Sunday Worship 1st November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday before Advent. 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 inable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Ye Holy Angels Bright"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reflection

Today we celebrate All Saints day which is also known as All Hallows Day. But have you ever taken a moment to think about what it means and how the feast originated. 

Perhaps a good place to start would be with the word Hallows. Depending on which dictionary you use, Hallow means to make something Holy or set it apart or sanctify it. The Saints are those who have gone before us and are considered to be set aside because of their holiness. The word saint comes from the Greek word “hagios” or in Latin, “Sanctus”,  which means exactly that - consecrated to God, holy, sacred.  ‘All Saints Day’ is therefore a time for Christian believers to remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history. 

Remembering saints and martyrs and each year has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century AD, but it wasn't until 609AD that Pope Boniface IV decided to set a day aside to officially remember all martyrs. That is those people who had suffered and died for their faith. 

Later, in 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the festival to remember all the saints and changed its name to Feast of All Saints. This expanded the scope of sainthood to recognise all people of exceptional holiness and devotion to God. This shift acknowledged that not all saints were martyrs, so a broader commemoration was needed.

As I was thinking about the saints, I realised that there are of course we know quite well like St, John, St. Thomas & St. Agnes and some of the more famous Saints like St. Joan of Arc or St Francis of Assisi might spring to mind. But there are also lots of Saints that are unknown to us but are just as important. Because Sainthood is not just about those recognised or nominated by a group of important religious leaders, sainthood is granted by God Himself  - I’ll come back later.  

I wonder, what do think about when hear the term Saint? We understand that they are people set apart as Holy but what does that mean and how might we recognise a saint? The reality is, they don’t walk among us with golden halos above their head. 

The saints are those whose actions, the way they lived their lives and in some cases died, demonstrate a Christlike way of living that sets an example for us to follow. They point to the way we are called to live as Christians and to build up the body of Christ. 

Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians (4:11-12), Christian leaders are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry of building up the body of Christ. But when Paul talks about Christian Leaders, he is not only referring here to ministers and prophets – rather he is calling on everyone to use their spiritual gifts to invite and encourage others to be part of the fellowship of Christ. Part of the Church of God. He is encouraging every believer, including you and me, to grow in spiritual maturity and make disciples of others.

Every one of us is called to follow the examples of the saints and in doing so we are also called to live our lives in a righteous and blessed way,  so that when the time comes, we too may have a place with them in the kingdom of heaven. 

Now you might be thinking that sainthood is unattainable for the likes of you and I. Unattainable because we all find it impossible to be good all the time and of course we all lapse into sin. But God understands that we are not perfect. And as I mentioned earlier, it is ultimately God who will decide who His saints are.

To be a saint we are not expected to be perfect like Jesus, but we are called to live a life that embodies a transformative relationship with Christ. We are asked to think about the example Jesus and the other saints have given us in the ways we live, think, behave and interact with one another as we go though our daily routines.

In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount - Jesus describes the blessings, (beatitudes), that God is willing to bestow on us so that we might be transformed and live more righteous lives. 

If ever I manage to be pure in heart, it’s a gift from God, and I should be grateful for it; if I have a heart that cares enough about people so much that I mourn for them when they pass away, that’s a gift, too, and I thank God for it. 

If we are able to mediate and find peace where there is discord that’s a gift just as much as someone who shows another person mercy. 

When we see people living and sharing these gifts from God we are all blessed by their goodness and the positive effect it can have on us and the rest of the world.  

If we are willing to accept the gifts God wants to give us, to be righteous and be transformed by the example of Jesus, then we also will be blessed.  God reckons as righteous those who believe in Him. The one who raised Christ from the dead. When we are willing to be transformed by Jesus and live our lives with faith and trust in Him, then we too will be called to stand with Jesus and the saints in heaven. 

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians [Cor. 1:2], assures us that ‘all followers of Christ are called to be saints’.  This assurance comes not from our personal perfection, but from God’s faithfulness, grace and abounding love for us. Because God can make the unattainable – attainable. Rev.  Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks for the all the saints in heaven.

Who by their example have shown us that through Your grace,

and by faith and belief in You, holiness is possible for every one of us. 

Help us to be transformed and walk in the light of Christ

to follow a path of holiness and join you with all the saints in heaven.  

Amen

Today's final hymn is "For all the Saints"

Notices

Next week is Remembrance Sunday, and we will only have one service in the parish - at 9.15 am at St Thomas' Church.

Please see the poster below for details of the Act of Remembrance at the war memorial in Lees Cemetery.

 

Sunday Worship 25th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentyfirst Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Ahnes' 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 Gospel

Matthew 22:34-46 Whose son is the Messiah?

