Poppies in a garden in Adare, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 10 November 2019, is the Third Sunday before Advent. But the Church of Ireland Directory notes that ‘Remembrance Sunday may be observed.’
This posting looks at the readings and liturgical resources for Sunday 10 November as Remembrance Sunday. A separate posting this morning looks at the readings and liturgical resources for next Sunday as the Third Sunday before Advent.
Remembrance Day this years has an added poignancy in its commemorations as 2019 marks the eightieth anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and the centenary of the official end of World War I with the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919.
In this ‘Decade of Centenaries,’ the Church of Ireland has produced many resources for use in churches and parishes.
These resources have included services for the 1916 Commemorations, with a Service of the Word for a commemoration of the Easter Rising, PDF, and a Service of Commemoration of the Easter Rising 1916 PDF.
The resources for World War I commemorations include a Service of the Word for the Remembrance of World War I in a local church, for which I wrote the introduction, and available as an MS Word doc or PDF, a Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme for Local Use, PDF, and a Service to mark the end of World War I in a local church, available as PDF or in MS Word.
The War Memorial in Pery Square, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The Readings:
The Church of Ireland Directory for Sunday 10 November 2019 says:
Remembrance Sunday may be observed using the following readings:
Isaiah 2: 1-5 or Isaiah 10: 33 to 11: 9 or Ezekiel 37: 1-14.
Psalm 4 or Psalm 47 or Psalm 93 or Psalm 126 or Psalm 130.
Romans 8: 31-39 or Revelation 1: 1-7.
Matthew 5: 1-12 or John 15: 9-17.
Any combination of the above Remembrance Sunday readings may be used.
Wreaths at the War Memorial in Pery Square, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Service of the Word for the Remembrance of World War I:
Preparation
Greeting
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God.
or
We meet in the presence of God
who knows our needs,
hears our cries,
feels our pain,
and heals our wounds.
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Sentences of Scripture
God is our refuge and strength;
a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46: 1
I lift up my eyes to the hills –
from whence will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121: 1-2
This I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning. Lamentations 3: 21-23
Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary
they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40: 31
What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6: 8
Hymn
Bidding
Brothers and Sisters,
as we continue to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the first world war,
we come together to offer to almighty God
our worship and praise and thanksgiving
to draw near to the throne of God
in penitence and humility;
to hear his proclamation of justice and righteousness
to remember those who participated
in the war from our parish/town.
to pray for all those who continue to serve
in our armed/defence forces.
And to pray that in the power of his spirit
we may serve him in the pursuit of his heavenly realm.
Or
Almighty God,
you call us into a common fellowship
of solidarity and love;
draw near to us as we commemorate
those who died in the First World War.
As we reflect on their sacrifice and the horrors of conflict,
may you move us to always work for peace
and justice in our broken world;
this we ask through the Prince of Peace,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Penitence
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.
Let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion,
and acknowledge our transgressions in penitence and faith.
Lord God,
you sent your Son to reconcile us to yourself
and to one another.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus,
you heal the wounds of sin and division.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit,
through you we put to death the sins of the body – and live.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Or
For boundless love of self,
and for failing to walk with humility and gentleness:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
For longing to have what is not ours,
and for hearts that are not at rest with ourselves:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
For misuse of human relationships,
and for unwillingness to see the image of God in others:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
For jealousies that divide families and nations,
and for rivalries that create strife and warfare:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
For inequity in sharing the gifts of God,
and for carelessness with the fruits of creation:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
For hurtful words that condemn and angry deeds that harm:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
For idleness in witnessing to Jesus Christ,
and for squandering the gifts of love and grace:
Lord in your mercy Forgive our sin
The priest pronounces this absolution.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
Have mercy on you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Beatitudes (BCP pages 223-224) may also be used
Act of Commemoration
The Names inscribed on the memorial may be audibly read aloud.
Those wishing to do so come forward to lay wreaths, light candles, or offer other symbols of remembrance and hope, such as single flowers or crosses.
This may take place at this point or following the Ministry of the Word.
The Silence
Prayer
Ministry of the Word
Psalm
Hymn
First Reading
Hymn
Second Reading
The Sermon
Responding
Affirmation of Faith
Let us confess the faith of the Church.
We believe in God the Father,
who made the world.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his Son,
who redeemed humankind.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God.
Or
Let us declare our faith in God:
We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Apostles Creed may also be used.
Prayers of Intercession
Almighty God, Father of Heaven and Earth:
In remembering those who endured the First World War,
we give you thanks for that conflict’s conclusion;
grant that in our memories and reflections,
we may better learn the way of peace and of compassion in our own lives.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Lord of the Church,
we remember the responsibility we have as the body of Christ,
to pray for peace,
to bring forth your word
and to see swords beaten into ploughshares:
especially, we pray for chaplains who minister to the members of our armed/defence forces;
grant them discernment, perseverance and protection.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Lord of all Creation,
as your son faced he violence of his own death,
yet cried ‘Father, forgive!’
so we pray for hearts of forgiveness in your world.
Where nation will rise against nation,
people against people,
we pray that peace might prevail.
Bless the leaders of the world with clarity of vision
to speak peace into situations of conflict.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Lord of compassion,
we give thanks for the women and men
who risked their lives
for the sake of others during the First World War:
especially, we remember those doctors and nurses who served on the Front Lines.
Grant your blessing to those
who serve in the theatre of war today,
whether in combat, in logistical support or medical care.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Lord of eternity,
you knit together your elect
in the Communion of all your saints;
we remember with gratitude
the fallen of the First World War
and of conflicts since.
We thank you for the promise in your word,
that even death cannot separate us
from your love found in Christ Jesus.
Grant that we may live lives
worthy of this truth as we recall those
who laid down their lives for the benefit of others.
Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.
Almighty God, Father of Heaven and Earth,
hear the prayers which we ask in faith
for the sake of your Son, who conquered death
and stood victorious as the Prince of Peace,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Or
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
We pray for the leaders of the nations,
that you will guide them in the ways of freedom, justice and truth.
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.
We pray for those who bear arms on behalf of the nation,
that we may have discipline and discernment,
courage and compassion.
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.
We pray for our enemies, and those who wish us harm,
that you will turn the hearts of all
to kindness and friendship.
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.
We pray for the wounded and the captive,
the grieving and the homeless,
that in all their trials they may know your love and support.
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.
Most holy God and Father,
hear our prayers for all who strive for peace
and all who fight for justice.
Help us, who today remember the cost of war,
to work for a better tomorrow;
and, as we commend to you lives lost in terror and conflict,
bring us all, in the end, to the peace of your presence;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Gathering up all our prayer and praise into one, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Our Father...
The Peace
Let us pray that we may be instruments of your peace … Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Jesus said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’ (John 14: 27)
The peace of the Lord be with you always. and also with you.
It is appropriate that the congregation share with one another a sign of peace
Going Out As God’s People
Hymn
[The National Anthem may be sung]
Act of Commitment
Let us commit ourselves to responsible
living and faithful service.
Will you strive for all that makes for peace? We will
Will you seek to heal the wounds of war? We will
Will you work for a just future for all humanity? We will
Merciful God, we offer to you the fears in
us that have not yet been cast out by love:
May we accept the hope you have placed
in the hearts of all people,
And live lives of justice, courage and mercy;
through Jesus Christ our risen Redeemer. Amen
Blessing
God grant to the living, grace
to the departed, rest,
to the Church and to the nations, peace and concord;
and the blessing...
