 The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together on this 1st Sunday of Advent.
Notices:
Passcode: 697547
Call to Worship The heavens are trembling with anticipation, And we wait for Jesus. The nights are long and the days are short, And we wait for Jesus. Our redemption is drawing near, And we wait for Jesus. Let us hope in God and worship as people ready to see the salvation of our God! Hymn 273 – O come, O come Emmanuel Prayers of Adoration and Confession Creator God, You made the heavens and the earth.You set the planets in their courses, lit the sun with fire, caused the stars to shine and the world to turn.Life springs up wherever your breath moves.In Jesus Christ, you brought hope into a world full of fear and despair.You sent your Spirit to enliven our hope and guide us on the way.We are waiting now in anxious times for the world to be made new.We wait for new life, and we wait with deep hope. Redeeming God,We confess that waiting is difficult for us.We want to be comfortable in this festive season,but the pandemic keeps us anxious and unhappy.We complain about our own troubles and close our eyes to the suffering of others,Forgive us for seeking our own comfort at the cost of others.Give us eyes to perceive the great need within our community.Give us eyes to see the deep need within our own lives. Turn our hearts to you again and again. There is nothing we have done, nothing we will ever do, that will separate us from the love of God made known in Jesus Christ. This love is yours! So live in love as forgiven and forgiving people and travel through Advent in hope. Lord’s Prayer Lighting of Advent Candle We light this candle for all God’s people, Struggling to be bearers of hope in a troubled world. As we wait for your promise, give light, give hope. Hymn 284 – Hope is the candle Readings – Isaiah 64: 1-9 Mark 13: 24-37 Hymn 339 -Sing of Andrew, John’s disciple Weekly Prayer Advent Lord, as we move into the new church year, draw near to us. Strengthen our faith, deepen our love for you and for our neighbours and open our eyes to the wonder of your creation, so that when our Saviour comes, he may find our hearts ready to receive him. Help us as we try to set an example of a true spirit of preparation for that incredibly precious gift of the Christ-child. Amen Reflection I always love Advent. It is a time of darkness and light. A time of preparing and anticipation. It is a time of waiting and watching. This year many things are going to be very different, but just as the trees are stripped of their leaves, this Advent and Christmas we can focus away from the fripperies and on the essentials, as we prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas. Of course, we want this year especially the comfort of the Christmas story, not that it is always very comfortable. But we begin Advent this year with readings of God rending over the heavens and stars falling and the heavens shaken and the Son of Man coming in clouds: a picture of the 2nd Coming of Christ. And the 2nd coming of Christ is part of Advent, and we will listen to hymns like ‘Lo. He comes with clouds descending’ in the weeks to come. It is appropriate that we should have readings like this, because they were readings written at times of crises. It is called apocalyptic literature, and it was written when people were down, were being persecuted, and they called on God to intervene – but they also re-evaluated their lives. When someone has been very ill, it can be a wake-up call and often they can re-evaluate their lives. They decide to look at their diet and live more healthily and responsibly. The Black Lives Matter movement over this summer has certainly had an impact on making us look at the inherent racism in society and the legacy of the slave trade in many of our towns and cities. The Covid crisis we are going through has made us reassess what the important things in our lives are, and certainly one crisis area which we have been made very aware of over this period has been the environment, and scientists and celebrities and David Attenborough are warning us to act now before it is too late. The message of the Bible is the same. Act now, but also be watchful, be alert, keep awake, for the Son of man will come when you least expect it. Tomorrow is St Andrew’s Day, and Andrew was very watchful. He was always in the background, but he noticed things. When a crowd of 1000s followed Jesus and were hungry, Andrew noticed a boy with fish and loaves of bread – the outcome was the feeding of the 5,000. When some Greeks wanted to see Jesus, it was Andrew who enabled them to do so, and in his early days when he was a disciple of John the Baptizer, Andrew noticed Jesus pass by and followed him. Andrew was awake to what was going on around him and to the needs of others and acted. We are encouraged to be awake to what is happening around us and to the needs of others – so many lonely, so many struggling over this time. We reach out to help. We have to be awake to the coming of Christ this Advent. Not just his coming as a vulnerable baby born to poor parents in a Palestinian backwater. Not just to his coming in glory at the end of time. But Christ comes now and keeps coming in unexpected and unlooked for ways. Every time we reach out in love, God is there, as Emmanuel, God with us. A God who is committed to us. What is required of us is to be waiting and watchful, ready for Christ to slip in or to burst through and change the world. Hymn 509 – Jesus calls us o’er the tumult Prayers of Dedication and Intercession God of hope, we offer you our gifts with our thanks that your love never goes out of style, your presence is never beyond our budgets. Bless what we bring with your Spirit and enrich their impact in a world with desperate needs. May we shine as symbols of the unending hope we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Friend. Come Lord Jesus, into the darkness of our world; A world where there is injustice, racial tension and war; where many still lack the basics of food and clean water. Come Lord Jesus, into the uncertain future of refugees and migrants, who risk everything to escape atrocities or difficulties, but know that they could still pay with their lives. Come Lord Jesus, into our communities; Where many struggle with anxieties over Covid, over jobs, over their future. Come Lord Jesus, into our lives and the lives of those for whom we are concerned. Bring comfort to the bereaved and those struggling to cope for whatever reason. Come Lord Jesus, give reassurance where there is fear; confidence where there is doubt. Wherever people are hurting, let your light shine. Amen Hymn 291 – When out of poverty is born Benediction Go in eager expectation, awaiting and watchful for the coming of Christ. May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you and those whom you love and those whom we are called to love, this day and even forevermore. Amen
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 The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together.
Notices:
Call to Worship The Lord is the first and the last, our beginning and our end. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord our God, who was and is, and is to come. Blessing and honour, glory and majesty be to our God, now and evermore. Hymn 459 – Crown him with many crowns Prayers of Adoration and Confession God most holy, You are known to us as the Almighty, Powerful, Eternal, King and Lord. We call you our Shepherd and Guide. We praise you with many names, but you are beyond our imagination, so much greater than our words. We know you in the stories of Jesus and in him, we see your love in action, reaching out to the world. You move in us and through us by your Spirit, drawing us to you, sending us to live out your Word. God most holy, Three in One and One in Three, we praise you with our lips and with our lives to offer you honour and love. Mighty and merciful God, we come with a sincere desire to walk in your ways and live under your reign. Hear us as we confess to you our sins: We confess that we have failed to love fully, forgive wholly, and to share the joy of your presence day by day. You offer us freedom but we settle for the familiar. You offer risky love but we opt for safer choices. Teach us to abandon our selfish ways and cautious service, so that we can risk offering you our whole lives, committed to following Jesus and building your kingdom here on earth. Hear the good news. God’s compassion never fails. God’s grace is new every morning. Know that you are forgiven by the grace of Jesus Christ. Forgive each other, and live in peace and harmony. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 23-4 Matthew 25: 31-46 Hymn 462 – The King of love Weekly Prayer Loving God, we pray for your world, of which your Son is King. We pray for peace, reconciliation and healing in the places of war, hatred, terrorism and the Covid Pandemic. We pray that the nations may be united and subject to the rule of Christ the King, through whom and for whom all things were created. Help us to see you in the eyes of those most in need in our world and as we reach out to help, realise that "we do it for You". Amen Reflection ‘It will be all right in the end. If it isn’t all right, then it is not the end’. That is the message of the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, in which a group of retirees decide to spend their retirement in an upmarket hotel in India. Except – the hotel isn’t quite up to advertisement blurb. But the young owner is brimming with optimism and says ‘It will be all right in the end. If it isn’t all right, then it is not the end’. At a time when half of Scotland has moved to Level 4 and other parts of the UK still in lockdown, and there is a lot of talk about what we may or may not be able to do at Christmas and the consequences if we do ease up, then perhaps it is reassuring to hear that ‘It will be all right in the end…’. Certainly the various governments are on a hiding to nothing, and leaders have to make incredibly difficult decisions. Some leaders around the world seem to have come through this Covid period highly regarded, whereas others have done less well. There is nothing new under the sun, and Ezekiel in our first reading was reflecting on how the leadership of Judah had coped in a crisis period. The Babylonians had invaded, had installed a government in Jerusalem more amenable to their wishes and taken a group of the movers and shakers of Judean society into exile in Babylon as hostages. Ten years later, the Babylonians would be back and this time destroy the city and the temple and take more into exile. It was the ultimate catastrophe. The prophet Ezekiel was one of the first group taken into exile, and he had plenty of time to reflect on what had happened and why it had happened, and he came to the conclusion that the leaders were at fault (and in this he was condemning himself). He likened them to shepherds, looking after a flock of sheep, but they were out for their own interests and their own profit. They favoured the strong and neglected the weak and vulnerable. It is a picture of selfishness and disunity. But the prophet says that God will take control and be a true shepherd caring for all and providing justice for all, and if anything, having a bias towards the poor and vulnerable because they are most in need. I think that sometimes we wish that God would take control of our situation and right all the wrongs, but we are Christ’s representatives here on earth and have been empowered to live in his ways. Today is Christ the King Sunday, and it came about in the 1920s as a reaction to the growing totalitarianism in the world and the rise of fascism, as people took control and saw no place for Christian values in politics, and the weak and vulnerable were cast aside. The Church was recognising Christ’s kingship and affirming the Christian values that we see in our Gospel reading. It is the story of the Last Judgement and the separation of the sheep and the goats, and in Palestine the sheep and goats really do look very similar. The message is clear – to serve Jesus means loving the marginalised and disadvantaged, the needy and the lonely. But what always gets me is the surprise of both sheep and goats, the surprise to find Jesus, not on a throne in glory, but among the down and outs. I remember mentioning once before of the statue of Christ as a homeless person, stretched out on a bench in Glasgow’s Buchanan Street. It is a powerful image. We have to serve those who are overlooked, not out of duty but love. Augustine wrote ‘ Life is for love: time that we may find God’. So let us keep on loving, and it will be all right in the end. We may feel bewildered or weary or scared, but keep on loving, and the more we love, the closer we come to God who is love. Hymn 544 – When I needed a neighbour Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Generous God, you envisage a world where the hungry are fed and strangers are welcomed. We bring you our gifts to become part of your vision. Bless them and bless us, so that all our gifts bear fruit in Christ’s name, and honour him as Lord of our lives. You came as one who was hungry and thirsty. Where people live on the streets today, suffer from hunger, or beg for a meal: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as a stranger in need of welcome. Where people live lonely lives or feel like strangers in a strange land; where love is lacking and people face rejection for the colour of their skin or the language they speak: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as one who was naked. Where people lack enough clothing, shelter or life’s basic resources; where people live without dignity, exposed to every kind of pain and hardship: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as one who was broken. Where people feel pain in body, mind or spirit; where someone grieves the loss of a beloved or the future they planned; in places where the pandemic has done its worst and desperation has moved in: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as a Shepherd. Where people are led astray or nations are ruled by corrupt or greedy leaders and there is no peace in the land: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as one who was in prison. Where people are treated unfairly, targeted or tortured; where justice has failed and people are punished with cruelty: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. Silence Amen Hymn 533 – Will you come and follow me Benediction So now we leave this space of worship And while so much of the road ahead is uncertain, the path constantly changing, we know some things that are as solid and sure as the ground beneath our feet, and the sky above our heads. We know God is love. We know Christ’s light endures. We know the Holy Spirit this there, found in the space between all things, closer to us than our next breath, binding us to each other. And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you and with those whom you love, wherever they may be, now and always, Amen.  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together.
Notices:
Call to Worship You call us into your light Fill us with your peace You encourage us to face our fears Surround us with your love You call us to new paths Uphold us with your resurrection promise Hymn 124 – Praise to the Lord Prayers of Adoration and Confession Transforming God, you take the night and give us day. You take our strife and give us peace. You take our sadness and give us joy. You take our fear and give us courage. You take death and give us new life. You give grace beyond all expectation; you give love beyond all imagination; you give and you give and you give. So we praise and adore you as Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit, One God, Three in One. Merciful God, we look at our lives and our world and don’t like what we see. We are impatient, ungrateful and angry, far more ready to receive than to give. In this time of worship, remind us of Your promise never to leave us or forsake us. Help us to trust Your promise that You will be with us. Paul writes: ‘Neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus’. Let us rejoice that, no matter what is happening around us, no matter what we have done, God forgives us and will never let us go. Thanks be to God! Lord’s Prayer Readings - Judges 4:1–7 Matthew 25:14–30 Hymn 83 – I rejoiced when I heard them say Weekly Prayer Father God, we thank you for the gifts, talents and abilities you have given each of us, and we pray for a deeper understanding of how they can be used and shared within our church and our community. Set us free from the fear that makes us inward looking. Give us a renewed generosity with our time, our talents and our treasure. Give us a renewed concern for those who are struggling in our congregations and our communities. Give us a renewed vision of what it is for us to be your church, in this place, at this time. Amen Reflection Over this lockdown period, we have been developing new skills, and it seems a lot of us have been doing a lot of cooking and baking. On the television Nigella has started a new series, and she has obviously been experimenting, for in the first programme she made a banana skin curry. I never knew you could eat banana skins! I used to enjoy cooking very much, but my first attempt sticks in my mind. There had been a shortage of woodwork teachers in my first year at secondary school, and we were given some periods of cooking instead. I was quite enthusiastic, so much so that I told my parents that I would cook tea one night. You can imagine! It was something like Welsh rarebit, but it burnt. I made a very elementary sponge, but the inside