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Busy night at St Clare's tonight as we looked at today's Gospel together. After the obligatory game to start, we explored the themes of ransom (including chocolate), glory, service and sacrifice. The Anointed Group (age 11-14) used drama to help them whilst the Sent Group (age 14-18) did a more indepth Bible study. We all came together for our final prayer time in the church to bring all our reflections to the Lord and ask Him to help us grow in the desire to serve like Him.
Every Sunday a member of the Metanoia Project team will be sharing the Gospel passage and a short reflection to help us all apply it to our lives today. We hope you will find it useful! Why not leave your own reflections on this passage in the comments?
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’
When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
Today’s Gospel continues on from the last few weeks where we’ve heard the disciples are on a journey. Today they still are on the road to Jerusalem and still have a lot to learn. Today we hear for the third time that Jesus is warning them about what will happen.
In Mark 10:32-34, just before today’s Gospel, Jesus talked about His death and resurrection.
James and John hear this and seem to be confused. Jesus is talking about His departure from this world, they understand this to be about who will take leadership when he has gone. After all this time on the road they still are thinking that their position is important, and they want to lead.
When we read about this occasion in Matthew 20:20 we read it was James and John’s mother who made the request, here we hear it was James and John themselves who asked Jesus to sit at his side.
I really believe that they just got abit confused and hadn’t understood talk of the new kingdom. Their father Zebedee was a man of importance and had influence. In John 18:15, we are told John was known to the high priest so could go into the courtyard with Jesus. John was known because of his father. If James and John had been brought up witnessing and receiving privileges that were received when you are known, then perhaps they thought knowing people would help Jesus in what was to come. Perhaps their upbringing full of influence and privilege was the thing they needed to leave behind before following Jesus totally?
James and John’s request showed lack of faith in what Jesus had said about being raised after three days. They went just the two of them, leaving other disciples out of this conversation, so they didn’t want the others involved. They wanted to gain power and had complete misunderstanding about what God’s Kingdom would be.
So, why are we still reading about them, learning from them, praying to them? Why are James and John saints?
Could it really be as simple as they listened, learnt, repented and followed Jesus? Saints got things wrong but learnt by their mistakes and continued striving for holiness.
I take great comfort in James and John as I too have made some complete mistakes and demands on Jesus. I too have thought I could tell him what I think should happen and expected him to do it for me. I cringe at the times I thought I was a Catholic because that was the decision my parents made for me, yet I was living a far from Catholic lifestyle. I took what I wanted from the Church but gave nothing back. Like James and John, I just presumed all the privileges of my childhood were there for my taking and would get me higher in terms of quality of life. I’ve lived more than half my life avoiding the need to listen, learn, repent and just presumed Jesus was with me. It wasn’t until I was Baptised in the Holy Spirit my heart began to open to a life putting down privileges and picking up choices that echo Jesus. Like James and John, I am on a long journey with Jesus, but I know and understand the power of Holy Spirt, they’ve yet to receive that. So, in some ways I’m in a better position than these two are in today’s Gospel because I’ve seen what’s ahead and can deal with it full of the Holy Spirit.
I believe today’s Gospel is reminding us to lay down any man-made ideas of making our lives better. There’s so much outside pressure to be the best – there’s social media follower numbers, likes for likes, reward ceremonies at schools, more elite universities. There are ideas about where you go on holiday or what postcode your house is in makes you a better person, but surely none of that matters. Surely Jesus wins the best person award, and he doesn’t exercise any right in lording that over people. He radiates the model of servitude we all should follow. He hasn’t come to be served, he says, but to serve. Jesus offers himself as a sacrifice for others. Jesus hasn’t said it was wrong to desire greatness in His Kingdom, but he tells us to follow his example and be a servant.
If all glory, all honour and all power are His, why do so many of us try and take that away from Him?
We are called along our road to a life of service and suffering. So, we must learn how to serve the Lord, serve each other and everyone around us. The world needs to see Jesus in our actions.
