Sunday Worship
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.
