Mid-week Joy Special - Edith's Retirement

Mid-week Joy special – Edith’s Retirement

As Edith retires this week it seems like the right time to celebrate some of the many things which have given us all great joy during her eight years here.

Edith’s licensing as Priest in Charge took place on Wednesday 5th September 2012, and she immediately became an integral part of parish life. As early as December that year a large number of parishioners met in the cold, unwelcoming space at the back of St Thomas’ Church to discuss the need for toilet facilities, and from there the Development Group was formed.

 

Most of the congregation members were involved in one way or another - planning, conducting surveys, fundraising, applying for grants, and liaising with architects and builders – but there is no doubt that Edith’s leadership and enthusiasm played a vital part in the project.

Meanwhile, the parish bounced back from three years without a full-time vicar. Edith and Stephen joined us as we re-introduced Carol Singing around Lees to raise money for the Booth Centre. Edith, alongside Ruth and David, led us in our annual Whit Walks, where we then met up in St Thomas’ with the other members of Churches Together in Lees and District for a joint service. This is one of several joint services and events which we share annually with our friends from other local Christian Churches, including the Good Friday Act of Witness in the centre of Lees. 

  

Life events such as weddings and baptisms are amongst the most enjoyable parts of a vicar’s job, but they are even more special for the families involved.  

Because St Agnes' Church is so tiny it is quite rare to have weddings there, but to the left is a photo from Estelle and Mick's wedding at St Agnes' in 2016.

Here’s a lovely message to Edith from Liz Bentley -  “To Edith. I wish you and Stephen a very happy retirement. I personally thank you very much as you were at both my Grandchildren’s Christenings, even attending down at St. Edwards RC. and reading the lesson for us. Father Dolan said that was definitely a first for him, sharing the Christening service with a C of E Vicar, so perhaps it may go down in History! You presided at my Granddaughter’s christening and that made it very special for me. You must go and enjoy your beautiful family now. Lots of love from Liz Bentley and family.”

Our Sunday Schools, children and families are very important members of our parish community, and are encouraged to play an active part in special church services throughout the year.

One of the innovations made by Edith was admitting children early to Communion so that they could make the decision be Confirmed later, and whole families are now often Confirmed together.

Social and fundraising events with Rose Queens, Harvest Queens and the Ladies of Leesfield continued, as well as the extra work of the Development Group, and we were all very busy. 

Extra fundraising events in aid of the Development Fund were held in Lees Library, St Thomas’ school hall, St Edwards’ function room, and pretty much anywhere we could find! Some old events like the teddy bear parachute jump were revived, along with new ones like the Parish Boundary Walk and a Big Band Extravaganza. Stephen became a regular on the Boundary Walks, whilst Edith took on marshalling duties.

Edith was licensed as Incumbent on the 25th October 2015, and then on the 28th May 2016 we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the clock and bells at St Thomas’.

Of course, the most significant event of 2016 was the opening of our new Community Room. Edith has long said that she didn’t want to be remembered just as the vicar who helped us to get a toilet, but of course it’s so much more than that. 

The separately heated Community Room with kitchen facilities has enabled us to invite many more visitors to events such as Heritage Open Days, local schools’ choral speaking, Ladies of Leesfield meetings and regular weekly opening.

Our Tuesday morning service of Holy Communion has become far better attended now that we can gather in a warm space and socialise afterwards, and we have been able to hold Taizé services and Emmaus groups there. 

Social and fundraising events held by a variety of groups are now a regular feature of parish life, and Edith has been very much involved with the Big Brekkie for Christian Aid and the highly popular Cheese & Wine evenings! 

With three Church of England Primary Schools in our parish, Edith’s work as both Governor and Vicar has been particularly demanding, and nowhere more so than at St Hugh’s. Edith has done so much to ensure that the children experience church in school, including Christingle services and even baptising the child of a member of staff there. 

Bishop Mark visited Holts with us on his Prayer Pilgrimage in 2017, and school staff proudly carried the St Hugh banner at Whit Sunday walks. 

In 2018 we became part of the Inclusive Church network, and in 2019 Neil was licensed as an Authorised Lay Minister. Our new Thursday evening service “Worship for all Generations” launched in October 2019 has been enjoyed by so many of us.