Dismissal
Neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God. Thanks be to God. Amen
Or
Go in peace. Love one another as Christ has loved us. Thanks be to God.
Additional Collects
For Commitment to Reconciliation
Almighty God
through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
you call your people into
a common fellowship of peace and love;
grant that we may always seek
reconciliation and forgiveness,
in our own relationships, in the life of our country,
and amongst the family of nations across the world:
May we never fall silent in the face of injustice,
always seek wholeness where there is division,
and continually proclaim the gospel of unconditional love,
given to us in Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
For Peace in a Broken World
Lord God our Creator,
your Son Jesus Christ prayed
that his disciples might have abundant life;
we gather to bring before you those whose lives
are scarred by the evils of hatred, violence and genocide,
by our inhumanity one to another.
Through the mystery of Christ’s suffering
transform our brokenness and disunity
into a new a lasting wholeness and peace:
we ask this through him who suffered, died and rose again,
even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Forgiveness
Loving God,
you made us in your own image
and set us in the midst of your creation;
move us to repentance for our marring of that image
and the destruction of your creation
by our sins of greed and hatred, injustice and warfare;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Poppies in a garden on Beacon Street, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Selecting the Hymns.
I have used these hymns on Remembrance Sunday in the past:
62, Abide with me, by Henry Francis Lyte. 647, Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, by William Williams. 666, Be still, my soul, to a well-known tune by Katherina von Schlegel, translated by Jane Laurie Borthwick (tune Finlandia by Sibelius). 81, Lord for the years by Timothy Dudley-Smith. 522, In Christ there is no east or west, by John Oxenham (William Arthur Dunkerley). 537, O God, our help in ages past, by Isaac Watts and revised by John Wesley. 509, Your kingdom come O God, by Lewis Hensley. 549, Be still my soul: the Lord is on thy side. 494, Beauty for brokenness.
In Sing to the Word (2000), Bishop Edward Darling suggests these hymns are also suitable for Remembrance Sunday observance:
502, God! As with silent hearts we bring to mind 535, Judge eternal, throned in splendour 538, O Lord, the clouds are gathering 527, Son of God, eternal Saviour
One hymn not included in the Church Hymnal is ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country,’ based on a poem by Cecil Spring Rice, who had deep family roots in Co Limerick.
A wilted poppy in the mud in a field in Comberford, Staffordshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Some additional prayers and Liturgical Resources, including the Collect and Post-Communion Prayer:
Collect:
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the king of all:
Govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Post-Communion Prayer:
God of peace,
whose Son Jesus Christ proclaimed the kingdom
and restored the broken to wholeness of life:
Look with compassion on the anguish of the world,
and by your healing power
make whole both people and nations;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Poppies in a field in Rossaveel, Inishmore, on the Aran Islands, Co Galway (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
The Act of Remembrance:
They shall not grow old,
as we that are left grow old;
age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning,
we will remember them. We will remember them.
Silence is kept
When you go home
tell them of us and say,
for your tomorrow
we gave our today.
Poppies near the banks of the River Dodder in Churchtown, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The Act of Commitment:
Let us commit ourselves to responsible living and service.
Will you strive for all that makes for peace? We will.
Will you seek to heal the wounds of war? We will.
Will you work for a just future for all humanity? We will.
Merciful God, we offer to you the fears in us
that have not yet been cast out by love:
may we accept the hope you have placed
in the hearts of all people,
and live lives of justice, courage and mercy;
through Jesus Christ our risen redeemer. Amen.
The Reconciliation monument in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The Litany of Reconciliation (Coventry Cathedral):
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class, Father Forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own, Father Forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth, Father Forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others, Father Forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee, Father Forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children, Father Forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God, Father Forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
The Prayer for Peace at Westminster Abbey (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Some additional prayers:
May God grant to the living Grace,
to the departed Rest,
to the Church and the world peace and concord,
and to all us sinners Eternal Life, Amen.
Pax 1919 ... the gates at the Memorial Garden in Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Additional photographs:
This resource is illustrated with appropriate photographs that may be used on service sheets and parish notices. These additional photographs are also suitable for use.
However, please note when using the photographs, that for copyright reasons they must be credited to Patrick Comerford. This is especially important if you decide to use them on a parish Facebook page or website.
Poppies in the cell of John Godwin in the concentration camp in Sachsenhausen, north of Berlin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The World War I memorial at Heuston Station in Kingsbridge, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The War Memorial in Tarbert, Co Kerry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The World War I Memorial in Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)
The World War II Memorial in Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).
For resources for Sunday 10 November 2019 as the Third Sunday before Advent, follow the link HERE.
‘Now there were seven brothers’ (Luke 20: 29) … the Seven Brothers Tavern at the Harbour in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 10 November 2019, is the Third Sunday before Advent.
There are two sets of readings in the Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, the continuous readings and the paired readings.
The Paired readings: Haggai 1: 15b to 2: 9; Psalm 145: 1-5, 18-22; II Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17; Luke 20: 27-38. There is a link to the paired readings HERE.
The Continuous readings: Job 19: 23-27a; Psalm 17: 1-9; II Thessalonians 2: 1-5,13-17; Luke 20: 27-38. There is a link to the continuous readings HERE.
The Church of Ireland Directory notes that ‘Remembrance Sunday be observed.’
Many parishes may be observing Remembrance Sunday on 10 November. But some parishes may also opt to use the Lectionary readings for Sunday, particularly for early morning services before the Remembrance Sunday service. So, this posting is looks at the readings and liturgical resources for Sunday 10 November as the Third Sunday before Advent. A separate posting this morning looks at the readings and liturgical resources for next Sunday as Remembrance Sunday.
Introducing the readings:
In the Lectionary readings, we have been working our way through Saint Luke’s Gospel. After a long journey, Christ has arrived in Jerusalem, and we are preparing for the climax of the Gospel: his Passion, Death, Burial and Resurrection.
In the Old Testament reading (Haggai 1: 15b to 2: 9), the Prophet Haggai challenges the people, who are unwilling to commit their resources to rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, to not only rebuild the Temple but to a time when they will be aware of God’s presence, and when they will be blessed. In the Psalm (Psalm 145: 1-5, 18-22), we are asked to look forward to a future in which all will bless God’s holy name for ever. In the epistle reading (II Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17), we hear that while God’s kingdom is still in the formative stage, we live with the promise of God’s glory.
The Gospel reading (Luke 20: 27-38) offers an opportunity to reflect both on how we treat the marginalised today and how we imagine heavenly life.
‘The Way,’ a bronze sculpture depicting the hill in the holy city of Jerusalem, in Holy Trinity Church, Adare, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Haggai 1: 15b to 2: 9:
The Prophet Haggai is one of the 12 minor prophets at the end of the Old Testament. He wrote in 520 BC, when the first exiles returned from Babylon to Judah. The Babylonians had been defeated in 539 by the Persians, who helped the exiled Jews return to the Promised Land, albeit to a small portion of the land.
Haggai’s message is simple and practical: rebuild the Temple, so God will again have an earthly dwelling place.
King Cyrus of Persia decreed the return of exiles from Babylon and the foundation of a new Temple in Jerusalem was laid in 536. However, little work was done on it for years. Judah now has three kinds of leadership: Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest, and Haggai the prophet.
The people insisted on first building houses for themselves (1: 2) and felt the Temple could wait. Now Haggai asks whether anyone remembers Solomon’s Temple, which had been destroyed about 70 years earlier. Who remembers its former glory?
