Trinity 13

Opening Verse of Scripture  Ephesians 6:10,11

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Almighty God, who called your Church to bear witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to you; through him who was lifted up on the cross, and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Almighty God, you search us and know us: may we rely on you in strength and rest on you in weakness, now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

First Bible Reading Joshua 24.1–2a, 14–18

Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. ‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

Second Reading Ephesians 6.10–20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Gospel Reading John 6.56–69

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’

Post Communion Prayer

God our creator, you feed your children with the true manna, the living bread from heaven: let this holy food sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage until we come to that place where hunger and thirst are no more; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Commentary

It would be wrong not to make some mention of the reading from Joshua today, it is one of those really poignant moments which stand out in the Old Testament. Joshua has succeeded Moses and has led the tribes of Israel into the Promise Land. We are at the end of the Book of Joshua, and he has called the tribes together to renew their covenant with God. Joshua stood before the tribes of Israel; reminded them of the wonderful feats of deliverance and miracles God had performed on their way to the Promise Land. Then he asked them to make a choice between the false gods or the God their ancestors served "... who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, out of the state of slavery."

For the Israelites it was crunch time! In the Gospel reading today we are brought to another such time of choice. The last of 5 weeks in church we have read Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. Beginning with the sign of the feeding of 5,000 men plus an unknown number of women and children, the whole Chapter has used bread as an extended metaphor to describe what it is that Jesus is offering and the relationship which Jesus wants us to have with him. Now Jesus is presenting his followers with a ‘Make your mind up time!’ It is now that we discover just how tough the message of Jesus was for some who followed him. They have a real crisis of faith and we can hardly believe it, they walked away!

So far following Jesus has been easy and exciting - he has been performing signs and wonders, successfully challenging the authorities, and giving us hopes that "this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." (John 6:14) But now the message of Jesus has become much more threatening, he speaks of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. There is going to be more to following this Jesus than simply wandering around the countryside eating free dinners. Jesus is asking for a completely different level of commitment, flesh and blood.

It should come as no surprise to us that some were disappointed with Jesus and melted away when they discovered that his kingdom was not of this world. We read that "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him" It is important to remind ourselves that we should expect that not everybody is cut out for the business of following Jesus. Sometimes we are so eager to make the Gospel message understandable and acceptable that we tone down the really difficult stuff. It is understandable that we do not want to put people off, however the Gospel is challenging, demanding and asks difficult questions of us. We need to be very cautious about producing a ‘Gospel for all’ and reducing Jesus to a very nice man. Following Jesus means that we must be prepared to choose our priorities and Jesus is not satisfied with half measures.

Simon Peter makes a declaration of his devotion to Jesus, similar to that in Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, and Luke 9:18-21. He tells Jesus

''You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Today Jesus is calling for full commitment and we have to consider which side we are on. The response of Simon Peter was, "Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." What is your response? Charles Royden

Meditation

Zeno of Citium was a stoic lived over 200 years BC. He thought of free will as being something like a dog being tied to the back of a cart. The dog could walk around a bit but ultimately where the cart wen the dog had to go. So to the stoic life was like that, you had to know your limitations, what could be changed and what was fixed. Compare that to the words in Ephesians today from St Paul. Put on the armour of Christ hi urges, and when you have done that you will be equipped to take on not just the world but the cosmic powers!

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

For Paul there is to be no co-operation with forces of evil, no disposition towards the status quo, the armour of God is therefore to disrupt the powers of evil and make change. It must have felt daunting when faced with the enormous power which he saw in the rulers and authorities of his day. There was no democratic accountability, just the unquestionable power of Rome, people like Herod who could command the head of those who challenged their authority. Not daunted those early Christians wore their armour to effect and brought about radical change. Paul would encourage us to do the same, 'Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power'.