didn’t cook. It was a disaster. My brother was scathing, but my parents were incredibly gracious. They had trusted me, and even though the meal was awful, they were full of praise. This has a bearing on the parable we read today, the parable of the talents, where the Master praises two of the servants for the efforts they had made. The word ‘talent’ can be confusing. It does not mean special ability, but is actually a ginormous sum of money. You could work for 15 years, and what you earned would still not make up a talent. In the story, the Master leaves for a trip abroad and entrusts his three servants with these enormous sums of money. Two invest the money and it doubles in value, but the third is terrified of the master and scared of losing everything, so digs a hole and buries it. But when the master returns, he praises the two servants, but condemns the one who had buried the cash. It is quite a difficult parable, because we sympathise with the third. He was terrified of the master; he froze. But the master’s reaction seems so harsh. There is no ‘Well done good and faithful servant’ for him. But then the story is not about money; it is about trust and faithfulness. I think that if the two servants had made a mess of their investments, the master would still praise them, because they made the effort, whereas the 3rd servant had made no effort, not even to put it into the bank to earn a little interest. As human beings, we have been entrusted with so much, not least the earth itself. We have been given gifts and talents, which we are encouraged to use to the glory of God and for the benefit of those around us. We all have different abilities; some can knit or make soup, some are good with repairs, others are good with people. We are encouraged to use what we have to the full. In Judges, we read of Deborah, who was a charismatic figure with a gift to inspire people, and she inspired the general Barak to confront the superior forces of Sisera and win. No hiding their heads in the sand. We have to use our gifts. Sometimes we get it wrong, but at other times we can surprise ourselves. So it is with the Church: at times of declining numbers and dwindling offerings, we are tempted to play it safe as a church, but Jesus never played it safe. Our resources are God’s and we must use them to spread the Good news. Certainly not bury them in a hole! One more thought: in the parable the 3rd servant froze, and it was due to fear. He had a terrible image of the master as someone harsh and cruel. It occurred to me that some people have a scary image of God. They consider God as judgemental and counting all our misdeeds. But the picture of God given to us in Jesus is one of love and grace, ready to forgive and empower us to be God’s people in the world. We respond by offering our very selves to be used to God’s glory until the day when we hear the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’. Hymn 502 – Take my life and let it be Prayers of Dedication, Thanksgiving and Intercession Loving Lord, we give what we have. We bring who we are. Knowing that it can never be perfect and never enough. Yet We bring our talents. The gifts You have given us, the people You have made us. Knowing that You accept us and love us. Use our lives and our living to build Your people. Use Your people to build a better world Use this world to show the beauty of life with You. God of loving kindness: we give you thanks for moments of joy and celebration in our lives, even amidst the ongoing pandemic: for love given and received, for friendships which bring us meaning and happiness, even at a distance, and for family members who show us glimpses of unconditional love. In all our relationships and interactions, keep us mindful of your call to see you in one another. God of the nations, we pray for our country and the countries of this world, as we all struggle to face the choices COVID-19 sets before us. Guide our leaders that they may govern wisely. We thank you for the news about the vaccine and give thanks for all who have used their skills to develop it. We pray for our Church, and especially today we think of all involved at Crossreach, as they work on the frontline– that Christ might use their hands and their hearts as they offer help, support and a willingness to listen. Help all who experience the care that CrossReach offers: from elderly residents of care homes, to those struggling with emotional well-being, poor mental health or addiction, to children and families facing educational and disability challenges. God of healing: we pray for those who are suffering in these difficult days of pandemic and for those who mourn the loss of someone or something dear. Draw close to all who fear the future. Surround each one with your love and show us how to bring comfort and support into situations of hurt and pain. God of life: you hold all souls in your loving care, the dead as well as the living. We thank you for your saints of every age who continue to inspire us, and for all who have meant the world to us and now live with you. Keep us in communion with them and, at the last, bring us all to dwell together in your light. Amen Hymn 518 – Lift up your hearts Benediction Now may God send us forth to use our gifts in the service of the Kingdom, and may the blessing of God, Creator, redeemer and Sustainer, be with you and with all whom you love, wherever they may be, now and always, Amen  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together for Remembrance Sunday.
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Call to Worship From the darkness of death, God calls us into glorious light. From the tumult of war God call us into the beauty of peace. Children of light, God calls us today to remembrance. In light and in peace We will remember them. Hymn 161 – O God, our help in ages past Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of yesterday, today and forever, You are the God of every generation, and your love endures forever. You have protected us during difficult times, for your compassion is everlasting. In this time of worship, we declare our love and loyalty to you, and offer you our service in prayer, in praise, and in practice, this day and every day. At this solemn season of Remembrance, we are aware of how much war has cost the world you love. In spite of fighting between nations and neighbours, you have come to us in Jesus Christ and want us to experience life in all its fullness. Renew in us the hope that you will turn our swords into ploughshares, and lead the world from the study of war to the promise of peace with justice for all your peoples. God of mercy, with sorrow we confess that in our hearts we keep alive the passions and pride that lead to hatred and war. We are not worthy of your love, nor of the sacrifice made by others on our behalf. Forgive us we pray. Christ died so that we might live. Through his undying love, we have been forgiven. Rejoice in the forgiveness God offers us. Be at peace with God and yourself, and make peace with your neighbours, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Lord’s Prayer Will the congregation please stand, if you are able Let us remember the courage, devotion to duty and self-sacrifice of the men and women of the armed forces and the toil, endurance and suffering of those who were not in uniform. Let us remember those who fell in battle, those buried at sea or in some corner of a foreign field; and especially those we have known and loved, whose place is forever in our hearts. Let us remember those who were our enemies, whose homes and hearts are as bereft as ours. Let us remember those who came back; those whose lives bear the scars of war; who have lost sight or limbs or reason; who have lost faith in God and hope for humanity. Let us remember the continuing grace of God, whose love holds all souls in life, and to whom none is dead but all are alive for ever. They shall grow not old As we who are left grow old; Age shall not weary them Nor the years condemn In the going down of the sun And in the morning We shall remember them. (Silence) Hymn 712 – What shall we pray for those who died Readings – Isaiah 25: 1-8 Matthew 25: 1-13 Weekly Prayer Merciful God, we pray for those fallen in battle who gave their lives in the cause of freedom and in defence of peace and justice. Sovereign Lord as you swallow up death forever, wipe away the tears from all faces; and wash away the wounds of war, violence, and hatred. Help us to remember that Jesus blessed the peacemakers and also that if we really wish for a peaceful world we should honestly pray – “Let it begin with me.” Amen Reflection In the film ‘The History Boys’ by Alan Bennett, a teacher takes the 6th Year boys to a war memorial. He claims that memorials helped people to forget rather than remember, though the boys disagreed with that, and I certainly would too. But it made me wonder how often we stop and look at the names on the memorials here in the church or in our villages. But certainly today is a day to remember. I find it tremendously poignant to read the names, reflect on the stories behind the name and imagine the suffering of these soldiers and indeed of their families. Some are from our own families, and it still hurts, the pain of separation still cuts to the core. The names talk to us of the horror of war which has continued in Korea or Malaya, in Ireland or Afghanistan, and the effect on armed forces and on the local population. JJ Chalmers’ appearance on Strictly Come Dancing reinforces our consciousness of the horrors of war, as he had been badly injured in Afghanistan. In Linton Kirk the memorial to those who fell in the WW1, the names are mentioned but also the places where they died, and that included Gallipoli in Turkey, three died in Gaza in the Middle East, Italy, as well as the Western Front. Boys from the countryside here in the Borders finding themselves in strange places, and dying there. I have been at the commonwealth cemetery in Gaza, where neat rows of white crosses stand in green grass amid the chaos and suffering of life around. The prophet Isaiah talks of war and how the city becomes a heap, a fortified city a ruin. The prophets were used to war – the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians came in waves to conquer Palestine, a never-ending cycle of war, from the time of Cain and Abel, emphasising our failure to co-exist peacefully. But Isaiah also goes on to give a vision of a better future and paints a picture here of a divine banquet, where all the nations will come and be reconciled, and death and suffering will be no more. And it is that vision which we have to hold on to. In the Gospels we read the story of the 10 