Sunday Worship 27th June

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the third Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd Lyn Woodall will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first hymn this morning is "Do Not Be Afraid, For I Have Redeemed You" 

Today's Gospel

Mark 5:21-43                                    “A dead girl and sick woman”  

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. 

Reflection

In Mark’s Gospel passage we hear of two miracles performed by Jesus and on the face of it they may just sound like two uplifting yet unrelated stories of Jesus’ power to cure the sick and bring the dead back to life. 

So, you might be surprised if I were to say that both events Mark is describing, portray Jesus as a law breaker, guilty of serious transgressions against biblical law. In the first instance Jesus has contact with a woman who has been seriously ill for 12 years with chronic menstrual problems. Leviticus 15 & 20 outlines the law that women who are menstruating are unclean and that any one who touches them or sits where they have sat will be unclean as well. As such, they were to be avoided at all costs and some people even thought that healers who touched them would lose their ability to heal.

Imagine then, what life must have been like for this poor woman who had to suffer this indignity not only once a month but to be permanently ostracised and treated as unclean every day of her life for 12 years. Furthermore, we are told that she has become bankrupt trying to get help from doctors and healers and all to no avail. How desperate and distraught must she have been; and yet despite everything she hears of Jesus and has faith that though him and God’s grace she will be cured. She boldly pushes though the crowd. In doing so she risks being seriously assaulted but through her faith and determination she is rewarded. 

Now imagine you are Jairus, a wealthy religious leader, a man of standing in the community and of learning. Jairus has come to Jesus because his daughter is at the point of death and he is also at point of desperation. He too has heard that Jesus could cure her and he too has faith in Jesus.

Yet suddenly on the way to help, everything comes to an abrupt halt and Jesus is waylaid by this audacious, penniless and unclean woman. To add insult to injury, Jesus spends time with her calling her ‘daughter’ and healing her instead. What if contact with her has made him lose his healing ability? Jairus probably thought, “Why is Jesus wasting time with this queue jumper? I asked for his help first!” Then the worst of all news as he is told his daughter is dead – now it is Jairus who is totally distraught. He was probably quite angry with Jesus for wasting time. But Jesus’ response is simple and at the same time totally reassuring - “Do not fear, only believe.”  Jairus follows Jesus and his belief too is rewarded. 

In saving the child, Jesus again breaks the purity laws by taking the hand of the dead girl. In both these actions of breaking the historic laws Jesus demonstrates to us that although the laws are often made for right intentions it is sometimes unwise to blindly follow them without interpretation.

We too can rely on Jesus to help us interpret the ancient scriptures and help us to construe the world in a fairer and more righteous way. Just like Jesus did not differentiate between the poor unclean woman and the rich leader, he is helping us to recognise rights of all different types of citizens in our society regardless of status, wealth, colour, religion or sex. 

He also shows us that, no matter who we are or where we come from – we are God’s beloved children and if we are willing to have faith and believe in him, nothing is impossible no matter how desperate the situation may feel to us.

Paul D.

Our prayers

Almighty Lord,

We thank you for the teachings and examples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We pray that we may have faith and trust in you

To be part of our daily lives

And know that you are always by our side

in the good times and the bad.  

Merciful Lord, 

We give you thanks that whether we are wealthy or poor

In the front of the crowd like Jairus 

or struggling to get though the throng, 

like the woman who reached out and touched your cloak,

you see each and every one of us.  

Caring Lord,

Give us the boldness and confidence

To reach out and touch the hem of your divine clothes

When we need your help.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen 

Today's final hymn is "Bless The Lord, O My Soul"

 Mid-Week Joy 23rd June 2021

Summer is here!

Some might dispute that - If you’ve looked at the weather forecast this week it has mostly been described as ‘changeable’. Perhaps I’m cynical but for me that’s a euphemism for rainy and certainly cloudy. That said after a very miserable and wet month of May, we have had a predominantly dry June and even though the sun hasn’t been scorching it has been mild and we’ve even had some warm days to get out and enjoy our local scenery.

Sun shining through the trees in Lees [PD June 2021]

From a astronomical point of view this week is of special for a couple of reasons;

Firstly, on Monday it was the summer solstice. For us in the north, on this day we experience the maximum number of hours sunlight with 16 hours, 38 minute and 21 seconds in total. For those interested in the astronomy behind it, this is caused because the tilt of the North Pole towards the sun is at its maximum position.

