Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixth Sunday after Trinity. 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 "As the Deer Pants for the Water"
Today's Gospel
Luke 12:13-21The Parable of the Rich Fool
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'
Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Reflection
I was recently studying the life of William Temple who was former Bishop of Manchester before being appointed as Archbishop of York in 1929 and Archbishop of Canterbury in 1942. He was the only Archbishop to be the son of a former Archbishop.
It is fair to say that he came from a very privileged background and went to private school and Oxford. Nonetheless, his time as Bishop of Manchester had a very profound and lasting impact on him. Temple travelled across the industrial towns of Lancashire and witnessed the acute hardship and harsh conditions faced by the majority of people. Those working in the mills, mines and other industry who had to endure harsh regimes and poverty, whilst those unemployed had no health care provisions or security.
This was during the period between the two World Wars and during the Great Depression. Temple was profoundly struck by the unfairness of a society where the rich got increasingly richer and richer at the expense of the poor.
As a result, he published a famous book called Christianity and Social Order which, among other things, challenged the role that the Church of England had to play in influencing Government and reshaping society to make it fairer for everyone.
In researching his publication he worked alongside many learned economic scholars and politicians such as John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge and at the end of his book he outlined in detail his ‘Suggested Programme’ which was effectively the blueprint for the introduction of the Welfare State. This included Family Allowance for each child after the first two, education for all up to the age of 18, two days per week rest, paid annual holidays, fair wages to support a family of four, decent housing built near to where people worked and free school meals and milk. This was implemented by a new Labour Government in 1945 after the end of the war.
How does this relate to today’s reading? Essentially, it provides a living example of how we should look after one another and how we need to focus not on material things as the be all and end all. I am not suggesting that wanting to be successful and making a better life for ourselves is necessarily a bad thing - but when it becomes the main focus for our lives and when we ignore the suffering of those around us because we are oblivious them, then we are on a road to our own ruin. When we become so attached to what more we can get, that is purely and simply greed.
When we fail to acknowledge that God has given us plenty and do not look at the misfortune and suffering of others then that too is greed. William Temple had experienced privilege but when he saw impoverishment around him, his first reaction was to use what God had given him to make a difference to others.
In the parable of the farmer he has also been very fortunate and he has such an abundance but all he can think about is how he can preserve it in bigger barns and keep everything for himself. How he can ensure that he has a safe and indulgent retirement.
His only thoughts are for himself and he is trapped in his own success. He has not even contemplated how he can use what God has provided for anyone else. I was struck by something an older person said to me this week when I was in his garden. We were looking at a profusion of fruit on his trees and he said, “there’s far too much for me and my wife – we’re going to bag most of it up and give it to local charities and hospices.”
It never crossed his mind that he could have sold some of it or frozen it; as far as he was concerned there was more than enough for himself and his first thought was to share it those who need it most. To hold on to everything would have been selfish greed.
On the other hand, the foolish farmer can only think about himself. But that’s the issue with wealth and greed, it can narrow our perspective and we fail to see the challenges and needs of others. Instead of giving thanks to God for what he had and thinking how he might show his gratitude, he can only think about himself. It doesn’t occur to him how he might ask the Holy Spirit to guide him as to how he can use his excess to build God’s kingdom.
As Jesus says above, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." We need to remember that all we have comes by the grace of God, and we should be generous in our giving and be rich towards Him by blessing others as God has blessed us. Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for all we have.
For life, health, our homes and wealth.
As we look upon the pain and suffering in the world,