I feel it’s really important to highlight the word service here. We are all at different parts of our journey with Jesus, which means we all can serve him exactly as we are. Our relationship with Jesus is a personal one. Whether you’ve said yes to being a Parish Priest or cannot get to Mass as you are house bound, you are called to serve. Whether you are known by everyone in the town you live in or you don’t know anyone, you are still called to serve. Whether you have a never-ending bank balance or live hand to mouth, you are still called to serve. Whether you can offer hours for voluntary work or you haven’t any time at all, you are called to serve. It is really easy to look at other people’s lives and think they are doing a better job at serving Jesus than you. We serve Jesus by sitting at His feet and listening to where He wants us to go. A starting point for this week would be just that – sit at his feet and serve Jesus.
When I had two young children, a husband working crazy hours and a rather chaotic work life balance, I once ran into the playground really late to pick my son up. I was tired, emotional and frantic. There was Joseph stood in an empty playground with only our Parish Priest in it. As I started sobbing with an explanation as to why I was so late ( I seem to remember it was the fact I’d unplugged to clock to put the hoover in, then my 2 year old had a temper getting in the buggy, then I couldn’t get across the main road due to school traffic) , he said , “ ‘In the noise and clatter of my kitchen , while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees in the Chapel’ ( Brother Lawrence) , Jennifer serve Jesus in all these moments and you’ll experience great peace”. That incident was 13 years ago and I’m once again reminded that even though my life is far from ordered and tranquil, I can still serve Jesus and in doing so I experience great peace.
This week as we come before Jesus, let’s take example from James and John and not be afraid to ask questions, let’s listen to the answers Jesus is longing to give us and let’s humble ourselves before Him, ready to serve. Let’s listen and learn from Jesus. Yes, we may have got things wrong along the way, but we can repent and say yes to a life following Jesus with our whole hearts. We are all called to be saints, we all should be striving for such holiness.
-Oh Heavenly Father ,Give us a heart like Jesus, a heart more ready to serve than be served, a heart set upon the coming of your Kingdom.
-Jen
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’
When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
Today’s Gospel continues on from the last few weeks where we’ve heard the disciples are on a journey. Today they still are on the road to Jerusalem and still have a lot to learn. Today we hear for the third time that Jesus is warning them about what will happen.
In Mark 10:32-34, just before today’s Gospel, Jesus talked about His death and resurrection.
James and John hear this and seem to be confused. Jesus is talking about His departure from this world, they understand this to be about who will take leadership when he has gone. After all this time on the road they still are thinking that their position is important, and they want to lead.
When we read about this occasion in Matthew 20:20 we read it was James and John’s mother who made the request, here we hear it was James and John themselves who asked Jesus to sit at his side.
I really believe that they just got abit confused and hadn’t understood talk of the new kingdom. Their father Zebedee was a man of importance and had influence. In John 18:15, we are told John was known to the high priest so could go into the courtyard with Jesus. John was known because of his father. If James and John had been brought up witnessing and receiving privileges that were received when you are known, then perhaps they thought knowing people would help Jesus in what was to come. Perhaps their upbringing full of influence and privilege was the thing they needed to leave behind before following Jesus totally?
James and John’s request showed lack of faith in what Jesus had said about being raised after three days. They went just the two of them, leaving other disciples out of this conversation, so they didn’t want the others involved. They wanted to gain power and had complete misunderstanding about what God’s Kingdom would be.
So, why are we still reading about them, learning from them, praying to them? Why are James and John saints?
Could it really be as simple as they listened, learnt, repented and followed Jesus? Saints got things wrong but learnt by their mistakes and continued striving for holiness.
I take great comfort in James and John as I too have made some complete mistakes and demands on Jesus. I too have thought I could tell him what I think should happen and expected him to do it for me. I cringe at the times I thought I was a Catholic because that was the decision my parents made for me, yet I was living a far from Catholic lifestyle. I took what I wanted from the Church but gave nothing back. Like James and John, I just presumed all the privileges of my childhood were there for my taking and would get me higher in terms of quality of life. I’ve lived more than half my life avoiding the need to listen, learn, repent and just presumed Jesus was with me. It wasn’t until I was Baptised in the Holy Spirit my heart began to open to a life putting down privileges and picking up choices that echo Jesus. Like James and John, I am on a long journey with Jesus, but I know and understand the power of Holy Spirt, they’ve yet to receive that. So, in some ways I’m in a better position than these two are in today’s Gospel because I’ve seen what’s ahead and can deal with it full of the Holy Spirit.
