Welcome to our Sunday Worship on the Third Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services today are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find today's Gospel reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Beauty for Brokenness"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 10:24-39Coming Persecutions
Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Reflection
At first sight this can be quite a difficult message that Jesus is relaying to his disciples, so I’ve used an article from Faye Rowland (aka Mother Clanger), who has interpreted it better than I could and also asks us to think about what this means for us. Paul
[There are a lot of juicy bits in this passage, a few pretty sound-bites and a couple of hard sayings. It is important that we don’t just pick out the bits we like and ignore the rest, but we can get a better grip on trickier passages when we take them in context. This is particularly important if a superficial reading seems to put it at odds with the rest of the Bible.
For example, take verses 34-36: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” Yeesh!
Q: If you only had that part of the Bible, what sort of person would you think Jesus was? What parts of the Bible support that, and what parts contradict?
On their own, these verses paint a terrible picture. Jesus came to bring the sword and destroy families?
Surely that can’t be right. No, certainly not. When we take this verse in the context of the passage, the gospel, and the whole message of the Bible, it makes much more sense. Jesus is describing the effect that his message will have – some will accept joyfully, others will angrily refuse – and different family members might have very different responses. Even Jesus’s own family were divided at first (see Mark 3:20-21).
The Christian message of salvation is good news for those who realise they need saving, but a stench in the noses of those who think they have no need, and folks react accordingly.
Q: How have you experienced opposition to the gospel? How can we make sure that we are not making the message harder to receive?
This passage comes as part of Jesus’ pep-talk to the disciples before he sends them out to spread his message. (I have to say, it’s not the most encouraging team boost I’ve ever heard, but perhaps is it as well to be prepared.) The whole talk can be summarised by verse 24: The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.
“I get this kind of treatment all the time”, Jesus is saying, “so don’t expect anything different yourselves. Sometimes it will be rough, I’m not going to lie to you. Following me is not some little hobby for when you have nothing better to do. This takes commitment. You up for it?”
Q: How do we sometimes treat our faith as if it were a hobby? What can we do about that?
This outing for the disciples was short-term and limited to just the “lost sheep of Israel”. Later, Jesus expanded the mission to Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea and the ends of the earth. He also expanded the mission team, from the twelve disciples to include all of us.
And what’s the mission? To do Jesus-stuff. To be Jesus in our communities. Our calling is to be like him. Our confession is that we belong to him. Our destiny is to follow him.
Q: How will you fulfil this calling in your situation?]
Faye Rowland
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
You call us to follow you and spread the Good News of Jesus to everyone.
