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“I choose to give to this last the same I give to you…… So the last will be first and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16.

“All I’ve ever wanted was a honest week’s pay for an honest day’s work.” Steve 

Martin, in the film Sgt Bioko.

Jesus continues his series of parables about the kingdom of heaven with this story of a landowner who hired labourers to work for the day in his vineyard after agreeing the usual daily wage with them. At various times during the day, he sees other workers standing idle and agrees to pay them ‘whatever is right’ for working until finally evening comes and the labourers are paid. Those who were hired last were paid first and received the usual daily wage although they had only worked for an hour but those who had worked from the start received the same amount. Although they had agreed this with the landowner at the start of the day when they were willing to work for that wage, they grumbled because they had worked for much longer. Some might have sympathy for their complaint, but the landowner tells them that no wrong has been done because they were willing to work for that pay at the start of the day.

That may be true, but it’s understandable that those who have laboured all day are jealous of the good fortune of those who arrived late. Perhaps they think that, having worked for so short a time, they don’t deserve the full amount and haven’t earned it. In coveting what those last workers have received, the jealousy and grumbling of those who have worked all day affects their perception of the wage they accepted when they were hired – although they had been initially satisfied with it.

This parable about labour and wages has resonances in the context of the ongoing disputes about pay and conditions in the NHS, the railways, the London Underground and elsewhere. With the government pouring £500 million to prop up the Port Talbot Steel Works, pay, the cost of living, the difficult in getting a mortgage and the changes in the economy as well as the housing market means this is a topical issue currently. What would Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and the other Union secretaries and leaders involved in the current disputes make of this parable?! 

However, the parable isn’t about pay and labour at all. Rather, Jesus likens it to the kingdom of heaven where all are welcome and those who seek it sometimes enter much later than others. All are welcome unconditionally – God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness are his to dispense, not ours to judge even though we may feel envious of blessings given to others that we might envy ourselves. 

Perhaps jealousy of others is an issue for us today? Do we covet the blessings others have been given, whilst not recognising that we’ve been blessed in different ways? If the last are first and the first last, rather than resentment being key, isn’t that a sign that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand? If so: alleluia!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.” Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35

“Forgiveness does not change the past but it does enlarge the future.” Paul Boese.

Today’s Gospel is the response of Jesus to Peter’s question about how often forgiveness should be shown. In reply, Jesus tells the story of a king wanting to settle his accounts with his servants. Having reckoned what he was owed, a servant in his debt for ten thousand talents was brought to him – that’s a huge amount of money, which the servant couldn’t possibly repay. As he begged for mercy, the king took pity on the servant and forgave him the entire debt – an act of great generosity.

By contrast, when the man leaves, he immediately goes to another servant who owes him a hundred denarii – a very much smaller amount of money. The forgiven servant is violent with him, seizing him by the throat, refusing to show the same pity he was given and having him thrown into prison. However, word of this gets back to the king through the other servants who witness this unfair treatment but won’t stand for it and, because the forgiven servant was not himself merciful, the king has him thrown into jail. His position is now very much worse than before because he did not show forgiveness or share his good fortune with those also in need as he had been.

Jesus’ parable has fictional characters but is based on the practice of his day and so there’s much to ponder about forgiveness in what he says. Perhaps the actions of the first servant are related to the mercy he’s been shown? He may have realised he must not get into such arrears again and may be wanting to reclaim what is rightly his – but it’s the way he goes about it that’s the  issue as he shows no forgiveness. His wife, children and possessions are ordered to be sold to pay off his debt so his actions affect them, too. When he goes free, so would they – but what would happen to them when the debt is reinforced later? The consequences of his actions spread out to others and, when injustice is done, even onlookers become involved when they tell the king what has happened whereas, sometimes, bystanders do nothing even though they could.

This parable is timely, with Companies House sending a reminder here this week about accounts being due by the end of the month! As Wilko stores go into administration after being on the high street since 1930, documents at Companies House show that the company owed £411 million to creditors as well as £25.8 million to HMRC – this huge sort of debt will also have a knock-on effect on the jobs and pensions of the workers, whose families and prospects may well be adversely affected by the situation. 

Debt is a huge factor in many of the financial and personal situations bring faced today and with whom do we identify in Jesus’ parable about forgiveness and its fictional characters acting in a true to life manner? Who, in our lives and the news headlines today, are the equivalents of the generous king, the unforgiving servant, the one being threatened or onlookers doing something about the injustice being witnessed? 

Perhaps, at various times in our lives, we recognise ourselves in each? 

Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us……….

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian



“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 

Jesus, in Matthew 18:15-20.



