Song “Personal Jesus”
Song “There is an everlasting kindness”
Song “The Lord is my salvation”
Song “The power of the cross”
Opening Responses
The world belongs to God
The earth and all its people
How good and lovely it is
To live together in unity
Love and faith come together
Justice and peace join hands
Song “Great is thy faithfulness”
Let us in silence remember our faults and failings
Christ have mercy on us, and deliver us from our sins and may we amend our lives
Amen.
The Lords Prayer in our own language
Song “Lord I lift your name on high”
Reading-Matthew 21v23-32
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Song “My dwelling place”
Reflection
Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching and his authority as a religious teacher was questioned by the religious authorities. The chief priests led the temple services and were members of the Sanhedrin.
In return, Jesus asks them a trick question, showing how shrewd he was in understanding the political expediencies at the time and how they mitigated against truth telling as they do today. By what authority did John perform his baptism? The religious leaders are unwilling to answer due to the issue's political sensitivity and they get heated with one another because they have been caught out! He has exposed the game!
Jesus says if you answer me, I'll answer you! The religious authorities supported Herod and Pilate. They were as slippery as snakes! The people thought John was a prophet even though they saw him as mad. They couldn't answer him because they had no theology just political alliances! Political expediency is nothing new. Most of the Church supported Nazi Germany. Many Christians support Trump.
Jesus then uses a parable to illustrate his teaching. In the parable the father is God and the sons, the religious and non-religious. Unlike kingdom parables, teaching parables serve to illustrate a truth. The parable of the two sons illustrates the difference between saying and doing. The Pharisees had a real problem with this. They claimed to be moral and upright, tithing their herbs, mint and cumin, but were hypocrites.
"What do you think?" introduces the parable. The parable of the two sons underlines what is right and not merely talking about it. Walking the walk not just talking the talk. Jesus says that so called sinners tax collectors and prostitutes, nice gender balance there, living sinful lives, choose to do what is right, but the so called moral authorities, the righteous or self-righteous, just talk the talk.
The Pharisees thought that despite the special relationship of the Jews to God, meant they were blessed but they were not good people! The so called righteous, Jesus said, Israel's religious leaders, are excluded from Gods kingdom. This is heresy! Blasphemous! Its like saying the Pope is excluded from Gods kingdom!.
But the lost, the common, the unclean, like tax collectors and prostitutes, and outcasts are included in the kingdom! They were thousands of religious outcasts in Israel at the time, excluded from its social and religious life. Just like in the world today!
Jesus however discriminates in favour of the poor! What a message for our governments! Option for the Poor. Positive discrimination! This is rooted in Old Testament theology, but not in twenty first century consumer capitalism!
Let us remember to walk the walk as well as talking the talk!
Song “There is a hope”
Our Prayers
We pray for people and situations we are concerned about including people having to go back into lockdown, to work, school and those still in lockdown, the desperate people crossing the sea in dinghies, continuing deaths from Covid 19, the ongoing unrest in Belarus, Hong Kong and Syria and other places, the rise of fascism, the government, the Rohinga Muslims, Muslims being persecuted in China, protection for key workers and adequate PPE, protection for Black and Asian people, for people on low or no incomes, for those with underlying health conditions and those over 60, care for those who are alone and those suffering with depression, protection for asylum seekers and refugees and ensuring that food is reaching the vulnerable and global warming.
May we not fail you. Amen
Song “You raise me up”
The blessing of God be upon you
On those you love and those you meet
This day and forevermore. Amen
With thanks to the ©Iona Community adapted
歌曲“個人耶穌”
https://youtu.be/K3QDDlWmR9Q
歌曲“永遠的仁慈”
https://youtu.be/fMR85VnEluM
歌曲“主是我的救恩”
https://youtu.be/NjOGX5zT8KU
歌曲《十字架的力量》
https://youtu.be/6wcULqyoINg
開幕回應
世界屬於上帝
地球及其所有人
多麼可愛
團結在一起
愛與信仰匯聚
正義與和平攜手
歌曲“偉大是您的忠誠”
https://youtu.be/2eQ1oal44wU
讓我們默默地記住我們的過失和失敗
基督憐憫我們，拯救我們脫離罪惡，願我們改變自己的生命
阿們
上議院的禱告用我們自己的語言
歌曲“主啊，我高舉你的名字”
https://youtu.be/3tWSu9NAFIk
閱讀-馬太福音21v23-32
23耶穌進入聖殿，在他任教的時候，大祭司和眾長老來找他。 “你憑什麼權限來做這些事情？”他們問過。 “誰給了你這個權力？” 24耶穌回答說：“我也要問你一個問題。如果您回答我，我將通過什麼權限告訴您我正在做這些事情。 25約翰的洗禮-它是從哪裡來的？是來自天堂還是人類？”他們彼此討論，然後說：“如果我們說'從天堂來，'他會問'那你為什麼不相信他呢？'26但是如果我們說'人類起源'，我們會害怕人們，因為他們都認為約翰是先知。” 27他們回答耶穌說：“我們不知道。”然後他說：“我也不會以什麼權限告訴你我在做這些事情。
兩個兒子的寓言
28“你怎麼看？有一個男人有兩個兒子。他走到第一個，說：“兒子，今天去葡萄園工作。” 29“我不會，”他回答，但後來他改變了主意去了。 30父親又去找另一個兒子，說了同樣的話。他回答說，“先生，我會的。”但他沒有去。31“兩個人中的哪一個做了父親想要的？”他們回答：“第一個。”
耶穌對他們說：“我實在告訴您，收稅員和妓女正在您前面進入神的國度。32因為約翰來找您向您展示公義的道路，您不信他，但收稅員和妓女做了。即使看到了這一點，您也沒有悔改並相信他。
歌曲“我的住所”
https://youtu.be/eiuNq2OWgzg
反射
耶穌進了聖殿，正在教書，宗教當局質疑他作為宗教老師的權威。祭司長領導聖殿禮拜，是聖黑德林的成員。
作為回報，耶穌向他們提出了一個棘手的問題，表明他在理解當時的政治權宜表現方面多麼精明，以及他們如何像今天一樣避免講真話。約翰以什麼權威施行了洗禮？由於該問題的政治敏感性，宗教領袖們不願回答，由於被抓獲，他們彼此激怒了！他已經公開了遊戲！
耶穌說，如果你回答我，我會回答你！宗教當局支持希律王和彼拉多。他們像蛇一樣滑！人們認為約翰是個先知，即使他們認為他很生氣。他們無法回答他，因為他們沒有神學，只是政治聯盟！政治上的權宜之計並不是什麼新鮮事。大部分教會都支持納粹德國。許多基督徒支持特朗普。
耶穌然後用一個比喻來說明他的教導。在比喻中，父親是上帝，兒子是宗教的和非宗教的。與王國寓言不同，教學寓言用於說明真理。兩個兒子的比喻說明了說和做之間的區別。法利賽人對此有真正的問題。他們自稱道德正直，他們將草藥，薄荷和小茴香的什一奉獻，但都是偽君子。
“你怎麼看？”介紹比喻。兩個兒子的比喻強調了正確的事，而不僅僅是在談論它。走路不僅是說話。耶穌說，所謂的罪人收稅和賣淫，在那裡保持良好的性別平衡，過著有罪的生活，選擇做對的事，但是所謂的道德權威，正義或自以為是，只是在談論。
法利賽人認為，儘管猶太人與上帝有著特殊的關係，這意味著他們是有福的，但他們不是好人！耶穌說，所謂的義人，以色列的宗教領袖，被排除在神國之外。這是異端！褻瀆神靈！就像說教皇被排除在神國之外！
但是，包括收稅者，妓女和流浪者在內的迷路者，普通者，不潔者都包括在王國中！他們當時是以色列成千上萬的宗教流浪者，被排除在社會和宗教生活之外。就像今天的世界一樣！
耶穌卻歧視窮人！給我們的政府一個好消息！窮人的選擇。波斯提
