Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the First Sunday of Lent. Our Church Services this morning 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 "Forty Days and Forty Nights"
Today's Gospel
Luke 4:1-13 The Testing of Jesus
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”
Then the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Reflection
“When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.”
I don’t know about you, but when I read this line it always feels like an ominous warning. The devil is always waiting around the corner looking for opportunities to test us and trip us up.
No matter how well intentioned we might want to be, there are always instances where we might be put to the test. How many times have you ever said, “well I really shouldn’t….but….”
Most of the time it’s in relation to fairly minor things like having another piece of cake or another drink. Relatively harmless things in the grand scheme of things, (unless you’re driving home!).
We are also tested in our resilience to do what is right by not procrastinating or putting things off that we know are important, especially when our lack of action impacts someone else. That is why when we pray for forgiveness, we say we are sorry ‘for what we have not done’.
I think it is no accident that this encounter happens just after Jesus has been affirmed by God as His son at His baptism, and before He begins His ministry. Also bear in mind that Jesus Himself must have told the disciples about the encounter after He began His ministry because there was no one there with Him in the wilderness. It was clearly important to Him.
Rather than refer to this in the usual way as the “temptations” of Christ, I have chosen to call them tests. Because that’s what they are – Jesus is alone in the wilderness, praying and reflecting hard about how God is calling Him to His mission. He is fasting and praying in isolation and Satan takes the opportunity to strike just as He did in the Garden of Eden when He caused the fall of Adam and mankind.
This same Satan that tested Eve is still as devious and wily, and thinks there’s an opportunity to take advantage of Jesus when He’s vulnerable and hungry and also by misquoting scripture.
Firstly Satan appeals to His physical hunger for food, and asks Jesus to turn stone into bread. On the face of it this wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it? But it would compromise Jesus’ validity as the servant King if His first miracle was to do something to help Himself – a servant of mankind who looks after themselves first. That’s a test we all face as individuals and moreover for our leaders who currently seem obsessed with putting themselves and the country first.
When Satan asks Jesus to worship him in return for authority and glory it was effectively asking Jesus to be unfaithful to God and avoid His destiny on the Cross. To go against God’s plan. Like many folk who want everything today and instant fame or results, we should learn to have faith in His God’s plan for us, however that works out. As Mother Teresa said, “we are called to be faithful not successful”. Moreover, we should never try and succeed at the cost of others.
Lastly, Satan attempts to test Jesus’s faith in God because He is God’s son. Satan uses scripture to goad Jesus into doing his will, but Jesus also knows the Word of God inside out and cannot be caught out by Satan quoting the bible out of context. We also are God’s children and we should have faith in Him, we too are called to trust God and not to test God.
I started by thinking about the devil being always around the corner – He has been there since the beginning of creation and when I look around the world today, at examples of greed, selfishness and war, I think that there is no doubt that he is still there, influencing people and leading them astray every day. However, Jesus has shown us that with humility and faith in God, the devil can be defeated. When we do what we know is right and put God and others first, Satan cannot win.
Yes Satan is around the corner and being tested by him is inevitable - but it is not an unsurmountable test. No matter what is happening in our lives, no matter the temptations and trials and tests we might be going through, we can turn to Jesus, and he will be there for us, to lead us and guide us all along the way. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the example of Jesus in facing temptation
and overcoming the schemes of the enemy.
Fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit
and grant us wisdom to recognise and resist the temptations
that seek to lead us astray.
Help us to choose Your will above all else.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Lead us, Heavenly Father, Lead us"
Notices
The Churches Together in Lees and District Lent Lunches start this Wednesday at Zion Methodist Church. All are most welcome - please see the poster below for details.
This year is the full renewal of the Parish Electoral Roll. Even if you have been on the roll previously, you will need to complete a new form The Electoral Roll is a list of people who are members of our churches and are entitled to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM).
A new Electoral Roll is compiled every 6 years, and everyone needs to apply, even if they have previously been included. 2025 is the year for a new roll, and we have to complete it not less than 15 days before the APCM, which will take place on Sunday 27th April.
It’s important to us and to the Diocese to know how many members we have. And it’s important to you because you need to be on the Electoral Roll if you wish to be elected to the PCC or any other office. Also, the numbers on our roll determine how many representatives we have on Deanery Synod, which affects our influence on decisions about the future of our parish.
Any person who is aged over 16, has been baptised, and is a member of the Church of England, who lives in the parish, or if living outside parish has habitually attended public worship in the parish during the 6 months prior to enrolment, is eligible to be included on the Electoral Roll.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sunday before Lent, also Church Action on Poverty Sunday. Our Church Services this morning 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 "Beauty for Brokenness"
Today's Gospel
Luke 9:28-43 Jesus Heals an Epileptic Child
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfil in Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” While he was being brought forward, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.
