Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Nineteenth 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 "Beauty for Brokenness"
Today's Gospel
Luke 18: 9 -14 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."
Reflection
Reading today’s parable, I was reminded about a TV comedy sketch from the 1966 satirical programme the Frost Report – it starred John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett and parodied the social class system of the era.
John Cleese was an upper class city gentleman, Ronnie Barker a middle class, management worker and Ronnie Corbett a working class labourer. The sketch is about relative superiority and inferiority of the socio economic status of the three people and is reinforced visually, by the difference in physical height of the 3 actors and the clothes they are dressed in. It shows the absurdity of how people of different standing either look down on people or look up to each other depending on wealth and upbringing. (If you’ve never seen it, I’ve included a link at the end of the reflection).
In today’s parable, Jesus similarly juxtaposes two extreme examples to make his point about how we see ourselves and how we should approach God in prayer.
If we look at the pompous, self-centred Pharisee, we see a person who is pretentious and self-important. A person who thinks he is better than most and looks down his nose at other people. Even in the Temple whilst praying he feels the need to ‘grandstand’ and show off how much better he thinks he is. We picture him standing by himself at the front in prominent sight of everyone else – it’s almost like he’s trying to get to front of the queue. Does he mistakenly think that God will see and hear him ahead of everyone else?
He is trying to impress everyone and show that he is more important than he actually is.
We see his arrogance compounded when we look at his words of prayer. He starts by trying to prove to God and those around him how much more righteous he is than other people, especially the tax collector. (Tax collectors were despised by most people as cheats and collaborators with the Roman Empire.) He is trying to shift the focus to others and at the same time totally ignoring his own sins. His sins of greed, and selfishness, the ways the Pharisees invented new laws to make life harder for people, and the way they also took money off the poor. Instead he is shining the spotlight on everyone else in the mistaken belief that his sins are not as bad. But all sins are wrong and we need to own up to them and repent. By not asking for forgiveness he is missing the opportunity to ask for God’s grace.
In his arrogance he fails to see the need to ask God for what he really needs - He does not recognise that his sins are taking him away from God.
In contrast, the tax collector is acutely aware of his shortcomings. Even the manner in which he approaches God with humility and deference says much about his demeanour and his respect for God. He is addressing God in a humble manner – When we pray we should remember that ‘The Lord lifts up the humble’. [Psalm 147:6].
The tax collector focusses his prayers on what he needs and is asking for what is truly important in his life – God’s mercy. He says a version of what is now known by many as the Jesus prayer - `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' [Luke 18:13].
He does not try to judge or blame others or pretend that he is better than he is. He tells God about the burden of shame he is bearing because of his sins. We do not know why he was a tax collector, maybe it was the only way that he could support his family – but he is clearly troubled and sorry about his ways and he knows that he needs to turn to God and ask for His grace. His conversation with God is full of genuine contrition, sorrow and repentance.
We too need to have that same approach – we may do lots of good things in our lives but we are also sinners. It’s no good trying to pull the wool over His eyes, because God knows what is truly on our mind and more importantly what is in our hearts. So when we pray, we should do so with a contrite heart and humility, and not be afraid to admit where we have let ourselves and God down. We should recognise that we need to ask God for the greatest gift he has for us – His mercy. Paul
Guide us by your Spirit, to examine our deeds and thoughts and admit our failings.
Give us a humble and contrite heart,
That we may come to you in humility,
And ask for your mercy.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Thou Whose Almighty Word"
Notices
Everyone is most welcome to join us for our service for All Souls next week. If there is anyone you would like us to pray for by name, please let us know.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Eighteenth 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 "Jesus, Stand Among Us"
Today's Gospel
Luke 18:1- 8 The Parable of the Persistent Widow
Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, `Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, `Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Reflection
In the last 2 chapters of Luke he has shown us how Jesus stresses the need for faith – faith in God the Father.
