A sermon/reflection for The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
The readings for this Sunday are those of Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday:
Ezekiel 18. 1-4, 25-32
Psalm 25.1-9
Philippians 2. 1-13
Matthew 21.23-32
You might like to use the link below to find the above readings and click on any of the reading above that you wish to use:
http://www.katapi.org.uk/CommonWorship/CWLectionarySelV.php
Collect of the day
Let us first spend a few moments in silence to centre ourselves,
to gather ourselves in our souls,
to come before the Lord just as we are with our joys and sorrows,
our hopes and our fears, our loves and our pains.
Let us just focus our minds and hearts on Jesus
who is the answer for every problem.
Let us pray that the Spirit will work through our lives
to bring Christ to the world.
Silence is kept
O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear
the prayers of your people who call upon you;
and grant that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;
and in these uncertain time,
open our eyes to your wonders,
that we may serve you with reverence
and know your peace at our lives’ end,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Prayer before the Sermon
Loving Heavenly Father,
we thank you for the words you have given us today.
We know they are words of life and salvation.
Open our hearts Father,
touch our souls,
forgive us our sins especially our lack of faith,
help us to respond to your word.
May we know that you are our Lord and Saviour
who promises us the power from on high,
your Holy Spirit.
May we experience in our hearts
your love and your presence always.
Amen.
A short homily
The Gospel passage: Matthew 21:23-32 (NRSVA)
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ 24 Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” 26 But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ 27 So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” 29 He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father[a] went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
Better late than never!
Introduction:
Have you ever known big talkers? You know the type: whatever accomplishment you’ve just enjoyed, theirs was better; whatever operation you just had, theirs was much worse; whatever your summer vacation was like, theirs was even better! But you will notice with big talkers that when it comes time to get something done, they are usually nowhere to be found.
The New Testament leaves no doubt that discipleship is a matter of actions, not simply words. In our text, Jesus is confronting the religious establishment, a group that made its living on words. The men want to entangle Jesus in a debate that will compromise him, but Jesus makes it plain that he isn’t interested in meaningless talk—he is concerned with meaningful action.
1. God does not honour those who talk religion but fail to respond to His call
The members of the religious establishment had reason to defend the status quo. It was their source of support; so long as they didn’t antagonize the Roman rulers, they pretty much were allowed to run the show in the religious realm. An itinerant preacher like Jesus—particularly one the people were beginning to think might be the Messiah—well, such a person complicated their lives and threatened the status quo. That was why, as the week in Jerusalem went on, the religious leaders became more and more desperate to eliminate him from the scene.
They hoped to get him involved in theological debate, but Jesus would have none of it. Why talk about the things of God with those who refused to respond to the call of God? He turned the tables on them by posing a question about John the Baptist. They were on the spot; clearly, they had rejected John, but his memory as a prophet was still quite popular with the people. Any answer would get them in trouble—so they passed.
That led Jesus into a parable about two men: one didn’t talk the talk but walked the walk; the other talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk. Guess which one Jesus honoured? The one who acted, not the one who merely talked about it. The religious leaders opted for argument rather than acceptance. They were more concerned with self-image than with self-surrender; more concerned about status than about sacrifice. And Jesus had no use for them.
Our Baptism is a divine call to follow Jesus in our daily lives. That means ‘living’ what Jesus taught his disciples, a life of love of God and love of neigbour. Such a life demands of us a spirit of obedience to God’s call to us to follow him daily and at all times, in all circumstances. Above all it means as much action and service of others as faith in God.
11. God honours those who respond to the divine call
If the parable hadn’t been telling enough, Jesus must have infuriated the religious types with his application. The prostitutes and tax collectors—the most reviled of all professions in that culture— would arrive in the kingdom of heaven before the religious leaders because when they heard God’s call, they responded in faith and repentance, unlike their religious brethren.
Likewise, there is a word of warning to those of us who may assume our religion alone will be satisfactory. All the religious words and ceremony in the world will not replace an authentic faith and repentance that leads to a converted and a new life. God wants actions, not mere words.
Obeying God’s call in our hearts and following Jesus daily in all the vicissitudes of life, the ups and downs and not just when we ‘feel’ nice! It might be a struggle in the heart to make the right decisions. But like the first son who initially demurred but then changed his mind (‘conversion of heart’) and obeyed his father, we too may sometimes struggle with what God is asking of us. However, what is important is finally to stop, reflect, review ourselves and to decide to doo God’s will.
To conclude:
Christian life is a walk with God. A pilgrimage! It is not a straight road. It requires daily listening to God and obeying His will. in faith and in love!
There’s a wonderful truth here for all of us: it does not matter what you have done, where you have been, who you were before trusting Christ. If you will give your life to him—walk the walk, not just talk the talk—God has a special place reserved for you in his kingdom.
Pause to pray
[ST Mattapally, Rector, Springline Parish]
A Prayer you can say now:
Lord Jesus,
I believe you are the Son of God.
Thank you for becoming one of us.
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
Thank you for rising from the dead
to give me hope and the gift of eternal life.
I repent of my sins
and invite you into heart and life
as my Lord and Saviour.
Please grant me your Holy Spirit
so that I may know you, love you
and follow you every day of my life.
Amen.
You might like to use the intercessions given after you have listened to the worship song.