Reflection
Today’s gospel passages have two very different episodes from Jesus’s life. The first is the wonderous account of the transfiguration of Christ - something I have written about a number of times, so for a change I will look at the second story.
It is totally in contrast with the former passage. We see Jesus in a very non-typical light. He seems to exhibit, (for want of a better phrase), quite un-Christian behavior.
He seems so fed up and annoyed, and speaks to the worried father of the child and His disciples in what sounds like very petulant and dsimissive way. In fact I’d go as far as to say He speaks to them in an angry manner when He says, “You faithless and perverse generation”. That doesn’t sound like the loving gentle Jesus we are all familiar with does it?
But he goes on, “…how much longer must I be with you and put up with you?” That sounds like Jesus is totally fed-up and deeply disappointed.
Before we explore that, take a moment to think how the nine disciples who had not been on the mountain with Jesus felt. How would you have felt if Jesus talked to you in that way?
None of us like to be reprimanded, even when we think we might deserve it. But when it’s someone you really respect and love then the pain of admonishment hits even harder. The feeling that we have let someone down who is an important part of our lives. Yes it hurts because we feel sorry. Can you think for a moment about a time when you have let someone down and how you felt about it?
So why was Jesus so harsh with them? Surely it wasn’t the nine disciples’ fault that they couldn’t cure the child with epilepsy. They had been begged by the child’s father and no doubt tried their best, but just couldn’t manage to heal the child. Even though they had previously healed in Jesus’s name, they now appeared to be lacking in something when He wasn’t around.
So why did Jesus seem so upset? Let’s not forget, Jesus was also human and experienced emotions and ups and downs like the rest of us. He was returning from the exhilarating encounter with Moses and Elijah and had experienced the transfiguration. Now he returns to find that His followers were unable to call on the Holy Spirit to help a sick child despite all He had shown them. He would have been concerned for the sick child and the pain of the father and, despite His dismay for His disciples, He was also concerned for how they felt about their failure. In this this window on to the humanness of Jesus, we can appreciate that His words were tempered with love and compassion. He would have felt for them - confused and disappointed with themselves.
In Matthew’s account of the story, the disciples ask why they couldn’t heal the child and Jesus explains that it was because their faith was lacking and explains that even with the smallest amount of faith we can move mountains.
There are many times when Jesus’s disciples disappointed Him, especially Peter, but He loved them and persevered, so much so that He made Peter the rock of His church. We know their faith became strong, because we read about all the miracles they went on to perform in His name in the Book of Acts.
So when we feel let down or disappointed with someone, we need to treat them with love and compassion, and perhaps think about how they might be feeling also. Likewise there will be times when we as Christians feel we have let others down and let Jesus down. While Jesus rebuked the disciples, he still remained faithful to them. His goal was to make them into God's people.
Next time you feel disappointed, remember to turn to our Lord Jesus, who knows what disappointment and failure feels like and put your trust and faith in Him.Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
Help us not to be overly discouraged
when other people don't measure up to our expectations,
or when we do not measure up to what we should be.
Help us to be gracious with them just as you are with both them and us.
Protect our heart against discouragement about the failure
and strengthen our faith and trust in you.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "My Jesus, My Saviour"
Notices
Everyone is welcome to join us for All-age Worship Singing this Monday at 6.30 pm at St Thomas’. Please note that we have changed the time of this event, as some people found that the earlier time was inconvenient. If you haven’t been before, come along and join us as we have a great time practicing old and new hymns.
This year’s Ash Wednesday Service will be at St Agnes’ Church at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 5th March.
Churches Together in Lees and District are holding a special service for the World Day of Prayer at 2.30 pm on Friday 7th March at St John’s Church.
This year is the full renewal of the Parish Electoral Roll. Even if you have been on the roll previously, you will need to complete a new form The Electoral Roll is a list of people who are members of our churches and are entitled to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM).
A new Electoral Roll is compiled every 6 years, and everyone needs to apply, even if they have previously been included. 2025 is the year for a new roll, and we have to complete it not less than 15 days before the APCM, which will take place on Sunday 27th April.
It’s important to us and to the Diocese to know how many members we have. And it’s important to you because you need to be on the Electoral Roll if you wish to be elected to the PCC or any other office. Also, the numbers on our roll determine how many representatives we have on Deanery Synod, which affects our influence on decisions about the future of our parish.
Any person who is aged over 16, has been baptised, and is a member of the Church of England, who lives in the parish, or if living outside parish has habitually attended public worship in the parish during the 6 months prior to enrolment, is eligible to be included on the Electoral Roll.
