Sunday Worship 27th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the first Sunday in Advent. 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 not able to be with us in person, the Gospel, reflection and prayers can be found below.

Our first hymn this morning is "Wait for the Lord"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 24:36-44                                The Day and the Hour Unknown

Jesus said to the disciples, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Reflection

I’ll start this article with a bit of movie trivia for those who like quizzes either on TV or at the pub! In how many movies did Arnold Schwarzenegger say, “ I’ll be back”? It’s mostly associated with the Terminator series of movies, but in total he uses the phrase in 8 movies which also included Running Man, Commando,, Raw Deal and Twins (yes the one with Danny DeVito). When you hear that phrase, you know without doubt that in the next 30 minutes or so Arnie will indeed be back, to hand out retribution and wreak havoc on the bad guys. 

Two millennia before that, Jesus made that very same promise - I’ll be back. That also will be a day of judgement, when the wheat is sorted from the chaff and Jesus will return to separate His people from those who do not abide by God’s will. For those who are left behind there will be no second chance, they will be left in a broken world to face the final Armageddon. 

Advent is the season of wating with hope and expectation leading up to the our celebration of Jesus’ first coming on that Holy Night in Bethlehem. So it might seem a little challenging, if not scary, to be confronted with this apocalyptic promise of judgement and warnings of being left behind in an ever more broken world. 

However, in this passage, Jesus is giving us a positive message of hope. Unlike Arnie, He is not promising to sort out the bad guys, but rather, he is promising to come with his angels and save His followers and believers. Moreover, he is showing us what we must continue to do, by following His teachings and ways. By living our lives in community and looking after one another, living in a way that is pleasing to God. 

So, why did Jesus not tell us when the day of Judgement will be? He makes it absolutely clear that only God knows, (for those who are scratching their head, because Jesus is also God, I can point you to a number of discussions on this), but suffice to say, this is what Jesus told his disciples. The point is that we are required to be constantly vigilant to ‘keep awake’. In other words he is saying don’t take your eye off the ball or think you can leave things to the last minute, because ‘judgement day’ is not something you can prepare for at the last minute, like going on a trip or doing the Christmas shopping.  But if we help and love one another as part of our way of life then will be prepared. God sees us all the time and He knows what is truly in our hearts.

Jesus told us that people won’t notice His return when it happens. “For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man”. Perhaps because many of us are preoccupied with other less worthy things! If we are honest with ourselves, how many hours a week do we spend doing recreational activities when we could be doing something more useful that would please God?  When Jesus comes again he will call us all to account for our actions and it will be no good saying, “I just never got around to doing things I should have because I was too busy”. 

God reveals enough about the future to give us hope, but not so much that we do not have to live and walk by faith every day. We need to always be ready for Christ’s return. We don’t want Him to catch us by surprise.                                   Paul

Our Prayers

Almighty Father, God of all that is seen and unseen,

Give us hope, as we wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus.

Let us be patient and faithful in our day to day lives and to live our lives righteously.

Help us to confidently spread the Good News of your kingdom

to create and nurture new followers who will be ready for when our Lord returns.

Amen

Our final hymn today is "Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness"

Autumn News Round-up

 Autumn News and Photos from Leesfield Parish

As we move into the Church season of Advent, here's a little round-up of the Autumn events and special services which happened in and around Leesfield Parish.

We celebrated Harvest on Sunday the 2nd October with a Parish Eucharist at St Thomas' Church. The service was followed by a lovely Harvest Lunch, which raised £147.50 for church funds. The picture below is of the children from Worship for all Generations at St Agnes' with some of their donations, which this year went to the food pantry at St Barnabas.

On Sunday the 16th October, representatives from all the churches joined together at St Thomas' Moorside Church in a joyful celebration to launch our new Mission Community in East Oldham. We have already started to work together on projects, and are participating in #More Than Sunday, alongside other Mission Communities in Manchester Diocese. You'll be hearing much more about our Mission Community in the coming months.    

All of our schools marked Armistice Day in November, and on the 13th November people from all around the parish joined with the Royal British Legion and Churches Together in Lees and District for  Remembrance Sunday at Lees Cenotaph. The picture below shows the soldier at St Hugh's School, a group of parishioners attending the Act of Remembrance, and two children from St Thomas' Sunday School laying their wreath.

Following a 2 year gap due to Covid, we were able to celebrate St Hugh's Day with a Eucharist for Christ the King in the school hall on Sunday 20th November. The service was well attended by congregation members from St Thomas' and St Agnes', school staff, and children and families from the school. The photo below shows "Christ the King", and the school choir - who sang beautifully for us.   

