Sunday Worship 29th May

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Our services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes', and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find a Bible reading, a short reflection and some prayers below.

Our first hymn this morning is "Lord, For The Years"

Today's Gospel

John 17: 20-26           Jesus prays for all believers    

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Reflection

Despite our accumulated knowledge as a race of beings, there are some concepts that seem just too hard to fully understand because our capacity is limited to what we experience in our day-to-day life. I will give you two examples. Firstly, ‘infinity’. In maths we can define it as, “a number greater than any assignable quantity or countable number”. But what does that mean, and how can something be infinite and just keep going on and on with no end? Secondly ’time’. Again, by definition time is endless. We sometimes hear the phrase that something stretches as far back as ‘the beginning of time’ - which begs the question, so what was before the beginning of time? 

Try as we might, some things are beyond our capacity to fully grasp. Similarly, to us as mere humans, the Holy Trinity is hard for us to fully comprehend. Jesus understood how difficult it would be for us to ‘get our heads around’ this. He also knew that his time on earth was limited and that his betrayal and crucifixion was imminent. And so, he prays to the Father. He prays for his disciples and also for everyone who will believe in Him through His Word. He is not just praying for those who are around at the time, but for all generations into the future including us.

Jesus, knows the Father and is one with the Father. His ministry has been about enlightening us with the knowledge and word of the Father,”… so that the world may believe that you have sent me”. He is setting down the foundation for the Church. A church based on faith, belief and love. Jesus’ church is not built of bricks and stone, it is built on those who believe in him. As disciples of Christ, we also are all tasked with making the Father’s name known and taking opportunities to spread his word and love in the hope that others will also believe. We all have the opportunity to be evangelists. 

I recall a conversation I once had with a member of the clergy who asked me what my view was of people who did not believe in Jesus? My response was along the lines that I would share the reasons why I believed in Jesus and encourage an open discussion. I was then asked, ‘what if they don’t want to believe in Jesus or they have another religion?’ This made me think a little deeper. 

My initial assumption had been that the person didn’t believe in Jesus because they hadn’t had the opportunity or time in their busy lives to explore their beliefs. It hadn’t immediately occurred to me that some people might not want to believe or accept Jesus into their lives.  However, looking at the question from this new angle, I think the response would still be the same, it is our duty as disciples to try to enlighten people who do not believe. 

That said, it is not our duty to go around converting disbelievers. As disciples we can only attempt to give people an opportunity to make an intelligent choice of whether to receive or reject Jesus Christ. Our task, as believers in Jesus Christ, is not to save the world. Rather it is to bring an awareness of who Jesus is and open the door. When people have an awareness of Jesus, they have two choices: they can either accept him, walk through the door and be saved, or they can reject him, reject his love and his promise of His kingdom to come where we will see Him in glory. 

In closing, let us reflect on our roles as disciples. How will you shine God’s glorious light in the next week and how might you bring hope and love into someone else’s life? Paul

Our Prayers

Merciful Father, your Son Jesus prayed for us,

Strengthen our faith

So that, through our belief in your word,

We may become one with you and Him

And see your eternal glory.

AMEN

Our final hymn this morning is "O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

Notices

Next weekend will be filled with joyful celebration. We celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee with our own afternoon tea on Saturday, and will be sharing Church of England services and events as widely as we can here on this page.

Sunday 5th June is Pentecost, and we're really pleased to be able to hold a short Procession of Witness from St Thomas' Church before a joint Churches Together service at St Thomas' at 12 noon. Zion Methodist Church are open for celebratory refreshments from 1 pm, and we are invited to join them. Please see the poster below for details.

 

John and Charles Wesley

 John and Charles Wesley

Today in the Church calendar we remember the Wesley brothers, John and Charles, who inspired the Methodist movement.

Our good friends at St Barnabas Clarksfield and Holy Trinity Waterhead have uploaded a service transcript, which includes some of the greatest hymns of Charles Wesley, along with prayers and a sermon.

You can find the full transcript by following this link - medlockhead.co.uk/resources/2022-05-24Wesleys.pdf

Sunday Worship 22nd May

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Our services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' Church (Service of the Word), and 11.00 am at St Thomas' Sung Eucharist). If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find a Bible reading, a short reflection and some prayers below.

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

Today's Gospel

John 5:1-9                         The Healing at the Pool     

After Jesus healed the son of the official in Capernaum, there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids-- blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me." Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath.

Reflection

Let me start with a question - When you read the Gospel passage above, what did you first think about? 

On the face of it this is another story of our Lord’s ability and miraculous power to heal the sick and show his love for others. But take a minute to read though the passage again and this time try to see yourself as the sick invalid. What thoughts go through your head as you think about what it must be like to endure almost forty years of being sick, incapable and suffering. But that’s not all, because there within a few feet of you is a possibility of being cured in these magical waters – if only you could reach them in time.   

