Wedding Robes and the Golden Calf

 2026  10  11 Pentecost 20A  Proper 23A

Exodus 32:1-14  Psalm 106:1-6, 20-24  Philippians 4  Matthew 22:1-14

 

What do you do when things don’t seem to be happening?  Do you take matters into your own hands?  Most of us do.  Or if there is a delay in the actualization of an event, do you just go back to the usual way of life?  Most of us do.   But the readings today remind us to keep waiting for God and don’t give up.  Most importantly, even though God seems to delay, keep expecting him…. Don’t give up.  And then, in the Gospel reading, we have this interesting part of the story about clothing.

 

If you go to visit the Vatican in Rome, you will notice many people selling things to those lined up.  They sell large light weight scarves, long enough to wrap around your waist and have it cover your knees.  Or you can wrap it around you as a shawl in case your shoulders are exposed.  You cannot enter if your knees or shoulders are exposed. 

 

Growing up in this warm and casual town, I missed these rules.  I went to a catholic school and was taught by nuns whose last school was in New Guinea.  They told us that God accepts you no matter how you look or what you wear.  They impressed upon us that it was important to go to church, and if that meant going as you were, that was fine.  And oftentimes I did go straight from a basketball game to church – in our basketball uniform – which is of a style that no one wears now.  The bottoms were called bummers and every girl at that time, playing basketball in Mackay, wore bummers.   I wore mine to church thinking nothing of it…  perhaps naively.

 

So perhaps it is no wonder that something that has always intrigued me, is that line in our Gospel reading about the man who was not wearing wedding clothes.  Does God care really care what we wear?   Oh, my goodness, this makes me laugh!  I’m thinking of all the judgments I’ve heard over the years and some of the outfits I’ve seen on the street – and the arguments I’ve had with people over the years about this issue. 

 

It is a reminder to us that we need to understand that the original writers and readers of this Gospel belonged to a different time and culture.  The word of God stays the same, but to understand what is being communicated, we need to explore the culture and context and discover what the original listeners understood about the story.

 

The first thing to understand is that it was customary to have two invitations to the wedding; the first was kind of like a “heads up.  Soon we’ll be sending for you.” and the second one was to say, “The feast is ready.  Come now”.  Here we have a King who invites people to the wedding feast, but the invitation is ignored.  The King then sends out the second invitation, but this one is also ignored.  While some of those invited made light of the situation, others were actually hostile and mistreated or killed the messengers.  The story is a parable for the banquet in heaven and Jesus coming again.  People say, “We are certainly in the end times and Jesus is coming soon” … but he delays.  He hasn’t come yet, and so when the people say the time is near, we dismiss it.  Perhaps we even mistreat the messengers.

 

Let’s just stop right there.  Since forever, God’s prophets have been treated with contempt.  Some have been mistreated, abused and killed.  These are the prophets who came before Jesus and those who came after also.  The saints and the martyrs… and many whose names we don’t know.  Today, is the same.  

It surprised me recently to read comments on social media that condemned Mother Theresa.  Once upon a time, she seemed like the universal saint that everyone from everywhere respected.  She was the lady from a comfortable background who gave that comfort up so that she could care for the poor in India.  But people now twist and condemn her actions and spread vicious lies about her motives – Things that can’t really be refuted because a motive is a thing unknown.

 

Might I suggest the same is happening with some modern “messengers”.  Those who stand up publicly to proclaim God’s standard.  Joanna Howe who reminds us that life begins in the womb, every word she says, if it can be twisted, it is.  Attacks on her husband and attacks on their relationship.  We really need to pray for these people.  They are doing the job that we are called to do.  Last week we saw that we, Christians, are the tenants of God’s vineyard.  We are to be faithful in producing fruit in the world.  That means that WE are called to be the body of Christ in our world, producing fruit for God the King.  How are we going with that?

 

The King in our reading, sent troops and destroyed the city.  This is not a King who doesn’t care what happens to his messengers, and commentaries on this verse suggest that Matthew's audience would immediately connect that destruction to the literal destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Rome in AD 70.  To re-iterate last week’s message where we had the giving of the ten commandments; disaster always follows when the community fail to follow God’s law.

 

Our first reading tells us how this happens…. It happens when we take matters into our own hands.  We therefore make God into an image of our own making… and liking.

