Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday before 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 "Lord, for the Years"
Today's Gospel
Luke 6:27-38Love for Enemies
Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
Reflection
Jesus has bit of reputation. Not a particularly good one!
That may seem like an odd statement to make about someone who is without sin and came to redeem mankind. But at the time He was teaching in His ministry, there were many who disliked and despised Him and what He stood for – so much so in fact that they would eventually crucify Him.
Part of the reason they hate Him so much is that He lives in this upside down world where He challenges normality. Jesus cares for the downtrodden and the persecuted, the outcasts and poor.
He feels for them and is not ashamed to be seen with them, despite how much He is criticised and pilloried. More than that, as He addresses them in His ‘sermon on the plain’, He blesses them and promises future blessings on them.
But now, He really starts to ‘up the ante’. It is one thing to show love to the persecuted and encourage them to love one another, but now He’s asking them to love their enemy!!!
What sort of teaching and ethic is this? Surely it’s an impossible thing to ask. Modern day folk might say, ‘He’s thinking outside of the box’ or His thinking is, ‘out of this world !’
But Jesus isn’t just speaking to an individual or a small group of people, He’s speaking to the multitudes – a large crowd of people.
He is encouraging them to think in terms of community and social behaviour. He is describing a blueprint for how we can all work together. If only one or two people change their behaviour, it is unlikely to make any real difference, but if many of us change the way we act towards one another then we can change the world for the better.
It agree that some of the examples feel hard to swallow, and it’s still so in modern times. We have culture that says, when somebody transgresses the law or hurts our feelings, they should be punished or we should retaliate in some way.
How often is it that our first thought is about caring for the other person instead? Do we even stop to think about their circumstances? Or do we immediately assume that there is a selfish or malevolent intent behind their actions.
But what if the person stealing a loaf of bread or a tin of beans is doing so to feed a starving child because they simply don’t have any money. Because they can’t get work or have been ill or lost their job. It is one thing to support charity by giving money or food to a food bank but charity also includes having a loving and understanding attitude and looking for the good in people instead of the bad. In fact, isn’t that what we are expected to do as Christians, ‘look for the good in people’? Jesus says, “anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt” – doesn’t that suggest that we should consider that the other person may have a greater need than us?
But Jesus is going much further than that. He is pointing out, that when we are only willing to deal with people we care about or those we trust, everything we base our lives upon is purely transactional. Think about it, if you only give or lend to those who you expect to get something back from in return, it’s just a transaction.
Where is the love and generosity in that? Where is the risk? In the financial and business sectors there are people who talk about risk and reward. In other words, if I am only prepared to take a small risk or do something that is relatively safe, I expect a small reward in return. On the other hand, with higher risk I hope for greater return, albeit that does not always follow otherwise it wouldn’t be high risk.
So, here’s the message; when we are prepared to help those who we dislike or those who have wronged us, we are not risking anything. What is done, is done! But when we are prepared to forgive someone instead of condemning or judging them, we are showing them the mercy that Jesus would show them.
When we give or lend and do good to others and expect nothing back, we are showing the same mercy and grace that we hope for from the Father.
That is a reward that is, ‘out of this world!’
Paul
Our Prayers
Heavenly Father,
We pray that we may live and grow more like our Lord Jesus in the choices we make.
We know that it is not easy to forgive our enemies;
and so we pray for the strength
to love our enemies as Christ loved those who nailed Him to the Cross.
Give us the grace to be forgiving,
That your example of love may be reflected in what I do.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "What a Friend we have in Jesus"
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Third Sunday before Lent. Our Church Services today 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 "I, The Lord of Sea and Sky"
Today's Gospel
Luke 6:17-26Blessings and Woes
Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets."
"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
"Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
"Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."
Reflection
There aren’t many things that make me feel really, really angry. Although, I’ll admit there are quite a few things that I grumble or moan about – but I put that down to age – I am turning into Victor Meldrew, the archetypal ‘grumpy old man’.
However, when I heard that the richest man in the whole world, (Elon Musk), had recommended that billions of dollars of aid should be immediately cancelled for some of the poorest people in the world, – I was more than a little annoyed – I was livid! To make matters worse, more than two thousand aid workers will lose their jobs as a result. Against that backdrop it is very fitting that Luke’s version of the Gospel gives an insight as to what Jesus had to say.
In Luke 6:17-26 we hear Jesus addressing the crowds in His ‘Sermon on the Plain’. It is arguably one of the most profound passages in Luke’s gospel which summarises the thrust of Jesus’ ministry, and is highly relevant to our world circumstances today.
Jesus tells of the themes and nature of God’s kingdom: divine faithfulness, salvation, social reversal, and the universal scope of God’s work. These themes outline ‘kingdom values’ and how the radical nature of Jesus’ message turns the values of our world upside down.
A key difference to Matthew’s version of the ‘Beatitudes’, is the inclusions of the ‘woes’ or curses. At first glance, they might seem somewhat demoralising and discouraging. But I don’t think that Jesus is suggesting that to have wealth and health is, in itself, wrong and sinful. Maybe even a little luxury once in a while.
But what is wrong, is when we put those things above all else. When in our relative comfort, we feel safe and fall into a sense of misguided complacency that we are in ultimate control of our own destiny.
When we forget that we all need God in our lives and the Holy Spirit to be with us and guiding us. When we arrogantly believe that everything we have is what we have earned for ourselves and forget that who we are, what we have and how we live is down to the grace of God.