Putting it simply, there are three key points to this parable -
1)Take your concerns to God
2)Be persistent
3)Don’t be discouraged.
As we go through the trials and troubles of daily life, we will all face adversity and sometimes, it’s fair to say, we may be at a loss to see how things will change or be made right.
We may see this at a personal level or at a national or international level. My wife often tells me I’m turning into a “grumpy old man” (not so sure about the old bit!), when I grumble out loud at the news which seems to show a constant stream of stories about unjust wars, corruption and endless abuse of power. I grumble about injustice and people being treated unfairly or exploited.
In Jesus’ parable of the unjust Judge we see many of these things exposed. The Judge is clearly out of line and the Hebrew people at the time would have rightly been shocked by the parody that Jesus outlines. A couple of weeks ago I wrote how Hebrew law repeatedly states that the Israelites should look after the orphans and widows. They were considered to be the most vulnerable in society because they were destitute and had no one to stand up for them - so when the Judge ignores the widow’s request for help he is clearly going against expectations and religious teachings of the day.
Jesus gives no reason as to why the judge behaved so unfairly, so we might assume he was probably being selfish because the widow had nothing to give him for his services. But the widow refuses to give in and in the end the recalcitrant judge gives in.
Reading this translation it almost gives the impression that he did so because the persistent widow ground his will down and he just wanted to get her off his back.
However, in the original Greek version we learn that the widow was so persistent she eventually threated to resort to violence and give the judge a black eye to expose his unjustness. The judge would no doubt suffer deep embarrassment, so he gives in and does the right thing to save face, both physically and metaphorically. The widow was indeed very persistent and was rewarded for her resilience.
You may wonder why Jesus needs to tell His disciples this, and to understand this it is useful to look at the end of the previous chapter. In Luke 17:22-25 Jesus tells them quite bluntly about the suffering and rejection He will soon face. He also tells them how, at the end of times, He will return to judge the living and the dead. He is describing the ’Coming of God’s kingdom’, a time when ultimately all will be judged when the Son of Man returns.
Jesus knows that they too will face persecution and suffer in His name. So he wants to reassure them that when they pray to God persistently and trust in Him, their prayers will be answered. It is a message of hope and faith that He will make all things right when he makes all things new and He will wipe every tear from the eye of the suffering,
For me, this the heart of faith, that we pray and share our concerns with God, trusting that He will always hear us and respond in the way that He sees best for us. And when I might be in a ‘grumpy’ mode listening to the news, I am also praying to God that things will change. When I see or hear about people’s worries and ailments and concerns, I am compelled to pray for them time and again.
We may at times feel a little frustrated when things don’t seem to change in the world or when our requests aren’t answered immediately - but then Jesus reminds us to not to lose heart. The last thing we should do is be disheartened or discouraged, because God hears all our prayers and will answer them when the time is right in the way that is right. We should never give up on God because He will never give up on us.
He never gives up on us, even when we have broken our promises. God listened to His people when they cried out because they were enslaved by the Egyptians. He listened to their cries when they were thirsty and hungry in the wilderness. Even when they broke their covenant with Him and were exiled, He listened to their cries and rescued them. We should all have faith that when we pray to Him, He is listening and he will be there to help when the time is right. And unlike the judge in the parable, He will not do it grudgingly - when God does respond He will do so willingly because He loves us. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We thank you that you are always there,
Listening to our prayers and concerns.
We know that you know what is best for us. Help us to be persistent but also patient,
Give us hope and confidence that you will always respond as and when it is right,
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.00 am 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 Gospel
Luke 17:11-19 Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.
Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.
Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Reflection
Unfortunately, we missed the normal lectionary reading last week as we celebrated our Harvest Festival. The Gospel reading was all about faith, and there is strong element about faith in our Gospel passage today as well as gratitude and thankfulness.
It’s maybe hard to grasp the enormity of what Jesus did without understanding the impact of Leprosy on the people at the time. It was truly awful and devastating.
