Sunday Worship 27th April

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday of Easter. Today is our Annual Parochial Church Meeting, so our service at St Thomas' is at the earlier time of 10 am, and there is 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 "In Christ Alone"

Today's Gospel

John 20:19-31                 Jesus Appears to the Disciples

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 

Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’  Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.  But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Reflection

Today’s Gospel is very well known, not least because we hear it every year on the second Sunday of Easter. That’s unusual, because, normally we only hear the scripture readings repeated every three years.  

So when you read this Gospel text, I wonder what comes to mind first?

For many it will no doubt be the reaction of Thomas, the one who doubted. Last year I wrote about how Thomas is often treated unfairly, because after all, he was only asking for the same proof that Jesus had already shown to the other disciples. Moreover, when the others told him about seeing the risen Jesus, he was probably angry at having missed out on this wonderful revelation. Just for a moment put yourself in his shoes – how would you have felt, being the only one not to have been there? 

But if we put aside the role of Thomas in this story, and the question of why he believed, there is a much more important message here. A missional message that is particularly important to our parish as we continue to pray for a new incumbent to lead us forward. 

As part of that process we produced a Parish Profile which outlines what the parishes of St. John, Hey and Leesfield are all about. At the very beginning it also describes the sort of vicar we are looking for and the first requirement is: “we will look to you - to lead and work collaboratively with clergy and laity to develop mission and growth, whilst embracing and encouraging others who are leading and working in various offices and roles .

The most important thing we are saying is we want a Missional Leader and Implicit in this statement is also a promise that we as believers in Jesus will provide support.

Before Thomas is even mentioned in the passage, Jesus sets about to commission his disciples to do his ongoing mission with the gift the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Jesus said to them …  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

When Jesus refers to the  ability to forgive sins, he is not endowing them with a magical power to decide who does and doesn’t get forgiven; he is giving them a missional role to make known the love of God that Jesus himself has made known to them. To create new believers of people who have not experienced the death and resurrection first hand. 

As people come to know and abide in Jesus, they will be “released” from their sins. If, however, those people remain stuck in their unbelief; their sins will be retained. 

Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. Jesus says the same to us when we are baptised; he calls us by name and endows us with the Holy Spirit as an advocate to remind us of Jesus’ teachings, and guide us on the path to his truth and belief in him that we may, through belief in him, be cleansed of our sins and have eternal life. 

If we have genuine ambition as a parish to grow and nurture new believers, we need to play our part spreading the good news or encouraging people whose faith may have waned to turn back to Jesus. That may sound a little frightening at first, but remember at the beginning of todays passage the disciples were also afraid. It’s natural when we are afraid to hide away rather than focus on the difficult mission to which we are called, but as we read in this gospel, Jesus cannot be stopped by our locked doors. He comes to us in the midst of our fear and confusion, speaking peace and breathing into our anxious lives the breath of the Holy Spirit.

So as we pray for a new vicar let us pray for ourselves to play our part in growing a thriving community of believers  here in our parishes. Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the blessing you have given us,

the ones who believe in you without seeing.

Lord, just as Thomas confessed you are his Lord and his God,

we humbly confess you as King of Glory in our lives.

Lord, may our faith be open to all

and let us welcome doubters in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus"

Notices

Our Tuesday Morning Service of Holy Communion is at the usual time of 10 am at St Thomas’, and Worship for all Generations is at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday at St Agnes’.

All-Age Worship Singing is at 4.30 pm on Monday 28th April at St Thomas’. We have lots of great new hymns and old favourites to practice, so please come along if you can.

Our Mission Community's Confirmation Service will be at St Thomas’, Moorside on Sunday June 15th with a time to be confirmed, led by Bishop Mark Davies. Confirmation is seen as the next step on your Christian Journey, whether child or adult. Any adult of any age can be confirmed. At all our services there are many adults who regularly attend our churches but have not been confirmed. Any children who will be in year 6 upwards from September or any Adult who feel this is the time to make this commitment should speak to Neil or Paul and complete a form.

Confirmation classes take place over five weeks starting this next week on a Tuesday at 5pm or Saturday at 4pm, both in St Agnes Church and last around 1 hour.

The Ladies of Leesfield Monthly Coffee Morning is on Saturday 3rd May at 10.30 am in St Thomas’ Community Room. All are warmly invited to come along for companionship, refreshments and chat, and please feel free to bring your friends.

Everyone is most welcome to join us at St Thomas’ on Sunday 4th May at 12.30 pm to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. 

There will be food, music and fun & games for all the family, and if you wish, you can dress in the style of the 1940s.

Tickets are priced at £5 per adult, with accompanied children free of charge, available now from Karen or Lesley.

Sunday Worship 20th April

 Sunday Worship - Easter Sunday

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on Easter Sunday. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.

If your are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks to the Risen Lord"

Today's Gospel

John 20:1-18                 The Resurrection     

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 

Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Reflection

Quite often, when we read this Gospel passage, our attention is drawn to the encounters that Mary has, first with the angels and then with Jesus. 

We can easily overlook the actions of Peter and John and the sense of urgency in the first section. When Mary discovers the stone has been removed from the tomb she runs to Simon Peter’s house. Remember, it was before daybreak and still dark, yet she still runs hastily to the disciples.

Although no one else is mentioned by name, it is clear that she was not alone as she refers to ‘we’ when she tells Peter,  ‘we don’t know where they have taken him.’ It is also clear that at least one of them has seen inside the tomb as she knows that Jesus is no longer there.

Simon Peter and John also seem to be equally distressed and panicked as they both run to investigate, with John the younger of the two clearly getting there first. There is a palpable sense of urgency from everyone to understand what has happened to the body of their dear friend and teacher.

Although John gets to the tomb first he is hesitant to enter, and it is only after the impetuous Peter has discovered the empty shroud that John joins him. 

We next have what, for me, is the most important and enlightening part of the story. “Then the other disciple (John), who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that He must rise from the dead”.

For most of the disciples we understand they believed in the risen Lord because they actually met Him, but here John appears to be the exception because He believed as soon as He witnessed the empty tomb and saw the graveclothes and neatly folded head covering.  

But to us as Christians, believing in the resurrection of Jesus is not the most important element of this amazing revelation; it is the significance of what this meant and continues to mean for us still:

The resurrection means that we can be assured of our own resurrection when we believe and trust in Jesus. 

The resurrection means that Jesus has a continuing ministry: He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them [Hebrews 7:25].

The resurrection proves that Jesus died on the cross as a sinless man, out of love and self-sacrifice to bear the guilt of our sin. The death of Jesus on the cross was the payment, but the resurrection was the receipt, showing that the payment was perfect in the sight of God the Father.

In John’s prologue he says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”. Jesus is our light. Like Mary, we may not immediately recognise Him standing in our midst. Yet the risen Christ is standing there, showing that death is not the final word and God’s love embraces the living and the dead. 

The intimate and loving presence of Christ among us is our comfort. What a wonderful thing to reflect on, this glorious Easter Day. Happy Easter!   

Paul

Our Prayers

Almighty Father,

We give you thanks for sending your son, Jesus, to die for our sins,

and that you raised him in glory as a message to transform our lives 

and give us hope in your glorious Kingdom

Thank you for the joy of Easter and our risen Lord

Who gave his life so that we can have eternal life.

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Thine be the Glory"

Notices

Next week is our Annual Parochial Church Meeting, which follows immediately after a 10 am Parish Eucharist at St Thomas' Church, and there will be no service at St Agnes'.

Sunday Worship 13th April Palm Sunday

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on Palm Sunday. Today we have a whole Parish Eucharist at St Thomas' Church at 11 am, and we are pleased to welcome Bishop Mark to preside and preach.

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 "Ride On, Ride On in Majesty"

Today's Gospel

Luke 19:28-40                                    Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

After telling a parable to the crowd at Jericho, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord needs it." Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,

"Blessed is the king

who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven,

and glory in the highest heaven!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."

Reflection

“I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."

That seems a bit strange doesn’t it?  Was Jesus really implying that the stones would burst into song if the people stopped praising Him?

Perhaps Jesus was referring to the Psalms -  To paraphrase, ‘Let everything God created praise the Lord , all creatures, the sea and the mountains, [Psalm 148:7-13]. 

Or maybe quoting Isaiah, “"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. [Isaiah 55:12]

There are many similar poetical references in the bible that refer both living and inanimate things praising the Lord and creator. 

Some might say that because with God nothing would be impossible, it could be that the stones might praise Him,  but most scholars believe that the statement was rhetorical, if not a little mischievous, at the expense of the Pharisees. 

Jesus was pointing out that it was more likely for something impossible to happen than  for the disciples and all the people to stop shouting and praising Him as their king. 

The scene where Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey seems somewhat paradoxical for a couple of reasons. 

Firstly, throughout most of His ministry, Jesus has always played down His role as the Messiah and discouraged people from worshipping Him as a king. Yet as He enters the city He positively encourages people to welcome Him as the Messiah and for the multitudes to publicly  praise Him with adulation and adoration. 

They are openly praising God for sending  Jesus – ‘the King who comes in the name of the Lord’. They are sharing stories of all the wonderful things and miracles they have heard that Jesus has done. Many have been astounded by His teachings as well as His actions and word would have abounded about the recent miracle when He raised Lazarus from the dead a few days before Jesus entered Jerusalem.

The people were beginning to believe that Jesus really was the new Messiah and so their expression of great joy was so appropriate. 

In encouraging the crowds rather than suppressing their praises and joy, He is aware that He is instilling a sense of fear into the Pharisees. They do not like what they are seeing and hearing. 