I believe today’s Gospel is reminding us to lay down any man-made ideas of making our lives better. There’s so much outside pressure to be the best – there’s social media follower numbers, likes for likes, reward ceremonies at schools, more elite universities. There are ideas about where you go on holiday or what postcode your house is in makes you a better person, but surely none of that matters. Surely Jesus wins the best person award, and he doesn’t exercise any right in lording that over people. He radiates the model of servitude we all should follow. He hasn’t come to be served, he says, but to serve. Jesus offers himself as a sacrifice for others. Jesus hasn’t said it was wrong to desire greatness in His Kingdom, but he tells us to follow his example and be a servant.
If all glory, all honour and all power are His, why do so many of us try and take that away from Him?
We are called along our road to a life of service and suffering. So, we must learn how to serve the Lord, serve each other and everyone around us. The world needs to see Jesus in our actions.
I feel it’s really important to highlight the word service here. We are all at different parts of our journey with Jesus, which means we all can serve him exactly as we are. Our relationship with Jesus is a personal one. Whether you’ve said yes to being a Parish Priest or cannot get to Mass as you are house bound, you are called to serve. Whether you are known by everyone in the town you live in or you don’t know anyone, you are still called to serve. Whether you have a never-ending bank balance or live hand to mouth, you are still called to serve. Whether you can offer hours for voluntary work or you haven’t any time at all, you are called to serve. It is really easy to look at other people’s lives and think they are doing a better job at serving Jesus than you. We serve Jesus by sitting at His feet and listening to where He wants us to go. A starting point for this week would be just that – sit at his feet and serve Jesus.
When I had two young children, a husband working crazy hours and a rather chaotic work life balance, I once ran into the playground really late to pick my son up. I was tired, emotional and frantic. There was Joseph stood in an empty playground with only our Parish Priest in it. As I started sobbing with an explanation as to why I was so late ( I seem to remember it was the fact I’d unplugged to clock to put the hoover in, then my 2 year old had a temper getting in the buggy, then I couldn’t get across the main road due to school traffic) , he said , “ ‘In the noise and clatter of my kitchen , while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees in the Chapel’ ( Brother Lawrence) , Jennifer serve Jesus in all these moments and you’ll experience great peace”. That incident was 13 years ago and I’m once again reminded that even though my life is far from ordered and tranquil, I can still serve Jesus and in doing so I experience great peace.
This week as we come before Jesus, let’s take example from James and John and not be afraid to ask questions, let’s listen to the answers Jesus is longing to give us and let’s humble ourselves before Him, ready to serve. Let’s listen and learn from Jesus. Yes, we may have got things wrong along the way, but we can repent and say yes to a life following Jesus with our whole hearts. We are all called to be saints, we all should be striving for such holiness.
-Oh Heavenly Father ,Give us a heart like Jesus, a heart more ready to serve than be served, a heart set upon the coming of your Kingdom.
-Jen
Great start to our new group for Students and Young Adults tonight. We joined the 5.35pm Mass, shared food and fellowship, and discussed prayer before putting it into practice with some Lectio Divina to finish. No one seemed in a rush to go home after so I think it was a success.... why not come and join us next time?
🎼Worship Wednesday 🎼
For today's Worship Wednesday ive chosen Hillsong Young And Free - Uncomplicated.
I've found myself singing this all week so I thought I'd share .
God's love is so simple - so uncomplicated. He loves us and wants to spend time with us exactly as who we are . We don't ever need to be anyone other than ourselves - He wants all our sorrows, confusions, frustrations , as the song says
'brokenness, loneliness and secrets'
they are never too much for Him to handle and they certainly never stop Him from loving us.