Often associated with druids and paganism, the summer solstice is sometimes referred to as ‘midsummer's day’. However, from a meteorological perspective it is fact the first day of summer, so hopefully we have plenty of days of sunshine to look forward to in coming weeks.

This time is also seen by many as the triumph of light over the dark and as Christians we can perhaps associate this with Jesus coming as the light of the world. John’s Gospel makes several references to this as do the Gospels:

John 8: 12” I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believe in me should stay in darkness”.

John 1:14 “In him was life, and that was the light of all mankind.”

What better time is there to give thanks to God that he gave us Jesus to shine as a light in our lives. Whether by coincidence or not, the summer solstice also marks the feast day of John the Baptist and many churches will celebrate this on Sunday

Also, this week on Thursday, if it’s not too cloudy you may be able to see the Strawberry moon. It is a full moon that will be a hazy amber colour and is so close to the earth that it is sometimes classed as a super moon because it appears much larger than usual. It is referred to as a strawberry moon for no better reason than it associated with the time of year that strawberries come into to season.

COVID update:

The summer solstice may be remembered by some as the ‘Freedom date’ when the government were hoping to relax more of the restrictions on the 'road-map out of lockdown'. Unfortunately, as we know that has been postponed but the good news is that we can still continue to worship at St. Thomas’ in a safe and socially distanced way.

St. Thomas Church, Leesfield [PD June 2021]

It has been really pleasing to see the increasing number of people attending church over the last few weeks and we are grateful to all the clergy who have supported us and presided over our Sunday morning worship. We look forward to seeing more people in the near future.

 

Prayer

Almighty God, who created the earth and the heavens,

Who put the sun, the moon and stars in the sky.

We give you thanks for the wonders in our world.

May we rejoice with the angels in heaven,

and praise your glorious name.

Help us to follow the path of light

and be a shining example

by sharing your love with others.

In Jesus name we ask.

Amen

 

Twitter story

Whilst I was in my study this week, our son came in and said he’d found an injured bird in the road that was struggling to fly. It was a baby blue tit and did indeed look very sorry for itself.

 

We thought at first that it had a broken wing, but after closer inspection I saw that its legs were badly entwined with waste plastic and string which in turn had got twisted together with grass and moss. After very carefully managing to snip the rubbish free with some tiny scissors it managed to perk up and we quickly returned it back to near where it was found as it sang and chirruped away to attract it’s parent who quickly appeared.

Whilst this story thankfully had a happy ending, it should be noted that it is not good practice to move young fledglings if you find them. When they initially leave the nest, they are not competent fliers for a short while and can often be seen in the undergrowth where they continue to be fed by the parents until they have built up the strength in their wings.  If you move them for any length of time the parents will stop looking for them. 

 

 And finally………………

Last week I shared a photo of a busy bee contrasting it’s bright colours against the background of red poppy. So this week I thought it would be nice to see a bee against the vibrant blue background of a cornflowers in the churchyard. 

Bee on Cornflower [PD June 2021]

Enjoy the spectacular art and contrast of nature that God gives us to see free of charge.

 

Note: The pictures, and content in this post are free from copyright, so please feel free to share with whoever you wish.

Sunday Worship 20th June

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the second Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd Richard Hawkins will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first hymn this morning is "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"

Today's Gospel

Mark 4: v35 - 41  “Who then is this”  

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Reflection

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic novel The Lord of the Rings tells the story of a quest to destroy a magic ring before an evil Dark Lord can find it and rule the world. The companions on the quest must take the ring to the Dark Lord’s stronghold and throw it into the furnace in which it was made. Their journey is beset by dangers, as the forces of evil try to stop them, but they have the wisdom and guidance of the wizard Gandalf to help them. Running from an attack, they take a road under the mountains, but that too takes them into the path of creatures who try to destroy them. They are faced by a terrible fiery monster, and in the battle that follows Gandalf falls into a fiery ravine. 

Later on their travels some of the companions meet an old man disguised in a cloak and hat. They sense danger and are afraid. Who is this? But when he speaks, one of them feels something other than fear, “like the sudden bite of a keen air, or the slap of a cold rain that wakes an uneasy sleeper”. His instincts are right; the old man is Gandalf, returned as if from the dead. He is indeed now dangerous and terrible — but he is also still their friend and leader. There is new hope for the success of the quest.

The disciples know Jesus. He is their friend. They have travelled with him and listened to his stories. They have seen people healed. They have begun to understand something of his mission. But they have not even begun to grasp the miracle of who he is. It takes an episode of extreme danger to make them ask the question.

