Lectionary for Sunday 16

Lectionary for Sunday 16

O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. Such knowledge is beyond me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.   Psalm 139:1, 6

Collect. O God, you have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading. Romans 8:12-25. There is a parable which comes from the American Indian tradition: Inside each person there are two wolves, a good wolf and a bad wolf and both are struggling to survive. The question is which wolf prospers and the answer is, the one the person feeds! Saint Paul would probably have agreed with the sentiment of that parable.

As Paul writes this first section of our Romans passage, his emphasis is that each believer would always keep in mind all that Jesus Christ has done and so live accordingly. Sin has been condemned in the flesh therefore the flesh is heading for death. Thus to live according to the values and desires of the flesh is to die. To avoid this dire conclusion Paul urges believers to walk by the Spirit and they do this by keeping in mind what God has done for them in Jesus Christ. What Paul is saying is that without Jesus there is no hope.

Our natural inclination is to try harder for Christians generally want to live a good life and honour Jesus. However as the effects of sin have condemned the flesh then no matter how hard we try by striving we will always fail in our attempts to honour Christ. It is this realisation that brings Paul to cry out in Romans 7;24, “Who will deliver me” and of course the answer is Jesus. Now you might be saying, “Yes Yes we know!” Nonetheless even though we know that truth, we still try to do better! Consider this, Paul writes. “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear”. The moment we try to do better we immediately fall back into fear for if we are trying to do better how do we know when we have accomplished our objective? Remember that when Jesus won our salvation, it was that and only that which made us righteous; there is no stage on from righteous! As long as we are in Christ righteousness covers us for it is the righteousness of Christ himself. The assurance of each believer is the great benediction which we hear often in worship: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to give his body on the cross in obedience to the will of God: The Love of God: love which sent his Son for the salvation of the whole creation: And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit: who is the great advocate and guide: Be with you all! Surrounded by that love and grace we find perfect freedom and a great inner desire to walk always in Christ’s way. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Romans 8:1

Prayer. Holy Lord, with thankful hearts we give you thanks for the love and care that Jesus Christ has shown to us. Only he was able to walk in total obedience to God and His desires. Grant that we may ever remain faithful to him and trusting in him walk always in the ways of righteousness and peace; keeping our eyes ever fixed on him. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our only Saviour. Amen

Reading. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. In the Ancient world to sow weeds into a farmer’s freshly planted crop was an offence so serious that it was punishable by death. It was not simply an annoying thing to do, in an era of subsistence farming to lose even twenty percent of your harvest could be the difference between life and death. Not just for your family but even perhaps for your whole village.

In the King James Version of this parable it names the “weeds” as “tares” (darnel). This type of weed was false grain which resulted in no useable seed. During the growing period this false grain was virtually indistinguishable from the good seed that the farmer had sown. Only at maturity was the true nature of the plants revealed. Jesus’ parable is not about someone being a nuisance it was a message about the fundamentals of life and the post script at the end of the passage reminds us that it is a parable to which we should pay attention.

The first thing we notice is that this parable is about living in the Kingdom. Jesus came to establish the kingdom through his death and resurrection, giving the whole creation the chance of a new start. In one sense the kingdom is established yet at the same time there are still things to be done which will finally complete the kingdoms presence. 1 Corinthians 15:27 reminds us that while Jesus is already reigning over the kingdom there is still an ongoing work which is being done by him. Thus we live in a world where some things are life giving while others have an opposite effect. For example we have all heard the phrase “false news”. We might be annoyed by this yet the idea that “false news” is around should alert us to evaluate which news we accept and which we reject. John in his first letter reminds us to test every spirit. (1John 4:1ff), We have to be discerning as to which path in life we follow, for our choices will have ultimate consequences. The weeds and the good seed were allowed to grow together. Our task is not to judge the weeds but to be a part of the good seed which grows on and is fit to be harvested. The parable reminds us that there will be a judgement but the judgement is at the master’s digression.

As we reflect on this parable we need to connect it with the reading from Romans for today. The main point of that reading was that Jesus, the one who sows good seed, has done all that needs to be done to bring us to a maturity that is fit for harvest. Our task is to keep on attending to the Good News that Jesus continues to teach us for it is this good news that will safely direct our steps!  

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! Matthew 13:43

Prayer. Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank and praise you for the coming of your kingdom. You are the Great Creator and all that is comes through your majesty; open our eyes to your wonders that we may serve you with reverence and awe. With thanksgiving we bow before you trusting in the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grant by his grace that we may live our lives always in harmony with your plan and purpose. So may we live to honour you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Collect. Help us, loving God, to wait with patience for your perfect will to be known on earth; may we refuse to judge others, but leave judgement in your hands; for the sake of Christ. Amen.