 

Last week we talked about this idea of “You do you and I’ll do me” – living by our own truth… it is called relativism and we all tend to do it.  Throwing gold into a fire and making a calf might seem weird and extreme, but that community were genuinely trying to worship God, and didn’t realize their error. We all tend to make God into an image that is OUR image.  We hear it all the time; people say, “I live by God’s law, but I don’t believe you have to go to church to be a Christian”.    Do they actually know what God’s law is?  They know about treating others as you’d like to be treated…. But that isn’t the first and greatest command.  When we are not immersed in, and studying God’s word, and meeting together etc..  we can all get things wrong also. 

 

ALL are invited to the wedding feast.  The spiritual meaning is that we are all invited to the Heavenly banquet.  Many are called but few are chosen.  In the Greek original language of this verse the word for called Kletos and the word for chosen is eklektos.  So the word play implies a sifting and refining between the two groups.  We are all refined by immersing ourselves in the word of God and by becoming well acquainted with it.

 

Immersing ourselves means being covered by it…  Immersing is what baptism means.  In baptism we are immersed in water – symbolically.   The Spiritual reality is that we are being reborn as a child of God.  Our old nature is said to die with Christ, and we emerge from the water reborn as an eternal child of God, raised with Christ.  Traditionally we wear a white outfit because we are said to now be clothed in Christ, and when God the father looks at us, he sees the sacrifice and perfection of Jesus – the only person who could ever perfectly keep God’s law. 

 

And here is the key to that mysterious verse about the wedding attire.  The king invited ALL to the feast.  They came in from everywhere and in the context of Jesus’ listeners he was telling them that they, the chosen people were rejecting him, but all others were now invited … and they were coming from everywhere.  This is us… the non-Jewish believers.  But know this for sure, we come to God and receive eternal life ONLY through Jesus…. There is no other way.   God does say, “Come one and come all and come as you are”…. But you must put on the wedding garment.

 

In that culture, it was acknowledged that people might come to the wedding without fine clothes and from various stations.  The host of the wedding provided the wedding robe so that all - the rich, the poor, the influential and the retiring… ALL were seen as equal.  The only exception was the Bride and Groom.  

 

God absolutely loves us all and has a special care for those gone astray.  He deliberately seeks them to call them back, but today we need to also understand that God has rules.  Heaven is not a place that we create according to our own design.  It is the kingdom of God, and to enter we must submit to the King.  We come to God through the sacrifice of Christ – the only way to the father.  We are clothed in him… that is the wedding robe we all must wear if we want to be in the Kingdom of God.  What incredibly great news is the Gospel!  We come as we are to God’s banquet, and God himself makes us acceptable by providing the robe.  But God always respects our free will.  If we don’t want to wear the robe that is okay, but we cannot enter the Kingdom.  Will we wait for God, ever ready and anticipating His call and message?  Most importantly, will we accept God as our Lord and King and gratefully wear that robe? We come to him only through Jesus.

The vineyard is our world ! Pentecost 19A 4th Oct 2026

 2025  10  04  Pentecost 19A Proper 22A

Exodus 20.1-4, 7-9, 12-20   Psalm 19   Philippians 3   Matthew 21.33-46

God rescued the Israelite nation and then he gave them the commands so that they could live abundantly.  To put this all into context we need to understand that the ancient society of that time was pretty wild.  We like to think that we are more civilized, but we are still fighting for equality.  There are still women that are being killed in occasions of domestic violence.  There are still many other atrocities.  There are good and bad everywhere and in every generation.  And there are two ways we can choose to live; by agreeing that God’s laws are the absolute standard, regardless of whether we can keep them or not, or by creating laws that we think are good because they are what we can keep….  (they are the ones that make us feel like we are really good people).  

 

Recently, I came across a biblical commentary that seems relevant for today’s readings.  It was about the last verse in the Biblical book of Judges which reads; "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes". (Judges 21:25).   The commentator explained that is a concept called “Relativism”.  It is a philosophical view that asserts there are no absolute truths, standards, or universal rules.  In other words, “you do you”…  “You live your own truth and I’ll live mine”….  Sound familiar?

 

This week’s readings follow on from last week’s where the question was asked of Jesus, “by whose authority do you do these things?”.   Which begs the question; what is the absolute authority?  Which also begs the question; can we make laws based on what seems right in our own eyes?  Will they be right in someone else’s eyes?  by whose authority can we make something law? By what standard of truth are laws made?  Most importantly for us, do they line up with God’s foundational, moral laws?

 

The Israelites who received God’s commandments had been living under the law of Egypt.  They made their great exodus out of Egypt, but they needed to also exit that way of living.  They had no king or Pharoah to tell them what to do.  The ultimate authority was God, and he gave them his law… not because he needed obedience but because He wants his people to experience abundant life.  However, when the Israelites went astray it was a denial, of God as their King and authority, and it was always followed by times of disaster.  NEVER did the Israelites do what was good in their own eyes and prosper -Never!