Haggai reminds them that just as God was present with the people when they came out of exile in Egypt, God is now present with them after their return from exile in Babylon: ‘I am with you, says the Lord of hosts … My spirit abides among you.’
When they rebuild the Temple, God will fill the Temple with splendour, it shall be greater than the former Temple, it will be filled with God’s presence, and the people will be blessed.
Psalm 145: 1-5, 18-22:
Psalm 145 is only Psalm to actually identify itself as a psalm: ‘David’s Psalm of praise.’ This psalm is a hymn, summarising the characteristics of God.
This psalm or song is written as an acrostic poem, each verse beginning in sequence with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, praising God for his blessings and his love, and hoping for a future in which all will bless God’s holy name for ever.
However, it is a curiosity of this psalm that, despite its structure, there is no verse beginning with the letter nun (נ), which would come between verses 13 and 14. This missing verse has since been supplied through other sources, including the Vulgate and the Dead Sea Scrolls:
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (NRSVA)
The version of this restored verse in the Book of Common Prayer 2004 (p 761) is:
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
‘God chose you as the first fruits for salvation’ (II Thessalonians 2: 13) … fruit on a market stall in Thessaloniki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
II Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17:
It seems some people in the Church in Thessaloniki were claiming that the Kingdom of God or ‘the day of the Lord’ had already arrived. This is not so, the author of this letter insists, and he tells the people in Thessaloniki that God’s kingdom is still in the formative stage.
Before that, there will rebellion, lawlessness and destruction.
But the author thanks God for those who are faithful in Thessaloniki because God has chosen them as ‘the first fruits of salvation,’ and to receive glory. He urges them to stand firm and to hold fast to in the traditions they have received in the church and in scripture, ‘either by word of mouth or by our letter.’ They are to put this into action in live, grace and hope in what they do and say, ‘in every good work and word.’
‘Now there were seven brothers’ (Luke 20: 29) … the Seven Brothers Tavern at the Harbour in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Luke 20: 27-38:
There is an old Hollywood musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), starring Jane Powell and Howard Keel. There are many superstitions about the seventh son of a seventh son. I even know a restaurant in the old Venetian harbour in Rethymnon in Crete called ‘The Seven Brothers’ (Τα Επτά Αδέρφια).
But this reading about seven brothers and one bride is primarily a story about questions about the resurrection (for parallel readings see also Matthew 22: 23-33; Mark 12: 18-27). How does this relate to the approaching Advent theme?
After his arrival in Jerusalem, Christ is in the Temple each day, teaching kingdom values (Luke 19: 47). But his teaching is ignored by those who see him as a threat to their power and their privilege, by those who want to get rid of him at any cost (Luke 19: 47-48; 20: 20) … without realising that their choice, their actions, are part of the climax that ushers in Christ’s reign.
As an example of his kingdom values, his rejection of the either-or options, the black-or-white, the take-it-or-leave-it values of the world, Christ refuses to enter the debate about paying Temple taxes with imperial Roman coins (Luke 20: 21-25).
And so another trap has to be set – this time by the Sadducees, the Temple priests, who set the trap.
The Sadducees held that only the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah or the Pentateuch, were authoritative. They had very traditional views of the Law and rejected what they saw as the novel idea of life after death. They saw it as a dangerous innovation, an importation from the Babylonian exile, a Persian idea adapted by the Pharisees. The more traditional view accepted that people were rewarded or punished by God in this life.
So, seeking to trap Jesus into speaking against the Law, they pose this puzzle about a woman who ends up marrying seven brothers, each of whom dies in turn. In the new life, whose wife will she be?
The apostles later have a similar encounter with the Sadducees when they are preaching the Resurrection (see also Acts 4: 1-4), as does the Apostle Paul when he faces the council (Acts 23: 6-10).
This question about ‘levirate’ marriage is not about the marriage of Levites, but comes from the Latin word levir, meaning a brother-in-law. There was a sense in which a man was seen to live on in his son. So, if a man died without sons and heirs, his brother was required to marry his widow and give her a son, thus continuing the family line (See Deuteronomy 25: 5-10; see also Genesis 38: 8).
Saint Luke makes the same point that human relations in the home do not exist in the same way beyond death. Christ distinguishes two ages and kinds of existence. Mortals are part of this age by the fact of physical birth, and of the age to come by resurrection (verse 36; see Romans 1: 4).
‘This age’ (verse 34) is the current era; ‘that age’ (verses 35-36) is the era to come, when Christ returns. In God’s kingdom, marriage will no longer exist. Those who are admitted into eternal life for their faith (‘considered worthy of a place...,’ verse 35) will all be ‘children of God’ (verse 36). This will be the new family relationship. They will be immortal (‘cannot die anymore’) and will be like ‘angels.’
Christ argues for life after death, and for the resurrection, from the Pentateuch, the very five books to which the Sadducees limited their understanding of what is Scripture. In the story of the Burning Bush, God tells Moses: ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham …’ (see Exodus 3: 6). Because God says he is (not was), Abraham is alive now. He died, so he must have been brought back to life, resurrected. God is truly ‘God … of the living’ (verse 38). God is not frustrated by physical death (verse 38).
What happens afterwards?
Some scribes, who are believers in resurrection, are pleased with Jesus’ argument (verse 39). The Sadducees ‘no longer dared to ask him [Christ] another question’ (verse 40). Christ has evaded the trap that was set for him. What does this say about how we should deal with those who question and challenge the Christian faith?
Some pastoral questions:
1, Death and November: How would you approach this reading in the context of November, which is often associated with remembering the dead, including All Saints’ Day (1 November), All Souls’ Day (2 November), Remembrance Sunday (10 November) and Remembrance Day (11 November)?
2, What response to this reading might you expect from people in your parish who are widowed, or in difficult or broken marriages, or people who have never married? How should this shape or inform our sermon preparation?
‘Now there were seven brothers’ (Luke 20: 29) … the Seven Brothers Tavern at the Harbour in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Luke 20: 27-38 (NRSVA):
27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28 and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30 then the second 31 and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’
34 Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’
‘Now there were seven brothers’ (Luke 20: 29) … the Seven Brothers Tavern at the Harbour in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
A reflection on the Gospel reading
Jesus’ response is a reminder that the things we think of as important in our lives – institutions like marriage, political structures, economic systems, and even the outward forms of the Church – are temporary constructions to protect us in this life. In the age to come, they have no significance, no meaning, no value. In the Kingdom of God, God’s love alone unites us with God and with each other, and we have no need for those temporary structures.
But, of course, we do not yet live in the fullness of God’s kingdom. People still marry, people still vote and run in elections, people still invest and spend money. When we do those things, they have most value when they reflect the values of God’s kingdom.
When they do not reflect kingdom values, they become debased and lose value, significance and meaning. It is easy to understand that in this country, in terms of the political and economic crises we face. It is more difficult to say that in terms of relationships and marriages.
How we inhabit the political and economic structures of this age can become a sign of our dwelling in God’s kingdom … if we live with those structures so that we give priority, not to our own self-interest and gain, but to the concerns and needs of the poor, the outcast and the marginalised.
If we live our committed relationships in this life with integrity and honesty and self-sacrifice they can become a sign of how we live our risen lives in the age to come.
We cling so tightly to the structures of marriage and family because we see family and marriage as foundational for society and its structures. But what about the people who become the victims of our constructed structures when they have visibly turned sour?
