 We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15). Please take sign the visitors’ book.
Call to Worship With all our hearts, let us praise the Lord. With all that we are, we will praise God’s holy name! The Lord forgives our sins, heals our weakness, and gives us life everlasting. Let us worship God who is merciful and patient, God’s love never fails. Hymn 210 – Awake my soul, and with the sun.. Prayers of adoration and confession O God, our strength and refuge, We come together to worship you and praise your loving kindness. In your presence, we rest from what distracts us, to focus on your truth and goodness. You call us to live in relationship with you. Through the love of Jesus Christ, you repair our lives. Through the power of your Spirit, you engage us to serve you in the world. Receive our prayers and our praise this day, Creator, Christ, and Spirit, revive our hope and our energy and make us ready to answer your call. O God, our judge and our hope, we confess we often turn away from your truth, and ignore your call to do justice. Forgive us when we say one thing in worship but do another in the ways we live. Forgive us when we ignore how others are treated and think only of ourselves. Let your judgment awaken us and your mercy refresh us. Merciful Creator, remind us that we are loved, and transformed by love. Help us to let go of the hurt we have caused others, and enable us to forgive those who have hurt us, so that we can flourish. Jesus delighted in setting people free, May we know forgiveness for the hurt we have caused, and be able to forgive the hurt we have experienced. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Jeremiah 1: 1-10 Luke 13: 10-17 Hymn 251 – I, the Lord of sea and sky Weekly Prayer: Everlasting God, forgive us for overlooking your power and trying to live in our own strength. Help us to understand that we can’t do it on our own, and thank you that even before our birth your gracious hand was upon on our life providing everything that we need. Amen Sermon Every Friday I receive a message on WhatsApp from a friend in Israel, saying ‘Shabbat Shalom’. It is the traditional greeting in Israel to welcome in the Sabbath. At dusk on the Friday night, buses stop running for 24 hours, and families come together for a special evening meal. The Saturday morning is quiet, and peace reigns where usually there would be the hubbub of traffic and horns. The Sabbath is still important; some might even go to synagogue, but most secular Israelis still see it as a day to keep different from all the others, to rest or to meet up with family and friends. Some people work on the sabbath, because they have to, but are paid extra. Though for the Orthodox Jew, Sabbath is a day to keep holy, and the more extreme even have a Gentile, maybe a Filipino or Indian worker, to fetch water or even turn on light switches, because that would be deemed work. But for all, the Sabbath is a special day – because in Pharaoh’s Egypt the Hebrew slaves had no day off; it was work 24/7. So the enshrinement in the Law of a day of rest was so important. I am sure many of us grew up with Sunday being a distinctly special day. No shops would be open, apart from the newsagent to sell the Sunday papers in the morning. It was a day for church. How things have changed over a relatively short time, and not always for the best. In our Gospel reading, Jesus is at the synagogue on the Sabbath and has been invited to preach. But he stops his sermon half way through when he notices a woman bent over. He speaks with her and heals her, and it causes a furore. Some people praise God, because they have witnessed something wonderful; a woman who had been disabled in this way for 18 years has been healed. But the leader of the synagogue takes exception. The service has been disrupted, but also he feels the law of the Sabbath has been violated and he remonstrates with Jesus and breaking the law. Could you not have come back tomorrow, you almost hear him say – she has waited 18 years; one more day wouldn’t make a difference. For the Leader of the synagogue, the law mattered and he was upset over what he saw as an infringement of the law in his synagogue. The law does matter – it is there to keep order. But Jesus challenged this, by quoting from the Law, and by healing the woman, showed how grace and mercy brings life. The woman was restored to life and for the first time in 18 years could look people in the eye. Love trumped legalism; The broken spirit was put before the broken command. We don’t know the woman’s name. Maybe she had attended worship at that synagogue for 18 years or more, always looking down. How was she treated? Maybe people just grew used to her and her condition. But it does raise the issue of how we treat those who are disabled in one way or another. In Zambia I was in touch with a group of disabled young people who made rugs out of rags; they were very colourful. But they told stories of other people who were blind or crippled who were kept at home; their families somehow ashamed of their condition. Thankfully in Britain great strides have been taken for the disabled to feel more accepted in society. There are disabled presenters on TV, while at the recent Commonwealth Games races for the disabled were not kept separate from the other races but rather integrated. As the Church we also have to be conscious of those who are disabled and make such there is accessibility and that all are included. The wonderful thing about this passage is that Jesus noticed the woman and saw her need and was able to include her in God’s love. She was restored to the community and had her part to play. All of us have our part to play. That comes out in our Old Testament reading, when Jeremiah is called. Like Moses, he recites the reasons why he can’t possibly take up the role God has in mind for him. Moses wasn’t comfortable speaking, remember, but Jeremiah complained that he was too young. But God had other ideas, and Jeremiah is duly commissioned. All of us have our part to play in the life of the church. In Christ’s service all of us can walk tall, for all are included and all of us loved. Hymn 718 – We cannot measure how you heal Prayers of Dedication and Intercession O God, We offer our gifts as symbols of our lives. Help us to use these and all of your gifts wisely, Bless our offering of money and of ourselves and use all to build your Kingdom and share your love God, Creator, Healer, Sustainer, we bring to you our prayers. We pray for the world in all its beauty and pain: the land stripped bare of resources by human greed, the animals and plants driven to extinction the oceans overfished and exploited. We pray for those who call us to account for our misuse of the planet Give them courage to speak and give us courage to act to protect the globe. We pray for the healing of the world. We pray for your people, each one made in your image: those caught up in war, living in fear, fleeing in terror, those dying in places of famine, where enough is a distant dream, those burdened by poverty in lands filled with wealth. We pray for the people of Afghanistan, especially those who live in fear and in poverty. We pray for all who speak for justice and equity among peoples and nations: those who broker peace in the face of hunger for power. Give them courage to speak and give us courage to act with and for those in need. We pray for the healing of the nations. We pray for your Church in every place sent out by the flame and wind of Pentecost to tell your story and be your love. We pray for the unity that comes through Christ. We pray that your Church may rejoice in diversity of worship and style and that all may be pleasing to you. We pray that your Church may serve you in Spirit and in truth. We pray for ourselves: carrying the burdens we bring and cannot let go of, the unspoken and unhealed hurts, grief in its fresh rawness or the dull ache of time. We pray for those we know in need of your presence today and in the days to come. Silence. Amen. Hymn 459 – Crown him with many crowns Benediction
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Call to Worship O God, our Shepherd, gather us together and lead us like a flock. O God, our Gardener, plant us like a vineyard so that we produce good fruit. We bow before you, O God, and offer our worship with glad and humble hearts. Hymn 173 – Sing to God new songs of worship Prayers of adoration and confession Awesome God, when we consider your creating power, we stand amazed. You spoke, and worlds came into being: the star-spangled universe, the beautiful green-blue earth, the expanse of the heavens, stretching beyond our imagination; the abundance of nature on land and in seas, from the tiniest insect to the great beasts that dwell in forest and savanna, from minnows to the great whales that frolic in the seas, every one the work of your hands. Awesome God when we consider that out of dust you created human beings, we stand amazed. Flesh and bone, muscle and sinew, life and breath, all working in harmony; each unique and precious, the same yet different, gloriously diverse. Awesome God, we barely dare to stand before you - you who are both mystery and yet present with us. And yet you call us to you. You open your arms to greet us. In Jesus you share our lives; our sorrows and joys, our disappointments and anxieties, our hopes and dreams. Awesome God, we respond to your call and come to worship you. And even as we sing your praise and reflect on your goodness we are aware of our own shortcomings and failures. Though we seek to follow Jesus, we often give up when the path is hard, We follow our own desires instead of listening to your voice. We harden our hearts to the needs of others and put ourselves first. We bring to you what we would have you change in us. Awesome God, love is your nature and forgiveness freely given. Renew and restore us to live your ways and be your people. With thanksgiving we accept your mercy and grace, newness of life and endless fresh beginnings. Gracious God let us trust in your words of healing and life. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is Your love for those who fear You; as far as the east is from the west, so far have You removed our transgressions from us. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 5: 1-7 Luke 12: 49-56 Hymn 522 – The Church is wherever …. Weekly Prayer: Faithful God, as we go from today’s worship, enable us to see each individual we meet as uniquely made in Your image and worthy of our love and respect. Help us to judge what is right and show Your love through our lives in some small way today as we seek to demonstrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Sermon The church lay empty, its windows bricked in and the grass outside overgrown like hayfields. It was a sad sight. Italy was the first part of my holiday, but for the second part of my break, I had travelled to spend a few days in Ayrshire, back to my roots. I returned to the area where I grew up and spent a night in the hotel in which I worked the summer before going to University. It had changed, but then the whole area had changed; Dumfries House has opened to the public with a lot of input from Prince Charles, and there has been an emphasis on redevelopment in the community. But when I went back to Auchinleck, it just looked as rundown as ever. I hadn’t been back for 30 odd years and have no connection with anyone. I passed my old secondary school, which was split new in the early 70s, but now it was all shuttered up, because a new state-of-the-art school complex has been built for the area in the next town. But then I drove to Peden Kirk, the church where I had been baptised, where I had been confirmed and joined the church, and I found it closed and uncared for, the ground overgrown. It had been built in the 1950s as a hall church right in the heart of the new housing scheme, and the sanctuary was full of light, but now the windows were bricked in. It had been full of activities and people, but now it was empty. It didn’t, I must admit, come as a surprise, for in the 1980s, the two churches in the village had very sensibly been united, and the older, slightly grander church on the edge of the village had been chosen, but Peden was in the heart of the community and to be used as the halls, but obviously that isn’t the case now. But I had passed new community halls, and perhaps the church uses them. They perhaps provide better facilities. I don’t know. Looking at my old church I didn’t feel emotional but just sad, but the congregation there could well be a vibrant one, just adapting to new situations. In Yetholm/ Morebattle there were several churches at one time; now there is just one in each village. The Church has had to adapt over the years, especially as numbers have fallen and buildings are not so adapted for present needs. Certainly, over the past years, a lot of churches in Britain have been faced with falling numbers and buildings requiring a lot of work and money spent on them, and the Church of Scotland is no different. We are challenged to be the Church in the 21st Century and to look at new ways of expressing our faith. And so it is with Jedburgh Presbytery. Whereas 10 years ago there would be 11 ministers in parishes within the bounds of the presbytery, the figures we have been given now are that there will be 5.5. The 0.5 would mean that someone would be part-time. But that obviously means sacrifices have had to be made. In the Kelso area it means that there will be two ministers; one for the Kelso North/ Country Churches area and one for Cheviot Churches/ Kelso Old and Sprouston, that will be either when I leave or sooner. It will mean big changes with our worship leaders and elders and indeed members having to rise to the challenge. It will be a linkage, so we will keep our Cheviot Churches name and identity, but share a minister and also, I would hope, doing some things together. The Plan does, however, mean that some of our buildings are not deemed ‘well-equipped spaces in the right places’, and Hownam and Linton are in the B category which means that they will be closed, though we will try to keep them open as long as we can. We also hope that at least Linton will be taken over by a trust and kept open. It is a painful process, and all around Scotland people are in the same boat, facing the closure of buildings they love. Our Luke reading talks about division. Jesus didn’t come to bring peace –that is the status quo, but the effect of his message can often divide. Certainly there will be a lot of unhappiness with this plan, but it also presents a way forward However, we have been singing that the ‘Church is wherever God’s people are praising’, and one of the reports that I always found challenging was the call to be the Church without walls. We are called to use the facilities available to us in the community to be the church and to be relevant. The thrust of this plan is very much missional, as we show the love of God in action. In Isaiah, we had another desolate picture. A vineyard, but one that bore sour grapes. On the news this week there have been pictures of land in France where the crops, including the vines, have all shrivelled up in the heat. This vineyard that Isaiah talks about was like that. So much had been invested in it – time, money, love. It was to be the best. But when the harvest came, the grapes were sour. So angry was the owner that they were set to destroy the whole enterprise. But the owner was God, and the vineyard was Israel. So much love had been lavished on them, but the fruit they bore was not what was expected. It was sour. That is our challenge as we go into the future; in all we do, we have to bear the good fruit of the Kingdom. The Church is going to be somewhat different in the years to come, but the question is what do we do, and that is to live out the kingdom values wherever we may be and to be church where we find ourselves. Pray for the Church of Scotland as we go through painful times for many, but also let us be aware that in these storms, we cling to the rock which is our Saviour. Our earthly endeavours may change, but God and God’s love remains constant Hymn 565 – My life flows on in endless song Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Faithful God, bless the gifts we offer to you today. Use them to plant seeds of faith, hope and love in the world, so that your goodness will grow among your people, and your name be honoured for Christ’s sake. God, in whom we live and move and have our being: As we gather in your presence today, we give you thanks for your faithfulness to your people across many generations and in so many situations. Thank you for the faithfulness we meet in the world around us: In friendships that endure, in communities that pitch in when someone is in trouble, in workers who go that extra mile, in countries who offer safety or sustenance when disaster strikes and strangers are in desperate need. Faithful God, hear our prayer, Compassionate God, we are aware of many challenges in our own lives, in the lives of those we care about, and in the world around us. Show us how our care and concern can respond to the prayers of those we love: We pray for the Church around the world and especially for our Church of Scotland, as she seeks new ways to respond to falling numbers and income. We pray for all who feel a sense of anguish and hurt and pray for vision ever to seek ways of building your kingdom and showing your love. We pray for our country, as the cost-of-living crisis hits everyone. Be with all who are anxious about paying bills and may we ever seek to help those who struggle most. As we enjoy the summer sunshine, we pray for those whose water supply is under threat. May we wake up to the signs that are all around of a world in need: Fuel poverty Food poverty Homelessness Migration War Greed Complacency Help us not to look away but to keep on staring until we see a way by which we can make a difference. The signs confront us every day. May we respond with love. May we respond with compassion. May we respond with action We continue to remember our world. We pray for the war in Ukraine and all affected by it. We think of those who have taken refuge in other countries, a more prolonged stay than was perhaps expected. We pray for East Africa and the drought there. Be with Christian Aid as it seeks to assist. We pray for all those who have lost people dear to them and feel the pain of separation. We think of those who are ill and those who are anxious and lay awake at night and for all who worry about the future. We pray for our children and teachers as they return after the summer break; for those starting school and for those starting new schools. We pray for those who received results which will affect their future and rejoice with those who have done well, but pray for those who are disappointed that you will open up a way for them. Silence. Amen. Hymn 501 – Your hand, O God, has guided Benediction Where there is discord: harmony. Where there is division: unity. Where there is dogmatism: vulnerability. Open our hearts, O Lord, open our minds; open our arms wide to share your love, that each moment, each minute of our allotted time be a sign of the coming of your kingdom. May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you, this day and even forevermore. Amen Notices:
· We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Linton (11.15). Please take sign the visitors’ book. Stuart Kelly is leading worship for us today.
