St Matthew  7:6

Jesus said: ‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

Reflection

I am writing this Devotion sitting on my office chair which I am cosily sharing with my dog, Miss Eve the Dobermann. I have just eaten lunch, ham and cheese sandwiches, shared with Eve. This introduction describes to you my context regarding dogs and pigs.

In Jesus’ context, things were different: pigs were ‘unclean’ animals, not eaten by Jews; and dogs were potentially dangerous scavengers. Elsewhere in the New Testament, dogs are synonymous with evil (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15).

On a simplistic level, ‘holy’ is that which is set aside for God. Years ago, one denomination struggled with the ethics of investing Church money in arms-manufacturers.  Maybe this verse cautions us regarding our allies.

Like me, the Reformer Martin Luther had a soft-spot for dogs and their devotion: “If I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat.” In his 260-page commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Luther devoted 5 pages to this verse. We are probably unsurprised that Luther considered the “dogs and hogs” to be those who opposed and exploited the Reformation.

Even today, in some parts of the world, it is dangerous to preach the Gospel – that’s the being “mauled”!

Throwing pearls? Giving any precious stone/item to any animal is pointless: they can’t eat them! 

At the end of August, a group of Christians from several churches took part in Manchester’s Pride parade and posted their participation on social media. Sadly, what followed in the comments was an increasingly vicious and unpleasant exchange. Clearly, neither side would be won over by the other’s words.

Herein lies a greater challenge. It is comparatively easier to avoid known intransigent conversations and emotionally inflammatory situations. But what about our precious things – our pearls – our time, our money and our resources? Are they being wasted anywhere?

I leave you with these thoughts on this day when the URC General Assembly begins its Extraordinary Meeting regarding the Church-Life Review.

Prayer

Loving God, through Your Word
and by Your Holy Spirit,
grant us wisdom to discern
how best to use
what You have given us.
We hold before You
this extraordinary General Assembly.
May we be led to love and serve You
and praise You more and more for ever.
You are the Source, Guide, and Goal
of all that is: to You be eternal glory. Amen.

St Matthew 7: 1 – 5

Jesus said: ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.

Reflection

This passage is derived from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus advises his disciples on how to treat others and emphasises the importance of self-awareness and humility. I believe that cultivating the ability to self-examine prior to passing judgment would have helped the disciples better understand the diverse individuals they encountered. This self-awareness could also have facilitated stronger connections and ultimately encouraged more individuals to follow Jesus. Therefore, developing these qualities was, and continues to be, of significant importance.

Regarding the act of forming judgments, many of us are quite skilled at doing so. The passage suggests that we should avoid passing judgment on others to prevent ourselves from being subject to similar scrutiny. It highlights that the standards we apply to others will ultimately be the standards used to assess us.

So, why do we engage in judgment?  

Does it divert our attention from our personal lives? Does it enhance our self-esteem or create a sense of superiority over others? Do we experience any emotional benefit from making these judgments?  

The reality is that, on occasion, we may find a temporary sense of relief or satisfaction in noticing differences – such as recognising that we would not choose to dress in a certain way or that we would not make a particular mistake ourselves.

I believe that, in life, we often strive to feel better about ourselves – whether it’s our appearance, our intelligence, or our status – and that judging others (in all honesty) can make us feel better, at least for a while.

However, in truth, we are all created equally, and God’s love for each of us is unconditional. 

For my latest challenge, I am committed to cultivating a less judgmental and more positive outlook as part of my spiritual growth. When I recognise how loved, blessed, and valued I am in God’s eyes, I find it easier to refrain from quick or harsh judgments of others.

Prayer 

Father in Heaven, 
we thank you for loving us just as we are. 
We thank you that despite our less positive traits, 
you still bless us. 
Help us to grow in the confidence of your love, 
and learn to show this same love and acceptance to others.  
Amen

Wednesday 12 November 2025
 

St Matthew 6: 24

Jesus said: ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Reflection

The First Nations Bible renders this as, “No one can be loyal to two rival chiefs. You will have to choose between them. You will either hate one chief and love the other, or honour one and resent the other. You cannot be loyal to the Great Provider and to possessions at the same time.” Utterly true. For possessions add any other focus – object, ideology, person, media stream, pursuit.

Yes, we know.   How on this earth do we possibly enact this aspiration? The fundamental thing about the Gospel is that when we’re willing to face raw reality and ask questions, we are given understanding and grace to answer. We face reality, grieve or rejoice about what we see, then get hopefully enriched life.

