Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday of Lent, at the start of our Generosity Week. 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 will find resources below to worship from home.
Our first hymn this morning is "God Forgave my Sin (Freely, Freely)"
Today's Gospel
Mark 8:31 to end Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Reflection
There used to an advert on TV where the strap line said, ‘who would you give your last Rolo to?'
It was a bit corny, as many adverts are, but the essence of it was that sometimes we have to make decisions, even hard decisions. It might be as basic as do I buy my girlfriend the deluxe box of chocolates or the more basic brand, or it might be a significant decision such as is now the right time to change my job?
How easy it is to make that decision will depend on a range of factors:
First and foremost, how urgent is the decision? Is someone at risk of harm if I don’t act?
For example what if someone is bleeding badly after an accident but you don’t feel qualified to render proper first aid. The urgency of the circumstances will probably override your self-doubt because you are in a potentially life saving situation.
Secondly, what is the impact and how big is it? A change of job for example may mean I get a big pay rise, but will have to move home and the kids will have to change schools or will I have to travel an extra two hours a day to get there and back. What does that mean for my personal time let alone the cost of fuel?
Next you might ask yourself what might go wrong? What are the downsides?
That new job might be one you end up disliking - it doesn’t turn out to be what you expected, the boss and people you work with are difficult to get on with, or they never told me about the pressure to meet silly deadlines.
If you are like me, you may well end up making a long list of the Pros and Cons - what are advantages and disadvantages of the decision I need to make? You might then try and rank them in some sort of order of priority based on what you think is most important to you and your family.
Of course talking things over with those impacted is also an important thing to do, especially before making a major decision.
In today’s gospel passage, Jesus calls upon us to make a decision to take up our cross and follow Him.
So let us think for moment what this might entail.
Is this urgent? I would argue this is a life changing decision, as Jesus Himself says, “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.“ So, I guess this is pretty urgent, it’s something we should think about today rather than in the future.
Then we ask, how big is the impact? Pretty big I would say.
Ultimately, this is a decision that will make the difference between eternal life and glory with Jesus in heaven or returning to dust. The stakes don’t get much higher than that!
So, what is the downside to choosing to follow Christ?
Jesus does not hide the fact there are consequences of following Him. He wants us to turn away from our self-centred aims and desires where our lives are dominated by a selfish agenda of living for ourselves, diminished through our unwillingness to give.
It means living a life of generosity and love for another.
That generosity is not just about giving money, it’s also about showing our love for others by sacrificing some of our precious time. Giving up some of the busyness that fills our days to help others.
That might entail spending some time with those who are lonely, helping someone with things they might be struggling with when they are ill or even putting your hand up to do some of the many small things that need to be done to keep our church running smoothly.
Jesus’ message is clear, when we choose to follow him, our life will be filled with many blessings.
When we give up our life for Christ’s sake it will be saved and our lives will be opened to eternal love and joy.
If you’re still not sure, why not talk it over with someone who loves you? Jesus wants to hear from you. Paul
Our Prayers
Merciful Father,
Give me the courage to take up my cross and follow you.
May I be prepared to say, "not my will but Yours be done."
Help me to deny myself,
and make loving sacrifices for others,
that I may follow You willingly and joyfully,
to Your praise and glory.,
AMEN
Today's final hymn is "From Heaven You Came (Servant King)
Notices
This Sunday sees the launch of our Generosity Week in Leesfield Parish. On Monday the 26th February at 7 pm, the PCC invites all congregation members to join them in an informal conversation about how we continue to grow in faith and serve our community throughout challenging times. Then on Saturday the 2nd March at 2 pm, we welcome families to come along to our "Generosity Hub", where they are invited to come and meet the folk who volunteer in so many ways in our parish, and explore the ways in which they might be able to help. Flyers for both of these events are attached. The week concludes on Sunday the 3rd March with a celebratory Parish Eucharist at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, followed by refreshments. Please come along to as many of the events as you can.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the First Sunday of Lent. 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 resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "I Lift my Eyes to the Quiet Hills"
Today's Gospel
Mark 1:9-15
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Reflection
Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark’s account of the Baptism of Jesus and his time in the wilderness is, to say the least, brief. However, as the American phrase goes, ‘sometimes, less is more’. In Mark’s account we are not distracted by the details of how Satan tempts Jesus or descriptions of the scenery, Mark’s just gets down to the facts:
Jesus is Baptised, sent to the wilderness and then returns to Galilee, ready to proclaim the good news of God. What jumps out of Mark’s gospel is the sense of urgency with which the Holy Spirit compels Jesus to go to the wilderness; we are told this was immediate.
