Thoughts for the Day

‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

'Petertide' is the name Anglican churches give to the season that we celebrate at this time of the year. Tomorrow is the feast of Saint Peter, the Apostle. It's often jointly celebrated with Saint Paul. It didn't mean a lot to me until the early nineteen-eighties when the Bishop of Gloucester decided to license myself and another woman as full-time Deaconesses along with those men who were to be licensed as Deacons or Priests. I had to go and look up what the term meant to discover that it's one of two occasions when new clergy are customarily ordained, and sent out into the world to take God's message.

Today's passage from Matthew's Gospel is a little gem and gets lost in all the other wonderful stories. Jesus is about to send out his disciples into the world to tale his message to others. Now the Hebrew scriptures had long taught that a messenger or ambassador should be given the same treatment and welcome as though they were welcoming the one who had sent them and Jesus' words reflect this. He says whoever welcomes Him into their life welcomes His Heavenly Father. So by welcoming and showing kindness to those who come to us in the name of Christ, we are, in turn, welcoming Christ himself.

Jesus' words emphasise the importance of compassion and hospitality in our life, especially to those who may be on the edge of society or who are in particular need. It should also remind us that every act of kindness, no matter how small it may seem, is significant in the eyes of God. These verses challenge us to see the presence of Christ in those we encounter and to treat them with the same love and respect as we would treat Him. Every opportunity to show kindness is an opportunity to honour Christ and receive His blessings in return.

Collect (for those to be ordained at Petertide)

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.