Instead of giving ourselves lists of ‘musts’ and ‘must nots’ (which may change) we can believe that we may freely accept and enter the experience of partnership with God. We can remember that God isn’t out there somewhere, stuck in a cloud or in some other galaxy. Jesus/incarnation says God is right here, where you sit to read and I sit to write. Through Spirit inside us, we have courage to ditch the ‘must’ lists into the compost heap. Instead, we look into each day as a set of revelations about where our love can make the most difference. Sometimes, we love ourselves first to make ourselves safe because we finally named a painful reality. Sometimes we love another first to ease their lives or situation and, in the process, dare to help them name realities.  

What we know from watching selfish greed roll out on an industrial scale is that putting anything other than God as our priority doesn’t do much long term good for any kind of life. Putting greed last is counter-cultural. Let’s love our Great Provider first and giggle as we watch communities get strong. When we see our lives as serving love first, the results can be incredible.

 Prayer

God, it always seems easy 
when I read what someone else wrote 
about what we’re supposed to DO with you.
Help us know in our bodies 
that whatever we do or don’t do, 
your physical presence is not fake news.
As we read this, help us stop, 
breathe in…..out…and listen inside.
Your love quickens our pulses 
to tell us we’re not alone.
With you, we can act your Gospel. 
Today’s way. Alleluia, Amen.

St Matthew 6: 22 – 23

Jesus said: ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light;  but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Reflection

In 2022 before we moved to the UK, I got shingles in my face, which unfortunately spread into my right eye and scarred my cornea – all good now, I was fortunate that it hasn’t caused any permanent damage to my already rather poor eyesight. What did annoy me was the fact that the month before I ended up in hospital, I had spent a fortune on new prescription spectacles! that subsequently needed to be updated once my eye settled.

One clue to my illness was light sensitivity, in the days leading up to my hospital stay, all light – both electric and natural – was really painful to be in. I shied away from bright areas, wore my sunglasses regularly and just generally didn’t want to be in the light, the darkness was of great comfort to me.

However, as soon as my eyes were better, the light was a glory to behold – the darkness was very isolating and I felt very cut off from those around me, like I had put up a shield to keep them out. I love seeing the sun/Son, I find nothing more comforting than waking up and seeing the light streaming into the house, the sun shining, the earth looking new and refreshed, everything bright and exposed to the growth that comes with light.

So, I make every endeavour to always be in the light, to not have to go back to the darkness and isolation and shielding myself from brightness because it was not a pleasant place to be.

Prayer

Light of the World
you stepped down into darkness
opened my eyes let me see,*
thank you for enabling me
to see the light and move away from the darkness,
may my eyes always be open to You,
Lord of the Light
and may I never have to shield myself
from you or others. Amen.
 (*Here I am to worship by Robin Mark)

Alleluia!  

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.
Who can tell the Lord’s mighty deeds?
Who can recount all his praise?

They are happy who do what is right,
who at all times do what is just.
O Lord, remember me
out of the love you have for your people.

Come to me, Lord, with your help
that I may see the joy of your chosen ones
and may rejoice in the gladness of your nation
and share the glory of your people.

Our sin is the sin of our forebears;
we have done wrong, our deeds have been evil.
Our forebears when they were in Egypt
paid no heed to your wonderful deeds.

They forgot the greatness of your love,
at the Red Sea defied the Most High.
Yet he saved them for the sake of his name,
in order to make known his power.

He threatened the Red Sea; it dried up
and he led them through the deep as through the desert.
He saved them from the hand of the foe;
he saved them from the grip of the enemy.

The waters covered their oppressors;
not one of them was left alive.
Then they believed in his words:
then they sang his praises.

But they soon forgot his deeds
and would not wait upon his will.
They yielded to their cravings in the desert
and put God to the test in the wilderness.

He granted them the favour they asked
and sent disease among them.
Then they rebelled, envious of Moses and
of Aaron, who was holy to the Lord.

The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
and buried the clan of Abiram.
Fire blazed up against their clan
and flames devoured the rebels.

They fashioned a calf at Horeb
and worshipped an image of metal,
exchanging the God who was their glory
for the image of a bull that eats grass.

They forgot the God who was their saviour,
who had done such great things in Egypt,
such portents in the land of Ham,
such marvels at the Red Sea.

For this he said he would destroy them,
but Moses, the man he had chosen,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn back his anger from destruction.

Then they scorned the land of promise;
they had no faith in his word.
They complained inside their tents
and would not listen to the voice of the Lord.

