Sunday Worship 1st November

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday before Advent. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.15 at St Thomas'.

If you are inable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Ye Holy Angels Bright"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reflection

Today we celebrate All Saints day which is also known as All Hallows Day. But have you ever taken a moment to think about what it means and how the feast originated. 

Perhaps a good place to start would be with the word Hallows. Depending on which dictionary you use, Hallow means to make something Holy or set it apart or sanctify it. The Saints are those who have gone before us and are considered to be set aside because of their holiness. The word saint comes from the Greek word “hagios” or in Latin, “Sanctus”,  which means exactly that - consecrated to God, holy, sacred.  ‘All Saints Day’ is therefore a time for Christian believers to remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history. 

Remembering saints and martyrs and each year has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century AD, but it wasn't until 609AD that Pope Boniface IV decided to set a day aside to officially remember all martyrs. That is those people who had suffered and died for their faith. 

Later, in 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the festival to remember all the saints and changed its name to Feast of All Saints. This expanded the scope of sainthood to recognise all people of exceptional holiness and devotion to God. This shift acknowledged that not all saints were martyrs, so a broader commemoration was needed.

As I was thinking about the saints, I realised that there are of course we know quite well like St, John, St. Thomas & St. Agnes and some of the more famous Saints like St. Joan of Arc or St Francis of Assisi might spring to mind. But there are also lots of Saints that are unknown to us but are just as important. Because Sainthood is not just about those recognised or nominated by a group of important religious leaders, sainthood is granted by God Himself  - I’ll come back later.  

I wonder, what do think about when hear the term Saint? We understand that they are people set apart as Holy but what does that mean and how might we recognise a saint? The reality is, they don’t walk among us with golden halos above their head. 

The saints are those whose actions, the way they lived their lives and in some cases died, demonstrate a Christlike way of living that sets an example for us to follow. They point to the way we are called to live as Christians and to build up the body of Christ. 

Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians (4:11-12), Christian leaders are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry of building up the body of Christ. But when Paul talks about Christian Leaders, he is not only referring here to ministers and prophets – rather he is calling on everyone to use their spiritual gifts to invite and encourage others to be part of the fellowship of Christ. Part of the Church of God. He is encouraging every believer, including you and me, to grow in spiritual maturity and make disciples of others.

Every one of us is called to follow the examples of the saints and in doing so we are also called to live our lives in a righteous and blessed way,  so that when the time comes, we too may have a place with them in the kingdom of heaven. 

Now you might be thinking that sainthood is unattainable for the likes of you and I. Unattainable because we all find it impossible to be good all the time and of course we all lapse into sin. But God understands that we are not perfect. And as I mentioned earlier, it is ultimately God who will decide who His saints are.

To be a saint we are not expected to be perfect like Jesus, but we are called to live a life that embodies a transformative relationship with Christ. We are asked to think about the example Jesus and the other saints have given us in the ways we live, think, behave and interact with one another as we go though our daily routines.

In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount - Jesus describes the blessings, (beatitudes), that God is willing to bestow on us so that we might be transformed and live more righteous lives. 

If ever I manage to be pure in heart, it’s a gift from God, and I should be grateful for it; if I have a heart that cares enough about people so much that I mourn for them when they pass away, that’s a gift, too, and I thank God for it. 

If we are able to mediate and find peace where there is discord that’s a gift just as much as someone who shows another person mercy. 

When we see people living and sharing these gifts from God we are all blessed by their goodness and the positive effect it can have on us and the rest of the world.  

If we are willing to accept the gifts God wants to give us, to be righteous and be transformed by the example of Jesus, then we also will be blessed.  God reckons as righteous those who believe in Him. The one who raised Christ from the dead. When we are willing to be transformed by Jesus and live our lives with faith and trust in Him, then we too will be called to stand with Jesus and the saints in heaven. 

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians [Cor. 1:2], assures us that ‘all followers of Christ are called to be saints’.  This assurance comes not from our personal perfection, but from God’s faithfulness, grace and abounding love for us. Because God can make the unattainable – attainable. Rev.  Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks for the all the saints in heaven.

Who by their example have shown us that through Your grace,

and by faith and belief in You, holiness is possible for every one of us. 

Help us to be transformed and walk in the light of Christ

to follow a path of holiness and join you with all the saints in heaven.  

