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 am at St Agnes' and 11.15 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
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Reflection
I’m writing this reflection at the end of a couple of extraordinary weeks.
Ahead of my ordination, I went away for a silent retreat at a monastery near Lancaster with my fellow ordinands preparing for the first stage of ministry as a Deacon. It was a time of deep reflection and inward searching, thinking about how will life change and how we have each responded to God’s call on our lives. For some of us that period of discernment has taken many years.
This week has been a week of adjusting to change. Putting on a clerical collar for the first time before I had a meeting with the Bishop did, I have to admit, feel a bit weird. Of course, over the years, the Bishop has met many new clergy who would have felt equally strange in the moment. I am quite sure that he too will recall the moment he first put the collar on.
But for all that sense of strangeness, there is no doubt that I have done what God is calling me to do – even at my age!
Rev. Kirsten has advised me to get used to being seen in my clerical shirt and go out and about in the village. For want of a better phrase, a form of acclimatisation if you like, similar to the England football team who need to get used to playing at high altitude ahead of the game in Mexico tonight.
It’s about getting used to people’s reaction and how folk behave towards me. Or moreover me getting used to how people react to a representative of the Church. That’s church with a capital ‘C’ because it’s about being openly seen as part of God’s wider church.
Reading todays gospel passage made me realise, it’s also about judgment. What assumptions people make about us – not only because of what we wear, but also many other things:-
How we speak – do we sound well educated and well spoken, or regional with a local accent? Thankfully we don’t have to listen to pristine BBC English on the radio and TV any longer!
Maybe we are judged based on our occupation, remember when people used to be categorised as working class (blue collar), middle class (white collar) or upper class (usually independently wealthy)?
Or perhaps we are judged by who we associate with. Do we gravitate to the better off or the poorer in society? Maybe we chose to mix with younger people or older people?
But judgement can be double edged, because what we might think about someone is only part of the story. What’s more important is how we as individuals react to and treat people. Because when we start treating people according to stereotypes and our pre-conceived perceptions, it is ultimately we who will be judged.
When John The Baptist began baptising people in the River Jordan, thousands of people flocked to receive a baptism of repentance. Then, as we hear above, he was seen as a man possessed by demons because of his austere diet and strange clothing. Attitudes changed.
Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard because he accepted the hospitality of those around him who wanted to learn more about the kingdom of God. He was judged harshly for mixing with and befriending tax collectors and sinners!
There is a fine line between having the gift of good judgement and being judgemental. There is a well known saying, ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. When we fail to look past what is on the outside and start making judgements about people we don’t even know, or assess people without any awareness of their circumstances, then we, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time, become hypocrites, not people of good judgement.
We all need to look past what we see or what might be on the surface, and be prepared to talk and listen to others from every walk of life. Jesus welcomes everyone, he has excellent judgement but is never judgemental. Jesus is always prepared to give people the benefit of the doubt and mix with everyone without favour or prejudice, as should we.
Rev. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for who we are,
That you made all of us in your image.
Help us to respect one another
To love and respect each other for who we are
And to show compassion to all your children.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "O Lord My God (How Great Thou Art)"
Notices
Next Sunday is our 'Everyone Together' Service at 11.15 am at St Thomas' Church, and there will be no service at St Agnes' or Sunday School at St Thomas'.
It was with great joy that we celebrated the Ordination as Deacon of Rev Paul last Sunday at Manchester Cathedral, followed by a welcome party at St Thomas' Church and a joint Benefice Eucharist at St John the Baptist, Hey.
