Weekly Bible Notes and Worship Resources
Ordinary 13 Year A
Introduction
Churches across the world are now entering a time in the religious calendar called ' Ordinary Time'. There is nothing special going on like Easter or Christmas and in our own churches here in Bedford the next things of any excitement are Harvest (October 4) and Remembrance Sunday (13 November). Sunday Bible readings from now on will focus on the teachings of Jesus about living our ordinary Christian lives. Whilst there might not be anything special going on, perhaps for the next few weeks this is the really important stuff, getting on with being disciples, living out the teachings of Jesus day by day. I suppose this is the time which really matters, where we show we mean what we say, by doing the things Jesus commanded.
Our image this week is that of a cross. It has been made for an altar frontal by Jean Kirk and is entitled, 'The Cross is the Way.' It is a reminder to each of us when our daily life gets tough, that we should fix our eyes upon Jesus and his living example. He loves us so much that he gave us everything, even his life on the cross. We walk in his way to find life and peace.
Opening Verses of Scripture Romans 12:11
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Collect Prayer for the Day — Before we read we pray
Lord of heaven and earth, you sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and power of your Church. Sow in our hearts the seeds of your grace that we may bear the fruit of the Spirit, in love and joy and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Methodist Worship
First Bible Reading Genesis 22: 1-14
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD. He said, "Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord's house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true."
Second Reading Romans 6:12-23
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slavec to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gospel Reading Matthew 10:40-42
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Post Communion Sentence
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Commentary
The passage from Matthew this morning is a simple one, but it has a powerful message. Previously in this chapter we have heard how Jesus sends out his disciples. He calls for commitment from them, he is honest about the dangers they will face, including rejection by their own families. In the reading from Matthew today we hear Jesus reassuring the disciples that he will reward those who receive them and treat them kindly.
"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me."
The disciples are to go out in the name of Jesus. They are to speak his
words, they are his representatives, not their own. For this reason the
response which people make to the disciples will be a direct reflection upon
Jesus whose job they are doing. It is similar to the way in which we treat
ambassadors from other countries. If we insult them, then it is not just a
personal insult, we insult the country which they represent.
Jesus is clear, kindness shown to his disciples is kindness to him, because
they are acting on his behalf. And of course if they act on behalf of Jesus
they act for God himself. This is a serious warning to those who might offer
hospitality, it is also a reminder to the disciples that they are not out
campaigning for themselves, they are nothing short of the visible presence
of God himself.
It seems that everybody will be judged by the way in which they treat the
disciples. Jesus does not just consider how kings will change government
policy. Rather he uses the example of how an ordinary person might respond
by offering a drink. It is only a small thing, it does not require great
affluence, and so the point is made, we do not have to be rich to help, and
poverty is no excuse because we all have something to offer. To provide a
cup of cold water to a thirsty person is not costly, but it might be
extremely welcome, indeed it might be the gift of life itself.
We do not know what reward Jesus has in store for those who help and offer
support, but we do know that the reward is guaranteed. In Acts 20:35 we read
the following words of Paul
‘In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must
help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is
more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Paul quotes Jesus and speaks of the importance of helping those less
fortunate. He states what has been discovered by those who give, that we
gain blessing in helping others. Perhaps that is sufficient reward in
itself.
It is important to remember that Jesus is not commending general
hospitality, but rather hospitality to his disciples. Providing hospitality
to the disciples shows support for their message. But we fail to do justice
to the ministry of Jesus if we fail to recognise the importance of showing
kindness to any vulnerable person. Jesus healed freely, he fed freely, he
cared for all without distinction.
This was a message and pattern of behaviour which Jesus would have known
from the Scriptures. Proverbs tells,
Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31: 9
As the Christian church across the world we must go and preach as those
early disciples preached. As we go we must recognise that things have
changed since those first disciples went out. The church is no longer in the
position of needing to ask for water. Rather we know of all too many people
in countries where there is no water and the church now represents many who
have power and wealth. In this the church has a prophetic voice to raise. We
want to make the proclamation of the Good News to the poor, but the good news
which the poor are waiting to hear is that they are poor no more.
If we are to take the commission by Jesus to all his disciples that we
should go out and reveal who he is, then we need to consider how we might
best do this. If we copy the example of Jesus then we will show the love of
God in acts of kindness and speak words of compassion indiscriminately. Charles Royden
Meditation
It is not from your own possessions that you are bestowing alms on the poor, you are but restoring to them what is theirs by right. For what was given to everyone for the use of all, you have taken for your exclusive use. The earth belongs not to the rich, but to everyone. Thus, far from giving lavishly, you are but paying part of your debt. (St Ambrose, 340-397)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta was asked how it was that she could continue to tend the sickest and most wretched of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. Mother Teresa said that as she looked at each person for whom she was caring she tried to imagine that she was tending the Lord Jesus’ wounded body – His nail-scarred hands, feet, and side. And so it was that in each act of caring, the Kingdom of God embraced and even reached out through Mother Teresa as she welcomed Christ in her neighbour and as she embraced the neighbour as if that person were the Lord Himself! God remembers each act of hospitality.
Hymns
1. Praise to the Lord
2. For the healing of the Nations
3. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
4. Forth in thy name
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.
If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die.
Christ who has nourished us, is our peace. Strangers and friends, male and
female. Old and young have broken down the barriers to bind us to him
and to each other. Having tasted his goodness, let us share his peace.