  
2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, especially Edith – as our church buildings closed she has had to learn many new skills to ensure that everybody can worship in a way accessible to them, and then preparing to re-open church in such a limited way. The 150th Anniversary of St Agnes’ Sunday School & Day School couldn’t be celebrated as we would have wished, and our farewell to Edith wasn’t what we wanted. 

All these things will happen when we are able to gather again properly, but in the meantime we were able to celebrate Edith’s last week in a few small ways. 

Thank You Edith!

To watch a farewell video from Edith please click on the following link - Edith's video

You can also see the Worship for all Generations "Thank You Edith" video here - Thank You Edith 

   

Sunday 26th July 2020

Sunday Worship 26th July

You can find all of our latest information, Edith's reflection for this Sunday, our Thursday "Worship for all Generations" and much more by clicking on the following link to our facebook page - Leesfield Parish 

Today is Edith's final Sunday service with us before her retirement, but she will be back for a real farewell service when we are all able to gather properly.

Our first hymn for today is the lovely "Be Thou My Vision" 

Today's Bible Reading - 

This reading took me straight back to the early days of the lockdown. Suddenly some ordinary things became unavailable, and one of those was yeast. A simple, everyday thing, widely available usually, and cheap, but vital for bread making. Something we take for granted, and only really missed when we couldn’t get hold of it. 

Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel contains several parables. Parables are brilliant picture stories which give images of God’s kingdom at work. They are stories with different levels of meanings. Jesus used them to teach large crowds, but there are in them hidden meanings, which we see are too obscure even for the disciples to follow. 

The chapter begins with the parable of the sower, and that is followed by the parable of the weeds. Then we have today’s gospel reading which encompasses the parable of the mustard seed, the yeast, the hidden treasure, the priceless pearl and the fishing net. I am going to concentrate on the first two of these, the mustard seed and the yeast. They are similar in that they are both very ordinary things. The yeast is not just something small. It also has enormous transforming power. Leaven changes the character of the dough. Unleavened bread is like a water biscuit, hard, dry, unappetising and uninteresting. Bread baked with leaven is soft, porous, spongy, tasty and good to eat. The introduction of leaven causes a transformation in the dough, and the coming of the kingdom causes a transformation in life. 

In Palestine the mustard seed is proverbial for smallness. It is a common invasive weed. It spreads everywhere. It starts as a tiny seed which, suddenly it seems, turns into a plant which can reach a height of 8 feet. Both of these things, the yeast and the mustard seed are everyday miracles. Everyone knows how they work, and how extraordinary it is that something so small can have such an effect. 

But had you ever thought of the kingdom of heaven like that? Surely the kingdom of heaven is already huge and magnificent, not something tiny, working inconspicuously until suddenly you can’t miss it anymore? The surprise in these parables is not what the yeast and the mustard seed do, since we know that already. The point is that other things, which you may not be so familiar with, may also behave like this. Don’t discount small things until you know what they are capable of. Don’t think about big things as though they can never have had small beginnings. 

I want to return to the yeast, and to use it in a different analogy. Over the last few weeks I have inevitably been thinking about this parish, about my time here and about its future. Yeast is a living organism. It needs warmth, water, oxygen and sugar if it is to grow. It can be dried out and kept for years, and when given the right conditions it will flourish again. The Christian community in this place is very important, and it acts as yeast in this place. Christians should transform communities, and in Lees the churches are very important. They can be the yeast which transform life, and by they I mean you and me. 

I am moving on so now it’s down to you – every one of you. Everyone has a part to play –even if you think you are not important you are! And if you are going to be the yeast in this place, you need the right conditions –which you will find by being part of the worshipping community here, by keeping as close as possible to God, so you can be nourished by his word and enabled by prayer, by talking to God and listening to him. During my time here I have seen many transformations, both of individuals and of the parish as a whole. The virus has caused many problems in all areas of life, and a setback in church life, but living communities can survive difficulties and that will be the case in Leesfield Parish.

Edith 

As Edith moves away, Stephen will of course be leaving too, and he will be a great loss to the choir at St Thomas'. One of his favourite hymns is "And Can It Be That I Should Gain" -

Our prayers for today -

And our final hymn for today is one of Edith's favourites "Lord For The Years" -

All our love and prayers go with Edith and Stephen on their retirement. Worship will continue here, and in our church buildings, and on our facebook pages.

Mid-week Joy 22nd July 2020

Mid-week Joy - end of term special

Last week our three Church of England primary schools closed for the summer holidays, which is always a source of great joy for everyone as they prepare to have fun and much-needed relaxation. 

For all school staff this is more welcome than ever this year, as many of them have worked without their usual Easter and half-term breaks - preparing on-line lessons as well as teaching key workers' children and vulnerable children, and later welcoming back learners from certain year groups. Huge thanks to all of you, and enjoy your well-deserved holiday!

There is also some sadness of course, as our Year 6 leavers move on to their new schools without having their usual leavers services, although the schools have worked really hard to make the occasion as special as it can be in these difficult circumstances. We wish every one of you a bright and happy future in your new schools.    

End of term has also seen the retirement of two of our headteachers - Mrs Ireland (executive head of St Thomas' and St Agnes'), and Mrs Burnley (head teacher of St Hugh's). Both will be greatly missed after many years' service, and we wish them all the best for the future.

Edith also retired as Chair of Governors at St Hugh's, and the photo above is of Edith and Mrs Burnley at a socially distanced retirement party attended by staff and governors. The school presented Edith with the lovely cross shown to the right, which was designed by the school children and then specially made for Edith.   

This week's Worship for all Generations is all about Mary Magdalene, a fascinating figure in the Bible. You are most welcome to join us on our facebook page by clicking on this link - Leesfield Parish

The parish Sunday Schools are now taking a well-deserved break for the holidays. Many thanks Karen for all your hard work in keeping everything going, and we're really looking forward to having you all back in whatever way is possible in September. 

For our end of term musical item we have a virtual choir from Windermere High School singing "We Won't Stop Dreaming".

If you'd like to do something really special to help nature this summer, why not join the Butterfly Conservation's "Big Butterfly Count".

You can find out more by clicking on this link -  Big Butterfly Count

Sunday 19th July 2020

Sunday Worship 19th July

You can find all of our latest information, Edith's reflection for this Sunday, our Thursday "Worship for all Generations" and much more by clicking on the following link to our facebook page - Leesfield Parish

Our first hymn for today is "O Jesus I Have Promised"

Today's Bible reading - 

This is rather a difficult parable. Most of us have some experience of gardening, and we know that weeding is really important. It is hard work keeping the plants we want to grow clear of the weeds that can prevent their growth. Yet here is Jesus saying the weeds should be left till harvest time. 

In this case the weeds that have grown up in the wheat field are an annual grass that looks very much like wheat. Distinguishing one from another in the early stages of growth is nearly impossible. As the plants mature, the roots of weeds and wheat intertwine and become almost inseparable. Yet separating them is necessary. Unless the weeds are removed, then flour made from the wheat will be ruined by the weeds, which are both bitter and mildly toxic. The usual solution is to harvest the plants, spread them on a flat surface, and then remove the weeds, which by this stage are a different colour than the wheat. So the weeds can be separated from the wheat only at the proper time, following the harvest. 

This is a parable, so we have to ask what the hidden meaning is. The field represents the world and our lives. One of the challenges of today’s gospel is the challenge to become more than who we think we are. It’s a challenge that arises every time we face the weeds of our life and world. The reality, according to Jesus, is that our lives and our world are a field in which good and evil, life and death, joys and sorrows, that which we want and that which we don’t want grow and live side by side. The wheat and the weeds stand together in our world and in each of our lives. 

That, Jesus says, is what the kingdom of heaven is like. That’s good news for us. It means that despite the weeds in and around us the kingdom is still here. The weeds do not overcome or make absent God’s kingdom. It may not be the fullness of the kingdom but it is, nevertheless, the kingdom. The weeds are, of course, the evils of our world. The parable does not deny that there are weeds in the wheat. It does not suggest for a moment that the world is free from evil. Instead, the weeds are all too visible. The landowner knows what’s happened — “An enemy has done this!”  Yes, the world is a terribly broken place. What is meant to be a wheat field is hosting countless weeds. So do we do nothing? Just sit and wait? No, that’s not what Jesus is saying. There is plenty to do and it will be a challenge. The words that are translated as “let them” in Jesus’ statement, “Let them grow…” can also be translated as forgive them. It’s the same words Jesus spoke from the cross in St. Luke’s account of the gospel when he says, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Even then, even on the cross, Jesus is unwilling to pull up the weeds. 

There is no place in Jesus’ gospel for Christian vigilantism, by word or by action, against another or against ourselves. Instead, Jesus commands love. Love your enemy. Love your neighbour. Love yourself. Love God. Forgive the weeds? Love the weeds? Remember the gospel is always a challenge. So, yes, forgive them. Love them. Maybe that’s how the wheat begins to disentangle its roots from the weeds and show itself to be wheat and not weeds. Maybe love and forgiveness are what life in the mixed field of God’s kingdom and this world is like. It seems the separation between the wheat and the weeds is not as clear cut or black and white as Facebook, the media, our politicians, and our personal opinions would often have us believe. In any event, we are not the ones to make that judgment. We’re not the ones to uproot those we see as weeds. Jesus is clear about that. “Let them grow together until the harvest,” he says. Jesus shows more interest in growth than extermination. He is willing to wait and to be patient, and so must we.

Edith 

Today's second hymn is "Praise To The Lord, The Almighty, The King Of Creation"

Our prayers for today - 

And our final hymn for today is a popular one with children - "You Shall Go Out With Joy"

Mid-week Joy 15th July 2020

Mid-week Joy

Welcome again to our mid-week celebration of all the great things happening in Leesfield Parish and beyond.

Our Sunday service details will be here at the weekend, but there's so much more we would love to share with you in the meantime.

The theme for this week's Worship for all Generations is "Faith". You'll find the service on our facebook page at 6.30 pm on Thursday, just follow this link - Leesfield Parish

We're not ready just yet to have Worship for all Generations in church, because so many of the things which make this service so special can't be done at the moment. St Thomas' Church does have a service of Holy Communion every Sunday at 10 am, and is open for private prayer from 10 - 11 am each Wednesday. 

The safest place for you to worship is still at home, especially if you are in a vulnerable group, and we will continue to provide everything we can to help you to do so - here, on our facebook pages, by email and in the post for as long as it's needed. 

This week's musical item comes from Wells Cathedral School. It features Ellie, who often played her flute in church for us.

Our Sunday school children have been continuing to explore their favourite stories from the Bible, and this week it was all about Zacchaeus. Here's Annie's "before and after" picture. To see more about our Sunday schools please click on the following link - St Thomas Leesfield Sunday School

One of the better things to come out of lockdown is the opportunity to watch church services and prayers that we wouldn't usually see. As well as the worship there's so much fun to be had! Just watch this clip of the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral's cat stealing his milk during Morning Prayer - The Independent Online/videos

I will be having a bookstall on the church lawn on Saturday 18th from 12 noon until 2pm. There is quite a range of different books - please come and choose some (donations to church funds). As the weather forecast looks reasonable, you might like to bring a blanket and a picnic so we can make this a social occasion (socially distanced of course) . Liz's Prayer and Nature trail booklet should be available too for any who would like to follow that. Hope to see you there! 
Edith🥪📚

And here's the Prayer and Nature Trail booklet -

Sunday 12th July 2020

Sunday Worship 12th July

You can find all of our latest information, Edith's reflection for this Sunday, our Thursday "Worship for all Generations" and much more by clicking on the following link to our facebook page - Leesfield Parish

Last Thursday's Worship for all Generations was all about Hope, so our first hymn today is "Lord Of All Hopefulness" - 