 

How are we, and our society with these commandments?  It often amuses me that many non-church going people will tell you that they live their lives as good people who keep the commandments even though they don’t go to church.  What is funny about that, is that the first four commandments are to do with our relationship with God - and they aren’t here!!!  Not to mention that one about not mis-using God’s name.   May I respectfully suggest that what they are doing is relativism – living their own truth.  However, as we found out through the life of Jesus, these laws could be and were often mis-represented.  One major one that Jesus tried to set right was the law about the Sabbath.

 

Jesus said that he didn’t come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them.  So, for us to simply say that we live in the New Testament times and we live by grace and not the law is a bit of a cop out. 

In the original language, there is an emphasis on the word “remember” - the Sabbath and keep it holy.  “Remember” implied mentally anticipating and preparing throughout the whole week.  In other words, always be preparing for the holy time of rest.   And the word for rest is Shabbat which is not about stopping your work because you want to have a day off, but it is about acknowledging God as the ultimate provider.

 

On the surface it looks like we should side with the Pharisees who didn’t do any work at all on the Sabbath, but Jesus tells us that the Sabbath is made for man and not the other way around.  We need to keep before us always, that God provides for us and gives us rest.   – A reason to always live in hope.

 

Some have objections to holy objects and artwork because they are idols, but God actually commanded the Israelites to make holy objects- the ark of the covenant was to have angels on top of it etc.. The point of the command was to not have anything take the place of God.  We don’t worship things… we worship God.  We have holy objects here in the church, but we don’t worship those things.  We need to know that God is the only God in our life and the only object of our affections – no crucifix, crystal or holy object will save us.

 

The law of the Lord is perfect and when we live by God’s law in the way that God intended, we will live wholesome and good lives, and all will prosper.  There is the irony of life; there are so many people who are idealistically striving to find a way to live that is prosperous- not just financially, but health wise.  For example; my niece’s sister-in-law is the partner of a health and longevity influencer, American tech entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson.  I met them both at the wedding and had no idea that many of my friends follow him in Instagram, trying to find how to turn back the biological clock.  They are an example of the many like them- Striving….  

 

Everywhere we turn there are people pushing boundaries, but really all are striving to live better, better and best lives.   There is a Chinese scientist who was recently in jail for illegal gene editing. It might be illegal, but many wealthy people are paying for him to do his work.  All are looking for their own truth.  

 

From the 1940s Marijuana and other drugs were used to enhance life.  But some, if not all these things have been shown to be hugely detrimental to life, and mental health wards are full of the long-term effects… not to mention the morgues.  On my social media I happened upon a video of the streets of an overseas major city that the commentator said has become Zombieville.  The video showed homeless-looking people shooting up outside shops.  Others frozen in their drug-affected state and still others were yelling at invisible assailants.  Much like we often see in town here – and why our community has been looking for solutions to what they call, “anti-social behaviour due to intoxication.” 

 

In the striving to live life to the full there is a throwing off of restraints and a denial of God’s truth.  God’s law keeps society well, thriving and living life to the full, but if we pick and choose which commandments to keep and which to throw away then it is possible that we are doing exactly as those who live in denial of God’s law.

 

I think that we, the church, see ourselves as a humble part of the tapestry of life, but that is not the way it is meant to be and that is not God’s view.  The church is the body of Christ – Christ is King…  He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  He is the ultimate authority, but he handed the keys of the Kingdom to Peter and the church.  I guess we could be likened to the tenants of the vineyard. 

 

We are more than tenants, we are the royal children of God, but as such we’ve been entrusted with a task to be Christ’s body in this world, just as an owner might put tenants to work the vineyard, God has entrusted us.  Are we being faithful?  It is a question for us as church and also for us individuals.

 

Our world needs a standard of truth and if we are to be faithful tenants we need to live by, and proclaim that standard of truth.  The reality is that we can’t perfectly keep God’s law.  Only one person ever has, and that is Jesus.  Because of his sacrifice and our baptism, we are identified with him and have kept the law through him.  But this doesn’t mean that there is no longer any law for us.  We are set free from the curse of the law, but the law of God remains, and the law is good. The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul….

 

Saint Paul tells us that although he doesn’t put his assurance of salvation in the works that he does, he presses on working for Christ… “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

 

Saint Paul keeps the Kingdom of Heaven ever in mind.  The Kingdom of God is our Sabbath.  We have assurance in Christ that he has given us the gift of salvation.  Because it is a gift, we rest from our efforts – The ultimate Sabbath rest.  But we must remember the Sabbath… Remember Heaven/Salvation, and in all that we are and in all that we do, we keep it foremost in our mind and prepare for the Kingdom of God.  We the church are called to be influential and leaders in our community.  We are like tenants of a vineyard.

 

This world is the vineyard and Christians are the tenants.  In what ways are we being called to cultivate, nurture and prepare this world for the Kingdom of God?  What is our part? As a church – as an individual.

IT's ENOUGH 20th September 2026 Proper 20 Pentecost 17A

2026  09  20  Proper 20a  Pentecost 17a

Exodus 16.2-15    Psalm 105.1-6, 37-45     Philippians 1     Matthew 20.1-16

 

II went to a poetry night this week.  My friend gave a performance and in it she mentioned that she didn’t like the word “deserve”.  It is a popular word in our contemporary society…. We deserve this and we deserve that.  It really isn’t that contemporary.  The parable we read today deals with the same issue; a sense of entitlement, deserving of more.  Even the ancient Israelites, wondering in the desert, figured that they deserved more also.  They wanted bread and meat.  God tested them by giving them an abundance, but they were only to gather what they needed. Do you think they passed the test? 

 

Saint Paul lives differently.  He declares that for him, living is Christ and dying is gain.  It always reminds me of Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet.  “To be or not to be”.  Do you recognise this statement?  Hamlet’s speech stands in stark contrast to Paul’s living is Christ and dying is gain.   Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies - it does not end well.  Hamlet’s father, the King, was murdered and the murderer, Hamlet’s uncle then married his mother to take the crown.  Hamlet is upset and he ponders;

To be, or not to be, that is the question: -Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer- The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, - Or to take arms against a sea of troubles - And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep, - No more; and by a sleep to say we end- The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks - That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation - Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; - To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:- For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, - When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, - Must give us pause—there's the respect - That makes calamity of so long life.

 

Hamlet is talking about taking his own life to end his suffering.  However, Hamlet contemplates that he doesn’t know what is after death… maybe what is after death could be worse.  In contrast, Saint Paul is writing his letter while he is in house arrest and facing an unknown future – very possibly, death!  In this context, Paul writes that to live is good, but to die is to be with Jesus – which is ultimately fantastic…. Paul says this, not at all because he wants to die, but to reassure his people that if dying was to happen, he was totally certain that he would be with Jesus and all would be well.

 

Both Hamlet and St. Paul had one thing in common.  Both knew that death is not the end.  For Hamlet, it was a great unknown and it held no reassurance.  St. Paul had miraculously met the risen Lord when he was persecuting Christians.  He was absolutely sure that there was more than this life here and now, because he had encountered it.  From that moment Paul was changed.  Paul knew that what he deserved was death.  The all-mighty God showed him that Paul was actually hurting Christ by persecuting Christians.  Paul did not deserve the grace and mercy that he had received.  Paul could well have been fearful of what future he might have in the afterlife, knowing that he was responsible for causing pain.  That would be a logical fear, don’t you think? Yet Paul has none of this fear, because he had experienced God’s amazing grace and love.

 

God’s amazing grace and love doesn’t fit with our normal human logic, which is why the parable Jesus tells in our Gospel reading is so baffling.  Surely if there were workers who worked all day, and some that only worked the last part of the day, those who worked the longest would receive more pay.  That is how it usually works, and that is what is fair, so what is Jesus trying to tell us in this parable?  He is NOT advocating for some kind of political system where everyone gets the same regardless of effort.  He is explaining a spiritual reality.  The economy of God’s love and grace.

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is like….  This is how Jesus begins the parable.  The previous reading in Matthew 19 says ; “Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” This is something that St. Paul understood and he, who calls himself the least of the apostles was sure of his place in the Kingdom.

 

In any group, there can develop an arrogance and hierarchy of those who have been there the longest.  We always and forever fall into patterns of hierarchy.  Our world is forever fighting over this, men over woman, one race over another, etc. This is not the way of the kingdom of God.  We might be working hard for the church thinking we are building our heavenly home but all in all its not just another golden brick in the wall, because this parable puts us in our place… Note that the first workers were happy with their reward for their work, until they saw that those hired last also received the same reward. 

 

It makes sense to have hierarchy.  It existed in the religious structure of Jesus’ time where the Pharisees assumed spiritual superiority and could motivate the people to do things in this way.  But those same people who were the keepers of God’s word, were furious that Jesus was spending time with those considered the sinners.  Surely those sinners could not have the same eternal reward as those who had been born into the priestly family and part of the church all their lives, could they?

 

The Kingdom of heaven is different.  But what reward do we really need or want?  Hold onto that question.

 

In the history of humanity, there was a time when God chose a nation.  We’ve been reading about this in God’s interaction with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel and was the father of the Israelite nation.  We’ve been reading lately about Moses and how he led the Israelite nation out of slavery in Egypt so that they could possess the promised land that God had promised them back in the time of Abraham.  

 

This week we read about those people and the things they wanted.  They complained to God they wanted meat and bread.  So, God sent quails for them and also Manna, the bread from heaven.  Quails we understand, but Manna was a miracle that ended when the Israelites no longer needed it.  This bread from heaven was a substance that they collected each morning and ground to make bread.  On the 6^th day they were to collect twice as much because there would be none on the 7^th day, their day of rest.  Everything about this Manna was a miracle.  It was a gift.  It was God’s abundant provision.  This slave nation didn’t understand about having a day of rest, so God had to command it.

 

If we were to read more of the text about the Manna experience, we’d find that those Israelites showed that they didn’t trust God to give them what they needed for each day and some of them collected more and overnight it went rotten.  Yet when they collected twice as much on the 6^th day it was still good for the day of rest.

 

These Israelites were used to hard labour and the concept of being gifted something, relaxing for a day because it would be there tomorrow when it was needed, was something absolutely foreign.  They were a nation who worked mighty hard for any reward.  That is what they understood.  Even in the Egyptian system of spirituality this is what was understood; work, sacrifice reward.  But the God who is who He is, provided food and rest for his people. 

 

Many people in our society have a sense of hopelessness about the future, a sense of guilt or low self-worth – i.e. they suffer from depression.  What all humans need is hope in a future, reassurance of worth… a way to deal with guilt – honestly –  To love and be loved… to be happy, accepted, valued…

 

This statement, “The first will be last and the last will be first” is about acceptance.  In that ancient culture rejection was the norm…. especially if you were not the heir.  But the Bible tells us about to be understood how God chose Jacob…. How God chose King David who was the youngest and considered insignificant.  God speaks of Israel as being rejected and the smallest of nations.  God delights to choose the small, the insignificant, the rejected and the outcast.  In the story of faith, the Gentiles… that is all of us, are “Johnny come latelys”… add ons to the story.  However, we all have ALL God’s love.  And it is kind of like this… there was a man who owned a vineyard….  No matter if we came late to this party or early, we all have all God’s love.

 

In 1998 I wrote a song called “It’s enough”.  The lyrics are; “Some people live in hope of your rewards.  They imagine a goal and strive and press toward.  Crowns of gold they see and of eating from the tree of life that gives them immortality.  Some people they see streets all paved with gold.  They imagine the glory and the power they will hold.  See them on the street, with the fear of hell they beat a rhythm that gives their inner fears release.  But it’s enough – it’s enough to know His faithful love.  And it’s enough, it’s enough to have His unconditional care.  As for me, I know the passion of the man who died for me.  All I care about heaven is that His arms of love will be there.”

 

It doesn’t matter if we’ve been serving God all our life or turned to him at the last minute, we have the love of God as our reward… We can’t possibly have more, and we will never have less!

 

We, like St. Paul, are called in this life to courageously be God’s witness and be the body of Christ – doing what Christ wants done, without fearing death, because we know that we have all of God’s love.  The test is to live as though God’s love is enough…. Is it?  He gives us the true bread from heaven… Jesus – a gift – the gift of grace we can never deserve or earn.  Eternal life through Jesus is more than a most extravagant reward.  

The Big Rescue Pentecost 15 A 6th Sept 2026

2026  09  06 - Pentecost 15    proper 18a

Exodus 12.1-14    Psalm 149    Romans 13.1-10     Matthew 18.10-20

 

Love does no harm to a neighbour.  Where are we with this?  Do you think we have ever caused harm, personally – or as a church?   We know that harm has been caused in the past.  And we are still paying dearly – the ripple effect has been intense and far reaching.  But what about us? Have we caused harm?

 

The Roman Christians were told to love their neighbours as themselves because love is the fulfilment of the law of God.  It is a letter that Paul could well have written to any church today as I believe it is VERY relevant.  The Jewish Christians had been exiled from Rome under the previous governor, but now they had come back, and the rules had changed.  Saint Paul urged them to be subject to the authorities and do good.  It is a reminder to pray for our leaders, but all the aspects of life were closing in on the church and they had various opinions.  They had concerns for how to live a Godly life.  They and we need to constantly be reminded to be an encouraging and loving community, because God’s great love for ourselves and each other, is the most important thing.

 

We can easily diminish the importance of being loving, but do we realize that it is the lack of truly being loving that causes harm?  Of course it isn’t as easy as it sounds.  We can’t just continuously agree with the loudest voice. That voice could be leading us astray – and we follow, simply because we think it is loving to agree.  Paul didn’t keep quiet when he disagreed with Peter, and it turned out that his argument was vital for safe-guarding the message of the Gospel.

 

How interesting that this topic should come up, as our society is constantly battling this very conundrum.  The freedom of speech- the right to disagree.  And the need to stand up for what we believe to be vital- but not to be disrespectful, or hateful.   And there is another whole can of worms as there are some who interpretate disagreeing as being hateful.

 

It stands to reason then, that we need to have positive ways to deal with conflict and differences.  Our street Chaplaincy leaders are encouraged to deal with someone who does the “wrong” thing immediately.  Glitches become issues when they are not dealt with immediately and they become a complaint with which the committee needs to deal.  Then what happens has the potential to be a mountain out of a molehill.  Does this ever happen in the church?  NO ONE is perfect.  

 

Our Gospel scripture tells us to speak directly and privately to the person who is sinning.  Now, “sinning”, means they have missed the mark.  That can be a tiny thing or something major.  Often, our Street Chaplaincy difficulties are the minor kind- In the beginning at least.  This could be that a Chaplain has given their phone number to someone on the street.  It isn’t a big deal necessarily.  It could be that they have engaged in crude talk with the security guards.  These are the real things that we do need to talk to Chaplains about.  When it happens, we don’t embarrass the person by addressing them in front of others, if possible, depending on the seriousness of the circumstance.  We teach our members that it should be dealt with immediately, as soon as it is possible to have a private conversation.  If that person doesn’t take any notice and continues in the error, then the matter is taken further.

 

I’m hoping that you can see how this fits with our scripture directions.  Sadly, what is more common everywhere, is that the one-on-one correction never happens.  In fact, the two or three witness level rarely happens either, and instead, the first the person knows that they’ve erred, is when a higher authority or larger group become involved.  In these cases, people are left bewildered and hurt.  They leave the ministry they were involved in and they leave the church.  They may even feel rejected by God.   THIS is a serious problem!!!

 

The scripture just prior to our reading says that it “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”  THIS is serious!  Today’s reading begins with, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”

 

So many stories I could tell you, of Christians who don’t attend church because they have been hurt by church authorities.  If these people are no longer attending church because of how we have badly handled a situation, we are those who have caused people to stumble.  They are stumbling in their commitment to belong to the body of Christ and that was our doing.  So much hurt… so much sin… can be avoided if we follow God’s way of dealing with issues. 

 

In the middle of the Gospel reading, we have a story about leaving the 99 sheep to go and rescue one.  To some extent it makes no sense.  Surely, you’d do better to care for the 99????  Until we put it into a context we can relate to;  Imagine you are teaching a class of prep children.  One of them runs off.  I guarantee, all your attention is focused on that one!  There is NO peace until you know that that little one is safe and the idea of leaving the 99 to go and find the one, is not that you would leave the others vulnerable.  The shepherds of that time were not likely to be on their own and so the 99 were kept safe, but the value of that one is such that there is much rejoicing when it is found.  As a teacher looking after preps, we might better understand the value of that rejoicing over the one, but do we comprehend that this is God’s care over that one person who left the church because of hurt?

 

Many years ago, in the land of Egypt, the Israelites were slaves.  They were hard pressed by the Egyptians and forced into labour.  The Egyptians had gods that they worshiped and all this impacted the people… it hurt them.

More than that, Pharaoh decided to diminish the numbers of the Israelites by killing every male baby born.  Moses should have been destroyed, except by the divine providence of God and circumstances that led to him floating on a basket to the Egyptian princess.  As a grown man, he tried to rescue his people, but his efforts being misunderstood meant that he was exiled for many years in the desert.   He was supposed to be killed at birth, and then as an adult he lived in exile.  But God cares for the exiled.  God cares for the outcast.  God cares for those whose lives are headed for destruction unless there is some kind of rescue.

 

Last week we read about Moses and how God called him to set the people free.  This week we jump ahead to the final plague and we glimpse what God is doing.  Scripture quotes God as saying, “I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human to animal, on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.”  Pharaoh had taken the lives of a whole generation of men, killing them at birth, but God gave Pharaoh every opportunity to repent.  

 

A few things are happening here that we may not have realized.  The people of Israel had been hurt.  Physically they were oppressed.  Emotionally and psychologically, they saw themselves as slaves and second-class citizens.  Spiritually they had been led into the false and harmful religion of the Egyptians.  Each of the plagues that God sent showed God’s sovereignty over those so-called Gods.  Finally, after God proving himself over and over, Pharaoh still defied God.  Why would he do that after all the proof?  Perhaps because of an inflated sense of his own importance.  Pharaoh was considered a living deity.   He was believed to be the son of the sun god, Ra, the source of life, and the goddess Issis, protector of children. 

 

In that final plague God showed Israelite and Egyptians alike, that there is no God other than himself who is the source of life.  He, the LORD – Yahweh –  The God who is who He is- It is He who is the be all, the end all, the source of all.  And the way to life and protection from this plague was through the blood of the lamb  - the lamb of God- God himself is the lamb of God.   LIFE is in HIM.  In this he also prefigured the sacrifice of Christ.

 

Moses had gone to Pharoah with his request.  Then he went again, and again, and again…. Etc. 10 times.  In a previous plague of hail, scripture tells us that those who reverenced the Lord took their cattle in.  The hail didn’t fall in the area where the Israelites lived, so this refers to the Egyptians who had come to believe in Yahweh.  Pharaoh considered himself to be greater than God, therefore no one could possibly harm him.  Pharaoh was warned but he chose deliberate defiance. 

 

Pharaoh was the ruler of the land.  While the letter to the Romans tells us to be subject to the governing authorities, and we certainly should – as well as pray for those leaders, there may be times that we need to petition.  We know that one of our marks of mission is to seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind, and to pursue peace and reconciliation. 

 

Transformation begins when we realize that the person who has gone astray & needs correction is actually all of us!  We are all the “black sheep” in this family of God – but the lamb of God – the one perfect one, died in our place.  When we can see ourselves in each other and truly understand the love God has for us, we can respond to each other with that love. 

 

Today’s readings are all about rescue.  Rescue of the oppressed Israelite nation, rescue of the one sheep gone astray and the rescue we are called to take part in.  The rescue of each little one who has been or is being hurt.  I challenge each one of us to come up with just one way we can step into that rescue today.

What's in a name Pentecost 14A Proper 17A 30th August 2026

2026 08  30   Pentecost 14a   Proper 17A

Exodus 3.1-15   Psalm 105.1-6, 23-26     Romans 12.9-21     Matthew 16.21-28

It seems appropriate to explore the theme of names through this week’s readings, and for many of our Biblical characters names were incredibly significant, and often specifically given by God.

What’s in a name?  Names are sometimes labels we hang on each other… On Boston Blue the officer, Jonah, had graffiti drawn on his desk to call him a snitch, as he had arrested another officer for drunk driver – an officer with an alcoholic problem.  He was therefore labelled a snitch by the other officers.  Officer Jonah stood up to the main bully and told him that he knew it was him who drew the picture, and he wasn’t going to rub the picture off, because it was a reminder to the others of who they are, but regardless of what anyone thought or did, he -Jonah- was going to still have that officer’s and every other officer’s back and do his very best to protect and guard them because that is who he is.  He met bullying, unkindness and intimidation with a courageous, public declaration of integrity, and it turned the situation around.

What’s in a name?  According to T.S. Elliot, cats have 3 distinct names; one common one that the family know the cat by, a distinguished name that only one cat ever has, and a secret name known only to the cat itself.  Well, I suspected T.S. Elliot, may have read the Bible, and my quick research confirmed this to be the case.   The first name is aligned with the name we are given and known by in society, such as Jacob.  The second name is the unique name to mark a transformation or higher purpose, such as how Jacob became Israel, and also how Simon became Peter.  The final secret name is referred to in the book of revelation. 

 

We have had some momentous readings in the last few weeks.  They are fundamental to our faith.  Last week was Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, and in response to this, Peter was told that on that rock the church would be built.  The church is nothing unless we understand that it is built on Christ himself.   This was somewhat like a revelation of the secret name of God.  It was climatic, but following straight on from this, in our readings today, Christ reveals aspects about this Kingdom and Peter fails to comprehend, leading to the humiliating record of Jesus saying to Peter, “get behind me Satan”.

 

What is in a name?  This is also the topic of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.  The idea put forward was that it is just a tag and can be changed, but the reality in the play shows the gravity of the situation.  In our Old Testament reading, Moses asks God His name.  Why did he do this?  In all our encounters with God up to this point in history, God had not revealed His name… Genesis records him as Elohim, simply translated as “God”, and then “El Shaddai”, God almighty.   One called him, “The God who sees”, and God often announced himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. … the God of your ancestors.  Jacob had wrestled with God and then asked him his name, but God answered, “why do you ask my name?”  Moses’ asking God for his name, was something significant.

 

Knowing a god’s name in those ancient lands meant gaining access to that deity's specific power, character, and presence.  What God did with His answer was to show that he was greater and would not be manipulated.  “I am who I am” – or “I will be who I will be”… However, also in this answer was a revelation that God is ever existent, self-existent and eternal.  In this revelation was also the understanding that what God is today, He also is the same tomorrow.  There was also the implication of a covenant promise…. The promise to always be….  Therefore, if he is the God who loves you today and promises to be with you for always, He is faithful to that covenant promise today and tomorrow. 

 

Jewish scholars have also commented that the four Hebrew consonants of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) act as the sound of breathing.  YH is the sound of breathing in and WH is the sound of breathing out and therefore the name of God is on our lips from our first cry to our final breath.   And yet the name of God is so sacred that the Jewish people will not even write it.  Often in the Bible you might see LORD written in capitol letters, this is how it was recorded rather than writing God’s name and also in some commentary you might find that they will write G dash D (G-D).  I would always point this out to school children who were in the habit of saying, “Oh my God”…  They didn’t mean anything by it, but for me, at least this seems to be disrespectful, so I would let them know the Jewish perspective, then let them make up their own mind, not forgetting that the 3^rd of the 10 Commandments is to not disrespect God’s name.

 

Moses encountered God through observing a burning bush.  It was a bush on fire but not consumed.  Everything in Moses’ encounter served to show something about God’s nature.  The text says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses.  Many theologians say that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, and they also say that the burning bush is a symbol of the incarnation, with the physical existing with the divine without being consumed by the divine.

 

Peter, glimpsed the reality, but still didn’t get it.  He had declared Jesus as the Messiah, and for this declaration Jesus had given him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, but there is something about Jesus’ nature that Peter missed.  The interesting thing is that Peter “got it”… and then he didn’t….  many times.  And that is good news for us, because we are the same.  We glimpse something of God and who he is and then we miss it.  And that is exactly what happened to Peter.

 

Peter saw the divine and then missed it.  He saw the fire that didn’t consume the bush and then he just saw the bush… or did he just see the fire…?  I’m not sure, but he got it, then missed it… and so do we.

 

At one point in the Gospel stories, we hear of his followers asking if he wanted them to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who rejected him.  Of course he did not want that.  They too, only saw the fire of the divine at that time and failed to understand.  Jesus tells us that if any wish to come after him they must deny themselves and take up their cross.  Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for his sake will find it.  It is another contradiction just like a burning bush that is not consumed.

 

The church is built on that which Peter glimpsed last week.  It is built on the fact that Jesus is the saviour… the Messiah.  And since that time so many have come misunderstanding and even twisting that revelation.  Surely the saviour should not suffer and die?  Surely, He and his followers should rule the earth.  But instead the saviour IS one who suffered.  The saviour IS one who laid down his life for the good of those who didn’t deserve him.  Satan is still twisting the revelation of the Messiah today.  That is what is behind those who say that Jesus was just a good man – a prophet… sent from God… or some may even call him the son of God and the messiah… but not God.  Some even try to deny that he ever existed even though there is more than ample historical evidence.

 

God’s sacred name that was revealed to Moses is “I am who I am” and in the language of those people it is often stated as “YAWEH” – He is who he is….  Not some controllable god who we can make into our own image or manipulate and make into the image that we prefer… the image that makes us comfortable.  Make no mistake… Jesus was crucified because he stated, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58) – Everyone there knew what he meant.   “YAWEH” .  In fact Jesus name literally means. “YAWEH saves”.  Christ is the visible expression of the unseen God.  He is… who HE is!

 

This fact is what the church is built on, and as the people of the church, we are to take up our cross also and follow, emulating the characteristics of our faithful and loving God.  We can try to do this in our own strength, but we will probably fail.  In fact, trying to do good and care for each other is something that many people who don’t even believe in God try to do.  Instead, there is a better way!   We strive to follow Christ by relying on God’s life dwelling in us…  In fact, we simply allow God to live through us. 

 

We are so used to our earthly nature that we often fail to realize that we, as Christians, have been transformed…. We who are baptised and belong to Jesus have that divine fire within us.  Jesus sent us his Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is God dwelling in us.  Each Christian is yet another burning bush.  We are distinct from the ordinary because of Christ in us, just as that burning bush was distinct from the other bushes because of the presence of God.  God takes something somewhat ordinary makes it… and us.. absolutely extraordinary by the Spirit of God.  May we all grow in the understanding of who we are in God, who He calls us to be, and become who He created us to be….