Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
ruler and judge of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of this age that is passing away
may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy
surround our steps as we journey on.
May we reflect your glory this day
and so be made ready to see your face
in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Luke 17.26-end
Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them – it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.’ Then they asked him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’
Reflection
How many times do we hear of someone’s sudden and unexpected death? Sometimes we view such a death as a tragedy because the person who has died was ‘So young’ or ‘Had so much to live for’. Sometimes we find ourselves saying: ‘What a lovely way to go’ or ‘We should not be surprised because he or she had reached such a good age’. No matter who the person and no matter what the age, a sudden and unexpected end to any mortal life is a shock, and it should give us cause to pause and reflect.
In our sophisticated modern age, an age in which medical science has invested us with a misguided sense of invulnerability, we like to think that we can take control of our last moments on earth, and upon the way in which our lives are recalled and celebrated. A bewildering range of funeral plans are advertised in a targeted campaign that plays upon our weaknesses in such matters. And so many people waste so much time planning their own funerals, totally ignoring the need for a funeral to ‘close the circle’ for those who are left behind.
In today’s reading Jesus makes it clear that we are not in control of our own ends. Neither the time nor the manner of our death is in our gift. So … why waste so much time on it? We are given the gift of life. How we use that God-given gift should be the focus of our efforts. We have no way of knowing how or when our lives might end in this world, but we do know that such a precious gift should not be wasted.
On this day in 1918 the conflict that many hoped would be The war to end all wars drew to a close. The anger, the pride, the folly of humanity had cost so many lives during the preceding four years. Then at 11am on the eleventh month of that year a line was drawn, a period of new hope began. But … that new hope was short-lived because the same obsessions and pre-occupations soon re-surfaced. The ‘need’ to be in control and to dominate took over once again. The vulnerability of the human condition was, yet again, challenged by the belief of the strong that they could determine their own destinies.
In the light of today’s moments of remembrance, and in the light of today’s reading from scripture, let us pray that we might hold firm to the faith which demands that we trust in God alone and not in the strength that comes from our misguided belief in the illusion that we can outwit God and shape our own futures.
Prayers
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.
Let us praise Christ our King, by whose cross we have citizenship in heaven, saying: all your saints praise you.
Lord, you built your Church on the foundation of the apostles:
all your saints praise you.
You witness to your truth in the lives of your saints:
all your saints praise you.
You made us to be a kingdom and priests serving our God:
all your saints praise you.
You have shared our burdens,
revealing the holiness of our life and work:
all your saints praise you.
You stir us to seek the mysteries of the kingdom:
all your saints praise you.
You lead us to the eternal assembly of the saints:
all your saints praise you.
God of holiness,
your glory is proclaimed in every age:
as we rejoice in the faith of your saints,
inspire us to follow their example
with boldness and joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
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.
Christ our King make us faithful and strong to do his will,
that we may reign with him in glory;
and may the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.
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