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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Gracious God,
you call us to fullness of life:
deliver us from unbelief
and banish our anxieties
with the liberating love
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 79.1-9
O God, the heathen have come into your heritage;
your holy temple have they defiled
and made Jerusalem a heap of stones.
The dead bodies of your servants they have given
to be food for the birds of the air,
and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the field.
Their blood have they shed like water
on every side of Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
We have become the taunt of our neighbours,
the scorn and derision of those that are round about us.
Lord, how long will you be angry, for ever?
How long will your jealous fury blaze like fire?
Pour out your wrath upon the nations that have not known you,
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your name.
For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his dwelling place.
Remember not against us our former sins;
let your compassion make haste to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and wipe away our sins for your name’s sake.
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 10.13-16
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.
‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’
Reflection
Today’s reading follows on from the account we heard yesterday of the sending out of the seventy others to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ far and wide. In yesterday’s reflection I concluded with the warning that it is not for us to judge those who reject the word of God, rather that task of final judgement is the prerogative of God alone. Today we hear words that hammer this message home.
During his earthly life Jesus worked miraculous signs and healed many of seemingly incurable diseases. But, despite all this, his revolutionary message that demanded a change in heart and a change in religious practice was rejected. That rejection, as we know, led to his brutal and unjust execution. The order to crucify Jesus was delivered by Pilate, a Roman official, as he sat on the seat of judgement. This detail, which is recorded in John’s gospel, highlights just how wrong we can be when we sit on that ‘seat of judgement’ in respect of the actions and words of others.
We all do it, of course. We all have our own opinions on what other people say and do. We tolerate the ‘eccentricities’ of some, whilst totally rejecting and condemning others. We watch our televisions, listen to news broadcasts and read our newspapers, and then we pass judgement on what we have seen, heard or read. We all believe we know better. Sadly, we take that same attitude into every corner of our lives. The neighbour who fails to make their garden look as ‘smart’ as ours is judged and condemned. The person whose ‘truth’ differs from ours is judged and condemned. The person who needs charitable help because of misfortune or unseen disability is judged and condemned. The person who likes their church to adopt a particular form of worship that differs from our own preferences is judged and condemned. We all judge and condemn. We all align ourselves with Pilate sitting on that seat of judgement in Jerusalem some two thousand years ago. We all struggle to follow the truly Christian way: the way of love, forgiveness and tolerance.
Let us pray that we might engage with others in an open and generous way. Let us pray that we might set aside the need to judge and condemn. Let us pray that we might be truly Christ-like in all we say and think and do. And, where there is rejection, let us pray that we might leave the role of judge to God alone.
Prayers of intercession
Let us pray to the Lord who has appointed us to serve him as his disciples in our time.
Keep the Church faithful, to trust only in the Cross of Christ. Fill your people with love for one another and with zeal to spread the Gospel to all people.
Bless those who travel. Keep them safe as they journey and guide them on their way. Guide and protect all missionaries and bless those who support them.
Give us the grace of hospitality, that our homes shall be places of welcome. Give us power to speak of the good news which we have received to those with whom we live and work.
Visit and relieve the homeless and the wanderers who have no place to rest. Be merciful to all who find doors shut against them because society has rejected them. Bless those who try to reach out to them in their need.
Look with mercy on those who have come to the end of their earthly journey. Receive them into their true home, to share the joy of the heavenly feast.
We pray in the name of Christ to be his faithful labourers.
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
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.