Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost 23rd August 2020

Exodus 1: 8–2: 10  

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labour. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?’ The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.’ So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.’

 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.                           

Romans 12: 1–8    

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.                    

Matthew 16: 13–20

 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’  He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’  Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’  And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’  Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 

Reflection: 

It’s difficult to be a Christian without the fellowship, help and encouragement of other like-minded people. The life of faith is lived in community, where many gifts support the body of Christ. In the story from Exodus, we hear of women who work together to oppose injustice and protect life. The midwives disobey Pharaoh to call forth new life. Moses lives because of his mother, sister, and the daughter of Pharaoh. The actions of these women impacted the history of the people of Israel. It's a courageous act of civil disobedience that changes history, for one of the boys that is spared will be called Moses and he will lead the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. He will deliver God's law to the Israelites and bring them to the promised land. And it all starts here, with two women willing to say "no" to an act of injustice. I doubt very much they thought they were changing the world. But they were, just by being faithful, by following the dictates of their hearts, by heeding the call of conscience.

WE may not be asked to take such a dangerous and defiant stand in our present day and yet, there is so much going on in the world right now, that needs our effort and work and passion and commitment. We are called – in our individual lives and communal lives – to confess Christ – the suffering Christ who sided always with the vulnerable – in both word and deed. At the same time, we that know there is so much more to do than we could ever do. Even our best efforts and most sincere attempts will fall short, perhaps not living as deeply or truly into our confession as we should, and at times getting confused or scared about what that confession/ faith means. Not only that, for many of us, it is not possible to be out and about so HOW? You may ask. HOW can you be a part of the mission of God when we are isolating and not able to do what we usually might.

And yet there are moments when we confess our faith, when we speak out for Christ and bear witness, when we perceive more of God’s purpose than previously, when things come together even if only briefly, and when we sense God’s spirit at work in us and among us. 

In Matthew, Peter names Jesus for who he is, and a new community, the church, begins to take root.

One of the key lines for me in this familiar passage is Jesus’ additional declaration about Peter’s confession: “Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven”. God was at work in Peter. Yes, he would soon make some pretty big and well reported mistakes, but in this moment God was at work, it was The Holy Spirit working in and through Peter– and after Peters failures God would again be at work, building his church on Peter- the rock! – 

When we feel little is happening, perhaps we might look around our communities and see what is actually going right. Notice where God is at work. Lift up, celebrate, and give thanks for those things where we sense the presence of the living God. Our Op Shops is certainly one hub where we can notice God at work. Many charities and help organisations are incredibly active helping others during these difficult times. The food pantry is seeing more people in need than ever come through its doors than. The neighbourhood centre is busy doing what it can. Perhaps for our part even the interaction we have with the chemist assistant or the lady waiting in line in front of us in the Supermarket could be an opportunity for God to be at work. God will use us in his mission if we are open to his Spirit and prayerful in our response.

Paul in his letter to the Romans names the differing gifts that support the community, the body of Christ. He reminds us that it takes many and varied gifts and people to make the whole, that is the body of Christ. Each action is needed to make the body complete. It seems to me there is so much to do and the workers are few. And yet each act and action is needed to make the whole. We all are members of the body of Christ, each with different gifts, yet all one in faith and with the same potential for God to use us to change the world.

At the last Parish Council Meeting, I gave Parish Council a challenge- make a list of people in your community, in your neigbourhoods that you can pray for. Including not just others who belong to our church but those yet to belong. PRAY for them. Pray for our government, our schools, our media and those using technology to influence others. Pray for the lost, the lonely, those who are living in despair and need a Saviour. 

It is our job to prepare the ground- It is God’s work to bring the seeds to maturity. Prayer is the preparation – the first step as it were. It is prayer that will prepare the ground for Gods transforming power to work and grow.

The other challenge is how we respond to others, whether it be in our daily conversations or in our work- or business-related interactions. It’s difficult in our present time to be actively ‘out there’ in the community. I am not suggesting that we put ourselves or others at risk. But I suggest that we have a lot of work to do- a lot of praying to do, a lot of compassion and loving to do. 

The living God is at work in our communities and in each of our lives, and if we can’t sense and celebrate and give thanks for God being present in small things, how are we ever going to claim God’s power and providence in larger things?

Gratitude is a powerful thing. Or, perhaps more accurately, gratitude is an empowering thing. And this reading gives us a chance to give thanks that we might be open to what God will do with us and for us and through us next. It’s so easy to get caught up in life- to become inward looking even if you are not out and about like you used to be, you may still be self-absorbed in your own little world when all around you there is a big world with so much going on. 

Andy Andrews wrote a little book called The Butterfly Effect in which he catalogues the extraordinary impact of simple and courageous efforts. Andrews points out how inter-connected our actions are, creating an unforeseen butterfly effect that can ripple across time and space to affect the lives of millions.

The things we do this week -- our actions, decision, choices -- will, in fact, ripple out with consequences foreseen and unforeseen, for good or for ill, for the health or damage of the world. That question isn't whether, but what...what will we do this week to make a difference in the world. Some of these actions may be big, bold, and courageous. Others may be small, hardly noticeable. And yet they all have the potential to ripple out, affecting countless lives. 

God is working in our lives and through us in our community. May we have the grace to see and sense and hear our own confessions of faith. Not perfect. Not fully understanding or living into what they confess.  Yet confessing our faith nonetheless, speaking and acting in ways that are only possible because they are empowered not by flesh and blood but by God. I wonder, what would you do if I told you that what you do this week could change the world? By each small and courageous gesture, the world will change for the better.