Readings: Psalm 34 Isaiah 33.13-17 Matthew 6.19-34 One of the features of society today is that we have become remarkably good at protecting ourselves from life's uncertainties, but not nearly so good at finding peace. We can insure almost everything. We can check our bank balances in seconds, track parcels across the country and see tomorrow's weather forecast before today is over. We can communicate with almost anyone, almost anywhere, at almost any time. Yet, for all these ways of making life feel more secure, anxiety remains one of the defining features of our age. Perhaps that should not surprise us. Anxiety often has less to do with what we possess than with what we cannot control. The more aware we become of everything that might go wrong, the harder it can be to remain calm. There is always another uncertainty, another decision or another possible problem ahead. That is why the words of Jesus in tonight's Gospel still sound so fresh and challenging. They ar...
There are many things in life for which we rarely stop and say "thank you”… I don’t mean special gifts, such as birthday or Christmas presents or extraordinary blessings, but ordinary things: a slice of bread, clean water, a warm home, friends around the table, or simply another day of life. Harvest is one of those moments in the Church's year when we are invited to pause and take notice, and then not forget… We notice what we have received, the goodness of God and the needs of others. Above all, we remember that nothing we have is entirely self-made. That theme runs through all our readings today. In Deuteronomy (8:7-18), God's people are standing on the edge of the Promised Land. After years in the wilderness, they are about to enter a place of abundance. Moses paints a wonderful picture of streams and springs, wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, olives and honey. It is a land where they will lack nothing. But then comes a warning: "When you have eaten your fil...