Sunday 7th June 2026
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ORDINARY 10A
7th June 2026
A short act of worship and daily devotions
Opening Prayers
Sit down, close your eyes and breathe three deep, slow breaths.
Keeping your eyes closed, pay attention to your breath for a minute or more and in doing so, when you breathe in, imagine you are breathing in the love of God.
When you open your eyes look around you, what do you notice in your room that reminds you of the love of God?
If this is something you can hold, hold it, if it is to be looked at, look at it. As you do so, remember that you are in the presence of God.
When you are ready, offer this time of worship to God, with these words (or others if you have others you wish to say to God):
“Around me and within me, Spirit of God I thank you for your presence here. I offer each breath in worship to you. Amen”
You may now wish to say the Lord’s Prayer in a version or translation with which you are familiar.
Reading: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 – Click for reading
Responding to the readings
Today’s stories from Matthew’s Gospel are filled with interruptions.
Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector, right in the middle of his ordinary working day. Then, while sharing a meal with people others consider sinners and outsiders, he is interrupted by a leader pleading for help for his dying daughter. On the way to that crisis, another interruption comes: a woman who has suffered for years reaches out quietly to touch the edge of Jesus’ cloak.
And in every interruption, Jesus chooses connection over convenience.
First comes Matthew. A man many would have dismissed as compromised, corrupt, or beyond respectability. Yet Jesus simply says: “Follow me.” No lecture. No conditions. Just an invitation.
Then comes the criticism from the religious leaders: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus responds with words that still challenge the Church today:
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Mercy over appearances. Compassion over exclusion. Relationship over judgment.
For those of us seeking to follow Jesus, these words cut to the centre of discipleship. Faith is not about guarding purity or protecting status. It is about participating in healing, welcome, and restoration.
And then there is the woman in the crowd. For twelve years she has lived with illness, isolation, and likely shame. She is unnamed, perhaps understood by the initial audience as someone who is outside of society, invisible to most people. Yet she believes that even touching Jesus’ cloak might bring healing.
And, in the middle of the crowd and the urgency, Jesus stops: he notices her. He calls her “daughter.” He restores not only her body, but her dignity and belonging. Then Jesus goes on to the house of the grieving family and takes the girl by the hand. Life rises where others saw only endings.
Again and again in this passage, Jesus moves toward those society pushes away: the morally suspect, the chronically ill, the grieving. He refuses to let stigma or fear have the final word. And, as he moves through the interruptions and busy-ness of this narrative, he does not allow himself to become distracted from being present to those in front of him, those in need, those who he has promised to stand with.
Today, you might like to reflect on one or more of these questions, and discuss them with someone you trust if you have chance:
Where in your life are you being invited to choose mercy over judgment?
Who are the people society overlooks or excludes, and how might you move toward them with compassion?
Where do you need to hear Jesus speak words of healing, dignity, or invitation to you?
Discipleship is not about avoiding messy situations. It is about trusting that God’s grace is most alive in the places where people are longing to be seen, touched, and restored. Jesus does not wait for people to become perfect before he calls them. He meets them where they are, and love begins there.
May you have the courage to follow, the compassion to notice those on the margins, and the openness to receive the healing grace of Christ in your own life too.
Hymn / Song: 463 STF – Deep in the shadows of the past – YouTube
Blessing
Go from this moment, knowing that you are loved and accepted by the living Christ,
Knowing that the inclusive, expansive, grace-filled invitation
To join in with God’s work in your home community,
Is extended to you, today, this week, and beyond.
Go with the peace of Christ,
Amen.
Prayers and Prayer Pointers For This Week
Monday 8th June
God of all grace, thank you that I do not need to be perfect to be loved by you.
Help me to begin this week with honesty, humility, and hope.
Show me where I can share the grace I have received. Amen.
Tuesday 9th June
Today, you might like to pray for children and young people.
Pray for those facing exams, friendship difficulties, anxiety, or uncertainty about the future.
Loving God, may every young person know they are precious and full of possibility. Amen.
Wednesday 10th June
Think of someone whose work often goes unnoticed.
It might be a cleaner, carer, delivery driver, administrator, volunteer, or someone in your own household.
Give thanks for them today, and pray blessing over their work.
Thursday 11th June
God of justice, disturb me where I have become too comfortable.
Help me to see those who are ignored, pushed aside, or treated unfairly.
Give me courage to act with kindness and integrity. Amen.
Friday 12th June
Today, pray for those who are grieving.
You might like to name someone who has lost a loved one, a relationship, a home, a job, or a hope.
God of comfort, sit gently with all who mourn. Amen.
Saturday 13th June
Take time today to pray for yourself.
Ask God for what you need: rest, courage, patience, healing, clarity, or joy.
God of love, meet me where I am today. Amen