Today is the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. Today’s Gospel reading comes from Matthew’s fourth block of Jesus’ teaching that is concerned with relationships among Christians, or life in the church, and is sometimes described as a community rule. After dealing with the need to recall sinners to repentance and seeking the lost, Matthew turns attention to the issue of forgiveness. Christians are people who have been forgiven much by God and should, therefore, go on showing forgiveness to others. The point is made in the parable of the slave who was forgiven a large debt but who refused himself to forgive a small debt. To forgive is to mend and to restore relationships.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of a mender. In today’s picture from his book, Explorer, Teddy Horsley is wondering who fixed the dripping tap in his bathroom.
Lord Jesus Christ,
you call your followers
to be forgiving people.
Help us to forgive others
that we may live up to our calling;
for you are our God.
Amen.
Next Sunday is the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel reading presents Matthew’s narrative of the labourers in the vineyard that makes the point that God rewards all equally. The image to help prepare for this theme is prizes for all. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – Exploring the Sunday Gospel