(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Thackley Methodist Church and led by Paul Coleman our Circuit Student Presbyter.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Today’s readings remind us that following Jesus calls for wholehearted commitment. By putting Christ first, we discover that our love for family, friends, and neighbours can grow deeper, freer, and truer. In this service, we reflect, pray, and sing as we seek to place him at the centre of our lives.
Song – StF 161 – Speak O Lord as we Come to You
Opening Prayer
Loving God,
we come before you today with open hearts, longing to hear your word and to follow your way.
In Jesus, you call us to count the cost of discipleship, to put your love above all else,
and to trust that in doing so, our love for others will be made deeper and truer.
Be with us as we worship in our homes, quiet our distractions, and draw us close to you.
May your Spirit guide our thoughts, shape our prayers, and renew our love for you and for all people.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reading
In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds us how faithful God has been, calls us to love and follow God with our whole hearts, and shows that when we put God first, life and blessing follow.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus appears to give a harsh message to the large crowd of people following him, warning them that they need to be prepared to count the cost of following his teachings.
Reflection
Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell speech to the Israelites as they get ready to enter the Promised Land. Moses reminds them of God’s enduring faithfulness and urges them to love and follow God wholeheartedly. He promises that by doing so, not only they, but also their descendants and the very land they live on, will be blessed. Yet, Moses also issues a warning: when anything is placed before God, there are consequences.
Even when the benefits of loving God first, compared with the consequences of choosing otherwise, have been made so plain, it remains a challenging path. The history of the Israelites repeatedly shows that, despite clear promises and warnings, the people often faltered. Their ambitions to become powerful or influential frequently led them to abandon God’s commands in favour of their own interests. As a result, they experienced the consequences Moses had warned about.
In Deuteronomy, loving and obeying God is not an abstract idea, but one that is lived out in the way we treat the most vulnerable around us. God called the Israelites to open their hands to the poor and needy (Deut 15:7–11) and to treat foreigners with justice and compassion (Deut 10:18–19; 24:17–18). Even in leadership and judgment, God insisted on fairness, not showing partiality to the rich or powerful (Deut 16:18–20; 24:14–15). This connects directly to today’s Gospel reading. Just as God called the Israelites to put love into action, Jesus also challenged his listeners to put love for God above all else.
Throughout the Gospel of Luke, we have seen Jesus’ commitment to welcoming all to experience an intimate, loving relationship with God. Everywhere he goes huge crowds gather, apparently eager to follow him. And yet in today’s reading Jesus begins with a challenge and a warning to those who are listening and one that is also difficult for us to hear today.
“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26)
Now I come from a pretty large family, I’m the oldest of five children and it is safe to say that we don’t always get on with each other, and on the rare occasions you get us all together there will be fireworks. But however much we fight and disagree with each other I can honestly say that … they’re all right really … I might even admit to loving them … although obviously not to their faces. So, the idea that following Jesus might mean I have to “hate them” is more than a little uncomfortable.
If this is difficult for us to hear today imagine how hard it would have been to those hearing this directly from Jesus, especially given the importance of family to their culture and way of life. So, why is Jesus, who we normally hear calling us to love others, suddenly calling on us to “hate” our families and indeed “life itself”?
Jesus isn’t saying that following him means we should literally hate anyone. That wouldn’t fit with everything else he teaches. Earlier in Luke, he sums up God’s law by telling us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbours as ourselves (Luke 10:27). He also tells us to love our enemies and do good to those who hurt us (Luke 6:27). And of course, he affirms the command to honour our parents, not hate them (Exodus 20:12).
The word translated as ‘hate’ in Luke 14 isn’t straightforward. The Greek verb miseō can mean ‘to detest’ or ‘to despise,’ but in the Bible it’s often used in a non-literal way, meaning ‘to love less.’
For instance, in Genesis when the text says, “Leah was hated,” the sense is really that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:30). The ambiguity of miseō is intentional, compelling us to reflect on what discipleship requires. Rather than inciting hostility, it underscores placing love for Christ above all else, even family. Jesus employs strong, exaggerated language to emphasize that true discipleship means loving him more than every other bond, which was especially radical in a society where family was central. The intensity of the word challenged listeners to understand the seriousness of following Christ.
Putting Christ first in our lives doesn’t mean we love our family any less. It simply helps us get our priorities right. When Christ, who is love itself (1 John 4:8), is at the centre, our love for those around us grows stronger, freer, and more genuine. When we love family and friends without reference to God, our love can sometimes slip into possessiveness, control, or conditional affection. But when we place Christ first, our relationships are shaped by his example of self-giving love. That means we can love our friends, family and neighbours, not because of what they give us, or out of fear of losing them, but because they are children of God, made in God’s image.
Following Christ above all else doesn’t mean piling more church commitments onto an already busy life or neglecting those we love. Instead, it means letting the love of God shape everything we do and every relationship we have. When Jesus is our first love, then the way we care for our families, our friendships, our work, and even our church life, will all be transformed.
If we go back again to Deuteronomy and that hard challenge of choosing to follow God’s commandments, it is only by loving God above all else that we are able to keep those commands: to open our hands to the poor and needy and to treat foreigners with justice and compassion. No matter how much we want to, we can’t consistently do this on our own, but when our thoughts, words and actions are shaped by God’s love it becomes possible.
I suspect that this is why the first and greatest commandment Is to Love God with all our heart soul, mind and strength, because without that love it is not possible to follow any of the other commandments. Through his life, death and resurrection Jesus demonstrated how to love God, calling us today to follow his example, even when doing so may seem to go against the grain and puts us at odds with wider society.
When Christ is at the centre, love is reordered, strengthened, and freed to shine through every part of our lives. As we sing “Let Love Be Real,” may God’s love transform our hearts and guide our actions, so that we may embody the love we profess.
Song – StF 615 – Let Love be real in giving and receiving
Prayers of Intercession
Gracious God, you call us to follow you above all else.
Help us to put your love first in all that we think, say, and do.
We pray for your Church throughout the world, that it may be faithful in costly discipleship, courageous in witness, and generous in love.
Strengthen us to reflect your love and peace in every place.
We pray for our communities, our families, and our friends. May your love shape our relationships, healing what is broken, deepening what is good, and guiding us to love as you love.
Teach us to respond with compassion, patience, and understanding.
We pray for those who carry heavy burdens: for people weighed down by grief, loneliness, or anxiety; for those facing financial hardship, ill health, or broken relationships.
Bring comfort, peace, and hope to all who suffer.
We pray for our nation and communities, that we may resist the rise of narrow nationalism and stand firm against threats, intimidation, or violence by groups seeking to divide us.
Grant wisdom, courage, and a spirit of unity, that love and justice may prevail.
We pray for our world: for nations at war, for those suffering injustice, and for the care of creation. Give wisdom to leaders, courage to peacemakers, and resolve to all who work for justice.
Strengthen the hands of those who act for peace and the vulnerable in society.
We pray for ourselves, that we may be willing to put your love first in our lives. Strengthen us when the cost feels too great, remind us of your presence when the path is hard, and fill us with the joy of knowing that your love never fails.
Empower us to live boldly, to love courageously, and to follow Christ above all else.
We offer all our prayers, spoken and unspoken, in the name of Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Song – StF 545 – Be Thou my Vision
Having sung and prayed, rest in the presence of Christ at the centre of your life.
May His love continue to shape your heart, your relationships, and your day-to-day choices. May your love for family, friends, and neighbours grow deeper, freer, and more faithful, and may you carry the light of God’s love into every part of your life.