Amen

Today's final hymn is "For all the Saints"

Notices

Next week is Remembrance Sunday, and we will only have one service in the parish - at 9.15 am at St Thomas' Church.

Please see the poster below for details of the Act of Remembrance at the war memorial in Lees Cemetery.

 

Sunday Worship 25th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentyfirst Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Ahnes' and 11.15 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 "New Every Morning is the Love"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 22:34-46 Whose son is the Messiah?

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Reflection

In Matthew 22 we reach the climax of a series of encounters between Jesus and the Pharisees and Sadducees. Both deem themselves to be theological experts in the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible),  albeit they disagree fundamentally on some matters such as resurrection. Both are also determined to undermine Jesus’ teaching and moreover are trying to manipulate him into committing blasphemy so they can arrest him.

As the public questioning continues Jesus turns the tables on his interrogators with a question of his own. Whose son is the Messiah? 

In asking this question we can see the subtlety in how he deals with arrogance of the these so called learned theologians and lawyers. He does not go all out to prove his argument and belittle the experts. He has already proved his knowledge of the Bible in the previous encounters. 

Rather, he takes a much more nuanced approach to help them, and more importantly those around, work out for themselves the significance of who the Messiah is. He does not openly proclaim that he is the son of God, instead his question challenges them to analyse the words of the scriptures and work it out for themselves.

 

He turns the encounter from a contest into an exercise in helping all those around to interpret the scriptures for themselves. So he draws their attention to Psalm 110 written by David many years earlier. The experts’ response is to think in human terms, that the Messiah is a descendant of David. They were unable to make the connection which David himself had foretold, that the Messiah would not only be a human descendant of David’s line but also at the same time David’s Lord – Jesus was providing them the answer from their revered holy scripture in the expectation that some of them would weigh the words of the psalms and join the dots -  that the Messiah was not merely the earthly Son of David, but was God himself made flesh. That the Messiah was both fully human and also fully divine. For us we are also called to believe in the mysteries of God and accept the truth that with God, nothing is impossible.                      Rev.  Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your divine mystery, which we sometimes struggle to perceive.

Help us to accept the wonder of all you are and to trust and love you,

with our whole hearts, and souls and minds. 

Amen

Today's final hymn is "We Have a Gospel to Proclaim"

Notices

Upcoming events can be seen in the posters below -

Sunday Worship 18th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, when we will be celebrating the Feast of St Luke.

Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.15 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 10:1-9                                                        The Mission of the Seventy

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

Reflection

Today the church celebrates Luke the Evangelist – the writer of the Synoptic Gospel of the same name, and also widely believed to be the writer of the Book of Acts. Luke was believed to be a gentile, a doctor who lived in the Hellenistic city of Antioch in Ancient Syria, born of a Greek family (although some scholars and theologians think Luke was a Hellenic Jew – that is a Greek non-orthodox Jew) - either way he was very different from the other Gospel writers.

Whether Luke was a Jew or a gentile, he was one of the most highly educated of the authors of the New Testament. His Greek knowledge and writing surpassed anything else written. Luke was a great friend and companion of Paul, and in his second letter to Timothy that is todays first reading, we learn that Luke remains with Paul, who is writing this letter on his deathbed. ‘Do your best to come to me soon’ writes Paul, as ‘only Luke is with me’. Luke was with him to the end, his friend and his doctor. I wonder if Luke, sitting at the deathbed of his dying companion, anointed Paul before he dies? It is such a privilege as a priest to be with someone as their earthly life draws to a close, and to anoint their forehead – ‘ I anoint you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ’, as the oil lifts the veil between earth and heaven, taking them closer towards the cross and the story of redemption. The story that Luke crafted and shared so amazingly that it still exists today, being shared and retold the world over. Luke was certainly responsible for trying to heal and tend to Paul in his sickness, but in anointing him (which we might presume he did, as it was very customary throughout this time), took responsibility for his very spiritual healing also. And what a huge healing that was for Paul, who started his journey with Christ as Saul, condemning and putting to death Christians, before his conversion on the road to Damascus to Paul. (I have included Paul’s letter below, as it is so important to our Gospel reading today).

As we celebrate all that was good and true about Luke today, may we remember those who heal and treat the sick, those called to be doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, carers and countless others in the medical profession, as well as those who heal spiritually as well as physically. 

