The Gospel reading for this week continues with the Sermon on the Mount with a focus on holiness – but with a twist. In fact, pretty much all of the readings this week speak about holiness, but with a different angle than we usually think of when the word is mentioned today. Holiness, in this week’s readings, is all about social justice, non-violence and community (and, by extension, if I may be permitted to interpolate into Paul’s letter a little, hospitality).

What a wonderful opportunity to deconstruct and reconstruct what we believe about this often unpopular word in our worship and preaching this week!

READINGS:
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18: God calls the people to holiness, instructing them to treat one another with compassion, integrity, justice and fairness.

Psalm 119:33-40: A prayer for God to teach the psalmist God’s ways and to give understanding, commitment and reassurance to help in following God’s ways.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23: Christ is our foundation, and we all build our lives and community on that foundation so that we become together the temple of God’s Spirit. To do this does not require human wisdom, or following particular leaders, but recognising that God has given us all things in Christ.

Matthew 5:38-48: Jesus teaches his followers not to seek revenge or pay-back, but to treat those who oppress and harm them with grace and generosity, and to love even their enemies and persecutors.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The idea of ‘holiness’ appears in all of this week’s readings in different forms. In Leviticus the people are commanded to be holy as God is holy, and this holiness is revealed in their treatment of one another and their seeking for justice. The psalmist prays for a life that is directed by God’s ways and God’s commands, and for the strength to pursue this life faithfully. Paul challenges the church to be a holy temple for God’s Spirit by building their lives and community on the foundation of Christ. And, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches what ‘perfection’ or holiness is to be like – compassionate and non-violent, refusing to retaliate when harmed, and seeking the best even for those who consider us to be their enemies. What is clear here is that holiness is not about not doing things. It is about doing things that make a difference. It is not about avoiding so-called sinful behaviour, but about doing justice, compassion, fairness, non-violence and generosity. It is about caring for those who are vulnerable and poor, and treating all people with the same respect and dignity. Note: Interestingly, Luke’s parallel for Matthew’s “Be perfect…” is “Be compassionate…” (Luke 6:36 NLT).

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: I’m not sure when holiness became synonymous with piety, but that does not seem to be what the Bible is trying to teach us about holiness – at least not this week. Both the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel point to the link between justice and holiness, and in a world where social justice can sometimes be labeled as unChristian, this is a message we need to hear. As a Methodist, my Wesleyan heritage is a huge help here. John Wesley spoke about holiness (Christian perfection) as both perfect love and “social holiness”. Jesus of course makes this all-encompassing when he includes even enemies in those who deserve love and justice. Even Paul’s teaching for the Christian community makes the foundation of Christ the platform on which this community is built, and through which we experience God’s indwelling Spirit. But what does this mean practically for our world? It means we need a world-wide “no-enemy” campaign – a global movement of people who refuse to view anyone else as an enemy, irrespective of religion, race, sexuality, language, economic status or even action. Martin Luther King Jr. made it clear that the essence of non-violent transformation was learning to love those against whom we work. Perhaps the most profound work of justice is this work of unconditional indiscriminate love (or compassion, if we follow Luke). And just maybe this is, as Wesley suggested, the essence of what it means to “be perfect as God is perfect”. What might our world look like if we worked harder at loving our enemies than we do at killing them?

LOCAL APPLICATION: At the most simple level Christian worship has so often been the cause of hatred and injustice, setting even believers against each other as “enemies”. Throughout history Christians have warred against each other – and this has not stopped today. We may not always use physical weapons, but we certainly use the weapons of the media, of words and of rejection. We do this against people of other religions as well, but as long as we do this, we fall short of God’s holiness, and we inflict death on both our enemies and ourselves. It is when the offer of grace costs us the most that we are most reflecting the grace and character of Christ. When we refuse to hate or attack or reject even those who are the most threatening and unloving, we begin to embody the “perfection”, the holiness which Christ teaches about. This may be expressed in small ways – like learning to worship to musical styles that we do not enjoy – or in large ways – like taking the hand of someone who we believe is completely wrong in their beliefs or actions. As I explore in Chapter Three (Becoming Holy) of my book The Hour That Changes Everything, holiness comes down to wholeness (integrity and authenticity), compassion and hospitality. These three characterics are what God offers us, and what we are called, in this week’s Gospel and Old Testament readings, to extend to others – even those we most want to reject or condemn. What would it mean for your church if you measured holiness not by attendance at church or small groups, and not by what your people avoid doing, but rather by the extent to which compassion and justice were extended to others?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Whole-y God
True Whole-iness
Holy God
Fruit

