Sundays at All Hallows (June 28, 2026)
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Trinity. The readings are those appointed for this Sunday for the Holy Eucharist in the one year lectionary in An Anglican Prayer Book (2008).
In this Sunday’s message we take a look at what Jesus teach us about how to treat other people in his Sermon on the Plain as recorded in Luke’s Gospel.
GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Robert Graham’s Prelude on SLANE for solo organ.
Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Luke 6:35
[Let us worship God.]
Open this link in a new tab to hear Athelstone Riley’s “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones.”
1 Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
Bright Seraphs, Cherubim and Thrones,
Raise the glad strain, Alleluya!
Cry out Dominions, Princedoms, Powers,
Virtues, Archangels, Angels' choirs,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Alleluya, Alleluya!
2 O higher than the Cherubim,
More glorious than the Seraphim,
Lead their praises, Alleluya!
Thou Bearer of the eternal Word,
Most gracious, magnify the Lord,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Alleluya, Alleluya!
3 Respond, ye souls in endless rest,
Ye Patriarchs and Prophets blest,
Alleluya, Alleluya!
Ye holy Twelve, ye Martyrs strong,
All Saints triumphant, raise the song,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Alleluya, Alleluya!
4 O friends, in gladness let us sing,
Supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluya, Alleluya!
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Alleluya, Alleluya!
[Let us confess our sins to God our Father]
Silence
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “Glory in the Highest.”
1 Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!
Peace to all your people through the earth be given!
Mighty God and Father, thanks and praise we bring,
singing Hallelujah to our heavenly king.
2 Jesus Christ is risen, God the Father's Son!
With the Holy Spirit you are Lord alone!
Lamb once killed for sinners, all our guilt to bear,
show us now your mercy, now receive our prayer.
3 Christ the world's true Saviour, high and holy One,
seated now and reigning from your Father's throne:
Lord and God, we praise you! Highest heaven adores:
in the Father's glory, all the praise be yours!
[Let us pray.]
Silence
O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us your mercy;
that with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we finally lose not the things eternal:
Grant this, heavenly Father,
for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 3:17-19
And to Adam God said,
‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
“You shall not eat of it”,
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.’
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 84 (Quam dilecta!)
from The Book of Common Prayer of 1662.
1 O how amiable are thy dwellings : thou Lord of hosts!
2 My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord : my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young : even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be alway praising thee.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee : in whose heart are thy ways.
6 Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well : and the pools are filled with water.
7 They will go from strength to strength : and unto the God of gods appeareth every one of them in Sion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer : hearken, O God of Jacob.
9 Behold, O God our defender : and look upon the face of thine Anointed.
10 For one day in thy courts : is better than a thousand.
11 I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God : than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness.
12 For the Lord God is a light and defence : the Lord will give grace and worship, and no good thing shall he withhold from them that live a godly life.
13 O Lord God of hosts : blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee.
Glory be to....
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:18-23
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear St. Columba and Duncan Macgregor’s “O God, Thou Art the Father.”
1 O God, thou art the Father
of all that have believed:
from whom all hosts of angels
have life and power received.
O God, thou art the maker
of all created things,
the righteous Judge of judges,
the almighty King of kings.
2 High in the heavenly Zion
thou reignest God adored;
and in the coming glory
thou shalt be Sovereign Lord.
Beyond our ken thou shinest,
the everlasting Light;
ineffable in loving,
unthinkable in might.
3 Thou to the meek and lowly
thy secrets dost unfold;
O God, thou doest all things,
all things both new and old.
I walk secure and blessèd
in every clime or coast,
in name of God the Father,
and Son, and Holy Ghost.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
Luke 6:36-42
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
This Sunday’s Gospel reading, Luke 6:36-42, comes from what is called Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s Gospel. In that sermon Jesus repeats a number of teachings from his Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus’ repetition of those teachings on another occasion is not out of the ordinary. Their repetition shows how important they are. It is safe to assume that in his preaching Jesus often repeated himself, using similar wording on different occasions. In this way he not only emphasized the importance of what he was saying but also made it easier for those to whom he was preaching to remember what he said.
In the Sermon on the Plain, the teaching which form this Sunday Gospel reading are preceded by Jesus’ teaching about loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, and praying for those who despitefully use us. Also, doing to others as we would have them do to us. See Luke 6: 27-35. It is followed by his repetition of the parable of the wise builder and the foolish builder which he uses to stress the wisdom of building on the solid foundation of his teachings Jesus’ teaching about loving our enemies and doing good and lending, expecting nothing in return, and the parable form the context in which it is found and which should be considered in determining its meaning and importance.