But most importantly, may we always remember to tell the story of the redemption of the cross, the good news of Jesus Christ, and the scholarly words crafted by Luke which ensure the story continues today as much it did when he wrote them.

As we heard in our gospel reading today from Luke, let us be amongst the multiplying ‘70’ sent out by Christ, to disciple and to glorify his name to those we encounter. However we do this, we will be walking in the most awesome yet most humble of footsteps. Amen

Rev Kirsten x

2 Timothy 4:5-17 

As for you, be sober in everything, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.

At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Our Prayers (The Collect for St Luke)

Almighty God,

You called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul:

By the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your church the same love and power to heal; 

Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 Amen.

Today's final hymn is "All My Hope on God is Founded"

Sunday Worship 11th October - Harvest Festival

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, which is also our Parish Harvest Festival.

This morning there will be only one service in the parish, at 11.15 am at St Thomas' Church, and there will be no service at St Agnes'. The service will be followed by a 'Bring and Share Lunch', to which everyone is invited, whether you are able to bring anything or not - there is always an abundance of food!

We will also be most grateful for donations of non-perishable food items to share with the local community through Oldham Foodbank. 

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 "Morning Has Broken"

Today's Gospel

Luke 12:16-30 The Parable of the Rich Fool

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 towards God.’

He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

Reflection

In our reading today Jesus told a story about a rich man who owned land. The land grew lots of food crops and one year, the man’s harvest was bigger than ever before.

 

He had more food than he knew what to do with. He had so much food that it wouldn’t fit inside the barns on his farm. The man had to choose what to do with all those crops and all that food. 

What he chose to do was to build even bigger barns and to keep all the food for himself, just in case. 

Jesus’ story tells us that there are a few problems here. 

Firstly, the rich man didn’t recognise that he already had more than enough, more than he needed. Indeed far more than he needed. He already had enough food to fill his barns to overflowing. 

Secondly, the rich man focused only on himself; he didn’t think about other people. 

And third, he forgot what it means to be really ‘rich’. 

The rich man held on tight to what he had and by doing that he missed out on the chance to share with his neighbours. He missed out on the chance to see what sharing could do, the change and growth it could bring for his community. He failed to recognise the benefits and joys of giving - As Paul tells us that God loves a cheerful giver, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [2 Corinthians 9].

When we share and help one another, that’s when we find real riches. Jesus tells us not to ‘store up treasures’ for ourselves but to be ‘rich towards God’. 

But what does that mean? How do we do that?  We do that by listening to God’s word and by being generous, loving, and open-hearted with one another. 

Elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus says that everyone will know who his followers are by the love we show one another. That is what marks us out as Jesus’ disciples. We are ‘rich towards God’ when we follow God’s commandments to love God and to love each other. 

We often think we don’t have enough, and sadly for some that is true. But as we celebrate harvest season, perhaps we need to challenge ourselves and think about whether instead we have more than enough, more than we need. 

Perhaps also challenge what we do with our money, do we really need that big car that costs a fortune in fuel and insurance? Do we need so many TV channels when we have so much else to do in our lives? And do we need to stockpile things just in case we might need them? 

What are we doing with the surplus, with the extra? Are we building bigger barns, holding on to things tightly, and keeping what we have to ourselves? Do we end up throwing food away as waste?

What could we do differently?

 

One step might be sharing our food [as we are doing through all the wonderful harvest offering which people donated at our Harvest Festival this week]. These gifts will be taken to Oldham Foodbank. Or it could be donating toys or clothes, sharing our time by, and love by, seeking out someone who needs support and kindness. 

Or it could be by helping someone we don’t even know by making a donation to people across the world who really know what it’s like to have no food and who suffer malnutrition. If you wish to you can share your love and hope with our global neighbours by making an online donation to Christian Aid at  caid.org.uk/harvest .

As we celebrate Harvest today, and as we celebrate the bounty of God’s gifts and his grace, let’s remember those who do have so much less - and consider what we can do to be ‘rich towards God’ and one another. And let us give thanks for the gifts that have been donated today for families in need in our community, including those in and around our churches.                            Rev.  Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father and maker of all things,

We give thanks for your creation and all the things you provide.

We pray for those who are not so fortunate, 

that we may recognise what we have, 

and ungrudgingly share what we have with generosity and love.

