1st Sunday After Trinity Readings: Deuteronomy 5v12-15; Psalm 81v1-10; 2 Corinthians 4v5-12; Mark 2v23-3v6. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: In the reading from Deuteronomy we hear Moses teaching the people of Israel. God commands us to work for 6 days and on the 7th to take a rest day, a Sabbath day, a day to be doing what God does, a day to be offered to all, a day to be kept holy – by doing what God does on the Sabbath. This reading reminds us that the Sabbath is a day that was made for us by God. A day for us to rest from the pressures of life and copy what God does. The psalm tells us that the 7th day is a day of festival, a day to make music and sing songs about God, the one and only true God, the God who lifts the burden of the world from our shoulders, the God who saves and rescues us, just as he did in ancient times, when he rescued his people from Egypt. This reading tells us that the Sabbath is a festival day when we can focus on God and call to mind all that God has done for us as we rest from the pressures of life. In Mark’s gospel we hear that Jesus was walking with his disciples on a Sabbath day and the disciples pulled off heads of grain. The Pharisees amongst them complained and said to Jesus that they were breaking the Sabbath rules. In reply, Jesus reminded all who were listening that the Sabbath was made for the people, not the people made for the Sabbath, by telling them part of their history. For when their ancestor David and his companions were hungry, they had gone into the sanctuary and, in the presence of the chief priest, had taken and eaten the holy bread from the altar. Then, after they reached the meeting place, Jesus asked those present about the actions that are permitted on the Sabbath, good or evil actions, and then showed them what he meant by healing a man with a withered hand, even though this was not permitted by the Sabbath rules, in his time. This reading tells us that even though the Sabbath is a day that was made for us by God, when we can rest from the pressures of life and copy what God does; that it is also a day that has become confused by all sorts of human rules – rules set by humankind down the ages, human rules, rules not wanted or required by God. For the rules we have made up down the ages are: rules that misdirect us, rules that trip us up, rules that make the Sabbath a problem to overcome, and rules that distract us from all of God’s best intentions for us. So what should we be doing on the Sabbath? Genesis 2v2-4: By the 7th day God had finished his work and on the 7th day God rested. God blessed the 7th day and made it a holy day because on that day God rested after all the work of creating. Exodus 20v8-11: Keep the Sabbath day holy by copying God and resting from work on the 7th day. Because the 7th day is a day of rest and festival – it is a day when we have time to meet up and gather together: to eat the holy bread, just like King David did; to hel[p those in need, like Jesus did, and to tell one another about what God has done for us, like the people did in the psalm. For we are called to be a people like those we heard about in the letter to the Corinthians. People who are like ordinary, everyday, clay pots – ordinary human beings that God asks to carry the brightness of his message about Jesus. A message that has put our forebears at risk by being battered, terrorised and knocked down. A message we are sent out to carry for the salvation of others. God will be with us. Let us pray: Day by day dear Lord, of you three things we pray: to see you more clearly, to love you more dearly and to follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen Thank you for joining us.
Trinity Sunday Readings: Isaiah 6v1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8v12-17; John 3v1-17. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. A Word: It is customary on Trinity Sunday to speak about God as the three in one, triune God, named Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But today the readings made me focus on the wondrous nature of God. The God that Psalm 29 tells us is so powerful that the angels stand in awe. The same God who although he rules the world also makes his people strong and gives them his peace. The same God that we hear the prophet Isaiah saw in a vision that terrified him. For in this vision Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne in the temple. A God so large that his robes filled the temple. A God who was surrounded by angels who hovered around God and called out a prayer that we sing or say during our Communion services each Sunday. A song so powerful that the foundations of the temple trembled and the place filled with the smoke of prayer. In this vision Isaiah became aware that even though he was frail, limited and sinful, that he had looked upon the face of God. This is the same God that we hear about in the gospel of John. The God that a prominent leader of the Jews, named Nicodemus, believed had sent Jesus – even though because he was afraid of what others might think, he visited Jesus secretly. The God that Jesus describes as his father, the father who loved the world so much that he allowed his one and only son to come to earth so that no-one need be destroyed and everyone could be saved and gain eternal life. The same God that Paul tells the people of Rome is calling us through his spirit to give up and do away with the life we have had to date so we can get on with the new life we are called to. A new life full of adventure, a new life as God’s children, a new life full of ups and downs, good times and bad; a new life headed towards an amazing, astonishing and incredible inheritance. Today as I read and ponder and think about these scriptures, I am reminded that God is not only awesome and amazing but also a God who wants the very best for each one of us. For as we heard in the gospel, Jesus said that if we submit to the power of God, the wind that hovers over the whole of creation, will immerse us into a new life by making us into new beings, beings who are part of God’s kingdom. A people just like Isaiah, who because we are made clean from our guilt and sins - God asks the question “Who will go for us? Who shall I send?” Today, I ask you what you will answer to God’s call – as for me, like Isaiah, I reply: “I’ll go, send me”. I hope you will answer this way too. Let us pray: Day by day dear Lord, of you three things we pray: to see you more clearly, to love you more dearly and to follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen Thank you for joining us.
For information about this helpful scheme: Trypraying - the idea 2024 on Vimeo https://do.trypraying.org https://vimeo.com/912533124