The Pharisees were fearful that their authority was threatened and challenged the claims that Jesus was King and sent by God as blasphemy. This fear will be a catalyst for events over the next few days.

The second paradox here is that shortly after this triumphal scene, the crowds would fall silent and by Friday they would be shouting just as loudly for His death on the Cross. 

But thankfully that is not the end of the story!

 Paul   

Our Prayers

Creator God,

We praise and thank you for saving of the world through Jesus Christ,

who entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph 

and was proclaimed Messiah and king.

Let the  branches of triumphal entry into Jerusalem

be a sign of Christ’s  victory,

and grant that we who carry them

may follow him in the way of the cross,

Amen 

Today's final hymn is "Make Way!"

Notices

All of our services for Holy Week and Easter are shown in the poster below - everyone is most welcome to join us.

Sunday Worship 6th April

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fifth Sunday of Lent. 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 Gospel

John 12:1-8                                     Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.

Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 

Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

Reflection

The first thing this passage reminds me of is the evening of the last supper which we will celebrate in a few days’ time on Maundy Thursday.

There is a clear pointer towards the servant hearted Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. But what Mary does has just as much significance. The act of anointing Jesus’ feet was an act of overwhelming thankfulness and joy from Mary’s heart. 

She loved Jesus and we are told that Jesus had a fondness for all the family. So much so that he had been moved to tears when he had seen how distressed Mary had been at the death of her brother Lazarus and raised him from the tomb where he had been laid. Many see this as another pointer towards the events that will happen on Easter day. 

The perfume that was used was called nard and extremely expensive. Some say it would have cost a years wages. That is the measure of the love that Mary had for Jesus. Her act was one of utter devotion. When Mary poured the nard out of the jar she was also pouring out her love and her soul for Jesus.

I wonder when was the last time you last did something so generous for the love of someone else. Moreover, when was the last time you did something for Jesus or told him how much you love him?

During the season of Lent, it is the season when we should spend time not only reading scripture but also thinking about what God has given us during our lives, and the promise that Jesus makes tells us that we can have eternal life when we turn to him. Lent is a time to reflect on just how wonderful Jesus is and what he sacrificed to save us from our sins.

They say time is precious - how often do we take time to worship Jesus when we are not at church? 

What would you give to Jesus if he were with you now? But let’s not forget, Jesus is with us now – he’s always with us even when we are going through the bad times. We just need to remember that he is there for us when we need him most in our lives as well as when things are good. 

What Mary did for Jesus was extravagant by any measure both in terms of the cost of the perfume and the humility of her actions, drying his feet with her hair. But Jesus defended her as he had done once before - remember when Martha had been angry about her neglecting her duties to spend time with Jesus and the disciples. [Luke10:38-42] In this case he defended Mary because he recognised she was acting out of devotion. 

We all feel we have busy lives, but we can always find time to do things that are important to us and we can find time to look after the ones we love.

During the last full week of Lent I urge you to take a little of your precious time and sit with Jesus. Turn off the TV and the radio, and the mobile phone for a short time and just sit and talk to Jesus about whatever is in your mind, good or bad, happy or sad.

Show Jesus some of the love and devotion that Mary showed to him.   Paul 

Our prayers

  

Gracious Lord,

At times, our lives seem full of worries and troubles, for ourselves and others. Help us to set aside some precious time to relax in the presence of friends or family and re-energise our lives.

Lord, let us thank you with all our heart and soul, that you love us and are always there for us. Let us pour out our love for you with prayer and devotion.

Loving Lord, everything we have comes from you, let us give to you what is most precious to us.

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Christ Triumphant, Ever Reigning"

Notices

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday – the start of Holy Week. Bishop Mark will be presiding at a Family Parish Eucharist at St Thomas’ at 11 am, and there will be no Sunday School or service at St Agnes’ on that day. The service will start in church, and there will be a short procession of palms around the school playground (weather permitting). From Palm Sunday onwards, all of our services at St Thomas’ will return to the main part of church, so please wrap up warmly. 

The Tuesday morning service of Holy Communion is at St Thomas’ at 10 am, and Worship for all Generations is at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday at St Agnes’.

The final Churches Together Lent Lunch is this Wednesday at 12.30 pm at Zion Methodist Church. Please come and join us for bible readings, reflection and prayers centred on art depicting the events of Holy Week. The sessions are followed by tea/coffee and cake.

Christian Aid Appeal: Christian Aid along with other charities have launched an emergency appeal to help the families and communities impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Myanmar. If you feel able to contribute, please leave a donation on the box at the back of church. If you want more information about this disaster you can visit the Christian Aid website or read the letter on the noticeboard at the back of church.

Advance notice – The Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place on Sunday 27th April, following a 10 am Parish Eucharist at St Thomas’ Church. We have vacancies for PCC members and other parish officers, so if you are interested in playing your part in shaping the future of our churches, please see Neil, Paul, Liz or any PCC member. Nomination forms will be available in both churches from next Sunday.