Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain then the weeds appeared as
well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the
weeds are the children of the evil one and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Sermon
Matthew is at it again. Another parable turned into an allegory, another very restricted reading of a dynamic and challenging parable. Why does he do it? What is going on in his community, that he feels the need to interpret Jesus’s words for them in this particular way? We can surmise as much as we like, and many people have, but this reading of the parable of the wheat and the weeds is particularly judgemental. Matthew has turned it into a story about the end times, of good and evil, of God’s work being frustrated by a malevolent power who will ultimately be destroyed, when he could have left the parable open and flexible, with questions about the origins of weeds and the power of distraction a-plenty for us to work on.
The definition of a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place. Weeds are just as much plants as roses, it’s just that they have not been so carefully worked on over the centuries to produce scent or large flowers or food. In many ways, as any gardener knows, weeds are more successful than lots of the plants that we want to grow – they sprout faster, come into flower faster and can be incredibly effective at spreading their seed for the next generation of weeds to bother the gardener. Weeds have adapted to human presence, attaching themselves to our clothing or travelling in our cars or trains – in fact the advent of the railways brought a massive spread of weeds across this country, one of the many unintended consequences of progress.
But in Jesus’s parable, these are not random weeds that have made their way into this field of wheat – “good seed” has been planted, that is, carefully selected seed, with all the little weed seeds taken out of it. No, someone very deliberately sows the weeds, as an act of sabotage, or spite, or both. Why do that? There are far more efficient ways of ruining an opponent’s crops – trampling, burning, letting cattle in – all of which deny any form of harvest at all for the suffering farmer. This way, the farmer just has more work to do to separate out the weeds from the grain. He still gets his wheat harvest, just with a bit more effort. And, in practical terms, the farmer also gets a pile of dried weeds to start the village bread oven, so it is even possible to read some benefit into the weeds. This enemy must have other intentions. If he is not trying to starve the farmer, or destroy his livelihood, then this enemy must be in the business of frustration and annoyance. The wheat will grow, the grain will be produced, but not without pain and extra labour. Echoes there of the fall narrative – where God curses the ground so that Adam’s labour will have to increase and childbirth will be painful.
Now the parable starts to open up. The kingdom of heaven will not ultimately be destroyed or defeated, but its fulfilment will take more effort than we think. All sorts of things will get in the way of God’s rule on earth, and we will have to be selective in how we deal with those issues. Covid 19 is one of those weeds. It has the capacity to strangle life out of communities, to break down societal cohesion and to render nul all the advances of the previous centuries. But it is also possible that we will learn to deal with it, to vaccinate against it, to order our lives in a new way that mitigates its effects. Covid 19 is not the end of the Kingdom of God, nor is it the end of the Church, or our way of life. It is one of those extra things we will get to grips with, but ultimately it will be thrown on the fire of irrelevancies.
What else, then, could qualify as a weed, or a barrier to the expansion of the Kingdom of God? Well, how long have you got?! There are external weeds, like discrimination and prejudice, poverty and exclusion. There are internal weeds like distraction, laziness, lack of focus. There are serious weeds, like illness and bereavement, family stresses and workplace hassles. There are spiritual weeds like doubt or unbendable opinions. The whole work-family-life balance could be one big weed – or it could be an opportunity to knuckle down, sort out some priorities and enjoy the good things that God has provided for us in this wonderful world.
Your vicar leaving could be viewed as a weed, or as the best thing that could possibly happen to these parishes. I leave that one with you to assess in the years to come.
The good seed of the Kingdom of Heaven will continue to grow. Our baptism, our faith, the presence of the Holy Spirit in us cannot be taken away and will bring us to everlasting glory, when everything will make sense and we will learn to value weeds fully. But may we be given grace to work at either eradicating our weeds, or finding an accommodation with them, or using them for some other valuable purpose, so that God’s great kingdom of love and mercy may fully be realised in his wonderful world.
Our worship together is in the name of the + Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Service audio
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you:
and also with you.
Hymn: As the deer pants for the water
Let us pray
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession:
The gospel calls us to turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ. As we offer ourselves to him in penitence and faith, we renew our confidence and trust in his mercy.