Hymn Suggestions:
A Charge To Keep I Have
Saviour Thy Dying Love
It Passeth Knowledge That Dear Love Of Thine
What Shall I Do My God To Love
God Of All Power And Truth And Grace
Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (Link to YouTube video)
You Have Shown Us (Link to YouTube video – Song starts at 1:24)
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
How Long: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon Mp3 Store)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For the Celebration Of Sacrifice

Video Suggestions:
Gandhi: Eye For An Eye
Know The Word: Love Your Enemies

One word, perhaps, sum up the Lectionary readings this week: humility. In the face of a culture in which we are all encouraged to ‘value ourselves’, to ‘reach for what we want’ and to ‘not let anyone stop us’, this can be a difficult, even ridiculous, word. To claim that true, vibrant, authentic life is found in simplicity, fidelity, contentment and humility sounds naive and out of touch. And yet, this is exactly what Jesus asks us to believe – and to embrace – this week.

May our worship re-align our priorities and bring us the richness that comes from humility.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 2:4-13: God speaks out against God’s people who have forgotten God’s salvation and turned to other God’s – God’s people have abandoned God who is the fountain of living water and have dug cracked cisterns for themselves.
OR Sirach 10:12-18: In pride people have departed from God, and God has brought them low and put the humble and lowly in their place.
OR Proverbs 25:6-7: Don’t push for a place of greatness. Rather wait for an invitation than be humiliated.

Psalm 81:1, 10-16: God brought Israel out of Egypt, and longs for Israel to listen to God and follow God’s ways, but they want nothing to do with God.
OR Psalm 112: Those who fear and obey God, who are generous and righteous will know a life of goodness, confidence and richness.

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16: Words to live by: Love one another and be hospitable, share the pain of those who suffer, be faithful in marriage, be content with what you have and follow the example of faithful leaders.

Luke 14:1, 7-14: Jesus advises his followers not to take places of honour at feasts, in case they be asked to move and are humiliated. Rather, he invites them to take seats at the foot of the table, so that if they are invited to a better place, they will be honoured. Further, when hosting dinners, he encourages them to invite those who cannot repay – the marginalised and rejected.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The theme this week is easy to spot – but tough to preach and implement in our world. Pride leads God’s people to turn to their own resources and reject God’s ways and God’s resources (Jeremiah & Psalm 81). The result of this is inevitable failure or harm (Sirach) or the humiliation of being turned away from sought-after places of honour that we do not ‘deserve’ (Proverbs & Luke). Rather, honour and fullness of life are found in a humble commitment to following God’s ways (Psalm 112), remaining faithful and trusting, and living with grace, generosity, compassion, fidelity, and inclusive hospitality (Hebrews and Luke).

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In our celebrity-obsessed world, the quest for recognition, influence, wealth, fame and the praise of others drives all too many of us. Ultimately, this pride-filled drivenness leads us into conflict and destructiveness, as all of life becomes a game of winners and losers. The great narratives of different faiths are then placed in competition with each other for the ‘honour’ of being the ‘ultimate truth’. The priorities of nations are placed into conflict as politicians wrestle to find a place in the corridors of world power, while their people’s needs are used as bargaining chips or forgotten altogether. Values, integrity and fidelity all end up being expendable as success, victory or popularity become the ends which justify any means. And, as this driven, competitive way of being spreads through the world, we all pay the price in increasing rates of divorce, heart (and other) disease, conflict and inequality. But, of course, those who end up paying the most are those at the ‘bottom’ of the game – the innocent losers. Into all of this a simple word of justice speaks – humility can heal our world. As we learn, individually, nationally and globally, to live with simplicity, contentment, respect and integrity – and expect the same from our leaders and our corporations, the game of winners of losers begins to shift to a playful collaborative game of shared benefit – and our eyes are opened to the fullness of life that is found in the hidden, poor and forgotten places – places that the rich and wealthy never see.

LOCAL APPLICATION: The proud values of our world have too often and too easily been adopted by people and communities of faith. We give more importance and value to the big, the rich and the successful pastors, writers and churches, while ignoring the smaller ones who may be doing far more practical and important work within their communities of touching the poor, the rejected and the suffering. Worship leaders are the new rock stars, preachers the new motivational gurus, churches the new stages on which slick performances are produced each week, while church goers strive to become the next singing, speaking or writing sensation. More than this, we compete against ourselves, claiming that our version of the Gospel, our worship or our interpretation of the scriptures is better than others. And we strive to be the best recognised and most influential in our neighbourhoods or cities. Too often the voices that lead and influence us even in the Church are not those who are the most devoted, prayerful or compassionate, but those who have succeeded at society’s game. What would it mean for you, as an individual and as a church community, to take the lowliest seat at the table? To step out of the game of success and winning, and into the world of simplicity, humility and service? To give the most attention and energy not to the wealthy, recognised or influential, but to the forgotten, the marginalised and the excluded? What would your Church look like if it embraced humility and simplicity as its primary values? How would it need to change?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Biographers of the Least
Weak And Poor God
In Praise Of Being Noticed

Hymn Suggestions:
Take Time To Be Holy
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
Be Thou My Vision
O The Bitter Shame And Sorrow
What Can I Do (Link to YouTube video)
God Bless The Poor (Scroll down to track 14 for the preview or to purchase)
We Are An Offering (Link to YouTube video)
What I Have Vowed (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Simple Communion Liturgy

Video Suggestions:
Jesus Etiquette
Invite List

This week it’s all about listening – to God’s word – and to living it out in compassion, integrity and justice – which requires listening to others. This can be easier than it sounds with all the noise that bombards us each day. That’s why the discipline of worship is so important. It gives us the time and the space to learn the practice of listening well.

May your listening abilities be enhanced by your worship this week.

READINGS:
Amos 8:1-12: Amos sees a vision of a basket of ripe fruit, which God explains indicates that Israel is ripe for judgement. Amos then prophesies God’s judgement against the corruption of God’s people, and the famine of hearing God’s word that is to come.
OR Genesis 18:1-10a: Abraham entertains three mysterious visitors, who prophesy that within the next year Sarah will have a child.

Psalm 52: David speaks words of judgement against Doeg, proclaiming that he will be punished for his lies, while David will prosper under God’s care.
OR Psalm 15: Only those who live lives of truth and justice can worship in God’s sanctuary and enjoy God’s presence.

Colossians 1:15-28: Paul celebrates Christ as the visible image of God, the Creator and reconciler of all, and describes his ministry of proclaiming the Good News that leads us into relationship with God.

