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.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday after Trinity.
We have no Church Services this morning in Leesfield, as many of us will be attending Paul's ordination as Deacon at Manchester Cathedral.
There will be a Celebration Eucharist at St John the Baptist Church, Hey at 6 pm, and everyone is most welcome to attend.
If you are unable to be with us, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 10:40-end The Smallest Act of Love
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous, and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Reflection
‘The Smallest Act of Love’
How have you all been coping with the extreme heat this past week? The sunshine has been glorious, but really, the temperatures have probably been a little bit much for most of us. It gets hard to do simple tasks, doesn’t it, when the heat is draining you so much? And we aren’t alone in struggling with it, our pets too find it difficult to do what they normally do. Our cat, Eric, has barely come inside, preferring to lie under the bench or under a shrub outside. Our dog, Stella (originally from Gran Canaria, so probably used to the heat more than us) has barely gone for a walk each evening, choosing to just sleep the days away, sometimes in the sun and often in the cool of the tiled floor. It’s funny how animals have different coping mechanisms when things ‘change’. Stella is not great at drinking – if we give her a bowl of water, she reverses away from it, so we have to disguise liquid – with her food, and we have to use a special ‘dog mug’ that we pretend to drink from, before putting it on the floor, then she will drink the water. She will also drink from a water bottle or empty ‘pop’ bottle, but it gets very messy!
But the easiest way to get her to drink is to make her a ‘doggy brew’ – water with a splash of milk, and the teabag you have just discarded dipped into it. Then she drinks it all (from her own mug, of course). We can only presume that this is something to do with her ‘past life’ on the streets in Gran Canaria. I would love to know what is behind this (and multiple other) strange behaviours she displays, but we have to just accept that we will never know - and probably, we are better off not knowing, as we might struggle to deal with the facts if we had them. So, we ‘go along’ with her quirky behaviour!
Sometimes we might find other humans traits or cultures, or ‘quirkiness’ difficult to understand, but we might struggle more to manage those than we do with those of an unusual dog!
That is where I found myself when looking at the Gospel reading for Sunday – (and of course, because of Paul’s ordination service at the cathedral, I do not have to preach on the gospel this weekend)!
Jesus has had a few weeks of ‘tough love’ messages as we have travelled through Matthew recently. He has talked of division, judgement, hatred - all as a result of following him. He has likened himself to a sword (which I fear is often misinterpreted). But today, at the end of a chapter full of challenge, Jesus offers a quiet promise: every act of welcome matters. He reminds us that when we receive another person with kindness, we are receiving him — and even the smallest gesture, “a cup of cold water,” carries weight in the kingdom of God. (Or maybe a cup of cold water designed as a ‘doggy brew’, or anything else that doesn’t seem hugely significant).
It’s easy to believe that only big, impressive acts count. But Jesus flips that on its head. The unnoticed kindness, the steady faithfulness, the simple hospitality — these are the places where the space between earth and heaven is a thin place, a place where the veil is almost lifted. The “little ones” matter, and so do the little things we do for them.
In a world that prizes noise and achievement, Matthew today invites us back to the quiet, holy work of welcome. A smile. A listening ear. A moment of patience. A cup of cold water. None of it is wasted. All of it is seen.
Amen
Rev Kirsten
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
In a world where sometimes it seems that all we hear about is cruelty, division, mistrust and unhappiness, let us remember that everything we do counts.
All is seen.
When the problems of the world might seem too big for us to ever be able to make a difference, let us always be ready to offer a cup of cold water to any who might need it.
Out of the tiniest mustard seed can grow an entire tree, big enough for all who need shade!
Amen.
Today's final hymn is "A New Commandment I Give Unto You"
Welcome to Sunday Worship on the Third Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 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 "New Every Morning is the Love"
Today's Bible Reading
Jeremiah 20:7-13 Poor Jeremiah
Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. The next morning when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has named you not Pashhur but ‘Terror-all-around.’