Jesus is quite clear that our God is an inclusive God and wants everyone to follow Him and live by His values. But we need to be willing to recognise that we have been blessed by God in so many ways in this life, and also think about how we might be thankful for that.
What might that thankfulness look like? Perhaps in the way that we look after each other, and how we show them compassion, love and support. To think about how we might bring that upside down version of God’s kingdom here today.
The woes in the Sermon on the Plain don’t have to be a portent of doom or a cloud hanging over us, but they are a powerful reminder that God’s kingdom operates on principles that are the opposite of those of a materialistic world. The poor and downtrodden will be blessed and have plenty to laugh about, when they know the grace of God.
But remember, Jesus is inclusive, and wants us all to share that grace - and we can, when we follow Him and turn our lives to God.
Some of you will have suffered sadness, struggles or illness in your lives. Some may be going through difficult times at the moment or face them in the future.
Luke tells us that Jesus has will restore us if we have faith. Whatever problems we may have, we can give them to Jesus and rest a little easier. We might not feel better right away, but we will be healed in God’s time.
Paul
Our Prayers
Merciful Father,
We give you thanks for the blessings in our lives.
Help us to always remember,
that everything we have comes from you.
Lord, give us the true richness that comes from knowing you and doing your will here on earth.
Lord we pray for those who are less fortunate that their prayers will be answered and lives made better.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Great is Thy Faithfulness"
Notices
Our Sunday services next week are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes’ and 11 am at St Thomas’. The Tuesday morning service of Holy Communion is at St Thomas’ at 10 am, and Worship for all Generations is at St Agnes’ at 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Ladies of Leesfield have their monthly meeting in St Thomas’ Community Room at 2 pm on Tuesday the 18th February, and then on Saturday the 1st March they will be hosting their Coffee Morning at 10.30 am. All are most welcome to join the ladies for refreshments and companionship.
On Monday the 24th February, there will be an Eco-Church Gathering at 4.30 pm at St Thomas’.
On Saturday 1st March, there will be a Pub-style Quiz Night at St Thomas’, starting at 7 pm. We will have a pie supper, pub-themed raffle and lots of fun – please bring your own booze! Tickets are now available from Lesley, price £10.
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fourth Sunday Before Lent, also Racial Justice Sunday. Our church services today are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 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 "Will You Come and Follow Me"
Today's Gospel
Luke 5:1-11 The Calling of the First Disciples
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."
When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
Reflection
Luke’s account of the calling of the first disciples is far more descriptive than those of Matthew and Mark which merely say he called Simon and Andew to follow Him and become fishers of men and they did so. Luke takes time to put more narrative and context into the tale - he gives us some of the back-story.
We know that Simon and Andrew had finished their day’s fishing, albeit unsuccessfully, and were cleaning up ready to go home. We also know that the first thing Jesus did was to ask them to take him out a little way from the shore on Lake Gennesaret, (Sea of Galilee) so that He could preach to the gathering crowds.
Although it was very early in Jesus’ life of ministry, He was obviously very popular, and even though we are not told what He preached about, He was clearly recognised as an engaging speaker. “Someone capable of drawing a good crowd,” as folk say!
We also see that teaching was Jesus’ first priority. I wonder how Simon felt at His request. Maybe he was overjoyed that this popular teacher had chosen his boat or maybe he was a little disgruntled because he’d had a rubbish day so far and had been looking forward to going home.
We do not know if Simon knew Jesus before this encounter and some argue that it was likely he would have in such a small region.
After addressing the crowds, Jesus turns His attention to Simon Peter and asked him to start fishing again. Again I wonder what thoughts initially went through Simon’s head.
Maybe along the following lines:
“What on earth does this religious preacher know about fishing? Everyone knows the best fishing is at night, and all those crowds you attracted will have scared the fish away. We’ve worked all night, we’re tired and we’ve already washed our nets . Let’s just go home.”
But nonetheless, Simon goes along with what Jesus asks – not to humour Him, but because He believes in Jesus and is willing to listen to Him and put his trust in Him.
Sometimes we can feel like no matter how hard we try it’s difficult to get results. But when we let Jesus direct our work, we see results. However, if we make excuses and just give in, maybe we will miss an opportunity to see Jesus at work.
We see Simon’s faith and trust in Jesus is amply rewarded. Suddenly, they have an abundance of fish, more than two boats can handle. There is so much that they need the help of others to bring the catch in.
The amount of fish is way beyond their own immediate needs, beyond the ‘daily bread’ required to feed their families. All the fishermen will have enough to take to market and sell to meet their financial needs for the foreseeable future. Moreover, what they sell will be able to sustain others in the community. – No-one need go hungry for some time to come.
We are then told that Simon was amazed at the power of Jesus that he said, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Simon truly recognised who Jesus was, and was in total awe of Him. He knew that Jesus was the Lord and he also recognised his own spiritual inadequacies and weakness, as a man and a sinner. He was humble in the presence of the Lord.
Jesus responds with His characteristic love and compassion, He wants to relate to us on the principle of love, not the principle of a cowering fear. So He calls Simon to follow and put his skills to ‘fishing for men’. Just like Simon and his friends needed help to land the fish in the boats, Jesus wanted Simon’s help to recruit new disciples. And He calls for us to follow Him in the same way - no skill or expertise in fishing needed because Jesus will show us how when we spread his word and follow His example and teaching. Paul
