Sunday Worship 24th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sunday before Advent, and the Feast of Christ the King. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.

If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "The King of Love My Shepherd is"

Today's Gospel

John 18:33-37 Jesus Before Pilate

Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Reflection

 “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Today we celebrate Christ the King. But King of what or where? 

It is clear from Pilate’s question that Pilate is thinking in earthly terms of a king, like the Roman emperors. He sees a kingdom like an empire that is ruled by those with power and authority and status, based on wealth and might.

A king would have armies to conquer and rule others. 

We should remember that in Jesus’ time, Jerusalem and the Middle East were ruled by the Roman Empire. The Jewish people, although no longer in exile, were living in occupied territory ruled by the invading Romans. 

But Jesus’ kingdom and power are based on truth and love. 

Jesus is a divine king who comes from God - the ultimate king, maker and ruler of all that is seen and unseen. 

Jesus comes with humility and power as the Servant King, who wants to capture our hearts rather than our land and possessions. A king who wants to conquer, not people and lands with swords and spears or bombs and drones - rather He wants to conquer our hearts and minds with love, compassion and truth. 

A love for us. He didn’t come to pander to the wealthy and powerful, but to walk humbly with the poor and excluded. 

Jesus calls us to build God’s kingdom on earth by following His example. 

He calls us to care for and love one another, rather than to make war and fight. 

He calls us to be compassionate and share what we have, rather than selfishly ignoring the  suffering or plight of the needy. 

He calls us to help one another, rather than help ourselves.

We may think at times that we are in control of our own destiny and that we have the right to do as we please. But when we put ourselves first, we are making a choice to put the earthly kingdom before the heavenly kingdom.

We may deceive ourselves that everything we have is a result of our own hard work. But everything we have is by the grace of God.

When we are in Christ’s presence, we should feel a sense of humility. Christ is our friend and our redeemer, but we can only appreciate His friendship when we acknowledge that he is our King, our Saviour and our Lord.

So let us follow Jesus as our King of love until He returns to complete what He has started, and fully establishes His kingdom here on earth.

As the hymn says………. 

He is the king of love, I’ll nothing lack if I am His and He is mine forever. 

Paul

Our Prayers

Our prayers for Christ the King come from Faye Rowlands, aka Mother Clanger. 

Jesus,

King of all past empires,

Lord of all present rulers,

Master of all that is to come,

Lord of kingdoms great and tiny,

Teach us to hold lightly

 on to the reins of our supposed power,

Remembering that all aspects of our life and loves, 

our work and worship, 

our time and treasure are under your rule,

And that in all things,

You are king.  

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Christ Triumphant, Ever Reigning"

Notices

In preparation for Advent, we will be dressing the Christmas Trees next Saturday for our annual Christmas Tree Festival. Everyone is most welcome - please see the poster below for details.

All of the information about our special services during Advent can be found in our poster below.

Sunday Worship 17th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday before Advent, which is also St Hugh's Day. Today we will be having a Parish Eucharist at the Worship Centre in St Hugh's School, Wildmoor Avenue, Holts, OL4 5NZ at 11 am, and there will be no services at St Thomas' or St Agnes'.

If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Beauty for Brokenness (God of the Poor)"

Today's Gospel

Luke 9:51-56             Samaritan Opposition

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 

When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them. But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village. 

Reflection

Most folk, even those who don’t go to church regularly, are familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The fundamental message being that we should love our neighbour irrespective of who they are or what you may think about them.  Conversely we should not reject help from someone just because we don’t like them or the people they relate to.  

     

When Jesus told the parable, he deliberately chose the example of a Samaritan being the one to offer help because He knew how much his Jewish audience reviled and despised the Samaritans. Similarly, the Samaritans had no time for the Jews who viewed them with equal enmity. It is fair to say that the level of hostility and religious intolerance between them at the time was very strong. 

It is probably not by coincidence that Jesus tells this parable not long after the events in today’s passage took place, and it could be argued that He was driving the message home as much to His disciples as to the rest of those assembled around Him, because of what had happened and their reaction to rejection. 

Let’s look a little closer at the events. The messengers who went on ahead had mentioned that they were looking for somewhere to rest on their way to Jerusalem. The villages would have  assumed that they were Jewish pilgrims heading to worship in the Temple. They were clearly not overjoyed with the prospect of entertaining Jews and we hear that  ‘they did not welcome them’.