For thus says the Lord: I am making you a terror to yourself and to all your friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon and shall kill them with the sword. I will give all the wealth of this city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, shall go into captivity, and to Babylon you shall go; there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
Jeremiah Denounces His Persecutors
O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
For whenever I speak, I must cry out; I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering: “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. “Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him and take our revenge on him.”
But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never be forgotten.
O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous; you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.
Reflection
Poor Jeremiah
I thought I would concentrate on the Old Testament reading today – my heart goes out to Jeremiah, often called the ‘Weeping Prophet’ because of how deep his lament is. God has given Jeremiah a fairly big task – he has called him at a very young age (maybe only about 17 years old) to prophesy to the people of Judah about the error of their ways and instructing them basically, to ‘surrender’ to the Babylonians. Jeremiah tells God at the start of his book that he is too young to manage the people and to prophesy to them, and God simply tells him ‘I have called you by name – get on with it’! he touches Jeremiah’s mouth and tells him ‘I have given you the words now’. Jeremiah is ridiculed and mocked by the people, he is thrown into prison, he is beaten relentlessly by the priests and put in the stocks. Wherever he goes, people are quick to tell him they wish he was dead rather than them have to put up with him. No wonder he is weeping!
By our reading today, Jeremiah is desperately raging at God – telling him he is a laughing stock, that even his close friends plot to be rid of him. He complains that when he tries not to mention God, it rises up in him like a burning fire, and he is forced to do God’s will. But he finishes his angry tirade by saying, ‘God’s desire for the people will overshadow whatever they do – that they will be shamed for their actions, and justice will prevail’.
I was in a situation this past week where it felt like a tiny percentage of what Jeremiah was encountering. I had been asked to talk and deliver a message to a group who were about to encounter change and to try and ease them through it. My best attempts mainly fell on deaf ears, loud voices that challenged and drowned out everything that was said to them. I was challenged, and the words used were mocked and ignored. It felt at times that there was a definite ‘Spiritual block’ at play, a force that did not want any mention of the gospel to be shared in that room. Over the course of the afternoon, I could have run away at a number of points, but I didn’t – I knew that what we were delivering was good and useful to the group, even though we could only skim the surface because of their reluctance to engage.
As I left that place, feeling a bit bewildered and very low in spirits, I began to reflect on what had occurred. What I had encountered was only what we are all guilty of, some of the time. When we ‘cherry pick’ what we might want to hear and quickly disregard the bits that don’t sit so well. I had done the same at Clergy Conference recently – engaging fully with the parts I enjoyed and wanted to be a part of and being less open to the parts I personally found uncomfortable. (Granted not quite so vocally or rudely, but internally, the same – which is known to God who knows what is on our hearts and minds)!
Our passage from Jeremiah shows us that firstly, it is fine to disagree and be sad and frustrated with what God asks of us – hand it up in prayer and leave it with God!
Secondly, just as Jeremiah felt, when we try to avoid what God has asked of us, it bubbles up like a fire and we find it hard to avoid.
But for me the strongest lesson is that we will, sometimes, be ridiculed for our beliefs – exactly as Jeremiah was. He was standing up for the truth as God has asked – I was delivering a message that I had been asked to do. But we must persevere – keep telling the gospel and reassuring people of how much God loves them, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. Thankfully, my endurance just left me feeling sad and needing a couple of paracetamols – poor old Jeremiah was beaten, imprisoned and had threats on his life wherever he went – (I did say I had only encountered a tiny percentage)!
Whatever God asks of you this week, be honest, persevere and know that his love will conquer all.
Amen.
Rev Kirsten
Our Prayers
(The Collect for Purity)
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may love you completely,
and rightly magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Today's final hymn is "There are Hundreds of Sparrows"
Notices
Next Sunday there will be no morning services at either St Agnes’ or St Thomas’ due to Paul’s ordination as deacon.
The Ordination Service is at 10.30 am at Manchester Cathedral
Bring and Share drop-in buffet at St Thomas’ from 3 to 5 pm