God of mercy, we acknowledge that we are all sinners. We turn from the wrong that we have thought and said and done, and are mindful of all that we have failed to do. For the sake of Jesus who died for us, forgive us for all that is past and help us to live each day in the light of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, +pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Let us pray
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 for ever. Amen
Isaiah 55:10-13
Isiah reading
Thus says the LORD: As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Romans 8:1-11
Romans reading
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.
Matthew 13:1-9. 18-23
Matthew reading
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen! Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for that was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Sermon audio
When is a parable not a parable? When Matthew gets his hands on it. The story of the sower is possibly the best known of all of Jesus’s parables, but Matthew renders it lumpy and restricted as soon as he puts a limited interpretation on it. As it stands, the story is dynamic and challenging, open-ended and rich. After Matthew has asserted meaning for each individual section of the parable, it becomes thin and uni-directional. The trouble is that having read Matthew’s gloss on the parable of the sower, we can only think of it in his terms – this equals that, each element forever stuck with a particular meaning. So this morning we are going to free this parable from its Matthean shackles, and let it wander around our consciousness to challenge and to change us.
I am not the best person to talk about the success or otherwise of sowing seed. I have very poor results from my efforts, and am not that much better at potting on plug plants. I need my gardening efforts to involve fairly established plants if I am going to have any hope of success. This is why I am a parish priest and not a market gardener or the owner of a flower shop. I therefore have every sympathy with Matthew’s sower, who works so hard to grow his crop on unpromising land, only to receive a ¼ return on his efforts. However, that ¼ return has degrees of success, which may well outweigh the losses the 75% of the land produces.
It gets complicated at this point, as it can move into maths. Are 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold outcomes greater than the original weight of seed? Does the sower, from these successful patches of land, come away with food for his family and a profit at market?
Then we can ask if Jesus is speaking from experience. Was a 25% return normal for farmers of his day? Israel is a rocky and dry country. It is the migratory superhighway for birds travelling north from their winter feeding grounds in Africa, and the timing of their flights coincides with the planting season. Was this farmer uncousciously providing a useful stop-off for warblers and finches on their journey to their European nesting sites?
And then we could start the blame game. Why hadn’t the farmer prepared his land better? Why were there still rocks and stoney sections in his field? He can’t have been a very efficient farmer, if weeds came up as soon as he planted his seed! Couldn’t he have roped in the local children as bird scarers? He deserves everything he gets if he is so lackadaisical in his farming practices.
But what if the outcome of the sowing is actually better than most? How much interest is being paid to you at the moment on your savings? Advertisers reckon on a 1% success rate on all flyers put through our letter boxes – they would give their back teeth for a 30 fold return from a quarter of their publicity, let alone 60 or 100 fold. This is why this parable needs to be kept open, so that it can properly reflect back on us and our world and enable us to scrutinize our plans, our reactions and our efforts.
Matthew wants this parable to be about spreading the Gospel. He insists that God is the sower, the seed is the God’s word, and the field represents the range of human responses to God’s word. That is fine, it is a fairly realistic account of the difficulties of speaking to people about God, of the numbers who respond positively to his message and who stick around in the Church. But what if we change the meaning of the seed to God’s love, or God’s grace, or God’s forgiveness? What does that say about our God? It speaks of a reckless generosity, an anticipation of rejection and failure yet also of massive joy in those who do respond. Would we dare to be as profligate as that?
And what if we change the meaning to prayer? We become the sower, and our prayers can feel as if they are falling on dry ground, or are snatched away by our daily worries and labours. Do we concentrate on the 75% failure rate of our intercessions? Or should we rejoice and find encouragement in the massive return on our successes?
The Church of England has a tag line, “A Christian presence in every community”. In terms of the parable of the sower, that puts the Church of England in the place of the sower – which means all of us who come together to express that Christian presence in our community. This raises questions about our effectiveness, our rejection levels, our failures. How good are we at recognising answers to our corporate prayers? How can we measure people’s awareness of our presence and appreciation of all that we have to offer? Should we be counting up our 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold returns in individuals or families, or social influence? We are in this for the long term, even if your Vicar passes through on a breeze and is then gone again. Some of you were here when we arrived, many of you have joined since 2004, the Barn & St Luke’s are very different places now than then. There has been much joy and much sorrow and an awful lot of in between stuff – quiet, faithful lives of witness and service in practical ways, skills revealed and used to the full, a discovery of unused talents that have blossomed for the benefit of others.
