Saint Paul writes that God “has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Redeemer, is King, and we are subjects of His kingdom. Yet Christ’s kingdom is unlike any earthly kingdom, for His rule is founded upon His willingness to give Himself for our sake—even to the very end. Christ possesses all authority in heaven and on earth, but He does not exercise that authority through coercion. Instead, He calls us and patiently waits for us. He calls us with His love and awaits our love in return.

If you were to ask people to name the most influential writers in human history, Saint Luke would probably not be among the first names that come to mind. Yet, alongside the other Evangelists and Saint Paul, he has had a greater impact on human civilization than most writers we readily think of as great and influential. And he was not only influential, but also a remarkable writer, as anyone who has read his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles can appreciate.

Saint Paul warns that spiritual ignorance is not merely a lack of knowledge but often results from hardness of heart and unwillingness to accept the truth. While ignorance that cannot reasonably be overcome excuses from personal sin, willful or negligent ignorance does not. Christians are called to seek the truth, especially concerning God's law and their moral responsibilities. Through Jesus Christ, who is the source of all truth, we receive forgiveness, enlightenment, and the grace to leave behind our former ways and walk in newness of life.

In today’s Collect, we ask the Lord to grant us grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow the one true God.

The temptations that bind us to this godless world—and threaten to destroy us with it—are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Those who surrender to them cannot fulfil the greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and our neighbour as ourselves.

In today’s Epistle, Saint Paul speaks of our vocation. God has called us out of darkness and given us new life and the hope of eternity in His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the grace bestowed upon us through faith and baptism, just as Our Lord Himself said before His Ascension: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

The Apostle therefore urges us to walk worthy of this vocation— “with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”