In all their questions to Christ, the Sadducees betray an underlying acceptance that the structures of the day – the religious hierarchy with the High Priests at the top; the political structures with their acquiescence in unjust structures that marginalise the poor, women and minorities; the family and societal structures that dictate when and who women should marry – are at their service, at the service of the elite, rather than signs of the Kingdom of God.
Who is the sign of the Kingdom of God in this story?
And who is marginalised, forgotten, abused?
There is one figure in this story defined not by her beliefs or function or role in life, but because of the men in her life, and by what men think of her.
This woman, unnamed, is made an object by the people who come to Jesus with their silly questions. But none among them is truly concerned about her plight.
Her only role is to meet the obscure obligations set out in the arcane interpretations of the marriage code that make her an object. She has no name, no home; her only function is to serve the needs of men, to continue the family name and line, so that the family lands and wealth are not estranged.
How would you feel if you were a widow listening to this story in the back pew of a parish church next Sunday morning? It would certainly be an exaggerated reminder of your plight and your marginalisation.
To us, the questions in this story stretch the limits of credulity. They are so hypothetical that they appear absurd. But they were neither hypothetical nor absurd if this woman really existed, if her plight was well known in Jerusalem in those days.
Then her plight and place becomes more pitiable.
As my mind wanders, I like to compare her with two other women in a similar plight in the Gospels.
The first is the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar (John 4: 7-42). She too comes from a religious group who, like the Sadducees, refuse to accept the concept of life after death, dismissing it as an innovation, a Persian importation by the Pharisees.
And she too is in danger of being marginalised and dismissed, of becoming an object, because she is married (or has been married) to five husbands.
She debates with Jesus, she argues with Jesus, she jokes with Jesus, she cajoles Jesus. She is so marginalised that even the disciples fail to join in the conversation or to appreciate its significance (see John 4: 27). Yet she becomes the most effective missionary in the Fourth Gospel: husbands or no husbands, she brings her city to Christ as the Messiah (verse 29), and ‘many … believed in him because of the woman’s testimony … And many more believed because of his word’ (verses 39, 41).
The second woman I am forced to think about is the woman who appears in the verses immediately after this Gospel reading (see Luke 21: 1-4).
Remember that the chapter divisions and headings are not a natural part of the original text. And this debate, in which the Sadducees mock and marginalise a poor woman, in which the priests of the day show no compassion for her, no understanding for her plight and predicament, leads naturally to the woman appearing before them and being the true priest in the Temple.
She is the Christ-like figure, the one who gives up everything so that God is truly worshipped and served, and humanity truly invited into the kingdom.
Who shows true faith and its fruits?
Who is the true priest in the Temple?
Sunday’s Gospel story leads straight into that concluding image of that poor widow arriving in the Temple.
She has nothing of our own.
All her husband’s (husbands’) wealth has gone to her husband’s (husbands’) family.
Without children, she is left with no visible means of support.
All she has are two of the smallest coins known in the Mediterranean basin – two lepta in Greece today are worth only two cent – until the Euro was introduced, there were 100 lepta to the drachma, and there were 370 drachmés to the Euro.
At any time in history, the two lepta coins she had were worthless. Yet, they are all she has. She has little to live for … and little to live on. Yet all she has to live on she offers to God. Christ-like, she gives up everything.
In the Kingdom of God, there will be neither lost lepta nor squandered zillions, neither high priests nor widows. All that will matter is whether we have lived our lives, as priests or as widows, as lives that point to the Kingdom of God.
The wealth of the Sadducees, like their faith, died at death. The wealth of the woman, like her faith, multiplied beyond calculation in the Kingdom of God.
Old 1, 5 and 10 lepta postage stamps from Greece … the widow’s two lepta were the smallest coins in the Mediterranean world
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: Green (Ordinary Time)
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the king of all:
Govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Collect of the Word:
O God,
our eternal redeemer,
by the presence of your Spirit
you renew and direct our hearts.
Keep always in mind
the end of all things
and the day of judgment.
Inspire us for a holy life here,
and bring us the joys of the resurrection,
through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
God of peace,
whose Son Jesus Christ proclaimed the kingdom
and restored the broken to wholeness of life:
Look with compassion on the anguish of the world,
and by your healing power
make whole both people and nations;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
‘For the bread which you have broken’ (Hymn 415) … bread in a shopfront in St Ives, Cornwall (Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Recommended Hymns:
Haggai 1: 15b to 2: 9:
501, Christ is the world’s true light
527, Son of God, eternal Saviour
488, Stand up, stand up for Jesus
Psalm 145: 1-5, 18-22:
683, All people that on earth do dwell
321, Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty
357, I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath
358, King of glory, King of peace
360, Let all the world in every corner sing
365, Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the King of creation
Psalm 98:
146, A great and mighty wonder
125, Hail to the Lord’s anointed
166, Joy to the world, the Lord is come
705, New songs of celebration render
710, Sing to God new songs of worship
369, Songs of praise the angels sang
Job 19: 23-27a:
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
270, I know that my Redeemer lives
226, It is a thing most wonderful
7, My God, how wonderful thou art
Psalm 17: 1-9:
635, Lord, be my guardian and my guide
620, O Lord, hear my prayer
II Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17:
328, Come on and celebrate
244, There is a green hill far away
Luke 20: 27-38:
325, Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here
328, Come on and celebrate
415, For the bread which you have broken
670, Jerusalem the golden
672, Light’s abode, celestial Salem
277, Love’s redeeming work is done
392, Now is eternal life
323, The God of Abraham praise
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).
For resources for Remembrance Sunday 2019 follow the link HERE.
Next Sunday, 3 November 2019, is the Fourth Sunday before Advent.
There are two sets of readings in the Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, the continuous readings and the paired readings, the continuous readings and the paired readings.
Each reading can be found by clicking on the built-in hyper-link.
In addition, the Book of Common Prayer says [p 18], ‘All Saints’ Day may be observed on the Sunday falling between 30 October and 5 November. The Church of Ireland Directory says: ‘The Readings for All Saints’ Day may be preferred’ on this Sunday. Many editions of the Revised Common Lectionary also note the ‘Sunday between 30 October and 5 November’ may be observed as ‘All Saints’ Sunday.’
This set of resources is presented in two parts. Part 1 looks at the readings and liturgical resources for next Sunday as the Fourth Sunday before Advent. Part 2 looks at the readings and liturgical resources for next Sunday as All Saints' Day.
Part 1: the Fourth Sunday before Advent
‘Your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing’ (II Thessalonians 1: 3) … inside the dome of the Church of Panagia Dexia, near the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)
Introducing the readings:
The continuous readings on Sunday look at how the oppressed, the small people, those who are made to feel small by others, especially the proud and the violent, are truly cared for by God, have the promise of new life, and are invited into the kingdom.
In the first reading, the Prophet Habakkuk cries out:
Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith (Habakkuk 2: 4).
The Psalmist says, ‘I am small and despised’ (Psalm 119: 141). Yet he lives by the law, and he prays for understanding that he may live.
In the New Testament reading, Saint Paul and his companions recognise the sufferings of the Christians in Thessaloniki, but they can give thanks for their faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
Zacchaeus is despised both as a tax collector and as a man who is ‘short in stature.’ Both his occupation and his physique squeeze him to the margins and put him outside the community of faith. Yet, he is not as he seems to others. He is unknowingly generous and just, and Christ invites himself into this man’s home to dine with him. Zacchaeus sees who Jesus truly is (‘Lord,’ verse 8), and Jesus sees who Zacchaeus truly is (‘a son of Abraham,’ verse 9). In the meal and the hospitality, there is mutual recognition and true communion.