What if we applied the sower principle to other areas – politics, education, social welfare, health, even? Is the principle of generosity and grace a useful starting point in those domains? Could you take this into your workplace? And what about family life? The role of parents is to give, and to give, and to give to their children out of love and care, and that doesn’t stop when those children are in their 30s and 40s!
At heart this parable raises the question: what are we looking for over the long term: net loss or net gain – or more pertinently, what is God looking for over the long term? Does the shrivelled plant of neglect or the seed eaten by birds or the weed-choked seedling break his heart of love? Of course it does, but that doesn’t restrict his generosity. Do the differing levels of response from redeemed humanity cause him concern? Not at all, he delights in any movement we make towards him, of gratitude or of service.
The parable of the sower is about the generosity of a God who loves and forgives and accepts us day after day, year after year, for all eternity. May we live our lives as a generous response to that initial generosity, and so be part of that 30 fold, 60 fold and even 100 fold growth of God in others. Amen.
Prayers – with thanks to Veronica Willoughby
Intercessions audio
Dear Lord, we have all been in lockdown for 13 weeks and every Sunday on Zoom we have been able to see our friends from Church but some we haven’t and we hope that they are all doing well and have escaped the Covid 19 virus, we pray for everyone in our congregation and look forward to seeing them all on the 19th July 2020. We pray for all churches in this Diocese of Southwark and that they will open again successfully with no threat of closure as a result of financial losses.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
Gracious Lord we pray for Father Peter Hart who is to leave with his wife Beverley and take up a new position in Worcester Diocese. May they enjoy their life there as much as we have enjoyed having them with us. God bless them both.
Lord in your Mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for His Holiness the Pope, Justin Welby, our Archbishop of Canterbury, Christopher our Bishop of Southwark. We pray for Her Majesty the Queen and all the Royal Family.
Dear Lord, Let us pray for the families of those who have died from Covid 19 and all the NHS carers who cared for them devotedly in hospitals and care homes, their wonderful work will never be forgotten and though we are sad now the future is bright if we need care ourselves in the future. They have really shown their worth.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for those who are to be admitted to communion on 19th July:Evia Bliss,Theo Corpetti, Annah Kabongo, Louisa Kingston, Effie King, Isabella Mitchell-Fry
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We pray for all those who are sick amongst our congregation and all those who care for them: Julia Holboro, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston. Bring them healing and wholeness we pray.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer
We remember especially Mary Smith, Revd Canon Graham Foulis Brown, Norma Williams, Gulam Abu Saleh, Eric Ewington and Ted Wheadon who now live with you in heaven and we will not see them again. Gather them in your loving arms dear Lord and give them words of comfort in their final hours. Amen.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called children of God. We meet in the name of Christ and share his peace. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
Be present, be present, Lord Jesus Christ, Our risen high priest;
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God. From sunrise to sunset this day is holy, for Christ has risen from the tomb and scattered the darkness of death with light that will not fade. This day the risen Lord walks with your gathered people, unfolds for us your word, and makes himself known in the breaking of the bread. And though the night will overtake this day you summon us to live in endless light, the never-ceasing Sabbath of the Lord. And so, with choirs of angels and with all the heavenly host, we proclaim your glory and join their unending song of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
and the blessing of God Almighty, +Father, Son & Holy Spirit,
be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
We are pleased to be able to let you know the times of services at The Barn later this month. These will be short services of Holy Communion, sadly without hymns but we will have music played during some of the services. The times are:
Sundays 19th & 25th July: Communion at the Barn at 9.30am
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession:
Lord God, our maker and our redeemer, this is your world and we are your people: come among us and save us.
We have wilfully misused your gifts of creation;
Lord, be merciful: forgive us our sin.
We have seen the ill-treatment of others and have not gone to their aid;
Lord, be merciful: forgive us our sin.
We have condoned evil and dishonesty and failed to strive for justice;
Lord, be merciful: forgive us our sin.
We have heard the good news of Christ, but have failed to share it with others;
Lord, be merciful: forgive us our sin.
