Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. Today we have just one sevice in the parish, which will be at 11.15 am at St Thomas' Church, with no service at St Agnes' today.
The service will be a special "Back to School" service, where Laura Tebay, the Oldham and Ashton Deanery Enabler for children’s work, will be giving a talk, and the service will include blessing the children’s school backpacks.
Also today, the Confirmation Service for our whole Mission Community with Bishop Mark will take place at St John’s Church at 3 pm. Please hold the candidates from our churches in your prayers as they take this next step in their Christian journey.
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 "Bind us Together"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 18:21-35
Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”
“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Reflection
At the heart of all the readings for today is the theme of forgiveness.
In the Old Testament reading, [Genesis 50], Jospeh’s brothers beg forgiveness for mistreating him and selling him into slavery when they were jealous of him. For his part, Joseph recognises that what happened was part of God’s greater plan and he forgave them and provided for his brothers and their families.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans [14:1-12], we are reminded that it is not for us to pass judgement on one another, because we all stand before the judgement seat of God. Paul tells us that the mercy we show to others will be reflected in God’s judgement on us when the time comes.
When Peter asks how often we should forgive someone who wrongs us, he is effectively asking Jesus, ‘what limits should we put on forgiveness?’
He asks should it perhaps be as many as seven times. Peter didn’t just pick a random number - in Hebrew culture there is a significance to number seven. For Jews, seven was considered to be a perfect number which represented completeness and perfection. So by suggesting we might forgive someone seven times was in itself a sign of great generosity and Peter’s thinking was clearly on the right lines. Such a level of forgiveness would have been far in excess of what Jews would consider to be acceptable.
But Jesus takes this further, and calls us forgive people, “ Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times“. In doing so he is setting the bar as high as it can be. He is setting it by the standard that God sets for His mercy – Jesus is showing them that God’s mercy and forgiveness is unlimited.
In the Psalm for today, [Psalm 103] we are reminded that ‘God forgives all our sins and heals all our infirmities, [verse 3], and moreover ‘He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our wickedness [verse 10].
I have this vague image from childhood, of St. Peter standing at the gates of heaven with a book which had a record of all the things we had done right and wrong in our lives – for want of a better image, a ledger of our virtues and sins which would determine whether or not we were allowed to go to heaven when we die. Of course we all do things that are sinful, things where we let ourselves and others down and where we let God down – (I dread to think how many entries would be in such a ledger for me).
However, this passage shows how God’s endless mercy exceeds human understanding when He restores what is broken and pardons our sins. The immense debt of the first slave refers to God’s capacity to forgive no matter how many entries might be in the sin column of our lives.
There is also a clear message from Jesus of the need to avoid hypocrisy. Jesus does not mince his words when he warns that those who look for God’s mercy must also be prepared to show mercy to others. In an alternative version of the Lord’s prayer, the words - ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’, are translated as ‘forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors’.
Every time we say this prayer, we are therefore reminded that forgiveness is not merely a moral act, but also a spiritual requirement for those seeking the kingdom of heaven. Seeking God’s forgiveness is both a gift and a responsibility.
In our church services each week, we bring before God all the things we are sorry for and ask for His forgiveness and to be reconciled with our Father. In doing so, we should also reflect on our experiences of God’s mercy and extend that same mercy to those who we believe have wronged us.
Before we take part in the Communion we are asked to make peace with one another, that doesn’t just include those who are physically present but all who we might harbour resentment against in our hearts. True peace begins when we extend to others the same mercy we ask God to show us. Forgiveness is not easy - it requires us to let go of pride, hurt, and feelings of injustice and retribution. But Jesus teaches that mercy frees both the giver and the receiver. Rev Paul
Our Prayers
Merciful Father, You have forgiven me more than I could ever repay.
Help me to remember Your mercy whenever I am tempted to hold onto anger or resentment.
Give me a heart like Yours - gentle, patient, and forgiving.
May I forgive from the heart,
that I may live in Your peace
and reflect Your mercy to the world.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "God Forgave my Sin in Jesus' Name"
Notices
Next Sunday's Church Services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.15 am at St Thomas'.
Upcoming events can be seen in the posters below -
