St Matthew 17: 14 – 20
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Reflection
What miracles do you think Jesus would do if he was in your neighbourhood today?

Would he feed lots of hungry people? Would he bring peace to the storms that endanger life and livelihoods? Would he restore dignity to disabled or marginalised people? Would he convince rich people to repay generously those communities they had previously exploited? Perhaps you would witness a miraculous healing.

What miracle does your neighbourhood need today?

In the gospel passage, the need is clear: a devoted father pleads on bended knee. He has tried Jesus’ followers, but their best efforts didn’t help. The seizures keep coming and the father prays for mercy.

Unperturbed by previous failures, Jesus listens. Jesus has compassion. Jesus acts powerfully.

In the Bible, we find healing and faith are deeply entwined. Even today, faith healers of various religions and philosophies perpetuate the idea that a lack of healing is the fault of the person with the affliction or need not having enough faith. In our reading today, however, Jesus never calls the father or the son’s faith into question. Instead, he highlights the lack of faith within his own followers.

What would Jesus say to you and your church today?

Have you and your congregation listened to the pleas of your neighbourhood? Do you have the faith to pray? To speak out and rebuke evil? To act and bring healing?

What miracles do you think Jesus would do if he was in your neighbourhood today? 

Today, you bring the living presence of Christ wherever he has placed you. What miracles will you pray, speak out and work for today?

[And, of course, if someone raises a concern such as seizures, as well as listening and praying, please ensure that they are receiving appropriate professional support.]

Prayer
Compassionate God,
thank you that you hear, you care
and you still act powerfully today.
Forgive my lack of faith
when faced with mountainous challenges;
when my prayers, words and actions
seem weak and ineffective
and achieve little.
I ask for a mustard seed of faith,
that the mountains will be moved
and lives changed for the better
in my neighbourhood and the world.
Amen.

St Matthew 17: 1 – 13

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”  When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.  But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”  Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Reflection

Being on top of a mountain has many attractions.  Firstly you can get a great view. You are able to see things laid out below you. You can see the plans people have laid. You can see the relationship of one thing to another, you can see the links between them. You can draw back from the detail and see the outline and the organisation of things. Things can be seen much more clearly from on top of a mountain. 

Secondly you might see things differently. You may get to see the tops of the clouds instead of just the underneath of them, as we do most days. You can also see further. You get to see what lies beyond our current day to day existence. You get to see the bigger picture. You can see how our daily lives fit into the bigger world around us. Sometimes, dauntingly, you get to see the hills that lie beyond the current ones we are climbing, but at least that allows us to plan ahead.

Every year the Church goes mountain climbing.  Along with Peter, James and John, we follow Jesus up the hill.  On that mountain top Jesus’ figure changes and the outside of him, which had been ordinary and like us, shines as if he is not like one of us. On the mountain top we see him as he really is.  God’s glory is revealed.  

Where is your mountain top? Where do you go to withdraw from the bustle of everyday life to see the fullness of God’s glory. It could be a riverside or a cliff top or a beach. Perhaps it is a favourite view you have of the country, or the coast, or even a city or town. Or is your mountain top found in music – a favourite recording, or a live performance that you can experience in a hall or theatre or even simply at home on your tv or radio. Perhaps your mountain top is found in worship in your local church.  Wherever it is, take time to meet with Jesus and be dazzled by what he is doing in your life.

Prayer

Holy and loving God – whose nature and ways are far beyond our understanding, we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus – who lets us see your face in his, who shows us your love in his actions, your grace in his manner of being.  In him too, O God, we see ourselves as you would have us be and as your power is able to make us.  Make us more like him we pray.  Amen

Written by John Maynard, and posted on https://re-worship.blogspot.com.

St Matthew 16: 21 – 28
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Reflection
“Oh dear Lord, that isn’t how to motivate volunteers!  You just called Peter “Satan!”  Did You not sleep very well?  Were You hangry?  Surely Your Mother taught You better manners than that!  My volunteers don’t respond well to being called “Satan”; I’ve had some difficult elders in my time but confusing them with the Prince of Darkness was not a sure fire way to ensure good order!  Congregationalists can get stroppy about that type of behaviour and vote difficult ministers out of office.