That is as much as we are told. There is no mention of aggression or violence. They might just have said words to the effect, ‘we don’t want your sort around here corrupting our children and families with your Jewish ways’.

I remember many years ago when I was a child, a group of travellers decided to set up camp on some nearby common land. They were made to feel extremely unwelcome and whilst there was no violence or fighting, they were shunned by the locals who refused to serve them in the shops and cafés or even to talk with them other than to shout abuse. 

As children, we were told to keep well away from them because they were dirty and would carry diseases as well as being dishonest and thieves.  

The reality was that no one in the village knew a single one of the travellers, but nevertheless they ostracised them because of ingrained beliefs, however unjustified that may have been. 

It would appear that the Samaritans behaved much in the same way to the messengers of Jesus. Yes they were intolerant and possibly even racist in their actions in much the same way as the Jews would have behaved to them if circumstances were reversed.

Next, let’s look at the reaction of James and John in the face of this snub; “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? ”

Wait a minute! Did I read that correctly? Here are two of Jesus’ disciples, who in the face of inhospitable behaviour want to call on the wrath of God to obliterate them and their village!

Luke says that Jesus rebuked them – I think they rightly deserved a proper talking to. Had they learned nothing from travelling with Jesus?

Yes they were right to have been offended and even to feel a degree of anger, but their reaction was way over the top. That is how people sometimes behave, especially if they are dealing with groups they have been brought up to be wary of. In these circumstances, the actions of an individual or a few individuals are blown out of all proportion because they are seen as indicative of the view of all Samaritans. When we have prejudices we can become biased, consciously or unconsciously, and make false assumptions.

  

We see that in the world today, where, despite what people believe personally, they are all, to use an idiom, ‘tarred with the same brush’. 

It is sometimes too easy to generalise and define everyone in a group as having the same philosophy, views and beliefs. That is why it is so important to look at one another inclusively. Despite what race, religion, gender orientation or any other collective we may identify as, we are all individuals with disparate views and we are God’s children. If I choose to disagree with your opinion, that does not mean I should assume everyone you know and associate with holds the same view. It is never right to judge one person because of the actions of another person.

Jesus showed how we should not blow things out of all proportion. The minor setback of not being welcomed in one village was easily overcome by just going to another village. 

Revenge has no place in the heart of Christians. When we waste our energy on anger and revenge, we are holding God at arm’s length. Inclusivity,  love for our neighbours, patience and forgiveness are the foundations of how we need to behave as true Christians.          Paul

Our Prayers

Eternal Father,

Hear our prayer for tolerance and inclusivity in our hearts.

Grant us patience and understanding,

that we may find inner calm at times of indignation,

to put aside our fury and anger and let the moment pass.

Amen

Our final hymn today is "Lord of all Hopefulness, Lord of all Joy"

Sunday Worship 10th November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Third Sunday before Advent, and also Remembrance Sunday. Today we have a Parish Eucharist at 9.15 am at St Thomas' Church, with no service at St Agnes'. We will then join the Royal British Legion and the local community for a Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial in Lees Cemetery at 10.30.

If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

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

Today's Gospel

Mark 12:38-44

As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! 

They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 

Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Reflection

Sometimes when I look at a piece of scripture a single phrase jumps out at me and today I was immediately grabbed by the words,  “They devour widows’ houses”. 

Let’s not forget Jesus is talking about the religious leaders here, so what he is saying is intended to shock. He’s telling it how it is. 

There is no love lost between the Scribes and Jesus - He wants to shout about their hypocrisy and expose them for their selfish ways, and for their part the Scribes just wanted rid of this Jewish trouble causer. 

So why did this phrase about widows jump out? To start with it is useful to understand that widows in these times were usually poor. They would be unlikely to inherit money as this was distributed to the male heirs of the family and there were no pension funds to keep the widow in food and clothes after her husband had died. 

In Jewish scripture, widows along with orphans are often cited as the example of those to whom caring and loving support should be provided by the community, [Deuteronomy 14:28-29]. People were entreated to set aside a portion of their crops and produce for those who have little, and that God may bless those who give to those who are in need.

