Welcome to Christmas in Leesfield Parish. If you weren't able to be with us in person for any of our services, you will find carols and much more below.
Our first Carol is "O Holy Night"
A Reading from the Gospel of John 1:1-5 The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
A Christmas Message from the Bishop of Manchester
One of my favourite pieces of Christmas art was painted by the 17th century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It shows two women, one of them Mary, gazing at the new-born Jesus, who is lying in His manger. The only source of light in the picture seems to come from the child Himself. It lights up the happy faces bent over Him. But everything else is totally dark. In a single image it encapsulates what St John addresses through words in the marvellous opening passage of His gospel. Here is unquenchable light, clothed in human form, shining out into a world of darkness.
St John wrote his gospel to Christians who lived in dark times, theirs was an age when hostile and brutal powers ruled the earth. When we look at our times, they often do not appear much brighter. Wars rage across the globe. Famine and terror drive many to seek refuge in foreign lands. Human made climate change destroys crops and devastates natural environments. The nations of our globe lie in thrall to a handful of powerful men, just as ruthless as any Roman Caesar. Yet in the midst of that darkness, Christ is, as ever, present, His birth standing as a divine assurance that the darkness will never totally win.
I turn to Rembrandt’s image when things feel especially dark. There I see not only the light emanating from Jesus, but also its reflection in the faces of the women. They, and others who see His light and reflect it, will go on to change the world for ever, and for better. In his name they will feed the hungry, clothe the naked, tend the sick, educate the children, bring peace to warring states. In short, they will do miracles. And so can we.
My prayer therefore, is that, as we celebrate Christ’s birth, we may both reflect His light and also celebrate the light we see reflected in one another – in acts of kindness, in shared worship, and in the love and service that binds our communities together.
May God bless you richly this Christmastide.
Bishop David
The second Carol is "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
For all the family to enjoy, here is a video from the Church of England entitled "The Grumpy Owl and the Joy of Christmas".
The third Carol is "It was on a Starry Night"
Our Prayers
Lord Jesus Christ, your birth at Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth: accept our heartfelt praise as we worship you, our Saviour and our eternal God. Amen.
Our final Christmas Carol today is "O Come, All Ye Faithful"
Notices
Well done to everybody who came Carol Singing around Lees with us on Monday evening, and collecting donations for the Booth Centre for homeless people in Manchester. We had a great time, and brought joy to people of all ages in the village.
Next week's Sunday Service will be a Parish Eucharist at 11.15 am at St Thomas' Church, and there will be no service at St Agnes' on that day.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.
This evening at 6.30 pm we have our traditional service of Nine Lessons and Carols at St Thomas', to which everyone is invited. Details are provided in the notices at the end of this blog, together with all of the other services happening over Christmas.
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 "From Heaven You Came, Helpless Babe"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 1:18-25The Birth of Jesus
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Reflection
We are nearly there! Christmas is only a few days away, although as I write this, it’s over a week away. I haven’t even thought about putting the Christmas tree and decorations up yet although most of my neighbours houses are resplendent with masses of lights both inside and out.
As we approach that magical day, I hope you are not too stressed and have things clearly planned out even if there’s still lots to do.
But aside from all the hustle and bustle, we still need to make sure that we plan a little time prepare ourselves spiritually for what Christmas represents. Have you ever thought about how Mary and Joseph were prepared?
I don’t mean practical things, because as Luke tells us, it was practically mayhem – they didn’t even have anywhere to stay, let alone having a midwife or clean towels and everything else you might expect to have ready for the birth of a baby.
But I wonder how much they were prepared for their role as parents of the Messiah and the impact it would have on their lives.
I have reflected before on the willing and obedient commitment of Mary, but in this very short account from Matthew we get some insight into how Joseph was prepared to unreservedly trust in God. How, despite his initial reservations, he was prepared to show a similar level of obedience and commitment as Mary did in supporting her doing God’s will.
We are told that Joseph was a righteous man, but we should not underestimate how big an issue the situation was. In the Jewish culture of the time, if you were betrothed to someone it was a very formal commitment and to get out of it required a form of divorce which would create scandal. For Joseph, there could only be one explanation for Mary being pregnant and that was infidelity. Sending Mary away secretly was a very loving and righteous thing to do, especially given the circumstances. The alternative would have been very serious with public disgrace for Mary and perhaps the threat of being stoned.
Joseph was willing to do what was right, and put aside any contempt or disappointment he may have felt. He was showing the mercy and compassion that God shows to us. He was being holy and righteous.
Matthew then describes the encounter with an angel, which is not dissimilar to Mary’s. Like Mary, Joseph shows no sign of reservation or doubt, when he wakes he obeys the angel’s commands and marries Mary.
His obedience is absolute, as was his devotion to Mary and the infant Jesus when he was born. He was prepared to leave everything behind, his livelihood and friends and family, and flee to Egypt as a refugee with his wife and new born child.
When the time was right, he brought Mary and Jesus back to the region of Galilee to fulfil the scripture that Jesus would be brought up a Nazarene. And he continued to look after Jesus, bringing him up as his own and teaching him his trade.
There is not a lot of information about Joseph in the gospels and I’m sure he was not perfect – none of us are. But we can see many good qualities in him and would do well to emulate some of his ways; his willingness and obedience to God’s will and his righteous approach to others, even when he initially felt he had been badly let down.
So, as we think about preparation for Christmas, perhaps it’s not all about detailed plans and itineraries. It’s not all about getting the Christmas presents wrapped, the cards written and the shopping done or working for hours preparing the Christmas dinner.
Maybe, it’s about preparing ourselves to follow whatever plan God has for us rather than our own plans. Preparing for God to break into our lives in new and exciting ways, even though that might unsettle or challenge us at times.
Wishing you all joy and happiness for Christmas. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father
We thank you for examples of Mary and Joseph.
We pray that we too can be obedient
and trust in you.
Help us to do your will
and follow your commands,
And to be guided by the Holy Spirit
in doing what we know is right.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"
Notices
All of the services and events for Christmas are shown in the posters below - we hope that you will be able to join us. Please note that our Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve will take place at St John the Baptist Church, Hey.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete 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 "Tell Out My Soul"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 11:2-11Jesus Praises John the Baptist
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Reflection
In recent weeks we’ve heard much about John the Baptist being the fore-runner for Jesus. The one who is to make way for Jesus. The one who has been boldly proclaiming that Jesus is the promised Messiah, spoken of by prophets hundreds of years ago. Yet now he seems to be doubting whether Jesus really is the Messiah.
We don’t know why he suddenly had this uncertainty – all Mattthew tells us is that he had been hearing about some of the things that Jesus had been doing.
He was in prison and no doubt had a lot of time for his mind to wander and question those things he was hearing about Jesus, and he is starting to doubt.
Maybe what he is hearing does not align with his expectations. He might, like many, have had an expectation that Jesus was going to come and conquer with might and power, raising great armies to defeat the Roman Empire - to restore the Israelites as a powerful nation to be reckoned with once again.
John was the one who said that Jesus would come with a winnowing fork in hand to exercise judgement and sort the wheat from the chaff – to sort out the good from the bad. Was he expecting Jesus to come with fire and brimstone to usher in the new kingdom?
But now he is hearing a wholly different story. What he hears in his prison cell are stories about healing: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.
What’s more, Jesus is bringing mercy and forgiveness, not condemnation.
If someone was to ask you to tell John what you see and hear today, what might you say to him? Would you start with newspaper articles or internet news stories about war, poverty climate disasters, or people starving or being oppressed and enslaved? After all that’s what makes up the majority of our daily news.
Or would you talk about the rapid change in technology and exponential power of artificial intelligence, (AI) that can promise huge advances in medical research, productivity and engineering. The potential to make all our lives easier. Or maybe you see AI as a huge threat, where jobs are lost and or where its power is used for fraud and deception as we have seen already with video scams.
How many of us would start with looking at all the blessings and good things in our lives and the world? The fact that the number of good and kind and helpful people far outnumber those who would do us harm. The vast number of people who give to charities, especially at this time of year. Those who give even when it is hard to do so in these cost challenging times. The people who are giving time and skills to help others who are in need, the people who love each other even though they don’t know them.
The reality is that Jesus the Messiah comes, not to conquer with might, but to conquer with love. To lead us by example. An example based on serving and humility, and as followers and disciples of Christ we have been shown the way to bring in His kingdom.
