 The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost (we are steadily getting through the Pentecost Sundays!)
Notices:
Call to Worship Blessed be God, who creates out of nothing, shapes beauty out of chaos and breathes life in to dust. Blessed be God, who gives each person a purpose, Calling the young for their energy And the old for their wisdom; affirming forgotten worth, identifying hidden potential, redeeming deep regrets. Blessed be God forever. Hymn 97 – O God, you search me and you know me Prayers of Adoration and Confession Holy God, the mystery of your presence stretches far beyond us, yet we know you draw near to us in Christ, walking beside us, guiding us with wisdom, loving us with boundless grace. Your Spirit encourages us as we follow Christ and gives us the energy and insight we need to serve you. Holy God, we are glad to gather in your presence, to be embraced by your mystery and your mercy. For we confess we do need your mercy. We claim to be your people, but we forget to love as you do. We claim to seek your guidance, but we often turn from your ways. We ask for your forgiveness, but we fail to forgive as you forgive. We claim to listen for your Word, but we ignore your wisdom. Hear us as, in this silence, we offer you our personal confessions: (A time of silence is kept.) Forgive us, God of mystery and mercy, amend who we are and direct who you would have us be for the sake of Christ, our Saviour and Friend. Friends, the good news never gets old. God knows us and loves us. We are forgiven, loved and set free to start again. Thanks be to God! Lord’s Prayer Reading – Matthew 22: 15-22 Hymn 489 – Come down, O Love Divine Weekly Prayer Gracious God, you have called and chosen us to spread the Good News of your son to the world. As we go out to another week help us to give the message of Faith, Love and Hope to all we meet, at home, at work, in our leisure time and in our community. Amen Reflection I mentioned a few months ago about how I had started over the lockdown period to collect stamps again. But I have never really collected coins or banknotes, though some people do. But our Gospel reading this morning revolves round a coin, and it made me look at some of the coins I still have from my travels. Of course, in Britain we have the Queen’s head on our coins and notes, and I have a couple of Jordanian coins, bearing King Abdullah’s head. But Israeli or Egyptian coins and most of my Euro coins have only symbols. The coin in our reading this morning was probably a denarius, and it bore the image of Caesar on it. What’s more, it would have an inscription ‘Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus’. Both image and inscription would be anathema to the Jews. Remember the 2nd commandment – Don’t make graven images. A graven image was a sign of idolatry. But also, the coin was a reminder that they were under occupation, and this coin was imposed by the Romans. Jesus had become a thorn in the side of various groups in Palestine. His message appealed to the people, but undermined their authority. They wanted rid of him, and the coin gave them the perfect way to trap him, and so there was an unholy alliance of Pharisees, who were really quite radical and anti-Roman, and Herodians, who were very conservative and sought to accommodate Rome. They held up the coin and asked ‘Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar or not?’. If Jesus answered Yes, pay the tax, then the crowd would be annoyed. The Pharisees would condemn him as supporting Rome. But if he said No, don’t pay the tax, the Herodians would brand him as a tax rebel and troublemaker. They had caught him, or so they thought..! I admire Jesus’ quick thinking. He asked for the coin, asked whose head was on it and said ‘Pay unto Caesar, the things which belong to Caesar, but render unto God, the things that belong to God’. And his accusers were silent. All life belongs to God, and so we pay our tribute to God, in the ways of in which we live our lives, in our time and talents, in our creativity and morality, our kindness and in our whole being. The coin bore Caesar’s image, and so belonged to him. But here we are reminded that we are made in the image of God. We bear God’s image and belong to God. What’s more, through baptism we bear the name of Christ. That’s something to remember, for as Christ’s followers, we represent him on earth, whether we be at home or at work or at leisure – we bear the image of God and should let nothing tarnish it. When we are tempted to compromise our values – stop and remember we are made in God’s image and belong to Christ. When we are tested and are tempted to do wrong things. Stop and remember we bear God’s image and belong to Christ, for the Caesars of this world are ever keen to rule our lives, but we belong to God. As we carry on through this difficult time, let us be reassured. We belong to God; God’s stamp is on us, and because of that we are never alone. Hymn 769 – holy, holy, holy (Argentinian Sactus) Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession God of abundance, we bring what we have to share, the fruit of our lives, a portion of your goodness to us. Bless our gifts and our lives, so that generosity and justice will join hands and your goodness will be shared with those in need. God of our hearts and our hopes, As the season continues to change and harvests are gathered, we thank you for the beauty around us, for brilliant colours, birds flying south, the crackle of fallen leaves, and the rhythms of this time of year. We are grateful for your steadfast love amid so much that changes. This autumn, we also face unpredictable changes as the pandemic continues. Draw close to those who find the uncertainty unsettling and help us preserve our connection to you and to each other. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. God of our imaginations and insights, We thank you for all the ways you inspire human minds to create things which improve the lives of your people. We are grateful for all the medical efforts taken to manage COVID-19, and for the scientists testing vaccines. Give them perseverance and success. Guide politicians and policy makers so that breakthroughs and resources are shared with the most vulnerable. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. God of neighbours and neighbourhoods, We praise you for everyone working to build and maintain healthy communities: for teachers and healthcare workers, construction workers, farmers and labourers. So many have had their workplaces changed and their livelihoods threatened by the pandemic. Give them perseverance and encouragement. Make us good neighbours to all who serve our community and remind us to say thank you. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. God of comfort and compassion, We pray for all those who are struggling this autumn, whatever the reason. We remember before you those facing illness or waiting for treatment… those who have lost income and worry about winter expenses and shelter… those who are grieving the loss of someone close… and those whose mental health is under pressure these days… Awaken your people around the world to attend to the needs of those at risk in our communities so that they will know your comfort and compassion God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Silence Amen Hymn 476 – Mine eyes have seen the glory Benediction Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and the Blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you and all whom you love, wherever they may be, now and forevermore, Amen
1 Comment
John Stobart
17/10/2020 06:02:24 pm
I’ve always loved this part in the gospels. As a case study it can be analysed in so many ways. On a monetary theory perspective it says, as monetary theory itself does, anyone can issue money - the real trick is getting others to accept it. So every time you are offered something that purports to be “legal tender” you have to ask who issued it and do you accept that they are “good for the money” ie is it actually of any value? And value for what? On a civics level it poses the question whether you can be part of a society that needs a central authority but not contribute to funding that authority ie is scrounging a legitimate lifestyle. At the level of morality it examines the age old debate between legal obligations and ethical obligations ie how do you resolve conflicts. There are many other dimensions, just as their are on many Bible stories. John Leave a Reply. |
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