!
The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven.

It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given!
The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven.
 
Sermon

What do you do when you have been badly treated? What do you do when see someone else being badly treated? Jesus tells us, in our reading from Luke, to love our enemies; not to judge, but to forgive. He is challenging us to repay evil with love and goodness. And, if we’re honest, that is really difficult. 

It’s difficult in two ways. It is difficult, personally, because it means dealing with our own hurt and anger that are often very persistent. It’s also difficult ethically – what does forgiveness mean? Does it mean we let people trample all over us? And how does it relate to justice? Sometimes when people call for ‘Christian forgiveness’, what they are hoping is to be let off from any consequences of their actions. Is that what Jesus meant? This is particularly important these days if we are dealing with any issue of domestic or child abuse – you can’t ask an abused person to ‘forgive and forget’, and it is not up to anyone else to offer forgiveness on their behalf. 

These are big questions and I don’t pretend to have any easy answers. But we might find help to think about them by looking at the story of Joseph.

I’d like to start to earlier in the story, at the time when Joseph is first trafficked to Egypt and sold to one of Pharaoh’s officers. What’s he going to do in that situation? He’s going to live. He hasn’t time for bitterness or self-pity or revenge; he needs to put all his energy into survival: adapting, learning, seizing opportunities. His faith helps him to look forward, and with God’s help he builds a life for himself in this foreign land. 

He has gone from the security of his father’s home, where he was the favourite son, through the nightmare of being set upon by his own brothers, to arrive at a point where his security comes from within: from God and from his willingness to share his gifts and energy with others. Joseph rises to power not by playing politics or being cunning, but simply by being wise and responsible. By the time his brothers turn up, Joseph has complete confidence in who he is and what he can offer. He has the capacity to be compassionate, because he has found healing within himself.

Meanwhile, what has been going on with the brothers? Having done their dreadful deed with Joseph, they went back home and lied to their father – told him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. And then, to make it even worse, they took on the role of bereaved family, joining their father in his grief and mourning, pretending to care while all the time knowing they were responsible. This is appalling behaviour in almost every way. No wonder they are now horrified when they realise the person they have come to for help in Egypt is Joseph himself. Here is their whole shameful past catching up with them. Now surely, they think, all their guilt will be uncovered, their father will hate them, and Joseph will extract a justified revenge. 

But somehow, in those intervening years, the brothers have changed, and Joseph can begin to see they have changed. 

In today’s reading, this is the second visit the brothers have made to Egypt. On their first, not long before, they didn’t take Benjamin, the youngest, with them. Now they explain why. Joseph, you remember, was the first-born son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob their father truly loved. Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, her second son. It’s because Jacob loved Rachel so much that these 2 sons, Joseph and Benjamin, are so special to him. He’s already lost Rachel; he’s already, as he thinks, lost Joseph; Benjamin is all he has left of the love of his life. The other sons left Benjamin at home with their father on the first trip because they couldn’t bear to risk causing him even more grief.

Joseph wasn’t yet ready to reveal who he was. But he could see that they were now putting their father’s feelings ahead of their own. And when he insisted that they go back and fetch Benjamin, he heard them saying, this is our punishment, for being so cruel to Joseph all those years ago. So he also knew they were facing up to their shameful past.

On this second visit, with Benjamin, Joseph sets them a test, planting a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack and accusing him of stealing. As punishment, he says, Benjamin is to become a slave – to stay in Egypt for ever. This is a test not so much for Benjamin, but for the brothers – if Benjamin stays, they are free to go home. But they can’t bring themselves to do it. Not now. Judah, says no, we can’t go home without Benjamin, it would break our father’s heart. Let me take the punishment instead.

What a change. And now Joseph is ready. The time has come to tell his brothers who he really is. They are stunned, and probably terrified. 
But Joseph reassures them. Don’t be distressed or angry – God is in this. It wasn’t you who sent me to Egypt – God sent me, to save the lives of all these people who would otherwise have died in the famine, including yours. So now, go back and fetch our father; bring your families, and your flocks. There’s room for all of you. It is time for the whole family to be reunited. 

