Scripture:

You must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! (Colossians 3.8-11)

Reflecton:

The Collect for this Sunday asks God to ‘increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same’. In a world full of conflicts between religions about ancestry, dress, diet, language, modes and routines of worship and so much more, it’s refreshing to find St Paul encouraging people in just the same situation all those years ago to focus on what really counts. What is true religion about?

Our daily bread is having all our basic needs met. And in asking God to forgive our sins we also promise to do likewise to those who have hurt us in any way. A tall order, but a fair one.

The ‘time of trial’ is the testing that we may not withstand, and so we ask God to spare us.

By praying this Prayer we can shape our lives, always turning towards God who is pure Goodness, knowing that we will both have our material and spiritual needs met by our loving Father in the light of God’s eternal Kingdom.

David Harmsworth