Second Sunday after Trinity (Proper 9)

Excitement

(Continuous): Gen. 6:9—22; 7:24; 8:14—19 Noah; Ps. 46 Our refuge and strength, be still and know; or (Related): Deut. 11:18—21, 26—28 Choose blessing; Ps. 31:1—5, 19—24 Providence; Rom. 1:16—17; 3:22b—28 [29—31] Justified by grace through faith; Matt. 7:21—29 The house on the rock

'[Jesus said,] "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock."' Matthew 7:24—25

Sundays after Trinity

A poem by John Meade Falkner called ‘Sundays after Trinity' begins like this:

We have done with dogma and divinity, Easter and Whitsun past,
The long, long Sundays after Trinity Are with us at last;
The passionless Sundays after Trinity, Neither feast-day not fast.

At this time of year, we long to be rid of excitement and have a peaceful summer. Churches which have coloured hangings and vestments change them to green for the Sundays after Trinity, for green's the colour of growing things, plants and trees. So this is supposed to be a period of slow but steady spiritual growth, when we reflect on what we learnt at Christmas and Easter, and how we can put it into practice by living a kind and compassionate life.

No peaceful life

Unfortunately, if you long for a peaceful life, free of interruptions and excitements, I'm sorry to tell you that in the real world there's no such thing. There's said to be an old Chinese curse, where you wish your enemy, ‘May you live in interesting times!' Unfortunately, all times are interesting, and the ups and downs of world events are bound to impinge on all of us eventually.

Built on the rock

Jesus told a story of two houses, one with firm foundations, built on the rock, and one with no foundations at all, just resting on the sand. Children learn an action song:

The wise man built his house on the rock, (3 ) And the rain came tumbling down.
And the rain came down and the floods came up, (3 ) And the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house on the sand, (3 ) And the rain came tumbling down.
And the rain came down and the floods came up, (3 ) And the house on the sand fell CRASH!

We all need firm foundations to our lives, to withstand the storms of life which come our way. The only way is to found our lives on the teaching of Jesus.

Living dangerously

Some people like living dangerously. They go in for hazardous sports – mountain climbing, parachuting or white-water rafting. Yet even these have rules, and people are careful to abide by the safety procedures. The rules for coping with the risks of everyday life are to hear the words of Jesus and to obey them.

Obedience

William Barclay, in The Daily Study Bible, tells the story of a group of sailors whose officer suddenly shouted ‘Lie down!' What he could see, but they couldn't, was that a steel cable had snapped. If they hadn't obeyed instantly, their heads would all have been cut off by the cable. Our obedience to the words of Jesus must be as instant and unquestioning as that.

Risking all

Living the Christian life means risking all for God. There's an exhilaration which comes from not knowing where we shall go or what may happen to us if we're faithful to Christ. Yet God's taken a risk, too, in giving us free will, for even God doesn't know whether we shall misuse our freedom. Canon Vanstone wrote a book called Love's Endeavour, Love's Expense, about the risks God takes in creating us. The author starts with the image of a potter shaping a vase, holding his breath in case the vase is misshapen, willing it to ‘come out right'. Being a parent's a bit like that, he says: watching your children learn from their mistakes, teaching them the rules that at least mitigate the disasters, but knowing that they'll never grow up if you forbid them to take risks. Then God our Father must feel the same, as he watches us misusing the freedom he's given us. There's no way he can prevent us hurting ourselves without taking away our free will. So God bites his fingers and holds his breath as he watches to see whether we shall resist the temptation to go wrong. When the peaceful Sundays after Trinity are over, and the storms begin again, God will make sure that in the end we're safe, so long as we build our lives on the firm foundation of hearing and obeying the teaching of Jesus.

All-age worship

Learn the actions for the song. Make cardboard houses on rock and sand foundations.

Suggested hymns

Affirm anew the threefold name; City of God, how broad and far; How sweet the name of Jesus sounds; Morning glory, starlit sky.