I know there's been so many times in my life Ive experienced feelings of not being good enough , and put up a barrier as I just didn't feel worthy of such love but I know God looks upon each one of us with such amazing love - His love is everything
His love is life changing . All we need to do is say yes and let Him have His way. Surrender our whole life to Him.
-Jen
youtu.be/cu2qRWa_O5E
For today's Worship Wednesday ive chosen Hillsong Young And Free - Uncomplicated.
I've found myself singing this all week so I thought I'd share .
God's love is so simple - so uncomplicated. He loves us and wants to spend time with us exactly as who we are . We don't ever need to be anyone other than ourselves - He wants all our sorrows, confusions, frustrations , as the song says
'brokenness, loneliness and secrets'
they are never too much for Him to handle and they certainly never stop Him from loving us.
I know there's been so many times in my life Ive experienced feelings of not being good enough , and put up a barrier as I just didn't feel worthy of such love but I know God looks upon each one of us with such amazing love - His love is everything
His love is life changing . All we need to do is say yes and let Him have His way. Surrender our whole life to Him.
-Jen
youtu.be/cu2qRWa_O5E
At today's Seekers we found out how NOTHING is impossible for God . It was NOISY , but FUN!
Gospel for Sunday 10 thOctober 2021, 28 th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B: Mark 10:17-27
Every Sunday a member of the Metanoia Project team will be sharing the Gospel passage and a short reflection to help us all apply it to our lives today. We hope you will find it useful! Why not leave your own reflections on this passage in the comments?
This week our reflection comes from Anna - Thanks Anna
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;you shall not commit adultery;you shall not steal;you shall not bear false witness;you shall not defraud;honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
I have to admit, this is one of the Gospel readings that challenges me most. I think this is because it is hard-hitting, and a challenging reminder that following Christ is not easy. I think the central point of the Gospel this week is Christ’s invitation to more. More life, more hope, more Him.
The young man asks Jesus what he must do to enter the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus replies: “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
We are told that the man goes away after this, as he has great wealth. This is so relatable for us; I think it is so often easy to think we are doing all the right things in our walk with the Lord, but we are also holding onto things of material value, things that perhaps can act as a safety blanket for us. But Jesus calls us to more. He calls us to not be held down by material worth, but to remember that Heaven is the greatest treasure. Jesus is our greatest treasure.
Jesus then tells us how difficult it is to enter Heaven, that famous line: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” This can be a challenging line, but I want to explore beyond this.
There is more.
The story doesn’t end here.
We have hope.
If we read further, we can see the hope that is offered. The disciples ask Jesus, “who can be saved?”. And then I love the next part: “Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’”
I want to break this down a little. First of all, we hear that, “Jesus gazed at them”. I just imagine Him looking at the disciples with so much love in this moment. They are telling Him that they want to spend eternity with Him… what a declaration of love! And that gaze - what a response of love from Him to them.
And then Jesus tells them, “for men it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God”. I think sometimes it is so easy to write ourselves off, to dwell too much on what we can’t do. But this encouragement from Jesus gives us hope. We cannot get to Heaven by ourselves, but God has more for us than just this life. His love is so boundless, nothing is impossible for Him. We have hope. We know that Jesus went to die on that cross because there is more for us than this world. There is more for us than we could imagine. There is more for us than what we see in front of us.
And if “everything is possible for God”, perhaps we should be asking God to do the things we think impossible.
So that’s my encouragement for us all this week. If we truly believe that “everything is possible for God”, perhaps we should be praying for big things, for big change, for big healings, for big growth. Because He has so much more. And He wants to do the seemingly impossible. Let’s pray with boldness and confidence, knowing He wants to answer our prayers.
- Anna
Every Sunday a member of the Metanoia Project team will be sharing the Gospel passage and a short reflection to help us all apply it to our lives today. We hope you will find it useful! Why not leave your own reflections on this passage in the comments?
