Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Eighth 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 "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 Parables about the Kingdom of God
Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Reflection
Today we have a whole bunch of parables about the Kingdom of God, but I’m going to give you just a few thoughts to get you started and some questions, in the hope that you might explore the meaning for yourselves. After all, this was the intended purpose of parables.
We start with two really tiny things – the mustard seed and a small amount of yeast. The mustard seed was the tiniest and most insignificant seed known to the people in the Middle East. Yet as Jesus reminds them, when it has grown it becomes a large and sturdy bush-like tree capable of supporting many nesting birds in its branches. How might we compare this to the growth of God’s Kingdom and those who want to be a part of it?
The yeast only requires a small amount to be mixed with a large volume of flour, but with patience and work to spread it though the dough, it is capable of transforming the dough into something far better and bigger. How might God’s word with our help grow his kingdom and what role might we play? Jesus is showing us what a massive transformative effect the Kingdom can have.
The next two objects are things of great value. The man who buries the treasure ends up spending a fortune just to keep it to himself and hide it of sight where no one can see it. Do we, who know about the wonderful Kingdom of God, do all we can to show other people or do we perhaps keep it to ourselves? And if so why? What more might we do to share the good news of the Kingdom?
Lastly we have the merchant who searches for a valuable pearl and fully understands its value - so much so that he is willing to give everything he has for it. God’s kingdom is not of this world and is far more precious. What are we willing to give and commit of ourselves in order that we may be transformed to take our place in God’s precious kingdom?Revd. Paul
Our Prayers
Abba Father, open our eyes to recognise how precious and wonderful your kingdom is.
Let us give you our hearts and minds, that we may fully trust in you,
and help us to spread the seeds of your word,
confident that your kingdom will continue to grow and spread around us.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Lord of all Hopefulness"
Notices
We hope that you will join us for Rev Kirsten's Licensing Service on Tuesday. Please see the invitation below.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Seventh 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 "Morning Has Broken"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43Parable of the Weeds
Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Reflection
If you’ve ever grown plants from seed you will probably have observed that nearly all seedlings look alike. First there is a tiny little shoot and then one or two leaves start to appear. Nearly all plants look a bit like cress until they start to develop and grow to maturity.
At the early stage, therefore it is impossible to sort out the good plants from the weeds, so nothing can be done about them until they are clearly distinguishable.
However, once the weeds begin to get established, digging them out may not be that easy. Their roots will be intertwined with the roots of the plants we want to keep, and by removing the weeds, we often damage the good plants and so they are less healthy and produce less flowers and seeds.
So the approach of the farmer in todays story is very wise, and provided the weeds don’t starve the wheat they are doing less harm than digging them up. We only have to worry if the weeds are really invasive or like the thorns in last weeks parable, likely to choke and damage the crop.
Ironically, the weeds in our garden are usually wheat stalks which are dropped amongst the flowerbeds or vegetables and herbs when the birds are eating at the bird-feeder.
I have to admit I generally don’t fuss too much about the weeds in our garden, but that’s not because I am lazy and can’t be bothered to get down on my knees and endlessly pull them out – it’s because sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by what grows and, like the seedling in the picture above, I can’t be sure how it will turn out until it has developed into what it is destined to be. It can be quite wonderful when you get something growing that you hadn’t expected.
The message usually focussed on in this parable is that there are bad people and good people in the world, and on the day of judgement, the good people will be saved and the bad people will not.
That is all well and good, but a little too simplistic for me because people are like a field of both wheat and weeds. Everyone has their good sides and bad sides, and we all fall short of what God wants us to be from time to time. Nonetheless, we are all capable of being what God wants us to be, and like the farmer, God doesn’t give up on us.
Because He loves, He is always willing to hear us when we reflect and say sorry, and give us the opportunity to change our ways. We are given the opportunity as we go though our lives to develop and mature into the wheat plant we were intended to be.
In the field in which we live, there will be amongst us those who are bad people, criminals, and those who would harm one another or take advantage of us. There are also those who we dislike because they associate with the wrong sort of people. But it’s important that we are not too quick to make assumptions about people, based on where they live or who they mix with; because like the immature plant, (which is not easy to distinguish from any other plant), we may be making harmful and incorrect judgements.
It’s not our job to judge others, and certainly when we don’t know enough about them or their circumstances. Sometimes, people are dragged into situations or lifestyles they don’t want to be part of, and looking for the chance to change their lives and grow into the ‘good wheat’. Even good people make mistakes and we need to give everyone chance to mature and become what God wants us to be.