They are with Jesus in a boat crossing the lake when a storm blows up. Waves crash over the small boat. The disciples bail frantically, but nothing works. Jesus, meanwhile, is asleep. His friends wake him up, needing his help. 

Calmly, he speaks to the wind and the water, and they subside. “Who then is this?” they ask one another. It is the right question. Who is it that can control watery chaos with a word? The disciples have read their scriptures and know that the universe was brought into being with a word from the creator God dividing the waters. They have sung the psalm that says to God, “the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder, they take to flight” (Psalm 104:6-7). They have read the book of Job and heard God claim power over the created order: “who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb... and said... ‘here shall your proud waves be stopped’?” They know the story of the Red Sea, which God parted to let their ancestors cross on dry land.

Now Jesus speaks to raging water and it obeys. He reveals himself as more than a teacher, more than a healer. His friends have seen his divine power and they are in awe of him. “Who then is this?” He is still their friend and teacher, but like Gandalf’s companions, they have seen him as he truly is, as he will be on the other side of death.

When Mark included this story in his Gospel, he was talking to us. He tells us that we are not reading a biography of a good man. We are not hearing nice stories about farming and fishing. We are not even admiring the skill of a healer. 

We are reading about God’s purpose for the world, brought to fruition through the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus stands in the boat and speaks to the waves, he acts with the authority of the one in whose Hands rests the entire universe. As we read on, this episode sheds its light over everything we read. And when we reach the end of the story, the defeat of death itself seems almost inevitable, because how can death hold on to one who can still the deathly power of the raging waters with a word?

Our Prayers

Almighty creator God, 

Whose word has the power to calm our troubled sea;

Open our ears to hear your word when you speak to us

Be with each of us in our boat 

That we may trust in your presence beside us

And give us confidence to know that

especially in the difficult times of our lives

you care and love for us

and will always be there when we need you most.

This we pray, In Jesus’ name. 

Amen 

Our final hymn this morning is "I Bind Unto Myself This Day"

Mid-Week Joy - 16th June 2021

We start this weeks article with a welcome to Rev. Daniel Ramble who was licenced as the  new Area Dean of Oldham and Ashton on Sunday 6th June by Bishop David Walker.

As you will see from the photographs above, the licencing had to be done remotely via Zoom as Daniel is currently stranded in India because of the international travel restrictions that are in place. 

Many of us are now quite used to this technology for meetings and getting together with friends and relatives, but I have to admit it was somewhat amusing seeing 3 Bishops, an Archdeacon and various other officials all gathered around Bishop David's i-Pad. To add to the strangeness of the  occasion we also had to make a last minute change of room and locate somewhere that had a WiFi signal.  

Following his licensing meeting, Daniel was able to join the evensong service which was streamed live from Manchester Cathedral and included the licensing of other Area Deans and commissioning of Deanery Lay Chairs. 

When Daniel is able to travel back to the UK, he and his family will move into St. Thomas' vicarage and we look forward to welcoming them in person. In addition to his busy role as Area Dean, Daniel was also licenced as Assistant Curate for our parish of St.Thomas,Leesfield. 

Christian Aid Week Update

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the fund raising for Christian Aid Week in our parish and Churches Together In Lees and District. 

At a time when lot of people are finding things hard we managed to raise a total of  £604.49 across St. Thomas, St. Agnes, Springhead Congregational, Zion Methodist and St. John, Hey. 

In addition we raised £295 (plus £60 Gift Aid) via the 300,000 step sponsored walk Just Giving page. This makes a magnificent grand total of £959.49!

All the monies raised will go to making a real difference in countries like Kenya where extreme weather is making it harder and harder to survive. For communities fighting the climate crisis, every last drop of water matters and every last one of us can help them thrive. The coronavirus pandemic has only increased the urgent need for families to access a reliable source of water - so once again a heartfelt THANK YOU.

Prayer for Hope God's Creation

Great God,

Who makes the sun to rise, and opens the heavens

Hear the cry of the people

Who sow in hope for rain, but reap only despair

Hear the cry of the people

Seeking shelter from the storm, their hopes and homes

submerged

Hear the cry of the people,

When creation is hitting back, with rage and resistance

Give us hope, grant us salvation,

Give us a new relationship with creation

With reverence to tend this gift from You

And say once again of the earth and all you created

It is GOOD.

(Bob Kikuyu Global Theology Advisor, Christian Aid)

and finally.....

I leave you with a couple of pictures I took this morning of a busy bee collecting nectar from a bright red poppy...

 and a male and female bullfinch having breakfast together.

Enjoy the rest of the nice weather.

Paul

Sunday Worship 13th June

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the second Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd John Faraday will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first hymn this morning is "Jesus is Lord, Creation's Voice Proclaims it"

Today's Gospel

Mark 4:26-34.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,  and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Reflection

We are all known  by the many things we do and achieve. We are also known by the things we fail at! My family and other people who know me well would be able to give an impressive list of my failures! One of these failures is my dismal attempt at gardening. It has even been suggested that I could kill any plant just by looking at it! Because of that problem I am always very impressed at the people who are good at gardening.

When we moved into our current house there were hardly any plants in our back garden. Now, after six years and a lot of hard work by my wife, that garden is wonderful. I help with carrying bags of compost and doing some of the donkey-work, but Joan is the brains and the inspiration for our beautiful garden. The garden looks good and is very colourful but also produces a lot of our food.

Although techniques and some of the methods of gardening have changed over the years, we can still learn plenty from considering the parables of Jesus in Mark 4:26-34. Huge crowds went to hear Jesus speaking because He spoke about everyday things which meant a lot to them. Gardening was even more important to them because so many of them would depend on their gardens and fields for most of their food. It is not surprising that Jesus spoke about gardening so much.

Even though we are entertained so much by our TVs, computers and other electronic gadgets we all appreciate a good story teller, and to so many of his listeners Jesus was nothing more than that. At the end of the reading we are told that most listeners just listened to the stories. Only the disciples thought about what they meant and discussed them with Jesus.

I hope that we learn from those words at the end of the reading and seek to be people who pray and learn from those parables and try to apply that teaching of Jesus.

In the first parable we hear of a man who put seed on the ground. His job was done (except, perhaps for a bit of weeding). He then sat back while a miracle took place! The grain grew. From one tiny seed a plant sprouted with enough grains to add to the food supply and also to provide seed for the next year’s planting.

Other Gospels tell of Jesus’ explanation of this parable. He is talking about the good news about Him being spread like the farmer spreads the seed.. (The word ‘Gospel’ means good news.) The farmer does his side of the work by putting the seed into the field but the growth of the seed is controlled by God Himself.

There is a famous hymn which starts, ‘We have a Gospel to proclaim.’ That is a good reminder of our part in that parable. We proclaim the Gospel by the things we think and say and do. We need to ask the Lord to help us to do that in a way which attracts others to appreciate who the Lord is. Do not be discouraged by the fact that many people ignore or laugh at us, because (as Jesus taught in another parable) some of the seed falls on unfavourable ground. When we faithfully proclaim the good news some will respond.

The second parable reminds us of the importance of the good news.

You can hardly see a mustard seed because, like many plants, the seed is so tiny. Yet from that seed a huge mustard tree grows. If I planted it, it may have problems but a good gardener would know the kind of soil to put it in and if some kind of fertiliser would help. Once that tree is on its way the growth is enormous!

Many Christians think that they have nothing to give and that they are unable to achieve anything for the Kingdom of God. If we think that, we are making a mistake. It is not our job to produce the growth, but to ‘sow the seed.’ The Lord is the one who makes the seed grow. There are many ways in which we can sow the seed. We can regularly show kindness to people, and (to quote one bishop) ‘gossip the Gospel.’ We can write to newspapers. We can use social media.

There is no limit to the ways we can do our bit in making the Gospel known. Let’s ask for God’s help in doing that.

John F.

Our Prayers

Loving Lord,

Help us to know and appreciate your good news.

May we live it.

May we share it.

May we make it known to others.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ

Who lived, died & rose again to make it possible.

Amen.

Lord, You have taught us that all our doings,

without love, are worth nothing:

Send Your Holy Spirit

and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,

the true bond of peace and of all virtues,

without which whoever lives is counted dead before You.

Grant this for Your only Son, Jesus Christ’s sake,

Who is alive and reigns with You,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God, now and for ever.

Amen.

This morning's final hymn is "We have a Gospel to Proclaim" 

Mid-week Joy 9th June

 Mid-Week Joy – 9th  June 2021

Hi everybody, we have again been blessed with a dry and warm weekend and the outlook for the next few days looks even better. I hope you are managing to make the most of this by getting out into the countryside or spending time in your gardens. 