“All that talk about crosses – that’s not going to grow the Church is it?  Who wants to follow You whilst risking execution?  Can’t You promise the health and wealth that some of Your followers claim is theirs in exchange for discipleship?  That wouldn’t cost a lot but would go a long way.  Why not promise rewards for following You?  Much better than promising a grizzly death.  

“It’s different now, Lord, from Your day.  The churches are almost empty, we need people to fill the rotas, pay the bills, maintain the buildings, and ensure the institution is here for the next generation.  People need to be motivated and offered much in return for their time and energy; pie in the sky isn’t as rewarding as a good life now.  Easy motivation is a sure fire winner!

“All that talk of rewarding us for what we’ve done; that doesn’t sound very Reformed.  Next you’ll be saying faith isn’t enough and we have to reflect our discipleship in our lives.  You won’t win any awards in marketing, Lord.  You won’t grow the Church if You carry on like this, will You? 

“Your preaching about death and conflict is very difficult to read, Lord.  We’ve had our fill of death and disaster, conflict and confusion, anger and anguish, persecution and pain.  Couldn’t You have made an accommodation with the religious authorities?  Bent a little?  Found a middle way?”

Prayer
Help us, Lord Jesus,
to follow Your narrow way,
to remember grace comes at a great cost,
and the road to Hell is wide and easy.
Amen

St Matthew 16: 13 – 20
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter,  and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades  will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Reflection
It’s 325CE, and Emperor Constantine is worried. The Christians are divided about who Jesus is. Divided Christians could mean trouble for the Empire so the Emperor convened a council of bishops to sort this out.  So the Nicene Creed, that we celebrated in 2025, was born. Political crisis clarified faith for centuries to come.

Sixteen centuries later, the Nazi-controlled German state proclaimed  only one ultimate lord, and was not Jesus. So the Confessing Church was born that made its costly claim that ‘Jesus is Lord.’ No person, political party, nor governing power could be allowed to challenge this commitment. Some years later, in prison for living out this Confession, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that the key question for us is “Who is Jesus Christ for us today?”  It’s getting personal! And it would cost Bonhoeffer his life.

In first-century Israel, we’re in the northern city of Caesarea Philippi  under Roman occupation. The Empire demands ultimate loyalty. Jesus challenged his disciples in this threatening moment, “Who do you say that I am?” It’s Peter who gets it, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  It was a dangerous confession then too. Ultimately, Peter is martyred for his, sometimes wobbly, but always committed, witness to this truth about Jesus.

Empires, powers and ambitious, self-aggrandizing, leaders still want centre stage in our frightened hearts and in our fragile, threatened global community. After all these centuries, it’s still the question that challenges us, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Our Christian discipleship is still about discovering and rediscovering the transforming and costly truth about Jesus, and staking our life on that discovery in our personal lives and in the global community of nations. This will always be ‘the Rock’ on which God will build the Church of Christ, ‘beset by change but Spirit-led’ and ‘the key’ to God’s kingdom in Jesus, with its ‘challenge and choice’.

Prayer
Jesus, in whose name I trust,
and whose ultimate claim on me I confess,
give me new courage to face the world –
at my feet and in distant places –
so that I can bear witness,
through my life and with my words,to your promise of restoration and hope,
for nations and peoples.
Help me to stand on the Rock of this faith
and be an instrument of your kingdom
of love, justice and peace. Amen.

St Matthew 16: 5 – 12

When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.  “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?  Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?  Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?  How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Reflection

As the disciples crossed the lake with Jesus, they realised they had forgotten bread. Their minds were fixed on a small mistake, but Jesus wanted them to realise a greater truth. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

At first, they misunderstand. They thought he was scolding them for their lack of food. Patiently, Jesus reminded them of the miracles of feeding the thousands with only a few loaves. There, bread was never the issue. He had shown the crowds he could provide abundantly. The real concern is spiritual. Like yeast that quietly spreads through dough, false teaching and unhealthy influence can work its way into our hearts and communities, changing us without us noticing.