We are told that the sick man needed to get to the pool when the waters were stirred. We suspect that the pool was above an intermittent spring which would at times force up healing minerals into the pool causing it to bubble and become agitated. Quite like people nowadays who may go to health spas with natural minerals hoping to get some relief from ailments, aches and pains or even chasing the illusion of eternal youth.  For the people back Jesus’ time, it would however, have been more shrouded in superstition and myth than science and some believed that there were spirits of angels in the water that would cure illness of all kinds. 

So, putting yourself back in the shoes of the sick man, how do you think you are feeling being so near yet so far from a possible cure? Are you frustrated? Annoyed? I would suggest that your feelings might be much stronger even than that. Maybe despondency or even total despair. To make things worse you are surrounded by dozens of other sick people who are also despairing, your companions in woe, probably feeding each other’s sense of futility and gloom. 

But Jesus’ attention fell upon this one man. Why this man out of all the many who are there? We don’t know. But Jesus asks what seems a strange question - "Do you want to be made well?" I think Jesus is really asking him, are you so despondent that you have given up all hope of being cured or do you have faith? We know from later verses in the passage, that the sick man had no idea of who Jesus was. So, when he replies to Jesus’ question, he is probably hoping that maybe this stranger will physically help him by assisting him to the waters. However, in a roundabout sort of way, he has given Jesus the response he wanted to hear which could be paraphrased as, “I am helpless but not hopeless”. The sick man, despite all he has to bear, still has faith and still has hope and because of his faith and hope Jesus heals him.

There are many times when things don’t go right for us. Whether that’s illness, loneliness, troubles at work or in our family lives or just ongoing stress. And sometimes these can drag on. At times like these, our morale can dip and then the devil will be waiting with his favourite weapons; the tools of discouragement and despair. But if we hang on to our faith and continue to have hope, we will open the door for Jesus to work his wonders in our lives. We need to remember that Jesus loves us and wants to work through us and with us if we only give him the chance. His way is way of love and His tools are the tools of encouragement and hope.             Paul 

Our Prayers

Father of all, 

We give you praise and thanks that you love us. 

When we are troubled or face times of distress, 

may we turn to you and find the hope, strength and the encouragement that only You can give.   

Give us the courage to let our Lord Jesus into our lives to work his miracles in us

through the strength of our faith and obedience to Him.  

 AMEN

Today's final hymn is "From Heaven You Came (Servant King)

Notices

Our service for Ascension Day is at St Thomas' Church, 6 pm on Thursday 26th May. All are welcome.

Christian Aid Week

 Christian Aid Week

This week is Christian Aid Week, and we'll be collecting donations in our churches. If you're not coming into church and would like to make a donation, you can do so by following this link to the Churches Together dedicated giving page -

Churches Together in Lees and District - Christian Aid Week

Of course, Christian Aid does much more than raise funds to help people in need around the world. They are major campaigners for peace, and fighting climate injustice. To see more about their work please see the link below -

https://www.christianaid.org.uk/our-work/about-us 

Sunday Worship 15th May

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Our services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' Church, and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find a Bible reading, a short reflection and some prayers below.

Our first hymn this morning is "Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean"

Today's Gospel

John 13:31-35                      Love one another, just as I have loved you  

At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 

Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Reflection

‘There is nothin’ you can do that can't be done, No one you can save that can't be saved… All you need is love’. 

Some of you will instantly recognise these words, not as a quote from the Bible but the lyrics from the 1967 song by the Beatles which appeared in the film, Magical Mystery Tour. It’s funny sometimes, when I start to write a reflection how an idea can just jump into my head. I wonder if John Lennon, when he penned these lyrics, was subconsciously thinking about these verses from John 13. Then again it would not be difficult to believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding our thoughts through divine inspiration.  The song continues; There's nothin' you can know that isn't known, nothin' you can see that isn't shown…..

The setting of our Gospel passage is of course the last supper, and Jesus knows that Judas has left to betray him. He knows that the time has now come for the prophesies to be fulfilled and that he is to fulfil his destiny on The Cross. Jesus accepts this but he also knows how difficult it will be for his disciples who have been beside him throughout his ministry. He knows, how much they will miss him and so he feels the need to explain that what will happen is inevitable for God to glorify Christ in the future. For Christ to be glorified in himself, Jesus has to be lifted up in resurrection, redeeming us all from sin and death. This is all part of the mystery of the passion which the disciples will both see and know because Jesus has revealed it to them. 

