Trinity 3 / Pentecost 4
14/06/2026
SENTENCE FROM SCRIPTURE:
I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living. (Psalm 116)
HYMN-
GREETING
Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
COLLECT FOR PURITY
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
SUMMARY OF THE LAW
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”
The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
SILENCE
God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
ABSOLUTION
God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
GLORIA
sung by Sue St Joseph
COLLECT
O Lord,
you always guide your people
whom you build up on the foundation of your love:
make us ever stand in awe of your Holy Name,
and love you in equal measure;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen
PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD
FIRST READING:
Genesis 18.1–15,
read by Heather Gibbings
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.
2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on – since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. ✝ 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 9 They said to Abraham, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ 10 Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’
13 The LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” 14 Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ 15 But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’
SECOND READING
Romans 5.1–8,
read by Tom Lochhead
1 Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
GRADUAL HYMN
GOSPEL:
Matthew 9.35 – 10.8
read by Kay Solaja
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew Chapter 9, beginning at verse 35.
Glory to Christ our Saviour
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ 1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.
SERMON
Rev Andrew MacKenzie
Jesus said to the disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” Matthew 9:37
Just have a think about this.. When Jesus spoke these words, harvests were reaped by groups of people – labourers – with a sickle – a small curved blade on a short handle. Then came the scythe, a great improvement, an implement I learned to use as a teenager. Then came the mechanical reaper, followed by the self-binder and the threshing machines. After that came the early combine harvesters, where the operator sat in the open, in a cloud of dust, with a wet cloth over his mouth and nose, reaping and threshing all in one. Now we have the combine with a cab, with air-conditioning and GPS, capable of cutting 15 acres in one hour. The rate with a scythe would have been 2.5 acres in 24 hours! One person, driving a combine. He is not a labourer in the harvest. He is a skilled operator. We don’t need labourers anymore.
Why am I telling you all this?
Well, it is a kind of a parable about the church as an agent of God’s mission. Agriculture has adapted to change, sometimes against considerable opposition. So what about the church?
The powers we have at our disposal as a church have evolved and been enhanced over the centuries. Think of the Bible. We have come a long way from the quill pen, from the beautiful hand-fashioned editions of the books of the Bible, such as the Book of Kells, but it was a hidden book, not for, the likes of us. After that we had William Tyndale, and the Bible in English. Then we had the challenges to our understanding of the Bible which started in the 19th century. To jump a number of decades, we then come to the end of the 20th century, when we started to come to terms with the new technologies – the computer, the internet, social media. They have been powerful tools for God’s mission, used in so many ways. But today, we are facing the biggest challenge of our lives.
We are living in a time of the most radical, speedy, worrying change. If I say just two words, I can imagine that most of you will want to go into the kitchen, lie down in a corner, curl up into the foetal position, and whimper! Those two words? Artificial Intelligence! And you might well ask: what has AI got to do with labourers in the harvest?
Well, I am no expert in this field, but I am starting to see a problem. Is the harvest still plentiful? Where are the few labourers? Who are they? And what do they look like? Do we still need them?
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few’.
On May 25th this year, Pope Leo issued his first encyclical – his first letter to the world. It has a Latin name: ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ – ‘Magnificent Humanity’. You might think that, well, it is for Catholics to worry about. After all, is not the Pope a Catholic? But no. this is a message for us all, and a very timely one at that. It was described on the BBC as “a stark and direct message to those in positions of power about their responsibilities in curbing the ‘threats’ it poses”. I cannot possibly do it much justice in a sermon this morning, but here are some thoughts.
The encyclical is concerned with “preserving the human person in the age of Artificial Intelligence” – AI for short. It particularly condemns the use of AI in warfare, stating that reducing human control of weaponry makes it harder to justify a war. Pope Leo wrote that “The ‘just war’ theory which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated.” The encyclical also discourages an AI arms race, and criticises deep fakes in politics, something which has become very evident in recent years, and which affects us all.
The Pope maintains that technology is never neutral, arguing that humanity faces a choice between “constructing Babel and rebuilding Jerusalem”; by which he means that a new Tower of Babel is technology that consolidates power, displaces workers, and leaves the vulnerable behind (think Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the like) — or we can rebuild Jerusalem together, brick by brick, neighbour by neighbour, until what Pope Leo calls ‘the Beloved Community’ stands. AI, Artificial Intelligence, must serve all of humanity, or it will destroy what makes us human. Not the fastest, richest, or most powerful — all of us, every person made in the image of God.
Can you see the problem? And how does that challenge us as a church? I think Pope Leo is on to the spirit of this age, and doesn’t like what he sees.
The labourers in the harvest of the church today are face to face, in conflict, even, against the present age. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn which reminds us that we have a charge to keep which comes from God, about serving the present age, about using all our powers so as to do the Master’s will. Which raises a question in my mind.
Can AI help us to serve the present age?
We can only hope that those who are responsible for leadership in Christian denominations, and, indeed, in all faiths, across the world, are as on the ball as Pope Leo. The Bishops, the Moderators, the Conference Presidents globally – all these must start to grapple with all that AI touches, as surely we must too, as we are able. I’m happy to say that the Methodist Church is starting to get on the case.
As the church continues to engage in God’s mission, we need to see clearly what we must avoid, and what it is we must do. How can we, how do we, engage with AI? Is it a useful tool for the labourer in the harvest? Or is it something demonic?
I believe that the Pope has started a process of engagement. He has pointed out ways in which AI is already starting to dehumanise us and the way we live, by demolishing those standards of humanity that we have developed and treasured for centuries now.
J R R Tolkien, author of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ is quoted in the Encyclical. This is what he said: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after (us) may have clean earth to till”.
Clean earth to till. A fruitful harvest to reap. May all our powers be engaged to discern and do the will of Jesus, our Lord and Master, as we seek to serve Him in this present age – the age of Artificial Intelligence.
THE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYERS
God of love, we call to you today from a world divided by fear and hate. Let us know your love and its healing power.
Lord, we offer to you all of those who would lead. Teach them responsibility and open their hearts to compassion and a desire to serve.
In your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, we offer to you all of those who suffer, in war, in famine, in disease and in persecution. Give them your hope and supporting love.
In your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, we offer to you all of those who wage war, who waste the earth and who turn to their neighbours in fear and hate. Cleanse their hearts and show them the way of peace, justice and love.
In your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, we offer to you all of those who have lost loved ones, and commend those they have lost to you. Bring acceptance and succour to the mourners and your eternal peace to the ones who have gone.
In your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, we offer to you all of those who care for the sick, the frightened and the vulnerable. They are deserving of your blessing in all they do.
In your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, we offer ourselves and our fellows in the body of Christ. May we be channels of your love in an unhappy world.
In your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Do not bring us
to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING
Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
HYMN –
DISMISSAL
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen
