Sunday 14th September (25th In Ordinary Time). First Reading Isiah 55:6-9. Responsorial Psalm was 144 "The Lord is close to all who call him." Second Reading was Philippians 1:20-24, and the reading from the Holy Gospel was Matthew 20:1-16. (See Father Richards sermon below). The Service next Sunday - the 26th in Ordinary Time is at 9.30am. The mid-week said service (Feria), again at 9.30am, is on Thursday 25th September.
Parish Hall:
The coffee morning will take place on Tuesday (23rd September). The craft class is still running on Tuesday afternoons and the Youth Club on Tuesday evening. The winner of last weeks tote was share no 277.
Centenary Celebrations:
Please note - the Centenary event at Worsbrough Mill will take place on Sunday 28th September where the Bishop of Sheffield will be present.
Harvest Festival:
The service will be held on Sunday 12th October 2014. We shal be supporting Barnsley Womens Refuge. Tinned goods or toiletries would be welcome. The Harvest Supper will take place the following day on the 13th October at 7.00pm. Entry is by ticket only, priced at £3.50, available from Sheila or Sandra. The last day to buy tickets will be Tuesday 7th October.
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The example Jesus gives in the Gospel seems a puzzling and unfair way of treating workers. What would be the incentive to work all day if you knew you would only be paid the same as someone who was hired later and only did one hour’s work? ather Richards Sermon
The story Jesus told was a parable and the point of it was not about economics but about the kingdom of God. If we try to apply human ideas of fairness to God’s kingdom then we shall always fail. The parable does not suggest that our good deeds and our faithfulness will go unrewarded, either in the present time or throughout eternity. What is does mean is that God has an equal love for every person.
The denarius (a coin) which Jesus uses as an image could be seen to signify what God gives to each one of us. He gives us the gift of ourselves: our physical body, our personality, our home and family background, our surroundings and our time. What we make of these things is up to us, but these things are not negotiable. They are a gift. We know that not everything about our lives is easy. Some people seem to suffer unfairly whilst others prosper. It is very easy to make comparisons and to come to the conclusion that life is not fair (or, if we are honest, that God is not fair). In the end those comparisons are fruitless. We cannot hope to understand everything about our lives and our purpose or what we shall become. What we do know is that God’s love for us shall be revealed and that our final destiny is eternal life.
The question at the end of the parable is: “Do you begrudge my generosity?” In the words of Karl Rahner, a theologian: “It seems that our life’s work is to accept ourselves as the mysterious and gradually revealed gift of the eternal generosity of God.” God does not just give us the gift of ourselves, but along with that gift, Christians believe that God gives us his own self too. We can experience the presence of God in our lives if only we are open to that gift. Instead of begrudging what other people seem to have it is much better to marvel at the generosity of the God who gives us not only the gift of ourselves, but also of his only Son. It is Jesus who promised that the greatest gift of all would be given to those who believe: life everlasting.