“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,”

Nelson Mandela.

Today is Education Sunday, an appropriate link as the new academic year begins for schools. The church has always been involved with teaching and learning, not only with the education of monks, nuns and choir schools but with the Sunday Schools begun by Robert Raikes and the Christian schools now sought out for their high standards of academic, moral and spiritual education. 

Here in Wales, the churches and chapels were also involved in education and teaching. At Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant only a few miles away from here, the priest William Morgan had begun to translate the Bible into Welsh in 1578 but few could read it. By 1740, the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge had established 76 schools in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire and Griffith Jones, with his patron Madame Bevan, also developed circulating schools with the purpose of being able to read the Bible in Welsh. These temporary schools moved on when sufficient numbers had grasped enough to share with others locally (the church plants of today can flourish on this basis too!) and, by 1771, it was estimated that over 200,000 had attended them. In 1800 Mary Jones, having learnt to read in the circulating school Rev’d Thomas Charles had begun, famously walked 26 miles barefoot at the age of fifteen to his chapel in Bala to obtain a Welsh Bible. This led to the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society and, although whether to use Welsh or English remained controversial, the churches and chapels were influential in creating the choice that now exists in Welsh education where previously there was little. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus is teaching his followers how to resolve disputes when they happen – education is not just academic but a way of life too. He tells them that, if there is a difference between two of them, they should try to settle it by talking it through but, if it can’t be resolved, two or three witnesses should then be brought in and, finally, the church should be told if necessary and the person concerned then treated as a pagan or tax collector if agreement couldn’t be reached. Down the ages, this challenging advice and the need to admit wrongdoing has often not been followed and Jesus’ followers can sometimes be known for their divisions – that often lead to other fellowships being formed elsewhere and the Gospel spreading in different ways accordingly. However, the fact that Jesus is giving this guidance at all shows that disputes were common amongst his followers even then and, when Jesus suggests that if two people agree on anything it will be done by God in heaven, that small number suggests that perhaps even he realised unity was always going to be an issue. 

Today, that is still the case and education in so diverse a world still remains a dream rather than a reality for many – Nelson Mandela’s words still await fulfilment. Progress is great too but currently hampered in some schools and buildings in the UK due to RAAC concrete which has become a hazard in so many places. That can happen in our lives, sometimes, when all we think we’ve built can sometimes collapse and we’re left tackling the rubble as are so many in Morocco today after the earthquake that has killed so many. Life teaches us many lessons, not least to care about neighbours with practical care and support whether or not we’re in agreement with them. Those lessons can bring new insights and blessings but they’re also sometimes challenging and difficult. What are the lessons life has taught us this Education Sunday? 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Today’s Gospel reading follows on from last week’s, where Peter received a new name and was told by Jesus that he is the rock on which he will build. When Jesus now tells his disciples that he must undergo great suffering, be killed and then be raised on the third day, Peter takes him to one side and tells Jesus that this must never happen to him. Immediately, Jesus tells him that he is a stumbling block, using the word skandalon meaning a trap or obstacle to cause a fall – it’s a strong word, as is Jesus’ use of the word Satan, showing just how quickly Peter has misunderstood the situation. In a matter of a few moments, Peter has gone from being a foundation stone to a trip hazard and Jesus follows this by telling the disciples that anyone wanting to become a follower of his must take up and bear the cross as they follow him. 

Perhaps it was hard for Jesus to contemplate what lay ahead, which may account for the harshness with which he responds to Peter – it must have been a terrible shock for Peter to hear these words from him when he had so recently been praised by Jesus. Having just been identified as the Messiah, who it was thought would be a victorious leader, it must also have been hard for his bewildered disciples to understand what Jesus was talking about and to be willing to embrace such a future. Just as Peter protests about it, perhaps we’ve known times when we have misunderstood others or been misunderstood ourselves – that can be hard to bear but also enlightening. 

Peter clearly wrestles with what this means and, in Luke 22:31-34, declares that he is ready to suffer and die with Jesus. He seems to have accepted what must happen and yet will shortly betray Jesus by pretending he doesn’t know him. Peter is the only follower who is recognised as Jesus is held prisoner and, as the cock crows for the third time, he leaves and weeps bitterly, having failed Jesus again.

Like all of us, Peter had a lot to learn but all this was forgiven by Jesus who, after the resurrection, commissioned him three times (John 21:15-19) and Peter was able then to respond to the call to follow faithfully. Jesus didn’t give up on Peter despite his failings and his desire to shape events according to what he wanted and expected to happen. He won’t give up on us either and if there are things we don’t understand or conflict with those around us, perhaps we need to consider whether, like Peter, we’re trying to force a particular outcome rather than ponder what is being asked of us at that point. 

