Prayer and Reflection

On this page you will find some Bible Readings, prayers and a reflection based on the Bible Readings. These are often from a recent Sunday in one of our churches, for those who can’t attend on the day, but also to give you a taste of what happens in our worship and teaching on Sundays.

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Sunday 2nd November 2025 – The First Sunday of the Kingdom

Almighty and eternal God, you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints: grant to us the same faith and power of love, that, as we rejoice in their triumphs, we may be sustained by their example and fellowship; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.

The Collect for the First Sunday of the Kingdom

Probably like you, I grew up in a family where we fixed things when they were broken, and made new things out of things that couldn’t be fixed any more.

I sat with my hand out to receive the wool my Nana unravelled from worn out jumpers, and again when those skeins were rolled into balls ready for knitting up into something new. I learned to darn and patch, to glue and stick.

The rolling pin I use for my pastry was turned by my grandfather from an old oak chair someone had thrown away.

I’ve inherited some of these fixing skills, and my family will often bring me items to be mended.

I love volunteering for the Pontardawe Repair Café, where I get to fix things with other people. It’s great fun and very rewarding.

Why am I telling you this? Well, when things are fixed, or reused, they’re saved from ending up in landfill, which also saves their owner money and helps to save the planet. A lot of saving.

The word ‘save’ comes from the Latin ‘salva’. This gives us ‘salvatio’ which in English becomes Salvation. Which brings us to the subject of today’s readings.
Often, we think of salvation as a one off, someone seeing the light and changing their ways, or St Peter checking his list and opening the gates of Heaven to let the saved soul in. But, it’s more complicated and interesting than that.

Usually, in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word which is translated as “save” or “salvation” refers to practical deliverance from concrete real-life situations. Back in August I mentioned that the words of the book of Isaiah were to serve as a warning to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah who were under threat from the Assyrian Empire. The kingdoms are being offered salvation if they return to the proper worship of God. The Old Testament establishes God as the Deliverer and Saviour.

Our psalm today, as so many psalms are, is a song of deliverance and salvation.

While the word most commonly used in the New Testament for salvation sometimes points to deliverance from a physical threat, the main meaning is deliverance from the consequences of sin and the clutches of death. In our reading from the second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul describes the consequences for those who do not accept salvation. It doesn’t sound very nice.

The story of Zacchaeus shows the other side of the coin. Tim mentioned last week how the tax collectors in Jesus’ time added a fee to the money that they were collecting for Rome. Some added much more than was fair. When Zacchaeus climbed that tree I don’t think he was looking for salvation, probably he just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. He didn’t call out to Jesus to save him from his sin. Jesus Saw Him, and knew him, and accepted him for who he was. But, that meeting with Jesus, that unconditional love and acceptance changed him, and set him on the road to being a better person.

During a talk on the Nicene Creed by the theologian Jane Williams at this year’s Diocesan Conference we were asked to tell the person next to us what we understood by the word ‘salvation’. There wasn’t time to think about it, but I do agree with what I managed to say. I think that salvation means becoming your true self, the best version of you that God intended when He created you. We will achieve that perfection when we die, but, as people of faith, we are expected to work towards this goal during our time on earth, like Zacchaeus.

But we can’t do it alone. I’ve found that fixing things is more rewarding and easier when I do it with others. That’s why we need our Church community too, fixing ourselves is much easier when we’re all trying together. We were made to be together, not to struggle alone. We are not here to judge, but to share burdens, support and encourage. The most important part of this fixing process is building a relationship with the master craftsman. If you’ve seen the Repair Shop on the telly, you’ll have seen how the craftsperson chosen to do the repair learns all about the object in front of them and loves the story, the flaws and the potential. There is one main fixer, but they work with the others in the barn to get the best results. God uses us to help one another in a similar way.

So, as we journey on, let us support one another in building our relationship with our Master Craftsman. They know our story and love us just as we are, but if we listen carefully they will guide to be the versions of ourselves we were intend to be. In the fullness of time we will be honed to perfection and with tears of joy received home.