Sunday Worship 12th April

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday of Easter. 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 "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus"

Today's Gospel

John 20:19-31      Jesus Appears to the Disciples

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.’

Jesus and Thomas

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.’

The Purpose of This Book

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

As I have been reflecting on all that has ‘been’ over Lent and Easter, there is so much to be grateful for – God has been at work in Leesfield for sure!

A particular highlight for me has been the children from all our primary schools attending ‘Experience Easter’ – together with children from Clarksfield Primary (Oasis), over 240 children have come through the doors of church to learn more about Jesus and the ultimate sacrifice he made. Their questions were consistently amazing and have made me think about so many aspects of Easter.

Our gospel reading today sees the resurrected Jesus, still performing miracles. His disciples are locked into a house ‘for fear of the Jews’. Of course, they were reeling that they have lost Jesus, and so could not be overtly ‘out and about’, as they have a bounty on their head, so they are covertly locked away. 

Jesus miraculously appears to them, in a locked room, and says ‘Peace be with you’. He then shows them his wounds and they rejoice when they believe it is him. He then breathes the Holy Spirit upon them, and they are gifted the ability to forgive sins. (This will antagonise those who believe they have disposed of Jesus, as ‘absolution’ or ‘forgiveness of sin’ is a gift only bestowed by God under the old laws). 

As I was reading ahead this week, the news was also on the television. Threats were being made, ‘annihilation of entire nations’ an agenda item. The contrast of everything we have experienced and prayed for at Easter suddenly exposed and vulnerable in the most volatile way. 

I wondered where is the ‘locked room’ for the people who are at risk from this scenario? Being covert is not so easy when you cannot see your attacker as they are in another land. I imagined Jesus going to those innocents, fearful of the next drone attack or bomb, and blessing them with ‘Peace’, then breathing the ‘Ruach’ the very breath of God onto them and leaving the Holy Spirit for protection and guidance.

 

How would he be received amid the current conflict, I wondered?  Jesus, in admonishing Thomas for his disbelief, tells his disciples, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe’ - all that is needed is faith. A fact that we all need to be reminded of sometimes. 

John finishes his chapter, telling the reader that these things are written so we can believe Jesus is the Messiah. His miracles were and are still amazing, death could not contain him, and the promises of a resurrected life for all who believe just as longed for now as then. His disciples needed their faith to be sharpened to believe he was with them, Thomas needed proof - we are no different. When our faith is weakened, when it feels the world is spiralling out of control, we need to be back in that locked room and remind ourselves of the events of ‘Easter’. 

Aggressors and loud voices will come and go, but the ‘Ruach’ breathed into us, the very breath of God, is enough to make us rejoice that our leader is the saviour of the world, and to him we must pray for those who have no locked room just now.             Rev Kirsten

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father 

Your son Jesus appeared to his disciples in a locked room 

And they rejoiced when they believed.

Help us share that news with the whole world,

especially where there are no locked rooms for safety. 

In the beautiful name of Jesus. 

Amen.

Today's final hymn is "God Forgave my Sin in Jesus' Name"

Notices

Today the Parish Electoral Roll opens until the 26th April. Please see the poster below for details.

Sunday Worship 5th April

 Easter Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on Easter Sunday. This morning we have just one service in the parish - at 11.15 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 "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 28:1-10                 Jesus has Risen

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Reflection

Happy Easter everyone!! It’s been a very busy week this week so I have chosen to share a short reflection that I wrote a few years ago which features the two Marys. 

I’ll focus on the interaction with the two Marys, (Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James). We should bear in mind that, although Jesus had repeatedly told his followers that He would rise again, that was not the reason why they went to the tomb. In fact, it was probably the last thing they expected to see, after all they had seen their Lord crucified and buried only a few days before. No, they were at the tomb out of an act of pure love, empathy and devotion. They were there to anoint Jesus’ dead body with expensive perfumes and spices purchased by Salome who was also present. 

As they arrive, there is an enormous earthquake caused by the appearance of an Angel from heaven. Such was the nature of the earthquake and the entrance of the angel that it rendered the roman guards unconscious. But not the two Marys. Although the angel told them not to be afraid, I suspect that was exactly how they felt. Then the angel removes the stone from the tomb and says, “Come, see the place where he lay.”  Matthew’s gospel does not go into detail about what happens in the tomb and the garden, but please take time to read John’s gospel for this. 

