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.