To point out that the religious leaders were guilty of exploiting widows would the equivalent of exposing someone in our modern times of scamming someone who is vulnerable, whether that is online such as a fake charity or someone knocking on the door to con you out of your money.

 

In America there are even TV channels that still do similar things. So called tele-evangelists hustle people by promising them a significant return on their money if they “sow their seed in faith so that God will multiply it.”   

So when Jesus highlights how unscrupulous the Scribes are for exploiting poor widows, he strikes right at the heart of their corrupt ways. He highlights their ruthless and immoral ways and how heinous they are in their greedy activities. 

In both Mark’s and Luke’s recounting of the incident, they use language that is deliberately intended to be provocative. The word ‘devour’ could be intended to strike a chord and draw a parallel with the birds in the parable of the sower that devour the seeds that fell on the path. Jesus had inferred that the birds were Satan waiting to devour those who fall by the wayside, and so the analogy is that the self-righteous scribes and religious leaders were far from holy and rather demonic or possessed by Satan. 

No wonder that they disliked Jesus so much that they wanted not only wanted to discredit Him but to kill Him.

To add insult to injury, Jesus then ‘raises the ante’ and tells them in no uncertain terms that not only will they be condemned but the judgement and punishment will be far more severe, because of all people they should have known better. 

We all act sinfully at times but I would like to hope that we are never tempted to exploit the needy or vulnerable. We all like to show off at times but let’s hope we don’t lose sight of those who may be less fortunate or put people down because we think we might be better than them in some way.

And finally..… In case you’re wondering what the Scribes are wearing on their heads; they aren’t 2000 year old versions of a head torch - they are called phylacteries. They were small leather boxes containing written portions of the law that people strapped on their foreheads and arms. The scribes made their phylacteries extra-large to impress people and give the impression that they were devoted to the law.        Paul 

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father,

Let us thank you and remember that all we have comes from you. 

We pray that we may live out the values of justice, mercy, 

and humility in our interactions with others. 

Help us not to look down on others but to offer grace.

Strengthen our faith and prayer life,

that we may pray with sincerity, love and confidence 

to your glory and honour. 

Amen

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

Notices

Next week there are no services at either St Thomas' or St Agnes'. We are all attending the annual St Hugh's Day Service at 11 am at St Hugh's School on Wildmoor Avenue, Holts, and you are welcome to join us there.

Sunday Worship 3rd November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday before Advent, and also All Saints Day. 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'll find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "For all the Saints, Who from their Labours Rest"

Today's Gospel

John 11:32-44 Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’

Jesus began to weep.

So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’  So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me.

I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’  The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go. 

Reflection

Today we celebrate All Saints Day in the church although it actually falls on the 1st November. 

It is a day where Christians remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history.

 

“This invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed land, and points us on the path that will lead us to that destination.” Pope John Paul II. 

We are called to remember the many who have passed through earthly death and have eternal life with the Father. In the scripture reading we hear of Lazarus who Jesus raised from earthly death to walk again as a mortal amongst his friends and family. 

Lazarus was raised as a sign so that the Jews might believe that Jesus was the Son of God and moreover to understand the glory and power of God. 

But there is much more to this story than the miracle, that Jesus asked the Father to perform in raising Lazarus. Aside from the great power of the Son of God we see the humanity of Jesus exposed before us. 

We learn of how when he saw the grief of Mary, Martha and their friends, “He was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved”. Some translations of the Bible use the words, “He groaned in the spirit and was troubled”. Then we are told that Jesus began to weep. 

We might wonder why Jesus felt such anguish and wept; after all, He knew what He was about to do; that in a few minutes He would raise Lazarus from the tomb and bring him back to life. Is it because Jesus is showing us His deep compassion and the empathy that He feels for us all in our times of grief and suffering? Mary, Martha and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus, it is only human nature to feel for our friends in times of pain and sorrow. We should not forget that Jesus is human as well as divine. 

He might have wept because he felt sorry for putting them through the ordeal instead of saving Lazarus – as some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ Whilst Jesus knew that this was all part of the predestined plan that would foretell His own death and resurrection in the days to come, He could still feel sorry for the hurt it caused.

