1st Sunday after Trinity

Readings: Isaiah 65v1-9; Psalm 22v19-28; Galatians 3v23-end; Luke 8v26-39.

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 world at this time, we hear of so many evil and terrible things. This makes me feel as though evil is getting the upper hand – in the battle between good and evil. A battle that goes on until the end of time. A battle between good and evil for our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. A battle that we are part of when we reject or turn away from God. A battle that we are part of when we live in ways that lead us into sin. A battle we are part of when we neglect to do good things. A battle we are part of when we do bad things in ignorance, or by choice or through our inability to stop ourselves. A battle that pours down awful things into the world. A battle that we can turn to God for help with like in the psalm. For this is a prayer asking for help in difficult times. A prayer giving praise to God because God hears and responds to the cries of all people. A prayer that reminds us that the whole earth will one day turn to the Lord and bow before him. For God rules over all things and this battle has already won because of Jesus

In this battle, God wants us to join him in by joining his side. For as we hear through the prophet Isaiah God sought out a people to be his own and waited with patience and love for them, even as his people defied and reviled him. Isaiah also tells us that God is heartbroken when we ignore and rejected God. However, whatever we do, God continues to love humankind beyond measure. For God always had a plan to save us even though our ways are beyond the pale.

This is a battle that In Luke’s gospel we hear caused a man to be lost to himself. This man was so lost that he behaved very badly and often had to be chained up and kept under guard. This man was rescued from his torment by Jesus who cast the evil that had taken hold of him away into pigs that were feeding nearby. These poor pigs reacted by running off a cliff and drowning themselves in the lake. All very strange and disturbing. However, as the pigs were a source of food, the locals were not best pleased even though the man was now acting appropriately. So everyone except the man who had been rescued asked Jesus to leave. Then when the rescued man asked Jesus if he could go with him, Jesus told him to stay and share what God had done for him with his people.

In the battle between good and evil we need to keep in mind what Paul tells the people in Galatia. This is that we can do nothing to save ourselves and can only be saved through what Jesus has done for us. For through Jesus we are justified even though we do not deserve it. And, through Jesus we are made into God’s children and heirs of the promises made by God to Abraham. And, Paul tells us that if we believe in what Jesus has done for us that we belong to Jesus and are called to follow him.

Let us Pray: O God our eternal father, we thank you for hearing our prayers; we thank you for your heavenly gifts; we thank you for the grace to live our lives in pleasing you. We ask you to strengthen us so we can keep your commandments; we ask you to build up our faith and hope; we ask you to make us grow more loving. All this we ask because we know we are weak, limited, mortal; all this we ask because we can do nothing good without you; all this we ask for in the name of Jesus. Amen

Thanks for joining us today.