Today’s service is led by the Revd Mark Rodgers

 
Welcome

Welcome to Sunday worship on this, the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost.  I’m the Revd Mark Rodgers and I’m one of two stipendiary ministers in the URC Shropshire pastorate. It is good to welcome you all here today, as all of you are welcome in the name of Christ. Let us start worship with some words from Psalm 126. The words in normal type can be said by those of you on one side of your church and the words in bold can be said by those on the other side, if you choose. Or you can simply listen to me.

Call to Worship

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us,  and we rejoiced.                    

Hymn     Come, Now is the Time to Worship  
Brian Doerksen © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) OneLicence # A-734713  
sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
 
Come now is the time to worship.
Come now is the time to give your heart.
Come just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God.  Come

One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.

Come now is the time to worship.
Come now is the time to give your heart.
Come just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God.  Come

One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.
 
Prayers of Adoration and Confession & Assurance of pardon

Wonderful Abba You do so much for your people, 
for the lame and the blind, for the lost and the found, 
for the young and the old, 
and we want to praise you with our shouts of joy.
Where there are barren lands you supply the streams of water,
where there are rocks to stumble you flatten the path.
And as we gather from all over 
we make our praises heard in adoration of you.
But,  Forgiving Mother, look upon us this day 
and bless us with your forgiveness 
as we have not looked at the world and its people 
in the same way you do.
We have made life more difficult for some rather than easier,
We have taken away food, drink, and resources 
from others where you give.
We have shepherded people away from us and from you, 
rather than gathering them in.
In your love and grace, please forgive us, 
as sometimes, we do not know what we are doing.
And we ask this through your Son, 
the one who opens our eyes to you and a new way of being. Amen
Shout, sing, dance, praise the Lord our God, 
for Jesus came to this earth and spoke the words – 
“your sins are forgiven”. Amen

Prayer for Illumination

God of all knowledge and understanding give us now just a glimmer of what you know. Help us to hear your word, understand its meaning, and see what it means for you, us and the rest of your people.  Amen

Reading     Jeremiah 31:7-9

For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hymn     Great is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas O. Chisholm (1923) Public Domain sung by a 250 Mass Voice Choir at St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
 
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. 
 
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Reading     St Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’  Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’  Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’  So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Sermon

I’m sure most of us worshipping today come from generations where we had more freedom. Young people in particular could come and go as they wished. The world was their playground and many would get up early, spend the whole day outside having adventures and then come home for an evening meal with bumps, scrapes and bruises all over them. Even dogs seemed to roam the street more, dog licence or no.

I’m sure many of you this morning have tales of adventures that you went on and some of the dangers that you faced. From a very early age I was an extremely inquisitive and curious little boy and this led to many hair raising stories that could have led to serious injury or worse, but thankfully I’m still here and intact. But that is how children are, full of questions, innocence and naivety, the qualities Jesus was probably pointing out to his disciples whenever children were around him.

But some children are not that fortunate. One such child lived in 19th century France. This 3-year-old went into his father’s workshop and decided to help his dad out by making a saddle for a horse. As he climbed up on a stool to grab the sharp tools needed, he slipped and the tool cut open his eye. This became infected and spread to his other eye, so by the time he was 4, he had become blind. As sad as this is, this young boy led a happy life, and in school he was top of his class, as he remembered everything he heard. At twelve, his life was to change as he met a soldier called Charles Barbier, who told him about his system of writing that he had produced to help soldiers read in the dark. The young man, Louis, looked at it, realised that it needed simplifying, and perfected a way of reading for other blind people that is now used all over the world. 

Monsieur Braille didn’t need to develop this system, he was clever enough. But he opened up the world to blind people all over the planet, who perhaps didn’t have the listening skills or the memory he had.