People’s skin would go snow white and flake away. Fingers and limbs would lose feeling and literally rot away and eventually fall off. Sufferers would be covered in sores all over their body. The outcome was always death although the sufferers may well live for twenty years or more. They would also be repulsive because the smell of their flesh condition. On top of that there was the emotional and psychological suffering – the stigma of having to leave their family and friends, being social outcasts and having to shout to everyone and warn them not to come too close because they were unclean.
Leprosy was a death sentence and it was the priest’s duty to examine people with any kind of skin infection, and if they suspected leprosy they were to declare them unclean and cast them out of the camp. [Leviticus 13:45-46]. It was also the priest’s job to examine those deemed to be cured and perform rituals on them before they could be declared clean and readmitted to society. This was why Jesus instructed the ten to show themselves to the priest.
The reality however was that no one was ever cured from the disease, although there could have been instances where a person had been mis-diagnosed and subsequently recovered from some other kind of skin infection. Bear in mind, 2000 years ago medical knowledge was virtually non-existent and fear of leprosy probably led priests to err on the safe side and cast out people when they were unsure what was wrong.
It is unclear from the reading what the ten lepers expected. We are merely told that they asked Jesus to have mercy on them. Were they expecting pity, food, clothes or money? They would probably have heard of the many rumours of Jesus’ kindness as His reputation grew in the region. But it is unlikely they expected to be cured. No one was ever cured of leprosy at that time.
But nevertheless, they did what Jesus told them to do. They set off to see the priest. They couldn’t have had any idea what would happen. They had not been miraculously cured on the spot. They would have still been in pain with all the other awful symptoms described above. The journey would probably have taken quite a while, let’s not forget they were crippled – but still they set off. They had some sort of belief that Jesus was going to make something extraordinary happen, but surely no reason to think they would be miraculously healed; that their damaged body parts would be restored and their skin made like new. But still they set off with belief in Jesus. They had faith. At the depths of their despair they had faith and did what Jesus asked.
Here’s the point. If they hadn’t trusted Jesus and set off in pain and agony. They wouldn’t have been healed. If they’d looked at each other and said, nothing’s changed we’re as ill now as we were before we met Jesus, so why bother? - they wouldn’t have been healed.
Like the woman who was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak, faith came before the miracle.
There are always times in our lives where things don’t go as we want. Illness, bereavement, losing a job, financial stress. But in the midst of all our turmoil and issues, God is still present and still loves us. When we can’t see the way out of difficulties, we need to have faith that God has still ‘got our back’. Because nothing pleases God more than when we have faith in Him.
It is not for us to bargain with God or put conditions on our faith by asking Him to fix these issues in my life and I’ll pray more often or go to church more. Or, make my worries go away and I’ll do more to help others. Having faith is about understanding that when we trust in God and obey His will – He will always make things work out according to His plan, not ours. We cannot know what God has in store for us but we need to look hard and recognise where God has been and is working in our lives.
We need to take stock of all the positive things and above all say thank you. We should be confident that God loves us all, even the outcasts, and He will heal us in ways we can’t imagine. God who sent His only Son that we might all be saved and healed. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father,
You pour out endless blessings upon us.
Open our eyes to see your hand at work,
And to give you thanks for all you continue to do for us.
Lord, we pray that we have faith to trust in all you do
And obey your will.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Through all the Changing Scenes of Life"
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
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Thirteenth 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 "On a Hill Far Away (The Old Rugged Cross)"
Today's Gospel
John 12:27–36 Jesus Speaks About His Death
“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”*
The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
Jesus said to them, “The light is in you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”
Reflection
Today, we are taking a detour from the Gospel of Luke as we celebrate Holy Cross Day.
As you read the passage above, what thoughts go through your head? Perhaps you can try to put yourself in Jesus’s shoes – He knows what destiny lies ahead. That He is going to be killed in Jerusalem. Not only that, He knows what kind of death that is going to be. An excruciatingly tortuous, painful and drawn out death on the Cross.
