Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Sunday services this week are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. If you are unabe to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Blest are the Pure in Heart"
Today's Gospel
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
When the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honours me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’
You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Reflection
Have you ever stopped to think how many different cleaning products there are on the supermarket shelves? Bars of soap, bottles of soap, some that are anti-bacterial, some with hand softeners or aloe vera, and some with disinfectant. The same goes for soap powders and washing up liquids and all of them claim to get cleaner better results at lower temperatures.
There is an old saying I’m sure some of you will have heard, ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’. Despite its apparent scriptural basis, the phrase is never used in the bible, although some believe it was first used in a sermon by methodist preacher Charles Wesley.
There are of course good health reasons for washing our hands before eating and also making sure the pots we use are clean and the food itself. Indeed, the whole subject of how to wash our hands thoroughly was highlighted during the Covid pandemic a couple of years ago.
So perhaps it is a little surprising that Jesus appears to be telling the Pharisees and the Scribes that washing your hands is not that important.
To understand this a little better it is worth looking at the background and the times in the first century when Jesus was alive on earth.
In the centuries since Moses had shared the ten commandments, the Pharisees who saw themselves as responsible for interpreting the law introduced thousands of new laws governing all aspects of how the Israelites should behave if they were to be holy and obey God.
Amongst these were a whole range of laws relating to cleaning and washing which went far beyond simply washing the dirt away in a bowl and drying afterwards. They were ritualistic and ceremonial as well as mostly being pointless and nothing really to do with getting hands or pots properly clean.
The rules had been put in place to make people show they had followed the rules, even though they had nothing to do with cleanliness. They were told that you can only be truly clean if you obey our silly rules because we know best.
So when Jesus and his followers declined to follow all the rules, we should not conclude that they were eating with filthy hands; rather they were accused of eating with defiled hands because they hadn’t obeyed all the ritual aspects of washing laid down by the elders of the church. They were suggesting that Jesus was dirty and sinful because they focussed on what he did not do. They failed to recognise who Jesus was and the amazing things that he did do, as well as what he was teaching!
It's not about what we say or how we follow rules that make us clean inside, it’s about what is in our hearts. We might openly profess one thing but if we don’t truly believe it in our hearts then we too are hypocrites, just going through the motions for the sake of it.
It’s about what we do in relation to how we treat one another. True cleanliness that will show how much we love God is about having a pure and clean heart. It’s not about being seen to follow a load of rules for the sake of it, especially when those rules don’t make sense.
It’s about being clean inside, in our hearts. There are no cleaning products in the shop that can do that, but thankfully we have Jesus - the ultimate cleaning agent.
Jesus gave Himself for us, so that even when we make mistakes and don’t keep all of the rules exactly right, we have forgiveness. His blood cleanses us from all our sinful thoughts and behaviours. He helps us to have faith and believe in that truth to give us new hope and peace.
Christ has washed us inside and made us new at our baptism, and when we believe and trust in him and ask for his forgiveness when we get things wrong and tell him we are truly sorry. Paul
Our Prayers
Most merciful Father,
We give you thanks that you love us and care for us
And that you sent your Son Jesus,
to cleanse and forgive us
when we sin and get things wrong.
We pray that we may have clean hearts
and pure intentions,
to follow him in all we do.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "Praise to the Holiest in the Height"
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. Today we have only one service in the parish - a joint Eucharist at 10 am at St Thomas' Church. If you are unabe to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Do Not Be Afraid, For I Have Redeemed You"
Today's Gospel
John 6:56-69
Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Reflection
Do you have staying power and the will to run the race to the end?
Over the last few weeks many of us have followed the Olympics, even if only on the news. We see hundreds of people competing across many disciplines in track and field, as well as new sports like boulder climbing and skate-boarding.
They have spent years of hard training, putting in blood, sweat and tears in pursuit of glory and Olympic success.
Yet each contestant knows that, in their given sport, only one athlete will be stood on the top step of the winners podium and receiving the gold medal. Only one contestant will realise their dream and listen to the roars and applause of adulation in this quadrennium.
