Sharing some thoughts

There are moments in life when the call to follow Jesus feels overwhelming - times when we’d perhaps rather bury our heads and pretend not to have heard… I don’t think it was any different for the early followers of Jesus.  His words to the disciples in the gospel from Luke (17:5-10) this morning are not gentle suggestions—they are radical commands: forgive endlessly, rebuke sin, welcome the stranger, seek the lost, and live with integrity. It perhaps isn’t any wonder that the disciples cry out, “Increase our faith!” They weren’t asking for a little boost. They were desperate. Jesus had just laid out a vision of discipleship that felt impossible. And maybe you’ve felt that too at times. Maybe you’ve looked at your own life and thought, “I don’t have enough faith to live like that.” But there’s good news if you have thought that as most of us have at times:  Jesus doesn’t say, “You need more.” He says, “You already have enough.” If you have faith the size of a mustard seed—tiny...

  If someone asked you today, “Would you rather be rich or poor?” most of us would instinctively lean towards riches. After all, who wouldn’t want comfort, security, and the freedom that wealth seems to offer? But today’s Gospel reading ( Luke 16:19–31) invites us to look deeper. It’s not a condemnation of wealth itself, but a powerful reminder that true richness is found not in what we possess, but in how we live - with compassion, with awareness, and with a heart open to God and others. Jesus tells a story that’s both sobering and full of grace. It’s a tale of two men - one clothed in luxury, the other clothed in suffering. And yet, it’s the man who seemed to have nothing who is given a name: Lazarus, “the one whom God helps.” That name is no accident. It’s a whisper of hope, a promise that God sees, God knows, and God helps - even when the world turns away. We’re told: “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And ...

  Today in the church calendar, we celebrate St Matthew, the tax collector who became a disciple of Jesus and the author of the Gospel that bears his name. In our reading from Matthew (9:9–13), we heard how Jesus saw him sitting in his tax booth and simply said, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and did just that. It’s an incredible response to a life-altering invitation. He left behind his job, his security, his routine and stepped into the unknown with Jesus. He had no hesitation. There was no negotiation. Just trust. Now, most clergy would love to have that kind of influence. Imagine saying “Follow me” and having everyone joyfully agree - whether it’s about a new style of worship, the layout of the church, or even just encouraging people to love one another more deeply. But we know that’s not how it works. People have opinions, preferences, and sometimes can be resistant to change. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s probably healthy. Clergy aren’t infallible - though we may not always...

  We don’t often hear readings from Paul’s letter to Philemon—and that’s largely because we’ve just heard almost the entire letter this morning. It’s one of the shortest books in the Bible, but it’s packed with meaning and challenge, as well as grace. Paul wrote from house arrest in Rome to Philemon, a wealthy Christian in Colossae. Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, had fled to Rome and there, he encountered Paul and was led to faith in Jesus. Now Paul writes to ask Philemon to receive Onesimus back - not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. And Paul doesn’t just ask - he offers to pay back any debt that Onesimus owes.  There are several themes that rise from this short letter. First, the issue of slavery. It’s troubling to us of course, and rightly so. Though it was accepted in Paul’s time, we know that no one should ever be owned by another. And tragically, slavery still exists today - in forced labour, human trafficking, and exploitation. But the gospel speaks into this. It pr...

  Our New Testament readings today (Hebrews 13:1–8, 15–16 & Luke  14:1, 7–14) touch on a number of themes, too many to explore fully this morning. But one thread runs clearly through both - that real love produces real actions. In other words, our relationship with Jesus, if it is a relationship of love, must change us day by day. And one of the ways today’s readings point us toward that change is in how we care for people—especially through our hospitality. In the letter to the Hebrews, we hear that wonderful challenge:  “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”  We’ll come back to that in a few moments.   And in the gospel reading, Jesus speaks about not assuming the highest place at a dinner and then tells a story about inviting people to a great banquet—not friends or relatives or rich neighbours, but instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.   Now, Jesus isn’t...