Rather than insisting on having our own way, the kingdom of heaven is built of love for others and bearing the cross on a daily basis to bring about God’s purposes in building the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Peter could have become a skandalon, an obstacle to what Jesus asked of him but found the strength and courage to resist having his own way. Is the same true of us?

With my prayers; bob bendith,

Christine, Guardian. 

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?………. But who do you say that I am?” 

Jesus, in Matthew 16:13-20.

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are…..I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.” Kurt Cobain 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asking the disciples what other people are saying about who he is in a place of worldly power and politics, Caesarea Philippi. Their replies matter to him and some of them say that he is John the Baptist whilst others suggest Elijah, Jeremiah or a prophet – they can’t agree. However, Jesus then asks, “But who do you say I am?” and when Peter replies that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus blesses him as Simon son of Jonah and tells him that God, not people, has revealed this to him. Jesus goes on to say that he will build his church on the rock that is Peter and a new name and identity is given to him which reflects the trust Jesus is placing in him. 

The significance of Peter’s new name and identity is important – if ever my parents called me Christine Mary as a child, I knew I was in some trouble although they are actually my names. However, if my father called me Sarah Bernhardt, after the famous actress, I knew the trouble was serious and that no amount of acting nonchalantly would get me out of it!

In serious trouble in the news this week is the paediatric nurse Lucy Letby whom parents thought they could trust – although that trust was misplaced as she killed at least seven and harmed at least six babies. Nurses are traditionally called angels but she was termed a devil by some, although the name Lucy means light. Equally, Donald Trump has been in the news in connection with his indictment for election fraud – the name Donald means proud chief or world leader, but the mugshot that’s been released shows him in a rather different light. Trust was placed in both Letby and Trump as they exercised the worldly power accorded to them both but many now see this as being misplaced although both still have their supporters. At Caesarea Philippi, a centre of worldly and political power, Peter earned and deserved the spiritual trust that Jesus the Messiah – also meaning leader – placed in him. Is the same true of us?

Peter did go on to serve Jesus faithfully and, according to tradition, become the first Pope – but not before he denied and then deserted Jesus after his arrest. The Messiah chose ordinary working people to help him build the kingdom of heaven here on earth and sometimes they fulfilled what he saw in them just as they sometimes failed him. That is so for all of us as we struggle with the shadows of our characters and lives as well as the light and potential which we may/not be able to fulfil. Who we are is sometimes difficult for others – or even ourselves – to accept, as Kurt Cobain suggests, but just as Jesus saw his potential, so Peter was able to look beyond the immediate and see Jesus the Messiah bearing the Name above all Names before him. 

At a time when church attendance has declined by 24% of all adults in the last twenty years what is God building afresh in his church, the communities they serve and our lives today? What do we need to look beyond to glimpse what could be as well as what is – and, as Jesus asked his followers then, so he continues to ask us today, “Who do you say I am?” 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Sent from my iPad

”Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” 

Jesus, in Matthew 15:21-28. 

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” 

Dalai Lama.

The encounter with a Canaanite woman that is the focus of today’s Gospel occurs during a series of difficult encounters between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes who are testing his authority. But the unnamed Canaanite woman challenges Jesus to see that what he’s been saying does not apply only to the Jews but has a wider significance. The Canaanites are the ancient enemies of Israel and yet Canaanite women are amongst the ancestors Matthew cites in his first chapter when he lists the genealogy of Jesus. This woman changes his thinking and their meeting begins when Jesus leaves Jewish territory and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon – today, these two places are in the Lebanon. 

When the woman pleads with him for her daughter’s healing, Jesus ignores her – yet he has chosen to come to her area and she seems to know a great deal about him as she calls him, ‘Son of David’. Jesus neither responds to her nor rejects her but his disciples then urge him to send her away for she keeps shouting at them. They are tired of hearing her cries for help and Jesus says that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, which the disciples seem to echo as they ignore her.

However, showing great humility and perseverance, the Canaanite woman then kneels before Jesus and simply says, “Lord, help me.” In acknowledging his authority and power in this way, her perseverance leads Jesus to speak to her but he then makes a comment that sounds offensive when he tells her that children’s food should not be thrown to the dogs. However, the word Jesus uses here implies a much loved pet and, rather than taking offence, the woman suggests that even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table – she is not wanting to take food from those for whom it is intended but is content with what is left over. She asks only for crumbs of the food he is giving – and this is soon after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand where the leftovers filled twelve baskets. What generosity of provision! 

