Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Lord of creation,
whose glory is around and within us:
open our eyes to your wonders,
that we may serve you with reverence
and know your peace at our lives’ end,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 27.13-16
Though my father and my mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
Teach me your way, O Lord;
lead me on a level path,
because of those who lie in wait for me.
Deliver me not into the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and those who breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Reading: Luke 10.1-12
The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.’
Reflection
Jesus’ core message in today’s reading is in the words: Peace to this house. This was yet another counter-cultural message from Jesus in first century Israel. The Jewish nation had felt the ill effects of oppression for centuries. The Jewish nation sought freedom from oppression. The Jewish nation looked forward to the promised Messiah who they believed would be a warrior king who would lead them to absolute victory over the hated Samaritans and Romans. Jesus, the real Messiah, had come into their midst preaching peace, love and service. Jesus could not have been more out of line with the culture of that time and place.
Just one chapter earlier in Luke’s gospel we read of the sending out of the twelve disciples. Now there seems to be a greater sense of urgency as the mission of the twelve is supplemented by the mission of the seventy. In both commissions we hear Jesus telling his followers to travel in peace and in faith. Jesus tells his followers to journey without the clutter with which we normally surround ourselves. He tells them to travel in faith and in the belief that there are many who want to hear the Good News that has been missing from their lives. He wants them to model the humility of the Christian life and he wants them to share the love and peace of the Christian calling.
As we read of the mission of Jesus’ believers we need to spend some time considering how Jesus is calling us and sending us out. In these times of a national pandemic with rising numbers of infections and deaths, there is uncertainty and fear. People feel oppressed as they try to find their way through the necessary restrictions that are in place to protect us. It is the Christian calling in these times, as it was in the days of Jesus’ human incarnation, to take the love and the peace of Christ into the lives of others. It is also the Christian calling to serve those in need and thereby ensure that the light of Christ is shining into the dark places of this world.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray to God in confidence for the coming of the Kingdom.
Bless the Church with the spirit of true discipleship. Give grace to all Christian people to show in their lives the healing power of the gospel. Bring new labourers to hear the call and work for the harvest of the Lord.
We pray that all nations may know the peace that comes from above. Drive out the evil which brings strife between people, give light to the dark places and fill the world with knowledge of the truth.
Let our homes be as those which have been visited by the messengers of peace and love. Make us welcoming and hospitable, open to learn from any who come into our lives.
Grant healing to the sick in mind and body, and skill to those who care for them. Defend and strengthen all who have gone forth as missionaries to face opposition and danger.
We give thanks for the departed who have laboured for good in this world. May their names be written in heaven and their joy be everlasting.
We pray in the name of Christ, by whose power evil is overcome.
Prayer for the week
Loving Father,
we pray for all who are any way troubled at this time,
and especially for those known to us.
Give relief to those in pain,
friendship to those who are alone,
reassurance to those in doubt or distress of mind;
and may our love be so strong that seeing need
we may never pass by on the other side.
We ask it in Christ’s name.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
The Grace
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore. Amen.
Tell all the world of Jesus,
that everyone may find
the joy of his forgiveness —
true peace of heart and mind:
proclaim his perfect goodness,
his deep, unfailing care;
his love so rich in mercy,
a love beyond compare.
James Seddon (1915–1983)
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