bridesmaids, waiting for the groom to arrive, and only 5 had enough oil to light their lamps to welcome him. Of course, it was all the groom’s fault for arriving far later than anticipated, and I always felt it was rather churlish of the 5 with the oil, not to share what they had with their friends. But of course, the point was to be watchful. It was for the early Christians to be watchful, ready for Jesus’ coming again, but equally it is for us today to be ever ready to work for peace and reconciliation. We have been blessed with peace, but the world is a volatile place. The elections in America this week show a divided nation, and people prepared for violence in the aftermath. We must be ever-vigilant to see peace and understanding prevail for the flourishing of humanity. One final thought. I was in a home last week and saw a picture on the wall by David Shepherd, who usually paints wildlife scenes. But this was of Christ on the battlefield. It was a scene of utter carnage and the horrors of war, but also of a chaplain holding a service with soldiers kneeling in prayer and right in the middle was Christ. It was so powerful. Christ is in the midst of our deepest suffering and pain, and can still speak to us, for he bears the signs of his own suffering on the cross. His is a love that transcends death. We gather this day and we remember the fallen and those who returned but who would ever be changed by their experiences. But we also commit ourselves ever to work that peace might prevail. Hymn 528 – Make me a channel Prayers of Intercession God of each life and all lives, in every generation you have been present with your people: in times of poverty and prosperity, in times of sorrow and joy, in times of health and pandemic, in times of war and peace. Today, we remember your gracious care in times of crisis, and give thanks for the courage and sacrifice of the women, men and families of the armed forces who have worked for peace, justice and protection in so many different times and places. Support those who have finished their time of service and still face challenges in civilian life. God of mercy, Hear our prayer. God of promise and peace, we thank you for the places where conflicts have ended, peace has been restored and where citizens can enjoy secure freedoms and human rights. Where people are oppressed and dissent restricted, encourage those who witness and work for justice to be established. Give us such creativity that we can shape a brave new world out of the scars of war, give vision and courage to leaders and the United Nations who seek to resolve conflict. God of mercy, Hear our prayer. God of wholeness and hope, we thank you for those called to serve others in their home communities. Especially we give thanks for those in our communities working hard in the face of COVID-19. May they know your protection and show your love in all they do. God of mercy, Hear our prayer. God of Christ in community, we thank you for the dedication of those who serve in the church. May your church always be a place of hope, healing and welcome. Guide our congregation and denomination through these challenging days so that those who turn to us will find us faithful. God of mercy, Hear our prayer. We give thanks for all who have gone before us and who now are with you in your nearer glory. Amen Hymn 192 – All my hope on God is founded Benediction Let us go from this place with minds that never forget, with hearts that grow in hope, with lives that shine Christ’s light. Let us go to serve, to reconcile, to bring peace, and to stand united as children of the light. And may the blessing of God, Creator, Peacemaker, Peacebringer, go with you all, this day and every day. Amen  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together on All Saints Day. Notices:
Today we will be celebrating Holy Communion, and the invitation is for all of us to share this. I invite you to have some bread and wine, or whatever suitable alternative you have, ready for that part of the service. As the gathered people of Jesus together, let’s pause and prepare to worship. Call to Worship Come all who give thanks for the gift of life; Come all who long for a just and happy world; Come all who seek peace and pursue it; And together we will work transforming pain into hope, fear into love and crying into laughter. Hymn 740 – For all the saints (vv 1,2,4) Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of life and blessing, maker of all things and lover of all people, it is our greatest joy to be united in the community of your people, stretching throughout the generations and all around the world you love. In every age you have called women and men to serve you and in serving to reflect your truth and glory. We give thanks for Peter and Paul, for Martha and Mary, for Columba and Margaret and Cuthbert, for all the saints whose lives reflected Christ and who confronted their societies with the claims of the gospel. As we remember the saints, so we are conscious that we sometimes lack their faithfulness, their courage, their commitment. Forgive us our half-heartedness and give us courage that we may be your saints in our own time, faithfully following Jesus, no matter the cost. People of God, know that you are forgiven. Be at peace with God, with yourself and with others. Amen Readings – Isaiah 51: 1-3 Matthew 5: 1-12 Hymn 662 – Jesus thou joy of loving hearts (vv 1,5) Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we thank you for the example of all the saints. Like them may we follow in Your footsteps, with courage and hope, determined to do Your work and live our lives for You. Thank you for meeting with us here in communion and the reminder that Your salvation lasts forever; Your righteousness will never fail. Amen. Reflection Look to the rock from which you were hewn, the quarry from which you were dug. So writes the prophet Isaiah. Look to the past, to your heritage, to the things that have made you the person you are today. I was reminded of that when I attended an exhibition in Yetholm last week about life in the Kale and the Beaumont and the College Valleys. Activities and people from the past, but they grounded the present. Today is All Saints Day, and so as a Church we are encouraged to look at our heritage and what makes us the Church today. As a church, we are Reformed and always reforming. Our heads are not stuck looking behind us, but rather we look ahead. However, we always learn from the past, and as Christians we can be inspired by so many of those who went before us, the saints. Some are well known: disciples and apostles – the Andrews, Peters, Lydias. Others are the Mary Slessors or Eric Liddells, whose stories inspired, well certainly my adolescence. There are also many anonymous people who down the centuries lived out faithfully the Kingdom values, while I am sure all of us can think of people who deeply touched our lives with their love and insights and values and influenced who we are today. Today is a day to remember the saints, and so it is appropriate to have communion today. At communion I always feel a sense of connectedness: a connectedness with our Lord Jesus, as we reflect on his sacrifice on the cross, but also a connectedness with the church past and present, as we ‘join with the whole company of heaven to sing the angel song’. I feel connected with those who have gone before, with the saints. But I also feel connected with the church worldwide, worshipping today in big cathedrals or under trees in the African Bush, worshipping in so many different ways, with those in the church in Nice, where a terrorist killed three people this week. There is a modern church in Palestine which has its walls covered with pictures of the saints with haloes, but the part I liked was of 20th century saints in 20th century clothes, but there was one without a halo, and that was of Desmond Tutu, and he didn’t have a halo because he was still alive. He would never claim to be saintly, but the light shines wonderfully through him; The wonderful thing about the saints is that they are not perfect: they are a mix of good and not so good like us. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said that every saint has a past, and every sinner a future. The saints are ordinary people. As one hymn has it, ‘The saints of God are down our street…They serve at check-outs, empty bins, they teach and make and mend… to voiceless folk they lend an ear and immigrants befriend’. And they invite us to make a response. The spotlight on All Saints Day is not only on the heroes of the past, but also on us today, as we live out the Kingdom values, as seen in the Beatitudes, which is sometimes called the manifesto of sainthood. The saints, for all their understated readiness, let God’s power shine through them. How is God calling us to do the same? Prayers of Dedication & Intercession Loving God we thank you for the many blessings you give us. Help us in turn to give back a token of your love for us in the giving of our time, our efforts and also in our offering, as we seek to shine forth your love. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor.” We pray for those who find themselves on the margins of society and the economy, for all struggling to make ends meet, especially at this difficult time. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” We pray for people and communities facing famine and drought, as well as the pandemic. Give strength to agencies like Christian Aid dedicated to empowering others. Move us to share what we have with those who have so much less. Christ, you blessed the peacemakers. We pray for those who work for peace and reconciliation in a divided world. We pray for areas of tension and remember Nigeria. We also commit before you the people of the United States as they elect a new president. Jesus, you blessed those who weep. We pray for those around the world and in our community who are dying, and for those who weep for their loved ones who have died. We name in silence those on our hearts this day, including thanking you for the saints, those who have gone before us. Amen Hymn 19 – Ye Gates Communion As we come to share in Holy Communion, we bring the bread and wine that we prepared earlier and pause as we prepare to share in this meal with one another. Invitation: In our own homes, at our own tables, we meet with Jesus. At our own tables, Jesus calls us to meet him. He welcomes us without the need for show, without the need to be what others expect us to be, without any baggage that might be weighing us down. Come and drink of the love of God, which has been poured out for each of us; Come and taste the bread – the bread which never spoils, which never grows mouldy. Come and share, come and experience, come and see. Narrative: We hear again the story of that night: While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body’. Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I tell you, I will never again drink the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’ (Mark 14: 22-24) We are the friends of Jesus today. He invites us to break bread together, to remember him and to pray that God’s Kingdom will come. 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 Thank you, loving God, for these gifts which we share and for the love that you give to us. We meet with you here filled with your promise of welcome and community. So, we gather here as we are, as you need us to be and as you have called. Long ago, you welcomed your people to you and made known your greatness and glory; you sought out the outcast, you welcomed the stranger, you reached outside society’s expectations, beyond tradition and though the power of empire. 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. Help us to be mirrors of your glory, to be the people that you need us to be so that we can shine as beacons of hope and love in your world. Transforming God, we thank you that your Holy Spirit meets with us and we pray that she will take these human-made gifts and symbols: Wheat harvested, baked and prepared; Grapes picked, trodden and transformed and make them for us your body broken and shared and your blood spilt and poured out and offered. For all that we are offered here, we thank God, as we gather at our own tables, as we hear again the story, and as we consider the signs of Jesus’s love for us: the cross a sign of Jesus’ arm stretched out in love His empty tomb a declaration that God’s love is greater than human power and stronger than death. 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’ Jesus, Lamb of God: have mercy on us. Jesus, bearer of our sins: have mercy on us. Jesus, redeemer of the world: 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 739 – The Church’s one foundation (vv1,4) Benediction In solidarity with the saints We have shared this meal In confidence with the faithful We have gathered our prayers In faithfulness with those whom you love You have made your presence known and we have been fed And may the blessing of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you and those whom you love, now and forevermore. Amen.
 The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together on the 21st Sunday after Pentecost (the last of the Pentecost Sundays!)
Notices:
Call to Worship The wisdom of God calls to us, from the heights, along the paths, and at the crossroads. Come into God’s presence to worship, sing, and pray. From our scattered places we come. Let us worship God Hymn 465 – Be thou my vision Prayers of Adoration and Confession God, gracious and loving, holy and eternal,Your love is steadfast, your presence ever near,yet you come to us in surprising ways and unexpected places.Your love is older than time and as fresh as the morning dew.Your patience is unending, your faithfulness to us unmatched.Your name has come to us through the centuries,yet you can always do a new thing to draw us back to you.God, Creator, Christ and Spirit,we offer you our prayers and praise this dayIn humble expectation,hoping you will surprise us here and refresh our readiness to serve you. God, gracious and merciful, holy and healing, You know our hearts, the times we have truly loved one another and those times when we merely tolerated each other. You know our minds, the times we have truly focused on you and the times when we pursued our own purposes. You know our stories, the times we have followed you faithfully and the times we went our own way. Forgive our wavering discipleship and half-hearted service, and renew our commitment to live lives marked by your grace. People of God, we are forgiven people, set free from our past failures to make a fresh start this day and every day. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love God and to love others. Thanks be to God for such everlasting mercy and grace! Lord’s Prayer Readings: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8 Matthew 22: 34-46 Hymn 532 – Lord, you have come to the seashore Weekly Prayer Gracious God, at the start of this new week, recognising your trust in us, help us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. Make us always more ready to please you as we seek to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Amen. Reflection I went to Galloway last weekend on a short break, and one of the places I visited was Threave Gardens. I don’t know if anyone has been there. The gardens are beautiful, especially with the autumn colours, and in the centre of the gardens is the old house. The property was left to the National Trust in the 50s, as the owner had no family. They were going to pull the house down, as Scots Baronial was out of fashion at the time, but instead they used it as a training school for young gardeners. It was a lovely legacy, and now the gardens can be enjoyed by so many people. What legacy do we leave? When we look at the Bible there are so many figures who, you could say, left their legacy, for good or occasionally for not so good (the Jezebels or Pilates come to mind). But certainly, the apostle Paul left a gigantic legacy, as the church came to birth. Paul is a very complex character. He was very single-minded, tireless in his travels, sometimes abrasive, certainly controversial, but his letters to the various churches have shaped the theology and much of the practice of the Church. Many theologians including the Reformers like Luther and Calvin and Knox, looked to Paul and his writings. In some countries of the world, like Germany, the United States and New Zealand, today is called Reformation Sunday, as it was the end of October that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church at Wittenberg, which is seen as the start of the Reformation. Today we read from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, which is actually the earliest writing in the New Testament, written before any of the Gospels, and one thing which stands out is that Paul suffered for the Gospel. He was a Roman citizen, had status, but despite that, he had been beaten and thrown into jail. He knew what suffering was and was prepared to accept it for the sake of spreading the Gospel message. But the other thing which stands out in this passage goes against the more confrontational image we often have of Paul, for here we are told he was gentle with the people, like a mother nursing her children. It is very feminine language, very caring, very relational. Paul realised that in order to tell people the Good news of Jesus Christ, he had to draw alongside them and relate to them. He could preach all he wanted to on a Sunday or whenever, but it was how he lived his life alongside them through the week that would convince them. We find this in the Gospel reading, where Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment was. He answered immediately – to love the lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, With all your being, 100%. But then follows it with ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. In other words, it is about how we relate to God and how we relate to one another. And that is hard. Some people can be very difficult to like or can rub us up the wrong way – but that person is made in the image of God too, so we have to love them. Paul gave of himself for the Gospel, to the point of being beaten and thrown in jail. We too are called to give of ourselves by loving God – and, by extension, loving those around. Some call this radical empathy, which means working to create a good and caring and inclusive society, conscious for the care of all, and caring for our world. It calls us to challenge situations and structures which contribute to injustice and cause pain. What will our legacy be? It is always a big question. But to me, love for God and others is central, and all else follows from that. Hymn 718 – We cannot measure how you heal Prayers of Dedication, Thanksgiving and Intercession Loving God, you give to us beyond measure, you give to us without counting the cost. Accept whatever giving we can offer and use it that life may flourish and your Kingdom community come. Faithful God and Holy Friend, We do not have enough words to thank you for all you have given us and the love you share with us in Christ Jesus. In the silence of this time, help us review the week just past, remembering the ways we encountered you—in the beauty of creation, the support of friends, the wisdom of books, the joy of music, the energy of exercise, through study and prayer. (A time of silence is kept.) Be with us as the months of pandemic continue. Give us patience to keep each other safe and make us attentive to the needs of those around us. In silence we name before you those finding these days especially difficult. (A time of silence is kept.) God of justice and leadership, We pray for our country and all other nations facing immense challenges with COVID-19. Guide decision makers and keep the hearts of those with resources open to those who do not have enough. We pray for places where justice is lacking, where violence threatens, or leaders are untrustworthy. Strengthen voices of wisdom and acts of courageous compassion to tend the needs of people most at risk. We pray for those who are feeling lonely or isolated. Comfort them with Your presence. Help us to create community, safe spaces of comfort in these difficult times. We pray for those who are anxious and suffering from mental health issues. God, comfort them with Your peace. May they hear words of calm and not chaos. May they hear words of gentleness and not confusion. We pray for those who mourn. God, comfort them with Your love. May memories comfort and console. (A time of silence is kept.) God of grace and guidance, You call us to be your hands and feet, your voice and comfort in the world, following the example of Jesus. Equip us to respond to the needs around us in his name and make us bold to get started right here and right now. And in this moment of quiet, we bring to You our own concerns and prayers… Amen Hymn 130 – Ye servants of God Benediction Go now – back to your home, back to family, friends, and colleagues. Take God’s spirit with you and share the word you heard God speak to you today. May the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you, be with those you love and those whom we are called to love, now and forevermore. Amen  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost (we are steadily getting through the Pentecost Sundays!)
Notices:
Call to Worship Blessed be God, who creates out of nothing, shapes beauty out of chaos and breathes life in to dust. Blessed be God, who gives each person a purpose, Calling the young for their energy And the old for their wisdom; affirming forgotten worth, identifying hidden potential, redeeming deep regrets. Blessed be God forever. Hymn 97 – O God, you search me and you know me Prayers of Adoration and Confession Holy God, the mystery of your presence stretches far beyond us, yet we know you draw near to us in Christ, walking beside us, guiding us with wisdom, loving us with boundless grace. Your Spirit encourages us as we follow Christ and gives us the energy and insight we need to serve you. Holy God, we are glad to gather in your presence, to be embraced by your mystery and your mercy. For we confess we do need your mercy. We claim to be your people, but we forget to love as you do. We claim to seek your guidance, but we often turn from your ways. We ask for your forgiveness, but we fail to forgive as you forgive. We claim to listen for your Word, but we ignore your wisdom. Hear us as, in this silence, we offer you our personal confessions: (A time of silence is kept.) Forgive us, God of mystery and mercy, amend who we are and direct who you would have us be for the sake of Christ, our Saviour and Friend. Friends, the good news never gets old. God knows us and loves us. We are forgiven, loved and set free to start again. Thanks be to God! Lord’s Prayer Reading – Matthew 22: 15-22 Hymn 489 – Come down, O Love Divine Weekly Prayer Gracious God, you have called and chosen us to spread the Good News of your son to the world. As we go out to another week help us to give the message of Faith, Love and Hope to all we meet, at home, at work, in our leisure time and in our community. Amen Reflection I mentioned a few months ago about how I had started over the lockdown period to collect stamps again. But I have never really collected coins or banknotes, though some people do. But our Gospel reading this morning revolves round a coin, and it made me look at some of the coins I still have from my travels. Of course, in Britain we have the Queen’s head on our coins and notes, and I have a couple of Jordanian coins, bearing King Abdullah’s head. But Israeli or Egyptian coins and most of my Euro coins have only symbols. The coin in our reading this morning was probably a denarius, and it bore the image of Caesar on it. What’s more, it would have an inscription ‘Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus’. Both image and inscription would be anathema to the Jews. Remember the 2nd commandment – Don’t make graven images. A graven image was a sign of idolatry. But also, the coin was a reminder that they were under occupation, and this coin was imposed by the Romans. Jesus had become a thorn in the side of various groups in Palestine. His message appealed to the people, but undermined their authority. They wanted rid of him, and the coin gave them the perfect way to trap him, and so there was an unholy alliance of Pharisees, who were really quite radical and anti-Roman, and Herodians, who were very conservative and sought to accommodate Rome. They held up the coin and asked ‘Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar or not?’. If Jesus answered Yes, pay the tax, then the crowd would be annoyed. The Pharisees would condemn him as supporting Rome. But if he said No, don’t pay the tax, the Herodians would brand him as a tax rebel and troublemaker. They had caught him, or so they thought..! I admire Jesus’ quick thinking. He asked for the coin, asked whose head was on it and said ‘Pay unto Caesar, the things which belong to Caesar, but render unto God, the things that belong to God’. And his accusers were silent. All life belongs to God, and so we pay our tribute to God, in the ways of in which we live our lives, in our time and talents, in our creativity and morality, our kindness and in our whole being. The coin bore Caesar’s image, and so belonged to him. But here we are reminded that we are made in the image of God. We bear God’s image and belong to God. What’s more, through baptism we bear the name of Christ. That’s something to remember, for as Christ’s followers, we represent him on earth, whether we be at home or at work or at leisure – we bear the image of God and should let nothing tarnish it. When we are tempted to compromise our values – stop and remember we are made in God’s image and belong to Christ. When we are tested and are tempted to do wrong things. Stop and remember we bear God’s image and belong to Christ, for the Caesars of this world are ever keen to rule our lives, but we belong to God. As we carry on through this difficult time, let us be reassured. We belong to God; God’s stamp is on us, and because of that we are never alone. Hymn 769 – holy, holy, holy (Argentinian Sactus) Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession God of abundance, we bring what we have to share, the fruit of our lives, a portion of your goodness to us. Bless our gifts and our lives, so that generosity and justice will join hands and your goodness will be shared with those in need. God of our hearts and our hopes, As the season continues to change and harvests are gathered, we thank you for the beauty around us, for brilliant colours, birds flying south, the crackle of fallen leaves, and the rhythms of this time of year. We are grateful for your steadfast love amid so much that changes. This autumn, we also face unpredictable changes as the pandemic continues. Draw close to those who find the uncertainty unsettling and help us preserve our connection to you and to each other. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. God of our imaginations and insights, We thank you for all the ways you inspire human minds to create things which improve the lives of your people. We are grateful for all the medical efforts taken to manage COVID-19, and for the scientists testing vaccines. Give them perseverance and success. Guide politicians and policy makers so that breakthroughs and resources are shared with the most vulnerable. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. God of neighbours and neighbourhoods, We praise you for everyone working to build and maintain healthy communities: for teachers and healthcare workers, construction workers, farmers and labourers. So many have had their workplaces changed and their livelihoods threatened by the pandemic. Give them perseverance and encouragement. Make us good neighbours to all who serve our community and remind us to say thank you. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. God of comfort and compassion, We pray for all those who are struggling this autumn, whatever the reason. We remember before you those facing illness or waiting for treatment… those who have lost income and worry about winter expenses and shelter… those who are grieving the loss of someone close… and those whose mental health is under pressure these days… Awaken your people around the world to attend to the needs of those at risk in our communities so that they will know your comfort and compassion God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Silence Amen Hymn 476 – Mine eyes have seen the glory Benediction Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and the Blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you and all whom you love, wherever they may be, now and forevermore, Amen  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together on the 19th Sunday after Pentecost.
Notices:
Call to Worship We are the eyes of Christ Seeing as Christ sees We are the lips of Christ Speaking with love We are the hands of Christ Serving with love Hymn 251 – I the Lord of sea and sky Prayers of Adoration and Confession Generous and forgiving God ,you are the first and the last, the giver of all good things .Your glory is endless; your power, incomparable. Your love stretches wider than the universe, your mercy reaches beyond the heights of heaven. We gather with hearts thankful for the abundance of your creation to worship and adore you. Inspire us by this time of worship, that our hearts overflow with praise each and every day. May our lives reflect our gratitude to you in the ways we share your abundant love in Jesus’ name. Let us confess our sins before God. Generous and loving God, we confess that in a world where many do not have enough, we enjoy more than we need. In a world where many live in fear, we take peace for granted. In a world where many have lost hope, we become indifferent to despair and grumble about small things. Forgive us, merciful God, and transform our lives to shine with the generosity, peace and hope you offer us in Christ Jesus. Friends, while it is true we have all sinned, it is a greater truth that we are forgiven through God’s love in Jesus Christ. To all who humbly seek the mercy of God I say, in Jesus Christ our sin is forgiven. Be at peace with God, with yourself and with one another. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Philippians 4: 1-9 Matthew 5: 38-48 Hymn 336 – Christ is our light Weekly Prayer Faithful God, as we move into the coming week to live and work for the Gospel, help us to concentrate our thoughts on whatever is true, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Help us to travel onwards with our eyes fixed on Jesus willing to go the extra mile, and may we know your peace with us. Amen. Reflection At the General Assembly last week, the Youth moderator gave her report, and she talked about how she had travelled to Zambia to visit one of the projects being supported by the Guild. It is a project, supporting young mothers in a particularly poor area of the capital, Lusaka, a shanty town with makeshift roads and few amenities. But the youth moderator spoke of how, within a few minutes of her arrival, she found herself dancing. The young mothers had immediately burst into song, drums were beating and everyone started to dance. I can well imagine it. They would be wearing colourful chitenge cloth around them, tying their babies to their backs, so the babies would be dancing as well! These are young women who had probably left school early, who would struggle to get by, and yet who put their troubles aside and exude the joy of being a Christian in song and in movement. And who would have been given much hope through the Guild’s support. Paul in his letter to the church in Philippi says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice. Paul had a soft spot for this church, and there is a warmth of feeling in his words. I visited the site of Philippi some years ago- it is now just ruins, its glory faded. But nearby is a chapel by a river, marking the place where Lydia was baptised along with her household. She was a dealer in the expensive purple dye and a prominent member of the early church. But in the passage this morning we read of two other women. There was obviously a disagreement between them, which needed to be resolved. They held different views, but they had to come together for the good of the church. But the thing that strikes me is that they had leadership positions in the church and had been co-workers with Paul. This was a church where women were very active. Today is Guild Sunday, and we remember the work of the Guild in the life of the church. Nowadays the Guild is not only for women, but also men, and I am always tremendously impressed by energy and devotion of the Guild. In the rallies and meetings there is a real sense of joy, as they enjoy fellowship with one another and with God, but also it is an organisation which is very much on the move and one which is committed to showing God’s love in action. They choose 6 projects for a 3 year period and raise phenomenal sums of money. Projects like the young mothers in Zambia or street children in India – or nearer to home, tackling loneliness with CrossReach or supporting chaplains to sailors. The Guild have had their theme of ‘One Journey, many roads’, and this year they are looking in particular at the ‘Extra Mile’. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount encouraged his followers to go the extra mile. Rome occupied Palestine at the time of Jesus, and Roman soldiers could pressgang someone to carry their load, but only for a mile. Jesus is saying to go beyond that and carry it for an extra mile. Go beyond what is required, in other words. It is all part of Christ’s upside-down world. The Guild certainly seek to go the extra mile, doing more than expected. As followers of Christ, all of us have to surprise the world by the joy in our souls, but also by exceeding expectations; by being a voice to the voiceless, by being a companion on the road, by showing the love of Jesus Christ -in the words of the Guild motto, ‘whose we are and whom we serve’. Taize Chant – In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Gracious God, we present our gifts to you as tokens of our thanksgiving for all we have received from your hand. Bless these gifts and multiply them, just as Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to bless others. Use our gifts and our energy to share your love in our community and around your world, for the sake of Christ our Lord. Gracious Father, we give thanks for all those who have walked that extra mile for us over our lifetime – the nurturing when we were young, the extra time taken with us when we were learning new skills, the kind word and helping hand when we were struggling with life’s problems. We ask for Your help and guidance that we too can walk an extra mile for others in the loving and generous spirit of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, we think about Your Church here in Scotland. This is a time of radical change and we ask for Your guidance for those at local, presbytery and national level - giving them wisdom as they seek to discern Your will. May we all be willing to support, change and move forward to meet the needs of today. Be with young people in every country in the world. Guide them in their work and studies. Let them use their gifts and talents and ideas to Your glory. Give guidance to all who work with young people, whatever their age. Give them wisdom to know what each child needs. We pray for our country as new restrictions come into effect and pray that all may work together to combat this virus. Help us to encourage one another. We pray for our world, remembering the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where tensions are high. We also pray for the United States as the election nears. Silence Amen Hymn 449 – Rejoice the Lord is King Benediction As we travel the road of life, lead us, Heavenly Father. As we journey the path of faith, uphold us, Christ the Son. As we meet all joys and sorrows, fill us Holy Spirit. Be with us now and always Bless us, three in one. Amen  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together in this new month of October and on the 18th Sunday after Pentecost.
The podcast of this service can be accessed on the website.