And pray that as caring stewards,  we may respect your creation

enabling the harvests of future generations.  

Amen

Today's final hymn is "All Thing Bright and Beautiful"

Notices

Upcoming events and services can be seen in the posters below-

Sunday Worship 4th October

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.15 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 "Christ Triumphant, Ever Reigning"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 21:33-end                               The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went away. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them in the same way. Then he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

    and it is amazing in our eyes’?

“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Reflection

To understand the parable that forms the Gospel reading today, we really have to look at the Old Testament reading that precedes it from ‘The Book of Isaiah 5.1-7’. This is written in the form of a love song from God to his people. It is often called ‘The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard’. In this, the prophet sings of a vineyard (Israel), planted on a fertile hill and tended with great care (by the people of Judah) cleared of stones, planted with choice vines, equipped with a watchtower and wine vat. 

Despite this care, the vineyard produces wild or rotten grapes instead of good fruit. 

God gives the people every opportunity to flourish and to thrive, but instead, time and again they produce only sour fruit – violence, bloodshed and exploitation. Therefore, God declares He will remove its hedge, break down its wall, and let it become a wasteland, unpruned, overgrown, and deprived of rain. God expected justice and righteousness but instead found horror and cries of distress.

Jesus is speaking this parable to his disciples and the crowds gathered. We must understand that he knew exactly who he was speaking to, and not least, who he was speaking about - the religious leaders, the pharisees and the scribes, and the people would have no doubt that he was drawing examples from the book of Isaiah, and relating to them in a round-about way that the leaders of this day, who were every bit as bad as those vineyards that Isaiah sang about! Jesus is warning them that the power and the privilege they enjoy as God’s chosen people is in dangerous waters – it can be removed easily if God wanted to do so. We might wonder why he is being so provocative, why so outspoken? Maybe he could have landed the parable more subtly, without the stark comparisons being made?  But here, Jesus is still in grave dispute with ‘those in charge’ over the loss of his cousin and his friend, John the Baptist, and whether they accepted he was a prophet. He has launched at them the parable of the Two Sons, and then goes straight into this parable, just in case they have not quite grasped the concept in the first place. 

In the parable, the prophets are sent (as the servants of the tenants) and are repeatedly killed by the tenants, (the Old Testament tells us that God’s prophets - including John the Baptist, are killed time and again by the people God has sent them to), until God sends his own Son, and then sure enough, they plot and plan to kill him too, (which of course they go on and succeed with also). 

On first reading this parable, it can feel a little bleak – where is the hope as the story builds? But then, of course, comes the crux of the matter, as Jesus quotes Psalm 118: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Even though the tenants kill the Son, the parable points beyond death to resurrection: The rejected stone becomes the cornerstone and the Son’s death leads to the kingdom being opened to new people who will bear fruit. 

The hope is that God’s love, patience, justice, and kingdom cannot be stopped — not by corrupt leaders, not by violence, not even by the killing of His Son.

In times gone by, people sometimes mistakenly thought that when Jesus says the vineyard will be given to “others who will produce fruit,” this was a rejection of his chosen ‘people’ Israel, and at this point, promotes Christianity to the theological ‘number one’. However, this is a dangerous path to tread. At no point does God reject his chosen people – they were chosen, they remain chosen. He is not talking about replacing Jews with Christians. He means that the covenant is open to all nations, that those who respond to Jesus will be welcomed and become a faithful community of fruit bearers. Christianity does not replace Judaism; it teaches that God entrusts His kingdom to all who respond faithfully — an invitation open to Jews, Gentiles, and anyone who bears fruit. In Romans, Paul explains this beautifully – he explains that God does not plant a new tree. He says there is one tree, the covenant people of God, rooted in the patriarchs. Christians are not a new tree, we are wild branches grafted in. The simple truth is the original tree remains beloved, chosen, and alive. But the new branches keep it thriving. 

What was rejected becomes the foundation, what was wild is now welcome, what was broken is now healed. What hope can be found here, what love is demonstrated and what inclusion we receive.

As we journey through this next week or so, let us check that we have our hearts and minds on being the good and robust fruit bearers Jesus called us to be. As the parable states, ‘this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’  Rev Kirsten x

Our Prayers

Father God, thank you that your love is wider than our boundaries and your mercy deeper than our understanding.

