Home Worshipping 
6th August 2023

Welcome to Home Worshipping 6th August 2023!
Ninth Sunday After Trinity

Bible Reading

Bible Readings


Isaiah 55: 1-5

Matthew 14: 13-21


Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

 

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 

Isaiah 55: 1-5

 

God invites us to let him meet our needs

 

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money,
 come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.  See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, 

a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not , and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendour.”

Thought for the Day

The Isaiah reading is outstanding with these wonderful verses from the Bible containing many promises and invitations for those with faith and suggestions for our behaviour. It tells that God has endowed us with” splendour,” as the NIV puts it, and the Oxford dictionary adds “magnificent,” “admirable,” “glorious” and “splendiferous” as qualifications of that word.

These prescribed readings for this Sunday then take us to Matthew’s version of the feeding of the five thousand: how splendiferous was that! This will be a very familiar story to many of us who grew up attending Sunday school. This is now the Son, well God actually, as well, here on earth giving a role for the future church with this miracle. Where should we put the emphasis as we reconsider this amazing event?

Well, we will find compassion and concern for a huge need here and find the disciples making a mistake, and many of us will relate to that. The disciples are told to own the occasion. “It’s down to you”, says Jesus: “you have to resolve this”. This reminds us of the words of St Teresa of Avila “Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”  
          
Then there is the result of the divine blessing on the little bit of food on offer, a miniscule offering for the task. There are many versions of this event in the Gospels and only in St John’s version does a little boy’s lunch get mentioned. 

Here we have a last emphasis. It would appear that only a modicum of involvement was necessary, in order to meet a huge need, to become splendiferous. We can take heart from that. The little boy there could have been lost in the crowd and shared his lunch with his friend; instead, he is at the centre and says “here it is” to the disciples, and in the hands of Jesus a miracle happens. 

We all have gifts small or large, modest or outstanding, but they all count if given to meeting needs. Need more be said? We are all bombarded with cases or situations where we might be able to help by giving or going, by praying or petition signing. Led by the Spirit we are called and can become the” little boy” according to our circumstances, and simply say “here it is” and give it and so contribute to meeting a huge need. Maybe we will then be seen as” endowed with splendour.” 

Amen

Let us Pray

Dear Lord Jesus please grant us courage, compassion and generosity of heart to sacrifice all that we have to others showing those same qualities that you have granted us in your love for mankind. Amen

Prayer for the interregnum of the Parish of Beaudesert with Henley and Ullenhall (to be said during intercessions).

Almighty and everlasting God as we travel together through this period of interregnum we thank you for your everlasting love for us. Give us strength to accept this time of change and send us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with encouragement and hope for the future. We ask that you will help us to share responsibilities growing in faith and love with one another. We look forward to the appointment of a new Rector and believe you will send us a priest best suited to your disciples in this parish and who will encourage many to join with us on our journey of faith. 

Amen
The Blessing

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us and remain with us and all those whom we love and care for, always.


Amen

 The Collect Prayer

Gracious Father revive your church in our day and make her holy, strong and faithful, for your glory’s sake, in Jesus Christ our Lord.


Amen

If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please contact us

Henley in Arden The incumbent   (Vacancy)



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