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Reflection

In Matthew 22 we reach the climax of a series of encounters between Jesus and the Pharisees and Sadducees. Both deem themselves to be theological experts in the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible),  albeit they disagree fundamentally on some matters such as resurrection. Both are also determined to undermine Jesus’ teaching and moreover are trying to manipulate him into committing blasphemy so they can arrest him.

As the public questioning continues Jesus turns the tables on his interrogators with a question of his own. Whose son is the Messiah? 

In asking this question we can see the subtlety in how he deals with arrogance of the these so called learned theologians and lawyers. He does not go all out to prove his argument and belittle the experts. He has already proved his knowledge of the Bible in the previous encounters. 

Rather, he takes a much more nuanced approach to help them, and more importantly those around, work out for themselves the significance of who the Messiah is. He does not openly proclaim that he is the son of God, instead his question challenges them to analyse the words of the scriptures and work it out for themselves.

 

He turns the encounter from a contest into an exercise in helping all those around to interpret the scriptures for themselves. So he draws their attention to Psalm 110 written by David many years earlier. The experts’ response is to think in human terms, that the Messiah is a descendant of David. They were unable to make the connection which David himself had foretold, that the Messiah would not only be a human descendant of David’s line but also at the same time David’s Lord – Jesus was providing them the answer from their revered holy scripture in the expectation that some of them would weigh the words of the psalms and join the dots -  that the Messiah was not merely the earthly Son of David, but was God himself made flesh. That the Messiah was both fully human and also fully divine. For us we are also called to believe in the mysteries of God and accept the truth that with God, nothing is impossible.                      Rev.  Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your divine mystery, which we sometimes struggle to perceive.

Help us to accept the wonder of all you are and to trust and love you,

with our whole hearts, and souls and minds. 

Amen

Today's final hymn is "We Have a Gospel to Proclaim"

Notices

Upcoming events can be seen in the posters below -

Sunday Worship 18th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, when we will be celebrating the Feast of St Luke.

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 "As the Deer Pants for the Water"

Today's Gospel

 Luke 10:1-9                                                        The Mission of the Seventy

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

Reflection

Today the church celebrates Luke the Evangelist – the writer of the Synoptic Gospel of the same name, and also widely believed to be the writer of the Book of Acts. Luke was believed to be a gentile, a doctor who lived in the Hellenistic city of Antioch in Ancient Syria, born of a Greek family (although some scholars and theologians think Luke was a Hellenic Jew – that is a Greek non-orthodox Jew) - either way he was very different from the other Gospel writers.

Whether Luke was a Jew or a gentile, he was one of the most highly educated of the authors of the New Testament. His Greek knowledge and writing surpassed anything else written. Luke was a great friend and companion of Paul, and in his second letter to Timothy that is todays first reading, we learn that Luke remains with Paul, who is writing this letter on his deathbed. ‘Do your best to come to me soon’ writes Paul, as ‘only Luke is with me’. Luke was with him to the end, his friend and his doctor. I wonder if Luke, sitting at the deathbed of his dying companion, anointed Paul before he dies? It is such a privilege as a priest to be with someone as their earthly life draws to a close, and to anoint their forehead – ‘ I anoint you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ’, as the oil lifts the veil between earth and heaven, taking them closer towards the cross and the story of redemption. The story that Luke crafted and shared so amazingly that it still exists today, being shared and retold the world over. Luke was certainly responsible for trying to heal and tend to Paul in his sickness, but in anointing him (which we might presume he did, as it was very customary throughout this time), took responsibility for his very spiritual healing also. And what a huge healing that was for Paul, who started his journey with Christ as Saul, condemning and putting to death Christians, before his conversion on the road to Damascus to Paul. (I have included Paul’s letter below, as it is so important to our Gospel reading today).

As we celebrate all that was good and true about Luke today, may we remember those who heal and treat the sick, those called to be doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, carers and countless others in the medical profession, as well as those who heal spiritually as well as physically. 

But most importantly, may we always remember to tell the story of the redemption of the cross, the good news of Jesus Christ, and the scholarly words crafted by Luke which ensure the story continues today as much it did when he wrote them.

As we heard in our gospel reading today from Luke, let us be amongst the multiplying ‘70’ sent out by Christ, to disciple and to glorify his name to those we encounter. However we do this, we will be walking in the most awesome yet most humble of footsteps. Amen

Rev Kirsten x

2 Timothy 4:5-17 

As for you, be sober in everything, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.

At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Our Prayers (The Collect for St Luke)

Almighty God,

You called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul:

By the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your church the same love and power to heal; 

Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 Amen.

Today's final hymn is "All My Hope on God is Founded"