Louis Braille was a bit like Bartimaeus in that he had been able to see at one point in his life. In our New Testament reading this morning we hear that Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem and has arrived at Jericho. This was an oasis city, a place where Herod could build his winter palaces close by and a place that attracted the rich and powerful. And wherever the rich and powerful are, the poor and outcast are not far behind. Beggars were a common sight on the roadside, and one of these was Bartimaeus. He had heard of Jesus and recognised him as the Messiah, calling him the “Son of David”. He calls out to him constantly, much to the consternation of everyone around. They tell him to shush, but he continues, until Jesus takes note and beckons him over. “What do you want me to do for you?” asks Jesus. “Let me see again,” is the reply. Let me see again.  What a joy it must have been to have sight restored after being in darkness for so long. “Go; your faith has made you well”, says Jesus and Bartimaeus’ sight is restored and he joins the group on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Of course, some people either lose their sight over time due to age or illness, or are born blind and have never been able to see. But some people have excellent eyesight but are also blind for most of their life. Let me explain.

One of my favourite films of all time is The Truman Show. Truman lives with his wife on Seahaven Island and has done everything on Seahaven Island. Photographs at his mother’s house show that they have taken him all over America but the reality is he has never left. And he is too scared to leave as he had a seafaring accident when he was young that meant he nearly drowned and so he won’t leave. His fears are constantly topped up by messages on the radio, TV and even posters in the travel agents saying how dangerous it is to fly. But Truman is in love. Not with his wife, but with another – Sylvia. They met whilst they were in High School and he has missed her ever since. She was taken away by her father and he has never been able to trace her. Everyday, Truman buys a magazine and sneaks into his basement to cut out features of models that are similar to Sylvia and he makes a collage of her face, to help him remember her.

But Truman is living a lie. He is blind to the truth, that his life is one big TV show that he knows nothing about. It is Big Brother for real. As a baby he was chosen from birth to grow up with and surrounded by actors in a giant studio in Hollywood. Everything in his life is artificial from the sun and the moon, to his wife and job. But Truman remains blind to it because he was brought up that way. He is being conditioned. That is until little things happen to open his eyes and he realises his life is a lie and he escapes.

If you took part in the all age activity earlier on you will have heard about scotomas, or blind spots that we all have. It is the way we condition ourselves that stops us from seeing things that are right in front of us. It is how we find it hard to find car keys or the remote control, because we tell ourselves they are gone, or missing, and so our brain stops us from seeing them right in front of us.

We all have blind spots due to who we are. It is due to our upbringing, our parents’ views, our neighbourhood, our culture, our church. All these things shape us but also sometimes stop us seeing things. This is similar to what was happening in our Jeremiah reading this morning. The people of Jerusalem are in exile. They are in the doldrums and like Bartimaeus they require a bit of hope in their lives, to keep going. But due to their culture, and their belief in the Torah, they were blind to any hope because they thought that their exile was punishment for their sins or their father’s sins and this punishment is passed down to second, third generation and more. This punishment moving through the generations extinguishes all hope. So God speaks to and through Jeremiah, and tells them there is hope, that he will bring everyone back, and not just the privileged or the powerful, but those who live in the margins. With God, even in the darkest hours, there is hope. 

So sisters and brothers. What are our blind spots? Can we see the bigger picture? Are we like Truman? Do we live a true Christian life or something that looks like a Christian life but makes us blind to how we should be living? To find out, we can do three things:

Firstly, listen to Jesus asking us the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” Do we really want help? Bartimaeus could have been happy blind, he could have just wanted a new cloak, or shake the hand of Jesus in a fleeting encounter. But he wanted to see, and more importantly, he wanted to belong, he wanted to be part of something. He went with them to Jerusalem, he became part of the change that was needed in the world. We might already be part of change, and we might already be the best version of us, in terms of living out the Gospel. But it never hurts to hear the question and to search ourselves to see if there is anything we are blind to, that might be impeding us, or the church, or the coming of the kingdom of God. Don’t presume Jesus knows if you desire change, listen to the question.

And then secondly, we can answer his question in any way we want, including “nothing, I’m ok for now thanks.” But as human beings we are all capable of missing something, we can all play our part in taking away somebody else’s hope, without realising, without knowing. So try always answering as Bartimaeus did, “I want to see.”  There is so much suffering in the world today and so much exposure due to all the different platforms we can access news on that we become more than numb to it, we become blind. 

