Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the 8th Sunday after Trinity. 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 can find today's Gospel Reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 Parables about the Kingdom of God
Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Reflection
There are five short parables contained in this passage from Matthew. In them Jesus is trying to explain to his followers and disciples something that is very hard to grasp – The Kingdom of God.
In the first two parables, Jesus is talking about growth and how the Kingdom will grow from very small beginnings. How the apostles will start to grow the church from a small number of believers to become a huge worldwide church that will continue to expand across time and generations to come.
But it is much more than just the growth in numbers of believers; it is about how our own actions, however small, can make a real difference in our communities and the world. When we as everyday ordinary folk, serve and help others be that the sick, elderly or lonely or maybe helping the homeless or giving to charities. All these things are actions that serve the Kingdom of God and yes it often means making sacrifices, be that financial, emotional or taking time out from other things we may prefer to do.
Like the tiny mustard seed or the yeast in the bread, such things could easily go unseen in and of themselves - but it is the impact that they ultimately have in building God’s Kingdom that is significant. It is the difference we can make when we chose to listen to what Jesus is saying and when we place God’s will at the centre of lives, like the yeast at the centre of the flour making a real difference albeit not always immediately obvious to the naked eye.
The second two parables describes our human attitude to finding things, whether are actively searching for them or discover them by accident. Moreover, it causes us to think about what we might do when we find them.
Both the hidden treasure and the magnificent specimen of the pearl have great material wealth in human terms, so much so that the finders are willing to give up everything in order to obtain it.
There are similarities here with Jesus’ words to the rich man: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). This on the face of it, this is uncomfortable to accept, but we should not take this literally, because God does not demand that we ignore all our needs - it is more about challenging how we use our material belonging and time purely for self serving purposes.
Besides, we should remember that the Kingdom is something God is doing that is to be received as a gift and not acquired or bought by selling material gifts. It is a body into which we are invited to enter. The parable is, however, telling us that we must be prepared to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and be fully committed to be part of God’s kingdom. There are no half measures if we are to let God’s kingdom consume every aspect of our lives. So yes, this may mean going against our instincts at times. It may mean turning the other cheek, loving those we don’t particularly like or who others may think don’t deserve helping, and it may mean changing our priorities. But we also need to remember that all these things are storing up treasures in heaven where the reward is eternal.
Last but not least, the final parable echoes last weeks parable of the tares and the wheat.
As disciples, we are called to spread the good news of God’s Kingdom as far and wide as we can in our communities, workplaces and to everyone we meet. It is not for us to judge who is worthy or assume that people will come to God when they are ready. There are so many people who have not really heard the message of God’s grace and love for everyone.
It is our duty to cast the net as wide as we can. There will be some folk who may seem undesirable who will grow into true Kingdom people, and others who show promise and potential but will turn their backs on God. Let us catch them all and in the end the judgement will be His to make. God is wholeheartedly for us and just wants us to become wholeheartedly His. Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty God,
You offer us the keys to your Kingdom
We pray that your Kingdom will reign in our lives
Give us the confidence to spread joy, hope
and your good news to people in all walks of life.
Help us to set aside our self-centred ways
to open our hearts more fully to receive you
to grow in faith and love to do your will.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
Our final hymn today is "Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind"
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the 7th Sunday after Trinity. 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 can find today's Gospel Reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Now the Green Blade Riseth"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 The Parable of the Weeds
Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Reflection
I think I can fairly confidently say that I do not consider myself to be a great gardener. I did once have green fingers, but that was only when I spilled some green paint on them. If someone asked me to weed a garden, I would probably end up pulling out some valuable good seedlings and leaving most of the weeds behind. Some of this might be due to my ignorance and some because it is so hard to separate the good from the bad when the roots are closely linked together in the soil.
For many folk it is easy to focus on the end of the happy ending where the angels come and sort out the righteous from the evil. But that is to miss the whole point because the main thrust of the parable is about patience and forgiveness. The farmer knows that the weeds and the wheat can live side by side and that by letting them grow to maturity they will be a lot easier to separate. He will still end up with a good crop and the undesirable weeds can be burned. And so it is with the world. There is a mix of good and bad in us all. There is lots of suffering and sadness in the world and at times it is easy to ask, “where is God in all this?” But we need to remind ourselves that we are all sinners to an extent and we rely on God’s grace that we can grow and flourish. He will be patient with us.
