St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh

Midweek Devotion 8th June 2023

Led by Rev Calum I MacLeod

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Let us worship God

The lesson is 1 Timothy 3: 14 - 4: 5

14I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.

1Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; 5for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.

The word of the Lord; thanks be to God

Reflection

There is a strain of spirituality present in some Christian theology which sees the created world as being hopelessly broken, fallen and inherently bad. Purveyors of such beliefs spend their time lamenting this state of affairs and warning people about the dangers lurking around the corner.

It is to challenge such a group of people that 1 Timothy was written. Addressed to an early Christian leader identified as Timothy, the writer quickly warns Timothy to beware false teachers. We learn from our text today what the false teaching is. “Don’t get married” say the false teachers. “Don’t eat certain foods” they warn, wailing over the world.

The writer counters this argument with a clarity rooted in scripture:

For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected (4: 4)

We are reminded of the first chapter of Genesis and the account of creation in seven days with the refrain:

And God saw that it was good.

This then is the true teaching the early church should follow as indeed should we.

The goodness of God’s creation is an important strand in contemporary theology, and it contains a challenge as to how we steward that creation in our use of resources.

The old Yoruba prayer:

Enjoy the earth gently.

Amen

Let us pray.

What is wrong you forgive

and the new life you live

is what’s turning

the world upside down.

Inspire us to live compassion in the face of meekness,

wholeness in the place of suffering,

life in the face of bereavement,

love in the face of fear.

O Lord hear our prayers for ourselves and others as we join together in the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father,

which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us 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,

the power and the glory

for ever and ever, Amen.

The Benediction

Be of good courage, render no-one evil for evil,

but hold fast to the good; honour all of God’s people,

and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the Communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you

and all whom you love

this day and for ever.

Organ Music

J.S.Bach Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten BWV 647