The disciples were bound by the Pharisees’ rigid legalism and the Sadducees’ skeptical unbelief, both of which distort God’s truth. Jesus urged his disciples, and us today, to be on guard. Our challenge is not the absence of bread but the subtle presence of ideas, attitudes, or voices that pull us away from trust in Christ. 

So, ask yourself “where am I overly worried about ‘bread’, the daily needs, small mistakes, the practical concerns when Jesus has already shown he can provide? Am I alert to the ‘yeast’ around me, all the teachings, influences, or habits that quietly shape my faith for the worse?” That is why Jesus tells us to be watchful.

Jesus’ Call is not to remember the bread, but to remember Him, the true Bread from Heaven, the one who satisfies our deepest hunger and keeps us steady in truth. When our minds drift and our hearts are pulled by other voices, Jesus invites us back to trust in him. In Christ we have all we need. Let us go into the day ahead, keeping our eyes on him, feeding on his word and finding our hope in his presence.   

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding me that you are my provider. Forgive me when I am anxious about things you have already promised to supply. Help me to stay watchful, discerning, and rooted in your truth, so that no false teaching or subtle influence takes me away from you. Keep my heart pure and my faith strong. Amen.

St Matthew 16: 1 – 4

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.  He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

Reflection

When I read these verses, I’m struck by how the Pharisees and Sadducees dismissed all that Jesus had already shown them. They came asking for a sign from heaven, as if the healings, the miracles, the authority of His teaching, and the compassion He displayed were not enough. They were set on wanting proof that met their expectations, rather than seeing who stood before them. And I realise, I can be the same. How often do I look for God to prove Himself in ways I think He should, instead of trusting in what He has already revealed?

Jesus’ words cut deep, the men standing before Him could interpret the sky and predict the weather, but they could not interpret the signs of the times. They were skilled at reading the natural world, yet blind to the spiritual reality unfolding right before their eyes. This challenges me because I wonder how many times I’ve missed the work of God because I was waiting for something spectacular, something unmistakable, instead of noticing His quiet faithfulness woven into ordinary moments.

Here the only sign Jesus offers is the sign of Jonah, His death and resurrection. That is the ultimate demonstration of God’s power and love. The cross and the tomb, in that defining moment of history, He gave us the assurance we need. No other sign could be greater, no other proof more far-reaching.

This passage encourages me to pause and think where I’m still waiting for God to “show up” in a certain way. It reminds me that I don’t need to chase more proof, because Jesus has already given me everything. What I need is eyes to recognise His presence in the everyday, and to trust His promises, even when I can’t yet see the full picture.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 
forgive me for the times I’ve demanded more 
when You’ve already given me everything. 
Open my eyes to notice Your presence in the everyday, 
to treasure the sign of Your love displayed on the Cross, 
and to trust that You are always at work 
in the holiness of the ordinary. Amen.

Alleluia 

O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!

Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever. (Grail Version)

or

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!

For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord
endures forever.

Praise the Lord!  (NRSV)

Reflection

This psalm is the shortest one. It invites the whole world to praise God and it affirms the strength of God’s love and faithfulness. In remarkably few words it embraces the whole world and also assures us of God’s love towards us. It is both universal and intimate. 

There is room for two versions of this psalm today, and perhaps there are more that you know. The one from the New Revised Standard Version is the one I happen to know best, and I treasure these familiar words because I can (just about) remember them off by heart. A new translation can bring new insight, but isn’t etched into my soul as these particular words are.  And more and more I know I want to commit even small verses to memory so that I need nothing more than to call them to my lips. 

I remember learning once of the dangers of ‘vain repetition’ in prayer, of saying words without meaning them, and I understand the point. But I have also learned that writing, and age, are the enemies of memory and that things well remembered, repeated and absorbed can actually feed and sustain my soul. So, with the small amount of memory available to me, I want to fill it with words that matter, that bring good news, that shape me and hold me. 

Psalm 117 is a good place to begin. Short, joyful, and an encouragement to praise. So, choose, or make, a translation of this short psalm  (or use the Hebrew!). Then repeat it again and again and let its words accompany the rhythm of the day. May it become our shared and remembered prayer. 

Prayer

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!

For great is his steadfast love 
toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord
endures forever.

(and again…)

St Matthew 15: 29 – 39

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.  The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.  Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.  The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.  After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Reflection

Whenever I read these words I visualise crowds climbing up the mountainside to reach Jesus. People eager to be first, running ahead, perhaps trampling the toes of fellow climbers in their haste. Others, hesitant, pulled along by the surging crowd, and some, stumbling. In their midst, loving souls, believing everyone matters, help any blind, lame,  voiceless, or weary folk, up the mountain. Focussing on Jesus’ love, their own limitations and inadequacies are forgotten. Drawing closer to Jesus, I share their healing joy, but find myself intrigued by ”And they praised the God of Israel!”

Matthew’s feeding of the five thousand near Bethsaida (in chapter 14) is in contrast to this feeding of four thousand in the region of Decapolis. In the first, Jewish people worship the God of Israel and, in the second, mostly Gentiles, who worship  idols, are fed.  Perhaps the Gentiles were so amazed at being healed they respected and saw in Jesus (even though appearing before them as a man) the God of Israel?

Sharing these two miracles, Matthew highlights the compassion of Jesus for all people regardless of background, status, faith, and His concern for the hungry.  The setting in Decapolis identifying Jesus’s love is not just for Jews but for everyone.

Seven loaves reminds me that Jesus is the bread of Life sustaining and providing beyond our expectations. Some link this also to the seven days of Creation when God created all things, or perhaps the seven baskets and leftovers represent the seven churches in Revelation – and a call to mission for ourselves today? (Matthew 28:19-20)

There are hints of the Great Commission, Jesus asking His disciples to take his teaching and love to every nation and people. Today’s powerful message is one of universal love challenging us to reach beyond divisions, walls of injustice and segregation, speaking for those silenced and oppressed. It contains a promise of a world where no one lives in fear, but all are valued and loved.

Prayer 

Jesus, 
the magnitude of suffering worldwide overwhelms 
and we feel helpless, 
yet you care deeply knowing each individual – 
hurting, or afraid.
Even in these darkest times, 
love is shining in hearts of all who honour humanity, 
living your love on earth. 
Give us courage, 
to climb the mountains of life with you, 
be light, hope in others’ darkness 
knowing you hold us in your love forever! Amen!

St Matthew 15: 1 – 20

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,  “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?  For God said, ‘Honour your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’  they are not to ‘honour their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 
“‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 

He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.  Leave them; they are blind guides.  If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 

Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”  

“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?  But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Reflection

The Pharisees were speaking of ritual washing; the disciples respected this purity law and pointed out to Jesus that he had offended the Pharisees. Jesus replied by pointing out that the Pharisees themselves broke their laws by failing to take care of their own parents following made-up human rules.

We have rules and laws to help create an ordered society and promote peace and harmony. But, as Jesus points out, some rules do not serve the people or are not relevant to every situation.  Some rules become outdated or obsolete.  Some rules are unjust, for example, the practice that prevented a woman from working in a professional job when she married. Some rules just don’t make sense.

The disciples were worried that Jesus had upset the Pharisees who they had respect for and wished to honour. But it was Jesus’ way to repeatedly question the laws that the Pharisees taught. There are many examples of his questioning the purity laws concerning the sick, the Gentiles, and the rules of the Sabbath by performing healings, and now with ritual washing.  More than challenging the law, Jesus told the disciples to look deeper past the facade of authority and power and examine the intent of the words being used.  Jesus asked ‘Are the words spoken and the rules made with love, understanding and concern for others or are they spoken and composed with selfishness and a lust for power over others?’ The words we speak, whoever we are, from the most powerful lawmaker to the humblest person, reveal what sort of person we are.

Jesus saw through the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The question he leaves us is ‘ Do we also create a facade to hide behind so as not to reveal who we really are or our intentions?’

Prayer

Loving God 
we know how we want to be 
but sometimes it is so difficult.
We create all sorts of facades to hide behind.
We believe we are right 
and fail to see ourselves as others see us
Let us re-examine our hearts and minds today, 
be honest with ourselves, 
and try once more to see through all the rules 
and traditions that we create 
and become better followers of Jesus.
Amen