St Luke 10: 1 – 12

After this 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.” I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

Reflection

My friend Jean heard these words anew in her youth in the 1960s and trained as a nurse, midwife and missionary.  Growing up in the Brethren, Jean was bemused to find that, as a missionary, she had to lead worship, preach, and preside at Communion – but only in the mission fields!  Based in Macao she went over the border into China to run a clinic.  One day, during the Cultural Revolution, the border closed  and Jean was imprisoned with a group of nuns.  The horrors of imprisonment led to an ecumenism unusual in Jean’s background and, even more unusually, made her promise God that she’d become honest about her sexuality.  After her release she worked with LGBT people within an affirming church context.  Her gifts of encouragement touched many people and sustained me in my earliest years in ministry.  
 
Jesus, when he sent these disciples off, didn’t promise it would be easy.  Peace was to be shared but it would not always be accepted.  Great things were commanded of disciples – cure the sick, proclaim the kingdom, eat what’s provided – but there will be hard times when the message is not accepted.  Inhospitality will be dealt with as it was with the people of Sodom.  Heady words!

We read these words anew and, perhaps, see the message about few workers more than the one about the harvest being ready.  It’s hard to work as a missionary or minister in our contemporary age; we’re in the midst of social changes that we can only slightly grasp; we know spirituality attracts yet the Church doesn’t.  We know more are called than take up the challenge and yet…the saints of old inspire us as they followed without counting the cost, as they tried to work out the changes they were swept up in, as they tried to make sense of the Gospel in their own contexts and, like my friend Jean, they found in that discipleship meaning and fulfilment.  I pray you do too.

Prayer

God of the harvest,
help us to see the needs around us,
the desire for authentic spirituality,
a thirst for You
amidst the cries for justice.
As the workers are few, O God,
equip us to both work for You,
and see more clearly where You call us to go.
That we may be content, 
speak peace,
heal the wounded,
and proclaim Your coming Kingdom.
Amen.

St Luke 9: 49 – 50

John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’  But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.’

Reflection

What a short, punchy reading today: words of Jesus advocating the virtues of generosity and an open-mind.  It’s acceptable for those regarded as ‘other’ to call upon his name.  If they can restore health and balance to distressed people then leave them be.

What a rallying cry for inclusivity.  There should be no more ‘us’ and ‘them’.

How well I remember the first lunchtime on my first day ever at the Scottish Episcopal Institute (where I undertook some of my training for URC ministry alongside the Scottish College).  I’d dared to suggest that denominations might be an affront to Jesus.  Surely we were all ‘humble learners in the school of Christ.’(1)

To feel comfortable in diverse worship situations is a sure way to arouse suspicion.  “You’re denominationally unstable!”, exclaimed the tutor.  Other people have said “You’re like someone with odd socks on. How can you readily take part in Anglican worship*?” (*alongside URC services and, earlier, Quaker meetings).

I’m all for odd socks.  I also think it’s better to be ‘out’ than ‘in’ if conformity means betraying one’s core values and hard-earned life experience. 

Our faith journeys are not necessarily linear.  We learn and change.

And yet…. Many churches, including the URC, exercise great care in selecting and educating ministers, whether lay preachers, community workers or ministers of some other kind.  There is a healthy tension between our dissenting tradition (‘all may be led by the Spirit…’ ) and well founded guidelines, rules some find smacking of control freakery.

Without a pastoral heart and selfless desire to serve, worship leaders and healers could do harm as well as good.  They may have broken away from another group, never saying their farewells with gratitude.  They may carry grudges and discontent.  We must exercise great discernment.

One rule of thumb is to ask, is this one, claiming to act in the name of Jesus, able to listen deeply as well as to speak?

Prayer

A wise old bird sat in an oak,
the more he saw the less he spoke.
The more he spoke the less he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?

Jesus, give us wisdom whenever we minister. 
May our discernment also be shrewd and prayerful. 
Teach us when to say ‘no’ as well as saying ‘yes’.