Unlike plants, we are not born evil or good. There is goodness in everyone and those who are considered evil may have been misled by evil influences or people, but still have the capacity to change. As St. Augustine wrote about this parable: “Sometimes we are wheat and sometimes we are weeds. There is this difference between people and real grain and real weeds, for what was grain in the field is grain and what were weeds are weeds. But in the Lord’s field, which is the church, at times what was grain turns into weeds and at times what were weeds turn into grain; and no one knows what they will be tomorrow.” So let us forgive, be tolerant, and generous. Because, we can’t change ourselves from weeds to wheat, only Jesus can. Paul
Our Prayers
Father creator,
Thank you that you love us and are always willing to forgive us.
Through your abundant grace and mercy,
we can be healed when we have sinned.
Help us to not to judge others but to support those in need.
Amen
Our final hymn this morning is "Jesus Shall Reign, Where'er the Sun"
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the 6th Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Service this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'.
If you're unable to be with us in person, you can find the Gospel reading, a reflection, and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:1-9. 18-23 The Parable of the Sower
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Reflection
On the face of it, there is not much explanation needed about this parable as Jesus has already explained the meaning in verses 18-23.
In the parable Jesus is not comparing us to the seed, but rather the soil. It is the soil where the seed lands that is likely to determine whether seed grows, thrives and bear new seed or fruit.
For the soil to be in the best condition it has to be cultivated and nurtured over many years. In nature this will happen by years of plants growing and dying to replenish the soil or by leaves falling and decomposing to feed the ground. This is then worked over by all worms and bugs to produce rich fertile land ready to nourish the seeds of new plants. Alternatively, the soil can be tended by farmers or gardeners who work the soil and add the required nutrients to sustain life or repair the damage caused by erosion.
But even with good soil we need to ensure that constant care is taken to ensure that the land does not quickly become overgrown with weeds which will use up the goodness in the soil or shade the plants we want from the light. This is probably our biggest challenge as Christians. If we are to grow in faith and discipleship, we need to ensure that we too get our share of the goodness of God’s word and are not shaded from the light of Christ.
A healthy plant will spread its roots far and wide seeking more nourishment to grow otherwise it will remain at best, a spindly and weak specimen.
So the question is, how much effort do we put into allowing God to spread out roots within us. If we picture God as the gardener wanting to nourish our spirits, how much of our time are we willing to allow to absorb His goodness?
Of course we have to go out to work to earn a living and look after the kids. We have to do the chores of cleaning and cooking and the other mundane things that go with day to day living. But what about the rest of the time? Have our lives become choked with things that don’t help us grow as Christians?
What proportion of our free time do we spend doing things which add little value to our spiritual lives? Be that watching TV, Instagram, facebook or whatever? Is the light of Christ being shaded too much by other distractions and are we letting our spiritual needs wither because we forget to feed and water ourselves with the Holy Spirit?
But here is the good news……
Here is a picture of a tree that I can see from my window. It’s an old mill chimney in Austerlands and I suspect it should qualify as the biggest plant pot in the world!
It’s been there as long as I can remember and has continued to grow and mature, despite being in a desolate and windswept environment with all the odds against it. I often wonder just how deep the roots must go for it to survive, maybe right to the bottom of the chimney or even below.
This tenacious and determined tree reminds me that God’s kingdom will continue to find a way to thrive no matter how hard conditions are. For with the power of God, even barren soil can be transformed in fertile ground.
Despite how much we may have neglected the soil of our spirit, God is waiting to replenish and tend us with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can let His word flourish and bear fruit in each of us. Paul
Our Prayers
Holy Father,
Forgive us when we pack our lives with so much
That we let your presence and good news blow away unnoticed.
Forgive us when we are so self-centred
and consumed with the worries of daily life,
that we fail to let the seeds of new hope take root within us.
God of Love,
We pray for the patch of fertile ground that is each of us,
we need your help nurturing the good soil,
that we know we can be and we know you see in us,
so that we can grow your good news.
We pray that we will find time to be nourished by your Word.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish. Our Church Services today 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 can find today's Gospel reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Rest for the Weary
Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Reflection
One could be forgiven for thinking that Jesus is having a good old moan here, but He is engaging the crowd based on what He sees in the behaviour of the Scribes and Pharisees. It seems that whoever God sends and whatever they do – it’s just not right. I’m sure you’ve heard or even used the phrase, “whatever I do is just not good enough”.
