Faith Daily | 21 September 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - PENTECOST APBA p583

Loving Father,

whose Son Jesus Christ has taught us

that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters

we do also for him:

give us the will to be the servant of others

as he was the servant of all,

who gave up his life and died for us,

and yet lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 8: 19-21

19Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Rev'd Jan

This statement of Jesus would not go down well in the discussions for Christmas celebrations between families – the tension has already begun for this year, I am aware! When you think about it, being a sibling to Jesus Christ would have been rather challenging. I wonder what they thought of him, and this kind of utterance…. Did they ‘get it’, or think he was a weirdo… or get hurt and wonder about their brother. His mother, on the other hand, would presumably have taken it into the wisdom she was accruing about this son of hers – although I don’t think anything would have prepared her for standing at the foot of his cross, watching him die a severely painful and shameful death. The burdens mothers’ bear….

For those of us who followed after the resurrection, including his disciples, the reality of being recognised by Jesus as his ‘true family’ in our Christian faith and actions is encouraging and aspirational. Mind you, there are two actions here… “hear the word of God” …. And “do it”. Both are fraught with risk – the way we listen, and then interpretation of what the doing actually looks like. As a faith community, the risk is compounded – belonging to the church as a whole means there are several layers of listening, and many more resultant actions of interpretation.

However, that’s ok. We trust the Holy Spirit to bring us the will of God, and trust in the forgiveness of Christ in our human working out of that will. God looks to the heart – to the purity of intention, and the willingness to love beyond self. We are all family in his love.

FINAL PRAYER: Rev'd Jan

You learn everything in family.

Life and unevenness

Love and dismay

Ego and sufferance

Humility and shame.

Putting up with other’s warts

and recognising tolerance of your own.

The expansion of forgiveness

and the narrowness of pride.

Above all the sharing,

the common meal

the connection

the thick blood that is eternal.

Thank you Jesus Christ

for including me in your family.

My prayer is that I will live

to your expectation.

Amen.