I don’t think of myself as being prosperous, far from it in fact. On a continuum with “prosperous” at one end and “needy” at the other, I would generally put myself closer to the “needy” end — closer to, “when we are needy save us from despair” than, “when we prosper save us from pride” from this Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

But, in reality, that would be comparing myself with the society I live in — a society that would be considered prosperous in comparison to many other societies around the world. Comparing myself to many millions of people from all around the world, I would find myself in a very different place on that continuum — much closer to the “prosperous” end.

I’m sitting here in front of a reasonably good computer, accessing the internet and writing a blog post on a website on my own domain name. All of this costs money. There are far too many people around the world that would be grateful just for the chair.

I drive a nice car, not very old — being able to lease a car at favourable rates is one of the very few advantages to the health problems I have. But, nevertheless, it still costs money. There are far too many people around the world who would be grateful just for one of the tyres, to turn into makeshift footwear.

I haven’t decided yet what I’ll be having for dinner later, but I have plenty to choose from, and it’ll be reasonably easy to prepare. This does, of course, cost money. There are far too many people around the world who would be grateful just for a piece of bread to assuage their hunger.

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture. If you’re reading this you must, like me, be much closer to the “prosperous” end of the continuum than you are to the “needy” end.

It’s all too easy to only concern ourselves with how things are in our immediate vicinity, and despair because of our neediness can overtake us. I know that is something I’m guilty of. So I would generally be much closer to “despair” than “pride”. But this Collect reminds us that both are wrong; and that we should put our trust in God alone. It’s a great “ideal” to aim for, but not so easy to achieve in practise.

In amongst the Additional Collects, that I reflect on each week here, there are one or two prayers in each season that are designated to be suitable for use instead of one that’s set for the day. This week’s is one of those Collects. I guess that helps to highlight the importance of what we’re praying for — learning to trust more in God, and his providence.

A good prayer to be praying methinks.

Lord God,
your Son left the riches of heaven
and became poor for our sake:
when we prosper save us from pride,
when we are needy save us from despair,
that we may trust in you alone;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

We have a saying here, “What goes around, comes around”. I expect most parts of the world have something like it. This inspirational and heart-warming story illustrates just what it means very well. I expect it’s fictional; but would like to think the idea, at least, is based on actual events.

I wonder where you would put yourself if I asked you whether you were rich, poor, or in between. The chances are you would do the same as me, and say, “in between”. We know that in a global context our access to clean water, sanitation, food, healthcare — and especially the computer you’re reading this on — puts us firmly into the wealthier segment of the world population. But we all know someone richer than us, probably lots of people.

So what exactly does it mean for us to celebrate our relationship with Jesus, the one who announced his presence as “good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18)? If we’re not poor, how can we discover for ourselves — and share with others — the gospel which is good news to the poor?

I recognize that there is a spiritual dimension in this. Whatever my material wealth, I can only receive Christ when I recognise my spiritual poverty. Think of those words from the hymn, “Rock of Ages”: “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to your cross I cling”. This suggests a truth we too often fail to recognise — it’s hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom partly because the more we have the harder it gets to admit that our wealth has its limitations: money can’t buy me love, and that includes God’s love.

So our beatitude of choice is Matthew’s “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) because we can see how we might qualify for blessing; Luke’s “Blessed are you who are poor” (Luke 6:20) seems to leave us out in the cold.

A theological explanation for this apparent disparity — that seems so glaring to us in our society, in which poverty is usually interpreted purely as an economic matter — probably lies in the consistent biblical understanding that poverty is the result of sin: “There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you” (Deuteronomy 15:4).

People who are poor are oppressed; they are sinned against as much as they are sinners. That’s why the gospel is good news — it sets them free (“let the oppressed go free” Luke 4:18). Even more strikingly, one of the ways the gospel becomes good news to the poor is because it sets the rich free from sin and they cease to be oppressors.

So that’s the challenge. Is the gospel we present — by our words and actions — one that is good news to the poor because it changes our attitudes to wealth and poverty? Are we willing to be good news to those in our locality that we find it most difficult to relate to because they’re not ‘people like us’?

Perhaps you can cope with one more rhetorical question: do we prefer to adapt the gospel to our culture to make it more acceptable, or ensure that it is as true and counter-cultural in a world obsessed with wealth and celebrity as it was two thousand years ago?

Let’s face it; we’re in a minority. The global church is now predominantly made up of people who are poor, as will heaven be: the gospel really is good news to the poor!

