Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Merciful God,
teach us to be faithful
in change and uncertainty,
that trusting in your word
and obeying your will
we may enter the unfailing joy
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 13
How long will you forget me, O Lord; for ever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long shall I have anguish in my soul
and grief in my heart, day after day?
How long shall my enemy triumph over me?
Look upon me and answer, O Lord my God;
lighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him,’
and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.
But I put my trust in your steadfast love;
my heart will rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has dealt so bountifully with me.
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 13.22-30
Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will say, “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!” There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.’
Reflection
Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’
For many this may seem a strange question. Surely the kingdom of God is open to all. Surely there is not a quota. Surely all who strive to live a life of faithful discipleship will be welcomed into God’s nearer presence.
In the Revelation to John, which was not written until about 95 AD, almost sixty years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, there is talk of the 144,000, that is 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who will be ‘sealed’, that is given the special protection of God, as they continue to carry out God’s mission during the time of the Antichrist. In later times, and not in the teachings of Jesus, this teaching from the book of Revelation has been twisted into something very different. It has become a specific total of those who might expect to be ‘saved’ at the end of time.
Such a distortion flies in the face of Jesus’ teaching about those who will be saved. Jesus tells us to strive to enter through the narrow door. Jesus also makes it clear that amongst those who will be saved will be many who are not of the Jewish nation, but those who will come from east and west, from north and south. Jesus did not come to ‘sell tickets’ for a place in heaven. Jesus came to bring the gift of God’s grace into this world, a gift that makes it possible for us all to be ‘saved’.
There are no free passes into heaven, though. All who would seek to go through the narrow gate need to have worked for that privilege, it is no one’s by right. And the work we have to do is that of active and faithful discipleship. As we strive to prove ourselves worthy of being saved, we are also called to step back and help others along the path, whether they are known to us or not. As Jesus said: people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.
Let us pray that we might be given the strength to travel the narrow way that will fit us for our place in the kingdom of God. Let us pray that our words and actions in this life might help others to join us on the journey. Let us pray for the humility to recognize the worthiness of all to enter God’s kingdom when all strife in this world finally ends.
Prayers of intercession
Let us pray to the Lord who calls us to follow him in holiness of life.
Cleanse the Church from all that may hinder the spread of the Gospel. Give wisdom to discern where there is offence, and grace to set it right. Make your people strong in the power of prayer.
Bless and sanctify all human efforts towards a better world. Be close to those who have compassion without faith and draw them into your kingdom.
Strengthen us in prayer so that we may in our families and in all our lives be sustained by your continual presence. Guide us as we intercede for those known to us who are distressed and afflicted.
Comfort and relieve the sick, especially those who have asked for our prayers. Bless the Church’s ministry of healing. Grant perseverance to all who have become discouraged in prayer.
Have mercy on those who have died. Though we see them no longer, unite us with them in our intercessions, that we may be one in your love.
We pray as those who seek to be faithful members of the kingdom of God.
Prayer for the week
We thank you, Lord,
for calling us to be your witnesses:
grant us the courage and the love
to be obedient and faithful to that calling.
We pray that our lives may bear witness
to your love shown in Jesus Christ,
and that our witness may reflect your light
in the communities in which we live and work,
to the glory of your 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.
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