Neither Joseph nor his brothers mention what happened all those years ago. There is no need. They have all moved on, and they are able to pick up the relationship in a different place from where they left off. 

But does that mean that their crime didn’t matter? That it’s fine to sell your brother into slavery, because God will bring some good out of it? I don’t think so.

I think the brothers did pay for their crime. Having gone through the period of false mourning, they then had to live with their father’s real grief at the loss of Joseph. They will have seen his pain, every day, etched into his face; they will have known that they caused this pain. They don’t now need to make any sort of amends to Joseph, and he doesn’t need to exact any revenge on them. Their punishment, and their redemption, is in their relationship with their father.

What can we learn, then, from this story, to help when we have been wronged and are faced with the challenge to forgive, to repay evil with good? I’d like to suggest three things.

The first thing is that it can take time. That might be the short time of counting to 10 before we speak, or pressing ‘save as draft’ instead of ‘send’ on a stroppy email. But it might be that, as in Joseph’s case, the matter is so serious, so damaging that we can’t deal with it straight away, or in one go. Sometimes, we need to park it on one side until we have built back enough strength and confidence to face it again. The intention to forgive, or even the acknowledgement that you can’t forgive, is the first stage in a long process.

The second thing is that forgiveness does not depend on the other person saying sorry. If we are forgiving our enemies they might never be sorry – might never think they have done anything wrong. Joseph had begun the process of forgiving his brothers without knowing if they had changed, or indeed if he would ever see them again. And, just in passing, they never do say sorry; they just show it in their actions. 

That doesn’t mean to say that there is no place for justice. Especially today, if a crime has been committed it is no longer just a matter between victim and perpetrator – there is an issue for society, and there may be other victims that need to come forward, or to be protected. And if a perpetrator is asking for forgiveness, then part of receiving that forgiveness is facing the criminal justice system and serving the sentence. It is not all right to say, ‘God has forgiven me so I don’t need to tell the police’, or resign from my post, or whatever. 

The third thing is that forgiveness benefits more than just the parties directly involved. Joseph and his brothers were reconciled and that’s great, but arguably the person who was truly blessed by this reconciliation is Jacob, their father, who played no part in the attack on Joseph and yet suffered so much grief. When we forgive, when we repay evil with good, we break the cycle of anger and revenge, we take the heat out of the situation, and in so doing create a space where relationships might be rebuilt and all can flourish. This is what Jesus shows in his own life; this is what he is calling us to in ours.

Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you; forgive and you will be forgiven; judge not. It’s all here, in Joseph’s story. Let’s pray that this will be in our stories too. Amen.

Hymn     Make Me a Channel of Your Peace   
Sebastian Temple (1928-1997) after St Francis of Assisi © 1967, OCP Publications. OneLicence # A-734713   Performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.
 
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;
where there is injury, your pardon Lord,
and where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

O Master, grant that I may never seek 
so much to be consoled as to console, 
to be understood as to understand; 
to be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace:
where there’s despair in life, 
let me bring hope; where there is darkness, only light;
and where there’s sadness, ever joy.

O Master, grant that I may never seek 
so much to be consoled as to console, 
to be understood as to understand; 
to be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace:
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving unto all that we receive,
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

O Master, grant that I may never seek 
so much to be consoled as to console, 
to be understood as to understand; 
to be loved as to love with all my soul.
 
Offertory Prayer

Loving God, You give us so many good things,
 all that we need and more than we can ask. 
We bring our gifts to you in response to your generosity,
and as a sign of our thanks.
Accept and bless all that we bring, and all that we are;
Use us and our gifts to serve you in whatever way you direct.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Loving Lord Jesus,
You knew what it was to be mocked, betrayed, 
falsely accused and sentenced to death.
Give your strength to those who suffer injustice,
to all who have unhealed wounds or unmet needs,
to those who live in fear.
We give thanks for peacemakers and peace-keepers
and all who work for justice. 

