THE PARISH CHURCHES of
NORTH MARSTON and GRANBOROUGH
SERMON FOR THIS WEEK
Sunday 27th September 2026
TRINITY 17
CREATIONTIDE 4
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit..."
Philippians 2:3
Service of the Word, 27th September 2026, 17th Sunday after Trinity
Season of creation 4
By Rev. Mark Payne
Reading
Philippians 2.1-13
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Talk
May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
We are nearing the end of the Season of Creation and our theme of streams of Living Water. We have already heard from Janet about God’s provision and how fortunate we are to have access to clean, readily accessible water. We have also heard from Peter about how we often exercise the power we have over the environment and resources such as water in a selfish and greedy way rather than meekly, with control, which is the way God would like us to be stewards of his wonderful creation. Both of these got me thinking about why we act as we do. Why do we find it so difficult to, as Paul puts it in today’s reading, “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit”?
One concept that the famed theologian Walter Bruggemann suggests, is that we need to change our mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance. This sounds like quite an abstract concept so let me try to put it into some sort of context that we can all relate to.
Throughout our lives we often strive to be more. To make more money, to get more food, to make sure that our families are well provided for, even when we are no longer with them. In itself, ambition is not a bad thing. Paul doesn’t say do not be ambitious he says do nothing out of “selfish ambition”. So, what tips ambition over the edge from something healthy to something selfish. Why, for example, do many countries struggle for clean water when the developed world has access to technology and resources that could help them?
One possible answer I would like to suggest is that we all live in a scarcity mindset. We think there isn’t enough to go around and so our instinct is to gather as much as we can and to horde it for ourselves before it runs out. This way of thinking is a big part of our consumer society. It feeds a drive to constantly accumulate so that we absolutely ensure that we are OK. Unfortunately, this is often at the expense of others. This mindset leads to some of the injustices that we see too much of in our world.
It is important to note however that the scarcity mindset is not always one we consciously choose. We often act out of selfish ambition because we think we have to. Think about the times when we have heard on the news that petrol is running low and the resulting queues at petrol stations, or the rush there was to horde toilet paper and other staples during COVID.
We are scared and our fear is only increasing as we start to feel the effects of global warming here. What was once a problem a long way away is starting to become a problem for us too as our summer temperatures rise and the weather patterns we have been used to for so long change.
I was struck by a conversation that the members of Crew, who meet in Granborough every week, had about the state of the environment. They were very clear in saying that they felt they were inheriting an environmental mess that we, their parents and grandparents, had caused. I wonder what our children would be saying now if we hadn’t acted with a mindset of scarcity?
But, how else could we have acted and how else could we act now? The alternative is to act with an attitude of abundance.
What does it mean to have this attitude? The change I am suggesting is not that we simply pretend that there is an abundance of everything. The reality is that that in a lot of cases resources are running low. We only have to look at all the hosepipe bans we have had this summer to realise that! Instead, I am suggesting that we try to change our attitude to what we do have. We treat it as an abundance and behave accordingly.
How can we do that? How can we make that change in our thinking? As always, we can turn to God.
Throughout the Bible, we hear about the abundance of God, freely given. From the wonders of the garden of Eden in Genesis to the pouring out of His love in the form of Jesus Christ, God is clearly out to give all He can! We live in this world of abundant grace, freely lavished on us by God.
Our first step to changing our thinking then, is to accept the abundance of God’s grace and his love for us. For me, this is the ultimate example of abundance that we can learn from. God’s love for all of us is infinite so there is no need to compete for it.
If we accept the abundance of God, then perhaps our thinking will change and some of the driving force that breeds injustice is removed. We can stop acting out of selfish ambition. We will start to “look not to our own interests but to the interests of others”. We can shift our thinking from one of “I must take so that I don’t lose out” to one of “there is enough for everyone through the grace of God who loves us all”.
This will not magically increase our resources but will change how we share them. And, if we all share, then perhaps we will realise that we there is enough to go around.
This change in mindset is not easy, nothing worthwhile ever is. We are caught up in our own fears and in the narrative of a world that would have us stay in a mindset of scarcity. But nothing is impossible with the help of God. As Paul, says “it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure”. I believe that the good pleasure of God is that all his beloved children should enjoy the fruits of his abundance, and that is my prayer for all of us today.
May we all know that abundance and embrace the change it brings.
Amen.
Intercessions for the Season of Creation
By Aly Perrett
Loving God, as we celebrate the Season of Creation, we thank you for the gift of water. No wonder you are known as the fountain of life and your spirit in us as a living stream. No wonder we are said to thirst for life, for love, for goodness, and for the sacred. No wonder we speak of you as our source. So we thank you for the gift of water, the water of life.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Loving God, we continue to pray for all those affected by the floods in Nepal and Tibet. Be near to those who mourn the loss of loved ones, and to all who still wait in uncertainty for news of family and friends. Grant courage and resilience to those facing uncertainty, and fearing the days ahead. We pray that you hold close those whose homes, livelihoods and communities have been swept away, and all who are shocked, displaced or afraid.
We pray that you strengthen agencies which are providing support to those affected by the floods: governments around the world, charities such as Water Aid, the emergency services, local communities, churches and all the many, many individuals who are offering care in the midst of the crisis. Give them all the endurance, resilience and compassion they need. We pray especially for those who sacrificially help others whilst also coping with their own losses.
Lord, as we witness the growing fragility of creation, renew our commitment to care for one another and to respect and protect the earth of which we are a part.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Loving Father, mindful of the summer of heatwaves and drought that has been endured across Europe and beyond, we pray for water for those who lack it. We ask for water for all people to drink and to use in their everyday lives. We pray for our farming community; for all who work so hard to produce our food and care for our precious land. Father, at this time of turbulence and change and with the long-term impact of severe weather there are some who are bewildered as they fear for their future. Guide all who farm to cherish your creation in their endeavour to produce healthy food. We pray for every farming family as they consider the options available; may each business discern the way forward to a viable and fulfilling future.
We pray for policy makers that they may bring clarity of policy and direction, enabling food security and ecological balance. We give thanks for all involved in the safe production and distribution of food and pray that all, including farmers and growers, receive a fair reward for their labour. Lord, we pray that all who consume their produce, including ourselves, may value and appreciate the sacredness of food and the effort and commitment involved in bringing it to our table.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, in a moment of quietness, we think of all those we know, in our families, our village, and beyond, who need your loving support at this time.
Loving father, you are the fountain of life and the giver of living water. When our souls feel dry, weary, or burdened, you are the only one who truly satisfies our thirst.
We pray that you refresh every dry place in our hearts today. Wash us clean, fill us with your Holy Spirit, and let your living water flow freely through us, so that our lives become wellsprings of our peace, joy, and love to those around us.
Merciful Father, Accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen