Written by clergy and lay people across our Diocesan community, ‘Sunday Devotions’ is a column of short reflections based on a Lectionary reading of the day, suitable for small group discussion or personal use.
Main Readings: Genesis 21.8-21; Psalm 86.1-10, 16-17; Romans 6.1-11; Matthew 10.24-39 [Jeremiah 20.7-13; Psalm 69.7-10 (11-15) 16-19]
Supplementary Readings: Psalm 93; Romans 1.20-32; Psalm 69.7-19; Genesis 21.22-33; Matthew 10.9-23
“…for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.” (Matthew 10.26)
As one of the main speakers at a large youth camp was speaking, I noticed a small group of teens chatting amongst themselves and not paying attention. Being a responsible young adult at the time, I went over to see why they weren’t listening to what I thought seemed like a very engaging and personal story. When I approached the group I asked if everything was ok…they whispered back…“Yeah, but we’ve heard this story before – in an email!”
It seems they’d caught out the speaker passing off someone else’s story as his own. As much as this Gospel passage reminds us we can’t hide anything from God, it also seems like it’s pretty hard to hide something from a sceptical teenager. Jesus is calling us to be authentic, open and honest.
The fact that God knows us so intimately and completely that nothing can be hidden can sometimes be scary, particularly when we often pass ourselves off to the world as something more than we actually are. It can, however, be liberating when we realise we can just be who we are and who God has called us to be. God is used to using broken people, in fact God seems to prefer us to be that way and pretending that we are something other than we are won’t fool God, and it also won’t fool most people!
Rejoice in who you are and allow God to be the one who changes your story – there’ll be no need for embellishment.
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