‘Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right within them’ (Habakkuk 2: 4) … street art in Waterford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Habakkuk 1: 1-4; 2: 1-4:
The Book of Habakkuk is one of the 12 Minor Prophets or short books at the end of the Old Testament. It may have been written when Babylon was a major power, probably between 608 and 598 BC, when the Chaldeans or Babylonian were destroying Judah before the fall of Jerusalem.
The book begins with a dialogue between the Prophet and God, in which Habakkuk asks why his people suffer at the hands of foreign invaders.
Why do they suffer from violence, wrongdoing, destruction, violence, lawlessness and injustice?
Why does it seem that God neither listens nor acts?
God replies that he will deal with the wicked in his own good time, and will vindicate the faithful, for ‘the righteous live by their faith.’ God has a plan for the future, in which the faithful will be rewarded, the wicked punished.
A reflection written for the Jewish prayer book Service of the Heart, edited by Rabbi John D Rayner and Rabbi Chaim Stern, offers is a summary of the Prophets that includes the closing words of this reading:
Our rabbis taught: 613 commandments were given to Moses. Then came Micah and based them upon three: ‘Do justly, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.’
Isaiah based them upon two: ‘Keep justice and righteousness.’ And Amos based them upon one: ‘Seek me and live.’
Habakkuk too based them upon one: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’
Akiba taught: ‘The great principle of the Torah is expressed in the commandment: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
Ben Azzai found an even greater principle: ‘This is the book of the generations of man. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.’
And Hillel summarised the Torah in this maxim: ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow-man. The rest is commentary: go and study it.’
‘Trouble and heaviness have taken hold upon me’ (Psalm 119: 143) … street art in Málaga (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Psalm 119: 137-144:
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible, in which the lines in each stanza begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetic sequence. Next Sunday’s portion is the 18th stanza in which each verse begins with the Hebrew letter tsadi (צ), the 18th letter in the alphabet, pronounced ‘S’ by Sephardi Jews and ‘Ts’ by Ashkenazi Jews.
As in the other stanzas, the emphasis is on the Law, and each verse uses a synonym for the Law. The psalmist’s foes despise him for keeping the Law and make him feel small. But the psalmist persists in faith and asks God for understanding so that he may live.
Saint Paul preaching in Thessaloniki … a fresco in the Cathedral Church of Saint Gregory Palamas, Thessaloniki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
II Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12:
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is written to a Greek-speaking, gentile congregation in the city of Thessaloniki, perhaps before the year 70 and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The opening greetings identify the principal author as the Apostle Paul. His co-writers are Silvanus, known as Silas in the Acts of the Apostles and who worked with Saint Paul in Thessaloniki and Corinth, and Timothy, who joined Saint Paul at Lystra, in central Asia Minor.
Saint Paul’s letter opens with greetings that appeal to both Greeks and Jews, grace and peace, that come from the Father and the Son.
Despite their persecutions and afflictions, the Christians in Thessaloniki give Saint Paul reasons to be thankful on three counts. They are growing in faith, they are increasing in love, and they are a living example to other churches of how to remain steadfast in the face of suffering.
The second part of this letter is a prayer, in which the writers pray that the people in Thessaloniki will continue to be examples of how to live by faith, so that they may be glorified and Christ may be glorified.
James Tissot, ‘Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Awaiting the Passage of Jesus’ (Brooklyn Museum)
The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-10) is the Gospel reading for next Sunday, the Fourth Sunday before Advent (3 November 2019). It is a popular Sunday school story, and so, as with so many parables that are unique to Saint Luke’s Gospel, like the story of the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son, because it is so familiar to all of us, it is often difficult to read it again with fresh eyes and to find fresh insights.
Yet, this is a fast-moving story, with all the fast-moving pace we are more familiar with in Saint Mark’s Gospel: every verse from verse 1 to 7, in the original Greek version of this story, begins with the word καὶ (and), indicating that the pace has heightened, the story is speeding up, we are moving closer to the climax of this Gospel.
A little earlier, a rich ruler (Luke 18:18) has asked Christ what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Christ has told him to keep the commandments, he has said that he has done so since his youth. Christ then adds: ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’ (Luke 18: 22). But the rich man finds it hard to give up his wealth.
Now we meet Zacchaeus, a tax farmer working for the Romans and therefore also rich, but a despised person and an outcast from Jewish society.
Christ is about to set out from Jericho to Jerusalem. From Jericho, the road is going to be uphill more treacherous: remember that it is on this road between Jericho and Jerusalem that a certain man is mugged and left for dead until the Good Samaritan passes by (Luke 10: 25-37).
Jericho was a major resting place or stopping point on a main trade route, at the centre of the lucrative trade in balsam, making it an important customs centre, and making it a lucrative and profitable location both for tax collectors and for bandits.
But Jericho has other significance: the walls of Jericho fell down at the call of the trumpets (see Joshua 6). So in this reading, after Christ passes through the walls of Jericho, his call breaks down all the walls people erect around themselves, individually and collectively.
Who is Zacchaeus? He cannot be Saint Matthew, who has already been called among the Twelve? Is he the tax collector in the previous Sunday’s Gospel reading?
Certainly, Zacchaeus is not any run-of-the-mill tax collector – he is the ἀρχιτελώνης (architelonis), the chief tax collector (verse 2), and so by contract had the right to collect revenues throughout this district. His name Zacchaeus (Greek Ζακχαῖος, Zakchaios) means pure, but his neighbours would have despised him, not only because they believed he squeezed the last drachma and the last lepta out of widows and children, but because they would also have seen him as a collaborator with the Roman administration – never mind that an autonomous Jewish government would still have had to raise taxes to provide itself with revenue and funding. His stature in some way symbolises his low place in Jewish society in Jericho.
The tree Zacchaeus climbs (Greek συκάμινος, sikámeenos) is not the European sycamore but the sycamine tree, which has the shape and leaves of a mulberry tree but fruit that tastes like the fig, known also as the sycamore fig (συκόμορος, Ficus Sycomorus). It is a big tree and little Zacchaeus the tax collector climbs it in order to see Christ (see verse 4).
The sycamine tree is not naturally pollinated. The pollination process is initiated only when a wasp sticks its stinger right into the heart of the fruit. In other words, the tree and its fruit have to be stung in order to reproduce. There is a direct connection between suffering and growth, but also a lesson that everything in creation, including the wasp, has its place in the intricate balance of nature.
So that he can catch a glimpse of Christ, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree (verse 4). Now, while his name means ‘pure,’ he climbs a tree that was regarded by some as unpure, unclean, for its fruit was fed to swine. This was humbling for Zacchaeus: to see Christ, Zacchaeus had to crucify his pride. And so the tree also symbolises the cross: a picture is being painted to allow us imagine Zacchaeus prefiguring those who take up his own cross and follow Christ (see Luke 9: 23), while Christ’s call to Zacchaeus to come down (verse 5) could also represent the call to humility for Christians.
Zacchaeus is delighted and welcomes, receives Christ (verse 6). But when Christ goes to dine with Zacchaeus, all who saw it begin to grumble (verse 7): the people murmured in the wilderness; once again they are murmuring (διαγογγύζω, diagonguzo), complaining indignantly, when it comes to eating time, but this time they are not murmuring for food for themselves. Yet, in the wilderness God fed all the wandering people, whether they were sinners or righteous.