Amen
O God, we bring you our failure, our hunger, our disappointment, our
despair, our greed, our aloofness, our loneliness. We cling to others in
desperation or turn from them in fear. Strengthen us in love. Teach us,
women and men to use our power with care. We turn to you, O God, we
renounce evil, we claim your love, we choose to be made whole. Amen
(Monica Furlong)
May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall softly upon
your fields until we meet again. May God hold your in the hollow of his
hand. Amen, (Gaelic Blessing)
We see you in the compassionate ways of those who accept us
no matter how inadequate or different we may be.
We see you in the loving ways of those who love us unconditionally.
We see you in the sacrificing ways of those who give of themselves.
We see you in the forgiving ways of those who forgive our unforgivable
ways.
We give thanks that you have revealed yourself to us and that the You we
see in Jesus we can also see in those around us in our daily lives.
O God, you give us life, you call each of us into faithful service,
discipleship in Jesus Christ. Open our hearts in ways that we might
reach out to those-especially those who are so different from
ourselves-and in so doing, may the world be transformed through your
love, enlivened through our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Additional Material
Meditation
‘Poverty is not natural, it is man made’ Nelson Mandela
Meditation
My treat this week was to pop into an exhibition on the Orient in European Art. The show was all about how travellers perceived the Middle East from the seventeenth century onwards. These intrepid travellers braved disease, bandits and hostile terrain to go to the Holy Land. When they arrived there, they encountered a dramatically different landscape, bright, arid, practically treeless. The Holy Land was a huge shock in every way. The traveller from Britain and France also encountered an entirely new religion, in Islam which they struggled to understand. . They were at once attracted and repelled by the people and focussed on the decadent life style of the Pasha with his harem. Middle Eastern people were caricatured as being lecherous (why else would they not allow their women to show their faces?); they were portrayed as being cruel (there are several images of slave markets in the exhibition). In short, although the travelling artists thought they were being honest when they painted Middle Eastern subjects, they were influenced by the ideas they brought to bear on the place and its people. I can only compare this to being introduced to someone whom you have had described to you as being rude, sarcastic and critical. You might find it hard not to interpret every word from their mouth in the light of this prior “knowledge”. In our daily lives we often experience this problem, of pre-judging a situation or a set of people. We know what we expect to find and so we do find it. I will admit that it is very hard not to make assumptions and have prejudices, especially as we get older. With experience and weariness we take short cuts to sum up people and situations and we might well jump to the wrong idea. It is right as Christians to continually re-evaluate. It is important that we allow the Holy Spirit, always moving and directing us to change us. God cannot work in us if we are entrenched in our ideas. We must be faithful but not bigoted. It is a balance that we need to continually strike in ourselves. Rev Dr Joan Crossley
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Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
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Proverbs 31: 9
Prayers
O Lord Christ, who became poor that we
might be rich, deliver us from a comfortable conscience if we believe or
intend that others should be poor that we might be rich; for in God's
economy, no one is expendable. Grant us instead the riches of love. (World
Alliance of Reformed Churches) Peter Williams/WCC
I dare to pray: Lord, let the world be changed, for I long to see the end
of poverty;
I dare to pray: Lord, let the rules be changed, for I long to see trade
bring justice to the poor;
I dare to pray: Lord, let my life be changed, for I long to bring hope
where good news is needed.
In the strength of your Spirit and inspired by Your compassion,
I make this promise to work for change, and wait confidently for the day
when You make all things new. Amen (Peter Graystone, Christian Aid)
Give us, O Lord, churches that will be more courageous then cautious;
that will not merely "comfort the afflicted" but "afflict the
comfortable";
that will not only love the world but also demand justice;
that will not remain silent when people are calling for a voice;
that will not pass by on the other side when wounded humanity is waiting
to be healed;
that will not only call us to worship but also send us out to witness;
that will follow Christ even when the way points to a Cross.
To this end we offer ourselves in the name of him who loved us and gave
himself for us.
(Christian Conference of Asia)
God of Justice, manifest in a carpenter’s son, we pray for all who labour
and toil and for those charged with protecting the conditions of their
work. Grant to these stewards of economic justice an abiding and untiring
commitment to the rights of all workers and to the protection of
international labour standards throughout the world. Amen. (Source
unknown, pp119 Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan ©
Canterbury Press 2002, 2004)
God of the just weight and the fair measure, let me remember the hands
that harvested my food, my drink, not only in my prayers but in the market
place. Let me not seek a bargain That leaves another hungry. (Janet Morley
Christian Aid; pp149 Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan ©
Canterbury Press 2002, 2004)
We shall not be crushed; we do not despair; we know you will not abandon
us; or let us be destroyed: for you are the God of life, and we carry your
life in us. (Christian Aid; Hunger for Justice (ed) Martin John Nicholls ©
2004 Kevin Mayhew Ltd)
To the countries where food is scarce, mercy Lord, while there is still
time.
To the countries where crops have failed, rescue Lord, while there is
time.
To countries where people are fearful, security Lord, while there is time.
In the countries where we have plenty, set our hearts on sharing this
time.
In countries where we feel in control, set our minds on justice at this
time.
In countries where we forget those in need, set our prayers on Africa at
this time.
Amen (Peter Graystone/Christian Aid; pp 133 Blessed Be Our Table;
compilation © 2003 Neil Paynter)
Hymns
- Praise my soul the king of Heaven
- When I needed a neighbour were you there
- Be still for the presence of the Lord
- Tell out my soul Tune Woodlands
- O for a thousand Tune Lyngham