Sunday Worship
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 can't be with us in person, the Gospel reading, reflection and prayers can be found below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Do not be Afraid, for I have Redeemed You"
Today's Gospel
Luke 17:11-19 Ten Healed of Leprosy
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
Reflection
A relatively short gospel passage this week, but packed with so much, it is impossible to condense into a reflection on one page. So, I will focus on two key elements – faith and thankfulness.
To understand the true magnitude of this miracle, we need to appreciate that leprosy in the times of Jesus, was considered one of the worse diseases that could befall a person. No one was ever cured of it and once you contracted it, you were outcast. Forced to live outside the community, to wear tattered clothes and distance yourself from ‘clean’ people. You were not allowed to come into contact with anyone and were made to shout ‘unclean’ whenever anyone came near. Hence, when Jesus came by we are told that they kept their distance.
Lepers were not allowed to work or earn a living because they were outcasts, so they were entirely at the mercy of others who would hopefully provide some food, clothing or shelter. Often, those helping might be relatives or people they knew before they became afflicted. It was, therefore, common for them to shout to passers-by for pity and compassion. On this particular day, they learned that Jesus was passing by, a teacher renowned for his compassion, and so they called him by name. It is unlikely, that they expected to be healed and the text clearly does not indicate this. However, because of his reputation they would have been hopeful that he would have helped in some other way, perhaps with food or clothes.
Then Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. At first sight it may appear that Jesus is dismissing them out of hand, but that is not the case, because Jesus knew that the only way that they could be declared ‘clean’ was by the testimony of a priest. The lepers did what Jesus asked, and in setting off to the priests, the lepers demonstrated faith in him, and it was as they went on their way that they were healed by their faith. As we read last week, faith is not just about believing, but it is about our ongoing relationship with God and others. They were not immediately healed and told to go to the priests, it took the act of setting off and showing faith that led to their healing.
Throughout, October we are focussing on thankfulness and generosity, not just because it is harvest time, but because, as we can see from Jesus reaction to the nine who didn’t return, Jesus expects us to show gratitude to God. If we don’t take time to be thankful, then do we really expect Jesus to be pleased with us? Like many things, being thankful takes time. We are all busy and there are many distractions and important things we have to do; but before we immerse ourselves in our daily routines, we have to realise that it’s also important to take time out and say thank you, especially to God. And that’s more than a few minutes on a Sunday morning! Thankfulness is an important part of our salvation and spiritual wellbeing. The other nine lepers may have been healed physically, but were they healed spiritually? When you’ve read this reflection, why not take a little time and reflect for yourself about what you want to thank God for today, and then tell him. Paul