Some biblical scholars believe that there is a much deeper significance for Jesus’ tears. He is weeping for the fact that mankind, (who God had created to be perfect and not been intended to suffer or face death at all), now has to suffer in this way. Death is a consequence of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden because of Adam’s sin. He is weeping because there is still death in the world and mankind continues to sin in so many ways. 

 

Maybe, when the mourners asked Jesus to come and see where Lazarus was laid, they were also inviting Him to come and see the state of humanity and consequent suffering. Wouldn’t that be enough to make your inner spirit groan?

Or perhaps He is weeping because He knows that this will all be repeated in the near future and own friends, disciples and family will be grieving when He dies for us on the cross. They will mourn deeply even though they should have known that Jesus has power over death and would rise again as He had told them and demonstrated by raising Lazarus.

 

Jesus raised Lazarus to show us the ‘Glory of God’. We can see this when we put our faith in Jesus in the midst of our tears and when we refuse to give up believing that Jesus, through His compassion, weeps with us and one day will wipe away all our tears. [Isaiah 25:8].                Paul

Our Prayers

Almighty and eternal Father,

We thank you that you sent your Son to show us your glory,

and to be by our side when we feel pain and sorrow.

Strengthen our faith and belief 

That we will hear Jesus call our name 

and be invited out of our tombs, 

and into the light of everlasting life. 

with all the saints in heaven. 

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Ye Holy Angels Bright"

Notices

Next Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, and we will have a Parish Eucharist at 9.15 am at St Thomas’, with no service at St Agnes’. Please see the poster below for full details.

The Tuesday morning Services of Holy Communion are at 10 am at St Thomas’, and Worship for all Generations is at 6.30 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at St Agnes’.

On Monday we have our All-age Worship Singing at 4.30 pm at St Thomas’.  

Also on Monday, there will be a Service for All Souls at 7 pm at St Thomas’ Church. This is where we pray together for the souls of all those known to us who have died, and everyone is welcome to attend. If there is anyone who you wish us to pray for by name, please let us know in church, or by contacting Neil or Paul.

Sunday Worship 27th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentysecond Sunday after Trinity. 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'll find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Breathe on me, Breath of God"

Today's Gospel

Mark 10:46-52 Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Reflection

In our reflection today, we look at the story of blind Bartimaeus. It is a story of active faith and belief but there is much more to it than that.

We do not know how old Bartimaeus was, but it is generally assumed that he was at least in his middle ages. Similarly we do not know if he was completely blind, however, we can assume that he was not born blind because he asks to be able to see again. 

So we have the story of someone who, in his younger days, would have been able to work and do normal things, that has been afflicted with a problem affecting his sight and that in turn has resulted in him losing his livelihood and becoming a beggar and an outcast.  

 

To us in modern day society, the majority of us maybe take our gift of sight for granted.  We can get regular eye checks and if we are long or short sighted it is relatively quick and easy to get contact lenses or glasses from as little as £10. If there is something more seriously wrong, regular eye examinations allow opticians to identify this in the early stages and hopefully take early medical action. 

Sadly there are still some people who go blind and when we consider them, it hopefully reminds us just how precious our eyesight is.

For Bartimaeus in the first century he would not have been so lucky, hence his downfall and change in circumstances. Like many he falls to bottom of the pile in society through no fault of his own. He is sat on his cloak, which would serve as both a cushion and also essential protection from the cold nights – probably his most precious possession, and he hears the commotion of the crowds as Jesus approaches.

He has no doubt heard of Jesus’ reputation for mercy and healing and calls to him, only to be hidden and crowded out by others who look down on him. They probably thought that as a beggar he didn’t even have a right to be near Jesus. But Bartimaeus had strong faith that Jesus would rescue those in need. We need to be clear here that faith is not about being well versed and articulate in the scriptures and being able to quote chapter and verse in the Bible, it’s about belief in our saviour. Bartimaeus was resilient in his faith and persists in shouting to Jesus until he is heard. 

When Jesus hears Bartimaeus, he does not go to him and neither does he call out for Bartimaeus to come to Him. Rather, he tells those who have been trying to keep him away that they should call him and bring him to Jesus. This is an example of how the prophesy in Jeremiah above is fulfilled, where people from all over the world will be united in God’s family, including the lame and the blind.

Moreover, it is a call to all of us to be inclusive and to help rather than shun people who are afflicted in any way. 

