Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity - Reflection by Canon Leslie

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In last Sunday’s Gospel reading Peter had recognised Jesus as the Messiah. Once Peter has recognised and confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Mark begins a programme of teaching about the nature of Jesus’ Messiahship.  Jesus is the Messiah who suffers.  Peter’s confession is followed immediately by the first prediction of Jesus’ suffering and death. Now in today’s Gospel reading Mark offers a second more detailed prediction.  This view of Messiahship reverses the common expectation for a triumphal Messiah.  Such a reversal must change the disciples’ hopes for themselves as well, and reshape their ambitions.  In place of power they find weakness. 
 
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of ambition. In today’s picture from their book, Myself and Others, Aled and Sian are setting out on their adventure to shape their ambition in life.    
 
Lord Jesus Christ, 
you call your followers 
to give service to others 
and not to seek power for themselves. 
Help us to live up to our calling, 
that our lives may witness to you; 
now and always. 
Amen. 
 
Next Sunday’s Gospel reading draws attention to the way in which tensions emerged among Jesus’ followers. There is a controversy about who counts as a disciple: who is in and who is out. The image to help us prepare for next Sunday’s theme is gangs. You can find out more about that theme here https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html. We would really appreciate you letting us know how you are using these materials. Please send us your ideas and photos of the things you may create; email them to Nelson.Pike@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk.  

To read more about Myself and others and for more resources for children , you are welcome to follow this link to the relevant page of the St Mary's Centre.

You are warmly invited to join us in worship online. We are livestreaming our 10:30am service on both our Facebook and YouTube pages. To stream the service on Facebook, follow this link to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LiverpoolCathedral. To stream the service on YouTube, follow this link to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/LiverpoolCathedral/videos.