Matthew next describes how the Marys felt, “They left with fear and great joy”.  It’s almost a throw away comment, but just imagine for a moment what must have been going through their minds and how their emotions would have been in turmoil. Yes fear; amidst earthquakes, bright angels, and the body of their Lord gone! Then, the news from the angel that Jesus has been raised from the dead. Everything Jesus had been telling them was true – He is the son of God. What overwhelming Joy must have filled their hearts! 

Then to top everything, Jesus appears in person. Absolute and irrefutable proof that He is risen indeed. But in this version from Matthew, Jesus appears to be almost nonchalant. He says to them, “Greetings”. As it is described here, it’s almost like an everyday, “hello” as if to say, “Hey what’s the big deal, I told you I’d be back didn’t I?”  The Marys recognise Him immediately and are overcome with bliss at His loving compassion. They are compelled to touch His Holy feet and worship Him. We can only imagine what outright delight must they have felt.

It is a message of joy and delight for us too on this most Holy of days……. God keeps His promise to all of us. It is a message of love, hopefulness and forgiveness. It the truth that: God so loves the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). That is worth celebrating not only on Easter Day but every day. Happy Easter! Paul

Our Prayers

Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate, 

Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen

Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing, 

Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty

Christ is Risen indeed from the dead, the first of the sleepers, 

Glory and power are his forever and ever.  

               Amen   

St. Hippolytus of Rome

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

Sunday Worship 29th March

 Sunday Worship - Palm Sunday

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on Palm Sunday. 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 "Meekness and Majesty"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King     

When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.' 

And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

"Tell the daughter of Zion,

Look, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven! "

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

Reflection

A brief reflection this week, because at the beginning of Holy week there is so much to consider and reflect on as we move from Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his sacrificial death on the cross. 

I have recently been looking at the topic of leadership and in particular leadership in the church, and that gave me a different perspective on the first Gospel reading for Palm Sunday.

It made me think about the preparations we have to do each and every Sunday to get ready for our Sunday worship. Of course most people don’t see or realise what has to be done because, hopefully, by the time the congregation arrives everything is in place to make things run as smoothly as possible.

But consider a few things that people who volunteer each week do. There is putting the hymn numbers up on the board, (or if we are in the Community Room, printing them out everyone including the vicar). But long before that, someone has to look at the readings for the day and decide which hymns are most appropriate and then someone who is a bit tech savvy has to load them up to a media player.

There are seats to be put out and cleaned and carpets to be hoovered, the ladies who come early and make sure the kettles are filled and there is fresh milk in the fridge.  And most importantly, as we are the Church of England, there has to be a generous supply of cake and biscuits. 

Add to that someone has to come in a few hours before the service and ensure the heating has been turned on. Then someone has to prepare the altar just before the service and set up the bread and wine for communion, (because no one likes to receive soggy communion wafers that have been on the altar since the day before). 

There are so many other things which need attending to, not least your vicar spending many hours reading, praying and asking for guidance from the Holy Spirit as they prepare the sermon.

I am not saying this to make anyone feel guilty, however when we look at the beginning of the Gospel of the Palms, above I realised that Jesus was doing what any good leader does….. he was making preparations so that everything would run smoothly.  All the things he was doing were about setting the stage so that all went to plan and ensuring that there were no hiccups. He was doing exactly what we do before a service at church.

He was ensuring that people got the message. The prophet Zechariah had foretold that the Messiah would come from the Mount of Olives, just had Jesus had done.  He would come riding on a donkey, just as Jesus had done.  

Jesus’ method of entry into Jerusalem was itself a deliberate teaching tool. When Jesus did this, most of the people knew exactly what was going on. He wanted people to relate to the Jewish teachings and prophesies and understand that he was the Messiah. 

In addition to being the fulfilment of prophecy, it was Jesus showing the people how the Kingdom of God was going to conquer the world. He wanted to ensure that those who would listen and witness his entry would know exactly who he was and how important the events that would unfold over the next few days were..

What are we doing to help other people accept Jesus and know who He is? Paul 

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father 

you brought your son Jesus into Jerusalem 

to show people the radical grace of your love. 

Show us this grace,

 and give us eyes to see your goodness. 

We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, 

our Saviour and Lord..

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Make Way, Make Way for Christ the King"

Notices

Please see the poster below for all of our services this week