Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Creator God,
you made us all in your image:
may we discern you in all that we see,
and serve you in all that we do;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 10.1-5a, 12
Why stand so far off, O Lord?
Why hide yourself in time of trouble?
The wicked in their pride persecute the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
The wicked boast of their heart’s desire;
the covetous curse and revile the Lord.
The wicked in their arrogance say, ‘God will not avenge it’;
in all their scheming God counts for nothing.
They are stubborn in all their ways,
for your judgements are far above out of their sight;
Arise, O Lord God, and lift up your hand;
forget not the poor.
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
Matthew 12.14-21
The Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smouldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’
Reflection
In the two weeks since my final session of chemotherapy the whole tone of my email inbox has changed. It would appear that some people feel that I am now ready to be criticized and nagged about a whole host of trivial matters. The ultimate example of this was demonstrated by the email that began: I know that you are ‘supposed’ to be unwell … As I have begun to field these emails I have often thought of today’s reading. To date, as far as I am aware, no one has conspired to ‘destroy’ me, but … I suppose you never know!
I open today’s reflection in this personal way because so many of us encounter such mundane pressures at moments when we are already feeling weak and vulnerable. That is certainly where we meet Jesus today. He felt so threatened and vulnerable that ‘he departed’.
But … the need for him did not go away, and he continued in his ministry. Faithfully and lovingly he carried on healing those who were unwell and possessed.
It is at this point in Matthew’s gospel that we are given words from the prophet Isaiah. These words are well known and they remind us of Jesus’, and by extension, our call to serve.
Jesus was beset with so many complaints and anxieties and threats, but he remained focus.
In recent months the nature and the intensity of the complaints, anxieties and threats that we have had to deal with have changed, but we are still called to carry on loving and serving in the name of Christ.
The question at the end of this week is still – how do we love and serve in the name of the one who gave everything for us?
Are we so wedded to our need to be ‘in control’ of everything and everyone around us that we continue to miss the point of Jesus’ call in our lives?
Are we still so anxious and over-burdened, physically and mentally, that we forget that Jesus can take care of all that for us?
Are we ready to open our hearts and minds and let Jesus direct us along the path that leads to true life in him?
Prayers of intercession
Let us pray that the good news of salvation may inspire the Church and all the world.
As you have given the message of hope and comfort to your people in all ages, fill the Church with zeal to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Make your people, sealed by baptism and the Holy Spirit, to be one in your Kingdom.
Make straight the crooked places of the world and lead the nations into the way of peace. Reveal your glory so that all people shall see it and become your own.
Bless us, our families and friends, that we may seek the good and avoid the evil. Save us from the judgement of having neglected your word.
Be close to those who do your work in obscurity and poverty. Give them the comfort of your presence and shield them from danger and persecution.
We pray for those who have come out of the wilderness into new life. Look upon them with the eyes of mercy, counting them righteous not for their merit but through the love of Christ.
We join our voices with all those which speak of the Gospel of Christ.
Prayer for the week
O Saviour of the world,
lifted up on the cross to draw people
of all races and nations to yourself:
bless the witness of your Church
in this and every place,
and help us to finish the work
you have given us to do
in the world for which you died.
We ask it in your name,
our living and victorious Lord.
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.
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