This week our reflection comes from Anna - Thanks Anna
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;you shall not commit adultery;you shall not steal;you shall not bear false witness;you shall not defraud;honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
I have to admit, this is one of the Gospel readings that challenges me most. I think this is because it is hard-hitting, and a challenging reminder that following Christ is not easy. I think the central point of the Gospel this week is Christ’s invitation to more. More life, more hope, more Him.
The young man asks Jesus what he must do to enter the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus replies: “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
We are told that the man goes away after this, as he has great wealth. This is so relatable for us; I think it is so often easy to think we are doing all the right things in our walk with the Lord, but we are also holding onto things of material value, things that perhaps can act as a safety blanket for us. But Jesus calls us to more. He calls us to not be held down by material worth, but to remember that Heaven is the greatest treasure. Jesus is our greatest treasure.
Jesus then tells us how difficult it is to enter Heaven, that famous line: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” This can be a challenging line, but I want to explore beyond this.
There is more.
The story doesn’t end here.
We have hope.
If we read further, we can see the hope that is offered. The disciples ask Jesus, “who can be saved?”. And then I love the next part: “Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’”
I want to break this down a little. First of all, we hear that, “Jesus gazed at them”. I just imagine Him looking at the disciples with so much love in this moment. They are telling Him that they want to spend eternity with Him… what a declaration of love! And that gaze - what a response of love from Him to them.
And then Jesus tells them, “for men it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God”. I think sometimes it is so easy to write ourselves off, to dwell too much on what we can’t do. But this encouragement from Jesus gives us hope. We cannot get to Heaven by ourselves, but God has more for us than just this life. His love is so boundless, nothing is impossible for Him. We have hope. We know that Jesus went to die on that cross because there is more for us than this world. There is more for us than we could imagine. There is more for us than what we see in front of us.
And if “everything is possible for God”, perhaps we should be asking God to do the things we think impossible.
So that’s my encouragement for us all this week. If we truly believe that “everything is possible for God”, perhaps we should be praying for big things, for big change, for big healings, for big growth. Because He has so much more. And He wants to do the seemingly impossible. Let’s pray with boldness and confidence, knowing He wants to answer our prayers.
- Anna
We are setting up and are looking forward to this empty church being filled with lots of you worshipping together... 7.30pm , St Wilfrid's Preston . Come join us !
I'd love to be able to join you, but I'm busy getting my elderly mum to bed at that time. Hopefully one day. 🙏
Let the Ground Rest’ - Chris Renzema
One of the things I really love about this song is how it talks about embracing difficult times. I feel like a lot of praise songs can sometimes give us the impression that life with God is easy. But this song uses an analogy of the seasons to talk about how sometimes we can be left in a season of waiting, wondering what God is doing.
“Don’t you find it strange,
That God, He made four seasons
and only one spring”
I know I can be guilty of expecting to ‘feel’ or ‘notice’ God working in my life. But the reality is very different to this. God is always working in our lives, we just may not always notice. Isaiah 43:19 reminds us of this, “Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?”.
“Just let the ground rest
If it’s not right now,
It’s for the best
You’re gonna grow,
I know this,
But for now,
Just let the ground rest”
At the same time, the chorus of this song reminds us that sometimes God is going to give us time to process and reflect. Although God is always working and doing, He also takes time to rest. And so should we. We need to take time to pause and notice.
As we pray with this song this week, my prayer is that we would be able to take a few moments to look back and reflect on how far God has brought us; praising Him for the ways we’ve noticed Him moving in our lives and the ways we haven’t:
All Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
-Anna
youtu.be/kT6xk7qg8Tc
One of the things I really love about this song is how it talks about embracing difficult times. I feel like a lot of praise songs can sometimes give us the impression that life with God is easy. But this song uses an analogy of the seasons to talk about how sometimes we can be left in a season of waiting, wondering what God is doing.
“Don’t you find it strange,
That God, He made four seasons
and only one spring”
I know I can be guilty of expecting to ‘feel’ or ‘notice’ God working in my life. But the reality is very different to this. God is always working in our lives, we just may not always notice. Isaiah 43:19 reminds us of this, “Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?”.
