Collect for Trinity 2
Romans 5: 1-8
Matthew 9: 35-10:4
Peter. Fisherman. Impetuous, always speaking his mind and acting on impulse. Rock on whom the church was founded.
James son of Zebedee. Another fisherman
John. Brother of James. Both known as the ‘Sons of Thunder’
Andrew. Peter’s brother. The first to be called by Jesus.
Philip. Probably Greek-speaking. Brings Nathaniel to Jesus.
Bartholomew??
Matthew. Tax collector – member of One of the most reviled professions in first-century Judaism. Matthew collected taxes for Rome from his fellow Jews in Capernaum.
Thomas – ‘Doubting’ Thomas? Or ‘Practical’ Thomas?
James son of Alphaeus??
Thaddeus also known as Jude the apostle.
Simon the Zealot. may have belonged to a Jewish sect known as the Zealots, who were bent on revolution and looking for a Messiah to violently overthrow Rome. Or he may have simply been zealous for the Mosaic Law. Or zealous for Jesus and his teachings.
Judas Iscariot. The betrayer. Many different opinions on his motives. In art, usually depicted wearing yellow clothing and with red hair
What a bunch. Fishermen. A tax collector. A terrorist. A sceptic. Couple of hotheads. Not sure they’re the ones I’d pick, if I were Jesus. Not even sure they’re entirely trustworthy. Surely it would be more effective to go for celebrities – people who are well known and who could act as ‘influencers’?
Well, actually, no. The Gospel isn’t a fashion accessory. It’s real, and it needs real people to proclaim it. Jesus doesn’t choose people for their looks – He is interested in picking the right ones to do the job and to initiate the word being spread abroad. He chose ‘ordinary’ (actually, no-one is ‘ordinary’ as far as Jesus is concerned) people who would be believed by their friends and neighbours – in turn they would spread the word to their own contacts, and so on in turn. To use a current term – going ‘viral’.
Someone once asked who would be the best person to talk about Jesus to a lorry driver. To which the answer is ‘another lorry driver’.
Who would be the best person to talk to your friends and family about Jesus?
You.
Previous Posts
Praying together 30th October 2022
Luke 18: 9-14Ephesians 1:11-23 ‘Saint’ Defn. #1: a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and regarded in Christian faith as being in heaven after death. Well, I’m not dead yet (or at least I wasn’t at the time of writing.) So that’s not me. ‘Saint’ Defn. #2: a very...
Praying Together 23rd October 2022
We don’t stop doing right because of the fear of becoming proud – and we don’t let past failure stop us from living in His house.
Praying Together 16th October 2022
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5 Are we there yet? (Title courtesy of Marjorie)Just stop for a moment. Take a look around. How did you get to where you are at this instant in time? Now have a look into yourself, your heart and mind, and reflect on your journey in faith –...
Praying Together 9th October 2022
Collect for Trinity 17 Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: Teach us to offer ourselves to your service, that here we may have your peace, and in the world to come may see you face to face;through...
An Ordination at St Michael and All Angels, Waterville
On Thursday last, 29th September - the feast of Michaelmas - members of all four churches of our Union joined together to witness The Reverend Barbara Irrgang-Buckley being ordained Priest by the Bishop of Tuam Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Reverend Michael...
Praying Together 25th September 2022
Luke 16: 19-31 What will it take to convince you? With thanks to Anselm of Canterbury, and his inspiration Augustine of Hippo, there are two approaches to faith. (Excuse the Latin, but I had five years of it at school and I can’t help showing off sometimes as a...
Praying Together 18th September 2022
Luke 16: 1-13 To whom do we owe our allegiance? You cannot serve God and ‘wealth’ Bah. If ever there was a misleading Biblical translation, that’s it. It’s bad enough when the translated phrase reads ‘You cannot serve God and money’. Neither of those words...
Praying Together – 11 September 2022
Collect for Trinity 13 Almighty God, who called your Church to bear witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: Help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to you; through him who was lifted up on the...
Arthur and Martha: Christ the King
This is the day we remember that Jesus is the king of all the world and that He is the greatest king of all. Just imagine. Jesus is our very best friend, but He’s a king!
The Road to Emmaus | Luke 24: 13-35
The Road to Emmaus : Luke 24:13-35
Mary’s Story
Hello little one. Pleased to meet you. It’s been an eventful few months while I’ve been waiting for you to arrive. Let me tell you all about it.
It started on an ordinary day. I was going about as normal, feeding the chickens, tidying up and that sort of thing. I wasn’t really concentrating, I was thinking about my wedding to Joseph in a few weeks time.
The Journey to the Cross
The Lent readings tell a familiar story. The story of a journey. A journey to the cross.
Let’s remind ourselves of that journey. After his baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and forty very cold nights. The voices of Satan came whispering, tempting, but Jesus refuses to be distracted or tempted.