I think there is also a more subtle message as well. Everyone is deserving of Jesus, as Christians the last thing we should do is try hide others from Him or keep Him for ourselves. We are called to share the good news and not obstruct how God works in the world where He chooses to work.  

When Bartimaeus was allowed to see Jesus he became a follower and went with him all the way to Jerusalem and the cross. That opportunity and his active faith was all he needed to become a devoted member of Jesus’ followers and community. He left behind his most treasured and important possession to follow Jesus in faith. This is in stark contrast to the ‘rich young man’ [Mark 10], who we read about 2 weeks ago, who went away unhappy and grieving when Jesus told him that the way to enter the Kingdom of God was to give his money to the poor.

When we think of vision we normally think of eyesight but it can also refer to what vision we have of the future. If Jesus were to ask you, ‘what do you want me to do?’, What would you reply? Might you perhaps ask for a clearer renewed vison of a better world, or a different way of seeing the world based on faith, love and trust in Jesus.    Paul

Our Prayers

Loving Father,

We pray for those who are looked down on by others and

for a better world where all people feel included and valued.

Lord, let that vision of hope start with us,

and bless us with the active faith that Bartimaeus showed.  

Amen

Today's final hymn is "The Spirit Lives to Set Us Free"

Sunday Worship 20th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentyfirst Sunday after Trinity. 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'll find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"

Today's Bible Reading

Hebrews 5:1-10 Jesus the Great High Priest

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honour, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Reflection

Perhaps a good place to start to unwrap this passage is to think about the question - what is a priest?

There are many ways we could answer this but here are some of the qualities and descriptions that you may recognise from the Bible.

Priest are called to worship God and lead us in our worship. They are appointed by God to be his representative on earth and to represent the people to God. For want of a better phrase, to act as the bridge between God and his people. 

A priest will represent people with prayer and will lead others in a prayerful life. They will show us how to be reverent and God fearing. In the old testament the priest would make blood offerings of burnt animal sacrifices on the peoples’ behalf as an atonement for our numerous sins. A priest would be required to acknowledge his own sins and pray for his own forgiveness as well as those he represents.

You may be familiar with some of the priests of ancient time such as Moses, his elder brother Aaron and their descendants. They were also responsible for ensuring that the laws of the ten commandments were followed as well as more and more laws of their own making. 

So you may be wondering who Melchizedek is and how was this order of priests any different from the Levite priests like Aaron?

Melchizedek first appears in Genesis 14, in the time of Abraham 400 years before Moses and 2000 years before Jesus. He is described not only as a priest but as the ‘Priest of the ‘Most High God’ – our God. He is also described as the king of Salem, (which many people believe came to be known as Jerusalem), and St. Paul described Melchizedek as king of righteousness and king of peace. 

What is also important about Melchizedek is that when this mysterious priest and king offered a sacrifice before Abraham he did not use traditionally prescribed burnt offerings but celebrated with bread and wine – a fore sign of the Eucharist. Also a sign that he was a priest of a totally different order.

When we look at Jesus, we should have no doubt that He is not only priest of the Most High God, but that He is the Most High Priest of eternity appointed by God. Hebrews 5, describes how Jesus is the true servant willing to give everything for us. The High Priest who prayed so hard that his sweat was like drops of blood, [Luke 22:44]. 

He was the Priest who rather than sacrifice a burnt offering, chose to sacrifice his own body so that we can be at one with God. Unlike other priests, Jesus was free from sin, He did not have to atone for his own sins so his sacrifice on the cross was an atonement for all our sins then and now. He is the one who continues to pray and intercede for us every second of every day and acts as the ultimate bridge between God and ourselves. 

Jesus is obedient and loving, he deals gently with all of us who have strayed from the path of righteousness, He shows us compassion and forgiveness. 

We too as members of His church, whether ordained or not, are called to follow that model of kindness and service.

 

In the related Gospel reading for today [Mark 10: 32-45], Jesus has been telling his disciples that the Son of Man is about to humiliated and condemned to death. Without thinking, James and John ask Jesus what they could do for him in order to sit at his right and left hand in glory. Clearly their request is not thought through and they no doubt thought that, as part of the inner circle, they are entitled to step into the limelight. But Jesus gently reminds them that we should do things out of love of others, not for status.