 (1)       Edgar G. Dunstan, section 1.2, Quaker Faith and Practice

St Luke 9: 46 – 48

An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.’

Reflection

The URC Children’s and Youth Work theme for 2025 is “All Are Welcome”, so it was inevitable when I saw this reading in the Daily Devotions that I’d opt to write the reflection. I visited a church whilst on holiday some years ago and, when I casually mentioned my role in the URC, I was told “We don’t have any children and we’re not interested in having any children here”. I wonder whether that church is still open. If this reading is to be believed, we should remember that children are not only the Church of the future but are already the Church of today. And to extend Jesus’ meaning still further, to make children and those on the margins unwelcome in Jesus’ name is perhaps to make Jesus himself unwelcome. Scary thought! 

Because it’s not always easy to recognise where we are truly welcome and where people may instead be left feeling like second-class citizens in God’s kingdom. We sometimes carry on oblivious, thinking ourselves to be open but actually vying to get our own voices heard and neglecting to see those around us who are equally valued by God. It’s a challenge to stop, look around us, and see who needs that welcome, that opportunity to have their voice heard, to teach and to learn together as an equal part of God’s family. The thing is, we might have to change the way we do things. Change? Never! But yes, we might have to change – to listen more patiently, to use more approachable vocabulary and more lively songs, even to play and be creative alongside, to be intentional about being intergenerational. But how exciting to know that, in so doing, we are welcoming Jesus in our midst. 

Prayer

Jesus, are you sure I’m not the greatest? 
I do the flowers, I’m on the coffee rota.
I’ve been coming here for years, even have my own pew. 
I’ve put plenty in the offertory.. 
I do my best. 
Forgive me, Lord.
My best is not good enough when I don’t welcome all;
When I put them down or undervalue them;
When I fail to seek you in each individual, no matter who they are, 
Renew me, O God, and help me change.  Amen 

St Luke 9: 43 – 45

While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples,  ‘Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.’  But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Reflection

I feel sorry for the disciples. There’d been healings, crowds and the odd miracle; now the long promised Messiah was here let’s get on with the revolution!  Instead of joining in with it, Jesus doused their zeal.  Glory, it seems, is not found at the palace but on the Cross.  Power is seen not in armies or strength but in weakness and vulnerability.  The popular leader will be betrayed and not ascend to the throne. No wonder the disciples couldn’t understand and go on to argue about who was the greatest amongst them.  They’d just not understood.

There again in our world our leaders don’t understand it any better.  We’ve had a resignation from an archbishop whose apology for past failures seems mealy mouthed.  His Catholic counterpart endured far harsher safeguarding criticism but remained in office.  We’ve seen other bishops scramble to say how they haven’t done anything wrong.   Any sense of ministry as service, as a call to protect the vulnerable, speak the truth, or share the pain seems to be alien.  Instead we see Church leaders act as politicians adept at handling power, dealing with pesky complaints, joking about their privileges, and generally seeking to avoid pain.  

The leadership Jesus offers is different.  Clearly there are good days with healings, adoring crowds, and the occasional miracle but there’s the hard work too.  All his (and our) ministry is undertaken in the shadow of the Cross.  It’s too easy for us to see the Cross as a sign of victory – first it’s a place of pain, disgrace, torture, and vulnerable weakness.  Our redemption comes through that vulnerable weakness.  More – the world’s healing is found there too.  What, I wonder, would leadership look and feel like if those of us called to lead modelled this type of weakness?  What I wonder would it look like if our leaders shared our pain?  What, I wonder, would glory look like if it was seen in the dirt?