Today's bible reading -

The parable of the Sower is just one of many parables which Jesus used in his teaching. A parable is a short simple story drawn from everyday life, which illustrates a spiritual truth.
All teachers need to develop a variety of different ways of imparting information and ideas to their students. This was one of Jesus’ tools of the trade. He told stories that grabbed attention because they related to people’s own lives. 
This passage, is two separate passages, with verses 10 to 17 omitted from the reading. The first part is Jesus telling the story of the sower, the second part is Jesus’ explanation. Jesus’ audience would have been familiar with farming methods of the day as depicted in the story. They would have known all about the scattering of seed by hand, a far cry from modern high Tec farming methods.  And we hear what happens to the seed - Some falls where there is no soil and cannot grow, some falls where there is little soil and cannot root properly, some is choked by weeds. But some falls on good ground and flourishes, bringing a good crop. 
If we go on to the second part of today’s passage we hear Jesus’ explanation of this story – as the seed represents the word of God, which can fall where there is no one who can hear it and be wasted, or on poor ground where those who hear don’t really take it in and its message is soon forgotten, 
or perhaps the people who hear the message have such worldly concerns that they too soon forget. It is only when the seed falls on good ground, where the hearers are able to really understand that it can be fruitful. Where people can take to heart God’s word and show this in their lives. God may be the primary sower, but the disciples have accepted the commission to join Jesus in spreading the word far and wide – so it is their duty to make sure the soil is prepared, that the birds are scared away, that the thorns are uprooted and that the seed does not fall where there is not enough soil to let it grow. 
And that duty passes on to us now. As sowers we have great responsibility.  The old methods of farming, as described here, inevitably led to some failure of the crop, but it is unlikely that the farmer would have wasted seed unnecessarily by scattering it with such abandon. Seed was precious, life depended on it not being wasted but being used to produce food. Perhaps this part of the story is there to remind people that God does scatter his gifts freely, carelessly, with great generosity. God gives to all, He doesn’t check first on our worthiness, we can’t earn His gifts. He doesn’t count the cost, He didn’t count the cost when He sent his Son to us, and allowed him to die for us. His message is distributed in all sorts of unlikely places and must be given to all. We who have been given so much must also give in His service, give of our money, our time, our talents, whatever we can. Just as the sower is depicted as scattering freely, so must we, without judging whether or not other people or causes are worthy. 
In this and the following parables, Jesus is trying to help the disciples to understand rejection and not be discouraged by it. They are working among people, many of whom will reject them and what they have to say, or seem to reject them. The parable of the sower explains to them that not everyone is able to hear and accept the Word of God.  But the disciples should not worry that their effort is in vain, when the fertile soil is found the harvest is great, compensating for all seeming failure. Also, Jesus reassures them –they are not to worry about the few apparent results since God is at work below the surface, causing growth that will eventually be seen. 
And we too need to hear this message. We will find our Christian message rejected by many, but accepted by others. As we go about our daily lives we need to talk about our beliefs, while recognising that many will not understand, but some of what we say and do will bear fruit later, perhaps much later. And we should rejoice when we are understood and accepted. We as sowers must prepare the ground as much as we can, but then trust in the generous mercy of God, and sometimes throw caution to the wind and watch with delight as God’s word accomplishes what we could never have dreamed of.
Edith 

Today's second hymn is the traditional - "Now Thank We All Our God" -

Our prayers for today -

As we return gradually to church, one of the things we will still miss is singing our favourite hymns. We recently asked our facebook friends to tell us which ones they liked best, and "Christ Be Our Light" was a favourite with quite a few -

  

Sunday services

New service from this Sunday 

From this Sunday, the 12th July, there will be a Parish Eucharist at St Thomas' Church at 10 am. Because St Agnes' Church is so tiny, services there cannot take place just yet.

It may be necessary for you to wait outside a short while to come in, so if you're coming please do arrive in plenty of time. People from the same household or "bubble" will be able to sit together, but unfortunately it won't be possible for others to sit next to those they would normally sit with. 

The local Church of England secondary schools are not including attendance during this period in their admissions criteria, and we will therefore not be recording attendance for this purpose at our worship.

Please see the poster below for more information.   

The service will be very different to what we're used to, so Revd. Edith's made a short video to show us all what it will look like - please click on this link to view it - Public Worship Video

Now that we have a Sunday service we will no longer be open for private prayer on Sunday afternoons, as we have for the past three weeks. However, we do understand that some of you may wish to come into church to pray privately, even if you don't yet feel ready to attend public worship. St Thomas' Church will open each Wednesday from 10-11 am, so please do feel free to call in - see the poster below for more details. 

Don't forget - your own home is still the safest place for you to worship and pray, especially if you're in a vulnerable group. Everything we do now to bring our services to you at home - here, on our facebook pages, and in the post for those without internet access - will continue for as long as you need it.  

Mid-week Joy 8th July 2020

Mid-week Joy

Welcome again to our mid-week celebration of all the great things happening in Leesfield Parish and beyond.

Our Sunday service details will be here at the weekend, but there's so much more we would love to share with you in the meantime.

The theme for this week's Worship for all Generations is "Hope" - something which we all need in these difficult times. You'll find the service on our facebook page at 6.30 pm on Thursday, just follow this link - Leesfield Parish 

Whilst we're thinking about hope, as the lockdown restrictions begin to ease we're getting ready to open up St Thomas' Church for public worship. Please do watch this page for more information.