Luke 10:38-42: Jesus is welcomed into the home of Mary and Martha. While Martha serves, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet – and he refuses to chide Mary for this as Martha requests.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Truth and lies; prophecies and the silencing of prophecy; sitting at Jesus’ feet or serving; Christ as the image of God, and the Gospel as the saving message that reconciles us with God. This week it’s all about God speaking, and the question of whether we will listen or not. As tempting as it might be, based on the Gospel reading, to create a dichotomy between listening and serving, hearing and doing, the other readings don’t allow us this luxury. Listening to God’s word is inextricably connected to following God’s ways of justice, truth and compassion. Perhaps Jesus simply wanted Martha to listen before she acted, rather than assuming she knew what needed to be done? Whatever the case, the message of this week flows easily out of last week’s theme. Not only are ordinary things powerful in the work of God’s reign, it is as we listen to God’s message and implement God’s saving reconciling word through simple acts of justice, compassion and a commitment to truth and integrity, that we find ourselves living out the reality of God’s reign in our lives and our world.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Words, used as propaganda, mere rhetoric or to inspire, are a massive feature of today’s media-driven world. So many messages call us to label certain individuals or groups in certain ways. So many speakers claim to have the final word on certain situations or problems. So many speeches give little more than double-speak, finger-pointing or denial of responsibility. And, in all of the words, little actually changes. Lives are not saved. Injustice is not exposed and removed. Peace is not created, and solutons are not found to our big crises. One could be forgiven for thinking that we are living in the times Amos spoke about - a famine of God’s word. But, God’s word is not absent. It has not changed since Jesus lived it and preached it. The essential message of the Gospel – integrity, compassion and justice – has not changed or been silenced. All that is required is for those of us who follow the message of Christ to speak up, in words that are supported by accompanying actions, to challenge the empty words of our time, and call our leaders and our peers to account. But, we cannot do this unless we are prepared to be held to our own standards.

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is all too easy, in our personal lives and in our communities, to decide that we know what is needed, and what is to be done, without taking the time to listen. It is all too easy to speak, without taking the time to hear carefully and prayerfully, what God’s message for us really is, or what the stories of those we seek to serve really are. If we are to be a people who bring Christ’s grace and justice into our communities, we will need to listen carefully, and then act justly, compassioantely and with integrity in response. We will need to avoid the temptation to assume we know what our communities need, and we will need to resist the urge to see ourselves as ‘saviours’ coming in to ‘fix’ things ‘for’ those who ‘need’ us. Rather we will need to adopt the humility of Mary, the hospitality of Abraham, the commitment of Paul, the integrity of Amos, and the faithfulness of David, as we come alongside the people within and ‘outside’ of our churches, and speak, in listening and word and action, the Gospel message of Christ.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Listening
Word of God
Messengers

Hymn Suggestions:
And Can It Be
Where Cross The Crowded Ways Of Life
Master, Speak! Thy Servant Heareth
O Word Of God Incarnate
Lord, Speak To Me
All The Way My Saviour Leads Me (Link to YouTube video)
Thy Word (Link to YouTube video)
Living For Your Glory (Link to YouTube video)
Your Word: Mp3 Download (Amazon.com), Chord chart (Scroll down for the link)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Sacrament

Video Suggestions:
Listen: Alone
Listen: Failing
Always Listening
Protest vs. Listening

In the lectionary this week we find the powerful metaphor in Amos of God’s plumb line – the measure of God’s people and their faithfulness to God’s purposes. Then, alongside this, the Gospel places the parable of the Good Samaritan – clearly the plumb line measures things differently from how we normally would! So, the question is how do we measure our spirituality, our faithfulness to Christ and our living of God’s Kingdom principles and values? Once again, we are reminded that God measures not by success, or power or money, but by compassion, service and sacrifice.

May your worship be uncomfortable this week, as you invite God to measure you against God’s standards of grace and mercy.

READINGS:
Amos 7:7-17: God gives Amos a vision of a plumb line, and prophesies that Israel is to be destroyed. When the high priest, Amaziah, tells Amos to go home and stop prophesying, Amos (the ‘unprophet’ – shepherd and farmer) speaks judgment on him as well.
OR Deuteronomy 30:9-14: Prosperity and blessing is promised for those who obey God’s commands, which are not far off or distant. They are as close as our own lips and hearts.

Psalm 82: A prayer for God to judge oppressive rulers, because all nations belong to God.
OR Psalm 25:1-10: A psalm in which David prays to be protected and guided into right ways of living by God, and affirming the promise of God’s goodness for those who follow God’s guidance and commands.

Colossians 1:1-14: Paul’s prayer for the Colossians to continue to grow in wisdom, strength and joy, and to enjoy the inheritance of freedom that God has made available through Christ.