At this, Jesus acknowledges the great faith the woman has and tells her, “Let it be done for you as you wish.” She is satisfied with what others have discarded and so there is ample for the house of Israel and others to be fed. Even crumbs bring about the healing of her daughter instantly and the faith of this woman – unclean, a stranger and someone with whom a Jew would not normally converse – is sufficient to bring about the change for which she longs.

The Canaanite woman acknowledged Jesus’ authority whereas the scribes and Pharisees wouldn’t – her faith challenged boundaries and her persistence changed the mind of the one she recognised as the Son of David before his own disciples had perhaps realised it. She may challenge our assumptions or boundaries too and perhaps creates uncomfortable perceptions of reluctance to relate to those perceived as different, which need to be addressed. Jesus realised this, acknowledged her faith and healed her daughter – today, what would we ask ‘to be done for you as you wish?’

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

Saturday 9 September, 10am – 4.30pm at St Asaph Cathedral

Free tickets are now available to book via Eventbrite for this event organised by the Diocesan Spirituality Group. It is an opportunity to find out more about healing ministry, to benefit from it on the day, and to be encouraged to practise it. The focus is on both ‘wholeness and healing’ because the healing ministry has a much wider concern than individual recovery from physical illness. It includes mental health, spiritual health, and the healing of communities.

You can find out more and reserve your space at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-day-exploring-wholeness-and-healing-tickets-640405850137



’Those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”’ 

Matthew 14:33.



‘If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat’ – John Ortberg. 

Today’s Gospel is set in a difficult time for Jesus who, after hearing of the death of his relative John the Baptist, seeks some time for himself, presumably to mourn. However, the crowds follow him and are hungry, so Jesus has compassion on them and the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand takes place – in reality more, as this figure would not include women and children. Afterwards, Jesus again seeks time to himself as he sends the disciples on ahead in a boat and dismisses the crowd, going up the mountain to pray. How hard it must have been for Jesus to find time for his own needs with so many demands constantly being made of him. That can often be so for us, too. 

However, a storm has blown up on Lake Galilee and, early in the morning, Jesus goes to his disciples but, when they see him walking on the sea, they are understandably terrified and think it’s a ghost. As he comforts them, Peter tests him and says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus tells him, “Come.” Peter does begin to walk on the sea towards him but is then overcome by fear of the wind and cries to Jesus to save him. Jesus does so, with the famous words applied to many situations where events overcome initiative: “O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?”

That may seem harsh, given Peter’s initial brave response in such awful conditions. But they both get into the boat and the wind ceases – Jesus comes to those who stayed in the boat too and they then acknowledge him to be the Son of God. Although they have remained in the relative safety of the vessel, they have seen the five loaves and two fish feed so many and now even the winds and waves obey Jesus. Creation is subject to him and they begin to worship him as they realise who is with them and that what they thought was a ghost is their living Lord. 

Peter was literally stepping out in faith initially whereas the other disciples remained in the boat and, as Ortberg’s book suggests, courage is required to leave the safe and familiar if new ways are to be experienced. Peter had that courage at first, but was then overcome by fear whereas the eleven others remained in the boat to handle it and survive the storm. There are times for all of us when, like Peter, we may have to step out in faith but that can sometimes be hard to maintain. Perhaps, like the other disciples, we might choose to remain where we are and get on with what needs doing. That can also take as much courage – it can be as hard to persevere in the face of adversity – and the numbers of asylum seekers risking their lives in overcrowded boats today in hope of a better future bears testimony to this. With news that 6 more illegal immigrants have died in an overloaded boat which sank in the Channel, that over 100,000 people have come to the UK in this way since 2018 and with 39 migrants being moved off the Bibby Stockholm barge due to Legionella bacteria being found in the water supply, deciding whether to go forth or to stay put is a difficult choice to make.

These are complex matters – things about which we’re afraid may come back to haunt us in the storms of life and facing our fears is not easy. Whether inside the boat that is the church, the ark of salvation, or stepping out in faith like Peter, Jesus’s words speak to us too as we face the issues of our day and the stormy winds of change as did his followers then: “Take heart, it is I: do not be afraid!”

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

‘While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed.’ Jesus, in Luke 9:28-36.

‘It is not only prayer that gives God glory but work.’ Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Luke’s account of the Transfiguration begins with Jesus taking Peter, James and John up the mountain with him – this is not for all the disciples to experience. While they are together, Jesus is transfigured before them – his face changes and his clothes become dazzling white, with Moses and Elijah also joining him and appearing in glory. Luke tells us that the disciples are sleepy but, because they stayed  awake, are able to see what happens. Perhaps that’s part of our story too – despite the ‘woke’ culture in which we live, there may be times when sleep seems more tempting than being alert. 