Being merciful involves showing kindness and forgiveness to someone when we are in a position to withhold kindness and forgiveness from that person. We are not constrained in any way to show kindness and forgiveness to them. However, we do, and in doing so, we imitate God who is merciful even to the unthankful and the evil and show ourselves to be God’s children. Children imitate the better qualities of their father, and God is our heavenly Father.
How we treat others is the way that we are likely to be treated by others is essentially what Jesus says next. Everyone forms an opinion of other people. How we form that opinion and what we do with it make a difference. A number of things may influence the opinion that we form, and these influences may determine the way that we consequently act. Let’s take a brief look at seven such influences that affect the way that we perceive other people and act toward them.
Prejudices. Everyone has prejudices, opinions of various groups of people typically formed without enough thought or knowledge. We may acquire these opinions from family, relatives, friends, and others in our particular social group and accept them without question. They form a lens through which we see ourselves, other people, and world. They may influence our actions outside of our conscious awareness.
The negativity effect, or negativity bias. This is the common psychological tendency to pay more attention to the bad things that we hear about other people and to give them more weight than the good things that we hear about them, and to form our opinions about them and to make our decisions based on the bad things that we have heard.
Cognitive distortions. These are “habitual, irrational thought patterns” which shape how we perceive ourselves, other people, and the world; how we feel; and how we act. Among the more common ones are downplaying the seriousness of a situation, exaggerating its seriousness, jumping to conclusions, and focusing on the negative aspects of a situation and ignoring its positive aspects.
Polarization. This is the tendency of people to divide into two completely opposing groups, to display no tolerance for opinions different from their own, to dismiss anything that does not fit with what they already believe, and to demonize the opposing group. Polarization has intensified in the United States in the last decade or so.
Algorithms. These sets of instructions which determine what internet platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube show users are having a profound influence on them, a far greater influence than a 20 minute sermon preached on Sunday morning. Users are being fed a steady diet of misinformation and deliberate disinformation which is shaping their perceptions of themselves, other people, and the world
Artificial Intelligence, or AI. We are only beginning to fully grasp the effect of user interfaces like ChatBox on those who use them. Users are becoming overly dependent on these interfaces which tell them what they want to hear, have provided users with inaccurate or unreliable information, and have reinforced the delusions of users to the point that they harmed themselves or committed suicide. Teenagers are choosing such interfaces as “friends” over other teenagers, a development that can interfere with a teen’s learning of healthy social skills, the give and take of relationships, and is likely to contribute to the growing problem of adolescent social isolation.
All of these influences work against Jesus’ teaching to be charitable in how we treat other people, recognizing that if we are uncharitable toward them, they are likely to return our lack of charitableness in kind. Indeed, these influences may encourage us to be unkind, even cruel, quick to judge, severe in our judgment, unforgiving, and selfish.
From this Sunday’s Gospel reading we can gather that Jesus was familiar with the very human tendency to focus upon other people’s shortcomings, real or imagined, while minimizing or ignoring our own flaws. Before we offer to help someone to correct what we perceive to be a flaw, he instructed, we should first examine ourselves for flaws and deal with them. We may discover that our own flaws are far greater than the tiny flaw that we imagined that person to have.
Looking at your own life, what might do differently to live your life more closely according to Jesus’ teaching? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a good place start and to several doable action steps you can take to make the needed change. Pray for God’s grace to enable you to take these steps.
When we grow as disciples, we help others to grow too – not only by setting an example for them but also by praying for them, sharing our experiences with them and offering encouragement to them.
What are you going to do?
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Matthew Bridges’ "My God, Accept my Heart this Day."
1 My God, accept my heart this day,
and make it always thine,
that I from thee no more may stray,
no more from thee decline.
2 Before the cross of him who died,
behold, I prostrate fall;
let every sin be crucified,
and Christ be all in all.
3 Anoint me with thy heavenly grace,
and seal me for thine own;
that I may run this earthly race,
in thy strong might alone.
4 Let every thought and work and word
to thee be ever given:
Then life shall be thy service, Lord,
and death the gate of heaven.
5 The vision of thy glory there
Shall be my hope and song,
That where thou dost a place prepare,
I may at length belong.
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[Let us pray for the Church and the world.]
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[Let us give thanks to God for his goodness.]
Almighty God merciful Father,
we give you hearty thanks
for all your goodness and loving kindness to us
and to all people.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace; and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such a sense of all your mercies,
that our hearts may be truly thankful
and that we may praise you
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
serving you in holiness and righteousness all our days,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
You have shown us, Gracious God, what is good: Enable us, we pray, to do what you require of us, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[And now as our Saviour taught us, we pray]
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Bunyan and Percy Dearmer’s
“He Who Would Valiant Be.”
1 He who would valiant be
'Gainst all disaster
Let him in constancy
Follow the Master
There's no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.
2 Who so beset him round
With dismal stories,
Do but themselves confound --
His strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might,
Though he with giants fight:
He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.
3 Since, Lord, Thou doest defend
Us with Thy Spirit,
We know we at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!
I'll fear not what men say,
I'll labor night and day
To be a pilgrim.
GOING OUT AS GOD’S PEOPLE
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Lee Fisher’s “Go in Peace, Go in Love.”
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Amen
Amen
Amen
Supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluya, Alleluya!
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Alleluya, Alleluya!
[Let us confess our sins to God our Father]
Silence
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “Glory in the Highest.”
1 Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!
Peace to all your people through the earth be given!
Mighty God and Father, thanks and praise we bring,
singing Hallelujah to our heavenly king.
2 Jesus Christ is risen, God the Father's Son!
With the Holy Spirit you are Lord alone!
Lamb once killed for sinners, all our guilt to bear,
show us now your mercy, now receive our prayer.
3 Christ the world's true Saviour, high and holy One,
seated now and reigning from your Father's throne:
Lord and God, we praise you! Highest heaven adores:
in the Father's glory, all the praise be yours!
[Let us pray.]
Silence
O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us your mercy;
that with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we finally lose not the things eternal:
Grant this, heavenly Father,
for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 3:17-19
And to Adam God said,
‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
“You shall not eat of it”,
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.’
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 84 (Quam dilecta!)
from The Book of Common Prayer of 1662.
1 O how amiable are thy dwellings : thou Lord of hosts!
2 My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord : my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young : even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be alway praising thee.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee : in whose heart are thy ways.
6 Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well : and the pools are filled with water.
7 They will go from strength to strength : and unto the God of gods appeareth every one of them in Sion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer : hearken, O God of Jacob.
9 Behold, O God our defender : and look upon the face of thine Anointed.
10 For one day in thy courts : is better than a thousand.
11 I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God : than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness.
12 For the Lord God is a light and defence : the Lord will give grace and worship, and no good thing shall he withhold from them that live a godly life.
13 O Lord God of hosts : blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee.
Glory be to....
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:18-23
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear St. Columba and Duncan Macgregor’s “O God, Thou Art the Father.”
1 O God, thou art the Father
of all that have believed:
from whom all hosts of angels
have life and power received.
O God, thou art the maker
of all created things,
the righteous Judge of judges,
the almighty King of kings.
2 High in the heavenly Zion
thou reignest God adored;
and in the coming glory
thou shalt be Sovereign Lord.
Beyond our ken thou shinest,
the everlasting Light;
ineffable in loving,
unthinkable in might.
3 Thou to the meek and lowly
thy secrets dost unfold;
O God, thou doest all things,
all things both new and old.
I walk secure and blessèd
in every clime or coast,
in name of God the Father,
and Son, and Holy Ghost.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
Luke 6:36-42
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
How to Treat Other People: A Lesson from the Gospel of Luke
This Sunday’s Gospel reading, Luke 6:36-42, comes from what is called Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s Gospel. In that sermon Jesus repeats a number of teachings from his Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus’ repetition of those teachings on another occasion is not out of the ordinary. Their repetition shows how important they are. It is safe to assume that in his preaching Jesus often repeated himself, using similar wording on different occasions. In this way he not only emphasized the importance of what he was saying but also made it easier for those to whom he was preaching to remember what he said.
In the Sermon on the Plain, the teaching which form this Sunday Gospel reading are preceded by Jesus’ teaching about loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, and praying for those who despitefully use us. Also, doing to others as we would have them do to us. See Luke 6: 27-35. It is followed by his repetition of the parable of the wise builder and the foolish builder which he uses to stress the wisdom of building on the solid foundation of his teachings Jesus’ teaching about loving our enemies and doing good and lending, expecting nothing in return, and the parable form the context in which it is found and which should be considered in determining its meaning and importance.
Being merciful involves showing kindness and forgiveness to someone when we are in a position to withhold kindness and forgiveness from that person. We are not constrained in any way to show kindness and forgiveness to them. However, we do, and in doing so, we imitate God who is merciful even to the unthankful and the evil and show ourselves to be God’s children. Children imitate the better qualities of their father, and God is our heavenly Father.
How we treat others is the way that we are likely to be treated by others is essentially what Jesus says next. Everyone forms an opinion of other people. How we form that opinion and what we do with it make a difference. A number of things may influence the opinion that we form, and these influences may determine the way that we consequently act. Let’s take a brief look at seven such influences that affect the way that we perceive other people and act toward them.