We have not loved you with all our heart, nor our neighbours as ourselves;
Lord, be merciful: forgive us our sin.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, +pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Let us pray
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not our hold on things eternal; grant this, heavenly Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen
Zechariah 9: 9-12
Zechariah reading
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Romans 7: 15-25
Romans reading
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Matthew reading
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to the disciples,“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon by Michael Tonkin
5th July sermon
‘A Rebellious Son’
“They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard”.
Lines taken from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 21, words the parents of a rebellious son would have said on taking him to the elders of Israel, and words heard again in our Gospel reading this morning, spoken by Jesus, describing how the crowd following him viewed him, this new prophet.
Jesus had just been speaking to the crowds about John the Baptist, who was now in prison, and what the people’s response and opinion of him had been. Now though, the crowds following Jesus consider John to be yesterday’s news, “For John came neither eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’ ”. Now they have Jesus, a man who turns water into wine, a man who dines with tax collectors. “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners’.
Jesus is fully aware of the fickleness of the crowd, how they bend like reeds in the wind, one way and then another. Jesus knows them well, they are like selfish children, who only want to play their own game, and then, only if they can take the main part. But of course the end result for these poor, cross, dissatisfied children is that they have no one to play with at all, and no idea how or what to play on their own.
“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to others: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ “
One can sense the exasperation felt by Jesus, whose own relationship with his own Father is one of complete love and mutual understanding. For, as we hear in the second half of our Gospel reading:
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Here is the saddest part, for Jesus came then, as he comes now, not to judge but to forgive, not to demand or expect, but to offer. “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”.
But then, as now, we are all so fickle by nature, happy one moment to celebrate our NHS and key workers, only on the next fine day for many to be flocking to the beaches, parks and open spaces, social distancing forgotten, probably putting much past good work at risk. It is so often not just ourselves that we can put at risk, but those around us, even those not necessarily known personally to us. Jesus does not demand from us, but that does not mean that his road is always an easy one, or not without some cost. As with all things in life we cannot just take, or always do just as we want, just playing our own little games to our own rules. We mostly live in partnerships, in family units and within communities for which we should and must share responsibilities, not just because the law may demand it, or because of the present pandemic, but because our Christian faith and ethos expects it.
As so often in the case with the Apostle Paul, his life and mind appear to be in turmoil!
Paul wrestles with the question of why God gave the Law and what its role had been.
Paul, more than many, having been a Pharisee, knew that it was right to embrace and celebrate the Torah, God’s Law as passed on to the Jews by Moses. However, due to Adam in the Garden of Eden, humankind was innately sinful, and so the Law as laid down in the Torah, condemns those human sins.
It is only, in fact, by the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross that this ‘innate sin’ has been purged and removed from humankind. As Paul writes, “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord,”
So too, we in our daily lives and relationships, must thank God for giving us His Son and welcoming us all into His love and care, especially during this present time, not only today but always. As the psalmist writes in today’s Psalm 145:
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made”. Amen.
Prayers – with thanks to Angela Hollingworth
5th July Prayers
Dearest Lord, we give you thanks for life, as we pray for our troubled and ailing world. We are comforted by your enduring love and long for your presence in times of peace, sickness, danger and death.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for churches throught the world and give thanks for Peter’s ministry and all who support our church, which sadly we miss, but your love in our hearts will always strengthen and sutain us. Let us pray for our sister churches, for Justin Welby, Pope Francis and Bishop Cleophas of Matabeleland and the Green Park School in Zambia.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Bless and guide Elizabeth our Queen and all those in authority. Please guide our government to protect and love our people and to respect and care for our global neighbours. May those in authority be influenced by dreamers rather than schemers.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for families, friends and neighbours. We pray for those we love, who are near or far. Let us contunue to give thanks for our NHS and all who work to heal and to save us. Let us not forget the armed forces, firefighters and police: those who work in supermarkets, pharmacies and schools. And thank you for those who take our refuse, keep our streets clean and deliver our post.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Please help us to protect all children. We pray for those who are abused, lost and suffering. Please guard the elderly who are cut off from families or friends. Let us pray for those suffering from depression, loneliness, psychiatric and serious medical conditions.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who fear for their jobs. For our planet – may we all work to heal the damage. Please may we be reconciled with those with whom we differ. Grant us widom in our lives. May we be kinder to each other. The Torah says that kindness is the highest form of wisdom.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind or spirit. Let us pray for Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Gill Risso-Gil, Luci Mitchell Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby and Max Weston. We give thank for those who work to heal and care for them.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who have died this country and throught the world. We remember Mary Smith, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams, Eric Ewington, Ted Wheadon, Graham Foulis Brown. We pray for their families.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In a world that is troubled by sickness and strife, let us enfold ourselves in the words of a beautiful hymn:
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what thou dost love
And do what thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me Breath of God,
So shall I never die.
