Faith Daily | 7 July 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 558

O God,

you have prepared for those who love you

such good things as pass our understanding:

pour into our hearts such love toward you,

that, loving you above all things,

we may obtain your promises

which exceed all that we can desire;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 10: 7-15

7As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for labourers deserve their food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Hilary Bell

“The kingdom of God has come near”. In Jesus, human yet divine, the reign of God came to mortals. Through his teaching, his life, death and resurrection, people were transformed. God’s righteousness, peace and love were written in hearts and minds, sin and death were overcome. If this reality, the Good News, is true for us today, then what does it mean to be “kingdom people?” what is the relevance of the instructions for those first apostles to us, as disciples in our time?

Several things stand out for me. Firstly: v. 8 “You received without payment; give without payment” or in the NIV translation “Freely you have received; freely give.” Our God’s generosity is extraordinary and without limit. We cannot earn it or pay for it, sometimes we feel unworthy of it, and yet God’s mercy is a free gift to all. Surely this is Good News we want to share. Surely this motivates us to acts of love, generosity, compassion and peace.

Secondly, the instruction in the commissioning was to take nothing for the journey. How confronting for us, yet how significant. Before undertaking travel how often do we spend enormous amounts of time packing, preparing, training, wondering if we are well enough equipped, and rechecking: “Do I have everything I need? Am I ready”. In our everyday journeys and encounters as disciples how often does the baggage of uncertainty or lack of confidence, unpreparedness or even fear, limit our acts of compassion and generosity, or hold us back from sharing our faith?

Thirdly, the words : “shake off the dust from your feet” strike a similar chord for me. Too often I find myself weighed down by the dust of old hurts and resentments, indifference, insults, rejection. Those feelings sometimes stop me from “doing the good I want to do”. The words “move on” “leave it behind you” are given as advice so often that they have become almost trite. Jesus knew that his apostles would sometimes face rejection or hostility but this was not to prevent them, or us from being the kingdom people we are called to be.

FINAL PRAYER Carol Owens

God forgave my sins in Jesus’ name,

I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name,

and in Jesus’ name I come to you

to share His love as He told me to.

He said: “Freely, freely you have received,

freely, freely give;

Go in My name and because you believe,

Others will know that I live.

Amen.