prepared by Rev. Daniel Yovan – 28th June 2026
Call to Worship: Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? When sorrow lingers and hope feels far away, we come before you with honest hearts.
Look on us and answer us, Lord our God; give light to our eyes.
When we wrestle with our thoughts and carry sorrow in our hearts, you do not turn away from us.
We trust in your unfailing love; our hearts shall rejoice in your salvation.
Come, let us bring our lament, our longing, and our praise to the God who hears.
We will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to us. Amen.
| STF499 Great God, your love has called us here Great God, your love has called us here, as we, by love, for love were made. Your living likeness still we bear, though marred, dishonoured, disobeyed. We come, with all our heart and mind your call to hear, your love to find. We come with self-inflicted pains of broken trust and chosen wrong, half-free, half-bound by inner chains, by social forces swept along, by powers and systems close confined, yet seeking hope for humankind. Brian Wren (b. 1936). | Great God, in Christ you call our name and then receive us as your own, not through some merit, right or claim, but by your gracious love alone. We strain to glimpse your mercy seat and find you kneeling at our feet. Then take the towel, and break the bread, and humble us, and call us friends. Suffer and serve till all are fed, and show how grandly love intends to work till all creation sings, to fill all worlds, to crown all things. 5. Great God, in Christ you set us free your life to live, your joy to share. Give us your Spirit’s liberty to turn from guilt and dull despair and offer all that faith can do while love is making all things new. |
Matthew 10:40-42 (New International Version)
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
This is the word of the Lord: Thanks be to God Amen.
Reflection
In this passage, Jesus speaks about “the little ones.” But who are these little ones? At first, we may think of those who are helpless, those in need, the voiceless, and those who have no power or means to care for themselves. These are the people who came to my mind as I read this passage. Yet, when we look at the passage in context, Jesus is speaking especially about his disciples. He sends them out on a dangerous mission, even though their ministry will bring healing, freedom from evil spirits, and even the raising of the dead. If you can, please read the whole chapter. Jesus tells his disciples that the message they proclaim will gain followers, but it will also create enemies. Families and communities will be divided. Even so, he asks them not to lose heart, but to remain steadfast in their mission. In effect, Jesus is sending them into a vulnerable and dangerous situation, with no obvious support: no money, no extra clothing, and no guarantee of welcome.
They are going to new places to proclaim the message of God’s kingdom, knowing that opposition may come. And if they are not welcomed, or if they face hostility, what are they supposed to do? Where will they stay? How will they eat? It is in this context that Jesus says, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me,” and, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” At that point in history, the calling to be Jesus’ disciples was deeply precarious.
This passage also takes me back to my early twenties, when I was studying Chemistry at university. During a ‘missionary challenge’ seminar, a mission leader invited me to join their organisation. The work involved going to remote places where the Gospel had not yet been preached, to proclaim the kingdom of God to those who had never heard it. But I could not leave my studies at that time. The leader also explained that missionaries had to earn their own keep: if people in the villages offered food and shelter, they were blessed; otherwise, they had to make their own arrangements. It felt impossible for me to leave then. My family hoped that I would complete my degree, find a job, and help support them. Around the same time, one of my sisters had left her job in an accountancy firm to join the same missionary organisation. If I had also left university, it would have been a heavy blow for my parents. So I refused straight away. Did I disobey the call at that time? I do not know. But I also felt that it was not the right time. From then on, however, the call to ministry grew gradually within me, and here I am, many years later, more than 5,000 miles away from my hometown, proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Even today, some missionary organisations rely heavily on gifts and donations from Christians around the world to support their missionaries. Sometimes missionaries go without wages for months, depending on how and when funding is received. While many established churches are financially secure, work among the unreached parts of the world still suffers. Even in our context in Britain, we often spend more time and money serving Christians than reaching those who are unchurched or overlooked.
We have many programmes in our churches throughout the week. But apart from worship services, are we proclaiming the kingdom of God to those who walk through our church doors and participate in our activities? What support are we giving, both as individuals and as church communities, to those who are striving to reach people on the margins? How do we treat those who carry the cross of Christ in their daily lives?
As we approach this holiday period, may this passage invite us to look again at how we welcome Christ in others. Jesus reminds us that even a cup of cold water given in his name is not forgotten by God. Small acts of kindness, prayer, encouragement, hospitality, and giving can become signs of the kingdom when they are offered with love. Let us therefore support those who carry the cross of Christ, reach out to those who are yet to hear the good news, and go to where people are with the transforming love of Jesus. May our churches be places of welcome, and may our lives also become living witnesses beyond the church walls. May God bless us, strengthen us, and use us for the sake of his kingdom. Amen.
Intercession
Let us pray for the peace of the world………..
Pray for those who are responsible for preaching the Gospel……
Pray for yourself and your family……..
Pray for your friends who never heard the Gospel…..
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayers.
The Lord’s prayer.
Our father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
Forever and ever Amen.
| STF 404 God’s Spirit is in my heart God’s Spirit Is In My Heart He Has Called Me And Set Me Apart. This Is What I Have To Do, What I Have To Do Chorus He Sent Me To Give The Good News To The Poor Tell Prisoners That They Are Prisoners No More Tell Blind People That They Can See And Set The Down Trodden Free And Go Tell Everyone The News That The Kingdom Of God Has Come And Go Tell Everyone The News That God’s Kingdom Has Come. v. 1 and refrain Alan T. Dale (1902 – 1979) vv. 2-4 Hubert Richards (b. 1921) | Just As The Father Sent Me So I’m Sending You Out To Be, My Witnesses Throughout The World, The Whole Of The World Don’t carry a load in you pack; You don’t need two shirts on you back; God’s workers can earn their own keep Can earn their own keep Don’t Worry What You Have To Say, Don’t Worry Because On That Day God’s Spirit Will Speak In Your Heart Will Speak In Your Heart |
Blessings.
May Almighty God bless you and keep you. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you, the love of God surround you, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit guide you in all you do. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