One of the great things to come out of this crisis is the way in which musicians from around the world have come together from their own homes to bring us wonderfully inspiring music. This week's Musical item features a virtual choir from the Merseyside area singing "You Raise Me Up"  

From one of our neighbouring parishes, Rev'd Liz Devall from St John Hurst has been doing a virtual pilgrimage from her church to Lindisfarne, and will walk all of the miles locally, visiting the areas around her parish. Liz has been taking photos and tweeting as she passes by other churches - and here are her tweets as she walked through Leesfield Parish a couple of weeks ago. Thank you so much Rev'd Liz for your prayers.    

Our Sunday schools have continued to look at their favourite Bible stories, and this week's was Jonah and the Whale. The poem is by Eva, and the pictures by Sean and Harrison. To see more about our Sunday schools please visit their facebook page - StThomas Leesfield Sunday School

We're all quite familiar with seeing birds frolicking in birdbaths during the day, but have you ever wondered what happens at night when we're all tucked up in bed? This week's nature feature shows some baby owls - with the pool to themselves!

Sunday 5th July 2020

Sunday Worship 5th July

You can find all of our latest information, Edith's reflection for this Sunday, our Thursday "Worship for all Generations" and much more by clicking on the following link to our facebook page - Leesfield Parish

Today we should have been holding our parish Confirmation service. I was looking forward to that, particularly as it would have been my last as vicar. Several candidates had already come forward, including several adults. We have been told that Confirmation services will be rearranged, though I think this time next year is most likely. 
We have been ‘doing church’ in a different way over the last 3 months or so. It has been interesting to be involved in the virtual church, through all the online resources. We do need to think more about these different ways of being part of church. I do think that Sunday morning services in church are the core of our worship, but increasingly over the years it has become clear we need to cater for people whose lives don’t fit easily with that pattern- and I think the last few weeks have made this even clearer. This will surely be a discussion it is important to have once we are able to be together again. 
Edith

Our first hymn today is "Come Down O Love Divine" -

Today's Bible reading -

Today’s gospel reading is two separate short passages put together. The first part shows people who are not easily pleased. They didn’t like John the Baptist, his way of living with its self-denial made them uncomfortable – some even suspected he had   a demon. Then came Jesus with his quite different lifestyle. He celebrated with all, enjoyed food and drink, threw parties which spoke of God’s lavish, generous love and forgiveness – and they didn’t like that either. It’s a bit like a spoilt, tantrum-throwing child, not satisfied whatever happens. 
The second part of the passage shows an entirely different sort of child. Jesus talks very movingly of his relationship with his father, with God. Jesus had come to know his father the way a son does, not by studying books about him but by living in his presence, listening for his voice and by learning from him as an apprentice does from a master, by watching and imitating. Jesus has known the love, support and delight of his father and can now care for others.  Jewish culture stressed the importance of wisdom, wisdom was gained by studying the law and teasing out its finest points. For the average Jew of Jesus’ day this was way out of reach. You had to be a scholar, trained in languages and literature, with the free time to be able to ponder and debate weighty and complicated matters. Jesus discovered that the wise and learned were not the ones who really knew God. It was rather the ‘little people’ -  the poor, the sinners, the tax collectors, ordinary folk  - were discovering more of God simply by following Jesus than the learned specialists who declared that what he was doing didn’t fit with their complicated theories. 
So Jesus came to see that he was himself acting as a window on to the living God. Where Jesus was, through his words and action, people were coming to see who the Father really was. So with Jesus, things were, are, different. People are no longer to be burdened by the Jewish law with all its commandments. Jesus offers a different ‘yoke’ – coming from his mercy and love. 
Jesus did say people had to be prepared to leave behind family, possessions, even their own life. But the ease and the joy, the rest and refreshment which he offers all spring from his own inner character, his gentleness and warmth to all who turn to him, weighed down by burdens, moral, physical, emotional, financial or whatever. He declares that he is ‘gentle and humble of heart’ and that isn’t boasting. He is encouraging us to believe that he isn’t going to stand over us like a policeman. The welcome he offers, for all who abandon themselves to his mercy, is the welcome God offers through him. This is the invitation that pulls back the curtain and lets us see who ‘the Father’ really is, and encourages us to come into his loving and welcoming presence. 
Looking back at the beginning of today’s gospel passage, to that picture we have of the spoilt child, we can see that Jesus offers them rest, rest from their discontent and frustration. Just as he offers us rest when we are weary, refreshment when we are parched and hungry.
Edith

Today's second hymn is an invitation to all of us - "Will You Come And Follow Me"  

Our prayers for today - 

And our final hymn this morning is -  "God Is Working His Purpose Out" -