Here Jesus points out, that the learned and so called wise people, rejected John the Baptist because he was rough, austere and kept preaching about the need for repentance in order to be saved. So the powers that be claimed that John was a lunatic possessed by demons.
On the other hand, they didn’t accept Jesus either. He claimed to be a rabbi, but he was too soft on those that the wealthy and elite looked down upon. He socialised with the poor and the sinners and told them that their sins could be forgiven. So they branded Him as a glutton, a drunkard and a blasphemist.
I’ve mentioned in previous reflections that part of the problem in Jesus’ time was that the Pharisees and lawmakers took the basic 10 Commandments, and added so many other rules and interpretations that it made it almost impossible for the common people to comply. The law was more or less used as weapon or a straight jacket to trap the poor or less educated folk. They didn’t like it when Jesus came along and effectively said, look guys don’t make this so hard, it all boils down to how you behave towards God and each other. Don’t worry about how many steps you’ve walked on the Sabbath, or if feeding your animals on the Sabbath is wrong, just love God and love your neighbour! The rest will take care of itself.
He is not telling them to break the law but He is reiterating what’s most important. It’s about living in the spirit of the law.
Jesus takes time to reflect and pray to the Father, as perhaps we should all do when we are frustrated, and as part of His prayer, He describes what God is doing to reach out to the ordinary folk. Therefore, when Jesus says, “ I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;” , He is not ‘literally’ referring to children or infants. God is reaching out with grace and mercy to those who are not necessarily deemed wise or intelligent by human standards. God is reaching out to those who are wise by His standards. Those who, like infants, have an open and trusting mind, who are willing to be led by Jesus and His teachings. People who are willing to believe and trust in the kingdom of Jesus and what it stands for. People who are willing to be nourished and fed by Jesus just as an infant would be fed and nourished by its parents.
Jesus goes on to offer to share our burdens and give us rest: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
I wonder what burdens you have? We all lead such hectic and busy lives full of turmoil and stress. For many it seems that everything is so urgent these days, especially as most things are instant in our online or ‘app’ based world. When communication was by letter, we would read it and give ourselves space to think before acting, maybe even leave it until the weekend until we have more time. But nowadays it seems like we are expected to respond immediately to everything, even if it’s just to send a smiley emoji, when someone shares a picture of their dinner or cat. More importantly there are the endless worries that face us, maybe financial, work related or about health matters.
However, if we make time to rest and make time for Jesus, He will always be there for us. Obviously, I’m not saying that all the pressure in our lives will miraculously be sorted overnight, but, when we take time out and share our thoughts and worries with Jesus, and invite Him into our lives, he will come alongside us and help heal and lift our stress.
It may take time and it won’t be easy, but if we keep ourselves surrounded by Jesus, the source of life, we will be healed. And when we are healed, we will experience the love, peace, hope and rest that Jesus can bring.
Jesus uses the metaphor of Oxen sharing the burden when they are linked by a yoke. He is inviting us to come to Him so that He may take some of the weight off our shoulders and give us rest.
Jesus’ easy yoke is not an invitation to an easy, carefree life, but it does offer some relief from our man-made burdens and enables us to take a little rest. As the saying goes, ‘A trouble shared is a trouble halved.’ If we accept the promise that Jesus offers and let Him dwell in us we will feel the load lighten through His grace and compassion. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father, thank you that you love and care for us all.
In our hectic lives, let us never forget to make some space for you.
Lord, you are always willing to listen to us
and surround us with your healing power.
As we take time to talk and pray with you,
we ask you to dwell in us
and lift some of the burden we bear.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"
WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND OF CELEBRATIONS FOR OUR CHURCH'S 175TH ANNIVERSARY ✝️⛪️
A MASSIVE THANK YOU
to the many VOLUNTEERS who helped with the preparation and on the day; from manning stalls, to providing refreshments to the dog show hosts and the judges.