Moses and Elijah traditionally represent the Law, the Prophets and the importance of the Old Testament in understanding the New – and, despite never having met them, the three disciples seem to know who they are. However, Luke states that Moses and Elijah are discussing with Jesus his departure, or forthcoming death, in Jerusalem. They are encouraging him to face what lies ahead, whereas the disciples still do not understand what is to happen. Bishop Hall wrote of the ‘strange opportunity’ this presents:

‘In his highest Exaltation to speak of his Sufferings; to talk of Calvary in Tabor; when his Head shone with glory, to tell him how it must bleed with thorns; when his Face shone like the Sun, to tell him it must be blubbered and spat upon; when his Garments glistered with that celestial brightness, to tell him they must be stripped and divided; when he was adored by the Saints of Heaven, to tell him how he must be scorned by the basest of men; when he was between two Saints, to tell him how he must be seen between two Malefactours: in a word, in the midst of his Divine Majesty, to tell him of his shame; and whilst he was Transfigured in the Mount, to tell him how he must be disfigured upon the Cross. Yet these two Heavenly Prophets found this the fittest time for this discourse: rather chusing to speak of his Sufferings in the height of his Glory, than of his Glory after his Sufferings.’ Bishop Joseph Hall, 1574-1656.

In the face of the glory before them as Jesus is transfigured by dazzling light, the disciples hear a voice telling them to listen, as well as look, as they are enveloped in a cloud – understandably, they are terrified. They tell no-one what has happened and keep their silence in the face of such an astonishing event. Like them, perhaps we need to listen as well as see what is happening before us in our world today. There may be many things from global warming to warfare and unrest in so many places that cause us to be frightened and it’s poignant that the feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated on the same date as the terrible light unleashed by the dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima in 1945. Through that devastation, peace was enforced but there are also fears today that nuclear warfare may become an outcome of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Many things disfigure our world, just as the Light of Christ and faith that prayer can make a difference can also transfigure the darkness as the figures on the world stage play out their roles. 

However, the cloud was also part of the transfiguration then just as the mushroom cloud disfigured Hiroshima in 1945. If we can’t see where we’re going or understand what is happening, perhaps we need to listen and look more closely as we figure out where God’s transfiguring glory may be clouded in our world today: ‘A man with a dungfork in his hand, a woman with a sloppail, give God glory too. All things give him glory if you mean they should.’ Gerard Manley Hopkins.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.



“The kingdom of heaven is like…….” Jesus, in St Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.

“Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise.” Andy Stanley, American pastor.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus deals with five short parables in which he likens the kingdom of heaven to what is happening all around in his rural setting. He speaks of the kingdom resembling mustard seed, which is tiny but can grow to a great height, or yeast put into flour to make it rise. Jesus also likens the kingdom of heaven to a full net of fish of every kind with the good fish being separated from the bad which is then thrown out. These are small, everyday events from which greater things will develop but Jesus also mentions precious objects such as treasure being found in a field or a fine pearl of great value. These are things worth possessing and so the field is bought for access to the treasure and everything is sold so that its new owner can buy the expensive pearl. 

In these parables, short stories with a heavenly  meaning, patience is required: the mustard seed will grow, but it takes time; the yeast will raise the flour and the fish will be sorted when the net is full – but it takes time. So it is with the treasure in the field, which needs to be covered and the land purchased or with the fine pearl – possessions have to be sold before it can be bought and that also can’t be done immediately.

These things can also happen without being noticed – it can often be assumed that seeds will grow, bread will rise and fish will be sorted out before use. But it takes effort, money and resources to buy a field or a fine pearl and that needs planning in a way that can sometimes be overlooked. Like the oak tree within the acorn, small things can have great consequences in the right setting just as big things can also have tiny origins. All this is part of the kingdom too, says Jesus. The treasure was there – but hidden, like so much around us – and so is the kingdom of heaven, developing whether or not we are aware of it. 

Those hidden things are often revealed later – after at least ten and possibly fifteen years on her own in this remote valley, the encounter between Melangell and Brochwel led to a small wooden church being built in the seventh century and a place of pilgrimage being established on the foundations of sanctuary, healing and hospitality. Thanks to those seeds being sown then, today people come here from all over the world and the website is used by people in many countries as candles are placed on the altar and prayers said on their behalf. From tiny beginnings, great things have grown – and are doing, still. 

Jesus used examples current to his way of life then. Today, what is the kingdom of heaven like? 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.