Collect and Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity – Jeremiah 32.1-3a, 6-15, Amos 6.1a,4- 7, Psalm 91.1-6, 11-end, Psalm 146, 1 Timothy 6.6-19, Luke 16.19-end
The Prayer for today 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.
On the face of it, Jeremiah’s purchase of the field was likely to be a complete waste of money. Had he been thinking only in terms of financial gain, it would hardly have been considered a wise investment. But since God had just spoken to him about using it as a sign of hope, Jeremiah was happy to go along with God’s priorities. These took precedence over all his plans and ambitions.
Amos underlines for us the danger of being comfortably well off; the very comfort can cushion us from feeling for the poor and needy until we barely notice their suffering. So often this goes along with a sense of well-being which lulls us into thinking life is like this for everyone else too. We can become so cut off from the real world that we actually believe the needs are not there. It is this blindness, and injustice of the situation, which angers the God of love and compassion. He feels for the ones who get despised and ignored, simply because they possess less.
Paul has more good advice from young Timothy. He, too, recognises that many sins can get traced back to the ‘love of money’ rootstock, and advises Timothy to stay well away from it, pursuing instead the kind of riches that are good and eternal. God is by far the better bargain!
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus focuses our minds on the seriousness and urgency of this whole question. We are not to know when our opportunities for living thoughtfully and generously will run out; it would be sensible to sort it all out now, while we still have the chance. As we take stock of how we are living, we can hold in front of us the picture of this wealthy man who did nothing particularly evil, but neglected to notice the needs of those he probably saw every day.
Some things to reflect on:
• Was Jeremiah foolish to buy a field in the circumstances? Why does God sometimes ask us to do things which, in the world’s terms, are madness?
• Is it wealth itself which is wrong, or the way it cushions us to reality? Can real Christians be wealthy?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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HM Queen Elizabeth 1926 – 2022
The Benefice of St John the Evangelist, Chelford with St Peter’s, Lower Withington and All Saints, Marthall
As a Benefice we wish to offer our deepest condolences to HM The King and all the Royal family on the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
We give thanks for her loyal service to her family, this nation, the Commonwealth and the World.
Her example of true Christian service in action and her involvement and interest in the causes held dear to her heart.
We pray that you will all be able to draw comfort knowing the hope of God’s promises, that nothing can separate us from His unconditional love.
Father of all mercies and God of all consolation,
you pursue us with untiring love and dispel the shadow of death with the bright dawn of life.
Give courage to The King and the Royal Family in their loss and sorrow.
Be their refuge and strength, O Lord;
reassure them of your continuing love and lift them from the depths of grief
into the peace and light of your presence.
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
by dying has destroyed our death,
and by rising, restored our life.
Your Holy Spirit, our comforter,
speaks for us in groans too deep for words.
Come alongside your people,
remind them of your eternal presence
and give them your comfort and strength. Amen.
God bless
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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Collect and Readings for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – Jeremiah 8.18-9.1, Amos 8.4-7, Psalm 79.1- 9, Psalm 113, 1 Timothy 2.1-7, Luke 16.1-13
The Prayer for today Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; 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.
This week’s readings remind us that the way we deal with worldly finances and possessions should be scrupulously honest, fair and wise. It should be directly affected by our spiritual values and reflect our beliefs completely.
The story of the cheating manager and his cunning way of avoiding trouble has the rich man praising him for his cleverness. This does not mean that Jesus is advising us all to follow the manager’s example, of course, but it certainly highlights the zeal given to worldly affairs compared with the laid-back attitude so often given to eternal and spiritual matters. If we were to take the same trouble over our spiritual journey as criminals invest in embezzlement, the results would be dynamic in the extreme.
Jesus also picks up on our need to be responsible with our worldly affairs. It is no good excusing ourselves from such responsibilities on the grounds that we are only interested in spiritual things. Jesus is always practical and realises that the way we manage our weekly budget, our expenses and our life-decisions is important. If we can’t manage these honestly and sensibly, we are likely to be irresponsible about the important things of life as well.
Jeremiah was deeply saddened by his own people using their privileged position as a cover for ungodly behaviour. The closer we get to God’s way of thinking, the more saddened we will be by the lack of integrity we see around us. We are bound to start noticing people’s misdirected ‘worth-ship and longing for a change of direction. This sadness and yearning is all part of walking in step with the God who loves us and desires that sinners should turn and live.
Some things to reflect on:
• Is it possible to live as a Christian in the world of business and competition?
• How can we make sure we take seriously our responsibility to support our leaders in prayer?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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Collect and Readings for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity – Hosea 11.1-11, Ecclesiastes 1.2, 12-14; 2.18-23, Psalm 107.1-9, Psalm 49.1-12, Colossians 3.1-11, Luke 12.13-21
The Prayer for today
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your
name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the
same; 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.
Our culture runs on consumerism, and one of the side-effects of that is an encouragement of greed and increase in the daily temptation through the media to us that security, happiness and peace of mind come from possessions and self-indulgence. It is a myth which has enough truth in it to be dangerous. It undoubtedly helps to have enough to live on, but the wisdom of Mr Micawber holds true, all the same living within our means is happiness where finances are concerned, and sixpence over that is misery! Many know the misery of accumulated debts resulting from the pressure to live beyond our means and spend what we actually haven’t got.
It is a short step from being told that we haven’t got something to believing we need (rather than want) it, especially if we can see others who already have it. The ‘if only’s’ set in, with their accompanying sense of discontent and resentment. Equally dangerous is the possession of financial ’security’ which can kid us that we have no need of God, so that we shut down our spiritual antennae and grow increasingly oblivious to the needs of others and the glaring inequalities. The preoccupation with protecting what we own is good news for the insurance and home security firms, but bad news for the soul.
This week’s readings point out the foolishness of living in this way, and the wisdom of living with our security in the eternal things. Now that Christ has given us a new life, our insurance – or perhaps I should say ‘assurance’ – is kept with Christ in heaven. The whole yardstick of life is changed, and our time here recognised as only the first part of our full and lasting life. When we really grasp the implications of what Jesus has done for us, it is bound to alter our outlook on what is important to possess and what is of only minimal value.
It is not so much a question of giving away our possessions as changing our attitude to them and recognising them for what they are – pleasant comforts to thank God for, but lent to us to use, as good stewards, and in no way altering our real wealth and security.
Some things to reflect on:
· Is it possible to live in our culture without becoming materialistic?
· How can we help people see the value of this long-lasting spiritual wealth? And do we still need convincing ourselves?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
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