Greatness comes not from wanting to be noticed or seen to be doing things, not from self-importance and making one’s mark, but from service and serving each other with humility. We all need to make sacrifices at times; as Jesus says, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. As Great High Priest, Jesus calls us to quietly and humbly do what we can, when we can.                Paul

Our Prayers

Merciful Father, 

As we strive to be more like you each day,

Help us to do so out of love,

and the recognition that it is our duty to care for each other.

May we not seek glory or personal gratification,

but to be satisfied that we are following in your footsteps.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen

Our final hymn today is "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine"

Sunday Worship 13th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. 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'll find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "As the Deer Pants for the Water"

Today's Gospel

Mark 10:17-31 The Rich Young Man

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Reflection

Mark’s gospel passage today contains probably one of the most challenging stories told by Jesus in the whole of his teachings. 

We have the challenging and absurd metaphor of a camel passing through the eye of a needle. This of course is an exaggerated metaphor that highlights the impossible situation of rich people trying to get into heaven. 

Moreover, it is challenging in respect of what Jesus appears to be suggesting, and to appreciate the true magnitude of what Jesus said we need to also understand the teaching of the rabbis in the synagogues at that time. To be wealthy and prosperous was seen a s sign of God’s approval. Rich people were seen as blessed by God and it followed that they were more likely to go to heaven. 

In that context, what Jesus was proposing was even more radical and disturbing, especially to the rich religious leaders. Jesus turned that whole concept of the wealthy being more deserving upside down along with the notion that one could earn or buy his way to eternal life through amassing wealth. 

Jesus was showing us that it’s not about how much we have, but about what we do with what we have.

It’s about how we live our lives here on earth and what we are doing to bring God’s kingdom here on earth ‘as it is in heaven’. 

At the beginning of the book of Acts, Paul wrote about, ‘how all who believed were together and had all things in common, they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all as any had need’ [Acts 2:44-45].  

No matter how we look at this, the message still seems hard to swallow when we live in a materialistic society that believes, like the first century rabbis, that money and possessions are good and desirable in their own right. In our world today we have examples of important leaders who have so much yet are not satisfied and want something that someone else has. World leaders that covet their neighbours’ land and go to war to possess it, or the richest man on earth who wants to control the world’s social media and dominate outer space. 

I would question how happy these people really are – the richest man on earth is maybe the poorest man on earth because he is never satisfied and longs for what he doesn’t have. Like the rich man in Matthew 10, he still yearns for what he doesn’t have when he asks Jesus what he needs to do to gain eternal life.

However, if we look a little closer at Jesus and his followers and the reading from Acts, we can see that they were not destitute and starving. Rather the message is more about generosity and sharing. They held things in common and looked after one another and people around them, and fed and clothed them.

I was listening earlier to Steve Moyse, a professor of the New Testament and theologian.  He readily admitted that he felt he could never give up everything he has or sell his house and make his family homeless. He argues that we don’t necessarily have to give our last penny to the poor, but we do have consider how generous we are and how we might respond to Jesus’ call to help one another. Like many virtues, generosity takes practice, whether that’s giving to charities or directly to those we know who are struggling. The more we do it better we become at it.

When Christmas comes along we can all experience the joy of giving, but we maybe have to practice this a lot more than at Christmas. As Jesus said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ [Acts 20:35]

Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father, 

Thank you that you love each and every one of us,

And that you made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

Show us the way to live more generously and to care for one another, even when that means making sacrifices in our own lives. 

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Give Thanks, With a Grateful Heart"

Notices

Next Sunday’s services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. The Tuesday morning Service of Holy Communion is at 10 am at St Thomas’, and Worship for all Generations is at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday at St Agnes’.

Everyone of all ages is warmly invited to tomorrow’s PCC PLUS – ECO CHURCH at 7 pm at St Thomas’. Caring for God’s creation here in our parish is something which we can all play a part in, whether our role is preaching or teaching, caring for our buildings or churchyards, planning social events, or influencing our friends, families and the whole community. Please do come along and join us – it will be really informal, and there will be cake! 

The Ladies of Leesfield meet in St Thomas’ Community Room at 2 pm on Tuesday – everyone is most welcome, even if you’re not a lady, and not from Leesfield.