So, no baptism party at the pub afterwards to revel in the wonders of what has just happened, you know, God turning up and all that. No, Jesus is immediately driven to confront the evil one.
For the Israelites, the wilderness stirs powerful emotions. It is the place where they wandered for 40 years to the promised land after they fled Egypt. A place where Moses spoke with God and received the ten commandments, and also where Elijah spent 40 days and was fed by the angels.
I suspect we all have a different mental picture of the wilderness; some may think of it as just desert or barren land. If you’ve been fortunate enough to visit the south Mediterranean region, you will probably have an image that resembles opens spaces with dry dusty soil which is sparsely populated with dark green shrubs. Either way it is not a very hospitable place to be and can range from searing heat to freezing cold.
One thing that most people agree on is that it is a desolate, dangerous, scary place where we can feel isolated and at risk.
But it is also a place where we can be with God, a place where we are not distracted by the hum-drum routines of daily life. In the first century, the desert elders went to the wilderness and lived as hermits in the expectation of finding God.
Like them, we also need to create a quiet place to speak with God. I’m not talking about fleeing to some far flung secluded part of the world, but to an inner wilderness. Letting the Holy Spirit send us somewhere that we can spend some quality time to find God and opening up to share our vulnerability and feelings with Him. It’s about searching for Him and not turning our back on God because we are too busy or have too many other things on our mind.
As Julian of Norwich said, ‘God is ‘hanging about’ all the time, in the hope that we will want to engage’.
This internal wilderness can be a place of in-betweenness or sanctuary where we try and close our minds to all distractions and let the spirit guide us towards God.
Admittedly, it can be difficult at first. I remember the first time someone suggested a form of benedictine meditation to me; I sat in a quiet room and closed my eyes before doing slow breathing to get myself ‘into the zone’. All was calm until I suddenly became aware how loud the ticking clock was – something that I normally never notice. Next it was the sound of the birds in the garden.
But with a little determination you can get there, but don’t try too hard ……. this is meant to be a relaxing and peaceful experience not a stressful one.
Sometimes, we find our mind wandering all over the place, as we come face to face with our troubles and fears, hopes and dreams and the reality of our lives. I tend to think of these random distractions as Satan’s attempt to sidetrack us from our desire to be with God. Just like Satan did with Jesus, he is trying to tempt us, to put obstacles in our way and to get us to shift our focus away from God and His word.
But bear with it, you will get there, to a place where you can experience the goodness of God. A wilderness free from distraction which becomes an oasis where we can invite God to draw near to us and satisfy us with His love. [Deuteronomy 31:10]
It is heartening to know that our wilderness contains angels to guide and minister to us, and also that Jesus has not only been there before us, but that He remains with us and by our side through all our experiences.
Let us recognise God’s hand at work in our lives and the world, and feel invigorated not just for ourselves but for others. That we, like Jesus, may share the good news of God and his unending love for us all. Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was sent by the Spirit into the wilderness,
to be distracted and tempted by Satan:
Come quickly to help us who are assailed by daily temptations;
That we may recognise them for what they and dismiss them.
Lord of mercy and grace,
Help us to make time in our lives for you,
let your angels show us the way that we may overcome our weakness
and through your loving grace,
forgive us when we give in to temptation.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Father, Hear the Prayer we Offer"
Notices
Now that we are in the season of Lent, many of us are giving up some of our little pleasures. For some great ideas about how we can make some lifestyle adjustments to benefit God's creation, please see this webpage - arocha.org.uk/go-green-for-lent/
The Churches Together in Lees and District Lent Lunches begin this Tuesday at Zion Methodist Church – please see the poster for details. All are most welcome to join us.
