Be confident in God’s pity and protection

Almighty God,

let your continual pity cleanse and defend your church,

and, because it cannot continue in safety without your aid,

preserve it evermore by your help and goodness,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The church of God has always been fragile. In Eden, the serpent began his war against the church, and that war rages on. Sometimes the war is a matter of life and death, as when the church was threatened by the serpentine Pharaoh (Ezekiel 29:3) in the time of Moses, or when Goliath, the snake in scaly armour (1 Samuel 17:5) threatened the anointed king. Sometimes the war is a matter of truth and falsehood, as when false teachers, like that cunning serpent, proclaim another Christ, another Spirit, or another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3–4). Until Christ returns, the church will always need to be defended and cleansed.

The collect for the Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity reminds the church both of her need for protection, and of the power and faithfulness of God. Likewise, the appointed Old Testament readings for that day in the Book of Common Prayer remind her of the reality of faithless leaders (2 Chronicles 36), and the need for prayer and repentance (Nehemiah 1:1–2:9). These themes continue with the regular collects in the service of Morning Prayer: “defend us your humble servants against all assaults of our enemies”; “grant that this day we fall into no sin”; “send down upon our Bishops and Curates, and all Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of your grace”. The church of God is fragile: she needs to be defended and cleansed.

Despite her fragility, the church knows that God will preserve her. The gates of hell shall not prevail against her (Matthew 16:18). She will not endure because of the giftedness of her leaders, nor because she has the approval of the world around her. She will endure only by the faithfulness of “the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Nehemiah 1:5). Or, as our collect summarises, she “cannot continue safely without his aid.” This confidence in the faithfulness of God should not, however, lead the church to self-sufficient pride, like the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:17). Rather it should give her the humble confidence to approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in her time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Where the Old Testament readings remind the church of her fragility, the New Testament readings reminds her of the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, and reassures her that God is able to do far more than all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:19–20). This love is then demonstrated in the Gospel reading, when Christ, moved with pity, raises the widow of Nain’s son to life. This is the same pity our collect calls upon, for this is the same Christ to whom the church is united. His love is so great, that we need strength from the Spirit to even comprehend it (Ephesians 3:18). How much more confident can we be that he will defend, cleanse, and preserve his church? He who calls us is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

So pray this with me:

 Almighty God,

let your continual pity cleanse and defend your church,

and, because it cannot continue in safety without your aid,

preserve it evermore by your help and goodness,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.