You have tended one tree through all generations, welcoming all who turn to you, grafting all by grace. May the rejected stone become our cornerstone, and may your kingdom bear fruit in us, in justice, kindness, and courage, for the healing of the world you love. 

Amen.

Today's final hymn is "I, The Lord of Sea and Sky"

Notices

Next Sunday is our Harvest Festival, and there will only be one service in our parish, at 11.15 at St Thomas' Church.

Sunday Worship 27th September

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.15 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 "At the Name of Jesus"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 21:23-32 The Authority of Jesus Questioned

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

Reflection

In today’s gospel passage we hear Matthew’s account of Jesus’ authority being challenged.  So before we go any further it is perhaps useful to think about who was challenging him and why. 

The people who were challenging Jesus’ authority were the Pharisees, Scribes and elders of the temple. They were the leaders. 

The Chief Priests could trace their spiritual connections back to Moses. The Scribes were the most learned theologians in Jewish society. The Elders had many years of experience and had the unquestioning respect of the people. 

They had significant religious and political power and did not want to give that up to anyone else. They not only wanted the power but they craved the recognition and the prestige. So much so that some of them showed no compassion for the poor and the sick and they despised those they judged to be sinners. 

So, why did they challenge Jesus?

They have no doubt heard the stories of the prophet John the Baptist who was baptising  thousands and thousand of people in the River Jordan – a baptism of repentance and encouraging them to turn away from their sinful ways. 

Then along comes Jesus. The, so called, prophet from Nazareth – the one who John the Baptist referred to as the Lamb of God. The one who has healed the sick, cured the lame and brought the dead back to life. The one who when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey was celebrated and acclaimed as the Messiah – the anointed one who will save the world. 

Then, the first thing Jesus does when he enters the courts of the Temple is to cause havoc – overturning the tables of the money changers and the traders who were exploiting the worshippers with the complicit approval of the leaders. He then proceeds to cure the lame and sick within the Temple, thereby blatantly demonstrating his divine power to heal human brokenness and associated with the marginalised and outsiders. He was challenging the power of the leaders. 

But not with might or wealth, he was challenging them with compassion and love. He was challenging them about their own neglect. Their inability to lead by example and to follow God’s will. He was challenging their inability to care for the people of God because of their own corruptness and love of power.

Everything Jesus said and did was confrontational; and a challenge to their status and power.

So they in turn challenged Jesus and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 

But Jesus has absolutely no intention of getting engaged in some abstract debate about the nature of his authority. He didn’t need to show off to prove that his authority is greater than theirs. He had already demonstrated his authority.

The authority of Jesus was worked out in his welcoming of sinners and prostitutes. The authority of Jesus was worked out in his welcoming of little children. The authority of Jesus was worked out in his welcoming of the outcasts and those on the margins. 

So instead, he asks them a question that will cause them to struggle and be forced to reflect on the true nature of authority itself. Jesus asks, “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

They are flummoxed and unable to answer, because as Matthew rightly explains, no matter what they said, the answer was bound to cause upset to someone or other. If they agreed that John the Baptist’s ministry came from God, then Jesus would say, “So why didn’t you listen to him and follow him?” But if they said that his ministry was not from God, then the crowds would have turned on them because they loved John the Baptist and believed he was a prophet.

 

So they are forced to concede and reply that they cannot answer. In doing so, they exposed themselves for who they really were….. their chief concern was to protect their standing in society and to protect their reputations. They didn’t give an answer because they were frightened they would lose that privilege. 

We might therefore ask - In a fractured world full of conflict both international and local, how does this apply to us today? 

The lessons of this Gospel reading have intense messages for all leaders, and people in authority, be that at national government level, in our church, or even a local football team. The key to how we respond is always to address the question, are we going to put God’s will or our own first?

Are we prepared to stand up for what is true and right in the eyes of God and to live out our ministries by the standards of Jesus? Are we prepared to show spiritual and political leadership do what we know is right? Are we willing to make personal and even courageous sacrifices to do what is right - even at the expense of personal gain and popularity. 

Are we doing God’s will in the things we do and say, and are we, like Jesus, putting others first and loving one another?         Rev. Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father, We pray for leaders and people in power. 