Also on Tuesday, the Ladies of Leesfield will be holding their monthly meeting at 2 pm in St Thomas’ Community Room. Everyone is warmly invited to come along – you don’t have to be a lady, or from Leesfield!
Beginning next Sunday, we have our Generosity Week in Leesfield Parish. Throughout the week we will explore how we can thank God for His amazing gift to us, and repay Him with our own generosity. An outline of the week is shown in the poster attached, and more information will be added next week.
The funeral of Marie Kerr will take place on Monday 4th March, 11 am at St Thomas’ Church, followed by interment at Lees Cemetery. Refreshments will be served in the Community Room afterwards. Please hold Marie’s family in your prayers.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sunday next before Lent. 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 materials below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Be Still, for the Presence of the Lord"
Today's Gospel
Mark 9:2-9 The Transfiguration of Christ
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Reflection
Last week, Revd Paul Monk concluded his Sermon by highlighting the need for us to consider how we use words and how we shape our words, our worlds and how they shape us.
This week we hear of the Transfiguration of Christ. Just the word transfiguration seems to have something extremely significant about it don’t you think?
Ponder for a moment, when was the last time you used the word ‘transfigure’. Can you ever remember using it? Do we ever say something like, ‘that was a transfiguring day’, or maybe, ‘that conversation or meal I just had was really transfiguring’! Even if we won a decent amount on the lottery we might say it was life changing but I doubt we would describe it as transfiguring.
Transfiguration is clearly something quite exceptional. Hardly surprising then, that we are told that Mark, James and Peter were so frightened.
I don’t know how many of you reading this are hikers or serious walkers, but those who are will know that being on a mountain can be quite scary especially when you are all alone and something unexpected happens. In some cases that might be something dashing in the corner of your eye that startles you or a sudden change in weather conditions as happened here when the cloud suddenly came down.
But what the disciples saw must have been truly beyond belief, as they witnessed a supernatural change in their teacher and ‘His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them’.
Try, for a moment, to imagine what would be going through your own mind if you saw this. Remember that, despite witnessing Jesus perform miracles of healing and his extraordinary wisdom and teaching, until this point Jesus was just a human being in their eyes. Suddenly, not only His clothes were shining brilliantly, but we know from other Gospel accounts that his face was shining too.
What might you think? Had Jesus been struck by lightning or perhaps some other unknown force of nature? The disciples also saw and recognised the presence of Moses, who they would know from scripture had been in the presence of God on Mount Sinai and as result his face had been shining.
Perhaps, frightened as they were, they had begun to understand the importance of what was happening.
Here on top of another mountain, [Mount Tabor] they were experiencing the true nature of Jesus being fully revealed to them in all His glory as the mask of humanity was removed.
Then for the avoidance of doubt, they are enveloped in a cloud and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Whether you describe this as a transfiguration or a transformation, it was a turning point for Jesus as His identity was revealed to the disciples and He started His journey towards Jerusalem and the Cross.
At the top of Mount Tabor, Peter, James and John quite literally saw Jesus ‘in a different light’ as His magnificence and divine identity was exposed for them to witness.
In the last few weeks, our scriptural journey has taken us from the birth of Jesus, through Epiphany, the Presentation of Christ at the temple, and ended up with the wonderful revelation of the Transfiguration just two weeks before we start on the sombre path walking with Jesus toward His crucifixion.
But as we head along that path, we can be reassured that the message of the Transfiguration is so profound and significant that it is shining a divine and guiding light that beams past the Cross and towards the good news of the resurrection of our Lord. A light of promise, hope and love for all us.
May the Lord make His face to shine upon us. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for revealing the glory of Your Son Jesus Christ.
The transfiguration of Christ marked a turning point and the start of His journey to the Cross and glorious resurrection.
Help us to examine our own lives and the turning points ahead,
that we may make the right decisions
and be guided by the illumination of your loving presence
Amen
Today's final hymn is "How Great Thou Art"
Notices
All are welcome to join us at our Ash Wednesday Service this week, as we embark on our journey through Lent.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish. Our Sunday 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 a full service transcript from our good friend Revd Paul Monk here - Medlock Head 2 before Lent
