Opening sentence. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order has gone; a new order has already begun. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Collect. Father, with a generous hand you have sown in our hearts the seed of truth and grace. May we welcome it with humble confidence and cultivate it with gospel patience, knowing well that justice and peace will increase in the world as your word bears fruit in our lives. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, [11-13] 14-17. As we read the letters from Paul we need to keep in mind that they are indeed letters. We look on them as scripture and so they are, but in their original setting they were personal letters written with a particular purpose. Paul’s letters are very long by ancient world standards and would have probably been written over several days or maybe even weeks. In his letters to the church at Corinth Paul wrote first to the congregation trying to strongly guide them. In the second letter that we have he is speaking about himself and his ministry assistance; in many ways he is vigorously defending himself. That is the context for our short passage today. False teachers have rudely ridiculed Paul and in order to protect the integrity of the faith of the Corinthian church Paul writes directly about his own ministry.
The opening statement says that, “we are always confident”; the members at Corinth would have known that Paul had been involved in a riot while in Ephesus and had been forced to leave. Even so, he still remained confident because as Paul says, we walk by faith and not by sight. The riots had been precipitated by Paul’s great success. So many people had turned to Christ that the trade from the temple of Artemis was greatly diminished and at the same time many former Jews had found faith in Jesus as Messiah. Thus while Paul’s work was hindered the message of Jesus continued to change lives. Paul understood that to be with the Lord would see an end to his earthly pain and suffering yet he knew that his calling was to continue to proclaim Christ’s message of salvation. While the call remained so did his confidence for his confidence was in the Lord and not in the results of his work, therefore Paul was working for a future that was still to be fully revealed. The accusation that the false teachers had levelled at Paul was that by worldly standards Paul’s ministry was quite disastrous. It seemed that wherever Paul went disaster followed. He had been beaten with rods, whipped, stoned, arrested and put in prison, the catalogue of so called failures went on and on. (later in the letter he will use these very “disasters” to ridicule his attackers). Despite his hardships Paul continued on for his love of Jesus Christ and for the ultimate success of every believer to become a “new Creation” through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Paul’s letter was written to encourage the believers in Corinth, pointing them back to the essential core of the Christian faith. When we become believers we are drawn into the very body of Christ, and in Christ the future that he has prepared for us is secured. Living for him we know his blessing and his peace no matter what the circumstances are that life presents.
Prayer. Holy Lord you are the one who is always faithful to your people and you answer us when we call to you. In the ups and downs of life your loving presence is our greatest comfort. You know us by name and all our circumstances are known to you; you give us your help in times of trouble and lead us through to the places of peace. With confidence we call out to you for we come in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us by your Spirit to keep faith with all that Jesus has done and so live to honour and praise your name. In his name may we always walk by faith and not by trusting in sight. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Reading. Mark 4:26-34. When I was a small boy I remember a priest telling us that a parable was a story that teaches us a lesson. That usually led to some moral teaching which was probably necessary for small boys. Today we look at parables in a slightly different way in that they were the way that Jesus used to bring home essential spiritual truths.
Our reading today falls into three sections, namely two parables and the emphasis that Jesus placed on the use of parables. The parables are centred on the kingdom of God. As we have seen before in the gospel, the kingdom of God marks a separation from the kingdom of this world. When Jesus spoke about kingdom of God things, evil spirits rose in opposition and Jesus drove them out for evil has no part to play in the kingdom of God; evil is opposed to the kingdom of God.
The farmer scatters seed on the ground but can do nothing to make it grow. Therefore the key to this parable is, “he knows not how”. We can do nothing to form or grow the kingdom of God that is beyond our control. We can be seed scatterers and like the farmer we can live in high expectation that the seed will produce a bountiful harvest. We remember that Jesus lived in an agrarian society and so a grain harvest was indispensable for survival. In the same way the kingdom of God is essential to our survival. Though the seed grows in secret in his second parable Jesus declares how vast will be the kingdom of God. Though it may begin from the smallest of seeds it grows on to become a whole new environment in its own right. In the kingdom there is life with in for the birds symbolise new life that emerges within the kingdom.
Jesus drew his parables from the everyday scenes that his hearers would have been familiar with. They were scenes that they could see and then remember the spiritual points that Jesus was making. Mark also notes that Jesus explained more fully each of his parables to those who were his disciples reminding us that there is always more to explore in these parables of Jesus.
Prayer. Eternal God in whose kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness; and no strength is known but the strength of love. Guide and inspire the labours of those who seek to establish justice, righteousness and peace among the nations. That all people will find their security not in the force of arms, but in the perfect love that casts out all fear; and in the fellowship made known to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayer of the Air Training Corps.)
Loving God, through your Son you have called us to repent and believe the good news, and to celebrate the coming of your kingdom. Grant that we like those first disciples may hear Jesus’ call to discipleship. Unite all who honour the name of Jesus and make the church strong in its witness to his grace and forgiving love. May salvation be offered to all in ways that they can hear and respond. Teach us tolerance of all who are different from us. May we be ready to be lead by you and to lead others in the paths of peace and goodness. Give us true consideration for freedom for all and to welcome all who seek to find new life in our Lord Jesus Christ. May we be open to new ways and new possibilities, and courageous enough to proclaim to a waiting world the gospel of new life made possible through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect. Jesus, weaver of story, sower of seed; show us the new creation in small beginnings, and teach us to look for the coming of that perfect day, when all things shall be reconciled in you, the bringer of God’s realm of grace now and for ever. Amen.
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