For those who lead countries, organisations and churches 

to those who lead local voluntary groups and societies. 

Help us all to work for the benefit and good of everyone 

and to be fair and equitable in all we do.

In Jesus’ name we pray.  

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Lord, For the Years"

Notices

Sunday Worship 20th September

 Sunday Worship

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.15 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 "Praise to the Holiest in the Height"

Today's Gospel

Matthew 20:1-16                 The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

 ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place;  and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

Reflection

          How many times have those of us who have had children to look after heard the words, ‘it’s not fair’? Especially where another sibling is involved? How many times have we thought it ourselves – I imagine if we are really honest, probably only in the past few weeks or so? When we might feel overlooked for something we think we have done well and has gone seemingly unnoticed, or someone takes the credit for something we have done. Often when we compare what we have or where we are at in our lives against others who seem to be doing so much better. ‘It’s just not fair’.

And today’s gospel parable is that very moment. The workers chosen first to work in the vineyard have toiled in the heat of the day, sweated and laboured for the boss, and get paid a fair day's wages. And then along come the next workers and the next, until gradually the last employed have only had to work an hour or so. Yet they all receive the same payment. Its just not fair! 

In the parable, those who have only toiled for an hour do not fare any better than those who have toiled all day, they come away with the same reward, and we can be forgiven for wondering, ‘where is the justice in that’. And this does not sit well with us. Our understanding of the Bible is generally that it challenges injustice, so that all God’s people can stand tall and be counted.

In this reading, everybody receives their share – nobody is underpaid, nobody is cheated out of what was rightfully theirs. But they all receive the same grace from God. The same salvation is available to all - no conditions attached. You may have read ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell – there is a line in it, ‘all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others’. This book reflects the author’s thoughts on the Russian Revolution, where equality was the goal, but was soon manipulated beyond anything it had sought to put right. But here in God’s Kingdom, everyone gets their equal slice of the pie, the Kingdom of Heaven.

What Jesus seeks to educate about in this parable is that in God’s Kingdom, the expected norms are turned upside down. Salvation at the grace of God is offered. It is not a reward that can be earned. The Kingdom of Heaven does not have Penthouse rooms that the most deserving can aspire to. There are no ‘additional extras for loyal customers’ who have been visiting churches for years. There is grace extended to all who acknowledge that God is God, that Jesus Christ is King, and turn their hearts towards that light. Turning towards that light can never be mastered. We never reach a point where we have it ‘in the bag’. It is a daily commitment, where every time we slip into old ways, let ourselves down, do something we ought not to do, think we are more important than we are, put our needs before others, we can turn back into the light and acknowledge our weakness. This is not so much as feeling bad about our errors, and punishing ourselves, but about putting ourselves back on the right track, however many times a day, a week, a year, a lifetime it might take. 

When Jesus tells of the Vineyard Manager who speaks to those remaining in the market place, asking why they have been idle, they reply, ‘because nobody hired us’. They have waited to be shown, they have not been proactive, but they have been obedient and gone to the market place and are then happy to be shepherded. Jesus does not punish them for that, nor treat them any less. He knows that we cannot do it on our own, we need guidance from those around us and ultimately from God to show us where we need to be.

Last week we had our Confirmation service, with 33 disciples being confirmed in their faith by Bishop Mark - and what a joyful occasion. But there were no better seats or higher prizes for people who had been coming to church for years or people who were relatively new to it. There was the same welcome, blessing and presentation for each who gave their hearts to Jesus. 

As a hospital chaplain, I was asked a number of times, ‘is it too late to know Jesus’ by people whose earthly lives were ending. What a privilege to share this parable with them. To know that in turning to Him, we get His grace for toiling in His vineyard. Those who have known Jesus longer have had the joy of knowing him longer, but the salvation offered is the same whether a King or an addict. Whether we were born by chance in a wealthy place or in a place of poverty. If we turn into his light, and when we see his shining, beautiful face turn upon us, those differences will slip away. It is up to each of us to reflect that light into a world that is broken and hurting. Amen. 

Rev Kirsten x

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father, 

We thank you for the chance to toil in your vineyard and allowing us to be guided to and by you.

Help and guide us to share this joy abundantly, with all whom we encounter.

In Jesus name we pray. 

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Father God I Wonder"

Notices

Details of upcoming events can be seen in the posters below