Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, our Harvest Festival. Today we have just one service in the parish, at 11 am at St Thomas' Church, followed by a Bring and Share Lunch, to which everyone is invited.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Now Thank we all our God"
Today's Bible Reading
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 First Fruits and Tithes
When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the first fruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket.
Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.
But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labour. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
Reflection
Today we celebrate harvest festival. Some people believe that Harvest Thanksgiving originates from pagan times and the druids who worshipped the sun and moon and seasons of the year. But in this excerpt from the Bible we can clearly see that it is God’s desire for us to show thanks.
The passage selected comes from the Book of Deuteronomy which means repeated or second law. It is the fifth book of the Bible and essentially, it is a recap of the first four chapters from Genesis through to the Book of Numbers and tells the early story of God’s people and also God’s guidance and laws that we are to follow.
Verses 5 to 11 very briefly tells of the people of Israel in the Book of Exodus. The story of the descendants of Abraham who were forced to move to Egypt because of a famine in their own land. It tells how, when they got there, they flourished and thrived as immigrants and became a great nation of people. So much so that the Egyptians feared them and forced them into slavery. Then God heard their cry for mercy and rescued them, sending Moses to lead them to the Promised Land of milk and honey.
The passage is prophetic, because it is telling the Israelites how they are to behave in the Promised Land before they actually get there. They are still in the desert and have been wandering for many years, but are now on the verge of entering and conquering Canaan.
They are being told in advance how, once they have settled, they are to remember their journey as God’s people and all that He has done for them over generations. You could say that are being given the draft version of the first Harvest Festival Service. They are shown how to be thankful for all of God’s creation and what God continues to do. They are also told that they have to give something back. In the verse that follows this passage they are told to give a tenth (tithe) of the harvest to the orphans, widows and aliens.
In our celebrations we focus on food and provisions and quite rightly we make donations that will be given to the local foodbank or other good causes to help the less fortunate. But we perhaps miss the underlying message in this text about liberty and freedom.
The Israelites first went to Egypt in search of food during a famine. In today’s world some might refer to them as economic migrants. They were fleeing from poverty and starvation looking for somewhere to find a better way of life.
In our world today we see people doing just the same. They are driven to leave their homes by starvation and poverty. Lands where drought and famine are still prevalent and diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths because of lack of money to pay for medical support. People risk their own and their families’ lives to get a better standard of living.
We need to be grateful to God by sharing and giving to international agencies trying to help. And when people immigrate to our country we need to treat them with the respect they deserve. We should show our gratitude for all God provides by welcoming those who want to make their lives better amongst us. “…… foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household”
Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father,
We give you thanks for goodness and love.
We pray for those across the world who are in poverty;
For people who are desperate for food and water.
For people whose land is unable to support crops
And where animals cannot graze.
Help us to hold out the hand of friendship and give more than we do at the moment.
Help us to show our gratitude for what we have by helping those who have less.
Amen
This week our prayers are especially with all those affected by the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. For the victims, those bereaved & injured, the community, and for all who are working for peace and standing against everything that seeks to divide.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.
If you are unable to attend our services in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "From Heaven You Came, Helpless Babe"
Today's Gospel
Luke 16:19-31The Rich Man and Lazarus
Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
Reflection
Today is ‘Back to church Sunday’.
A day when people have been encouraged to bring someone along to church who may not have been to church for a while or maybe even years. Perhaps even to encourage someone to come to church for the very first time.
As I was looking at various materials in preparation for this sermon, I came across an article that made me really sit up and think about why we come to church. Why do we bother?
It was a story about a region in a part of the world where people are persecuted for being a Christian. It’s a place where expressing your Christian faith would mean that your family would disown you. You would be shunned by others in the community or locked up. In some cases you could even be killed.
And there was an image of a man who had had both his legs amputated and he was sitting on the hot sandy ground. “The article described how it was an image of the man on his way to church. And how it takes him many hours to get there as he sits on the sand and pushes with the stumps of his legs, making it a foot or so at a time, repeating the process over and over until he gets there.” It was a story of faith and determination. Of courage and resilience in the face of adversity and prejudice.
Whether you’ve already decided to follow Jesus or are still uncertain, you may still be wondering – ‘what is church all about?’
Let’s start by debunking a myth. ‘All people that go to church know loads about God and Jesus and read the Bible all the time.’ When we come to church, we might like to think that people who’ve been coming for any length of time, will have mastered the mysteries of God and the Bible. We might expect that folk who come regularly will be able to show us how easy it can be love one another just as Jesus did - and have all the answers to our struggles in life and faith. We might expect that everyone is fully committed to living a fully Christan life. The reality is that the local church can be complicated, and include people who are hard to like or seem unlovable. But we are all God’s family. When we come to church, we are saying that we are coming together to be part of the Body of Christ.
The church is God’s gift to us because he loves us so much. God wants us love Him back - and when we come to His church, we are doing just that. Jesus went to church and regularly attended and preached in the synagogues. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:18 - Christ has set Himself as the head of the church. If we love Jesus, shouldn’t we want to be where He is?