Luke 10:25-37: In response to the question of how eternal life can be inherited, Jesus offers the Great Commandment, and then explains the practical outworking of this through the story of the Samaritan who helped the man beaten by robbers on the road to Jericho.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
It is a challenging exercise to hold the prophecy of Amos alongside the parable of the Good Samaritan, but this is what the lectionary calls us to do this week. On the one hand we find God’s judgment expressed against God’s unfaithful people who, as we know from biblical history and from other parts of Amos’ prophecy, had neglected justice and mercy. The Deuteronomy reading is simply a contrast to this – blessing and prosperity is found when God’s commands (to love and to live justly and compassionately) are obeyed. The Psalms echo these words in contrasting songs as well – judgment on oppressive and unjust rulers; blessing on the one who prays for God’s guidance and the strength to follow God’s commands. On the other hand, we have the way to life explained clearly and powerfully through the association of the Great Commandment with the parable. The message is strong and clear – God asks one thing from God’s people: to be people of love, mercy and justice. And, when we embrace this call, we will, inevitably, know better relationships, and more peaceful and prosperous societies – not so much as a reward, but as a simple consequence of the work of love and justice that we have done in God’s strength. Essentially, in his prayer, Paul celebrates the way this has already happened for people who have responded to the Gospel, and prays for ongoing strength for the Colossian Church to continue to live this way and enjoy the fruit that such a life brings. If the plumb line is the sign of God’s measurement of God’s people, the Good Samaritan is the picture of what the plumb line is actually measuring.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: It is popular to speak of nations, governments, companies and prominent individuals as “great”. Usually what we mean by this word relates to dominance over others, a unique ability to wield power, the accumulation of wealth beyond the highest levels of ‘normal’ or in some other way becoming ‘bigger’ than others. And the way we measure this ‘greatness’ is in quarterly performance reviews and financial statements. The Scriptures, however, define ‘greatness’ very differently, and measure it against an eternal time frame. Israel’s prosperity means nothing if they fail to follow God’s command to uphold justice, mercy and love. Oppressive rulers are not ‘great’, according the Psalmists, they are to be humbled by God, while those who humble themselves and pray for God’s strength to follow the law of love are honourable. The ‘great’ religious leaders in Jesus’ parable are shown with far less than true greatness, while a hated outsider is used to demonstrate the true greatness of service. Perhaps it would be good if we began to measure our governments, companies and communities not so much by economic growth, military dominance or political influence, but by self-giving, service and contribution to the greater good. What might our world be like if we started to hold our nations and leaders to this standard of greatness, If we measured our policies and successes by God’s plumb line of love?

LOCAL APPLICATION: The power of the Gospel is revealed in Paul’s prayer – that those who embrace it find joy, strength and vibrant life in love for, and service of, others – in the fruit they bear for God’s Kingdom, and the benefit people experience through this loving, serving community. What a pity that the Church is so often seen by those outside as hypocritical, judgmental and self-serving. What a pity that we have fallen into the trap of measuring spirituality and godliness by the same standards that society uses to measure worldly success – wealth and power. How different might our impact on the world be if we learned to assess ourselves not against the latest ‘technique’ or formula, but against God’s standard of love, compassion, justice and service? How different might our communities feel about us as Church if we were more other-centred, more willing to sacrifice not just money, but time and energy in making our communities more peaceful, equitable and whole? How attractive might communities of faith be if we actually lived what we proclaimed and sang? How would we measure up as a local church if we honestly and ruthlessly measured ourselves against God’s plumb line?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Measure Of Faith
Living Aligned
Serving All
Biographers Of The Least
Small Random Acts Of Peacemaking

Hymn Suggestions:
O Love How Deep
O For A Heart To Praise My God
A Charge To Keep I Have
Jesus, United By Thy Grace
Plumb Line
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
May The Words Of My Mouth (Link to YouTube video)
Servant Song (Link to YouTube video)
Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (Link to YouTube video)
The Servant King (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
Show Mercy