🌟WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU 🌟
to Marcus Emms the Shaw and Crompton Town Crier and our Harvest Queen Annie Jakeman for opening the Village Fete.
to LESLEY STANSFIELD for the incredible Historical display and to those who sent in their memories.
to the Bell Ringers for their Celebratory Quarter Peal rung on our Church Bells, with the help of friends from neighbouring towers.
to the Saddleworth Male Voice Choir & Barnhowlers Ukulele Club for entertaining everyone.
to all the following local businesses for supporting our Village Fete.
Addisons and James Wellbeloved Pet Food for sponsoring the DOG SHOW
Celebrations of Lees
Grotton Co-op & Tesco Huddersfield Road
McDonald's - Huddersfield Road
Odeon Cinema Oldham Town Hall
Milan Bar, Lees
The Red Lion, Lees
The Angel Inn, Lees
The Three Crowns pub restaurant Scouthead
Oldham Active
The Face & Body Shop
The Village Tearoom
Chapter One Coffee House
BelleAroma
Character Options
Cheveux Hair and Makeup
The Edge hair & beauty
and of course to EVERYONE who donated and those who came along and supported us on the day.
Thanks most of all to Karen, who made a brilliant job of organising Saturday's events (and taking all the photos). More photos can be found on our facebook page - Leesfield Parish
On Friday we were delighted to welcome classes from St Agnes' and St Hugh's schools to visit us in the morning, and then St Thomas' school held their Friday Achievement Assembly in church.
Sunday saw the final part of our celebrations in the form of a Parish Eucharist Service led by out Area Dean, the Revd Daniel Ramble. Many visitors joined in our Worship and for refreshments afterwards, and we hope to see them again soon.
The picture below is of our combined choirs of St Agnes' and St Thomas', who led the singing, accompanied by organist Warren Andrew.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish, as we celebrate the 175th Anniversary of St Thomas' Church. There is no service at St Agnes' today, as everyone will be attending the 11 am Parish Eucharist at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find the Gospel Reading for today, a reflection, and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "O Jesus I have Promised"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 10:40-42 Jesus sends out the Twelve
Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Reflection
This is part of the words of comfort that Jesus gave to disciples as He sent them out into the world to proclaim His Good News, cast out demons and cure the disease and sickness. (see my previous reflection from 18th June).
As He sent them out He deliberately told them to take no food, spare clothes, money or weapons for protection. Even though He warned them that some would persecute them, He deliberately sent them out in a state of vulnerability. So, hardly surprising then that they needed these words of comfort before they embarked on their mission. He also said to them, “ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave their house or town.” Now contrast that with the opening words from the passage above. ““Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”
A thought springs to mind. I’m sure many of you will have seen a welcome mat, placed at the entrance to a house. They’re usually made of course material called coir or coconut bristles and have a dual purpose. One to wipe the dirt off your feet and save you walking it all over the house and also to offer a greeting of welcome to visitors.
Our church prides itself on being an inclusive church and we even have ‘meeters and greeters’ to say a friendly hello to people who come to church on a Sunday morning. It is of course important that we make everyone who visits our church welcome and that needs to be more than just a polite hello to a new face. As followers of Jesus we are also called to reach out to people in our community.
Like the first disciples, we too might feel a little uneasy or vulnerable reaching out to relative strangers or people we don’t know as well as we should. This first weekend of July sees our 175th Anniversary Celebrations and many people have gone to a lot of trouble to make it a success. But that begs the question, what does success look like?
When we first discussed this at an open meeting (PCC+), there was a really strong sense that this was to be an event for everyone whether they have ever been to church or not. It is an opportunity to invite different people into our wonderful building not only to see the wonderful architecture or listen to the entertainment, but also perhaps to be touched by The Holy Spirit in some way.
There could be some folk who may be curious about God or church but feel uneasy to come to a formal service or are put off because they haven’t heard about Jesus. But if we just show them they are truly welcome, whoever they are, whatever their background or appearance is, they may just want to know a little more. We ourselves need to be Jesus’ welcome mat because when we never know who that stranger is. We may be missing the chance to welcome an Angel. As Jesus says, “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” If we don’t welcome everyone, they may use the mat to shake the dust off their feet as they leave and not come back! Paul
Our Prayers
Holy Father, you love each and every one of us.
We pray that we will use the opportunities you give us, to share that same love with strangers.
That we will welcome them into our lives as we would welcome Jesus our Lord.
Let us be your welcoming followers who bring the presence of Christ to new believers.
