Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Third Sunday before Advent, and also Remembrance Sunday. Today we have a Parish Eucharist at 9.15 am at St Thomas' Church, with no service at St Agnes'. We will then join the Royal British Legion and the local community for a Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial in Lees Cemetery at 10.30.
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 "The Lord's My Shepherd"
Today's Gospel
Mark 12:38-44
As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets!
They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.
Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Reflection
Sometimes when I look at a piece of scripture a single phrase jumps out at me and today I was immediately grabbed by the words, “They devour widows’ houses”.
Let’s not forget Jesus is talking about the religious leaders here, so what he is saying is intended to shock. He’s telling it how it is.
There is no love lost between the Scribes and Jesus - He wants to shout about their hypocrisy and expose them for their selfish ways, and for their part the Scribes just wanted rid of this Jewish trouble causer.
So why did this phrase about widows jump out? To start with it is useful to understand that widows in these times were usually poor. They would be unlikely to inherit money as this was distributed to the male heirs of the family and there were no pension funds to keep the widow in food and clothes after her husband had died.
In Jewish scripture, widows along with orphans are often cited as the example of those to whom caring and loving support should be provided by the community, [Deuteronomy 14:28-29]. People were entreated to set aside a portion of their crops and produce for those who have little, and that God may bless those who give to those who are in need.
To point out that the religious leaders were guilty of exploiting widows would the equivalent of exposing someone in our modern times of scamming someone who is vulnerable, whether that is online such as a fake charity or someone knocking on the door to con you out of your money.
In America there are even TV channels that still do similar things. So called tele-evangelists hustle people by promising them a significant return on their money if they “sow their seed in faith so that God will multiply it.”
So when Jesus highlights how unscrupulous the Scribes are for exploiting poor widows, he strikes right at the heart of their corrupt ways. He highlights their ruthless and immoral ways and how heinous they are in their greedy activities.
In both Mark’s and Luke’s recounting of the incident, they use language that is deliberately intended to be provocative. The word ‘devour’ could be intended to strike a chord and draw a parallel with the birds in the parable of the sower that devour the seeds that fell on the path. Jesus had inferred that the birds were Satan waiting to devour those who fall by the wayside, and so the analogy is that the self-righteous scribes and religious leaders were far from holy and rather demonic or possessed by Satan.
No wonder that they disliked Jesus so much that they wanted not only wanted to discredit Him but to kill Him.
To add insult to injury, Jesus then ‘raises the ante’ and tells them in no uncertain terms that not only will they be condemned but the judgement and punishment will be far more severe, because of all people they should have known better.
We all act sinfully at times but I would like to hope that we are never tempted to exploit the needy or vulnerable. We all like to show off at times but let’s hope we don’t lose sight of those who may be less fortunate or put people down because we think we might be better than them in some way.
And finally..… In case you’re wondering what the Scribes are wearing on their heads; they aren’t 2000 year old versions of a head torch - they are called phylacteries. They were small leather boxes containing written portions of the law that people strapped on their foreheads and arms. The scribes made their phylacteries extra-large to impress people and give the impression that they were devoted to the law. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
Let us thank you and remember that all we have comes from you.
We pray that we may live out the values of justice, mercy,
and humility in our interactions with others.
Help us not to look down on others but to offer grace.
Strengthen our faith and prayer life,
that we may pray with sincerity, love and confidence
to your glory and honour.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
Notices
Next week there are no services at either St Thomas' or St Agnes'. We are all attending the annual St Hugh's Day Service at 11 am at St Hugh's School on Wildmoor Avenue, Holts, and you are welcome to join us there.