Hymn 189: Be Still For The Presence Of The Lord Prayers of adoration and confession Dearest Father, we come before you in reverence and prayerfully, aware that our minds are too limited to comprehend your magnitude and magnaminity, that our hearts are too hardened to understand the extent of your love and care for us, and our souls too fickle to grasp how steadfast and faithful you are. You are beyond all experience and knowledge and language, and yet you have reached out, constantly and tenderly towards us. You reveal yourself in your creation, and patiently teach us how to read your world around us. We can discern its beauty and its necessity, each thing fashioned and crafted and curated for us and for your delight. We hear you whisper to us in all things, your promise of return and renewal and resurrection inscribed through all of creation. You reveal yourself in your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, wholly human and wholly God, whose life was a template for us to follow; whose sinless earthly existence was the fulfilment of the law and a new yardstick by which we shall be measured. You reveal yourself in the Spirit, the gift of communication, inspiration, conscience and grace. You have given us every opportunity to draw nearer to you and better to be the beings you long for us to be. Yet we have been obstinate and petulant. We have been negligent and deliberately set ourselves against you. When good things happen or we succeed we take credit for ourselves which is due to you, when bad things happen or we fail, we have the audacity to blame you and not look to our own waywardness and disobedience. In myriad ways we let you down multiple times each and every day. Yet, even though you could give up on us, you do not. You are a merciful God, and grace is available to us if we truly confess, truly repent and truly try. Let us, in silence, lay before you all that we feel guilty about, all that we regret having done, all that we have done that caused harm. You are a forgiving God, and with all earnestness, we join together in the prayer you taught us, committing ourselves anew to uphold it: [Our Father…] Isaiah 1: 10-20; Luke 12:32-40 Hymn 473: ‘Thy kingdom come!’ – on bended knee the passing ages pray Weekly Prayer: Everlasting God, we give thanks for this new day and worship you with all of our hearts. We pray that through our belief in you we will act justly, overflowing with love for you, and for all who we meet along our journey. Amen. Sermon Over the past month we’ve been hearing about the Old Testament prophets – Elijah and Elisha (who don’t have books), and then from Amos and Hosea (called the minor prophets which always seems a bit disrespectful to me). This week and next week we move on to Isaiah. It’s a bit of a gear change because Isaiah well – these are my comparisons – Beethoven’s 9th, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Turner’s Snow Storm – with Isaiah we are unequivocally in the realm of indisputable masterpiece. Isaiah is almost the entire Bible in miniature. It deals with how we alienate ourselves from God and how God is reconciled to us. It is about judgment and promise. It is about exile and return. Isaiah has the clearest prophecies about the Messiah; both in glory and triumph and as the suffering servant. It is no wonder that some of the early Church Fathers referred to the book of Isaiah as the “fifth gospel”. It is the most frequently quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament – it is quoted 65 times, right from Matthew through Acts and the Epistles (both of Paul and Peter) and up to Revelation. Parts of it have become part of everyday language, even for those who aren’t of the Church – the voice in the wilderness, beating swords into ploughshares, eat and drink for tomorrow we die, mount up on eagles’ wings, man of sorrows and so on. And if Isaiah is the Bible in miniature, Isaiah chapter 1 is Isaiah in miniature. The part we heard today begins in an uncompromising, even shocking fashion, with Zion, Jerusalem, being compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. The fate of those cities showed God at his most wrathful. They were by-words for sin and the consequences of sin. The Lord eradicated them, and threatens to do the same to the beloved Zion. He is, officially, not mucking around. The stakes are high. The next part is even more startling, as God tells the people that their sacrifices and offerings and incense and congregations and prayera are meaningless, detestable, a burden: in fact they are an abomination to him. But let’s scroll back a little bit. Who instituted the Temple rules? God did. It was not Aaron or Moses but God who gave them: over 100 out of – well, the figure is disputed, but the earliest say 613 mitzvot or commandments. If God is sickened by their devotions, we really have to ask “Why?” The next section makes it abundantly clear. Yes, they have followed the letter, but not the spirit, and one suspects they followed the letter grudgingly – and don’t tell me none of us has ever woken up on a Sunday feeling weary duty rather than joy. God sets out quite basic ethical principles to do with justice and particularly how we treat the vulnerable. We see the same pattern in the life of Jesus, berating the vipers and whitened sepulchres of the pious and setting out a simple command: feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, clothe those without adequate clothing, visit the prisoners, receive the stranger or foreigner or outcast, tend the sick. God is saying no amount of box-ticking and aye-been performances can compensate for a lack of love. I was reading this week a new biography of the 17th century poet John Donne and it had a very interesting section on Donne wondering (he was a courtier before he became Dean of St Paul’s) whether it was possible to flatter God. He concludes, rightly, that it was impossible: God doesn’t need flattery, and God sees through the attempt at flattery. But this is what the Temple priests were doing. Some expensive perfume, the best cuts of meat and God would be placated. Boy, is God not. The great Biblical commentator Matthew Henry, a contemporary of Donne’s expresses this better than I can: “When sinners are under the judgments of God they will more easily be brought to fly to their devotions than to forsake their sins and reform their lives.” God is not taken in by us. But we are taken in by him. This part of chapter 1 ends with the most staggering turnaround: “your sins are like scarlet, but they shall be as white as snow”. What is almost more unbelievable is the point where God changes the story: “Come now, let us reason together”. This is God as the one who placates, the one who is willing to hear humanity out, the one who grants us responsibility and agency. That is unlike anything in other religions. What Zeus wants, Zeus does; what Odin desires, Odin gets; but our God says “right, sit down, let us talk this through”. Would that more of the world took that to heart. The Gospel reading seems somehow disconnected, but some parallels can be seen. The opening has Jesus giving both practical and emotional advice – to his little flock he gives a daunting task and a supreme hope. But the real link is in the parable; in its overturning of expectations. The servants – slaves even – get a little forgotten. It’s not like the parable of the wise and foolish virgins which has a similar moral; since here, there are no foolish servants (there are if you read on, when Jesus has to explain the parable). They have stayed awake, they were prepared and their master or owner does a radical thing. He dresses like them, bids them sit and he serves them. Yet again, God is upending convention: he critiqued the hollow observations of Judah, he makes himself the servant. Why does he do this, endure this? Because, simply, out of love. God, at any point, could say “I have had enough of humanity, it is irredeemable, it is wicked” but, but and but again he does not. He says sit down and we shall think about this; sit down and enjoy because you have been faithful servants. Hymn 134: Bring many names Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Father, you have made it clear that merely going through the motions disgusts you. In giving our offerings, we give ourselves as the offering, that you dedicate what we contribute and what we do to the greater glory of the Kingdom, which is coming and so we must be prepared. Lord God, we think of your world, a place made to be home and turned into a wasteland of refugees and displaced people, those made homeless by conflict and those made homeless by never feeling truly at home. We think of how fragile the world is, and how its beauty is scarred and marred by our selfishness. We ask you to make change us, that we might nurture the world and the people of the world. Lord God, we think of your Church, and ask earnestly that we do not succumb to being people who mouth the words but do not believe in them, that we are, as Church, never the dried husk of tradition but the living water of replenishment. We pray for all ministers, deacons and readers that you guide them as they guide us. Lord God, we think of those in power, those who so frequently kneel at the altar and turn on their heel. Give to all those, in any position of influence, a proper sense of their responsibilities and duties. Make them more like the servants who stayed awake, and less like the rulers who drowsed as their cities fell. Lord God, we think of those who are thought about thoughtlessly, if at all. We think of those who think their sins are so scarlet, there is no possibility of white, those who feel unloved, unrecognised, incapable and undermined. We think of those whose basic needs are not met by a fair wage, those whose hearts are stricken by grief, or sickness, or despair, or feeling lost in a confusing and uncaring world. Make us strong, and brave, to be the hand that reaches out, the candle in the darkness, connection to the world of those who feel left behind by the world. There are those whom we have a personal knowledge of, to whom your care and grace and comfort are needed. Lord God, we think finally about the bereaved, confident in the knowledge that those gone know more about your love and mystery, feel no further pain or anguish and sing to you as we hope one day so to do. And finally, Lord God, we think of those for whom we struggle to pray; for those whom we resist forgiving. Make us more open-hearted in the hope that where we lead, others may follow. Hymn 449: Rejoice! the Lord is King Benediction Father, send us from this place reinvigorated and ardent to do, not just say, to change and not just be stale, to wait and stay awake. And the blessing of Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest with us and remain with us and propel us into the world, this day and every day. Amen.  Notices:
Call to Worship We gather to give thanks to You, O Lord We will sing Your praises before all creation and rejoice in Your steadfast love! You have created us O Lord, and made us And love us with an everlasting love Hymn 225 – Summer suns are glowing Prayer & Lord’s Prayer Most Holy God, we take this moment to pause, and wonder, and bless. Your greatness balanced by Your nearness. Your judgment balanced by Your mercy. How we should praise You! As we still ourselves before Your majesty, and wait in awe, yet we are also bold to lift up our eyes to see You, face to face. We call You our King, our Saviour, our Inspiration, our Friend. Too often we rush by and fail to take the time to marvel and exclaim at the wonder of this world, the intricacy of creation, the abundance of good things You have given us to enjoy and to share. This day, Lord, we sing Your praises! This day, Lord, we rejoice in Your generosity! This day, Lord, we are glad You continue to reach out to us, even us, with love. Forgiving God, it does not take us long to stumble from the high peak of praise, to the low valley of brokenness as the awareness our sin engulfs like darkening cloud. Not only the major flaws in our character, but the petty triviality that trips us daily. Forgive us the hasty word, the harsh thought, the too-easy judgment, the spiteful action. Why, with all the potential You have knitted into our souls, do we, so easily, slip into bad habit, shameful action, unhealthy obsession, lazy forgetfulness? O gracious God, have mercy on us. Forgive us, remake us, redeem us, restore us. When all seems lost beyond hope, yet still You reach out in tenderness and kindness to make that difference in our hearts and souls and minds, to reinstate the broken relationship, to give us the second chance we sorely need. Through Jesus Christ our Lord Lord’s Prayer Readings – Hosea 1: 2 -10 Luke 11: 1-13 Hymn 641 – Seek ye first Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we thank you for the opportunity of being together in prayer. Help us in our prayer life this week to seek, ask, and knock so that the door to your presence will be open to us. Make us aware of your love and support in all we do. Amen Reflection Names! I was speaking to someone the other day who was telling me the names of their grandchildren. There was a Rachel and a Rory, but also A-Jay and Takira. Some names stand the test of time – like Joshua, though it seems to be shortened to Josh. Others are very new. In Zambia, a lot of children were given names like Blessing or Grace, but quite often I baptised a Mabvuto, which means suffering or hardship. The mother obviously had a difficult pregnancy, but the child had that name throughout their lives. I have a soft spot for the Book of Hosea. I enjoy reading it, yet it starts off in a really quite shocking way. The prophet, a good upstanding citizen, is told to marry a prostitute. The term could mean a lot of things, but she is unfaithful to him, which brings a lot of sorrow. But this relationship is a mirror of God’s relationship with Israel. God is devoted to Israel, but Israel goes after other gods, other lovers and flaunts them in God’s face. God is filled with righteous anger, but … but still loves Israel and still is prompted to give a second chance and a third chance. God is still prompted to forgive, still can’t let go. That is the book in a nutshell, but here in Chapter one, we learn that Hosea’s wife, Gomer, bears him three children: The first is called Jezreel, which is the name of a great plain in Northern Israel, but also where there was a bloodbath, where many were killed. His name, Jezreel, was there to be a judgement on the nation. Like someone in the Highlands being called ‘Culloden’ or an Australian being called ‘Gallipoli’. But what’s more, the second child is called ‘Lo-ruhama’, which means Unloved, which is a terrible name to give to a child. The third, it was called ‘Lo-ammi’, not my people. Each name represented a part of the relationship between God and Israel. It is almost child abuse to give such names to children, but they point to the complete breakdown of the relationship. God has courted Israel from the days in the wilderness, but they have worshipped the golden calves and the baals. God affirmed them as his people, but now he is saying that they are no longer his people. It is complete rejection – or seems to be. In the wilderness on their journey to the Promised Land, Israel was sustained by their status as the people of God. Now God was negating it. Hosea was forcing the people to examine their relationship and how sincere they were. Later in the book Hosea criticises the people for paying lip service to God, offering sacrifices while all the time remaining unfaithful to God. I don’t know whether you watched any of the debates between the candidates striving to be the next Conservative leader. In the first debate so much of the time was spent talking about trust and honesty. These were the qualities people rated most highly and yet did not see in politicians. Israel had betrayed the trust God had placed in her. She had been unfaithful. The prophet calls the people to repent and be worthy of God’s trust, for when there is no trust, the fabric of society is damaged. In our Gospel reading, the disciples have asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and he teaches them what we call the Lord’s Prayer. The first few words encapsulate trust: ‘Our Father’. There is a story of a boy, who as a young child loved to be carried. He could smell his mother’s powder and perfume as he nuzzled into her; he loved being carried on his father’s shoulders. And at bedtime it was his father who carried him to bed. He pressed his ear to his father’s chest and said, ‘I can hear your heartbeat’. His father replied’ And I can hear yours’. It was their unofficial way of saying Goodnight and I love you. There was a sense of real security and trust in that relationship. I can hear your heartbeat. Jesus uses the image of a parent to convey who God is and how God loves us. Matthew uses the image of God as a mother hen gathering her chicks around us; John uses the familiar ‘Abba’. Here in this prayer, it is ‘Our father’. Not my father, but the collective our, for the God who loves me also loves my neighbour and even my enemy. Luke uses the intimacy of the parent-child relationship to start the prayer. It is as if Jesus is saying that God loves us and carries each of us in his arms, so that we can hear the heartbeat of God’s love. Jesus was born as flesh and blood and lived among us; so that we could hear in person how deeply we are loved, for Jesus is the incarnation of the God whom he teaches us to call ‘father’. Hosea gave his children these crazy names to force Israel to look at themselves and their relationship with God. We too need to examine our relationship and where it is lacking, but in the knowledge that in Christ we can be bold to pray ‘Our father’ as children of the living God. Hymn 724 – Christ’s is the world Prayers of Dedication & Intercession Gracious Lord, when we review the ways in which You continue to break in upon our lives, showering us with gifts and wonder, we are reminded how we, in our living should emulate that same generosity. Remind us the best giving is cheerful, and that the unclenched hand is more fitted to sharing. Accept what we offer: our time, our talents and our money, and all that we have and are. So that this world, our world, Your world, need not be gripped by fear or want, or lack of shelter, or lack of friends. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal God, we may only see our small corner of this earth, You will see the whole expanse of countless universes, yet we are called to bring our prayers not only for ourselves, but for those around us. In a world fraught with fear and violence and greed, we pray that darkness is driven out by the light of compassion, of open-handedness, and of peace. Let these not be mere words we pray, but words we put into action through our support of causes and charities and individuals who make it their mission to be the light-bearers in every darksome place. We pray today for the healers who practise their gentleness in every hurt place of heart and soul and body. Where the encouraging word, and the unflinching compassion brings hope like a cleansing flame into every wound. We pray today for the teachers whose gift of thinking and words enrich our mind and help us grow and develop and mature. Especially today we thank You for those who taught us to pray, who formed the ideas and the rhythms and cadences that to this day give texture, colour and shape to the relationship we have with You, our living God. We pray for our Queen and country, and all who are called to be the decision-makers in our society at every level. For politicians and economists. For artists and scientists. For farmers and business owners. For those who provide our energy and secure our safety. We pray for our world in its beauty and fragility, the astonishing resources, and the unsustainable demands we make on them. As we seek to form a new relationship with You, our God, and with our sisters and brothers, let us also seek to form a new relationship with this Earth we call our home. Nurturing it, tending it, stewarding its beauty and energy, not only for ourselves, but also for the generations still to come. In a moment of silence we bring before you those on our minds and our hearts this day – especially the bereaved, the sick, the anxious In your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen Hymn 130 – Ye servants of God Benediction  Notices:
Call to Worship Leave duty behind, come and sit, be still and listen for the word of God. Let come to the quiet centre to focus on God and to allow ourselves to hear God’s voice and ponder God’s word. Let us worship God. Hymn 122 – Let all the world Prayer & Lord’s Prayer God of majesty and mystery, your love and purpose embrace the whole world. You set us in a world of beauty and bounty and invite us to meet you in the midst of its wonders. You call us to love each other in the example of Jesus to make your world a place of justice and compassion. You have made space for creation to explode, expand, and explore being alive. You call us and gather us and open up new possibilities for the future. In this time of worship, send us your Spirit of wisdom and grace so that we can live out the praise on our lips in our day-to-day living, which we offer to you, our one and only God. So forgive us when we are distracted by our own busyness and need. Forgive us when we see the earth and its resources as ours to exploit for short term gain. Forgive us when we use other people as a means to our ends. Forgive us when we lose our focus on you, your will and your way. Loving God, calm us and capture our attention. Welcome us into your belonging. Assure us of our worth. Lead us in love, so may we know that we are forgiven and be refreshed to be your people in the world. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Amos 8: 1-12 Luke 10: 38 – 42 Pots and pans, trays and cups, food to prepare and tables to be laid, all in a day’s work. People to welcome, friends and family, gathered at home, to talk, to eat, to share, to witness. God help us to remember the joy of hospitality, and the gift of providing for others in their time of need. Time and space, words and wisdom, company with Jesus, friends and strangers with whom to meet. Precious moment never to be missed, an opportunity to share in holy presence, in loving grace, in healing peace, in challenging story. God help us to remember to create time and to make space for what are the better things, for time in God’s presence, for time with family and friends, and time for myself. Amen. Hymn 194 – This is the day Weekly Prayer Almighty God, may your presence be seen clearly in what we do each day throughout the coming week. We pray that your joy and your love will flow freely in us and through us, as we seek to follow Mary's example of listening to your voice. Amen. Reflection There was friction in the house. The cousins from Australia would be arriving any moment. With the pandemic, it had been years since they had all met up. There was still so much to do, and Kate was running all over the place, but Jack was sitting quite contentedly, watching the golf on the television. Kate was not amused and told him so! There was friction in the house at Bethany. You could almost see the sparks flying. Jesus and his disciples had arrived, and it was a celebration. It was always good to welcome Jesus, and the siblings would have been excited. There was Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. In fact, one commentator noted that it was unusual for Lazarus to stay with his sisters and suggested that he may have had some disability. But anyway, there was so much to do, a table to set, a meal to prepare, make sure their guests had washed the dust from their hands and feet. Martha was in her element until she noticed that she was alone in the kitchen; Mary was lounging at Jesus’ feet. Martha loved to sit and listen to Jesus; from John’s Gospel we discover that Martha had a very sharp mind and a keen faith. She famously affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah. But there was no time to listen now; the meal wouldn’t cook itself. But she was frustrated with Mary. Why couldn’t she help? Why was she hogging all Jesus’ attention? She couldn’t keep it in any more and appealed to Jesus to take her side and scold her sister. But of course, Jesus does the opposite and scolds Martha and praises Mary for choosing the better part. It is always a controversial passage. I am sure if I were to ask, many would sympathise with Martha. Where would we be in the church and in the community without all the people making the tea, baking the scones, moving the chairs, arranging the flowers. Doing all the practical things that keeps us going. Yes, we need to focus on the things of God; we need to make time to pray and reflect. But surely the best way is to a combination of both, to have a balance between the practical and the spiritual. Balance is always good – yet, Jesus doesn’t say that. He says that Mary has chosen the better part. We can be too busy and lose focus. A man takes his son out to a fast-food restaurant for a treat, a time to bond, but then spends most of his time on the phone, catching up on emails or social media – and admittedly the son does the same. He lost the focus on what was important. Or busyness can hide something about ourselves. Mo Farah is such a famous athlete, has won gold medals and always seems a nice guy. But all the time he was unable to confront a traumatic childhood when he was trafficked to UK. He wasn’t who he said he was, and maybe his training and racing hid it even from himself, but now he finds he is able to confront the truth about himself and finds a relief in that. In reflection on the Bible we confront truths about the world. The Amos passage this morning is a bleak one; there is little joy in it. But with the prophet talking about corpses everywhere, we think of the wars and the poverty in our world today. When Amos talks about buying the poor for a pair of sandals, we think of trafficking or ‘those who wander from sea to sea’, we think of refugees. ‘A famine of bread’ and we think of the cost-of-living crisis. We try to block these things out, but maybe we need to confront them to seek a solution. We are so thankful for all the Marthas, for those who do the practical work, but what better than to sit at the feet of Jesus, to listen to his stories and to be able to focus on our relationship with God and our place in God’s creation; to confront truths about ourselves, but also to create space, so that, in Richard of Chichester’s words, we may know God more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly, day by day. Hymn 500 – Lord of creation Prayers of Dedication & Intercession Generous God, our offering is more than money, and we offer you our time, our prayers, our skills, and our commitment to you and your work. To these we add our offerings of money, whether put in a plate or made by bank transfer. We give in these different ways out of gratitude for all you have given to us, and pray that they may be used to make your presence known in the world. God of the world and all its peoples: we pray today for those who lift up their voices in troubled nations, for those working to bring justice and negotiate peace, for those bringing aid to the vulnerable, and those offering shelter to anyone fleeing violence. Call the powerful to account, O God, and inspire them to hear the voices that cry out in pain and desperation. God of our everyday lives: we pray today for our community and our neighbours whose everyday lives have been disrupted by months of pandemic restriction and by economic realities beyond their control. We remember neighbours whose livelihoods depend on undependable weather systems, and those fearing flood or drought this summer. We pray for communities that lack safe drinking water or adequate medical care and places where there is high unemployment or a worker shortage. Inspire leaders to combine compassion with good planning, and consider the needs of all those who feel desperate God of the courageous and compassionate, we pray for those who live out their commitment to the well-being of others day by day, in public service, health care, education, social work, community organizations, and environmental concern. Thank you for their dedication. Support those who feel stress or exhaustion and inspire those who can speak out when they see needs being neglected. God of neighbourhood and nation, we pray for friends and neighbours near and far, for all who travel this summer and for those who find themselves strangers in new communities. We remember in silence those on our hearts, facing some kind of challenge this day: Draw near to each one in deep need, O God. Equip us to support those lives that intertwine with ours for we are your people, embraced by your love. Amen Hymn 547 – What a friend we have in Jesus Working and resting God is with us. Speaking and listening God is with us. Hoping and dreaming God is with us. Benediction  Notices:
Call to Worship God’s Word is not too hard for us, nor is it too far away; It is very near, in our mouths and in our hearts. It does not lie in the far reaches of heaven; It is very near, in our mouths and in our hearts. It does not dwell beyond the sea; It is very near, in our mouths and in our hearts. Come, let us worship the Lord our God, With heart, soul, strength, and mind Hymn - 436 - Christ Triumphant Prayer & Lord’s Prayer Talk Readings - Colossians 1: 1-14 Luke 10: 25-37 Hymn 214 - New every morning Weekly Prayer Almighty God, we give thanks with grateful hearts that you have brought us into the kingdom of your Son, who loves us unconditionally. Help us to measure up to the calling we have received. Give us eyes to see and hearts to understand, not only what you do on our behalf, but also to recognise who are our neighbours and to love them as ourselves. Amen Reflection Hymn 694 - Brother, sister, let me serve you Prayers of Dedication & Intercession Hymn 622 - We sing a love We say together: Loving God, send us out into your world, To love and to serve. Benediction  Notices:
· We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Linton (11.15). Please take the time to sign the visitors’ book.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you His faithful people; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime; Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. God turns weeping into dancing and clothes us with joy. Hymn 132 – Immortal invisible Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of constant love, God of unending grace, God of the outcast and the prisoner, God of the powerful and powerless, God of all, we join in worship this day, in this building and in our homes giving thanks for your presence in our lives and for all that you have done, and what you have made us to be. God who supports, God who challenges, God who sees our whole selves, not just that which others see, speak to us today, shine the light of your wisdom into our lives and guide us towards service of you, each other, and the whole world. Loving God, you send us into the world as ambassadors of your love and peace, yet too often we create discord and division. We serve our own interests first, ignoring those in need and fail to listen to the stories of others. Forgive us for such self-centredness. Help us to be more faithful disciples of Jesus, eager to serve, willing to listen, glad to be of service in his name. The Apostle Paul declared that ‘If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away and everything has become new!’ Thanks be to God that by God’s mercy, we can all make a new start! Lord’s Prayer Readings: 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Luke 10: 1-11 Hymn 97 O God, you search me Weekly Prayer Gracious God, help us humbly to obey your instructions even when we are tempted to go our own way, so that like Naaman we may experience your cleansing waters. In the week ahead, help us to go out and take your message of love and forgiveness to our friends and neighbours. Amen Reflection I was at the Morebattle shop the other day, when quite a number of the school children appeared; they were going to climb up Wideopen Hill. The teacher said that she had had to draw up a risk assessment before leaving, to identify possible hazards, such as a child falling in the river or twisting an ankle or cows in a field and how to tackle them. During the Covid pandemic, we had to write up a Risk Assessment and keep it updated. A risk assessment identifies possible risks or hazards, but then puts in measures to control them. So, in the pandemic, the risk was of Covid spreading, but we controlled it by spacing out the chairs and keeping a distance; by washing hands and using sanitiser and wearing face masks. Even now we still don’t take up the offering or pass around the bread and wine at communion. Imagine if Jesus had had to make a risk assessment, before he sent out the 70? They were going in pairs which was a good thing, but there were lots of hazards. There were rough roads, and they might get blisters or their sandals might break, but yet they had to take no extra pair of sandals. Another hazard was that no-one gave them food; they would just have to go hungry, for they took no food with them. There was a chance that no one would provide accommodation – they would just have to sleep rough, but carrying no bag, at least robbers would pass them by. I don’t think a risk assessment would sanction this enterprise at all – and yet it was a great success. The disciples, some say 70, some say 72, were equipped to go out, but relied completely on the goodwill of the people they visited. It was a big risk, but they came back rejoicing. They discovered gifts they didn’t know they had, they learned to trust each other, to create community with those they met and do that without even a bag to carry or food to eat. There were no safety nets, but it was a liberating experience. Each of us have gifts which we can use, but they are more effective when we use them together, when we work together. In our reading from Kings, Naaman the Syrian general took a risk. He was popular, successful, everything was going well for him, except he had leprosy. Because of that, he would have been deemed unclean and he wouldn’t be able to participate in daily life. But when the maidservant who had been one of the spoils of war from his campaign against Israel, told his wife about the prophet Elisha and how he would cure such diseases, Naaman took the risk and grasped the opportunity. In a risk assessment there would always be a chance he wouldn’t be cured or that Elisha would have refused to treat a foreigner, but he does so, though he dents Naaman’s conceit by sending his servant with the instruction to wash in the Jordan. There are no great incantations, and Naaman needs to be persuaded by his servants to dip in the river, but in doing so, Naaman is cured and praises God. In this story, it is the little people, the maidservant and Elisha’s servant and Naaman’s servants who bring the cure about. People using the gifts and knowledge that they have to effect change. Life is full of risks. Driving a car, taking a bus, there are risks. Getting married, having children, there are risks. Being a Christian there are risks. But like the 70 being sent out, we can be encouraged by the people around us, and even the hospitality and help of strangers. They also had the full confidence and support of Jesus, as we do as well. We are not asked nowadays to go out without being suitably prepared, but we are asked to use the gifts and the knowledge we have to the full and by doing so bring glory to God. Hymn 707 – Healing river of the Spirit Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Creator God, source of all life and each life, we come to you in prayer this day, grateful that your world is full of wonder and possibility, but also in desperate need of your reconciling love. We pray for the many different peoples of this world, divided as we are into many nations, clans, cultures, and spiritual traditions. Help us understand those differences more fully, and honour the good things that bind us together despite differences. Loving God, source of truth and wisdom, in the world we are confronted by powers and authorities. Help us recognize their potential for both good and evil, and act wisely to discern whom to trust and when to act. When we see injustice or recognize falsehood, give us the courage to speak up in Christ’s name. Open our eyes to our own weakness and bias, and speak to us through the example of Jesus, our Lord. Compassionate God, the world is filled with violence and hatred, costing innocent lives. We sometimes feel powerless to do anything about it. Today our hearts ache for those who live amid brutal conflict, for those have died through violence, and for those who suffer the many effects of trauma. We pray for those who have lost their homes through conflict and fled their countries just to survive. Open hearts and homes to welcome those who flee and protect those who stay amid conflict to offer care. All-knowing God, you see into our hearts and know the heartaches we carry. We pray for those living with illness and pain, for those who mourn the loss of someone or something dear, and for all those struggling with anxiety or despair in these challenging times. Keep silence for at least ten seconds. God of all the earth, Teach us to live in love. Amen Hymn 167 – Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Benediction As we go from this time of worship into a time of service, speak to us in the different places we go and through the different people we encounter as we seek to do your work. Let us go in the name of God our creator Jesus our saviour and the Holy Spirit, our challenger Amen.  Notices:
How can I repay the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation And call on the Lord by name. I will pay my vows to the Lord In the presence of all his people. Let us worship God Hymn 198 – Let us build a house (1,2,3,5) Prayers of Adoration and Confession We have heard about you, God of all power. You made the world out of kindness, creating order out of confusion; You made each one of us in your own image, your fingerprint on every soul. We praise and worship you. We have heard about you, Jesus Christ: The carpenter who left his tools and trade; The poor man who made others rich; The healer who let himself be wounded; The saviour who died and rose again. We praise and worship you. We have heard about you, Holy Spirit. You broke the bonds of every race and nation, To let God speak in every tongue; You made the disciples drunk with grace; You converted souls and emptied pockets; You showed how love made all things new And opened the doors to freedom and change. We praise and worship you. Most merciful God, we come before you, confessing that we have sinned, in thought, word and deed, Through our own fault and in common with others. We are truly sorry and turn from our sins Lord have mercy/ Christ have mercy/ Lord have mercy. God freely forgives all who confess their sin and offers us the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit to be the people of God in the world. Amen Readings: 2 Kings 2: 6-14 Luke 9:51-62 Hymn 510 – Jesus calls us here to meet him (1,2,4) Weekly Prayer Gracious God, we come together to share in the communion of our Lord Jesus Christ and are reminded to do this until He comes. Thank You for Your Word and its powerful influence in our lives. Help us to learn to put its truth into practice as we go from here to live and serve each other in the week ahead. Amen Reflection Recently there has been speculation over who would succeed the Prime Minister if he were to go – though he seems to survive. Similarly in the Labour party, if Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner were to step down over Beergate, who would take over? In any business, an eye is always kept in who would step into the shoes of the one at the top. Often people are groomed to take over, so that there is no vacuum. Certainly for Jesus, he had the twelve disciples, for support but also to train up, and most did an admirable job when the mantle fell on them. But today we are going to concentrate on the passage from Kings, the story of an older prophet, nearing the end of his ministry, and a younger prophet. It is the story of Elijah and Elisha, and they make a journey together. If we had read from the beginning of the chapter, we would have seen how Elijah initially his protege to stay put, not to accompany him, but in echoes of Ruth and Naomi, Elisha is not put off but stubbornly follows, and they make a tour of places important to the faith. Places like Gilgal, where the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land; places like Bethel, where Jacob famously had his dream of a ladder into heaven, with angels ascending and descending, and he said, this is truly the House of God, and we have that phrase above us as we enter Linton Kirk. It is as if Elijah is making a farewell tour of the country, but it is also the older prophet impressing on his apprentice the importance of history, the places where God showed up and inspired Israel. He wanted the younger generation to know the past in order to face the future. We learn from the past so that we can be stronger in the days to come. Elijah asks what he can do for Elisha, before he is taken up to heaven, and the latter asks for a double portion of his spirit. It sounds greedy, wanting twice of what Elijah has, but perhaps it is humility as well; Elisha realises Elijah’s greatness and knows he will come nowhere near to it. But also it is like an inheritance for a first-born son. He wanted to be like Elijah, to bear a resemblance to his character. The story is told a couple who were about to have their first child. If it were a girl, they agreed the name would be Ruth. All good. But they disagreed over the name, if the baby were a boy. So violently did they disagree that they went to see the minister. The wife told him, ‘I want to name him after my father, but he wants to name the boy after his father’. ‘What’s your father’s name?’ Joseph. He turned to the husband, ‘And what is your father called?’ Joseph! What’s the problem? ‘Well, my father was a real saint, a really good person, but his father was a rogue. I don’t want to call him after him!’ The minister thought about it and wisely told the couple to call the baby, if a boy, Joseph, and only when he grew up would they be able to tell after which father he was named. Elisha wanted to be like his mentor. The disciples grew more like Jesus. As children of God, we seek to be more Christ-like in all that we do. The time had come for Elijah to hand over his mantle, to hand over the succession to Elisha, and the great prophet was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. It is one of these great images, and it emphasises being brought into the presence of God. Jacob at Bethel had a sense of God in the ladder reaching to the skies; Elisha in the dazzling spectacle of the chariot of fire. But we can feel God’s presence in the ordinary, everyday things of life too. For the disciples, they remembered the last meal that they shared with Jesus and how he passed bread to them and then wine, and he told them to remember him. We do that today at communion. We take the bread in our hands and the wine, and we remember Christ and give thanks for all our blessings and seek ever to resemble Christ and have God’s fingerprint on our very souls. Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Holy One, you call us to love neighbour as self. Use all we have to offer, of money, talents, time, and energy to live and love the good news of your kingdom in our lives. We pray for the nations of this world, asking that you show us what it means to love other nations as we love our own. We pray for peace where there is none, particularly for Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and other places we hear about and those we do not. We pray for the communities where we are set. Show us what you need us to do, what perhaps only we can do, in the places we live out our lives. Show us how to love neighbour as ourselves. We bring before you those who are sick in body and in mind, those in hospital and home; for those who have lost loved ones and for the anxious and the lonely. Enfold them all in your care. Amen Invitation to the Table This is the Lord’s Table. The Lord Jesus invites us to share this joyful feast. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away. Hymn 662 – Jesus thou joy Let us hear again the story of the Last Supper. The tradition which I handed on to you Came to me from the Lord himself: That on the night of his arrest The Lord Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to God, broke it and said: This is my body which is for you: Do this in memory of me. In the same way, he took the cup after supper and said: This cup is the new covenant Sealed by my blood. Whenever you drink it, Do this in memory of me. For every time you eat this bread And drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death Until he comes again. Let us pray: The Lord be with you And also with you Lift up your hearts We lift them to the Lord Let us give thanks to the lord our God It is right to give our thanks and praise With joy we give you thanks and praise, Almighty God, Source of all life and love, that we live in your world, that you are always creating and sustaining it by your power, and that you have so made us that we can know and love you, trust and serve you. We give you thanks that you loved the world so much that you gave your only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him may not die but have eternal life. We thank you that Jesus was born among us that he lived our common life on earth; that he suffered and died for us; that he rose again; and that he is always present through the Holy Spirit. Therefore with all your people, past present and to come, and with the whole company of heaven we sing the hymn of your unending glory: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit To bless us and these your gifts of bread and wine, That in communion with Christ our Lord We may receive his life and remain his glad and faithful people until we feast with him in glory. As we share in the body and blood of Christ, may we become a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for your acceptance, through Jesus Christ our Lord Lord’s Prayer Breaking of bread The Lord Jesus on the night that he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said, ‘this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me’. In the same way he took the cup, saying ‘This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. Whenever you drink of it, do so in memory of me’ O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. (x2) grant us your peace. As we follow the example of Jesus, I invite you to hold the bread. This is the Christ’s body, broken for you. Take and eat in memory of him. I invite you to take the wine. This is the blood of Christ poured out for each one of us. Take and drink in memory of him. Peace The disciples were together behind locked doors, and Jesus came and stood among them and he said, Peace be with you. And so I say to you, The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Prayer Loving God, we praise you for what you have given and for what you have promised us here today. You have made us one with all your people in heaven and in earth. You have fed us with the bread of life and renewed us for your service. Now we give ourselves to you and ask that our daily living may be part of the life of your kingdom and that our love may be your love reaching out into the life of the world. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Hymn 419 – Thine be the glory Benediction May the blessing of God Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit, be with you, with those we love and those we are called to love, today and in the days to come.  Notices:
We come, those who are at peace and those who are discomforted. We come together to worship God, all of us, all loved, all called, all forgiven, for all our hope is in God. Hymn 184 – Sing to the Lord Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of earthquake, wind, and fire, God of healing touch and uniting love, God of our ancestors, neighbours, and grandchildren, God of deafening silence and quiet harmonies – We are drawn by Your Spirit calling out to our own souls, for You are the source of all life, the home to which we will return. In You we find strength and comfort, safety and courage. May all that is in us, praise You, O God! As we come to You in worship, Eternal One, we gaze upon You and become aware of our lack of holiness. We become conscious of the times when our lives have reflected malice and guile instead of kindness and grace; insincerity and envy, instead of honesty and sharing; slander and quarrelling, instead of love and peace; Give us time to change O God, time to see ourselves as we really are – beautiful yet in need of work; living stones yet in need of polishing. God forgave the quarrelsome disobedient pilgrim people; the Lord Jesus forgave those who hardened their hearts; so God forgives us, and gives us the grace to change our lives. Our Father.. Readings: 1 Kings 19:1-4, 8-15 Luke 8:26-39 Hymn 609 – Come living God (1,2,3,6) Weekly Prayer Heavenly Father, help us be still so that we can hear your gentle whisper as we come again into your Holy presence. We thank you for the Good News we have been given; help us to remember that is not just for us, but to pass on to the rest of the world. Amen. Reflection St Andrew’s Church is in the middle of Cairo. It is on a busy road junction and is surrounded by noise. There are buses opposite dropping off people, picking them up. Yet go through the gates into the church compound and you enter a place of greenery and some kind of peace. It is still busy, because it is the centre of StARS, a ministry to refugees, providing help, education, legal services and psycho-social care to the many refugees who find themselves in Cairo. Many had made long and dangerous journeys to reach Cairo, hoping that somehow they could be resettled somewhere safe. Many of the refugees are young, sometimes just teenagers, and had left family behind. All the thousands who access help from the programme had left homelands because of oppression or war; because they were afraid. All of them are dealing with traumas. In Cairo there were people on the lookout wanting to abuse refugees in some way, but there was also a discrimination. At St Andrew’s Church, the refugees felt that they were in a safe place, even though most would be Muslim. Entering through the gates made such a difference. There they would be accepted and valued for who they were. There they were safe. We read today of two people who needed to feel safe. Nowadays we hear a lot about mental health issues. A lot of people struggle, but at least today we are more ready to talk about mental health and the stresses and strains of life. In the Old Testament we read about Elijah. Elijah was one of the greatest of the prophets. On the Mount of Transfiguration he is there with Moses. He had been faithful to God and had fought the priests of Baal singlehanded, but it all took its toll. Jezebel, the Queen, was determined to kill him. He had confronted Jezebel so many times, but now, he just wanted to run. He fled from her and began to doubt himself and all he had worked for. He basically had a breakdown. He was completely burned out. He had collapsed on the ground, but there he was provided with food and water. He was looked after, and then he had his vision of God’s presence on the mountain, not in the earthquake or wind, but in the still small voice. That was what he needed. He had been traumatised by his dealings with Jezebel, but now he was in a safe place and was being looked after: he could continue with his work now, which was to appoint a successor. In the Gospels, Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee to the other side, and that was Gentile territory, belonging to the town of Gerasa. But he immediately encounters a naked man in the graveyard. The local townspeople could not cope with him; he was violent and had thrown off his clothes and had perhaps self-damaged, because he had needed to be restrained, and he lived now among the tombs. He was disturbed and nowadays we might see him as paranoid schizophrenic. Then, people said he was possessed by demons. Jesus came and saw a person who was suffering, a person in need of help. He cast out the demons, and the man comes to his right mind. It is a story that can make us uneasy, especially if we like pigs, but a story about a violently