When we come to church we can’t help but absorb the power of God’s love – it seeps into us and we unconsciously soak it up like a sponge. Whether we like it or not, we become better people – we begin to think like Jesus did, to show more respect for one another. Unlike the rich man in today’s Gospel, we have another opportunity to reflect on God’s word and live more righteous lives.
But here’s an interesting thought! Have you ever considered that coming to church may be good for your physical well-being and health as well as your spiritual health?
Studies have shown that church-goers have healthier lives. When we embrace Jesus and have faith in God we can feel less anxious and worried. That’s not to say we expect God to wave a magic wand and cure us of all our ills, but when we focus on Jesus and pray to God we have hope. When we feel His love surrounding us we have comfort and feel less stressed.
Many people experience positive effects from companionship – finding friendship and joy as we unite in the Body of Christ. Church can be good for our health because it gives us an opportunity to share life’s ups and downs with one another, to feel good and share in other people’s joy and to encourage and support those who need our help and prayers.
Finally we come to church to worship and give thanks to God for all He does for us - as Isaiah says, (Isaiah 41:21) we were made to worship.
We come to pray and sing and be near to God. We come to learn more about God because the more we know about Him the more we love Him and can be like Him.
We come because we want to be part of the living, breathing body of Christ who sacrificed everything so that we might find eternal life through Him.
Paul
Our Prayers
Lord, we give you thanks for all who do the work of your church, here and around the world.
We give thanks for those who have inspired and encouraged us, and pray that we may in turn encourage other in discipleship.
Lord, on this Back to Church Sunday, we pray for all who have worshipped in our churches in the past, and who are no longer able to join us.
Help us to share your love across our parish and beyond.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "O Jesus I Have Promised"
Notices
Next Sunday is our Parish Harvest Festival, and we will have just one service in the parish, 11.00 am at St Thomas'. Please see the poster below for details.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home,
Our first hymn this morning is "New Every Morning is the Love"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 9:9–13The Calling of Matthew
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
Reflection
This week we celebrate Saint Matthew the Evangelist, so called because he wrote the Gospel according to Matthew.
As I initially thought about Matthew I realised that I didn’t know an awful lot about him.
Matthew obviously had a prominent role to play in writing his version of the Gospel but apart from that there is very little written about him. The other Gospels of Mark, Luke and John only briefly mention him and in two of the Gospels he is referred to as Levi. In the book of Acts Matthew is mentioned in passing as one of the disciples. In fact there are only seven mentions of Matthew in the entire bible and four of these are the parallel accounts of Jesus calling him in the other versions of the Gospel.
But his calling is of great significance. One of the few facts we know is that Matthew was a tax collector. As I’ve mentioned many times before, tax collectors for the Romans Empire were reviled and despised by everyone. They were considered to be the epitome of the concept of sin; they were traitors to the rest of the Jews, as well as crooks and swindlers.
What is also of note is the how Matthew responds to Jesus’ call to follow Him…. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. [Matt. 9:9]
What I find astounding is the fact that Matthew seems to drop everything and follow. He doesn’t know who Jesus is and has never met Him before. And yet without hesitation or a second thought, Matthew simply gets up and leaves everything behind including a booth full of money.
In an instant, Matthew’s life would be changed radically and in just one verse of the Bible we witness this massive transformation.
I wonder what was going through Matthew’s mind. Perhaps deep down he was unhappy with his life. Maybe deep down he was ashamed and disgusted with what he had become and even despised himself for cheating and taking advantage of his fellow Jews. Did he regret getting rich at the cost of exploiting the poor?
I like to believe that he immediately recognised that Jesus had the power to transform him and make him worthy. He was able to see that Jesus could remove the hollowness of who he was as he chose to walk a path of obedience as a disciple.
We simply don’t know Matthew’s motivation for making this life changing decision – but I am confident that the Holy Spirit has the power to transform each of us - to change our lives for the better and to change who we are deep down.
When we spend more time in prayer and follow Jesus, he will enrich our lives and we will be blessed by God.
When we read about the calling of St. Matthew we are experiencing one of Jesus’ most powerful examples of the forgiveness of God. Matthew was so full of sin but Jesus showed him love and knew his willingness to change. He accepted Matthew for who he was and who he was capable of becoming.
We too are capable of great good and leading good lives. God loves us and sees the potential in every one of us, and because He loves us so much, He wants us to be the best we can be. God wants us to repent of our sins and follow Jesus.
In his own words Matthew is telling us that we can also respond to the call of Jesus, by being obedient to God and merciful to one another. By showing mercy to each other, we can put our sins behind us and play our part in building God’s kingdom right here in our own community.
When we set out to follow Jesus we need to do so without doubt or reservation, because Jesus is telling us that He comes to save us, He invites us to follow Him, because He welcomes sinners and wants us to be restored. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father
We thank you that Jesus shows us the way.
That He is always there for us,
teaching us how to live righteous lives.
We pray that we will put our lives in His hands,
So we may be healed and changed by Him.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "When I Needed a Neighbour"
Notices
We have a really busy week this week in Leesfield Parish - please see the posters below