Prejudices. Everyone has prejudices, opinions of various groups of people typically formed without enough thought or knowledge. We may acquire these opinions from family, relatives, friends, and others in our particular social group and accept them without question. They form a lens through which we see ourselves, other people, and world. They may influence our actions outside of our conscious awareness.
The negativity effect, or negativity bias. This is the common psychological tendency to pay more attention to the bad things that we hear about other people and to give them more weight than the good things that we hear about them, and to form our opinions about them and to make our decisions based on the bad things that we have heard.
Cognitive distortions. These are “habitual, irrational thought patterns” which shape how we perceive ourselves, other people, and the world; how we feel; and how we act. Among the more common ones are downplaying the seriousness of a situation, exaggerating its seriousness, jumping to conclusions, and focusing on the negative aspects of a situation and ignoring its positive aspects.
Polarization. This is the tendency of people to divide into two completely opposing groups, to display no tolerance for opinions different from their own, to dismiss anything that does not fit with what they already believe, and to demonize the opposing group. Polarization has intensified in the United States in the last decade or so.
Algorithms. These sets of instructions which determine what internet platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube show users are having a profound influence on them, a far greater influence than a 20 minute sermon preached on Sunday morning. Users are being fed a steady diet of misinformation and deliberate disinformation which is shaping their perceptions of themselves, other people, and the world
Artificial Intelligence, or AI. We are only beginning to fully grasp the effect of user interfaces like ChatBox on those who use them. Users are becoming overly dependent on these interfaces which tell them what they want to hear, have provided users with inaccurate or unreliable information, and have reinforced the delusions of users to the point that they harmed themselves or committed suicide. Teenagers are choosing such interfaces as “friends” over other teenagers, a development that can interfere with a teen’s learning of healthy social skills, the give and take of relationships, and is likely to contribute to the growing problem of adolescent social isolation.
All of these influences work against Jesus’ teaching to be charitable in how we treat other people, recognizing that if we are uncharitable toward them, they are likely to return our lack of charitableness in kind. Indeed, these influences may encourage us to be unkind, even cruel, quick to judge, severe in our judgment, unforgiving, and selfish.
From this Sunday’s Gospel reading we can gather that Jesus was familiar with the very human tendency to focus upon other people’s shortcomings, real or imagined, while minimizing or ignoring our own flaws. Before we offer to help someone to correct what we perceive to be a flaw, he instructed, we should first examine ourselves for flaws and deal with them. We may discover that our own flaws are far greater than the tiny flaw that we imagined that person to have.
Looking at your own life, what might do differently to live your life more closely according to Jesus’ teaching? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a good place start and to several doable action steps you can take to make the needed change. Pray for God’s grace to enable you to take these steps.
When we grow as disciples, we help others to grow too – not only by setting an example for them but also by praying for them, sharing our experiences with them and offering encouragement to them.
What are you going to do?
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Matthew Bridges’ "My God, Accept my Heart this Day."
1 My God, accept my heart this day,
and make it always thine,
that I from thee no more may stray,
no more from thee decline.
2 Before the cross of him who died,
behold, I prostrate fall;
let every sin be crucified,
and Christ be all in all.
3 Anoint me with thy heavenly grace,
and seal me for thine own;
that I may run this earthly race,
in thy strong might alone.
4 Let every thought and work and word
to thee be ever given:
Then life shall be thy service, Lord,
and death the gate of heaven.
5 The vision of thy glory there
Shall be my hope and song,
That where thou dost a place prepare,
I may at length belong.
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[Let us pray for the Church and the world.]
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[Let us give thanks to God for his goodness.]
Almighty God merciful Father,
we give you hearty thanks
for all your goodness and loving kindness to us
and to all people.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace; and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such a sense of all your mercies,
that our hearts may be truly thankful
and that we may praise you
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
serving you in holiness and righteousness all our days,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
You have shown us, Gracious God, what is good: Enable us, we pray, to do what you require of us, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[And now as our Saviour taught us, we pray]
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Bunyan and Percy Dearmer’s
“He Who Would Valiant Be.”
1 He who would valiant be
'Gainst all disaster
Let him in constancy
Follow the Master
There's no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.
2 Who so beset him round
With dismal stories,
Do but themselves confound --
His strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might,
Though he with giants fight:
He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.
3 Since, Lord, Thou doest defend
Us with Thy Spirit,
We know we at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!
I'll fear not what men say,
I'll labor night and day
To be a pilgrim.
GOING OUT AS GOD’S PEOPLE
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Lee Fisher’s “Go in Peace, Go in Love.”
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Amen
Amen
Amen
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