“Just let the ground rest
If it’s not right now,
It’s for the best
You’re gonna grow,
I know this,
But for now,
Just let the ground rest”
At the same time, the chorus of this song reminds us that sometimes God is going to give us time to process and reflect. Although God is always working and doing, He also takes time to rest. And so should we. We need to take time to pause and notice.
As we pray with this song this week, my prayer is that we would be able to take a few moments to look back and reflect on how far God has brought us; praising Him for the ways we’ve noticed Him moving in our lives and the ways we haven’t:
All Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
-Anna
youtu.be/kT6xk7qg8Tc
Unveiled is happening on Friday and we can't wait to be with you . If you've never been before , you are very welcome , please come ! If you come every time, come again and bring a friend ! See you Friday for Praise and worship led by our Music Ministry , a talk led by Joe, Adoration and a chance to share afterwards.
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Gospel for Sunday 3rd October 2021, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B: Mark 10:2-16
Every Sunday a member of the Metanoia Project team will be sharing the Gospel passage and a short reflection to help us all apply it to our lives today. We hope you will find it useful! Why not leave your own reflections on this passage in the comments?
Gospel
Some Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, ‘Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?’ They were testing him. He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ‘Moses allowed us’ they said ‘to draw up a writ of dismissal and so to divorce.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘It was because you were so unteachable that he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. This is why a man must leave father and mother, and the two become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ Back in the house the disciples questioned him again about this, and he said to them, ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.’
People were bringing little children to him, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.
Reflection
At first glance there seem to be two very distinct parts to today’s Gospel that don’t appear to bear any relation to one another. One minute Jesus is talking about marriage and the next he’s talking about children holding the answer of how we can enter the Kingdom of God. But, of course, Jesus was very deliberate in everything He said and did (as were the Gospel writers when they put together their accounts of what Jesus said and did) so there must be some reason that we will benefit from this juxtaposition. I am sure there are many ways we could learn from this passage, but I would like to propose the following… For me the key to understanding Jesus’ teaching here is this: ‘Anyone who does not enter the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’.
Before we go any further, lets establish what this Kingdom is of which Jesus is talking. Is the Kingdom a place we go after we die – the place we call heaven? That is not how Jesus speaks about the Kingdom elsewhere in the Gospels. In fact, He starts His ministry by proclaiming that the Kingdom is close at hand or has come near, some translations even say ‘among you’. So, from Jesus’ point of view, the Kingdom is clearly not just somewhere we might get to if we happen to do all the right things before ‘shuffling off this mortal coil’. Jesus talks about and demonstrates a Kingdom that is accessible here and now. We are invited to live in the Kingdom for all eternity and eternity has no beginning and no end. Of course, we will experience the Kingdom in all its fullness when we are not preoccupied by the distractions of this earth, but that shouldn’t stop us from experiencing as much as possible of it now!
So how do we experience the Kingdom now? By entering like a little child. What makes a little child different from a teenager or an adult? One major thing is their acceptance as truth everything that they are told. Children might question why because they want to understand further, but they don’t question whether or not it is true. A great example of this is Father Christmas. So much fantasy, storytelling and detail has been created to answer the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of him, but children happily believe that he exists purely because they have no reason to doubt that it is true. As we grow up and start to understand that not everyone is always truthful, or that other people don’t always have good intentions, we learnt to question whether or not what we are being told is indeed true. But God’s intention is always good – He is always good! He doesn’t change and so we do not have to worry about being caught out or tricked. So, to enter the Kingdom like a child we need to trust that God’s Word is completely true with no pitfalls that are going to make us look like a fool should we fall for His ruses.