Zacchaeus then stands before the Lord and says: ‘Look half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much’ (verse 8).
Why four times?
Why does he not just pay back what he has taken?
The Jewish legal code prescribes the restitution required when responsible for the loss of another’s property (see Exodus 22: 1-15). This restitution ranges from simple replacement for negligence, increasing up to two, four or five times replacement for various thefts.
David applied this rule when he said: ‘he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity’ (II Samuel 12: 6).
Rather than asking how little he could do to correct his past wrongs, Zacchaeus chooses a generous restitution. He places himself on the guilty side of the spectrum in Exodus 22. Now he is living in maximum obedience to God. There is no law that says he must give half of everything to the poor, but Zacchaeus does this as well.
We could compare this behaviour by Zacchaeus the tax-collector alongside the tax collector’s self-description with the Pharisee’s self-description and self-justification in the reading for the previous Sunday (Luke 18: 9-14, the Fifth Sunday before Advent, 27 October 2019).
Zacchaeus also becomes a contrast of character with the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18: 18-23), whose story comes between these two readings. Both Zacchaeus and the Rich Young Ruler are wealthy men, but one is self-righteous and will not give up his possessions, while the other gives half his possessions to feed the poor.
But for me there are two other sharp comparisons provided in this story when Christ then says to Zacchaeus: ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this too is a son of Abraham’ (verse 9).
Who else is described in this Gospel as a ‘son of Abraham’ or ‘a daughter of Abraham’?
Firstly, there is the unnamed rich man in the story of ‘Dives’ and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31), the Gospel reading for a Sunday last month [29 September 2019, the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity]. This rich man, and we do not know his name and we do not know whether or not he was a tax collector, addresses Abraham as ‘father’ or ‘Father Abraham,’ and he in turn, Christ tells us, is addressed by Abraham as ‘Child’ (verse 25). In Sunday’s reading we see very different behaviour from a rich man, who is hailed as a Child of Abraham, but for very different reasons, and unlike Dives, Zacchaeus is going to have a guest at his table.
The woman who is bent over for 18 years and is healed in the synagogue (Luke 13: 10-17, see the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 25 August 2019), is described by Christ as ‘a daughter of Abraham’ (Luke 13: 16). She too is an outsider, a marginalised person in her society, and because of her stature she has to be pushy in order to see Jesus, making her way through the men in the synagogue.
The salvation that Christ brings is not specifically to the house in which Zacchaeus lives, nor even to the House of Israel, but to the household of God, especially those on the margins – those at the gates, those who are pushed outside when they cannot be pushy. The word οἶκος (oikos) in verse 9 means not just a house or even a specific inhabited house or home, but also refers to the house of God, the tabernacle, the place where God fixes his residence, the family of God, the household of the Christian Church, of the church of the Old Testament and New Testament. It is the stem word for ecumenism.
Perhaps it is because the faith of Zacchaeus is so integral to the apostolic faith of the Church, and the salvation brought to his house is the salvation brought by Christ into the whole world, that the early Church developed a number of traditions around Zacchaeus.
Saint Clement of Rome tells us that Zacchaeus became a companion of the Apostle Peter. Together they preached in Rome, and there during Nero’s reign Zacchaeus accepted a martyr’s death.
On the other hand, according to Clement of Alexandria, in Stromata, and in the tradition of the Eastern Church, Zacchaeus was surnamed Matthias by the apostles, and he took the place of Judas among the Twelve after the Ascension (Acts 1: 26). The Apostolic Constitutions (7: 46) identify ‘Zacchaeus the Publican’ as the first bishop of Caesarea.
Luke 19: 1-10 (NRSVA):
1 [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ 9 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
An icon showing Christ calling Zacchaeus down from a tree in Jericho
A reflection on the Gospel reading:
The story of Jesus as the self-invited guest of Zacchaeus in Jericho is another story that is unique to Saint Luke. Shortly after telling the story of the Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple, Christ arrives in Jericho – perhaps the home city of the man who was helped on the side of the road by the Good Samaritan.
There, a man who wants to see Christ is probably pushed to the back of the crowd for two reasons that count him out: he is small in stature, and he is a tax collector.
The physical problem shows how Zacchaeus is pushed to the margins by those who should have counted him into their social and religious community. He is of little stature not just physically, but socially too.
Can you imagine yourself as a little child trying to see a great parade – perhaps a Saint Patrick’s Day parade – when you were small?
Did everyone want to let you through?
Or did you not count?
No-one stood aside for you. And no-one is going to stand aside for Zacchaeus. They belittle him, and they probably think he deserves it – after all, the taxes he collects support the Roman occupation and administration.
But Zacchaeus overcomes, rises above, his exclusion, by climbing the tree – is there a symbolic reference here to clinging to the Cross? In any case, Zacchaeus climbs the tree to see Jesus – something you could imagine a child doing, but surely not the sort of thing a well-paid civil servant should be seen doing?
Zacchaeus sees Jesus and Jesus sees Zacchaeus.
And Jesus invites himself not just to dine with Zacchaeus, but to stay with him.
‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today’ (verse 5).
Normally, it is the potential host rather than the intended guest who does the inviting. So once again, Jesus the Guest becomes Jesus the Host.
Zacchaeus is delighted. But the good burghers of Jericho are unsettled. They murmur that Jesus is heading off to dine with sinners.
We are so self-righteous at times in our churches that I am worried we are in danger of being unwilling to welcome those who would be seen today as the little people. One rector I know in a comfortable South Dublin parish challenged his parishioners, who are very generous in their giving, especially when it comes to development agencies, mission agencies and what we once called Third World causes.
He asked them how they would react if a group of travellers or refugees turned up on a green space in the parish on a Saturday night, and all of them presumed to come to church on the following Sunday morning.
In welcoming Jesus, Zacchaeus has what can only be described as a conversion experience.
The NRSV translation tells us that he promises to amend his ways and that, in the future, he will give half his possessions to the poor, and return anything extra he has squeezed out of people when he has been collecting taxes.
There are joys for those who are PAYE/PRSI workers in the tax system in Ireland!
Unfortunately, the NRSV translation is a little inaccurate here. Zacchaeus makes no such promise about the future. He says, in the original Greek, that this is what he is doing in the present – the present tense is used.
If he is telling the truth, then Zacchaeus has been grossly misrepresented, misunderstood and libelled by his neighbours and within his own community, even at the point where he is dining with Jesus.
The present tense is important. For this day, on this day, Christ affirms that Zacchaeus too is a child of Abraham, that he too is an heir to those promises made long, long ago to Abraham.
Those who needed conversion were not Zacchaeus and others like him on the margins, who were in need of seeing people as Christ sees them.
Christ seeks out the sinners, the lost, those who are excluded, those counted out, and invites them to the heavenly banquet. Like Zacchaeus, they too are brought from the margins into the centre.
The one person everyone thought was outside, is on the inside as far as Christ is concerned. And those who think they are on the inside are in danger of finding that they are on the outside.
Do we neglect Christ’s presence in Word and Sacrament too often? … an icon of the Last Supper in a shop window in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Some questions for consideration
Are we welcoming enough, as individuals and as a Church?
How would you feel if Jesus came to your parish next Saturday night and decided not to come to your church on Sunday morning, but to go somewhere else?
What if you were left without Christ being present in your church on Sunday morning … in either Word or Sacrament?
How often are we prepared to welcome Christ’s presence among us only in the way we choose?
For those of us in what might be described as ‘High Church’ or Anglo-Catholic traditions, do we neglect Christ’s presence in the Word too often?
To those of us in what might be described as ‘Evangelical’ traditions, do we neglect Christ’s presence in the Sacrament too often?
‘We always pray for you … that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him’ (II Thessalonians 1: 11-12) … inside the 11th century Byzantine Church of Panagia Chalkeon in Thessaloniki on Good Friday (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: Green (Ordinary Time)
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty and eternal God,
you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints:
Grant to us the same faith and power of love,
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs,
we may be sustained by their example and fellowship;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Collect of the Word:
Merciful God, righteous judge of all,
who sent Jesus among us
to seek and to save those who are lost:
grant that we may eagerly seek the Saviour,
and joyfully welcome him into our homes and lives.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Lord of heaven,
in this Eucharist you have brought us near
to an innumerable company of angels
and to the spirits of the saints made perfect.
As in this food of our earthly pilgrimage
we have shared their fellowship,
so may we come to share their joy in heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
‘O Lord, how long shall I cry for help’ (Habakkuk 1: 1) … ‘Spectral Child’ by Dermot McConaghy, on Thomas Street, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)
Suggested Hymns:
Habakkuk 1: 1-4, 2: 1-4:
643, Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
509, Your kingdom come, O God
Psalm 119: 137-144:
6, Immortal, invisible, God only wise
705, New songs of celebration render
144, Word of justice, alleluia
Isaiah 1: 10-18:
357, I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
446, Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands
498, What does the Lord require for praise and offering?
Psalm 32: 1-8:
562, Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
II Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12:
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
616, In my life, Lord, be glorified
639, O thou who camest from above
508, Peace to you
624, Speak, Lord, in the stillness
Luke 19: 1-10:
629, Abide among us with thy grace
417, He gave his life in selfless love
421, I come with joy, a child of God
576, I heard the voice of Jesus say
587, Just as I am, without one plea
132, Lo! he comes with clouds descending
637, O for a closer walk with God
214, O Love, how deep, how broad, how high!
9, There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
78, This is the day that the Lord has made
All Saints’ Day … the Lamb on the Throne surrounded by the angels and saints
Part 2: All Saints’ Day (1 November 2019) or All Saints’ Sunday (3 November 2019):
Friday 1 November 2019 is All Saints’ Day, which is one of the ‘Principal Holy Days’ that are observed in the Church of Ireland.
This is one of those days, according to the Book of Common Prayer, when ‘it is fitting that the Holy Communion be celebrated in every cathedral and every parish church or in a church within a parochial union or group of parishes.’
The Book of Common Prayer says [p 18], ‘All Saints’ Day may be observed on the Sunday falling between 30 October and 5 November. The Church of Ireland Directory says: ‘The Readings for All Saints’ Day may be preferred’ on this Sunday. Many editions of the Revised Common Lectionary also note the ‘Sunday between 30 October and 5 November’ may be observed as ‘All Saints’ Sunday.’
The Readings:
The readings for All Saints’ Day this year (Year C) are:
Each reading can be found by clicking on the built-in hyper-link.
Christ and the Saints depicted in a dome in Saint Mark’s Basilica, Venice (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)
Introducing All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day is one of the 12 Principal Feasts of the Church. From the third century, there is evidence of celebrations of All Martyrs. The Eastern Church continues a fourth century tradition of the ‘Sunday of All Saints’ being celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost.
In the early seventh century, the Pantheon in Rome, which had been closed for over a century, was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Martyrs. By the eighth century, 1 November was growing in popularity for the celebration of All Saints, possibly originating in Ireland. By the ninth century, the date had reached Rome and then the Holy Roman Empire.
The Ancient of Days (Ο Παλαιός των Ημερών) … a fresco in the Parish Church in Piskopianó in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)
Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18:
The Book of Daniel is set during the exile in Babylon. Daniel was known for his piety and wisdom. The book was written in Daniel’s name ca 165 BC to give hope to people suffering persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Greek ruler who tried to eliminate Judaism.
This reading is of a vision at night in which the earthly kingdoms pass away to make way for the kingdom of God. In his dream, Daniel sees the four winds stirring up the sea, and four great beasts rise up out of the sea. In the intervening verses notes that the first three beasts are like a lion with wings, a bear with three tusks and a leopard with four heads and four wings. The fourth beast with horns symbolises Antiochus.
Daniel then sees God as the Ancient of Days, or ‘an Ancient One’ (verse 9), on his throne, and his appearance is followed by the Son of Man, who is given ‘everlasting dominion’ and whose kingdom ‘shall never be destroyed’ (verses 13-14).
In the second part of this reading, we are introduced to the interpretation of these visions. The present persecutions will come to an end, God shall rescue his people, and ‘the Most High shall possess the kingdom for ever – for ever and ever’ (verses 15-18).
King David instructing musicians … a window by CE Kempe in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Psalm 149:
Psalm 149 is the second last psalm in the Book of Psalms. It was written as a new liturgical song of praise to be sung by the ‘assembly of the faithful.’
But it invites worshippers not only to sing but to dance and to make music on the tambourine and the lyre. The praise we give to God in singing, dancing and music reflects the joy and delight God takes in his faithful people.
Christian symbolism in archaeological remains at the Basilica in Ephesus (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Ephesians 1: 11-23:
Saint Paul writes this letter ‘to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus’ (verse 1). In this reading, he reminds them that Christ has made them heirs to the kingdom of God. Their Baptism marks them out as people who are to receive this promise, and he prays that their faith may grow and increase in depth.
The image in this reading of Christ being seated at God’s right hand has many parallels with the vision in the reading from the Book of Daniel, in which the Son of Man is given ‘everlasting dominion’ and whose kingdom ‘shall never be destroyed.’
The Berliner Dom in Berlin, popularly known as Berlin Cathedral … the images inside the dome illustrate the Beatitudes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)
Luke 6: 20-31:
Saint Luke’s version of the beatitudes comes with a different emphasis that the way Saint Matthew lists them (see Matthew 5: 3-12).
This is the ‘Sermon on the Plain’ (verse 17), rather than the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1), and immediately before Christ has called the Twelve (see Luke 6: 13-16).
Christ now speaks of four beatitudes (verses 20-22) and four parallel woes or warnings of the age to come. Some people are ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ (μακάριος, makários) by being included in the Kingdom, but they are paired with those who are warned of coming woes:
● those who are poor (verse 20) and those who are rich (verse 24)
● those who are hungry now (verse 21) and those who are full now (verse 25)
● those who weep now (verse 21) and those who laugh now (verse 25)
● those who are persecuted, or hated, excluded, reviled and defamed (verse 22) and the popular or spoken well of (verse 26)
The poor acknowledge their dependence on God, but the rich cannot see the need to welcome in the Kingdom of God because they are comfortable in their self-sufficiency.
The word παράκλησις (paráklesis), which is translated as ‘consolation’ (verse 24) implies they believe they have already heard their call or received their support, and so do not believe they can be called again or need God’s support.
In a negative sense, the verb translated in verse 22 as to exclude, ἀφορίζω (aphorízo) means to socially ostracise, to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separate, or to exclude as disreputable, although in a positive sense it can mean to appoint or set apart for some purpose. Christ tells his new followers will be persecuted just as prophets (for example, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Amos) were persecuted in the past.