Jesus doesn’t point towards war and destruction, he asks us, as disciples, to follow his example. Jesus’ call to each of us as disciples is toe bear fruit and point to the Good News of God’s grace and mercy. Where we can help usher in the God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, through acts and signs that show hope and mercy.
Our faith may be tested at times when we hear so much news of suffering, but let us open our eyes and behold all the wonderful things that are happening around us and see the signs of God’s new creation amidst the sadness. Advent is a season of hope for us and for others.
As we look towards our celebration of Jesus’ first coming, let us open our ears and hear His message of hope, and let’s reflect on how we might respond and act to help bring God’s kingdom in, and bring hope to others. As Jesus tells us, “Let anyone with ears listen”, [Matt. 13:9]. That is our clarion call to be doers not just listeners. That is our cue to show humility and serve as one of the least in God’s kingdom,
Paul
Our Prayers
Father God,
As we faithfully await the Feast of the Lord’s nativity,
enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation
and to serve one another with humility and thanksgiving.
Celebrating always
with worship and glad rejoicing.
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
Notices
Below are all of our Christmas Services and Events in Leesfield Parish. Everyone is most welcome to join with us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday of Advent. Our Church Services this morning are at 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.00 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 "On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist Prepares the Way
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptise you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Reflection
Last week we looked at the need to be prepared and how the season of Advent is a time for reflection, prayer and penitence. A time when we need to prepare for the second coming of Christ by emulating him and leading righteous lives.
In this week’s gospel passage Matthew describes the way in which John the Baptist was telling people how to prepare for Jesus’ ministry and the first coming of the Messiah. How to make straight the path for the Lord through repentance.
A good starting point is to think about what we mean by repentance. It is clearly much more than saying I am sorry in a perfunctory way, with no real commitment or genuine remorse.
Repentance is about taking a good hard look at ourselves and examining where we have fallen short in our actions and thoughts and how we treat one another. It requires us to be honest with ourselves and accept the reality of where we have gone off course. It requires us to acknowledge the truth that we are all sinners in one way or another and confess what we have done wrong and the need to make things right.
Repentance is about being genuine with ourselves and not trying to make excuses for our behaviour or blame someone else – it is about accepting responsibility, declaring I am not fine, I am a sinner and in need of cleansing and forgiveness. It also has to be matched with a genuine commitment to change – and do things better and differently in the future. If we do not accept the need to reform, then we are not really sorry. We are not making the path straight for coming of the Messiah.
That is why John the Baptist reacted so negatively to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming to be baptised in the wilderness. He could see through the façade of their intentions. They were religious leaders and pious hypocrites who had heard about this religious teaching of John’s and the need to be cleansed by baptism. They doubtless thought it would look good for them to come along and take part in front of the crowds.
But John has no truck with them and calls them out – he names them as a brood of vipers. It was as much an insult then as it is to call someone a snake in today’s world. It signified their deceptiveness, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden which led to the fall of man. His point being that you need to do more than be seen to be good, you need to be good at heart as well.
We can demonstrate our genuine desire to make straight the path for the Lord in the way we change our ways and behave better. John refers to this as bearing fruit. Here is the really positive thing – when we confess our sins and show a desire to change it is not a shameful thing. It is a way of healing and receiving forgiveness. God wants us to repent and he wants us to be part of his kingdom. God doesn’t want us to live with a cloud of shame hanging over us and darkness in our hearts.
Jesus shows us time and time again when he consorted with sinners how we can change our lives and be saved. Jesus loves us so much that he died on the cross to save and redeem us all.
Repentance is how we each prepare for Jesus’ arrival. To repent is a way of acknowledging that our way is not working and that we are ready to accept the way of God as Jesus showed us. It prepares us to receive God’s divine healing and forgiveness.
Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the message of John the Baptist
and his call to repentance.
Help us to prepare our hearts and lives for the coming of Jesus.
Transform us from the inside out,
and may Your Spirit help us to bear fruit
in keeping with genuine repentance.
Guide us to live authentically and faithfully for Your glory.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending"
Notices
This afternoon we have our Parish Christingle Service at 3 pm at St Thomas' Church. Everyone is invited to join us.