For many of us the month of May was a total washout with one of the coldest and wettest on record. I’m sure this will have discouraged many folk from venturing out unless you were well wrapped up. But of course, not all is bad because we can now all benefit from the lush richness of nature which seems to have burst out virtually overnight. 

If you are walking about by the rivers and reservoirs you will see that most are still in full flow as the underground and over ground springs continue to replenish them from the higher land and moors. The picture below is of Dowry reservoir on the road to Huddersfield from Denshaw.

This is quite a contrast to last year when we had just had experienced one of the hottest and driest months of May on record. As the picture below shows you can see the base of the arches on the bridge that spans the reservoir.

It was a strange feeling indeed and somewhat surreal to be able to walk under the bridge on the floor of the reservoir.

On a more serious note, the widely varied weather patterns we have seen over the last few years, even in the UK, are a reminder that we must as stewards of the God’s creation play our part to conserve energy and recycle wherever we can. 

We should also remember that the impact of climate change is far more devastating in other parts of the world. In countries like Kenya for example, where they are affected by either drought or relentless rainstorms which make farming and feeding their communities an almost impossible struggle. 

A Prayer for God’s Creation and the future of our planet:

Creator God,

We thank you for the marvellous creation of our world,

For the beauty of the flora and fauna,

The mountains and plains, the oceans and rivers.

Help each of us to take responsibility and care for what you have given us,

And not to waste and squander the worlds resources or pollute the environment.

Guide the leaders of the G7 counties as they meet in Cornwall this month 

and also, the leaders at UN climate summit in Glasgow later this year.

We ask that they show courage to make challenging commitments 

To adopt greener technology and practices, 

and find accord to deliver initiatives to restore our planet.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.

and finally……

I snapped this vibrant scene of yellow buttercups on the Leesbrook Nature trail in a field between Greenacres and Lees. The easiest way to see it, is to follow the path from Greenacres Road that starts at the top-side of Cairo Mill then follow the top path towards Lees rather than heading left down to the river Medlock.

Beautiful Buttercup

Resplendent in the morning light

Oh, you are a beautiful sight

You nod your head In the afternoon breeze

As you show your splendour to tempt the bees

Your bright yellow petals are a sight to behold

As you lift our hearts with your splash of gold.

Note: The pictures, poem and prayers attached are free from copyright, so please feel free to share with whoever you wish.

Sunday Worship 6th June

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the first Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd David Halford will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.

Our first hymn this morning is "Abba, Father, Let Me Be"

Today's Gospel

Mark 3: v20-35 

The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Reflection

“Chav: Toff: Hoodie: Yuppy:” Have you noticed how much our society likes to label people?  Sometimes nicknames are affectionate and good-natured - the Scot at work who gets called “Jock” may know well, by the way it is said, that this means he is one of the team.  At other times, putting people into a box seems to go with putting them down in some way.  We can feel superior as we distance ourselves from the sort of threat we may feel they represent.

Tabloid newspapers can categorise a criminal as a “monster” removing the threat that the human race’s tendency towards wrong-doing in that person might also lie in us too.  Someone who stands up for unpopular moral values may be labelled a “do-gooder”; that ridicule protecting us from the risk of our own behaviour being judged, or, at the very least, drowning out that inner inconvenient voice that tells us that they might well be right!

Jesus has just called his disciples.  Now he is in danger of being labelled by an unsettled family and an agitated religious establishment.  As his public ministry begins Jesus’ relatives grow concerned at the tales of his long working hours.  They decide that he has got things out of proportion, and arrive in Capernaum to escort him home to Nazareth for food and rest.  And news of Jesus’ activity has spread far further – all the way to Jerusalem, prompting the religious authorities to travel north to address this upstart rabbi.

No-one disputes the powerful reality of Jesus’ miracles.  The issue is how they respond to Jesus’ ministry.  As Jesus’ identity as God’s Messiah emerges, his earthly family want to contain him; the religious authorities want to destroy him.  For the Pharisees Jesus is proving an even greater threat.

The Pharisees accusations arise from the threat Jesus poses to their high position within the religious status quo rather that any honest motive.  Jesus exposes this as he highlights the illogical nature of their claim; it makes no sense for a demon-possessed healer to exorcise one of his own.  In their desperation to defeat Jesus the religious authorities commit blasphemy by pronouncing what is good as evil.  In doing so they also thrust aside the Kingdom of God in defiance.  Jesus offers no hope to those determined to declare the light of the world to be darkness. 

