Welcome to our Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish. Our Church Services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes', and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you're unable to be with us in person, the Gospel reading, a reflection and prayers are shown below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Morning Has Broken"
Today's Gospel
Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Reflection
Last year I received a communication ‘out of the blue’, from someone who wanted to come and see our magnificent windows when he was visiting the area on whilst on holiday. I agreed to go along and open the church and it transpired that this his interest was not just idle curiosity, but rather because his great grandfather had been a benefactor of the parish. In fact, there is a memorial stone in the churchyard to the great grandfather who paid for one of the bells our tower. (There are more details about this in our parish books available from church). He also paid for one of our stained-glass windows, ‘The Good Samaritan’, which you will see facing you as you enter church though the main entrance. The visitor explained that, at that time people provided what they could because it was expected that folk would provide for the ongoing worship in future generations, and would give as much as they could, if not more. Indeed, there are many instances in the bible where we are told to give with a cheerful heart, including Deuteronomy 15:8 to name but one.
But the message of the Good Samaritan is not just one of generosity, and if that is all that we take from this parable then we have missed the point. It is about how we treat our neighbours, both those we know and those we don’t know, and more importantly those we don’t like.
As a society, I would like to think we are getting more tolerant of one another, although sadly, if you look at the daily news, we must realise there is still far to go. I could probably write many pages, if not a book, about prejudice and bias and how we can become conditioned into judging people without even thinking. (I guess some of those discussions in my unconscious bias training must have sunk in over the years). We are bombarded with examples of categories where we conveniently sort people into groups, which can give rise to prejudice. Sometimes it’s obvious, the colour of our skin, religion, gender orientation, nationality or even City vs United supporters. But it doesn’t stop there, because there are the many sub-categories such as poor, homeless, single parents, drug users, and on the other side there are the filthy rich, greedy and power seeking, who appear not to care. All alleged reasons to view people differently and all totally unfounded.
However, the reality is that we have to be diligent and endeavour to actively set aside all prejudice about how we perceive any individuals. We are all equal in the eyes of God and we all have the opportunity to do the right thing. One of the messages from today’s parable is - don’t expect those who are perceived to be good to do the right thing, and don’t expect those who are less well regarded to walk on by. Take a few minutes to consider this text, not from the point of view of an observer, but from that of the beaten-up traveller. What might your feelings be as so many so called ‘good’ people walk on by? Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty Father,
Help us to see beyond the clouds of prejudice,
That we may see the goodness in others
And care for everyone who needs help
Regardless of their background or circumstances.
Caring Father,
Open our eyes that we might see what the Good Samaritan saw.
Grant us the insight to see the need in others, the wisdom to know what to do, and the will to do it.
God in your mercy
Amen
Our final hymn today is "When I Needed A Neighbour"
