THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
28th August 2026
Greetings,
The late Summer Bank Holiday falls at a time when many minds are beginning to focus, perhaps reluctantly, on the return to established patterns of life. There is a whiff of nostalgia about it as we look back over a long, dry Summer mindful that Autumn is almost upon us. The Equinox is still three weeks away and we hope yet for summery days, but the contracting hours of daylight and the chill of morning and evening confirm the change of season. In my experience, at least no seasonal shift is quite as pronounced as this one. There are few regrets around the passing of Autumn, Winter or Spring, but the farewell to Summer carries with it an element of grief, a sense of the loss of something vital that can never quite be regained.
It is fitting that this Sunday's gospel (Matthew 16.21-end) marks a turning point in the narrative. Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem and reveals to his disciples the sobering truth of his destiny, to suffer and die at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes. The Galilean Summer was over and an Autumn chill filled the air. No doubt it intensified as Jesus told them that they too must deny themselves, take up the cross and follow him. Peter objected, but Jesus rebuked him sternly; Get thee behind me Satan. The cross had to be embraced as the way to life.
We pray regularly for our persecuted brothers and sisters in many parts of the world. Faithfulness to Christ in Iran (to take just one example) is costly indeed. It is far easier just to conform, but at what price? As Jesus said, for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Texts such as this send a chill Autumnal air through my soul. I wonder how I would respond in such circumstances. Yet, as things stand, we do not (thanks be to God) live in such circumstances. That day may yet come, and if it does, we can be sure that faithfulness to Christ will not be a matter of personal strength and conviction alone. It will be a gift of grace, and that means that our only preparation can be to live fully for Christ in all times and seasons. We must be joyful in the moment trusting God for the grace to live faithfully for Christ whether the challenges be small or great.
Blessings,
Charles Booth
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