Finally, Curate Amy-Elizabeth has left the parishes of Leesfield and St John's to take up a secondment as Curate in Charge at the parishes of St Hilda and St Stephen, Audenshaw. There was a special farewell service at St John's on Saturday 12th November, and then on Thursday 24th November Amy-Elizabeth was welcomed by Bishop Mark and Archdeacon David at St Stephen's Church, Audenshaw. Our thoughts and prayers go with her as she embarks on the next stage of her ministry. 

You can see more photos, and video recordings of Worship for all Generations, on our facebook pages - https://www.facebook.com/leesfieldparish and

https://www.facebook.com/StThomasLeesfieldSundaySchool

Sunday Worship 20th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish. This week we will all be at St Hugh's School to celebrate St Hugh's Day with staff, children and families alongside members of the congregations of St Thomas' and St Agnes' Churches. This will be the only service in the parish today, and all are welcome to join us.

If you are unable to be with us in person, today's Gospel, a reflection and prayers are shown below.

Today's first hymn is "Meekness and Majesty"

Today's Gospel

Luke 23:33-43

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Reflection

This week is the last week of the church’s liturgical year before we head into the season of Advent. It is appropriate that at the end of the church’s year we focus on the supreme authority of Christ, through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made. Who was crucified, died and rose again to redeem us all. 

As we celebrate the solemnity of Christ The King we see in the Gospel passage from Luke, the unbounded love, compassion and mercy that Jesus showed as he made the eternal sacrifice on our behalf. We see Him ridiculed by the Jews and mocked by one of the criminals. Yet the other thief is contrite and admits his sins, and he defends Jesus and the injustice of his sentence. He is truly sorry for his own actions, and moreover the unjust way the Jews have treated Jesus. 

In his heart the second thief believes in Jesus and His kingdom. He is conscious of his own sins and truly repents, but asks nothing more of Jesus than that He remembers him.  But Jesus, promises the thief much more than what he asks for, when he says, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." As St. Ambrose commented, “The Lord always grants more than one asks”. 

At first, it might seem strange that the Gospel passage for this day of the feast of Christ the King is centred on His crucifixion. But if we take moment to think about it, it is absolutely right.  His royalty is totally different from what we might percive in our terms. It is not one of lavish richness but one of humilty and service. His crown is not one of extravagant jewels and gold but one of thorns. Yet at the moment of his sacrifice, his royalty is solemnly manifest as he triumphs on the cross.  

We are all sinners, but if we, like the second criminal, show genuine contrition and humility, then we too can enjoy the mercy of Jesus, who wants to reign as King in all our hearts. 

Jesus longs to reign in this world, and we can help make that happen through our actions, desires and prayers. The Kingdom of God is here and now in every action that we do with love when we are centred in Jesus’ teachings. When we treat one another with respect and tolerance, when we give to charity, feed the poor and shelter the homeless. 

Christ The King reigns through us and his Kingdom here on earth is filled with hope here in the present, every time we hold him in our hearts and love one another. Yet, that is but a foretaste of His kingdom to come, when we will see Him reign in majesty on His throne in heaven. Paul

Our Prayers

Most merciful Lord Jesus,

We give you thanks that you suffered and died for us on the cross,

so that we may know your love for us.

We pray that you may reign in our hearts, feelings, words and actions.

We invite you to be the King of our lives.  

Amen

Our final hymn today is "Christ Triumphant, Ever Reigning"

 

Notices

Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Please see the poster below for details of special services and events.

Sunday Worship 13th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to our Sunday Worship on Remembrance Sunday. Today there is a Parish Eucharist at 9.15 am at St Thomas' Church, and no service at St Agnes'. At 10 am we gather at Lees Library along with the Royal British Legion and Churches Together in Lees and District to process to Lees Cemetery for an Act of Remembrance.

The Gospel for today, a reflection, and prayers are shown below.

Our first hymn this morning is "The Lord's My Shepherd"

Today's Gospel

Luke 21:5-19                                       Signs of the End of the Age

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.

"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."

Reflection

This Gospel passage is taken from a time when Jesus is days away from his crucifixion. Here we have Jesus, the greatest prophet of all, predicting the end of the world, and the immediate reaction of his disciples is to ask when is it going to happen and how will we know? I think that would probably be my reaction as well. 

The first thing that Jesus foretells is the falling of the temple, Herod’s temple where Jesus chased out the money changers. The temple was destroyed around 70AD and it is likely that Luke would have seen this, reinforcing that Jesus was a great prophet. But Jesus foretells of other portents still to come in the distant future. He warns that the falling of the temple is just the tip of the iceberg, for there will be much, much worse to come over many years. 