This takes place at the beginning of Holy Week just after Palm Sunday where He was welcomed with rapture as the Messiah. Therefore, not only is Jesus aware what lies ahead, He also knows that it is imminent.
For an instant, in the opening line, it seems as though Jesus might be having second thoughts – and who wouldn’t? However we need to appreciate that in coming to earth Jesus gave up His divine nature and became one of us, fully human.
As St. Paul tells us – “though he was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God … but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness.” [Philippians 2:6–7]
Jesus wasn’t like Superman, a being from another planet who had super powers and was impervious to pain and suffering, He was fully human and as such had emotions and fears, and as we see, He could experience doubt and anxiety and fear.
Yet, despite this momentary doubt, He almost instantly affirms His commitment to meet His destiny. He decides He is not going to be side-tracked from His mission to bring salvation to all who turn to Him.
In this moment of hesitation we see vulnerability in Jesus’ humanity. He is clearly troubled to the core of His soul. So what does He do? He talks to God. He bares His soul and tells God just how anxious He is. Surely, there’s a lesson in this for us. If Jesus needed to turn to the Father in times of need, then we too can do the same when we are faced with difficult challenges or decisions in our lives.
When we make time to share whatever is in our hearts with God, and take our fears and troubles to Him, we are opening our relationship with God to enable a deeper connection and spiritual understanding with Him.
In this story. Jesus reminds us that it’s OK to be frightened or uncertain sometimes – it’s human. Being scared of what lies ahead is not a sign of weakness – it’s human.
But Jesus also shows us that we sometimes need to stand back from our worries and look at the bigger picture. Picking up our own cross sometimes means taking the option that isn’t the most obvious and may cause us some short term pain.
Talking with God also means listening to what He wants us to do. When Jesus reflected on what lay ahead, He could see that in God’s greater plan, His personal suffering on the Cross was the only way that our sins could be atoned for. Putting aside His fears, Jesus could see that what He was being asked to do as part of God’s plan was essential for humanity.
In this vulnerable moment, Jesus battled with His human emotions and anxiety and chose to trust in God - to submit to God’s will and his plan and to put His misgivings aside for the greater good. That is the essence of true faith – when we allow ourselves to put others first even if it causes us personal grief then we too can demonstrate that we are willing to pick up the cross.
As we navigate the winding journey and the ups and downs of our lives, let us look at this powerful example of how Jesus faced into His fears. Let His example of faith give us hope and assurance that we too can lean on God to point us in the right direction. Paul
Our Prayers
Father God ,
We ask you to let us see the light of your son Jesus.
That we may be led by His most precious light
Out of darkness and into the ways of
goodness and righteousness
So that we may become children of light.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "What a Friend we Have in Jesus"
Notices
Special Notice – For anyone who wasn’t in church last Sunday to hear the announcement, we are pleased to say that we will have a Curate in Charge before Advent this year.
Revd Kirsten Stott is coming to us from St Luke’s Heywood and St John’s Hopwood, and will be serving the remainder of her curacy at St John’s Hey and Leesfield under the supervision of her Training Priest, Revd Kirsty Screeton.
When Kirsten’s training is complete, expected during Spring 2026, the Bishop will formally ‘sign off’ her Curacy, and she will then be able to apply for the role of Incumbent.
If we, St John’s and Kirsten are all happy to proceed at that time, there will be a formal interview for the role of Incumbent of both parishes, and if successful, Kirsten would then become our Vicar.
With only one ordained priest across the two parishes, three churches and four schools, there will, inevitably, be some alterations to worship patterns in both Leesfield and St John’s. We are currently working with St John’s, with guidance from Area Dean Daniel and Archdeacon Karen, on what this might look like.
Please hold Revd Kirsten and both parishes in your prayers as we jointly discern how best to serve God and our communities over the coming years.