It is difficult not to become immune or blind to some of the injustice that goes on around the globe but this is where our faith comes in. We can first ask Jesus to help us see what injustice is going on, then we can ask him for help to solve it.

And we are the lucky ones. We have already opened our eyes to faith. We are already believers. But there are many out there, far more than us, that can’t even see God or Jesus. It is our duty as followers of Jesus to continue his good work and spread the word of God throughout the world, but if we have blind spots ourselves, how can we help those who are even more blind?

And lastly, if our sight is restored, whose eyes do we see with? Other than our own, it helps to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, because as the old saying goes, “if you want to be understood, firstly understand.” So from our story in Mark today, who can we relate to? Who’s eyes would we struggle to see through? What if we were Bartimaeus? Would the crowd easily shut us up? Would we be too scared to call out to Jesus? Would we leave our past life behind and follow him?

And what if we were one of the crowd with Jesus? Would we want this beggar around us? He’s risking harm to Jesus from the authorities by shouting out that he’s the “son of David”. Do we want that sort here? How come Jesus gives him attention and never paid me that much time!

Sometimes we see the world differently as we get older. The freedoms I talked about in our generations might actually still exist for many people in the world, but we as we get older remove ourselves from that world, we move into a more comfortable way of living by choice and we become blind to some of the issues and experiences we would have seen in our youth. Perhaps we were the loud one once living on the edge, but now we consider our lives to be more akin with what Jesus wants. Perhaps we need to look again.

And, finally, leave where you are, leave this time of worship, and when you are lost in the week, caught up in the cycle of your everyday duties, stop and then think about this passage from the point of view of Jesus. Look through his eyes, and know blindness no more. Amen

Hymn     Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
Henry Francis Lyte (1834) Public Domain. Courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral & Choir,  Sydney, Australia

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!

Praise him for his grace & favour
to our forebears in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness!

Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows!

Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun & moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!
 
Offertory

Giving Lord, as you give wholeheartedly to us, we bring our gifts and ourselves to you. Bless what we offer you, so that it may be used to help those who need it most, and to open the eyes to the world so that they may see the coming of Your kingdom. Amen

Prayers of Intercession

Loving, caring God, You are a God for everyone, 
from the rich man to the man in the gutter.
To the disciples who wanted status, 
to the man who wanted the basics.
We now turn our attention to those we can think of. 
They are not everyone Lord, 
but they are the people we are worried about, near and far.

We pray for those people caught up in conflict. 
In warzones, gang violence, petty skirmishes or criminal acts. 
We pray for everyone’s safety, 
and that peace will ensue, leading to prosperity and growth.

We pray for all those with responsibilities for leading groups of people, whether that be countries, states and councils, or big corporations. 
May they make decisions with Christian values, 
with the care of the people in mind, rather than power and profit.

We think of those in our own country 
where the darker nights bring fear due to living alone, 
or the thought of putting on the heating causes stress 
as it is not affordable and has become a luxury. 
We think of those who can only dream of putting on the heating 
as they live on the streets. 
We ask that solutions be found so that people do not feel 
scared, cold or need to be roofless.
We pray for our churches, and ask that you bless us 
with a renewed sense of vigour and passion for your word. 
That we can reach out more to those who need to hear it the most, 
and can be a place where people feel loved and belong.

And we pray for friends, family and ourselves. 
Many are ill or in pain, many fear a diagnosis or do not feel themselves. Be their strength and shield, offer them a healing hand, 
and bless them and us with the knowledge 
that you love us and are with us at all times.

We pray all of this, in the name of your son, 
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

And let us bring all our prayers together by saying the one prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, saying –

Our Father…

Hymn     I Watch the Sunrise Lighting the Sky  
John Glynn © 1976, Kevin Mayhew sung by the Clonmore Choir OneLicence # A-734713  
 
I watch the sunrise lighting the sky,
casting its shadows near.
and on this morning bright though it be,
I feel those shadows near me.

