Faith Daily | 8 June 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 522

O God, who taught the hearts of your faithful people

grant us by the same Spirit

to have a right judgement in all things,

and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;

through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,

who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the same Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 5: 17-19

17 ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Peter Galbraith

We recall the words of Jesus on occasions when his enemies sought to trap him in relation to the keeping of the law.

“If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out. How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”

“The sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath”

“…who is without sin among you cast the first stone”.

Never did Jesus suggest that a law in question was wrong. What he did was point out that it was the interpretation of the law and its mis-application that could be cruel and wrong. In these ways he was living out the words given to us in Micah 6 v8 that what God requires of a person is “…to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God”. Jesus was showing how to be righteous, not how to look righteous!

He honoured the law in all points, but in living it to the full also demonstrated that something more was needed. The Apostle Paul fills this in for us in Romans 8.

“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins” (Romans 8v3: New Living Translation).

FINAL PRAYER Dorothy McRae-McMahon

We lift our hearts before you, O God.

Our souls breathe free in the wonder of your life,

expanding outwards into new possibilities.

We give you thanks for being a God

who is never satisfied with dull acceptance of what is

and yet, in the wonder of your life,

still offers us peace when we need it for our survival.

We give you thanks this day, O God.

Amen.