The third Sunday after Trinity

Jesus said to his disciples “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;
and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

A prayer

God our saviour,

Look on this wounded world in pity and in power;

hold fast to your promises of peace

won for us by your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Some thoughts

In our short reading for today, there is an implication for all of us. Jesus stresses the inter-relationship of the message that he brings with him. The disciples – the followers of Jesus carrywithin themselves Jesus and hence carry within themselves God the Father.  

In other words, whoever we are, if we are a follower of Jesus then into our lives, into our relationships, into the things we say and do – we carry Jesus and consequently we carry God the Father. 

Now of course we are imperfect, we get things wrong, we do things wrong. We know that in our hearts. I cannot suggest that in those circumstances we act as Jesus and as the Father. Indeed, at such times we need the forgiveness that God freely offers.

However, and perhaps it is a sobering thought to remember that each of us can, and should, seek to make our lives and actions fit for the purpose of carrying the Saviour of the world and the Creator of the world within us.