No matter whether they win or lose, all the athletes have one thing in common – they all have a clear vision about what they are seeking. They are all prepared to put in whatever it takes to reach their goal.
Knowing what you are really seeking is the message that Jesus is relaying to his followers in his teaching in John 6.
As we see from the passage, it is not an easy message and people are struggling to understand what he is telling them, because they naturally hunger for what they relate to in day to day life. Yet here is Jesus telling the people that hungering for man made bread alone is not enough. They need to hunger for the bread from heaven, for the Son of man, Jesus who is the bread of life.
It's the same message that has been reiterated in recent weeks, yet even in the synagogue at Capernaum, it still seems too much to comprehend and for his audience to accept.
Their perspective is of course formed by their understanding of the material world, the here and now.
They simply can’t open their minds to see that Jesus is offering a different kind of bread, a bread that sustains beyond the physical and into the marvel of God. A bread that is Jesus himself.
Jesus offers his own flesh and will sacrifice himself on the cross to achieve that. When we partake in the Eucharist, it is not just some symbolic ritual, we are invited to partake in the very nature of Jesus our Lord. At communion we are showing that we want and need to be fed by the eternal bread that will sustain us spiritually and lead us to heaven.
Like the Olympic athletes we need to have a clear objective, and like Peter we need to accept and believe in Jesus the Holy One of God, who will help us run the race to the very end and bring us into his kingdom.
Unlike the athletes, when we believe and trust in Jesus – we can all be winners!
Paul
Our Prayers
Holy Father,
We thank you for sending your Son Jesus
to guide us and teach us.
We pray that we may be spiritually nourished by your Holy bread.
Open our eyes and our minds,
To understand you more,
and to set our sight and vision
on a deeper lasting relationship with you.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "My Jesus, My Saviour (Shout to the Lord)"
Notices
Next Sunday’s services are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes’ and 11.00 at St Thomas’.
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 week is our outdoor Pet Service, and all are most welcome.
We are now updating our Hymns and Worship Songs, based on what lots of you requested last year. So that we can practice some of them, we’re having All-Age Worship Singing at 6.30 pm on Monday 9th September. Children and families are most welcome to join in – it will be brilliant if you can show us the actions to the Sunday School songs!
On Saturday 14th September from 10 am to 4 pm, St Thomas’ Church will again be part of Oldham’s Heritage Open Day. The theme for this year is ‘links’, and we will be exploring how our churches connect with the local community, our schools and other churches. There will be a display board showing the people from our churches and the parts they play in the wider community.
Everyone is warmly invited to Harvest Queen Amelia’s Crowning at 2 pm on Saturday 28th September at St Thomas’ Church. There will be refreshments and stalls in the school hall afterwards, so please join us for a fun-filled afternoon.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. Our Sunday services this week are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. If you are unabe to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Make me a Channel of Your Peace"
Today's Gospel
John 6:51-58 Jesus the Bread of Life
Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
Reflection
I promised last week that there would be more talk about Jesus as the ‘bread of life’ and it is clearly important to Jesus that we get our heads around this. So much so that he reiterates the same message six times over to the same people.
The message that we need to focus on our spiritual lives as much if not more than our physical existence. Jesus says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life.“
What then is life? How do we live our lives here on earth? Can you think of times when you have been dissatisfied with life?
Perhaps you have been in that state that the Americans refer to as ‘groundhog day’, where each day is a repetition of the previous day. You get up at the same time, have breakfast, go to work, to do same things at work as you do every day, have the same conversations with people about sport, politics, or what you watched on TV last night.
We follow the same routine day in and day out and maybe sometimes muse that; ‘there must be more to life than this’! It’s not necessarily that we have a bad life, certainly when compared to people who are suffering though drought, flood or war. But something deep down inside still prompts you to wonder, what is missing in my life?
It’s not ingratitude, but a yearning for some different purpose. Another piece of the jigsaw that points us to a deeper type of life.
Consider instead when things are going well. Maybe you play in a sports team, or music group, perhaps a team of people at work and everything you do just seems to go right for you. You’re in a group and everything is feels great; your team is getting better results than anyone else or your music group never misses a note and you play to rapturous applause every time you perform. It might be hard work but despite that you strive and hunger for more because the feeling you get is ecstatic and euphoric.