God of all mercy,
your Son proclaimed good news to the poor,
release to the captives,
and freedom to the oppressed:
anoint us with your Holy Spirit
and set all your people free
to praise you in Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect for The Third Sunday of Epiphany
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

The picture with this post is a part of one of my favourite windows at Godmanchester Church. We are fortunate enough to have some really good Victorian stained glass in the church — must try and get some more pictures sometime, but I struggle to get good clear ones, there must be a knack to it. This particular one is above the St Ann altar, which we tend to use for most of the midweek Communion services, so it’s a window I see quite a lot.

When I read words such as I’ve picked out of the Collect for today, the Second Sunday of Christmas, “find him in those in need”, I’m reminded of that window, and the Bible passage it depicts. You can read the full passage from Matthew’s Gospel here: Matthew 25:31-45, but here are a couple of verses to serve as a reminder:

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.

Matthew 25:35-36

We should be caring for those in need simply because they are in need and we’re in a position to help. But we, as Christians, have an even greater incentive than that. We know that when we feed the hungry; give the thirsty a drink; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; care for the sick; or help anyone in need, no matter who they are; we know that we’re helping more than them, we’re helping Christ himself.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:40

Now, if only I could always remember that when I see the person in need, rather than thinking about what I could have done afterwards. I want to do the right thing all the time, not just when my awful memory works at the right time.

It’s good for me to be reminded of these things, especially in the Christmas Season. When those in need will have felt their need even more than normal, and those with an excess will have been celebrating it even more than normal.

God our Father,
in love you sent your Son
that the world may have life:
lead us to seek him among the outcast
and to find him in those in need,
for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Additional Collect for The Second Sunday of Christmas
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

When we prosper save us from pride

I don’t think of myself as being prosperous, far from it in fact. On a continuum with “prosperous” at one end and “needy” at the other, I would generally put myself closer to the “needy” end — closer to, “when we are needy save us from despair” than, “when we prosper save us from pride” from this Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

But, in reality, that would be comparing myself with the society I live in — a society that would be considered prosperous in comparison to many other societies around the world. Comparing myself to many millions of people from all around the world, I would find myself in a very different place on that continuum — much closer to the “prosperous” end.

I’m sitting here in front of a reasonably good computer, accessing the internet and writing a blog post on a website on my own domain name. All of this costs money. There are far too many people around the world that would be grateful just for the chair.

I drive a nice car, just a few months old: one of the very few advantages to the health problems I have. But, nevertheless, it still costs money. There are far too many people around the world who would be grateful just for one of the tyres, to turn into makeshift footwear.

I haven’t decided yet what I’ll be having for dinner later, but I have plenty to choose from, and it’ll be reasonably easy to prepare. This does, of course, cost money. There are far too many people around the world who would be grateful just for a piece of bread to assuage their hunger.

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture. If you’re reading this you must, like me, be much closer to the “prosperous” end of the continuum than you are to the “needy” end.

It’s all too easy to only concern ourselves with how things are in our immediate vicinity, and despair because of our neediness can overtake us. I know that is something I’m guilty of. So I would generally be much closer to “despair” than “pride”. But this Collect reminds us that both are wrong; and that we should put our trust in God alone. It’s a great “ideal” to aim for, but not so easy to achieve in practise.

In amongst the Additional Collects, that I reflect on each week here, there are one or two prayers in each season that are designated to be suitable for use instead of one that’s set for the day. This week’s is one of those Collects. I guess that highlights the importance of what we’re praying for — learning to trust more in God, and his providence.

A good prayer to be praying methinks.

Lord God,
your Son left the riches of heaven
and became poor for our sake:
when we prosper save us from pride,
when we are needy save us from despair,
that we may trust in you alone;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

To find him in those in need

When I read words such as these, “To find him in those in need”, I’m always reminded of a passage from Matthew’s Gospel — read the full passage here (Matthew 25:31-45), but here are a couple of verses to serve as a reminder:

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.

Matthew 25:35-36

It does help that there is the reminder I frequently see in the stained-glass window, part of which is pictured at the top of this post, above the St Ann altar at Godmanchester Church which depicts this very passage. It’s a wonderful window, quite possibly my favourite of all the lovely Victorian stained-glass in Church.

We should be caring for those in need simply because they are in need and we’re in a position to help. But we, as Christians, have an even greater incentive than that. We know that when we feed the hungry; give the thirsty a drink; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; care for the sick; or help anyone in need, no matter who they are; we know that we’re helping more than them, we’re helping Christ himself.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:40

Now, if only I could always remember that when I see the person in need, rather than thinking about what I could have done afterwards. I want to do the right thing all the time, not just when my awful memory works at the right time.

It’s good for me to be reminded of these things, especially in the Christmas Season. When those in need will have felt their need even more than normal, and those with an excess will have been celebrating it.

God our Father,
in love you sent your Son
that the world may have life:
lead us to seek him among the outcast
and to find him in those in need,
for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Second Sunday of Christmas
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council