Jesus then gives his disciples a new commandment, “Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another”. On the face of it, you may think this is not new, he is repeating what he said when challenged by the pharisees, when he said, “The second commandment is like this, Love your neighbour as yourself”. But this is fundamentally different.  What is “new” is the way this command teaches us to love our neighbours, not as we love ourselves, but as Christ loves us. 

To use a sporting analogy, Jesus has significantly ‘raised the bar’. Because to love my neighbour as I love myself might not require much from me, especially if for some reason my self-esteem is low. However, if I am going to love someone as Christ has loved me, I have to be willing to make sacrifices for that person. This is the kind of sacrificial love Christ commands us to have for each other. Loving each other as Jesus has loved us identifies us as belonging to Christ.

Just as Jesus could wash Judas’ feet, and feed him the bread and cup he shared with all the disciples at his last meal, he expects us to offer grace, hospitality and unconditional love to everyone, even the ones who insult us, cheat on us, steal from us or those we might dislike or hate for some reason. Even the ones who don’t much like us. Jesus “loved them to the end” so that we might love one another in just the same way. That can be hard.

Jesus commands us to serve each other, take care of one another. How we do that shows the rest of the world what it means to follow Jesus, and what it means to be loved by God. ‘There is nothin’ you can do that can't be done, No one you can save that can't be saved… All you need is love’.    Paul

Our Prayers

Holy Lord, you taught us that glory is found in sacrificial love. 

Give us the strength to abide in Your love 

so that we are able to submit to You 

and love others with the same love you have given to us.

AMEN

Here is a recording of the Lord's Prayer by the children of Church of England Bimingham schools -

Our final hymn today is a great version of "In Christ Alone" by Celtic Worship

Notices

Christian Aid Week begins today, and we will have envelopes available in our churches for donations. If you wish to make a donation on line, you can do so using this link - Christian Aid Week, Churches Together in Lees and District

Sunday Worship 8th May

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Worship on the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Our services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' Church, and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find a Bible reading, a short reflection and some prayers below.

An alternative set of resources can be found by following this link to our neighbouring churches of St Barnabas and Holy Trinity Waterhead - medlockhead.co.uk/resources/2022-05-08

Our first hymn this morning is "All Heaven Declares"

Today's Bible Reading

Acts 7:55-60                        The Stoning of Stephen     

But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 

Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.

Reflection

Something a little different this week. Instead of the Gospel reading I have chosen the New Testament reading from Wednesday which is also the Feast of English Martyrs.

The martyrdom of Stephen is part of both the Christmas and Easter story. Indeed, St. Stephen’s Day is commemorated on 26th December, the day after Christmas and perhaps because of the joy of Christmas is quite often overlooked.

Saint Stephen was one of the first deacons of the Christian Church and he was the first Christian martyr. Stephen is believed to have been a Greek Jew who converted to Christianity and he is described as a man full of God’s grace and power who did great wonders and miraculous signs. He was an excellent and well trusted orator and preacher, so much so that many Jews became worried about his success and even felt threatened. Many challenged Stephen and argued with him but they could not stand up against his teachings and his wisdom which came from the Holy Spirit. 

So, the Jews conspired and had Stephen seized and brought before the elders and priests at the supreme Jewish law court where he was made to stand trial.  They accused him of blasphemy and they produced witnesses who gave false testimony. In his defence, Stephen recounted the many mercies that God had given the children of Israel, and the ungrateful way in which they had repaid Him. He accused them of murdering Jesus, whose coming, he said, had been foretold by Moses. To put it another way, he told it as it was, and this angered the crowd even more. 

Yet even when he was condemned to suffer a horrendously violent death, the witness of Stephen echoes the sacrifice of Jesus as he cried out to the Lord to forgive them just before he died.

We also see here the emergence of Saul who approved of the execution of Stephen and witnessed it himself. An act which would lead Saul to actively persecute Christians before his own miraculous conversion of the road to Damascus.  

Like the crucifixion itself, in these passages there are many violent, disturbing and dark episodes that should trouble us. But also, we can see that sometimes atrocities happen so that we can experience the grace of a loving God in action and the power of the Almighty to turn things around for the better if only we will give him the chance.  

Take a moment to speak with God and ask him a couple of things; ‘What more can I do or sacrifice in your name?’, then ask the Lord for whatever you need to follow Him.               Paul

Our Prayers

Almighty and everlasting Father,

We thank you for people of faith, who died so that we may know you.

We pray for people across the world who continue to be persecuted because of their faith.

Give us the courage to speak out and profess your glory with confidence and joy,

in the name of Jesus Christ our saviour and redeemer.  AMEN

Today's final hymn is "Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem"

Notices

The PCC meets on Monday 9th May, 7 pm at St Thomas' Church.