disturbed man who finds some peace. It is interesting that the townspeople also feel uneasy, maybe because they had lost a herd of pigs, maybe because they have had to confront their own fears, and they ask Jesus to leave. But the man stays there, and we hope that he would be accepted back into the community. We need to feel safe. Today is Safeguarding Sunday, and safeguarding is about making sure that the church is a safe place for all the people who come through our doors. We believe that everyone is precious to God and loved by God; that is one of the basic tenets of our faith. We have to ensure that people don’t come to any harm, be it physical or emotional or sexual abuse. We have to create an atmosphere where all are valued and welcomed and can feel something of the peace of God. Hymn SGP 102 – The Spirit lives (1,2,5,6) Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Loving God, accept the gifts we offer you, today and every day. Put our time, our talents and our treasure to good use wherever they are needed, for the sake of our Lord, Jesus Christ Eternal defender and protector of the weak, we give thanks for Your universal love, which sees beyond our human labels and divisions, rejoicing even more in Your preference for the outcast and oppressed. We give thanks for the shelter and protection of our homes; we pray for all people who are homeless, for whatever reason, including refugees and victims of trafficking: may they know Your love and protection. We give thanks for the range and quality of food around us; we pray for each person who is hungry, whether they be across the world or on our doorsteps: may Your love be shown in practical ways. We give thanks for easy access to clean water; we pray for all who are parched with thirst, especially where the decision is dirty water or none: may Your love be shown in practical ways. We give thanks for the relative peace and security we enjoy: we pray for all places of war and violence, whether the aggressor be in the home or another nation: may Your peace be known in our time. We give thanks for all the bits of our life that bring us joy and contentment; we pray for the broken-hearted, bereaved, and lonely, and for all who have lost faith or purpose in life: may Your peace be known in their hearts. Healing, liberating, transforming God, in amongst our shouts and songs of thanksgiving, may we hear Your still whisper in the midst of pain and suffering, and may we respond with courageous tenderness to the needs around us, as we follow the example of Christ Jesus, our teacher and Lord. O God, we thank you for those we have known who have died. May we never forget them but continue to honour them with our living. And may we, with them, find our eternal rest in you. Silence Amen Hymn 594 – Come, Holy Spirit, come (1,3,6) Benediction Go in peace to love and serve God; And the blessing of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you today and always, Amen  Notices:
Creator God we come humbly into your presence. Jesus, Son of God we come gratefully into your presence. Holy Spirit we come quietly into your presence. When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, Everything inside me wants to jump for joy! Hymn 111 – Holy, holy, holy Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of Mystery and Mercy, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we meet you in wonder as the Blessed Trinity. You are the Ancient of Days, eternal and unchanging; yet you are the Source of each new day, renewing all things. In Christ, you encounter us in whatever each day brings with a heart that beats in love for us. Through the Spirit, you breathe life into what is growing older, energizing us to serve you in good times and hard times. In the mystery of the Trinity, you are always with us and so we bring you our worship and praise to join in your dance of life and love, Holy One and Holy Three, now and ever more. O God of all holiness as we are here in your presence help us to be honest about ourselves and our world, to recognise the good and the bad, our strengths and our failures, all that we have done wrong, and all the ways in which you are blessing and affirming us. We confess our sins, and the sin of the world, and we ask for mercy, and the wisdom and courage to change. Let us hear for ourselves the words that Jesus said to so many, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ and ‘Be at peace’. God the source of all life re-creates us each day, Christ has, once for all, redeemed the world, and the Holy Spirit works to empower us in goodness. Thanks be to God, the Holy Trinity of mercy, love and power, Our Father.. Readings: Psalm 8 John 16: 12-15 Hymn 189 – Be still in the presence of the Lord Weekly Prayer One God, three Persons, help us to be gentle, with others and with ourselves. Give us, we pray, the calm that makes for consideration and the respect for others that makes us courteous. Give us the true wisdom that comes from our Creator God and thank you for reminding us that you rejoice and delight in all mankind. Amen Reflection We had the funeral of Audrey Gibson yesterday, and on the service sheet there was a very dashing photograph of her in younger days, with a photo of her in more recent times at the back. It made me wonder who chooses the photos? Usually it would be family, going through albums to decide which one was best. These days, it would be images held in the phone, I suppose. In Audrey’s case, maybe she had decided beforehand. How do we like to portray ourselves? We always want to look at our best. Winston Churchhill would have had his portrait painted a number of times, but he so disliked the portrayal by Graham Sutherland that he famously burned it. It wasn’t how he wanted to be portrayed. Churchill was himself a painter, but preferred landscapes, as trees couldn’t speak back! At weddings the photographer is snapping away, but only the best will make it to the wedding album. These days we can put little photos of ourselves beside emails or on social media apps like Whatsapp or Facebook – again we choose something good. I am conscious mine, even my picture on the church website, are all from a few years ago. I should maybe look for something more recent with more grey hair! So how do we portray God? I remember having a book which began, ‘I saw God the other day. He was dressed in a white robe, with long flowing locks of hair, dangling his feet over a cloud’. It wasn’t a serious book! But often this is the kind of image we have of God, an unlikely, somewhat remote figure. But for the Hebrews, no-one could look at God. God was so holy, and could not be depicted. The same applies in Islam, and I was reading of a film being withdrawn from cinemas this week, because of a portrayal, not of God, but of Mohammed. In Christianity, we can’t picture God, but we do know what God is like through Jesus. In the early church, they came up with the Trinity in order to describe God. Sometimes the Trinity can be depicted by an interconnected Celtic knot or a trefoil or even a triangle. The Russian Rublev painted his famous icon of the Trinity, and we see that God is social, is relational. The Trinity is inadequate, because we as humans use language, and that has its limitations and ultimately includes our prejudices. But it is also a glorious attempt to try to picture God. We have God the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth. In Psalm 8 we see God as creator and the Majesty of God’s handiwork. It makes us aware of just how small we are - teeny-weeny. Yet God made us a little lower than the angels, and we have a glimpse of God as Parent, who is like a father or, for some, the image of mother is better, so nurturing and protective. The God who has a passionate parent’s love, wanting the best, while also giving us the freedom to be ourselves. But there is also God as seen as Jesus, who says the Father and him are one and who shows God’s love and mercy in action, to the point of sacrificing himself on the cross out of love for us. In Jesus we see God alongside us. The last part of the divine portrait is the Holy Spirit, God within us, if you like. We celebrated her coming on the disciples last week at Pentecost. The Spirit lives in us, inspires us, directs us. One writer said, that ‘the Spirit is often portrayed as a dove, warming you, softly breaking your shell so that beautiful things can hatch, relentlessly and gently leading you into your future’. Father, Son and Holy Spirit– we invoke the Trinity every week, and it shows a beautiful and complex truth to those who gaze on it. A God who creates and who redeems us, and who sustains our living; a God worthy to worship. Hymn 112 – Thou whose almighty word Prayers of Dedication and Intercession We offer to God; the lives we lead each day, the best of what we are and hope to be, the resources we have and the money at our disposal. God of all that is made, take our money and make it holy, fit for good work in the world. Take our lives and equip us for service among your people. Take all that we have to offer this day and make it a blessing for others. Holy God, Holy One and Holy Three, we bless you for bringing us into communion with you, offering us the same unity in love you share as the blessed Trinity. Help your church in all its branches discover the unity for which Christ prayed. May our unity in Christ show the world how to overcome divisions and enjoy the diverse gifts you have created in us. By your Spirit, equip us to explore unity in diversity through local mission and ministry. We pray for children and their parents, knowing how important it is for a child to have a secure, loving start in life, and we pray for parents as they seek to provide it. We pray for youngsters setting out on adult life, dipping their toes into the waters of friendship and romantic love and seeking to know what to study, or where to work, We pray for those whose land has been torn apart by war and who have lost not only people that they loved, but all that once felt safe and secure; for those who are waiting— at an airport, or on a railway platform or by a hospital bed— for the moment of parting from someone who is dearer to them than life itself. May they know the presence and comfort of the one who said, “Do not be afraid… for I am with you always... to the end of time.” Silence Amen Hymn 622 – We sing a love Benediction Go in peace to love and serve God; the holy and undivided trinity. And the blessing of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you today and always, Amen. |
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