Prayer

God of weakness and tragedy,
God whose glory is found in the dirt of human life,
whose power is seen in vulnerability,
teach us to lead with integrity,
to reject power for its own sake,
and to seek only Your Kingdom
where the last are first, the hungry filled
and the rich sent empty away.  Amen

St Luke 9: 28 – 36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.  They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’  When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Reflection

One question among many that this passage asks of us, is, are we trying to remain? The disciples wanted to remain on the mountaintop. It was a place of wonder, of safety, and of joy, but Jesus made them come down off the mountain. His glory was hidden again, though its memory was in their hearts. The event and the occasion was good, but they all had to move on.
 
Do we try to hang on to past glories? Are we more comfortable remaining where we are, when what we should consider doing is moving on to a new place?
 
God reveals himself to us, just as he revealed himself to his disciples and we may be blessed with wondrous moments, but they are just that – moments. Not timeless, but fleeting. They inspire and excite,
but they are also meant to encourage us to move on.
 
Samuel Greg wrote these words in a hymn:
 
            Stay, Master, stay upon this heavenly hill;
            A little longer, let us linger still;
 
            No, saith the Lord, the hour is past, we go;
            Our home, our life, our duties lie below.
            While here we kneel upon the mount of prayer,
            The plough lies waiting in the furrow there.
            Here we sought God that we might know his will;
            There we must do it, serve him, seek him still.
 
The retired American Presbyterian pastor, Joseph Harvard III, describes it like this,
 
God gives us mountaintop experiences that are transformative. They change the way we see the world and ourselves. Business as usual is no longer possible after you have seen the vision of God’s good future revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
 
This teaches us a truth that while it is good to be on the mount, we must remember that we cannot remain there, that we have a duty to do, and that this duty is to carry out God’s work in the world. But we should remember that we do not do this work alone. For we are empowered and accompanied by the very same God whose glory is revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

We pray using words of a hymn written by Joseph Robinson,

            How good, Lord, to be here!
            Your glory fills the night;
            Your face and garments, like the sun,
            Shine with unborrowed light.
 
            How good, Lord, to be here!
            Yet we may not remain;
            But since you bid us leave the mount
            Come with us to the plain.
 
            Amen.

St Luke 9: 18 – 27
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’  They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’

He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’

Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.  But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.’

Reflection
With the exception of the adherents of Messianic Judaism, most orthodox Jews today continue to await a human messiah who will usher in a messianic kingdom.  Many Reformed Jews pray for a Messianic age of peace and prosperity accomplished by human good works.

Our reading today focuses on the truth of who Jesus claimed to be. Our Christian faith is based upon Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the idea that the natural order can be overthrown by the miraculous.

There were some Jews who believed in the resurrection but this was assumed to be at the end of time when God would intervene on behalf of all his people – not in the middle of time. We also know that the many Messianic movements of the time – save the Christian movement –  died out completely with the eclipse of the leader.  The Church was different – even James, the brother of Jesus became leader of the church in Jerusalem with no thought of replacing Jesus.  James was not hailed as the Messiah, nor as a replacement for Jesus because the tomb was empty!

Whilst in John’s Gospel in the “I am” sayings does Jesus specifically claim that he is God, the earlier Synoptic Gospels give many examples, in our Lord’s critique of the scribes’ allegation against him, of blasphemy – “only God can forgive sins”. Jesus claimed that “The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins.” (Mark 2.10; Matthew 18.20;  Luke 12.10.) Jesus claimed lordship over the demons, sickness, the Sabbath, world judgement.  He prophesied accurately.  However in order to fulfil his ministry, in the prophecies in Daniel 7 and Psalm 110, and to die on the Cross, Jesus hid his true identity.

C.S. Lewis’ in “Mere Christianity”  suggests just three options for Jesus’ claims – liar, lunatic, or God.  This impels us to make the decision to follow the path of our Lord or not.

Prayer 
“For I tell you this; 
one loving blind desire for God alone is more valuable in itself, 
more pleasing to God and to the saints, 
more beneficial to your own growth, 
and more helpful to your friends, 
both living and dead, 
than anything else you could do.” 

(Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing)