The Journey to Jerusalem: Reflections from Luke for Lent - Friday 4 March | Canterbury Cathedral

good evening and welcome to canterbury cathedral for our series of lenten reflections as we reflect on the passage from luke as jesus journeys with his disciples towards jerusalem at the beginning of this reflection our hearts and our minds are of course going to be focused on pictures and images and perhaps even personal relationships that we might have of some of the events that are happening in ukraine at this present time our thoughts and our prayers are perhaps very confused perhaps angry certainly searching and wanting to know how to respond in some way and i think that the passage that we have before us tonight is a way of helping us to think and perhaps to respond to those who are in such need at this time in central europe the passage comes as jesus finds and asks his disciples to go out and to spread the message of good news about god's love for all people with the commissioning of the 70 disciples that go and teach and preach and this is the passage from luke's gospel chapter 10 beginning at verse 1. after this the lord appointed 70 others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go he said to them the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few therefore ask the lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest go on your way see i am sending you out like lambs into the midst of walls carry no purse no bag no sandal and greet no one on the road whatever house you enter first say peace to this house and if anyone is there who shares in peace your peace will rest on that person but if not it will return to you remain in the same house eating and drinking whatever they provide for the labour deserves to be paid do not move about from house to house whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you eat what is set before you cure the sick who are there and say to them the kingdom of god has come near to you but whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you go out into its streets and say even the dust of your own town that clings to our feet we wipe off in protests against you yet know this the kingdom of god has come near i tell you on that day it will be more tolerable for sodom and for that town jesus's mission then to his disciples to go and share the good news of god in jesus with those who meet is a message as clear today for us i think as it was for those 35 pairs of disciples that went out together what i notice when i'm reading this passage is something about the urgency of the task just how important and imperative it is that this task happens disciples are asked to go out without any preparation almost there to carry nothing with them the sort of baggage that we might want to have if we would go on an arduous journey take no bag no sandal greet no one on the road carry no purse there is if you like an energy pushing people on the urgency of the task is very much set before them i contrast that with the pictures that are coming on our news and television about people who are fleeing ukraine at this time and trying to cross the border into places like poland carrying so much in their cars or in bags it's almost as if we're seeing pictures that were from the 1940s after the war of people trying to find peace and security with the threats that were around them caused by war or the aftermath of war it was into such an environment that christian aid was set up as a way to try to relieve those who were in such desperate need at that time as we're thinking today about how we might respond to people who are in need we might want to think about some of the actions that jesus goes and mentions in the gospel today the first command that he asks his disciples to do is to say when they are welcome to pronounce peace to this house surely the church's greatest gift at this time is to be a herald of peace in a world that doesn't want to hear messages about peace peace however has to be tempered with justice and jesus's message for those who will not hear his message of peace or refuse to listen to the good news is to treat them with um not quite contempt i think that's too strong a word but certainly to give them a stern message and warning to shake the dust of the town that clings to their feet to wipe it off in protest against them and a message that those who do not pursue the paths of peace themselves are doomed to destruction the old testament at the old testament metaphor of sodom is a very powerful one a town that ultimately was destroyed because it did not listen to those messengers that were sent to it by god when he came to rescue lot and his family from there as we reflect then on this passage and on the news that we hear from across our world i wonder what our response then is as disciples in the world today we must be careful we must travel lightly in the world not way down with baggage we are not to waste time perhaps in idle speculation or chatter even about what is happening but to act in ways that are both kind and compassionate but also decisive and leads to peace we must be agents for peace in the world we are also to be grateful and to welcome the hospitality that is shown to us as disciples eat whatever is given before you i wonder if there's something then about sharing hospitality as we anticipate refugees fleeing from the ukraine i wonder what our response might be as we think about sharing hospitality with strangers just as jesus's disciples were expected to share and to receive hospitality from strangers jesus's message though of peace is one that does lead to action disciples are called to be agents of change in the world they are to heal the sick in mind our body part of jesus's mission is not just an airy fairy message of peace and goodwill it is a positive action for change heal the sick as we try to heal the wounds of division and violence that we see around us in our world perhaps we might want to reflect on what our response is what healing looks like for us in our communities and finally to tell the people that god's kingdom is very close as we hear jesus's message to proclaim peace know that god is very close to you because we pray for the peace of the world and we perhaps flounder or are unsure about what we can do as we offer our confusion and our anger and our hurt of what is happening and what we are seeing to god in prayer know that god is very close to each one of us in prayer he will guide our actions now that might be through supporting the disasters emergency committee appeal that is being launched at this time and i would encourage you to visit the website for the dec to respond generously by giving to the appeal that has been launched at this time there's going to be a retiring collection on sunday at our services here at canterbury cathedral and please do if you are at the service physically please do bring something to put into that appeal usefully as well the government has promised to match fund all donations that are given to a limit of 20 million pounds i understand so please do think about responding generously but if money is uh one way of giving there may well be others you may wish to think about how you can act as an agent for change in this world as you seek to be god's disciples in the world today i'm going to offer now a short time for quiet and then i'm going to lead us in a prayer let us pray heavenly father as we pray for the nations of the world we pray particularly today for the people of ukraine and also for those in russia and for communities along the border with russia and ukraine for places like poland and moldova and nations that are experiencing fear and anxiety at this time help us to know that as we hear messages of your kingdom we may respond with the ways that lead to peace but also with justice heavenly father as your son jesus christ traveled with his disciples on the path that led to jerusalem to his death and crucifixion be with us as we feel the pain of the world and help us always to know your presence in jesus christ our lord amen and so let us pray together the words that jesus taught us in whatever language we find most comfortable the words of the lord's prayer our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever amen and may the lord bless us and keep us this night and always amen

Channel: Canterbury Cathedral

Views: 3,193

Keywords: Worship, faith, pray, prayer, church, holy, eucharist, Christian, Anglican, Episcopal, cathedral, Canterbury, England, mother, communion, archbishop, saint, service, online, leo, cat, cats, pigs, black prince, becket, tiger, st paul, durham, Lincoln, notre dame, corona, coronavirus, covid, lockdown, choral, evensong, choir, organ, chorister, garden, congregation, lent, easter, jerusalem, holy week

Id: qtFVdR1auhs

Length: 13min 38sec (818 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 04 2022