Mark frames this dramatic episode with the arrival of Jesus’ family.  Their concerns are with family allegiance rather than religious position.  Unlike the Pharisees they see themselves as on Jesus’ side.  Their motives are genuine and the issues far from trivial.  In Jesus’ day family bonds formed part of sacred tradition, and were deeply connected to the heart of Jewish identity.

But God’s Kingdom, says Jesus, is still paramount.  As God’s chosen Messiah he is forging a fellowship of redeemed people, united by his Spirit and by their relationship to himself.  The silent figures of this Gospel scene, the disciples seated around Jesus, are his new family.  Anyone willing to join them in following Jesus, will be welcomed as a fellow member.

The Gospels do not flinch from what makes uncomfortable reading: the opposition Jesus faces is from those one would least expect to challenge the source and character of his actions.  The religious community and his own family.  Jesus’ ministry brings healing and reconciliation between humankind and God; but is also brings separation – from old ties to new loyalties, and from self -aggrandisement to humble service.

How do we respond when we are faced with the figure of Jesus, in all his love and power?  As we see the changes it may mean in our lives to accept him as Lord, we may look for our own ways of side-stepping the challenge.  We may try to water down his status from Messiah to “just a good man”, or to consign Him to history as a great religious leader of the past, who need not really trouble us today. 

Becoming a disciple of Jesus means letting Him be Lord.  The cost of following Him will involve repositioning any attachments that compete for first place in our lives, from family and friends to our job, status and possessions.  We may even find ourselves tempted to patronise Jesus or push Him away – and if we are determined to do so, he will not force us into His Kingdom.  But if we accept Him as he truly is, the rewards of joining Jesus’ family will ultimately deliver more than any other attachment can promise.

Prayers

Heavenly Father, 

We thank you that by grace through faith in Christ

we can all be members of Your holy family.

and that in Jesus, we have the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. 

We pray that we will have the confidence to truly follow and accept You as our Lord,

And put Jesus first in our lives above other priorities

We pray that we may commit our lives as a living sacrifice, 

holy and acceptable to You - for Your praise and glory. 

Amen

Our final hymn this morning is "Father God I Wonder"

Mid-week Joy 2nd June

 Mid-Week Joy – 2nd June 2021

Welcome to a summery edition of Mid-week Joy. 

As I write this week’s piece, the sun is beaming down on Leesfield and it really feels like summer is just around the corner. There are smiles on people’s faces and folks are at last getting their summer clothes out from the back of the wardrobe. The bigger bonus is that this long-awaited spell of good weather has landed on the Bank Holiday weekend and half term.

Some of you will know that over the last month I have been doing the 300,000 step challenge to raise money for Christian Aid, (to put that into context, it’s approximately 150 miles). After what has been a very wet and cold month it was so nice to have the final stomp in warm weather and not wrapped up in a raincoat and woolly jumper, so I thought I would share some pictures from that last day. For anyone that hasn’t manged to donate to Christian Aid this year it’s still not too late to – please visit the Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/churchestogther-leesdistrict. I only need £30 to reach my goal of £300. 

 

The pictures above were taken in Alexandra Park and in the woods between Park Bridge and Fitton Hill. They are magnificent examples of what is on offer on our own doorstep -  with the verdant hues of fresh green foliage and the splashes of blossoms which also fill the air with the fragrance of spring. 

Perhaps my favourite photo of the day is the one below which shows the blossom of the hawthorn tree. It’s almost impossible not be in awe of the marvel of God’s creation at work through nature. Please take a minute to look at the intricate detail and beauty of each individual flower that makes up this blossom head – the corolla of each flower, the petals, anther and filaments of the stamen and last but not least the pollen.  A miracle that is repeated tens of thousands of times on each tree and millions of times in all varieties of plants and flowers that clothe the countryside.

As the famous hymn says…..

“Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colour,

He made their tiny wings.“

Nature Quiz - How is your plant knowledge?

As a bit of fun, I thought it might be nice to set you a spring challenge. The picture below was taken in the church yard just to the left of the main gates. There is a lovely display of both cultivated and wild flowers. How many you can name?

 

………………….and finally,

Our congratulations to Neil and Paula who were married at St. Agnes on Saturday 29th May by Bishop Mark. They also went to Alexandra Park to have these beautiful wedding pictures taken. 

 

As the saying goes….. “The sun shines on the righteous”.

Paul