Hymns

• For the beauty of the earth
• Lord of the Dance
• O for a heart to praise my God
• Take my life and let it be
• Immortal, invisible God only wise
• Let all the world in every corner sing
• Teach me my God and king
• Blessed assurance
• Begone unbelief

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

Heavenly Father, help us to be vigilant in our own lives, so that either by word nor actions may we be guilty of causing others to fall.
(Women at Prayer, Rachel Stowe)

Lord of life, your life embraces me on every side. I open my arms to greet you. God, grant me a clearer vision of the many-splendoured thing, your presence in and through all things, that I may be on with your mind of love. (Richard Harries)

The guarding of the God of life be on you. The guarding of the loving Christ be on you. The guarding of the Holy Spirit be on you, every night of your lives. To aid you and enfold you each day and night of your lives. (Carmina Gadelica)

Govern all by your wisdom, O Lord, so that my soul may always be serving you as you will, and not as I may choose. Do not punish me, I beg you, by granting what I wish or ask if it offends your love which should always live in me. Let me die to myself, so that I may serve you; let me live for you, who in yourself are the true life. St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Lord our God, all truth is from you, and you alone bring oneness of heart. Give your people the joy of hearing your word amid the din of human noise, and of longing for your presence more than for life itself. May all the attractions of a changing world point us to the peace of your kingdom, a peace which this world does not give. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

O God, stay with us; let no word cross our lips that is not your word, no thought enter our minds that is not your thought, no deed ever be done or entertained by us that is not your deed. Malcolm Muggeridge (b.1903)
 

Additional Material

Commentary

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-24 (the reading has been extended to include some extra important verses) The book of Joshua concludes with another covenant ceremony - - this one at the ancient shrine of Shechem. This is where Jacob ordered all the "foreign gods" (handily portable stone idols) harboured by members of his household to be "put away" (see Genesis 35:1-4). The confiscated stones were then buried under the oak at Shechem. Joshua is not concerned with the people hearing and promising to obey every jot and tittle of the Law. Now, near the end of his life of leadership and service, Joshua desires to hear a much more basic commitment from the people. Joshua is speaking to a selected audience of "the elders, the heads, the judges and the officers of Israel" -- in other words, the elite of leadership, the best minds and hearts of Israel. Nevertheless, after delivering a quick historical synopsis of all the Lord has already done for Israel (vv.2-13), Joshua challenges these leaders to "choose this day whom you will serve" (15)

His words suggest that some of these high-ranking Israelites had already been observed worshiping the gods of their ancestors or the local Amorite deities. In verse 2 Joshua introduces the brief history he gives with "thus says the Lord" -- an indication that the following are not Joshua's words but God's. Though old and weary, Joshua is still the Lord's chosen mouthpiece to the Israelites. With this in mind, it is easy to see what a tremendous influence Joshua's assertion in verse 15, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord," had on his listeners. And perhaps that is also why, despite the impressive confession of loyalty the Israelites make in verses 16-18, Joshua reveals he is still not convinced (v.19). The words sound too much like what an eager-to-please people might mouth to their respected leader. The people demonstrate remarkable awareness of all God has done for them. Yet their promise to serve appears to be based only on a sense of tit-for-tat -- God does good things for us so we will serve him. Joshua's bitter response to these sweet-sounding words still shocks readers today -- think how stunned the Israelites must have been as he threw these words in their faces: "You cannot serve the Lord for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins" (v.19). God is not some celestial meet-your-needs sugar-daddy for the Israelites -- God is God, and that is why God should be served. Furthermore, Joshua continues, there can be a definite downside to swearing service to this jealous God. Faced with disloyalty and disobedience, this God will "turn and do you harm" (v.20), regardless of the good God has done before. It is not out of a sense of full-bellied well-being that the people confess their service to the Lord once again (v.21). Joshua's sharp words have reminded them of the consequences that lie behind their words. Yet Joshua's response is ambiguous -- it is still not clear whether he is convinced that this confession will hold. When he declares the people to be "witnesses against yourself," Joshua still seems to be challenging the people's conviction. It is not until verse 23 that Joshua finally indicates what might have been the whole impetus behind this dialogue. After the people glibly agree that "we are witnesses," Joshua drops his bombshell: "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." Despite all their confessions, both these Israelites and Joshua know that lurking in the backs of their tents, lying underneath their pillows, there are stone idols, which are being worshiped in secret. The conclusion of this scene is strangely unsatisfying -- for there is no gathering of these foreign gods, no record of their burial. Instead, the people simply confess their intended loyalty once more, and Joshua now makes "statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem" (v.25). Perhaps Joshua realized that while he can be a leader and example for his people, he cannot be their conscience or their nursemaid. In the end, both the people's ability to serve only the Lord and Joshua's ability to trust their words are matters of faith.

Commentary 2 - Making Tough Choices

In both of the bible passages today we see that God wants any decision to follow Him to be a completely free choice, not one born of guilt, obligation, or half-interest. As Joshua makes clear, the Israelites were free to choose idols and false gods if they wished: "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve …".

In the end, the Israelites do choose Yahweh, who liberated them from slavery; the one who is "close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit". The God who had led them into the Promised Land. Perhaps it was an easy choice for them, a no-brainer as the American’s might say. But choices are not always easy. No one knew this better than Jesus, who met the doubt of his followers with sober acceptance: "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there some of you do not believe". And as some of the Israelites must have done, some followers of Jesus opt out of the call to discipleship. The choice, or its implications, was just too tough.

Part of our responsibility as Christians is to make sure we are presenting the same choices that Jesus makes clear in the gospels to our society today. Choices that will lead some to the cross and discipleship, and others to turn and walk away. The ‘roles and responsibilities’ are distinct, although we sometimes find it hard to separate them. Ours is the responsibility to present the choices; the people who then make decisions must take the responsibility for them; and God will take the responsibility for the eternal outcomes. So often we feel responsible for the outcome of a choice of faith that someone else has taken rather than leaving it to God. It’s right that we feel concern and compassion for others in their decisions, especially when we see close friends or family making what we believe to be a wrong choice. But ultimately choice is a personal thing, especially when it comes to personal destiny. Joshua presented the choices to the Israelites and then led by example. For Simon Peter the choice was very stark. He realized that if He didn’t follow Jesus there really wasn’t anywhere else to go. It was only Jesus who offered any hope for the future, the words of eternal life. Even with choices some things never change. Despite what the world might desire it is only Jesus who ultimately offers eternal life, if we choose to accept His offer.   

Meditation

Not all of Jesus’ teaching is easy. We are free to choose God or not, but Jesus makes clear that we must be ready and prepared for the enormity and the eternal implications of that choice.

Prayers for Sunday

Lord, send us prophets in the church today, as in the days of old, to make known your living truth in the power of the Holy Spirit. Give them a clear vision of your purpose for the life of the world; enable them to peak the word with boldness; and through their words and their actions recall your people to simpler discipleship, holier living and to more dedicated service for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Help your servants Lord to be people of God, people of reconciliation, people of truth and people of prayer. Keep them ever humble in your service for your mercy’s sake. Amen

Lord of all good life, be with those who are now absent from us, seeking rest and change on holiday. Keep them in safety and renew their strength that they may return refreshed in body mind and spirit. Amen

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of His son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen

Dr. Martin Luther's Sacristy prayer, "O Lord God, Thou hast made me a pastor and teacher in the Church. Thou seest how unfit I am to administer rightly this great and responsible office ; and had I been without Thy aid and counsel I would surely have ruined it all, long ago. Therefore do I invoke Thee. How gladly do I desire to yield and consecrate my heart and mouth to this ministry ! I desire to teach the congregation. I, too, desire ever to learn and to keep Thy Word my constant companion and to meditate thereupon earnestly. Use me as Thy instrument in Thy service. Only, do not Thou forsake me, for if I am left to myself, I will certainly bring it all to destruction. Amen. "
 

God of the Spirit of kindness,
in the glory of the earth and the sea and stars,
in the kaleidoscope of colour and shade and shapeliness,
in the patterns of humour and tenderness and touch,
we celebrate your generosity.

Forgive us when we forget the gift in our every breath,
the care that sustains our every moment,
that grace that can transform our every day.

Set us free from the prison of grudging hearts,
mean desires,
resentful spirits,
give us courage to act with justice and generosity,
and draw us into love that does not calculate or keep scores.