But the day is coming when they will be rewarded, and like the prophets of old they will be known for their holiness.
All Saints depicted in the window in Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Derry, in memory of Canon Richard Babington (1837-1893) of All Saints’ Church, Clooney, Derry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Luke 6: 20-31 (NRSVA):
20 Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.’
Saints and Martyrs … the ten martyrs of the 20th century above the West Door of Westminster Abbey (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)
Liturgical resources:
Liturgical colour: White
Penitential Kyries:
Lord, you are gracious and compassionate.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
You are loving to all,
and your mercy is over all your creation.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Your faithful servants bless your name,
and speak of the glory of your kingdom.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
Grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This collect wonderfully expresses the doctrine of the whole church as the ‘mystical body of Christ’ (see Roman 12: 5, I Corinthians 12: 27; Colossians 1: 24; Ephesians 1: 23, 4: 12, 5: 30-32). The collect concludes by alluding to I Corinthians 2: 9. Thomas Cranmer composed this collect for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer:
Almkightie God,
whiche haste knitte together thy electe in one Communion and felowship,
in the misticall body of thy sonne Christe our Lord;
graunt us grace so to folow thy holy Saynctes in all virtues, and godly livyng,
that we maye come to those inspeakeable joyes,
whiche thou hast prepared for all them that unfaynedly love thee;
through Jesus Christe
The 1662 version substituted ‘blessed’ for ‘holy,’ and ‘in all virtuous and godly living’ replaced ‘in all virtues, and godly livyng.’ ‘Unspeakable’ has clearly changed its meaning, and here becomes ‘inexpressible.’
The Collect of the Word:
O Ancient of Days,
through the outpouring of your Holy Spirit
you comfort and bless all creatures.
Gather from the four corners of the world
all those who weep in despair and loneliness,
those who are hungry, naked, or poor,
those who have withstood oppression
and are bowed down in anguish before violence.
Grant that they may rejoice in the new life
of justice and peace that you promised your people
through the compassionate witness of Jesus.
Introduction to the Peace:
We are fellow citizens with the saints
and the household of God,
through Christ our Lord,
who came and preached peace to those who were far off
and those who were near (Ephesians 2: 19, 17).
The Preface:
In the saints
you have given us an example of godly living,
that rejoicing in their fellowship,
we may run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
and with them receive the unfading crown of glory ...
Post-Communion Prayer:
God, the source of all holiness
and giver of all good things:
May we who have shared at this table
as strangers and pilgrims here on earth
be welcomed with all your saints
to the heavenly feast on the day of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing:
God give you grace
to share the inheritance of all his saints in glory ...
Christ the Pantocrator surrounded by the saints in the Dome of the Church of Analipsi in Georgioupoli, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)
Some suggestions for Prayers:
God of the past,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you, with thanks,
the lives of those Christians who have gone before us:
the great leaders and thinkers,
those who have died for their faith,
those whose goodness transformed all they did;
Give us grace to follow their example and continue their work.
God of love grant our prayer.
God of the present,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you
those who have more recently died,
giving thanks for their lives and example and for all that they have meant to us.
We pray for those who grieve
and for all who suffer throughout the world:
for the hungry, the sick, the victims of violence and persecution.
God of love grant our prayer.
God of the future,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you the newest generation of your saints,
and pray for the future of the church
and for all who nurture and encourage faith.
God of love grant our prayer.
We give you thanks
for the whole company of your saints
with whom in fellowship we join our prayers and praises
in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
All Saints … remembered in a street sign in All Saints’ Estate, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Suggested Hymns:
The hymns suggested for All Saints’ Day by Bishop Edward Darling in Sing to the Word (2000) include:
Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18:
6, Immortal, invisible, God only wise
34, O worship the King all-glorious above
285, The head that once was crowned with thorns
Psalm 149:
346, Angel voices, ever signing
705, New songs of celebration render
368, Sing of the Lord’s goodness
710, Sing to God new songs of worship
492, Ye servants of God, your master proclaim
Ephesians 1: 11-23:
250, All hail the power of Jesu’s name
643, Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
326, Blessed city, heavenly Salem (Christ is made the sure foundation; omit verse 1)
296, Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire
263, Crown him with many crowns
693, Glory in the highest, to the God of heaven
324, God, whose almighty word
266, Hail the day that sees him rise
300, Holy Spirit, truth divine
99, Jesus, the name high over all
588, Light of the minds that know him
281, Rejoice, the Lord is King!
313, The Spirit came, as promised
451, We come as guests invited
491, We have a gospel to proclaim
Luke 6: 20-31:
494, Beauty for brokenness
22, You shall cross the barren desert
Also suitable:
459, For all the saints, who from their labours rest
461, For all thy saints, O Lord
650, In Christ, our humble head
469, In our day of thanksgiving, one psalm let us offer
471, Rejoice in God’s saints, today and all days!
476, Ye watchers and ye holy ones
All Saints’ Church, Rome … the Anglican church where the hymn writer Bishop William Walsham How was chaplain (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
An extra note on some hymns:
Church Hymnal, 459: One of the great hymns celebrating this day is ‘For all the saints, who from their labours rest,’ which was written by Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897) as a processional hymn for All Saints’ Day.
The saints recalled in this hymn are ordinary people in their weaknesses and their failings. In its original form, it had 11 verses, although three are omitted from most versions – the verses extolling ‘the glorious company of the Apostles,’ ‘the godly fellowship of the prophets’ and ‘the noble army of martyrs’ were inspired by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer version of the canticle Te Deum.
The tune Sine Nomine (‘Without Name,’ referring to the great multitude of unknown saints) was written for this hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) while he was editing the English Hymnal (1906) with Percy Dearmer.
When he wrote this hymn, Walsh How was Rector of Whittington, Shropshire. At the time, this was part of the Diocese of St Asaph, but following the disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920, the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Lichfield in the Church of England.
He became a canon St Asaph Cathedral, and spent time in Rome as chaplain of the Anglican Church there, All Saints’ Church, before returning to England.
While he was Bishop of Bedford, Walsham How became known as ‘the poor man’s bishop.’ He became the first Bishop of Wakefield, and died in Leenane, Co Mayo, in 1897 while he was on holiday in Dulough.
The hymn vibrates with images from the Book of Revelation. The saints recalled by ‘the poor man’s bishop’ in this hymn are ordinary people who, in spite of their weaknesses and their failings, are able to respond in faith to Christ’s call to service and love, and who have endured the battle against the powers of evil and darkness.
In its original form, this hymn had 11 verses, although three are omitted from most versions: the verses extolling ‘the glorious company of the Apostles,’ ‘the godly fellowship of the prophets’ and ‘the noble army of martyrs’ were inspired by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer version of the canticle Te Deum.
But the heart of the hymn is in the stanza in which we sing about the unity of the Church in heaven and on earth, ‘knit together in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of … Christ our Lord.’ Despite our ‘feeble struggles’ we are united in Christ and with one another in one ‘blest communion’ and ‘fellowship divine.’
Thanks & Praise, 43: ‘God everlasting, wonderful and holy’ is by Harold Riley (1903-2003). The tune Coelites plaudant is a melody from the Rouen Antiphoner (1728) that was harmonised by Vaughan Williams, originally for ‘Christ, the Fair Glory of the Holy Angels’ by Athelstan Riley in the English Hymnal, co-edited by Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer.
Getting to All Saints … a street sign in All Saints’ Estate, Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).
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