This devotional page encourages us to open our minds to God. We are encouraged, prayerfully, to read the passage once or maybe twice, read the commentary, and then reflect on it as to how we might better understand the Word of God and our response to it. (The text chosen is one of the set texts for the coming Sunday, loosely ‘The Gospel’ !)
Our thanks to Rev Alex Aldous for this.
Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity – 27 September 2026
Philippians 2: 1 – 13
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—,even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Commentary
Whether or not St Paul lifted some of these words from an earlier credal song which was circulating around the church, these words attributed to Paul are declared by many theologians as the greatest and most moving articulation concerning the person of Jesus found in the Pauline corpus, after his initial introduction.
Christians have been created to embrace humility as a badge of honour and as a lifestyle, and Paul backs up his argument by pointing in verses 6 – 11 to the majestic figure of Christ who epitomised sacrificial giving and lowliness of heart. He expresses these in an unparalleled, fulsome way how Jesus ‘was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.’ (2 Corinthians 8:9). The description of Jesus being in ‘very nature, God,’ is stating that in his very essence he was divine in a manner which could not be changed. But knowing this, Christ did not cling to that equality with the Father whilst on earth because his incarnation was for the liberation of sinners through his death on the cross. There is no doubting the fact that the eternal Son of God lost everything pertaining to his status and became a servant, and this again is a model for the Christian soul in dealing with his/her brother/sister in Christ of whatever social or ecclesiastical standing. The reward for this utter display of humility on earth is exaltation to the highest place in heaven, and so we bow the knee as he has first done for us and proclaim him as Lord of the universe. This finally becomes our missional incentive that all would be of like mind and confess the same with their lips.
Reflection
As we gaze upon Christ in his humble state – taking on flesh with immortality reduced to a human span, experiencing growth and feeling the power of temptation before suffering the most ignominious incarceration on a Roman gibbet, how do we live out the calling to be humble? Do we regard others as better than ourselves? Do we put the needs of the stranger and outsider in front of the ego that resides within? We can only begin to enter this journey of faith towards the humble heart one day at a time, relinquishing self as we cast ourselves on the mercy of God. Pride and selfishness rise up all too easily, but let us keep the costliness of our Redeemer ever before us…and be thankful.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
May we this hour sit before him as one who washes our feet, each day walk the way of the cross with him to feel his pain, and each week run with earnestness to the hurting world around us with ‘not my will but yours be done,’ whispered from the depths of our souls. Amen.
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity– 20 September 2026
Philippians 1: 21 – 30
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Commentary
St Paul is writing this letter from prison: he is chained to a guard (v14), humanly he has nothing and his time is short before his ultimate beheading; but his passion for Christ and the spreading of the gospel is paramount in the place he is called to be, and in the manner in which this letter would act as a witness. (This has double significance as the Greek for this word is marterio – ‘martyr’: publishing one’s faith and suffering for Christ went hand in hand.)
Paul begins this passage with what is his watchword and perhaps his epitaph: ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ His earthly existence holds nothing for him except but to reflect the person of Jesus, and should he lose his life then he would only be with his Lord in heaven. Every moment spent on earth, whether with guards or guardians of his faith it would serve as opportunities to gossip the gospel and be an encouragement and source of strength for his flock. But his longing to be with Christ is ever stronger as the days wear on. His one aim is to live Christ and see the church doing the same. v27 speaks of the challenge for Christian maturity to be of utmost importance in the way it responds to circumstance – good or bad. But Paul has confidence in this community in standing as he stands, being and remaining firm in the faith and in the teaching of scripture and Jesus’ evangelion. However, he once more reiterates that to witness is to suffer. Belief and trust in Christ has no comfortable ride but will be a struggle. Paul never sugarcoats the calling to Christ, but spurs men and women to faith and good works for the Kingdom.
Reflection
As we and the world face increasing uncertainty of our future, can we, too, claim that: ‘For me to live is Christ and to die is gain’? Does impending doom and disaster personally and globally bring us to our knees shaking and in fear, or does it bring us to those same knees in holy and reverent awe, asking for the equipping of the Holy Spirit to mirror Christ to a hopeless and hapless generation. Can we echo Peter’s words to Jesus: ‘To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ We are ultimately on the victory side whatever the temporary pain and suffering that we may traverse through, for whether we live or die we own Christ, we share Christ and we will live in, live through and eventually live with Christ. So may we stand firm.
Prayer
‘O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul on thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.
O joy, that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.
O cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly to thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms red
life that shall endless be.’ – George Matheson
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity – 13 September 2026
Matthew 18: 21 – 35
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Commentary
Peter’s impulsiveness is often regarded as part of his unrefined pre-Pentecost character, but the question that flashes from his lips elicits vital teaching from Jesus. Peter probably regarded his suggestion of seven-fold forgiveness as generous and meriting praise from his Master. In Rabbinic teaching, it is posited that: ‘he who begs forgiveness from his neighbour must not do so more than three times.’ As a ‘holy number’ ‘7’ would indicate a form of completion and wholeness. But there are various instances in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew where we witness Jesus’ exercising hyperbole in order to emphasise crucial pastoral practice emanating from the heart of God: forgiveness should be offered not seven times but ‘seventy-seven times’ – there is no end to it. Grace is limitless.
