Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish. Today we have a Parish Eucharist at 11 am at St Thomas', with no service at St Agnes'.
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 "Longing for Light, we Wait in Darkness"
Today's Gospel
Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Reflection
Rather than look at the characters in this parable, including the lawyer, I want to focus on the Samaritan.
There are two key messages in this story; one about loving one another and the other about keeping the law. Jesus was the one who came to fulfil the law and the prophesies. Jesus is the one who demonstrated total obedience to the Father by taking on human form and living amongst sinners. As the Father loves us so did Jesus, showing his love for everyone, not just the Jews. He was obedient and loving, even to the extent that he was willing to be tortured like a criminal and die on the cross to redeem us – to rescue everyone who is willing to trust in him and repent.
Jesus is the Samaritan, and it us who are the injured person in need of help. We are all sinners at some point and it is the wounds of sin that need to be healed. Fortunately, like the Samaritan, Jesus is there for us – like the Samaritan who placed himself at risk and helped the wounded man at his own expense, Jesus in His love and obedience for us, was willing to rescue us at His own expense.
On the roadside, the Samaritan tended to the fallen with oil and wine. Similarly Jesus offers his body and his blood to save us. Next time you take Holy Communion, remember that in that sacrament he offers you that same love to sustain us and renew us until He comes again in glory. Paul
Our Prayers
Father God, we praise and thank you,
That when we sin and fall by the wayside,
you send your Son Jesus Christ to pick us up, heal our wounds and set us back on the path of righteousness.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Brother, Sister, Let me Serve you"
Notices
Revd John Faraday and his wife, Joan, have sent a message of thanks to all of us for our prayers, help and good wishes as they mourn the loss of their son, Alan. A memorial Service for Alan will be held at Saint Thomas Church, Church Street, Delph, Oldham at 11.00am next Wednesday, 16th July, and all will be welcome. If you would like to share in the service but will find it difficult to be there, there is a link available so that you could join remotely on Zoom (please use the contact form for details).
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Third 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 can find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "I, The Lord of Sea and Sky"
Today's Gospel
Luke 1-11, 16-20Jesus Sends Out the Seventy
The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'
"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Reflection
The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few.
At a time when the parish is still in vacancy with no immediate sign of a new vicar on the horizon, and no vicars in the neighbouring parishes in our Mission Community, you might argue that we are in the same position now.
Who is there to spread God’s word and the Good News of the Gospel?
The first two ‘Marks of Mission’ for the Church of England are:
-To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
-To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
Yet we have no Vicar! That gives rise to a number of questions:
1.How will the church manage its missional objectives then?
2.Who are the labourers that will do the missional outreach and spread the Gospel in and around Lees?
3.Who did Jesus send ahead of him to the places that he intended to go afterwards?
To answer each question in turn;
1.We are the people who are called to do mission in our community. The Marks of Mission are not guidelines for the clergy but for all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus.
2.We, are therefore Jesus’s modern day labourers.
3.Jesus sent out ‘seventy others’ ahead of him. We don’t know who they were, but they weren’t the 12 apostles and it wasn’t Jesus himself doing the legwork.
I am writing this sermon on Petertide, the weekend when new deacons and priests are ordained. They will all have undertaken rigorous theological training on subjects such as doctrine, church denominational history and spirituality to name but a handful of topics.
But that won’t prepare them to be able to answer every question anyone might ever ask about God. No matter how well prepared they might think they are – their knowledge will still be very limited.
Many of them will have put a ‘dog collar’ on for the first time and be wondering, “what on earth have I got myself into?” That feeling is often referred to as ‘imposter syndrome’, where they doubt themselves, and question their worthiness, their abilities, and even if they are good enough to be a minister of the church.
So when I say we are all called to be Jesus’ labourers and spread the missional good news of the Gospel, you might rightly ask, who am I to do that? I am just one of the ‘others’. One of the folk that sits in the pews and listens.
Like the ‘others’ in today’s reading from Luke, we don’t need to be experts to answer Jesus’s call. Jesus didn’t send the ‘others’ to theological college for years to study before he sent them out.
When you speak about Jesus, he will give you words – he doesn’t call the knowledgeable but he will equip those he calls with what you need to know. Indeed, as one of the others, the bar is set lower; people won’t be expecting a profound theological discussion from us. To be fair that’s probably the last thing most people want. When we talk about Jesus, it’s fine to talk from our heart about what He means to us.
Jesus didn’t identify people with gifts for mission - He gave his followers the gifts that they would need for the mission.