But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.

I watch the sunlight shine through the clouds,
warming the earth below.
And at the mid-day, life seems to say:
I feel your brightness near me.

But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.

I watch the sunset fading away,
lighting the clouds with sleep.
And as the evening closes its eyes,
I feel your presence near me.

But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.

I watch the moonlight guarding the night,
waiting till morning comes.
The air is silent, earth is at rest
only your peace is near me.

Yes, you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
 
Blessing

As Jesus asks “what do you want me to do?” Let us leave her today to ask what we can do for others with the love of God, in the name of Christ, and with the warmth of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

inspiration in your inbox Saturday 26th October 2024   James 1: 22 – 27 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;  for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Reflection This passage is not claiming that we gain salvation through our works.  Instead, because of the salvation which we have received by grace through Jesus we should be responding by reaching out into our world sharing the love of Jesus through our actions. What this does mean though, is that we have to acknowledge that God’s retirement plan for us only kicks in once we have glorified God. Now, I am aware that we are both an aging and currently declining denomination, but we are all still being called to live out our faith. That means doing what we are able to do, and if we can afford it, also employing folk to help with our mission. So if you are good at finance, fundraising, book-keeping, offer those skills and maybe consider training with a charity to give debt advice. If you are a prayer warrior, pray for the church, projects, social action that the church is involved with and the community the church is based in. If you are an incredible welcomer and host, do that. If you have a passion for spirituality, share that in your church, area, mission partnership, synod. If you have gifts to work with children, families and young people use them. Doing nothing is not an option – God called us to live out our faith and that means getting up out of the chairs and pews and actually doing. We are told clearly that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God…is…to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world”. Now that encompasses a whole slew of things, but can be summed up with the Golden Rule. This means not being jealous of what gifts someone else has, or living like those who don’t know Jesus, but to always see every person as a child of God and to see that encounter as an opportunity to reach out.  Prayer Creator God,  You have given us a world and called us as your followers to live out your example. Encourage us to discern what gifts we have been given by you. Inspire us to get up and use those gifts, to help the orphans and widows of our modern world. Embolden us to open our eyes to the need around us. Incite in us a passion to spread your word through action. Amen.

Today’s writer Kirsty-Ann Mabbott, Church Related Community Worker, United Reformed Church New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

James 1: 19 – 21

You must understand this, my beloved:  let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;  for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.  Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

Reflection

When I was writing for Families on Faith Adventures at Home for the URC during COVID, we wrote a session on the book of James entitled “A Handbook for Life”, describing it as a letter with advice on how to live a Christian life in society. It is incredible how the advice, given so many centuries ago, remains so valid for us today. James was the brother of Jesus but only came to faith in later years. But obviously something of Jesus’s character and teaching rubbed off on James while they were growing up together. His adult life saw him spending so much time on his knees in prayer that he apparently picked up the nickname Camel-knees!

I once asked my parents how their marriage had lasted so long – mum died just months before their diamond anniversary – and they responded with another James-ism “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”. Even after the harshest disagreement, they deliberately made up before bedtime.

It is natural to want to lash out with our words, get in first, make our feelings known. So often, though. if we just wait, listen and try to understand, our anger can fade away as we begin to discover the reasons behind whatever is annoying us. Maybe the person in question has a different world view affected by culture or upbringing, neurodiversity, life experiences or circumstances which underlie the issue. When we stop and listen, we might begin to grasp the big picture.

That’s not to say that anger is never justified, that we should never express it or act upon it – after all, Jesus himself spoke and acted with anger towards the exploitative or corrupt. But the Fruits of the Spirit include patience and self-control, not short fuses and explosive tempers. As expressed in The Message paraphrase of the Bible: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. It is only in this way that we begin to share God’s grace.
 
Prayer

Lord, there is so much that makes me angry:
Children’s rights ignored,
Food poverty and homelessness,
The hostile environment for refugees,
Pollution and needless climate change,
 
My neighbour cutting their grass early Saturday morning,
Children chattering in church.
Slow service in the café.
Teach me, Lord, to know when my anger is justified
And when, instead, I need to stop;
To think, listen, care;
To practise patience and self control;
To share your grace. Amen

inspiration in your inbox Thursday 24 October 2024   James 1: 17 – 18 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Reflection For generations of Christians, conscious of living in a world that is out of joint, these verses have brought a comforting sense of God’s constancy.      Vivid images from nature make the point.  “Father of lights” is scarcely a conventional title of God as Father!  Yet this is the creator God who brought the sun and moon into being.  We admire the regularity of their movements across the sky.  But these are subject to change, they eclipse periodically, whereas God in his steadfast character and purpose, never wavers. Using semi-technical language, James contrasts such changes with the majestic changelessness of God.    Yet God is not remote or unconcerned. His steadfastness is entirely in keeping with his generosity.  His gifts are wholly good.  And his greatest gift is new life.  As we receive it, God regenerates us, re-creates us through the word of truth.  Now you’ll note that Jesus is not mentioned here directly but the resemblances to his teaching are obvious.  Jesus often speaks to the disciples as if he were giving them a lesson in moral philosophy and James draws creatively on his teaching.   As we turn to God and accept God’s gift of new life, there are consequences for the way we behave.  As choice first fruits of the harvest were once offered to God in thankful acknowledgement of his gifts, we who have been redeemed by Jesus offer ourselves as living sacrifices in God’s service.  And we do so every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.     Our lives are bound up with God.  That raises the startling question.  Do the actions we take in faith contribute in some way to God’s steadfast love?  If so, everything we do must make a difference to the meaning of the world.  It’s quite a thought!     Prayer Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, You have been the hope and joy of many generations. Grant me a clearer vision of your truth, a greater faith in your power And a more confident assurance of your love, In Jesus Christ, your son, our saviour.  Amen.

Today’s writer The Revd Fleur Houston, retired minister, member of Macclesfield & Bollington URC read by Graham Handscomb New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

James 1: 12 – 16
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it;  then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.  Do not be deceived, my beloved.

Reflection
I must confess that I don’t feel particularly blessed when I’m faced with a second donut, looking all lonely in the bottom of the box! That, my friends, is a temptation I cannot resist. And then my guilt is felt as my Fitbit records a few more steps, by way of flagellation. I have not stood the test and will therefore not ‘receive the crown of life’. Damn you, tasty, jam-filled donut covered in sprinkles!
I am relieved to discover that this text is less about external temptations like donuts (pick your own!), and more about leaving behind the idea that God tempts or tests us.

We know that there are so many things that might seduce and overwhelm us: drugs, alcohol, sex, possessions, money, food, the dopamine hit – and on; and we know that things can escalate, literally leading to death, for some.
This might be your lived-experience or you may have watched loved-ones spiral out of control, unable to help.

Perhaps the greatest and worst temptation is to believe that God tests us with all kinds of struggles and calamity, so as to prove our faith. It is a lie. God tempts no one. We might, however, discover more of God’s love as we encounter and work through life’s inevitable joys and pains.

But by far the most devastating temptation anyone can present us with, is to believe that God doesn’t like us.

My friends, if or when we hear anything close to this, from others or from church – do not be deceived! This amounts to spiritual abuse, because it is the very opposite of God’s ways and purposes for us and can destroy the lives of those who come to believe it.

I am privileged to be working alongside many who have been led to believe, by the church or society, that they are unloved or unloveable – even by God.
I can share one thing:

‘Do not be deceived’, says God. ‘You are beloved’.

Prayer
Holy God,
may we not be deceived,
by world news,
personal struggles,
injustice or ‘othering’,
to in any way believe that you are testing us
or that your love is limited.

Holy Christ,
may we catch a glimpse today,
of something or someone,
who declares
‘you are beloved’.
 
Holy Spirit,
you dwell with us
in the fullness of love.
So be it. Amen

inspiration in your inbox 22 October 2024   James 1: 9 – 11 Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away. Reflection Turning the world upside down is the great clarion cry of the Christian message. From the words of Mary in the Magnificat, and Jesus’ teaching about the folly of relying on material things of this world, to these reflections in the epistle of James, we have the vision of a new world order where the lowly and poor will be raised up and the rich will wither away.   In its collection of bon mot aphorisms, the Book of James has something of the flavour of the Book of Proverbs and other Old Testament Wisdom literature. In its style of language what can come over is a rather simplistic notion that the poor need not worry; they should be patient and endure the trials of this world; the treasures of the rich will pass away and the lowly will get their deferred reward in the life to come. This mantra formed the bedrock of the unjust world of mediaeval feudal Christianity, and of many oppressive regimes since. But the power of James’ message, and indeed of the whole gospel story, is that when it talks about the rich and poor its focus is on the quality of one’s spiritual life rather than on the material world and how much one has or has not of it.  The richness of the kingdom of God is not just something to be attained in some distant future and realm … it is a state of being and flourishing that is to be entered into and enjoyed now! Prayer Lord, Open my eyes and my heart to your good news revelation.   Help me to see to embrace to live now the rich liberating life of the Spirit; made possible through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, our Lord.   Amen.

Today’s writer Professor Graham Handscomb, Member of Christ Church URC Chelmsford  New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

inspiration in your inbox Monday 21 October 2024   James 1: 1 – 8 To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance;  and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Reflection What a way to start a letter! Right after he greets his reader, James tells them that, as Christians, they will endure all sorts of challenges and trials.  When they do so, they should embrace them with joy. What sorts of trials might these be, and why should anyone undergoing them respond in such a way when most sensible people avoid such testing and difficulty as much as possible?    James writes to people who already have a faith in Christ, possibly of Jewish heritage, and who understand the fundamentals of Christianity.  But they are having problems putting it into practice. James spends little time on things like Christology or ecclesiology or polices and processes. Rather, this is a letter about putting faith into action. It speaks to what Christian living looks like in practice. It’s about owning our faith and making it a part of who we are.     These challenges are precisely because of the faith which the Diaspora profess, in this case most likely persecution. The Jews had a tradition in times of difficulty of looking to those who had tested and who had either endured successfully, like Abraham or Job, or failed dreadfully like the Israelites in the wilderness. Their stories of endurance tell how strong their faith really was who have the strength to endure what is still to come.    As Christians we must allow this endurance to perfect its work in us. One way to do this is to ask God for wisdom with confidence because lacking wisdom is a serious matter. Wisdom is a gift from God and those who lack wisdom, lack the ability to conduct their lives in the way God requires, to walk in the way we are now being shown through Christ. So, ask and you shall receive.  Don’t doubt. Be complete. Let your persistence have its full effect, that you might become perfect and grow in full Christian maturity.   Prayer O God  May your grace sustain me,  and your power support me.  May I persist in the hope that I may grow to full maturity in Christ. Amen.

Today’s writer The Revd Nicola Furley-Smith, Secretary for Ministries, Purley URC New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Epistle of James

Dear Friends,

I hope the reflections on difficult times I put together over the last two weeks have stimulated thought as we ponder how to navigate the times in which we live.  It’s been good to hear so many responses from you.

We now turn to the Epistle of James.  James is known as a general epistle – ie not sent to a particular congregation –  and one of the 21 epistles in the New Testament. It was written originally in Greek.  James 1:1 identifies the author as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” who is writing to “the twelve tribes scattered abroad”. Traditionally, the epistle is attributed to James the brother of Jesus, and the audience is considered generally to be Jewish Christians, who were dispersed outside Israel.

Framing his letter within an overall theme of patient perseverance during trials and temptations, James writes in order to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favouritism, and slander. He encourages and implores believers to live humbly by godly, rather than worldly, wisdom; he encourages prayer in all situations.

Martin Luther considered the epistle to be among the disputed books because his teaching of salvation only by faith is somewhat undermined by James’ theology.  Luther sidelined it to an appendix, although he cited it in his Large Catechism.  Of course, Luther’s views were a propaganda gift to Catholics who felt it rather undermined his views on the supremacy of Scripture!

The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience.  Many find James a gripping read and a powerful corrective to theologies which underplay the importance of how we live and behave in our Christian discipleship.

Happy reading!

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
 

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
    on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
   who executes justice for the oppressed;
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
    the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
    he upholds the orphan and the widow,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign for ever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Reflection

Over the last two weeks we’ve thought about the various facets of our fast changing contemporary society  with mass movements of people, untrustworthy sources of news, financial upheaval coupled with increasing job insecurity.  No wonder that people turn to politicians with easy answers which pit us against each other as a distraction from those who cause the problems in the first place! People vote in all sorts of ways for all sorts of reasons; and the Church has, over the centuries, had to cope with all sorts of governments of all sorts of ideologies.

Our distinctive contribution as Christians, however, is rather more basic.  Our Psalmist today warns us not to put our trust in mortal rulers who will, like us, one day head for the grave.  Instead, we are told to trust in God. I think this is the basis behind Jesus’ admonition to Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world; not that we should divorce ourselves from a world heading to Hell but that, as Paul VI once wrote, every political ideology no matter how close it might be portrayed to Christian values, has within itself the seeds of its own destruction unless it is an articulation of Jesus’ good news.  

As the Psalmist notes God sets  prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts the oppressed, loves the righteous watches over strangers, and upholds the rights of those on the edge.  These other worldly values are ones we might wish to see in our politicians and we can rejoice when their policies seem to come close to these things.  We always remember, however, not to place our trust in mortals “in whom there is no help” but instead trust only in God, our rock and redeemer.  

Such trust is the only sure way to navigate the difficult times in which we live and reject the siren voices that tempt us to despair.

Prayer

God, our guide,
calm our anxieties,
strengthen our resolve,
and increase our trust in You,
that we may no longer put our trust in mortals,
who offer nothing but division and discord,
that we may proclaim and welcome
Your coming Kingdom,
Amen.  

Philippians 3:17 – 21

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.  For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

Reflection

When the Church becomes too close to the realms and regimes, ideas and ideologies of the State, corruption sets in.  

In Henry VIII’s England, Parliament declared him “Head of the Church” and went on to regulate worship and seize Church land against resistance that ultimately came to little.  In 1930s Germany the “German Christians” won power in church elections and sought to accommodate Christianity with Nazism.  Those who tried to stay faithful to the Gospel adopted the Barmann Declaration which proclaimed the Church’s freedom in Jesus Christ who is Lord of every area of life.  As God’s Word, Jesus determines the Church’s order, ministry, and relationship to the state; the Church was not to be a mere State agency.  It was heady stuff but allowed faithful Christians to organise and avoid Nazi corruption. This declaration inspired contemporary Orthodox theologians to condemn the “Russian World” teaching prevalent in some sections of Russian Orthodoxy.  This teaching includes ideas such as the nations of Ukraine and Belarus are not legitimate (and should be seen as extensions of Russia), that the Church is the soul of the nation and so intimately bound up with it, and subordinates Christian faith to national interests.

Attempts to blur the boundaries between our earthly and heavenly citizenship always end badly – whether that’s the upheaval of the Reformation era, Nazi attempts to subjugate the Church, or Russian attempts to baptise imperial ideology.  Paul reminds us, in an age where Roman citizenship was prized and valuable, that the only citizenship we should care about is that of Heaven.   

Henry Tudor is mere dust in his grand grave, the German Christians did not succeed in their demonic despotism and, one day, Kirill and his perversion of Orthodoxy will stand condemned as will all attempts to make the Church a useful idiot.  Above it all stands Christ, the Lord who calls us to follow him rejecting all that corrupts the Gospel and offering us hope and guidance in difficult times. 

Prayer

God our Guide,
remind us always of our true heavenly citizenship,
that the values of Your coming Kingdom,
will help us be better citizens of our earthly realms,
and more faithful disciples.  Amen.