Today’s Sunday Refresh readings are gotten from: Readings: Proverbs 3:27-34; Psalm 15; Luke 8:16-18.
In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us that we are in the world to make it better and brighter. We should not hide our light but let it shine.
The author of the First Reading tells us some practical ways that we can make our light shine.
Let’s look at the first three counsels he gave us.
- We should not refuse or postpone kindness when we have the means and opportunity to show it.
- We should not betray or break the trust of those who believe in us, who dwell unsuspectingly with us.
III. We should not pick groundless quarrels. Some people just quarrel, get upset and take offence at almost everything. People keep malice and bear grudges because of unreasonable causes. People are often mean towards others out of envy.
The Word of God says we should avoid all of these. We are ambassadors of God’s love, and so we must carry about us something of the presence and loving kindness of God.
On the Queen
For us in the United Kingdom, today is a significant day, as the remains of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II are laid to the earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes. We remember her dedication and her faithfulness to her words and promises. We remember how she openly witnessed to her faith, her love for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, her empathy and her proven humanity. In her own way, she was a light and she shone until her last breath. Another person may think differently, but for me, she shone.
While we have the time, let us not be like lamps covered with a bowl but people who light up the world by lighting up the lives of those they meet.
Eternal rest grant unto late Queen Elizabeth II O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace, Amen.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on September 19, 2024.