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Post Communion Sentence

Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that love is the fulfilling of the law: grant that we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbours as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Commentary

In this passage from the Gospel according to St Mark, we find the disciples in a cross mood, they are a bit miffed! Someone who hardly knows Jesus has been achieving spectacular success as an exorcist, using their master’s name. It is in this situation that Jesus says that “he who not against us is for us”. It looks a bit odd, because we tend to turn the phrase around to mean that anyone who is not actively on our side, in politics, business or war, is helping the enemy. This deceptive throw away comment by Jesus holds the key towards how people should cope with religious difference. Like so many of Jesus’ sayings it is hard for us humans to understand and cope with. We are like the disciples, we want to crush rivals whether in secular or religious life. How often have humans used the excuse that they are serving Jesus by putting to death women and men who do not understand the Bible in the same way, feel called to worship in different styles, believe different things from themselves? Here Jesus is saying that difference, unless it is actively dangerous, cannot hurt the new Jesus movement. Jesus was brave enough to allow a stranger, who recognised the saving power of Jesus’ name to use it, unsupervised, for good purposes. What a message to all control freaks! God does not allow us a limited amount of freedom and then reign us back. In his love for us, He grants us the freedom to love, to create and to serve in His name. But we must allow others to have this freedom too. Joan Crossley

 

Meditation

This is an ancient fable. There was an old King who possessed a miraculous gold ring. It gave to the person who owned it such sweetness of character, such truthfulness of heart that they were beloved by everyone who knew them. At his death, the King left each of his three sons a gold ring, but no-one knew which one had received the magical ring. They argued for ages and then went to a wise Judge, she said. “I cannot tell you which of you holds the magic ring, but you can prove it in yourself. If you display love, truth and justice in the way you live, then you will show who has the magical ring of perfect love. This little fable reminds us that it is by the fruits of the spirit that we display our faith in Christ, not by winning arguments, scoring points or pillorying opponents.
 

Hymns and Psalms

1. 764 Christ from whom all blessings flow

2. 250 Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord

3. 781 See how great a flame aspires (Tune: St George’s Windsor)

4. 770 Go forth and tell! 0 Church of God awake (Tune: Go forth)

5. 765 Come all who look to Christ today (Tune: Tallis’ Canon)
   
    

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

O Lord, guard us all the day long of this troubled life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes: and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, Lord in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, a holy rest, and your blessed peace at the last. Amen. (John Henry Newman)

Take my body, O Christ, to do your work, for here on earth you have no body now but mine. Take my hands to be your hands and my feet to walk in the ways of your feet. Take my eyes to be the eyes of your own compassion shining forth upon a troubled world; for your own mercy’s sake. Amen Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582

Father of love, we thank you that your rainbow covenant embraces all people and lures them to fullness of life. Jesus redeemer, we thank you that your new covenant brings blessing in brokenness and creates gratitude through grace. Spirit of God, we thank you that you dance through creation, scattering sparks of hope and weaving networks of community. May we, as your covenant partners, work with you in healing the wounds and scars of our violent world. Amen Tom Stuckey, Southampton District Chair
 

Additional Material

Verse of scripture
Jesus said .... ‘If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.’ Mark Chapter 9

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray
God who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, 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. Amen.

Post Communion Prayer
Keep, O Lord, your Church with your perpetual mercy; and, because without you our human frailty cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation
"Jesus , came to comfort the afflicted ... and to afflict the comfortable." R. Niehbur

Commentary
There are lots of groups and societies in all levels of society, some of them giving special privileges for members. Sometimes children form their own special clubs that require secret knocks and passwords to get into. It is fun to belong to something - to know that you are in with others - and part of a special group. The disciples clearly thought that they belonged to such a special club. And they did. It was a very special group that followed Jesus. They felt very good about being part of Jesus's team. In Jesus' name they healed sick people and taught them about the Kingdom of God. However the disciples got upset when other people who weren't part of their team, their special group, were going around doing good things in Jesus's name as well. They told Jesus about it because they didn't think it was right that people who weren't on their team should use Jesus' name. Note that their complaint is that "he was not following us." They know that he is acting in Jesus' name. The problem was that he did not belong to their group!
Jesus' rebuke most likely surprised the disciples. The Twelve saw themselves as a uniquely-endowed, specially-selected group privy to Jesus' individual attentions and tutorials. They believed that because of their close relationship with the Master they had been "rewarded" with the power to cast out demons, as well as to preach and teach in Jesus' name. They considered this uninitiated outsider to be like we perceive an unlicensed doctor -- one who should immediately be reported to the authorities and whose illegitimate activities should be stopped.

The disciples thought Jesus would be angry - but he wasn't. Instead he said - "it doesn't matter to me if those people are a part of your group or not. All that matters is that they are doing the things that God wants. They are a part of God's family - just like you. God's team, God's family, doesn't have any secret knocks or passwords. God's special club includes everyone who does what God wants. The disciples are still caught up in considerations of their own importance. They have little room for people who do not fit in with their organisation hence challenging their authority The disciples want the lines of Christian community to be sharply drawn, with cut-glass clarity about those who are in versus those who are out.
These words of Jesus, then, are a rebuke to all our blind exclusiveness, our arrogant assumptions, that God's action in the world is limited to the forms which we are familiar. The church has suffered terribly, and the world has suffered terribly, from this fence-building frenzy. If one tenth of the time which Christians have devoted to building fences had gone into building roads as a highway for God, the world would be a far better place today. I do not want to make any one group a target but the Vatican's recent action of declaring that salvation in its fullness comes only through the Roman Church. is particularly interesting in relation to the passage today.
 

Jesus throws open wide the doors of the Christian community by proclaiming that "whoever is not against us is for us" (verse 40). Jesus' point is clear. In verse 41 he goes on to stress that anyone who performs a service, no matter how small, because of Christ's name becomes a member of the community and shares in its "rewards." Charles Royden

Prayers for Sunday
O God, light of the minds that know you, life of the souls that love you, and strength of the hearts that seek you - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. We ask it in Jesus' name.
Lord God - we thank you for making us - a part of your family - help us open our hearts - to all the other parts - of your wonderful family - to those we don't know - to those who do things differently - to those who live in far off places - help us all to work together - and by ourselves - to do what Jesus asks us - we ask it in his name Amen
Gracious God - we thank you for the love you have bestowed upon us all through this past week - for the love that has brought us to this time of worship. We pray that you would bless us with your most Holy Presence this day and build in us an ever stronger faith. Meet us here, amid our doubts and questions, that we may know we are heard and understood. Grant that as we pray and sing your praises that we may be built up in Christ Jesus and made more able to serve you and please you in all that we think, say, and do. We ask it in his name. Amen.
O Lord Christ, who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, so come that all shall have full opportunity to live; so come that we may open out opportunities to all who are dear to you because they lack and suffer hunger. Come and break down all that hinders life, the iron walls of grim refusal that give life no chance. Come and give us wisdom and patience, courage and resolution to discover how your goodwill may verify itself to all. Give us life that we may give out life. Come and fill us with your own strong desire; with your own brave hope, that all may find their way to live in you. Give unity; give brotherhood; give peace. H. Scott Holland (1847-1918), Theologian and canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, London.
The things, good Lord, that I pray for, give me your grace to labour for. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), Lord chancellor of England and martyr

Hymns for this Sunday (Mission Praise)
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun (379 Mission Praise), The trumpets sound (667 Mission Praise), Restore O Lord (579 Mission Praise), Lord for the years (428 Mission Praise), Our eyes have seen the glory (549 Mission Praise)