kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

Open our eyes to your wonders

The world we live in is amazing. We don’t have to look too far before we can see some aspect of the beauty and wonder of our planet.

A vote was taken last year to see what were considered to be the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Millions of people voted in this poll, organized by a little known Swiss film maker and businessman, Bernard Weber. He said he wanted to invite the people of the world to take part in selecting the world’s greatest wonders. Organizers estimate that some 90 million people voted.

The winners were:

1. The Great Wall of China
2. Jordan’s ancient rock city Petra
3. Brazil’s Statue of Christ the Redeemer
4. The hilltop city of Machu Picchu in Peru
5. Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid
6. The Colosseum in Rome
7. India’s Taj Mahal

In addition, the Great Pyramid of Ghiza, the only one of the original list of seven wonders compiled by Greek scholar Antipater of Sidon more than 2,100 years ago that is still standing, was made an eighth “honorary wonder”.

We don’t need to go to quite such exotic places to be able to appreciate the wonder of God’s world. The photograph at the top of the post is one of my favourite images from the middle of Cambridge, the back of Kings College Chapel, just about twenty miles away. Stonehenge is a pretty stunning place, within relatively easy travelling distance for me. And there are so many other images I could have chosen.

But our world, our world full of God’s wonders, is a fragile place. We need to work at trying to keep it the place of beauty and wonder it is. And that’s going to take effort from all of us. We each of us need to continue to do “our bit” — as small as that “bit” seems sometimes. Every little bit will help!

Lord of creation,
whose glory is around and within us:
open our eyes to your wonders,
that we may serve you with reverence
and know your peace at our lives’ end,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Defend your Church from all false teaching

Two truths
There are two important truths I want to emphasize in this post. The first is that God loves us. And the second is that the Gospel is good news. These two truths are not only a wonderful support, but are also a wonderful defence against false teaching.

God loves us
Think about the greatest love you have ever experienced, whether it be from a mother, a father, a spouse, a child, or an animal. Keep it in mind, but now think, too, about the greatest love you have ever given, whether it be to a mother, a father, a spouse, a child, or an animal. Keep a hold of those thoughts of love in your mind, and in your heart for a while; really enjoy them; really appreciate them. It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?

Now consider that as good as those feelings of love are, as happy as they can make you feel, that our God loves you, and me, more even than that, much more. God loves us even more than the person who loves us the most.

The Gospel is good news
The literal translation of the word, “gospel”, is “good news”. Every authentic aspect of Christianity is good news. It’s important to remember that, it’s important to share it: Christianity, and the whole Gospel message is Good News!

Defence against false teaching
How can this help defend us, and the Church, against false teaching? Those two important truths can be used to test things against. We, and the Church, can use them as a test to discover if we’re understanding a Bible passage, or personal revelation, properly; by judging our interpretation by its fruits.

Since the most important fruit is love, we can ask ourselves, “When someone who loves me is loving me the most, would they act in this way?” And, since every authentic aspect of Christianity is good news, we can ask ourselves, “Is it good news?”

If the answers to these two questions are “Yes”, our understanding is probably right. But if either answer is “No”, then we probably need to look again at our interpretation, because it’s most likely wrong, coming from false teaching.

Lord God,
defend your Church from all false teaching
and give to your people knowledge of your truth,
that we may enjoy eternal life
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council