We’re in the 3rd Sunday after Trinity, in a season of Ordinary Time, which takes us on a journey to the end of October. The liturgical colour for Ordinary Time is green.
I don’t know how you get a sense of what God may be saying to you. For me, I often get a sense of what God is saying to me as I reflect on Scripture. Sometimes, as I seek to make some sense of my Christian journey, fleeting thoughts engage me. And, for me, it’s helpful to stop and ask, “What are you saying to me, Father? What is important?”
OK. We’ll be looking at Romans 6:1b-11 and Matthew 10:34-39 this Sunday. And as I’ve reflected, three quotations have been in my awareness:
“Life is difficult.” This is the first sentence in Scott Peck’s Book “A Road Less Travelled.” Itself an invitation to journey, with the author [a Christian medical practitioner]. In my days of training psychotherapists, we used this sentence and recommended reading this book to give context for our journey in life, seeking a desire to become more “whole”.
“Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.” Spoken by Sonny several times in the film “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” The author, Deborah Moggach, develops this by saying, “The only real failure is the failure to try, and the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment.”
“This is not a dress rehearsal.” I’m not sure who this is attributed to. For me, it’s a reminder of the importance of seeking to live a fulfilled life. A life with relationships and the journey with Jesus and brothers and sisters in Christ.
When we individually accept Jesus Christ as Lord and invite Him to be at the centre of our lives we embark on a journey. A journey with God. A life-changing journey. We’re invited to live out of a new identity. A journey with our rescuer.
A Reflection from Sheila Walker:
Is there anywhere I would not go
is there anything I would not do
is there anyone I would not know
if he were to ask me?
Is there anywhere I would not live
is there anyone I would not leave
is there anything I would not give
if he were to ask me?
How do I know?
How do I know how fit I am to serve him?
I fear I have had too much comfort, too much distraction,
too little challenge;
I fear it has blurred my vision, sapped my strength,
scrambled my brain.
Jesus, help me to hear
not what I would like you to say
but what you are saying to me;
and make me fit,
fit enough, faithful enough, to follow
to follow hard
however hard.
Sheila Walker; Contemporary Reflections for praying and preaching – a Year A Resource, 2007, Kevin Mayhew Ltd. Buxhall
With Blessings,
Revd Dave