You breathed forgiveness even in your deepest pain.
Look with compassion on those who are unable to forgive,
those who are in the process of forgiving,
those for whom reconciliation is out of reach.
We give thanks for people who have forgiven, 
and for lives that have been turned round.

You brought healing to people and asked nothing in return.
Bring your healing and peace to those who are unwell 
in body, mind or spirit.
We take a moment of silence to name in our hearts 
those for whom we are concerned today…

(time of silence)

We give thanks for all who work in health and social care. 

You called unsteady Peter to be the foundation rock of your Church.
Give wisdom and vision to your Church today.
We pray for our congregation
We give thanks for all our elders 
and all who give their time and gifts to serve you in this place. 

Loving Lord Jesus,
We ask all these prayers in your holy name. Amen.

Hymn     The Love of God Comes Close   
John L. Bell, Graham Maule © 1988, WGRG, Iona Community OneLicence # A-734713    Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir accompanied by Andrew Ellams and produced by Andrew Emison. Used with their kind permission.

The love of God comes close where stands an open door
to let the stranger in, to mingle rich and poor:
the love of God is here to stay 
embracing those who walk his way.

The peace of God comes close to those caught in the storm,
forgoing lives of ease to ease the lives forlorn:
the peace of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.

The joy of God comes close where faith encounters fears,
where heights and depths of life are found through smiles and tears:
the joy of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.

The grace of God comes close to those whose grace is spent,
when hearts are tired or sore and hope is bruised or bent:
the grace of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.

The Son of God comes close where people praise his name,
where bread and wine are blest and shared, as when he came:
the Son of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.

Blessing

May the grace of God surround you, may the peace of God uphold you,
and may the love of God fill your heart and your home, today and always. Amen.

Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them,  ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.  When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.”  Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.”  But he will say, “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!” There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out.  Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.  Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.’
 
Reflection

In this bit of Luke, Jesus is well into his short public life of loving, shocking and making some people very angry. These verses come after a stream of Jesus telling people to repent or perish, to destroy the unfruitful, that the sabbath can be ignored for love’s sake, and that the Kingdom of God is tiny or invisible, not obvious and powerful. After these verses, the pharisees warn Jesus that Herod wants him dead.

Inside these verses, Jesus is not making new friends. He’s saying that those who think they can be with God in eternity most likely won’t be and that the least expected entrants will be relishing the hospitality.  Jesus isn’t gentle. His messages are difficult, hard work.  He’s not comfortable at all. Yes, you say, I know that.  We all know that.

Let’s look then, taking our eyes out of the text. Let’s step back, go up a hill and look down on the institutions made in the name of Jesus. Not much looks anything like Jesus or love. No matter what the names on the buildings are, no matter the sentiments on the signs we hang, we don’t often see love taking over sabbath rules, or the Kingdom invisible.  We see rules taking over the people, dark secrets, and many God-facing buildings looking like kingdom castles.  Yes, you say, I know that.  And?

Well, somehow, we colluded to allow the institution to emasculate the real Jesus and reduced the Holy Spirit to our comforter.  Texts are mere words. Somehow, we’ve turned inside and Jesus has been safe in the tabernacle on the wall. I include myself in this awful challenge – to wake and move out of our familiar places.  Our planet and all people are crying out for radical real love.

Prayer

Yes, Lord, it’s me and it’s them.
We’ve got it wrong.
We are amazed that your love is not worn out.
I am so sorry about the times I held back and took the easy option.
You know how difficult times are and some people can be.
Bless you that you have pulled each of us to new life each time.
Give us more courage than ever to be difficult Jesus people.
In your eternal wisdom, Amen.
 

21 February 2025