So he raised his hand to swear an oath
that he would lay them low in the desert;
would scatter their sons among the nations
and disperse them throughout the lands.

They bowed before the Baal of Peor;
ate offerings made to lifeless gods.
They roused him to anger with their deeds
and plague broke out among them.

Then Phinehas stood up and intervened.
Thus the plague was ended
and this was counted in his favour
from age to age for ever.

They provoked him at the waters of Meribah.
Through their fault it went ill with Moses;
for they made his heart grow bitter
and he uttered words that were rash.

They failed to destroy the peoples
as the Lord had given command,
but instead they mingled with the nations
and learned to act as they did.

They worshipped the idols of the nations
and these became a snare to entrap them.
They even offered their own sons
and their daughters in sacrifice to demons.

They shed the blood of the innocent,
the blood of their sons and daughters
whom they offered to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted with blood.

So they defiled themselves by their deeds
and broke their marriage bond with the Lord
 till his anger blazed against his people;
he was filled with horror at his chosen ones.

So he gave them into the hand of the nations
and their foes became their rulers.
Their enemies became their oppressors;
they were subdued beneath their hand.

Time after time God rescued them,
but in their malice they dared to defy him
and sank low through their guilt.
In spite of this he paid heed to their distress,
so often as he heard their cry.

For their sake he remembered his covenant.
In the greatness of his love he relented
and he let them be treated with mercy
by all who held them captive.

O Lord, our God, save us!
Bring us together from among the nations
that we may thank your holy name
and make it our glory to praise you.

Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,
for ever, from age to age.
Let all the people cry out:
“Amen! Amen! Alleluia!”

Reflection

Drawing on the Pentateuch and Deuteronomy, the Psalmist constructs a lengthy meditation about how God has kept faith with his people. They may have followed one rebellion with another but, despite putting themselves in danger, God can be relied on to deliver them.

The Psalmist reminds us that rebellion has consequences. When God’s people broke the first commandment and worshipped the idols of other nations, these became a snare to entrap them. Sons and daughters suffered as they were offered as human sacrifice. Whenever Israel mixed the worship of other gods with the worship of the Lord, then the outcome would be suffering.

The human tendency towards unfaithfulness continues and will always have consequences: whenever people of faith put our trust in something other than the living God, someone will suffer.

When we worship wealth, we will fail to see and respond to our neighbour’s needs. When we pursue power for its own sake, we will do so at the expense of our neighbour. When we make gods of our career, our family, or our country then concern for the widow, the orphan, and the outsider will be pushed to one side.

The Psalmist sets us an example when they plead to the Lord to come to them so that, with the Lord’s help, they may see the joy of his chosen ones. The request is both a confession that they themselves have not been among those who have kept justice and maintained righteousness and also an implicit confession of faith that the psalmist is among those who are dependent on the Lord’s mercy.

If we are to take our place in the community of faith, we need to recognise that we too are compromised and we too have rebelled. In doing so, we can trust that we too will be forgiven – again and again – by the Lord. May we recognise our dependence on the gracious forgiveness of God, whose love really does last forever.

Prayer

Lord,
We give thanks that you are good 
and that your love endures forever.
Forgive us when we forget your generosity 
and fail to wait upon your will, 
preferring to put you to the test 
as we pursue our own desires.
Do not let us forget that 
when we turn our backs on you 
there are consequences.
Bring us together 
as part of your great community of faith.
May we praise your holy name.
Amen

 
St Matthew 6: 19 – 21
 
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;  but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
Reflection
 
I think it is a great shame that for many the Church and the Bible are perceived as ‘telling us what to do’ – an attitude that has sadly been off-putting for many. The Bible is filled with great advice but it is an invitation not a prescription. And its counsel is very contemporary – I can’t help thinking, if it were put on TikTok by the latest influencer, people would eagerly embrace it!
 
Quotes about creating experiences rather than buying material goods are not a million miles from what Jesus is getting at here. Deep down, we know things can be snatched away at any minute. With Covid, storm damage and flooding, we are realising things we took for granted are no longer permanent. And many would agree we should slow down and enjoy the good things of life rather than be always rushing to accumulate the possessions which ultimately leave us wanting more.
 
Jesus echoes the sentiments of Kohelet, the Teacher in Ecclesiastes, who realises that everything we strive for disappears like mist. Consequently, Ecclesiastes has a bit of a depressing reputation but actually it carries a message of hope. We are reminded that the only constant is our relationship with God.
 
