Zechariah 9: 9-12
Romans 7:21-8:6
Matthew 11:25-30
Psalm 145: 8-14

Collect
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel for this Sunday is well-known and of great comfort:

Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This is not to say that we should kick back in a hammock with a refreshing beverage and leave our chores undone, the lawn unmowed, and our responsibilities and worries forgotten. It’s that we need not feel that we are alone in carrying these chores, worries and responsibilities, but that the load is shared with Someone who cares for us. This lightening of the load makes it possible for us to do more than we could have imagined.

In our shared ministry together, Holy Innocents and St Columba must literally pull together to get things done for upcoming events at both parishes. We must always remember that the yoke is easy and the burden is light; we’re not carrying that burden alone.

News from the greater Anglican church:

Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold joined six presenters at the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting in Nottingham June 21, explaining that while the Episcopal Church includes diverse views on sexuality, common mission continues.

“Although certain actions by the Episcopal Church have deeply distressed a number of you, we have not come to argue,” Griswold said. “I want to be clear that the Episcopal Church has not reached a common mind. However, it is our desire to be faithful to scripture. It is my hope that in the tradition of classical Anglicanism we will be united in Christ’s love and called to serve the world in Christ’s name.”

The presentation came at the invitation of the ACC and in response specifically to the Windsor Report’s request (paragraph 135) to outline “how a person living in a same gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ.”

A booklet titled “To Set Our Hope on Christ” was distributed as part of the presentation. [Link to the text: http://www.anglicanlistening.org ]. “We believe that God has been opening our eyes to acts of God that we had not known how to see before,” the text states.

The booklet can be read online but it’s a very long PDF file. However, the language in the opening introduction and the first few pages is inspiring, open-hearted, and even beautiful.

The Anglican Listening website states:

Part of the distinctive tradition of Anglican listening and learning is identified by the 16th century English theologian Richard Hooker, who described Anglicanism as rooted in scripture, reason and tradition.

This triad of interrelationships is central to current conversations across the Episcopal Church as it seeks to respond faithfully to the request of Anglican leaders, via the 2004 Windsor Report, to learn more about sister and brother Anglicans internationally by participating in a careful process of intent listening.

These processes of listening and learning are recorded here, beginning with the 2005 observance of the Feast of Pentecost, which celebrates the gift of God’s Spirit to the world, imparted through a multiplicity of voices.

It looks like there’s a great deal of food for thought there – and much listening yet to be done.

The readings for Sunday, June 26:

Isaiah 2:10-17
Romans 6:3-11
Matthew 10:34-42
Psalm 89:1-18, 89:1-4,15-18

The Collect for this Sunday:

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Quite often the collects are worth pondering, although during a service they go by so quickly there’s no time to really think about their meaning and relevance for us. But as is so often the case, this one speaks directly to us and our situation, as unity of spirit is something we at Holy Innocents and St Columba will need to have in order to move forward. We’ll certainly need it as we gear up for this summer’s fundraisers (the Car Show and the Flea Market)!

The Gospel is another uncomfortable one:

Matthew 10:34-42
Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

“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.”