Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixth 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 "As the Deer Pants for the Water"
Today's Gospel
Luke 12:13-21The Parable of the Rich Fool
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'
Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Reflection
I was recently studying the life of William Temple who was former Bishop of Manchester before being appointed as Archbishop of York in 1929 and Archbishop of Canterbury in 1942. He was the only Archbishop to be the son of a former Archbishop.
It is fair to say that he came from a very privileged background and went to private school and Oxford. Nonetheless, his time as Bishop of Manchester had a very profound and lasting impact on him. Temple travelled across the industrial towns of Lancashire and witnessed the acute hardship and harsh conditions faced by the majority of people. Those working in the mills, mines and other industry who had to endure harsh regimes and poverty, whilst those unemployed had no health care provisions or security.
This was during the period between the two World Wars and during the Great Depression. Temple was profoundly struck by the unfairness of a society where the rich got increasingly richer and richer at the expense of the poor.
As a result, he published a famous book called Christianity and Social Order which, among other things, challenged the role that the Church of England had to play in influencing Government and reshaping society to make it fairer for everyone.
In researching his publication he worked alongside many learned economic scholars and politicians such as John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge and at the end of his book he outlined in detail his ‘Suggested Programme’ which was effectively the blueprint for the introduction of the Welfare State. This included Family Allowance for each child after the first two, education for all up to the age of 18, two days per week rest, paid annual holidays, fair wages to support a family of four, decent housing built near to where people worked and free school meals and milk. This was implemented by a new Labour Government in 1945 after the end of the war.
How does this relate to today’s reading? Essentially, it provides a living example of how we should look after one another and how we need to focus not on material things as the be all and end all. I am not suggesting that wanting to be successful and making a better life for ourselves is necessarily a bad thing - but when it becomes the main focus for our lives and when we ignore the suffering of those around us because we are oblivious them, then we are on a road to our own ruin. When we become so attached to what more we can get, that is purely and simply greed.
When we fail to acknowledge that God has given us plenty and do not look at the misfortune and suffering of others then that too is greed. William Temple had experienced privilege but when he saw impoverishment around him, his first reaction was to use what God had given him to make a difference to others.
In the parable of the farmer he has also been very fortunate and he has such an abundance but all he can think about is how he can preserve it in bigger barns and keep everything for himself. How he can ensure that he has a safe and indulgent retirement.
His only thoughts are for himself and he is trapped in his own success. He has not even contemplated how he can use what God has provided for anyone else. I was struck by something an older person said to me this week when I was in his garden. We were looking at a profusion of fruit on his trees and he said, “there’s far too much for me and my wife – we’re going to bag most of it up and give it to local charities and hospices.”
It never crossed his mind that he could have sold some of it or frozen it; as far as he was concerned there was more than enough for himself and his first thought was to share it those who need it most. To hold on to everything would have been selfish greed.
On the other hand, the foolish farmer can only think about himself. But that’s the issue with wealth and greed, it can narrow our perspective and we fail to see the challenges and needs of others. Instead of giving thanks to God for what he had and thinking how he might show his gratitude, he can only think about himself. It doesn’t occur to him how he might ask the Holy Spirit to guide him as to how he can use his excess to build God’s kingdom.
As Jesus says above, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." We need to remember that all we have comes by the grace of God, and we should be generous in our giving and be rich towards Him by blessing others as God has blessed us. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for all we have.
For life, health, our homes and wealth.
As we look upon the pain and suffering in the world,
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixth 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 "Thou Whose Almighty Word"
Today's Gospel
Luke 11:1-13Teaching about Prayer
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial."
And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Reflection
Last week I mentioned how important it can be to set aside some time on a regular basis and talk to God in stillness, as if sitting outside your own metaphorical tent like Abraham. [Gen. 18:1].
As we witness the disciples who have been observing Jesus praying, I wonder what was going through their minds as they watched Him? We know that Jesus prayed constantly, sometimes with others, and on many occasions He would go off on His own into hills or into the wilderness. Perhaps as they watched Jesus, they were in awe of His relationship with God the Father, and the sense of devotion and persistence in His prayer life.
They can obviously, sense the power of prayer that emanates from Jesus’ interaction with God and they ask, "Lord, teach us to pray." It is worth noting that they asked, ‘teach us to pray’ and not ‘how to pray’.
At first glance it might not seem that there is much difference but when we take the whole excerpt into account perhaps we may discern the subtleness of the wording.
Jesus starts by telling them the words of the Lord’s prayer which we say every day. But interestingly, the version we see here is slightly different from what we read in Matthew 6:9-13, when Jesus was telling people not to pray in public and not to babble on endlessly. Perhaps it was that Matthew remembered the wording differently to Luke's sources, or perhaps Jesus is showing us that we don’t have to be absolutely prescriptive in saying the words exactly the same every time. Praying is more than just a repetitive ritual repeated by rote. That is not to say that I am suggesting the words of the Lord’s prayer are not important, but praying is more than saying the same things over and over again – it’s about talking with God just as Jesus did.