Let’s not worry about the weeds in the other fields, but focus on the weeds in our own lives. Despite the dire warning of judgement in this passage, there is a message of hope, that when we focus on looking after the garden that is our own life, we can all be saved.
Happy gardening. Revd. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
You plant us as seeds, to grow to what you call us to be;
Help us not to judge others in the field as good or bad,
Help us to acknowledge what is good and bad in ourselves,
And help us to develop and grow the good in ourselves, and in others.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
Today's final hymn is "God Forgave my Sin in Jesus' Name"
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixth Sunday after Trinity. Today we have just one service in the parish - our 'Everyone Together' service at 11.15 am at St Thomas' Church.
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 "My Jesus, My Saviour"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23Parable of the Sower
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Reflection
In today’s story, Jesus tells us about a farmer throwing seeds onto the ground. God’s word is like the seed that the farmer sows, which needs to be fed and nourished, and our hearts are like the ground that the seed lands on – they need to be soft and fertile.
Some hit the path - What happens to the seed on the ground? Nothing, the birds took it away. In this example we hear about God’s word but we are much too busy with other things in life to take any notice. Maybe, playing games or looking at our mobile phone. We don’t really listen and so it has no impact on us. It never has any chance to grow in our hearts - and God’s word is simply wasted on us.
Some hit rocks - In this case we might hear the story and understand what it means - but we don’t let it take root. We actually like what Jesus stands for because he’s always doing and saying good things.
But although we hear the good news, deep down we don’t have the heart to live like Jesus – because being good all the time can be hard at times. Sometimes other people might make fun of us for being a do-gooder. So whilst we like what we hear our faith is weak because we don’t let it put down roots in our hearts.
Some fell among the thorns and the weeds - In this instance we let our everyday business crowd out our good intentions. We care about God and doing what is right – but we don’t always follow through with things because we are more concerned about ourselves.
The weeds and thorns represent worries and concerns that we face in our daily lives. Sometimes we are so concerned for ourselves and our family that we have little time or energy to think about anyone else.
We want to have the best lifestyle possible and do the things that make us happy. We are too busy thinking about how we look after ourselves that we completely forget about all those who are less well off or those suffering in the world.
So whilst we have the means or ability to love and support one another, even if it’s in a small way, we simply don’t get around to it.
Some of the seeds landed on good soil - They didn't just grow; they exploded into a harvest that was many times bigger than the tiny seed!
Think about a seed for a second. It looks small and weak, kind of like a tiny speck or pebble. You could step on it and never even notice. But inside that tiny shell is the blueprint for a giant tree that can provide shade for hundreds of birds and fruit for an entire village.
God’s Word is the same! When we hear God’s word at school or in church, he is planting his seeds of goodness in our hearts. That might be just a "small" thought, but if you remember it and think about it, it will sink into your heart and grow.
It might be a thought like, remembering God loves each of us and wants us to love one another. Instead of letting the seed die or wither, how might we make that seed grow in our hearts? What might we do to show love or kindness to someone?
Perhaps a kind word to someone who looks upset or sad. Saying hello to new children at school or new workmates. Sharing something like sweets or crisps in the breaktime, or giving a small donation to charity.
Maybe, giving someone a lift to school or work, or maybe a simple smile – have you ever noticed how people nearly always smile back. How do you feel when someone who passes by smiles at you? Does it make you a little bit happier? There are lots of little things we can all do that don’t even cost us anything, but can make other people feel happier.
And when people feel happier they want to make even more people feel happy, and they feel like doing something kind for someone else, and then those people want to make someone else happy – and before we know that one simple act of kindness has turned into hundreds of acts of kindness. Like the seed in the story, it has multiplied hundreds of times.
When we hear the good news of Jesus, let us take time to listen and let it flourish within us. Let us keep listening even if we don’t get it right first time, because Jesus does not give up on the field - when we let him, he is willing to clear the rocks and the weeds and plant more seed in our hearts.
Rev. Paul
Our Prayers
Let’s all pray for good and soft hearts.
"Jesus, I want my heart to be good soil.
Come into our lives and grow something amazing in us."
Amen
Today's final hymn is "You Shall Go Out With Joy"
Notices
We are really pleased to announce that the Licensing Service of Rev Kirsten will take place on Tuesday 28th July at St Thomas' Church. More details are included in the poster below.