Jesus foretells of uprisings, wars, plagues and earthquakes. There have been so many of these signs over the last two millennia and we still see far too many examples of this happening in our own lifetimes. There are many wars still waging across the world, there are earthquakes and natural disasters, (albeit some would argue they are man-made, such as climate change) and there are outbreaks of disease such as covid which has already killed hundreds of thousands of people and is still with us. We in the UK are relatively fortunate that, by and large, we are not persecuted for being followers of Jesus, but sadly there are many people in over 60 countries where persecution of Christians still takes place, such as China, Egypt and Pakistan. Places where people endure to their faith as followers of Jesus even though they may be outcast by their families and often in fear of their lives. There are thousands of Christians being persecuted every day.

It could therefore be, that the signs of the end of the world are upon us and that ‘the time is near’. Of course, none of us can know that and we shouldn’t spend all of our lives worrying about it. It might not occur for several millennia to come. However, even if the end of the world is just around the corner, Jesus is absolutely clear that if we stand firm in our belief in Him then there is no need to be terrified. He says these comforting and reassuring words: “… not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."  Jesus promises to all who have true faith in Him as our redeemer and Lord, a life that is joyful, full of love, and eternal.    Paul

Our Prayers

Father of all that is seen and unseen, open our hearts and minds to your grace.

That by our faith in your Son Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose again,

we will endure through whatever trials we face 

until we are with You and nothing can separate us from your love.

Amen

Today's final hymn is "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"

Notices

Next week, the 20th November, we will be celebrating St Hugh's Day with a special service at 11 am in St Hugh's school hall. This will be the only service in Leesfield Parish on that day.

 

Sunday Worship 6th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to 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 not able to be with us in person, the Gospel, a reflection, and prayers are shown below.

Our first hymn this morning is "Come Down O Love Divine"

Today's Gospel

 Luke 20: 27-38                                The Resurrection and Marriage

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her."

Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." 

Reflection

To start with, who were the Sadducees? 

Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, the Sadducees were priests of Jewish aristocratic class. They were extremely well to do! They accepted only the written law and rejected most of the traditions of the Pharisees. They only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament (Pentateuch), from Genesis to Deuteronomy. More importantly they believed that humans were self-determining and masters of their own destiny not influenced by God. Moreover, there were some things they did not accept. They did not believe in angels or the divine authority of God over human affairs, and they did not believe in bodily resurrection. As such, they were theologically and ideologically different from the Pharisees and the scribes, but as we see in this example, they were all united in confronting and opposing Jesus and what he preached.

The question that the Sadducees posed was complex, and also intended to be a trap and ridicule the concept of resurrection. The basis being that because they didn’t believe in resurrection, their assumption was that fathers lived on through the generations and what they left to their descendants. That is, they couldn’t see past earthly and material possessions, which is was why it was so important to ensure that a brother’s name lived on by marrying his wife if he died.  To back up their argument they quote Moses, ( Deuteronomy 25:5-10), “that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.”

Jesus’ response is unequivocal, he is trying to open their eyes to the fact that our existence here in this dimension is not ‘the be all and end all’. There is a different order in God’s kingdom that transcends our limited human understanding and that only through death and resurrection will our eyes be truly opened to his magnificence and an order that is based on love, pure love.  God’s pure love. A place where the need to surround ourselves with material things, success and a few loved ones is of no consequence, and where we will no longer fear death. A place where there is no death and we will all be alive with the God of the Living. 

To put it another way, death as we perceive it, is not the end of everything, it is a doorway to a new and far better existence, one that we at the moment cannot fully comprehend. 

As followers of Christ, who was crucified, died and rose again, we believe in the resurrection and the world to come. A world that is overflowing with His love.    Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father,

We thank you that through the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ,

You have enlightened us and shown us the promise of your Kingdom.

Despite this, we are often consumed by worries 

and sometimes trivial matter in our lives.

We pray for wisdom to reflect on your what is most important

and also for us to look after those whose life in this world is worse than ours. 

Let us love one another now as we wish to be loved in your kingdom.

Amen

Our final hymn today is "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord I Go"

Notices

The notice below was read in our churches last Sunday, and at our Tuesday morning service.

We wish Revd Amy-Elizabeth every blessing for her new role, and offer our thanks for the joy which she has brought to Leesfield Parish during her time with us.

There is to be a joint farewell service at St John's Church, 6 pm on Saturday 12th November, to which we are all warmly invited, so do please come along.

We are also invited to St Stephen's Audenshaw, 7 pm on Thursday 24th November, to welcome Amy-Elizabeth into her new parishes.

Next Sunday, the 13th November, is Remembrance Sunday. There will be a Parish Eucharist at St Thomas' Church at 9.15 am, with no service at St Agnes' on that day. We will then assemble at Lees Library at 10 am, before processing to Lees Cemetery for the Royal British Legion and Churches Together in Lees and District Act of Remembrance.