It's also about understanding that God is always listening, and most importantly, He is ‘our’ Father. Whilst God is occasionally referred to as Father of creation, or Father of the nation Isreal in the Old Testament, Jesus was the first person to refer to God as ‘Our Father’ - Father of each of us individually.
In teaching the disciples to pray, Jesus is showing them how to build a personal relationship with God, our Holy and loving Father.
I will not dissect the whole of the Lord’s Prayer as I have done before – rather it’s worth looking at the parables Jesus tells the disciples to give them insight into praying. The story about the man shamelessly knocking his friend up in the middle of the night is about persistence. It’s also about the honour of the man in the house. In those days the whole family would live in one room and so to help his friend the whole house would be woken up – however it was the Jewish custom to provide hospitality to those in need. Jesus is implying that if providing for one another as humans is important, how much more so will it be with God who wants to give us what is good and life-giving.
In the second parable, we are invited to pray continuously – it’s not just about asking God for everything we want and asking to fix the world, it’s about being true in our convictions. This parable can sometimes feel really hard to come to terms with, especially if we keep asking God for something and our prayer doesn’t seem to be answered or it’s not answered in the way we might have wanted.
Perhaps rather then God ignoring us, it’s us who are not praying for the right thing, or maybe God is doing what is right for us but we can’t recognise it. It’s not about God’s wish to give us what He knows we need, it’s about our human inability to receive what He gives. It’s about recognising and trusting in God’s will being done. In teaching us to pray, Jesus is showing us how to build a relationship with God so we might understand his will. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving God,
As your Son, Jesus, showed us,
We pray for a deeper and more loving relationship with you.
Guide our hearts and minds to trust in your will,
and in your loving purpose for us.
Help us to see the blessings in all you do,
even when it is difficult for us to understand,
and remember that when we search, we will find you.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "Father, Hear the Prayer we Offer"
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fifth 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 "Lord, for the Years"
Today's Bible Reading
Genesis 18:1-15 The Three Visitors
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, "My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on-- since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son."
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Reflection
Imagine you’ve just spent the last hour or so having a nice soaking bath and getting all dressed up ready to go for a meal out and then the phone rings – it’s your partner who sheepishly and apologetically says, “I’m really sorry but something important has come up at work and I have to work late. I’ll make it up to you and we can go out next week instead.”
How do you feel? Let down, disappointed even angry. A promise has been broken – even though it might seem like a genuine reason. It’s not a nice feeling especially when it’s something you’ve been looking forward to. Perhaps you’ll think twice about the promise to go out next week.
In the verses that precede todays passage [Gen. 17:16-22], God promises Abraham that He will bless Sarah and give him a son by her. In this next encounter, the Lord repeats this promise. Sarah’s reaction on hearing this is much the same as Abraham’s first reaction - “Yeah right – of course I’m going to have a son at my age”.
We should remember that at this time, Abraham was a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety years old and long past the menopause, so I guess we shouldn’t be too quick to condemn their doubt. So God has repeated the promise to both of them – he is reassuring them and feeding their faith.
God is greater than their doubts, He is greater than all our doubts, and instead of rebuking Sarah, He is reassuring her. ‘Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself’ [2 Timothy 2:13].
And of course God keeps his promise because He always does – He is never going to say, I’m sorry but I’m a bit busy at the moment or something else has cropped up.
Despite how incredible the promise seems, God makes it happen. What’s more incredible is that the baby is not conceived through some spiritual miracle, Isaac is conceived through natural means and the relationship between Abraham and Sarah. Sarah’s physical body is regenerated to make this happen as promised.
God knew that having a baby together was something that Sarah and Abraham had wanted all their lives, and even though Abraham recognised the Lord he still struggled to believe it was possible. The same can be true for us, as we look at the world today and see the suffering, wars, exploitation and inequalities, it’s hard to imagine how the world can ever be right again. But we have to have faith and trust in God. For with God, nothing is impossible.
In the same way that God regenerated Sarah’s body, He can regenerate us and the world. Jesus promised us that when we believe and trust in Him we will have a place by His side in heaven.
Sometimes we just need to set aside our inner doubts and find some space to sit and talk with God and also listen to Him. Like Abraham, sitting quietly outside his tent, we should find some time to reflect in the stillness. God doesn’t make Himself known in the thunder or an earthquake but in the stillness of our lives.
Sarah laughed inwardly with disbelief, she didn’t scoff out loud, but God still heard her.
God hears our silent thoughts too, but He is forgiving and full of grace and will never break His promises to us even if we occasionally have doubts.
Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty God,
We thank you for your abundant grace and love for us.
We pray that though your Word,
we will be strengthened in faith,
and trust in your power to heal and save.
Father God, we pray for an end to the atrocities we see in the news,