But live with thee the perfect life
Of thine eternity.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God. From sunrise to sunset this day is holy, for Christ has risen from the tomb and scattered the darkness of death with light that will not fade. This day the risen Lord walks with your gathered people, unfolds for us your word, and makes himself known in the breaking of the bread. And though the night will overtake this day you summon us to live in endless light, the never-ceasing sabbath of the Lord. And so, with choirs of angels and with all the heavenly host, we proclaim your glory and join their unending song of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
The love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts; and the blessing of God almighty, the +Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession:
Brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate, let us call to mind our sins.
Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, +pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Let us pray
Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Jeremiah reading
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.”
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Romans 6: 12-end
Romans reading
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one 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 slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves 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 of 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.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Matthew reading
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to the twelve: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Sermon audio
We’re going to talk today about slavery. Not because it is a hot topic at the moment, and not just because the Apostle Paul uses the notion of slavery in an extraordinary way in the passage we have just read, and not because the Matthew text is more than a little obscure. No, it is purely a vehicle for a very old joke. St Augustine was walking through the slave market in Rome one day when he spotted some very fair, pale-skinned slaves. When he asked where they were from, the reply was, “Sunt Angli”, to which the saint retorted, “non Angli sed angeli”, which, being translated, means, “not Anglians but Anglicans.”
Actually, we are going to talk about slavery, because we must. There is a daily conversation now about the legacy of slavery, of which our nation was the foremost in its development in the 18th century, and the legacy of colonialism, of which our nation was also the foremost in its development in the 18th & 19th century until it was dismantled in the 20th. It is inescapable, and we must confront it, and it is constantly before us when we read our Bibles, so we must fully understand it if we are to approach our God in worship and service.
There is a major difference between slavery in Jesus & Paul’s day and the 18th century. Yes, it was institutionalised in the ancient world, and yes it was unutterably wicked, but it was not industrialised as it was in the 18th century. Estimates of slaves in the ancient world vary, but it could rise to as high as 50% of the population in moments of extreme stress like famines, but it could also fall as low as 20% in times of prosperity. Slaves in the Graeco-Roman world could buy their freedom, and most were encouraged to do so. Slave owners in the Caribbean and the southern states of America had no intention of enabling that to happen until forced to by law.
So what exactly is a slave? A slave is human property – a human being who belongs to someone else, in the same way as we own a car. They could be bought in the same way as we would buy food or clothes, and their owner could then sell them on, as we can with any of our possessions.
Paul takes what is a commonplace experience for the congregation in Rome and uses it to describe both our relationship to sin and our relationship to God. The difference is not that the slave has been transferred from one form of ownership to another, it is that God has intervened to break the slave link to sin, and to liberate us to righteousness. Why? Because he loves us. Because he wants to. After much too-ing and fro-ing, Paul reaches his great conclusion: “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Note the difference – sin produces wages, but God offers life as a gift to us in Jesus Christ.
The freeing of a slave was called “manumission” – literally, the giving of a hand. While a slave, no physical contact would happen between slave and master. Once free, hands could be clasped. Paul is saying that in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection, God is extending his hand to us, to set us free. That hand is forever extended to us, and we grasp it when we confess and are forgiven, when we pray, when we worship, when we feel the Spirit’s power at work in us.
We who have been freed from such a slavery are therefore called to do several things. Firstly, people need to know that God is offering his hand to them in love and grace, and they need to see that grace at work in us and hear about that love from us. Secondly, we are to walk in that freedom with responsibility, so that we do not surrender our freedom for slavery to sin. Thirdly, we are to reflect this liberating God to the world.
Which one of those challenges us the most? The Gospel passage has much to say about that. Jesus is preparing his disciples for mission, for going out to preach this liberating love of God and to demonstrate it by liberating people from all sorts of disease and physical oppression. Last week we read Jesus’s words about division. This week we read Jesus’s words about reward – but what sort of reward is on offer? A prophet’s reward? Think of Jeremiah, who burnt inwardly if he didn’t speak, and was mocked and ill-treated if he did speak. That is not too enticing a reward, is it?! And the cup of cold water offered to one of these little ones gets you known as a disciple – a follower of Jesus, a member of a feared and often outlawed cult within 1st century Palestine. That’s no great reward either – that way persecution lies.
It is the same with embracing our slaving and colonial past. We did not do these things, and we can possibly claim that none of our forbears were involved in any of it either, but we cannot ignore its effect and its continuing influence in our world, and the privileges we enjoy do take some of their origins in past evils. But we can look for positive examples of dealing with this legacy, and perhaps the best for us here is the Barn Church. The families who gave both the building and the land on which the Barn is built were bankers, who supported Wilberforce financially as he laboured to get his anti-slavery legislation through parliament. Once that was achieved, they turned their attention to churches. The growing working class in London could not afford to pay pew rent in the older churches so they had to stand all the way through services. The Hoare family built new churches which were not dependent on pew rent, and the Barn is the last in a long line of such inclusive and liberating buildings.
Money can be clean, wealth can be used for good rather than evil, conscience can triumph over evil. May God give us grace to rejoice in his free gift of eternal life, that we may live that liberated life in his world, and commend his love to everyone we meet.
Prayers – with thanks to Paul Gregorowski
Intercessions audio
Lord open our eyes so that we may see our sisters and brothers throughout the world. Open our ears so that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the lonely and the hurt. Open our hearts so that we may care for the frightened, the oppressed and the poor. Help us to trust in your inexhaustible love so that we may be freed from our insecurities and fears to become as generous, forgiving and kind as you wish us to be.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Please bless your Church worldwide and in Kew. May we be true to your command to love one another and to spread your joy in the world. Bless all church leaders and heal the divisions that hurt you and hinder your work. Be with Father Peter, Michael and Richard and all who serve you at the Barn and
St Luke’s as we look forward to the day when we can all worship together again. And please bless all our children, in Junior Church, the nursery and Green Park School. You spoke of them as the kingdom of Heaven. Let us remember your words.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Lord please bless your world at this time of crisis and fear. Be with those affected by the Corona Virus, all refugees, asylum seekers and political prisoners, all those living under dictatorships or with the threat of famine and war, and all those without hope. Touch the hearts of all leaders so that your rule of love may prevail. Bless the Holy Land and all other nations that desperately need your help at this time. And we pray for racial justice throughout the world. Let us each hold up to God any country or cause that we care about and which particularly needs our prayers. Please be with them Lord. And when this
is all over may we use the lessons of this disaster to work for a better and fairer world.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Lord please bless our neighbours in Kew. May we be a true community. Protect the little businesses at risk. Be with the doctors, nurses and carers who show such incredible courage and devotion to us all. And
please be with all those who find the lockdown a terrible trial.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Lord of the cross please bless all who are sick or suffering at this time. Hold them, comfort them and bring them peace, and bless those who care for them. Today we pray especially for Julia Holboro, Annie Kunz, Gill Risso-Gill, Luci Mitchell-Fry, Joan Pritchard, Johanna Procter, Kevin Willoughby, Max Weston
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
Risen Lord we commend to your boundless mercy all those who have died, and we pray for those who mourn. Today we pray for Mary Smith, Pattie Johnson, Norma Williams, Eric Ewington, Ted Wheadon, Graham Foulis Brown. And in a moment of silence we remember all those whom we love who have died before. Lord hold them in your everlasting arms.
LORD IN YOUR MERCY HEAR OUR PRAYER
We end with a prayer by a priest in South Africa during the apartheid years, as topical now as it ever was. Lord let the world be changed for I long to see the end of poverty and fear.
Let kindness prevail for I long to see justice for the broken and oppressed.
Let my life be changed for I long to bring hope where it is needed most.
Trusting in your love I wait in confidence for the day when you make all things new.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy, at all times and in all places to give you thanks and praise, holy Father, heavenly King, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we sing for ever of your glory.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
The love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself, the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service, the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts; and the blessing of God almighty, the +Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you and those you love, today and always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
