Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixth Sunday of Easter. This morning we have only one service in the parish - a Parish Eucharist at 10 am at St Thomas' Church.
That is because we hold our Annual Parochial Church Meeting immediately after the service, where we review the reports from 2023 and elect Churchwardens, PCC members and other parish officers for the coming year.
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 "What a Friend I Have in Jesus"
Today's Gospel
John 15:9-17Abide in my Love
Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
Reflection
Last week I focussed a little on the words ‘Abide in me as I abide in you’, [ John 15:4 ] and reflected on how Jesus wants to be as much a part of us as we want to be with Him.
In today’s passage Jesus extends the metaphor of the vine and branches and to abide in Him, but this time takes it further and asks them to abide in His love.
Jesus wants to make sure they understand the message. He paints a vivid picture of the Father’s love for Him and His own love for us – He is almost pleading for the disciples to love Him as deeply as He loves them. So much so He tells them how greatly they will be rewarded; “that His joy may be in them, and that their joy may be complete”.
How amazing a promise is that? How fantastic to know that we can experience the limitless joy of Jesus in our lives.
He even goes on to tell them how to achieve this wonderful reward - we just have to follow His commandments, to love each other, to show the save love that Jesus shows us and the Father. However, we need to understand that this is not simply a request, it is a command. A command from Jesus. Jesus does not put optional alternatives around this, He does not say, love your neighbour if he or she is a friend, or an OK sort of person, or seems respectable. No, Jesus sees everyone as a neighbour and He is ‘commanding’ us to look after all our neighbours.
That is not to say that friendship isn’t important, and Jesus tells His disciples that we are His friend when we obey His command, just as He will be obedient to the Father when He lays His life down for us on the Cross.
When we help one another we are not only being obedient, we are sharing love, and by doing so we are building a stronger friendship with Jesus and in turn we will feel Him making our joy complete.
What a friend we have in Jesus! Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father, we thank you that you sent your Son Jesus,
to be our role model and loving friend.
Help us to become more like Him every day,
demonstrating His love through our actions and behaviour.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "When I Needed a Neighbour Were You There?"
Notices
Our usual 10 am Service of Holy Communion is on Tuesday at St Thomas’, and Worship for all Generations is at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday at St Agnes’.
This Thursday is Ascension Day, and our service is here at St Thomas’ at 7.30 pm.
Pentecost (Whit Sunday) is on the 19th May. Please see the poster below for details.