You are part of group that really connects with one another and as the saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. So despite the fact that ‘life’ feels great you are still yearning for more.
On the face of it, you might think it’s just more of the same that you want, but deep down there may still be a feeling that there is more to life than good results and success.
I’ve often seen celebrities who when interviewed talk of their success but also the need to do something positive as a result of their good fortune, be that donating money or something far more tangible such as working to make a difference in society. Supporting those who are less fortunate.
When we eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood, we are taking part in an act of communion. As such we are called to be part of the worldwide Christian community where we look after the needs of one another and love each other.
It’s about truly feeling the love and sacrifice that Jesus made for us and being in ‘communion’ with one another. Connecting spiritually with Jesus’ team and being part of something so wonderful that we know we are part of something far bigger than ourselves and our own lives – we are part of Jesus’ life and he is part of our lives.
That is the life that Jesus gives to us and wants us to hunger for - where we all sit and eat at the Lord’s table, we partake of his abundant bread of life and care about each other. It’s about life with a capital ‘L’ where we love one another as Jesus loves us. Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty and ever loving Father,
We pray for those who are spiritually hungry and do not know the love of Jesus.
Transform the way live out our faith and
give us a generous spirit to share your love in all we say and do.
We pray for those whose lives feel empty,
forgive us for ignoring the social needs around us,
and open our eyes and our hearts to those in need of your love.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"
Notices
Next Sunday, the 25th August, we have only one service in Leesfield Parish - a Parish Eucharist at 10 am at St Thomas' Church.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. Our Sunday services this week are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. If you are unabe to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Be Still, For the Presence of the Lord"
Today's Gospel
John 6:35, 41-51 Jesus the Bread of Life
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Reflection
If you look back over the last three weeks there is a lot about bread throughout chapter 6 of John’s gospel and there is more to come. So why is this so important that Jesus keeps going on about it?
Over the years that I’ve been writing these reflections I’ve learned a lot more than I imagined, but a key thing is that there is so much still to learn and I need to keep my mind open to new revelations. It’s about letting the Holy Spirit show me new interpretations and meaning of God’s word.
The religious leaders and friends of Jesus in today’s reading think they have a grasp on the scriptures and God, but the problem is that they also know Jesus and his earthly mum and dad, Mary and Joseph. So when he starts telling folk that he is the ‘bread of life’ and that he was sent by God to give us eternal life - well it all seems a bit far-fetched to them. I guess that’s understandable, I mean how would you react if the kid down the street started saying he was the son of God?
It should be a little easier for us to get our heads around because we have the knowledge of the whole gospel story and the Good News of the risen Jesus. But given that we have a wider knowledge of the story of Jesus, does that make it easier for us to fully understand Jesus’ message? Are we truly open to grasping his point?
We accept that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, someone who existed from Nazareth and also from heaven. We want to be shaped in Jesus’ image and spiritually righteous. We want to feed on Jesus – the bread of life. But how do we do this in reality?
I suggest a simple analogy, if you had a full loaf of bread and met a starving man, I hope you would realise that the right thing to do would be to share it. So if we have the knowledge about Jesus who wants us to love one another, what do we do with that knowledge? The simple answer is that we share it; we act like Jesus and feed those who have yet to learn the good news. As Jesus said: ‘Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.’ Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We pray that you will open our minds to hear your word and learn from you.
Guide us to follow Jesus, who wants us to share in the bread of life and also to share it with others,
that they too can have eternal life.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "Bread of Heaven on Thee we Feed"
Notices
Tuesday morning services of Holy Communion are at 10 am at St Thomas’ Church every week. There is no Worship for all Generations during the weeks commencing 12th and 19th August, but we’ll be back on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st August at 6.30 pm at St Agnes’ for the second of our Pet Services for the summer.
It is with great sadness that we reflect on the passing of two true ‘gentlemen’ in our parish who have served Jesus and the church for many decades – Peter Brooks and Trevor Jones.
Both of them were always there for others. Quiet, yet always there. Full of humility and unassuming but always willing to lend a helping hand when something needed to be done in the parish.