And that leads us to the first part of the passage about marriage and divorce. ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too’ doesn’t fit well with our modern idea of relationships. It seems so contrary to our feelings, as perhaps does all of the Church’s teachings on sex, relationships, gender identity, and life issues, all of which stem from the same understanding of the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of the human person. But what if, instead of resorting to the healthy doubt we have accumulated over the years of encountering dishonesty, we received this message like a little child? What if we accepted that this message must be true because the One Who is telling us is incapable of falsehood? That He has no ulterior motive to gain His own advantage or to fool us in any way? That He only every wants good for us and knows exactly what that is? If we could accept that then maybe we could start to strip away the falsehoods we have learned from much less trust-worthy sources and experience the goodness of life as God intended it however contrary that might seem to our current world-view.
It is, of course, good to ask ‘why’ like a child who wants to understand. We are not expected to blindly follow but to seek and ask and receive. Our first reading today gives us an initial glimpse into the ‘why’. We are told of God’s beautiful original plan for humankind. Man and woman are literally made to fit together, created to be complementary to one another yet of the very same flesh and bone and, when they meet for the first time, Adam’s joy is uncontainable. We also hear throughout scripture the analogy of marriage between God and His people. The human expression of marriage is meant to reflect to the world the free, full, faithful, and fruitful love of God in His covenant with us His people. Now, sadly we do not always experience marriage in that way. We live in a broken world where we do not always hear or respond to God’s ways and so this can seem at best like an unattainable ideal and at worst as something that is not even desirable. But I know from my own marriage that, whilst no earthly symbol can ever fully describe the things of God, it is the best analogy for the experience of a life of faith. At the start of a relationship there is the initial attraction and warm feelings that grow over time into a much deeper love less affected by internal or external pressures. When hard times or disagreements come, a choice to faithfully stay and invest in that relationship brings a freedom to be more fully authentic with one another. When love is truly present then it overflows to others. All of these are experiences I have had in both my marriage and in my relationship with God. But I would not have discovered this to be true if I had not first accepted like a child that God knows the best thing for my life. There are many times I would have run a mile if I had not believed that God’s design is always going to be best for me! And it has been. I have been shaped so positively to be less selfish, to see the world through different eyes, to understand the effect of different life experiences, to realise that I am not the centre of the universe. And I know there is still a lot of refining left to do which will not always be pleasant but that will ultimately polish me to reflect the light of Christ more fully to the world.
Not all of us are called to be married but we are all called to enter the Kingdom like little children. So how can you trust more fully in God’s ways this week? How can you choose to listen to His beautiful original plans for humankind and allow them to shape your worldview and morals? How can you walk in the Kingdom today?
My prayer for all of us this week is that we realise to the fullest possible extent that God is only ever good, that He only ever wants good for us, that His designs for our lives are for hope, not disaster, and that we can accept all that He tells us to be true.
-Ruth
Every Sunday a member of the Metanoia Project team will be sharing the Gospel passage and a short reflection to help us all apply it to our lives today. We hope you will find it useful! Why not leave your own reflections on this passage in the comments?
Gospel
Some Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, ‘Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?’ They were testing him. He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ‘Moses allowed us’ they said ‘to draw up a writ of dismissal and so to divorce.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘It was because you were so unteachable that he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. This is why a man must leave father and mother, and the two become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ Back in the house the disciples questioned him again about this, and he said to them, ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.’
People were bringing little children to him, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.
Reflection
At first glance there seem to be two very distinct parts to today’s Gospel that don’t appear to bear any relation to one another. One minute Jesus is talking about marriage and the next he’s talking about children holding the answer of how we can enter the Kingdom of God. But, of course, Jesus was very deliberate in everything He said and did (as were the Gospel writers when they put together their accounts of what Jesus said and did) so there must be some reason that we will benefit from this juxtaposition. I am sure there are many ways we could learn from this passage, but I would like to propose the following… For me the key to understanding Jesus’ teaching here is this: ‘Anyone who does not enter the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’.
Before we go any further, lets establish what this Kingdom is of which Jesus is talking. Is the Kingdom a place we go after we die – the place we call heaven? That is not how Jesus speaks about the Kingdom elsewhere in the Gospels. In fact, He starts His ministry by proclaiming that the Kingdom is close at hand or has come near, some translations even say ‘among you’. So, from Jesus’ point of view, the Kingdom is clearly not just somewhere we might get to if we happen to do all the right things before ‘shuffling off this mortal coil’. Jesus talks about and demonstrates a Kingdom that is accessible here and now. We are invited to live in the Kingdom for all eternity and eternity has no beginning and no end. Of course, we will experience the Kingdom in all its fullness when we are not preoccupied by the distractions of this earth, but that shouldn’t stop us from experiencing as much as possible of it now!
