Sunday Worship
Welcome to our Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany. Our Church services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you'll find some resources below to enable you to worship from home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Blest are the Pure in Heart"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Reflection
There is so much that can be said about the beatitudes that it would be foolish, (indeed impossible), to attempt to do justice to this in a half page reflection. In fact, my new friends at Nelson Street church are doing a whole series of talks about them over several weeks.
So, I thought for this note, that I would try to focus on the overarching message that Jesus was trying to share.
This was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and He was about to establish his authority as a teacher and provider of God’s word. If he were around today, no doubt this would have been billed as a ‘Keynote’ speech.
Expectations were high and the crowds that had started to follow Him were many. Let’s not forget that expectations were also tremendously high, because the people wanted to know if Jesus was the promised Messiah that had been prophesied for over 500 years. Also, the people had been living under the rule of the Romans in what was occupied territory. So many would have been almost burning with excitement, expecting the Messiah to be like David. Someone who would espouse a message of conquering and taking back their territories, regaining riches and living in a new time of peace and prosperity. It might be reasonable therefore to assume that many who heard this keynote speech would have been underwhelmed or even disappointed.
Perhaps for many, they interpreted what Jesus was saying was, the Kingdom of God is almost here, but here is the rulebook of virtues to live by first. This is how God expects everyone to live. Can you imagine what it would be like if you were to try and live up to all these standards every day? To be constantly fretting about the state of the world, needing to give everything away to make the world a better place, always putting the needs of everyone else first, giving away your last penny, You might even be seen as a troublemaker or insurgent, constantly speaking out about the unfairness of the world or political regimes.
Just, for a minute, look at the list of beatitudes and imagine you were in an annual appraisal or end of year school report and you had to measure yourself against them. What score would you give yourself?
Fortunately, I do not think that Jesus was saying, “Here is the scorecard that we must all achieve a pass in, before we can be part of the Kingdom of God”. It is not a shopping list of things we must do to please God and earn his grace. Mercifully, for us, God’s grace is not earned, but is freely given out of his love for us. The message from Jesus is that, if we follow Him and if we believe in Him, then we will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Through His presence in our lives we will begin to reflect these virtues and we can all receive His blessings. Paul
Our Prayers
Most merciful and gracious Lord,
We thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and your presence in our lives.
Guide us to follow you and not be afraid to suffer in your name
And help us to be acceptable in your eyes. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Today's final hymn is "God is Working His Purpose Out"
Notices
Last Saturday everyone said THANK YOU & HAPPY RETIREMENT to Rev’d Lyn. People spoke of her kindness, her support and inspiration she had given to so many during her time in our Parish.
We were joined by guests from Leesfield School, and from around our recently formed Mission Community.
She was presented with a beautiful card that the Sunday School children had made and a pretty light pink climbing rose called COMPASSION which was chosen particularly because of Rev’d Lyn’s compassion she had for everyone. We hope that each time it flowers she will remember us.
Following Revd Lyn's retirement, the PCC will be meeting at 7 pm on Tuesday 31st January. Archdeacon David Sharples and Area Dean Daniel Ramble will be joining us as we make plans for the period of vacancy in the parish. If you are a PCC member, please join us at this important meeting, and if not, please pray for everyone involved in the ongoing work of the parish whilst we have no vicar.
