The Collect for the Third Sunday after Trinity
O Lord, we ask You mercifully to hear us ; and grant that we, to whom You have given a strong desire to pray, may by Your mighty aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Epistle. 1 St Peter 5:5-11
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but shows favour to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
The Holy Gospel of St Luke 15:1-10
15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home.
Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Bishop Ian’s Thoughts
Today’s Epistle Reading is taken from the First Epistle of St Peter Chapter 5, Verses 5-11.
This passage from the First Epistle of St Peter, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful and helpful passages of Scripture, apart from the Holy Gospels.
St Peter provides some excellent teaching on living our daily, and at times painful and sad, lives in the midst of a sinful and hostile world.
Having given exhortation to the Church Elders in the earlier portion of his First Epistle St Peter now gives exhortation to the younger members of the Church:
“5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,”
St Peter then declares that God is against proud individuals, as sinful pride is the sin from which all other sins flow forth:
“because God opposes the proud.”
Parents may have pride in their child’s success in school but in that sense, their pride is a form of happiness to be shared with others. If. on the other hand, those same parents’ pride turns to boasting and devaluing other people’s children, that pride becomes sinful pride.
Sinful pride puts oneself above other people at all costs, and it is this pride that God opposes, and conversely He shows mercy to the humble and poor in spirit:
“but shows favour to the humble.”
St Peter then further exhorts us to humble ourselves before God’s Mighty Power that He might, on the day of His Great Judgement, bring us honour and prestige as one of His Chosen People:
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
We are then reminded, by St Peter, to cast all our anxieties (cares and woes) on to God for He cares for us. This means that we should seek God’s help in prayer in every problem we encounter in our daily lives, and rely on Him to provide a solution:
“7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
St Peter then issues a stern warning regarding the power and cunning of Satan.
Satan is likened to a prowling, roaring lion seeking out a victim to devour. In New Testament times all people would have seen and feared the power of a lion:
"8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
Many Christians in the First Century AD were slain by lions in the Roman Colosseum.
Throughout history lions are often described as the king of beasts.
St Peter urges us to resist Satan as the Lord Jesus resisted him in the wilderness.
The Lord Jesus used God’s Holy Word to silence and banish Satan.
The Holy Gospel of St Matthew record’s the Lord Jesus’ battle with Satan in Chapter 4, Verses 1-11:
“1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
St Peter then reminds us to take courage in our anxiety and sufferings as other Christians, throughout the world, are enduring similar troubles:
"9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
St Peter concludes our Epistle Reading by declaring a promise which contains a blessing - that the God of all Grace, Who has given us Eternal Life through the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, will restore us to Eternal strength and steadfastness:
"10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
God has already wonderfully honoured His Promise and Blessing, in the Person of His Only-Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Mighty Work in providing His Gift of the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, has clothed us in the Holy Righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
Safely wrapped that Holy Garment we are saved and delivered from all of Satan’s deadly snares of sin, as we await the Return of the Lord Jesus which will herald the Great Day of God’s Judgement, and the establishment of His Eternal Kingdom, of which we are heirs as His Sons and Daughters.
Let us, daily, give thanks to God for the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mighty Victory that is ours through His Death and Mighty Resurrection. Let us also take courage from St Peter’s promise that other Christians suffer as we do, as we all wait together for the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today’s Holy Gospel Reading is taken from the Holy Gospel of St Luke Chapter 15, Verses 1-10.
In this portion of his Holy Gospel St Luke records two parables (earthly stories with Spiritual meanings) relating to the recovery of lost items.
St Luke opens this portion of his Holy Gospel with the Lord Jesus speaking to a crowd of people. We are told that this gathering was predominantly tax collectors and sinners:
“1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.”
The Pharisees regarded any person who did not submit their lives to the teaching and life example of the Pharisees, as being a sinner and therefore an outcast from the Jewish Faith and outside the benevolence of God.
Many churches of our time regard people who are not members of any church, as being ungodly sinners and not worthy of God’s favour.
The Pharisees of the Lord Jesus’ time regarded tax collectors and their associates, together with publicans and prostitutes, as being sinners and therefore beyond God’s Blessings.
Rabbinical writing and thought of the Lord Jesus’ time was summed up by:
“Let not a man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him to the Law.”
The Pharisees quickly condemned the Lord Jesus and the crowd that had gathered to hear Him:
"2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
The Lord Jesus then told the gathering the first of two parables:
"3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home.”
The head shepherd (the owner of the flock) concentrated his thoughts and efforts to recover the one sheep that has been lost. The ninety nine that are left by the head shepherd, as he seeks out he lost sheep, are safe with the flock (more than likely guarded by assistant herdsmen).
Having found the lost sheep by determined searching, the shepherd calls his friends and neighbours to rejoice and celebrate the recovery:
"Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’"
The Lord Jesus then told the gathering of the great Joy that there is in Heaven as God rejoices, with all the company of His Holy Angels, when one lost sinner repents and passes from condemnation and death, to Eternal Life:
"7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
The Lord Jesus then reinforces His teaching to the crowd by telling them another parable about a woman who loses a silver coin:
“8 Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?"
The woman needs to light a lamp as the typical Jewish peasant house, in New Testament times, would have been relatively small, with no windows, and only a door to allow light to enter the dwelling.
The lighting of a lamp, burning precious oil, indicates that the woman was intent on conducting a thorough search.
Like the shepherd who found his lost sheep, the woman on finding her lost coin rejoices, and also calls her friends and neighbours to rejoice with her and celebrate the recovery of the lost coin:
"9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’"
The Lord Jesus again told the crowd that God, and all His Holy Angels, also rejoice over the recovery of a lost sinner who is found, and passes from condemnation to Eternal Life:
"10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Pharisees, of the Lord Jesus’ time, ignored sinners and concentrated their religious efforts on ministering to those whom they judged to be worthy of their ministry.
The other focus of the Pharisees’ efforts was the participation in the ceremonial Temple Worship
These two activities were considered to be the sum total of what was required by the Law of Moses.
The Lord Jesus taught that without the Love of God, by which He seeks out lost sinners and brings them home rejoicing, the ceremonial worship of the Jewish Faith, so treasured by the Jewish leaders, was worthless.
The Law of Moses condemned all, but could save none.
The Temple Ritual and its associated sacrifices could only temporarily cover sin, but could not eternally cleanse the worshiper.
Only the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ can save men and women eternally, by clothing them in the Holy Righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
This priceless Gift is made available to each and every one of us through the Lord Jesus’ Holy Blood, shed on the Cross of Calvary, in payment for our sins.
Salvation from God’s Holy Righteous Judgement is ours for the asking.
God’s forgiveness is freely given to any person who, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, repents of their sin and believes and accepts the Lord Jesus as God’s Only-Begotten Holy Son, and believes that the Lord Jesus gave His Life for repentant sinners. That repentant person then, through faith, freely receives God’s Gift of Eternal Life.
Let us always give our Gracious God thanks for His Priceless Gift of the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and rejoice with God, and His Holy Angels, as we see other people saved and brought home to the Lord Jesus’ Flock. Amen.
Bishop Ian