kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

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

Help us to keep your law of love

Regular readers of this blog will start to think I’ve got a “hobby horse”, as so many of my posts seem to be about “Love”. I think it’s almost inevitable through the great period of Easter. But now we’re into the period the Church calls “Ordinary Time”, that long period of growth and deepening of faith in the Sundays following Trinity Sunday, and I’m still talking about love.

Most of the earlier posts on Love have been about God loving us, or us loving God; both, of course, very important. But this Collect seems to be, to my mind, talking about something entirely different; love of each other. The phrase, “law of love”, feels a bit awkward, though. Can we legislate for love? Surely, love, if it’s to mean anything, has to be freely given?

But, once you start to read the Gospel reading set for this First Sunday after Trinity, things begin to make far more sense. It comes from that great block of Jesus’ teaching known as “The Sermon on the Mount”:

Matthew 5:38-end

‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

In these verses Jesus sets out the ideal that we should be striving to achieve. It’s a very high ideal, and certainly a very difficult one to achieve. But that shouldn’t stop us attempting it. After all, the higher we aim, the higher we will achieve. I think, currently, I fall a long way short — a long way!

However, there are people that have come close to the ideal set by Jesus in the sermon on the mount, even in our own period of history. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who’s eyes many people would have recognized above, is one particularly notable person in the last century. But we can also think about Pope John Paul II, the Polish Pope who was the catalyst that helped bring about the fall of Eastern European Communism; and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who helped to bring apartheid to the peaceful end that everyone thought was impossible. I’m sure you can think of many more.

So we can see that despite it being difficult to achieve, even close to, the ideal set by Jesus, it is possible — even by us weak human beings. Keep praying that God will help us to keep his law of love, and we may even find that one day, we, too, are getting close.

God of truth,
help us to keep your law of love
and to walk in the ways of wisdom,
that we may find true life
in Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.

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