To illustrate Christ’s ‘outrageous grace,’ he relates this parable. There are elements of it which seem harsh – but to view it thus is to be caught up in the minutiae and not see the grander, fuller picture. Jesus deliberately exaggerates the amount of the debt owed to the king and the punishment that would be meted out. Jesus here is pointing out the severity of sin and its abhorrence to a perfect and almighty God. Romans 6:23 points out that ‘the wages of sin is death.’ Without the costly sacrifice on the cross and God’s longing to bestow the gift of God of eternal life, we would all languish in the condemnation that sin deserves. The debt in the parable translates to millions of pounds – totally unrepayable. However, the servant appears contrite and flings himself on the mercy of the king and his debt is completely cancelled. But there is a rider to this: the servant departs from the king’s presence, ignores the grace just given and holds a fellow-servant to account for a paltry sum owed to him. With this man, no grace is exercised, and his debtor is sent to prison.
The king gets to hear of the servant’s actions and he is hauled before him. The grace that is given, though free and unmerited, does have one condition: he, the servant (and thereby all of us who hear these words) need to forgive as our Heavenly Father forgives. Our sin against God, as a totality, far outweighs any misconduct done to us by another individual. Again, these words carry hyperbole – God does not seek to torture anyone – it is simply the understanding of how great our sin is and what love he has for us that should be kept uppermost in our hearts in our dealing with others.
Reflection
How do I, how do you, look upon those who cross our paths and cause us grief such that we need to forgive? Our passage last week reminded us that no sin in the church family or outside should be ignored and swept under the carpet, but equally no sin should stand unforgiven. It is as we once more turn our gaze to the cross of Christ and understand the lengths he has gone to, to pay for our sin, that we understand not only our own condition, but how much God loves those who have wronged us. As someone once said: ‘To love those who love us is human; to hate those who hate us is animal; to hate those who love us is devil-like; but to love those who hate us is God-like.’
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Teach me more about your grace this day as I turn to the cross afresh. Deepen my heart for you and my compassion for others so that my love and my forgiveness come not from myself, but from you. Amen.
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – 6 September 2026
Matthew 18: 15 – 20
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Commentary
These verses are, in the main, focussed upon the integrity of the body of Christ and the need to exercise due pastoral care in the light of sin committed. To begin with, there is no question over the fact that we all (to employ the archery term implied here) fall short of the mark set out by God and in his Law: ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,’ declares Paul in Romans 3:23. But if someone has transgressed against another, for the sake of the relationship between one and another in the fellowship of the Kingdom and for their own understanding that a sin has been committed, it is right and appropriate to confront the other. Such action avoids bitterness on the part of the offended and gossip within the church community, and diffuses any possible ignorance on the part of the offender. All believers should practice longsuffering and bear with one another’s weaknesses, but there is also an accountability which should be exercised. In the first instance, a quiet word should be made between the two parties: this gives the opportunity for the offender to realise what he/she has done and for any misunderstanding to be cleared up.
Jesus then sensitively explores the possibility of this approach breaking down: it is then that other reliable listeners should be introduced who can weigh up and test the defendant’s grief. As Proverbs 18:17 states: ‘The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his/her neighbour comes and examines him.’ Jesus then implies that if there is stubbornness on the part of the accused, he/she is in effect putting themselves outside church jurisdiction and must be removed from the congregation and treated as apostate. The care of the body of Christ is no longer valid because trust and respect is abrogated. However, this does not mean that the door of the church is permanently slammed in their face, but such ‘binding on earth,’ as the two/three witnesses are doing, if exercised humbly and according to God’s Word, is something which is done on God’s behalf.
Jesus finally turns the conversation of the two/three into something positive, for where there are just the two or three gathered in God’s name, to worship, to study scripture and God’s Law then there is the promise of God’s abiding presence, something that the unrepentant person cannot enjoy. Gathering in Jesus’ name is not about a particular place or time, it does not depend upon the rank of the individual or take any particular form: it simply concerns the glory of fellowship in Christ’s name and we can be assured that Christ himself graces us with his presence.
Reflection
The power and reality of meeting together as Christians where there is a oneness in heart and mind and where there are no grievances is something that is so easily underestimated, and which defines koinonia, setting it apart from meeting with people who do not share one’s faith. It is fellowship where Jesus’ name is exalted, where he is invited to be present through the power of the Holy Spirit and it is then that we can expect the power of prayer to be vivified, a love for Him intensified and a sense of purpose and vision clarified.
Prayer
Dear Lord, as I avail myself of fellowship this week with others who bear your name, help me to value each afresh, knowing that you delight in gracing us with your glory and presence to reveal more of yourself and your vision for us as a body. Amen.