So how do we experience the Kingdom now? By entering like a little child. What makes a little child different from a teenager or an adult? One major thing is their acceptance as truth everything that they are told. Children might question why because they want to understand further, but they don’t question whether or not it is true. A great example of this is Father Christmas. So much fantasy, storytelling and detail has been created to answer the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of him, but children happily believe that he exists purely because they have no reason to doubt that it is true. As we grow up and start to understand that not everyone is always truthful, or that other people don’t always have good intentions, we learnt to question whether or not what we are being told is indeed true. But God’s intention is always good – He is always good! He doesn’t change and so we do not have to worry about being caught out or tricked. So, to enter the Kingdom like a child we need to trust that God’s Word is completely true with no pitfalls that are going to make us look like a fool should we fall for His ruses.
And that leads us to the first part of the passage about marriage and divorce. ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too’ doesn’t fit well with our modern idea of relationships. It seems so contrary to our feelings, as perhaps does all of the Church’s teachings on sex, relationships, gender identity, and life issues, all of which stem from the same understanding of the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of the human person. But what if, instead of resorting to the healthy doubt we have accumulated over the years of encountering dishonesty, we received this message like a little child? What if we accepted that this message must be true because the One Who is telling us is incapable of falsehood? That He has no ulterior motive to gain His own advantage or to fool us in any way? That He only every wants good for us and knows exactly what that is? If we could accept that then maybe we could start to strip away the falsehoods we have learned from much less trust-worthy sources and experience the goodness of life as God intended it however contrary that might seem to our current world-view.
It is, of course, good to ask ‘why’ like a child who wants to understand. We are not expected to blindly follow but to seek and ask and receive. Our first reading today gives us an initial glimpse into the ‘why’. We are told of God’s beautiful original plan for humankind. Man and woman are literally made to fit together, created to be complementary to one another yet of the very same flesh and bone and, when they meet for the first time, Adam’s joy is uncontainable. We also hear throughout scripture the analogy of marriage between God and His people. The human expression of marriage is meant to reflect to the world the free, full, faithful, and fruitful love of God in His covenant with us His people. Now, sadly we do not always experience marriage in that way. We live in a broken world where we do not always hear or respond to God’s ways and so this can seem at best like an unattainable ideal and at worst as something that is not even desirable. But I know from my own marriage that, whilst no earthly symbol can ever fully describe the things of God, it is the best analogy for the experience of a life of faith. At the start of a relationship there is the initial attraction and warm feelings that grow over time into a much deeper love less affected by internal or external pressures. When hard times or disagreements come, a choice to faithfully stay and invest in that relationship brings a freedom to be more fully authentic with one another. When love is truly present then it overflows to others. All of these are experiences I have had in both my marriage and in my relationship with God. But I would not have discovered this to be true if I had not first accepted like a child that God knows the best thing for my life. There are many times I would have run a mile if I had not believed that God’s design is always going to be best for me! And it has been. I have been shaped so positively to be less selfish, to see the world through different eyes, to understand the effect of different life experiences, to realise that I am not the centre of the universe. And I know there is still a lot of refining left to do which will not always be pleasant but that will ultimately polish me to reflect the light of Christ more fully to the world.
Not all of us are called to be married but we are all called to enter the Kingdom like little children. So how can you trust more fully in God’s ways this week? How can you choose to listen to His beautiful original plans for humankind and allow them to shape your worldview and morals? How can you walk in the Kingdom today?
My prayer for all of us this week is that we realise to the fullest possible extent that God is only ever good, that He only ever wants good for us, that His designs for our lives are for hope, not disaster, and that we can accept all that He tells us to be true.
-Ruth