Sunday Worship 4th October
St Thomas' Church welcomes you to our Parish Harvest Eucharist at 10 am. Presiding and preaching today is our own Associate Priest, Rev'd David Halford. Donations of non-perishable food items for Impact Community Church, Hollinwood will be gratefully accepted.
We follow all of the guidelines to ensure the safety of everyone worshipping here, and we have ample seating to welcome families whilst maintaining safe distancing.
If, for whatever reason, you are unable to join us in church today, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.
This morning's first hymn is "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"
Today's Gospel Reading -
Reflection -
In this week’s Gospel, Matthew follows on from where Jesus was challenged by the elders and Pharisees as to what authority he had for his ministry.
Jesus is in the temple in Jerusalem at the heart of the what should be religious focus for the Jews. He can clearly see what many others have missed. The religion that was supposed to help people find union with God had become something else. In the hands of the some, it had become focused on who had influence, on power and control for the ones in power and on guilt and punishment for those who were not.
Jesus shows them through his parable that they have fallen short of their duty and place. Instead of taking the opportunity to be a positive force and lead the people spiritually and faithfully so they bear fruit, they are more focused on their own status and needs. They are the tenants Jesus is referring to.
By speaking through the prophets, God has repeatedly given his people the opportunity to bear fruit and to follow his teachings, to enlighten us to his wisdom and love him as he loves us. But time and again we have failed.
There is only one thing for it, God sent his son, surely “They will respect my son” – listen carefully to and cherish him and his ways”. But that too failed. They contrived to reject him, throw him out, torture and kill him. They rejected the very stone that would become the cornerstone of our faith.
But Jesus knew his destiny and the suffering it would involve. He took no revenge. Instead he excused his persecutors and through his unconditional love reconciled everyone with God.
We are also tenants of God’s kingdom on earth. We are provided by God with what we need to make our lives and vineyard prosper and so he allows us to make our own choices.
It is up to us to run our lives as we choose and to take decisions in our own interest. What does God ask in return?
That we make space for him in our lives and that we remember that the good things in our lives come from the grace of God. That we love one another and help his people bear the fruit of the spirit.
God is not an absent Landlord; he is with us always and loves everyone of us. All he asks is that we love him back, is the price of the rent too much to pay?
Today's Prayers -
And our final hymn for this morning is "We Plough The Fields And Scatter"
