Good Shepherd Collective sings, ‘Help Me Jesus’.

Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

Romans 8:31-39

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;

we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In this section of St Paul’s letter to the Romans, we might feel moved by the passion in Paul’s description of the unshakable love that Jesus Christ has for us. These reassuring words were written for Christians living in a society of pagan worship and hostility.

‘Who will separate us from the love of Christ?’

Take a moment to ponder this question in your heart. Perhaps there are people who don’t understand your faith, who mock your beliefs, or maybe you live under threat for being a believer.

‘We are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ How has your faith in Christ been tested?

Imagine Paul saying the following words to you: ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ Can you let these words make a difference to you?

As you listen to the reading again, remember that Paul, who was no stranger to hardship, was imprisoned in Rome as he conveyed this message of God’s love through Jesus Christ to the Romans.

Romans 8:31-39

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;

we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As this time of prayer comes to an end, notice how it feels to know that we need never to be separated from Christ’s love...

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen