Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Third Sunday before Lent. Our Church Services today are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 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 "I, The Lord of Sea and Sky"
Today's Gospel
Luke 6:17-26Blessings and Woes
Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets."
"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
"Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
"Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."
Reflection
There aren’t many things that make me feel really, really angry. Although, I’ll admit there are quite a few things that I grumble or moan about – but I put that down to age – I am turning into Victor Meldrew, the archetypal ‘grumpy old man’.
However, when I heard that the richest man in the whole world, (Elon Musk), had recommended that billions of dollars of aid should be immediately cancelled for some of the poorest people in the world, – I was more than a little annoyed – I was livid! To make matters worse, more than two thousand aid workers will lose their jobs as a result. Against that backdrop it is very fitting that Luke’s version of the Gospel gives an insight as to what Jesus had to say.
In Luke 6:17-26 we hear Jesus addressing the crowds in His ‘Sermon on the Plain’. It is arguably one of the most profound passages in Luke’s gospel which summarises the thrust of Jesus’ ministry, and is highly relevant to our world circumstances today.
Jesus tells of the themes and nature of God’s kingdom: divine faithfulness, salvation, social reversal, and the universal scope of God’s work. These themes outline ‘kingdom values’ and how the radical nature of Jesus’ message turns the values of our world upside down.
A key difference to Matthew’s version of the ‘Beatitudes’, is the inclusions of the ‘woes’ or curses. At first glance, they might seem somewhat demoralising and discouraging. But I don’t think that Jesus is suggesting that to have wealth and health is, in itself, wrong and sinful. Maybe even a little luxury once in a while.
But what is wrong, is when we put those things above all else. When in our relative comfort, we feel safe and fall into a sense of misguided complacency that we are in ultimate control of our own destiny.
When we forget that we all need God in our lives and the Holy Spirit to be with us and guiding us. When we arrogantly believe that everything we have is what we have earned for ourselves and forget that who we are, what we have and how we live is down to the grace of God.
Jesus is quite clear that our God is an inclusive God and wants everyone to follow Him and live by His values. But we need to be willing to recognise that we have been blessed by God in so many ways in this life, and also think about how we might be thankful for that.
What might that thankfulness look like? Perhaps in the way that we look after each other, and how we show them compassion, love and support. To think about how we might bring that upside down version of God’s kingdom here today.
The woes in the Sermon on the Plain don’t have to be a portent of doom or a cloud hanging over us, but they are a powerful reminder that God’s kingdom operates on principles that are the opposite of those of a materialistic world. The poor and downtrodden will be blessed and have plenty to laugh about, when they know the grace of God.
But remember, Jesus is inclusive, and wants us all to share that grace - and we can, when we follow Him and turn our lives to God.
Some of you will have suffered sadness, struggles or illness in your lives. Some may be going through difficult times at the moment or face them in the future.
Luke tells us that Jesus has will restore us if we have faith. Whatever problems we may have, we can give them to Jesus and rest a little easier. We might not feel better right away, but we will be healed in God’s time.
Paul
Our Prayers
Merciful Father,
We give you thanks for the blessings in our lives.
Help us to always remember,
that everything we have comes from you.
Lord, give us the true richness that comes from knowing you and doing your will here on earth.
Lord we pray for those who are less fortunate that their prayers will be answered and lives made better.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Great is Thy Faithfulness"
Notices
Our Sunday services next week are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. The Tuesday morning service of Holy Communion is at St Thomas’ at 10 am, and Worship for all Generations is at St Agnes’ at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Ladies of Leesfield have their monthly meeting in St Thomas’ Community Room at 2 pm on Tuesday the 18th February, and then on Saturday the 1st March they will be hosting their Coffee Morning at 10.30 am. All are most welcome to join the ladies for refreshments and companionship.
On Monday the 24th February, there will be an Eco-Church Gathering at 4.30 pm at St Thomas’.
On Saturday 1st March, there will be a Pub-style Quiz Night at St Thomas’, starting at 7 pm. We will have a pie supper, pub-themed raffle and lots of fun – please bring your own booze! Tickets are now available from Lesley, price £10.
