Sunday Worship 28th June

 Sunday Worship

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"

Sunday Worship 21st June

 Sunday Worship

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

Joint Benefice Eucharist at 6.30 pm at St  John’s

Sunday Worship 14th June

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday after Trinity. Today we have only one service in the parish, at 11.15 am at St Thomas' Church, and there is no service at St Agnes'.

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

Our first hymn this morning is "I Danced in the Morning"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 9:35-10:8                                                        Like Sheep Without a Shepherd 

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus;  Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

Reflection

‘Like Sheep Without a Shepherd’

I watched the first instalment of the new Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon the other evening. During the episode, Jeremy Clarkson decided to take part in the Farmer’s Protests that took place in London last year. The farmers were fearful and protesting about the Inheritance Tax changes to farms. There was genuine fear, distress at a lack of leadership they felt they could trust, and genuine alarm at how they could fulfil their commitment to feeding our country in the current climate. Sometimes, we can’t help but wonder, ‘are people actually aware where the food on their plate is coming from’. Is the connection between farming and feeding the family always made?

I don’t particularly have a vested interest in anything specific that Clarkson might say, but I do enjoy learning about agriculture and making the obvious comparisons that arise as Christians as we encounter and reflect on our Good Shepherd. 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus looks at the crowds and doesn’t see troublemakers or complainers. He sees people who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” It’s a line that could just as easily describe many in our society today—farmers facing impossible margins, families stretched thin, communities feeling unheard, and a nation often more divided than connected.

Jesus’ response to this is incredible - he doesn’t turn away, or blame them for their misfortune, he doesn’t harden his heart. He is moved with compassion.

And then he does something even more incredible, by sending his ‘ordinary people’  - fishermen, tax collectors, the unqualified and the undesirable – telling them to be the answer to the very prayer he asks them to pray. “The harvest is plentiful… go.”

In a world where loud voices overshadow and frustration and anger spill out so easily, Matthew invites us to rediscover this rhythm of discipleship:

• See people as Jesus sees them - not as problems to solve, but as neighbours to love.

• Feel compassion rather than contempt - especially for those whose lives look different from ours.

• Step into the harvest - bringing healing where there is hurt, hope where there is despair, and generosity where sometimes there seems to be none.

We may not be able to fix national policy or calm every storm, but we can choose to be the kind of people Jesus sends: people who mend, who listen, who lift up, who give freely because we have received freely.

The world is still full of crowds longing for shepherds. And Jesus still whispers the same invitation: “Go – and be my compassion in the places that feel forgotten.”

Amen. 

Rev Kirsten

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the guidance of Jesus and the obedience of the disciples.

We pray for all the times we are like sheep without a shepherd,

and we especially pray for those in our world who are without leadership, 

and who do not yet know that Jesus is the only shepherd they will ever need.

Amen.

Today's final hymn is "In Christ Alone"

Apologies to everyone who likes to read the words, but this is my favourite version by Celtic Worship, and I wanted to share it with you all. The bagpipe solo at the end is amazing!

Notices

We are really pleased to announce that we now have a date for Rev Kirsten’s Licensing Service, which is to be at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 14th July at St Thomas’ Church. More details will follow later. 

On Saturday 4th July, our Harvest Queen Grace is 'At Home' - please see the poster below for details -