Readings:
Amos 5: 6-7, 10-15;
Psalm 90: 12-end;
Hebrews 4: 12-end;
Mark 10: 17-31

Collect:
Faithful Lord,
whose steadfast love never ceases
and whose mercies never come to an end:
Grant us the grace to trust you
and to receive the gifts of your love, new every morning,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection

In life we face decisions all the time.  Decisions about what to wear, what to eat, where to go and more recently how much petrol should I put in my car.  For every decision that we take there is a consequence, mostly these are quite trivial but sometimes they have more of a far-reaching effect.  So, I wonder how do you go decide what to do?  

Are you someone who thinks about the whole picture, who analyses every consequence and goes into a great deal of detail before making a choice?  Or are you someone who is impulsive and just does something?  Whichever way you decide, there will come a point where you must decide between what is best for me and what is best for others.  Ultimately, who do you put first – yourself or others?

It seems to me that very often the decisions that we take are ones that meet our own needs first, then we might think about the impact that has on other people.  We saw that in the panic to buy fuel.  We see it in the decisions that are made by institutions when they put their reputation before what is just.  We see it in the decisions of Government where it can be argued that those with the smallest voice are the ones that get ignored.  You only have to look at the decision this week to remove the uplift in Universal Credit payments and realise that we pay some of the lowest support in the developed world, something that has got worse since the benefit freeze imposed in 2016.  I do realise that these decisions are more complicated than I can go into here – but that’s not to say that we shouldn’t be challenged by it.  The same can be said in the whole area of climate change – most countries are only thinking of themselves rather than making decisions that are best for everyone.  I could go on.

I’m not saying that any of this is easy, and sometimes it can be impossible, but it is this question that I feel is at the heart of the Gospel this week.  The rich man knew all that he needed to do, he may have been extremely generous with his wealth.  The problem was that his wealth meant more to him than his relationship with God.  The decisions that he made were calculated to put his interests first.  Where the prophet encourages us to do always what is right and just, and that means putting God first.  When we put God first, we gain wise hearts and someone with a wise heart is someone who will seek to establish justice.  Justice honours not just the whole of society but values each person, who is a child of God.  Justice requires us to look beyond our own self-interest and to value the children of God.

As Jesus says, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  It’s impossible, so we might argue that we should give up now.  But we are reminded with God, all things are possible.  Jesus’ words remind us that God’s kingdom is open to everyone who puts God at the centre of all they do, even though we know that this is, and always will be, work in progress!

So whenever you are faced with a decision, try and think about what is just, what values others and try not to put your own self-interest first.  Although we are a work in progress, let’s try and put God at the centre.

Loving God, who sees us
and loves us just as we are,
be with us and go with us,
guide us and challenge us
to draw closer to you,
and to be and live
more like Christ.  Amen.
© Roots for Churches Ltd 2021

Mike Morris