Jesus the Rabbi, teaches the same thing as his Old Testament predecessor. Remember, he tells us not to worry about our clothing and food, comparing how much God gives to the lilies of the field and the birds of the air and not to worry about tomorrow to simply live in the present moment today.
 
Wealth and possessions are not to become a distraction from God, but to be used wisely and responsibly for the common good. Ultimately, we cannot take these things with us instead, we have our true treasure the love and grace of God and those do not disappear like the mist.
 
Prayer
 
God remind us today to stop striving for earthly treasures and to realise that what we have is enough
Guide us instead, to find ways to deepen our relationship with you the source of our true and enduring treasure
And remind us how to share this treasure with those who may not yet have found it
Amen

Friday, 7 November 2025 

 
St Matthew 6: 9 – 14
 
Jesus said: 
 
‘Pray then in this way:
 
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
 
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
 
Reflection

Have you noticed something odd about The Lord’s Prayer? Like, it’s not the Lord’s prayer? (unless you live in Scotland! Ed)

If you know the traditional version, you’ll find the first part familiar, but perhaps the end tripped you up. Neither ‘Lead us not into temptation’ nor ‘deliver us from evil’ are quite what Jesus said.  Does it matter?  Yes and no.

No, because Jesus wasn’t telling us to recite his exact words as such, but Yes, if the words we say give us a distorted picture of God.

Lead us not into temptation: The word Jesus used can mean tempting to evil deeds, like the satan trying to make Jesus sin (Mk 1:13), or the teachers of the law trying to catch Jesus saying something wrong (Lk 10:25), but I really don’t think this is the sense used here. Do we picture God gleefully trying to make us sin and we must beg a malevolent deity not to be nasty? I hope not, ‘cos God ain’t like that.  A better sense is testing or trial, like when you test how strong a girder is by loading it with weights. We’re asking God to steer us clear of situations that we’d find hard to bear. It goes in a pair with the line after (common in Hebrew poetry): don’t bring us to [this bad thing], but rescue us from [that bad thing].

Deliver us from evil: A small point, but Matthew said, ‘the evil’, not evil in general and, just as in English, it means a person with that trait: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly means the good (people) the bad (people) and the ugly (people). So Matthew’s prayer is better translated as ‘rescue us from the evil one’, and that’s very different from asking that we never encounter anything evil. As Christians we’re supposed to be around the evil stuff in the world. ‘Cos what’s the point of lighting a lamp in a room that’s already bright?

Prayer

Father God,
thank you that you allow us to be tested,
but never more than we can bear.
Thank you that you rescue us from the evil one,
and give us strength to be light in dark places.
Give us grace, we pray,
to carry your love, peace and hope
into the hurts of your beloved but broken world.
Amen.

Wednesday, 5 November 2025 

St Matthew 6: 5 – 8
 
Jesus said:  ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  ‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
 
Reflection

Jesus says,  “whenever you pray”.  Not “if” but “whenever”.   Is our prayer life, I wonder, part of our regular “when” rather than our occasional “if”?   Most, if not all of us, are at risk of regarding prayer as “for emergency use only” rather than being as basic as breathing.  By spotlighting the act of praying in the public gaze and with “many words” we are also alerted to the further danger of limiting our prayer life to those occasions when we gather for public worship.   By contrast Jesus urges us to pray within the personal and private space of our own homes and with the honest vocabulary of those for whom prayer is the regular and natural conversation with God as loving parent.

There is value, of course, in the formal prayers of the Church, gathered for public worship and I am among those who are grateful for those whose written prayers enhance our worship – including the URC’s annual Prayer Handbook.   But if in any other relationship we only communicated with one another when out together in public that relationship would be a very limited one.   In today’s gospel reading we are encouraged to resist the notion that our prayer life is judged by its length and fluency or that “heaping up” prayers will benefit our cause.  We are reassured that God expects nothing more than what we are prepared to say when no one else is listening apart from God alone.

One of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard was offered at the close of the prayer I had said to conclude a meeting.  One of those attending interjected and prayed a prayer for me and ended it with, “Sorry, God, I know the words could be improved but given that Geoffrey has prayed for each of us I wanted to pray for him too”.  Ultimately it is not about perfection of vocabulary but heartfelt intention. 

Prayer

We dare to believe, dearest Lord, 
that you know our every need.
We thank you for the assurance 
that however much we might struggle to find the right words
in Christ you encourage us to make space for prayer 
and to close the door to all but your gaze upon us.
We offer to you what is on our hearts and minds,
asking that those for whom we pray might know strength and peace.
In Christ’s name, Amen.