Then he sent them, knowing that they wouldn’t always be well received, and that some would be shunned. He sent them as lambs amongst the wolves. But all seventy returned with joy in their hearts. Jesus had given them the authority and equipped them with all they needed.
He will give that same authority and power to you as and when you need it. And when you are prepared to talk with love and confidence about your names too will be written in heaven.
Paul
Our Prayers
Father God,
We thank you that we have been blessed,
To receive the good news of the gospel
and the ministry of your Son Jesus Christ
who died for the forgiveness of our sins and conquered death.
We pray that we may never be afraid to confess that good news to others
and that by the power of the Holy Spirit,
we may live and work to your praise and glory
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Lord, The Light of Your Love is Shining (Shine, Jesus, Shine)"
Notices
Next Sunday we have a Parish Eucharist at 11.00 am at St Thomas', and no service at St Agnes'.
For all of the upcoming services and events in Leesfield Parish, please click on the 'Calendar' tab in the page header.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in leesfield Parish on the Second 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 "Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer"
Today's Gospel
Luke 9:51-62Following Jesus
When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Reflection
People sometimes refer to this extract as ‘The cost of following Jesus’.
I see it more as the problem of procrastination. How do we avoid getting distracted in life and putting off doing the things that we ought to do?
Sometimes we can’t help ourselves, especially if it’s doing something we don’t particularly want to do or are not really interested in. Maybe it’s cleaning the garage out, or weeding the patio or repairing that squeaky door that’s been annoying everybody for months.
There are some things that have to be done at a certain time, such as getting up and going to work, or going to a meeting – so they’re ‘no brainers’.
Then there are some things we really want to make sure we do because we enjoy them; maybe going out with a friend for drink or a meal.
Sometimes, I struggle to get around to writing this reflection – I know it has to be done by Saturday and I always intend to get it done well before then, but here I am on Saturday evening wondering how late it will be before I get it completed.
I always intend to get it done, but then things get in the way – life gets in the way.
But this message is not just about prioritising our time – it’s about following Jesus to Jerusalem.
Luke uses the words, ‘Jesus face was set toward Jerusalem’. This recognises the turning point where the direction of Jesus’ life doesn’t just become a journey toward the city of Jerusalem, it’s the start of his journey towards the Cross. A journey of unwavering obedience and sacrifice in order to save us all.
A journey of absolute commitment and determination exemplifying the courage and relentless faith needed to follow God’s calling.
So when we Jesus asks us to follow him, he is asking us to follow in the example he has set us and taught us through his ministry.
It’s a lot more than tweaking our priorities to spend a little more time praying each day or making sure we arrive at church on time on a Sunday morning.
It’s about following his example and doing the things he has shown us make to make that path to follow him, a straight path.
The path to follow Jesus is about loving your neighbour and entertaining strangers. It’s about forgiving people and looking after the poor, sick and vulnerable without hesitation. And more.
That’s where we come to the hard bit. The bit where we say yes of course I want to follow Jesus but just before I do…… ‘ I need to’ plough the field or say goodbye to my family.
Just like in the Luke’s story we say we want to follow Jesus but then start to think of reasons to delay. That’s the point where we procrastinate and say to ourselves, ‘I just need to …..’
For example, we know I should give money to the beggar – before I do ‘I need to’ be sure she isn’t a drug addict or an alcoholic.
I know I should forgive the other person but – ‘I need to’ know they have said sorry first.
I know I should give to charities and good causes, but ‘I need to know’ that all of the money will go the people we are giving to.
I’m not saying any of this is easy – it is to some extent human nature, because we have heard tales which cast doubt and affect our judgement.
But Jesus’ example is one of unconditional and steadfast commitment to everyone he met and also to us.
He never hesitated to heal the sick or lame. He doesn’t set limitations or pre-conditions and he doesn’t worry about who we are; what race, colour, creed, or sexual identity we assign ourselves. He doesn’t even mind what religion we are – he is there for everyone.
It’s hard in our crazy modern society with wild opinions all over social media and mainstream media, intent of causing prejudice, but when we see people in need, let’s just think before we press pause and say to ourselves… ‘ I just need to’. Let’s take a leaf out of Jesus’ book and do what we know he wants us to do - however uncomfortable or uneasy we feel. Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty and everlasting Father,
You pour out your endless love upon us.
Your Son Jesus Christ
showed us how to love one another
and the path to righteousness.
Help us to follow in his tracks
That we may show that same unconditional love
without hesitation,
to those who need our help.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Will you come and Follow Me"