Supporting us quietly behind the scenes, always in their own jovial and affable ways.
We will miss them both dearly.
Whether standing out in the rain and cold, meeting and greeting people or sorting out planned giving returns and bonus ball they were always doing their bit. Never seeking the limelight, just a steady constant presence serving us all.
Please join us in saying a prayer of thanks for all that Trevor and Peter have done, and for their families and friends at this time.
God bless them both.
Trevor’s funeral is at St Thomas’ Church at 1.45 pm on Tuesday 13th August, and Peter’s is at 11.30 am on Thursday 15th August, also at St Thomas’.
Several of you will remember a young curate called Karen, who served with us under Revd Howard Smith in the early 2000’s. We’re really pleased to tell you that Revd Canon Karen Smeeton has recently been appointed as the Archdeacon of Rochdale, which includes our Deanery of Oldham and Ashton. It will be wonderful to welcome Archdeacon Karen back to our parish in her new role after all these years.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Tenth 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 will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Here is Bread, Here is Wine"
Today's Gospel
John 6:24-35 Jesus the Bread of Life
The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Reflection
We all get hungry. Sometimes it’s that annoying rumble in mid-morning between breakfast and lunch or in mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner, when we feel we simply must have a little something to fill the gap. A bar of chocolate, a biscuit or a piece of cake. Whatever we choose it’s probably not good for us and in reality not something that we desperately need to survive.
There are also times when we eat far too much in one meal. I was reminded particularly about those ‘eat as much as you can’ buffets. Whether it’s at a party like a wedding reception or an Indian restaurant, we see people coming back to the table with plates so over-loaded it’s a miracle that they don’t spill all over the table.
Sometimes, it’s because the food is just there, or sometimes we take more than we can eat because we want to believe we’ve got the best value for money. That’s usually followed by an element of remorse – not because we feel sorry for being greedy but because we’re just so stuffed with food that we start to feel uncomfortable. Our stomachs are literally aching.
Then there’s a different kind of hunger – a hunger for success or achievement, a hunger for a better life, be that more money or happiness.
These are not necessarily bad things. With respect to food, it is of course essential to sustain life, we simply cannot live without it. Although maybe after a massive buffet you might manage a day or two.
John tells us of the morning after the feeding of the five thousand when everyone had had their fill and woke in the morning to find Jesus and the disciples had already left. The party was over and they had moved on, so to speak.
Many of the crowd who had camped overnight decided to follow Jesus. Jesus challenges them and openly accuses them of wanting more free food rather than the benefit of his teaching about the kingdom of God; “you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
So Jesus gives them the message that there is much more to hunger for than food – he is telling them that they also need to hunger for spiritual nourishment, to hunger for food for their souls, to hunger for him - ‘The Bread of Life’.
We need to hunger for Jesus with the same feeling as we do for food, and understand that if our souls are not nourished then our faith is weak. We need to feed on Jesus through a regular prayer life and reading scripture and doing what Jesus taught us, that is to love one another.
To put it into perspective, reading more scripture might be as simple as reading a a favourite bible passage or reflection from time to time or just spending a few moments talking to Jesus. It doesn’t necessarily mean binge reading the bible for hours every day – that would be the same as overeating at the buffet and would probably be quite tiresome.
It’s also about spending a little time reflecting on where you have experienced God at work in your life and thinking about where we have not been as Christ-like as we want to be. And if there are things we need to say sorry for, then just do that in a silent prayer to God, who is waiting to hear that so that he can freely forgive you with his grace.
To accept Jesus as the living bread of life, means to live the way he taught us.
To understand Jesus as the bread of life, might mean that we have to give up a little more of our time and be more passionate about our faith. To have faith that God will provide what we need – which may of course be different from what we want.
Today, we receive the life giving bread of Jesus. May we be passionate about our faith. May we trust in God and may we truly accept the forgiveness Christ gives.Paul
Our Prayers
Most gracious Father,
We thank you that you love us and provide for our needs.
We are grateful for what you do in our lives every day.
We pray that we will find the hunger and desire for you
and trust in your love for us.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer"
