Seventeenth Sunday after TrinityPhilippians 2: 1-13 Matthew 21: 23-32There are times when we face a dilemma. We have to make a choice. A set of circumstances are placed before us, it is now up to us to select one or another. A choice is made. On the sidelines ‘wrong’ is shouted out as we make our choice, and so we go for the other possible reply only to find, ‘wrong’ is again shouted out. Where do we go from here?In the parable told by Jesus a man is in a similar position. He has to make a choice between two sons who are given a task. One son says ‘yes’ to a certain request, and then does nothing, whilst the other son says ‘no’ and does the task. Which son does the will of the father?I could ask for a show of hands but that would not be so easy by e-mail. Jesus was addressing a group of people. Some gave their answers to the question saying the first of the sons and others said the second son was right. In fact neither answer was right. Jesus likened the first son to the Jewish leaders. They had said that they would obey God, but they did not and went their own sweet way. Those who selected the second son were likened to the tax-gatherers and to the harlots who proclaimed that they would go about things in their own way, but in practice turned to the way of God.This a no-win problem because there is no correct answer. Jesus is putting before us two groups of people, neither of which was any better than the other. Both groups were unsatisfactory but, Jesus explained, the one who eventually did as was asked was better than the other.From this parable we see different classes of people. At first we come across those whose profession is much better than their practice. They produce grand advertising hoards with eye catching pictures, large letters stating grand facts, all designed to lure you towards them and the advantages that they can promise. Once they have caught you their failings become apparent, and you feel that you would have done better going somewhere else.The other class do not produce such fancy advertising handouts but the quality of their work is second to none.Let us look at this in the same light as our life in the love of God. If we belong to the first group following the ways of the first son, then we may boast of following the Word of the Lord, keeping to his commandments, promising to do this and that, standing on the street corner, as it were, calling upon the passer by to come to the Lord, and then returning home and ignoring the Lord completely. Those following the ways of the second son may be the ones in the highways and byways, the ones who stop to give a helping hand and then melt away into the background, who practice a faith very much in secrecy. As Jesus proclaimed, they live more Christian lives than many professing Christians.The good person is one who practices what they preach. Who says ‘yes’, and then goes and does whatever the task is. Those whose love of God extends beyond the façade, and which can be found at a much deeper level, in their heart.Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after TrinityAlmighty God,you have made us for yourself,and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,and so bring us at last to your heavenly citywhere we shall see you face to face;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Seventeenth Sunday after TrinityPhilippians 2: 1-13 Matthew 21: 23-32There are times when we face a dilemma. We have to make a choice. A set of circumstances are placed before us, it is now up to us to select one or another. A choice is made. On the sidelines ‘wrong’ is shouted out as we make our choice, and so we go for the other possible reply only to find, ‘wrong’ is again shouted out. Where do we go from here?In the parable told by Jesus a man is in a similar position. He has to make a choice between two sons who are given a task. One son says ‘yes’ to a certain request, and then does nothing, whilst the other son says ‘no’ and does the task. Which son does the will of the father?I could ask for a show of hands but that would not be so easy by e-mail. Jesus was addressing a group of people. Some gave their answers to the question saying the first of the sons and others said the second son was right. In fact neither answer was right. Jesus likened the first son to the Jewish leaders. They had said that they would obey God, but they did not and went their own sweet way. Those who selected the second son were likened to the tax-gatherers and to the harlots who proclaimed that they would go about things in their own way, but in practice turned to the way of God.This a no-win problem because there is no correct answer. Jesus is putting before us two groups of people, neither of which was any better than the other. Both groups were unsatisfactory but, Jesus explained, the one who eventually did as was asked was better than the other.From this parable we see different classes of people. At first we come across those whose profession is much better than their practice. They produce grand advertising hoards with eye catching pictures, large letters stating grand facts, all designed to lure you towards them and the advantages that they can promise. Once they have caught you their failings become apparent, and you feel that you would have done better going somewhere else.The other class do not produce such fancy advertising handouts but the quality of their work is second to none.Let us look at this in the same light as our life in the love of God. If we belong to the first group following the ways of the first son, then we may boast of following the Word of the Lord, keeping to his commandments, promising to do this and that, standing on the street corner, as it were, calling upon the passer by to come to the Lord, and then returning home and ignoring the Lord completely. Those following the ways of the second son may be the ones in the highways and byways, the ones who stop to give a helping hand and then melt away into the background, who practice a faith very much in secrecy. As Jesus proclaimed, they live more Christian lives than many professing Christians.The good person is one who practices what they preach. Who says ‘yes’, and then goes and does whatever the task is. Those whose love of God extends beyond the façade, and which can be found at a much deeper level, in their heart.Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after TrinityAlmighty God,you have made us for yourself,and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,and so bring us at last to your heavenly citywhere we shall see you face to face;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Sunday 24th September 202316th Sunday after TrinityPhilippians 1.21-end Matthew 20.1-16 As we travel about, besides the fields and woods going past the windows of the car we see industry. Either small factory units or huge industrial complexes. We also see shops and offices, again either small ‘corner shops’ or huge shopping malls, and individual offices or large sky-scrapers. Whatever, they are full of people who are doing a job earning money to take home and support a family. In the gospel reading from Matthew we are told of how people would gather at the market place to be selected for work. They would then go and do a full days work, be paid, and go home satisfied. But there were some who were not chosen for one reason or another. It was not until almost the end of the day that they were taken on to work. When it came to the end of the day and payment time, the workers all received the same amount. Those who worked for the full day felt that they were being treated unfairly.In giving this parable, Jesus was not laying down employment law. What he was giving was an insight on how God looks upon us as we travel along the pathways of life. It is not so much a case of what we do as we walk along the path. God does not look down upon us and assess us on the quality of what we have done or the quantity of what we have produced, to make an assessment about how much he loves us. God looks at the motive behind what we have done.We all like to receive gifts. Birthdays are special days when gifts are exchanged as we celebrate another year. It may be that birthday time has come around again. We have two presents before us. we open one to find a piece of jewellery which may have cost many pounds and is exquisitely made. It is hansom and we wear it with pride as we show it off. The other present is a small bracelet made from strands of cotton interweaved and tied up with a knot. It is a gift, hand crafted by a small child and made to the best of their ability. Its cost is mere pence, but the love behind making it is worth far more. It is in this way that God looks down upon us.We can work our fingers to the bone. We can strive until we almost drop with exhaustion. Or we can sit and watch, waiting for an event to happen and be ready should something happen. The importance behind what we are doing lies in the spirit in which the task is being done.In one case the work is done with the object of getting done as much as possible so as to earn the maximum amount of wages. In the other case the most part of the working day was spent unemployed, consequently no wages were being earned. But, at the last hour, the owner of the vineyard saw those who were unemployed and took them on. These last worked and would be satisfied with anything that the owner gave them.The parable shows what it means to be a Christian. If we develop an attitude of ‘what do we get out of it’ then our first impulse is to serve our fellow people not God. The Christian works in the joy of serving God and also the people around them.Here is where that, sometimes difficult phrase to understand, lies. “The first will be last and the last will be first.” The one who has earned vast amounts of money may well have a low place in the Kingdom of God because rewards were their sole thought. The one who was joyful in their work and worked for the thrill of working, seen as lowly by the rich, will be great in the Kingdom for their eyes were not set so much on the rewards.And so, the one who aims at a reward loses it, and those who do not seek rewards finds them.Collect for the Sixteenth Sunday after TrinityO Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hearthe prayers of your people who call upon you;and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do,and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Fifteenth Sunday after TrinityMatthew 18:21-35 Romans 14: 1-12Around us in the world we read or hear of tragedies, and of disasters all of which are the result of natures forces at work in the world. Climate extremes bring about rain storms the like of which have not been seen before. Floods and landslides result which destroy acres of land, homes, and entire communities. We see on the news bulletins people wandering about at a loss not knowing what to do first, where to start.In some ways it is very unfortunate that Libya is in the forefront of many newscasts with the disasters that are taking place there. That they are facing tremendous natural trials is heart-breaking for us to witness. However, not only are they facing such internal catastrophes, but there is also another monster about to rear its ugly head. The nation is about to undergo a financial collapse due to the increased general debt of the state. They have about run out of money.Turning now to Matthew’s gospel. We read of a man who had a huge debt. The servant owed his master 10,000 talents. This is serious money. A talent was worth about £240. Therefore, this debt that the servant had run up was a staggering £2.4 million. How he had managed to run up such a debt is beyond belief, but it was more than the total budget of an ordinary province. Hence my reference to Libya. The debt here was greater than a king’s ransom and the servant was forgiven this debt. No doubt with great feelings of relief washing over him the servant went out and happened to meet someone who owed him a mere £5. We can almost imagine the scene as the one servant grabs the other by the throat and demands payment. When payment was not forthcoming the poor debtor was cast into prison until the debt was paid.Peter, in Matthew’s gospel was asking about how often we should forgive someone. It was the teaching of the time that a person should forgive three times. In this case Peter was doubling the number of times of forgiveness but also adding one more for good measure. Surely this should count for great kindness and goodness in the eyes of the Lord. He expected to be warmly commended but instead he is instructed that a Christian must forgive seventy times seven. He is being told that there is no reasonable limit to the number of times a person must be forgiven.So that a person may be forgiven they must forgive in turn. If we are not able to forgive someone who has caused us hurt, then we cannot hope that God will forgive us. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”. Do we not say in the prayer that Jesus himself taught us, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Divine and human forgiveness go hand in hand.We have been forgiven a debt which is beyond all repayment. Through the sin of man, the death of God’s Son occurred. Yet God forgives us our sins. It is only right and proper that we should forgive others as God has forgiven us. In this way we can hope to find mercy.Collect for the Fifteenth Sunday after TrinityGod, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spiritupon your Church in the burning fire of your love:grant that your people may be ferventin the fellowship of the gospelthat, always abiding in you,they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