This is the day that the Lord has made Let us rejoice and be glad in it It is good to give thanks to the Lord For God’s love endures forever Hymn 200 – Christ is made the sure foundation (vv1,2) Prayers of Adoration and Confession Steadfast God, As the seasons change, we see that you are still at work in the world, transforming hearts and situations. We praise you for all you do to repair injustice, bringing peace to places of hostility, working for goodness to prevail among neighbours and nations. You have shown us the true face of power in Jesus Christ, reaching out with healing and hope to touch desperate lives. Let us see the face of Christ in this time of worship, and fill us with renewed energy and insight this autumn, so that we can join in your work to bring justice and joy into the world you love, in Jesus’ name. Lord of love, today we confess our sin of indifference. Too often we turn away so we don’t have to see pain, suffering or injustice, even when the evidence is right before our eyes. We don’t like to feel uncomfortable. We don’t want to feel responsible. In your great mercy, forgive us, Lord. Teach us a new way to live. Give us courage to love others as you love us, and to respond to the cries of others with the humility we have witnessed in Jesus. The prophet Micah declared that God requires of us these three things: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. To all who humbly seek reconciliation with God and neighbour, God offers forgiveness and peace. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Philippians 3:4b-13 Matthew 21: 33-46 Hymn SGP 72 – Lord, Jesus Christ, you have come to us (1,4) Weekly Prayer Almighty God and loving heavenly Father, we pray for our Church; that Christ may be the cornerstone of all that we do in his name. May we, his living church be the solid blocks of a spiritual community which continues to hold fast in the knowledge of Christ and the power of his resurrection in an ever-secular world. Amen Reflection It was a triathlon race. The participants had been swimming, cycling and now it was the running. The person in front had won, and the one in 2nd place was clear of his rival – but he seemed to take a wrong turning, allowing his rival the opportunity to win silver. But his rival stopped before the line to allow the one who had taken the wrong turning to cross ahead of him. It was only fair, he said. It happened just a couple of weeks ago, and it was a marvellous example of sportsmanship. The fact that it hit the headlines shows how unusual it was. Paul in his letter to the Philippians uses the image of a race, and how he strains, using all his energy, to attain the prize, which is to live in Christ. There is a real sense of determination and single-mindedness here, as Paul discards all the ‘baggage’ that he carries, in order to achieve his goal. Some of that determination is needed in the Church at this time. The General Assembly will have met this weekend. Usually this is a weeklong meeting in Edinburgh, but this year it is one and a half days online. But as you may have seen in some of the newspapers, the Kirk has to make some difficult decisions, especially since income has fallen during this lockdown period. There will be pressure on the number of buildings we have, and also presbyteries will have to assess the number of ministries there will be. It is not necessarily negative, but it is the church having to do things differently, and this lockdown period has brought it to the fore. But we also need to have that determination to pursue the things of the Kingdom, the values of peace and justice in a world which is too often violent. This week a policeman, nearing retirement and involved in the community, was shot dead in a police station. Meanwhile there was the presidential debate in America, which did nothing to reassure its citizens or to calm the violence which has affected so many American cities recently. The parable in our Gospel reading today is a violent one. A landowner had a vineyard and does everything possible for it to yield good crops. He is going away, so he rents it out. But when he sends his servants to collect what is due to him, they are not received well. In fact, the opposite. They are abused and beaten up. The owner sends more, but they are even killed. So the owner sends his son and heir. After what happened to the servants, we may be surprised at this, but the owner felt they would honour his son – but they kill him too. Of course, bells are ringing, for the setting of the parable is during Holy Week and we know that Jesus will himself be killed the son of God, the owner of the vineyard. We also have a sneaking suspicion of our responsibility in this, for we have been poor stewards of the vineyard, of God’s good earth. But at the end of the parable, Jesus asks the crowd is what should the owner do to those tenant farmers? They reply that the tenants be killed. Meet violence with violence in other words. But what would Jesus do? Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey of peace, Jesus would comfort the mourning and heal the brokenness of humanity that he saw all around him and confront the injustices. And as those baptised into the Kingdom, we are called to do the same, as we strain towards the goal. We are called to agents of healing and love in the brokenness of our world – a world broken by racism, by poor stewardship of earth, by hatred and violence. We look to Jesus and see how he lived, and we follow his example. Hymn 231 – For the fruits of all creation (1,2) Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Generous God all we have has come from you and so we give just a little back: our money, but also our time, our talents, our very lives. We ask you to bless both the gift and giver through Jesus Christ our Lord. Loving Lord, we are living in strange and uncertain times. It feels as if everything we were sure of now fills us with fear and doubt. Yet throughout it all you remain constant, the great unchangeable I AM. Still there is much in our world that we would want to pray for. We pray for those working on the frontline, especially in our NHS and those working towards a cure and a vaccine for Covid 19. We remember all those people and professions who previously we may have taken for granted. We pray that this new-found respect continues even as our lives return to some normality. We continue to think of our shopworkers, delivery drivers and refuse collectors and many, many more. We bring before you those areas of the world which have largely disappeared from our screens, replaced by news closer to home: continued fighting in Syria and Yemen and Libya; refugees and asylum seekers who have been particularly affected by the pandemic; the proposed annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel. We pray for the Church throughout the world, and especially the Church of Scotland after its General Assembly. Grant her wisdom and steadfastness at this difficult time. We pray for those who usually sit next to us, in front of us and behind us. Although distanced, may we feel each other’s presence in our lives. We spend a moment in silence, recalling those we know who particularly need our prayers at this time ... Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers, Amen Hymn 137 – All things bright and beautiful (1,4) Benediction The blessing of God who speaks our name The blessing of God who sits at our table The blessing of God who knows us Be with you and be with all whom you love this day, this week And forever. Amen  The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those joining us in other places too! You are all very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together for our service for Harvest Thanksgiving.
Notices:
The land has yielded its harvest: God our God has blessed us. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice Hymn 233 – Come, ye thankful people, come (vv1,2) Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of harvest time we gather together today as Your people and Your church to celebrate and to give thanks for the harvest that we have been fortunate enough to share in. Enable us to be fruitful in our worship and to praise You with joyful hearts. Father in heaven, all good gifts come from you. You send the sunshine and the rain, and it is through your love and care that we enjoy the harvest. Thank you for providing so richly for our needs and help us to share the good things we have with those who have little or nothing. Let us confess our forgetfulness of God, our failure to give thanks and the ways in which we have wasted the gifts of creation. We confess to you our lack of care for the world you have given us. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. We confess to you our selfishness in not sharing the earth's bounty fairly. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. We confess to you our failure to protect resources for others. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. May God show us mercy, restore us in God’s likeness and give us generous hearts and lives. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Ruth 2: 8-12 Luke 12: 13-21 Hymn 230 – Praise God for the Harvest (1,3,5) Weekly Prayer Heavenly Father, may we come to know the wisdom that comes from heaven which is first of all pure; peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Help us to become peacemakers who sow in peace in order to raise a harvest of righteousness. Amen. Reflection It has been wonderful to see the tractors and combines out in the fields around us over these last few weeks – bringing in the harvest. It is always a special time of year, and although harvest really goes on all year now and there are many kinds of harvests, such as animals and fish, it is always good to have a day in the year to stop and give thanks. Many of the books of the Bible were written in agricultural settings, and Jesus in his parables often used examples from farming life – like the story today of the rich farmer, who had a bumper harvest and wanted to build more and more barns to put his crops in. But his philosophy was one of ‘Eat, drink and be merry’. Look out for No 1 first – and number is SELF. An attitude obviously that Jesus condemned. But in the reading from Ruth, we met another farmer, Boaz. Again, he seems quite prosperous. He has land, and in the snapshot we have of him, he is enjoying a good harvest. No doubt like all farmers, he would have his anxieties; the weather, the fear of a plague of locusts which would destroy the crop, and even war. Just like farmers today worry about the weather and climate change and various diseases and bank loans. But Boaz was not like the farmer in the parable, thinking only of himself. He cared for his workers, but also for the poor in the community. The Law always encouraged Israelites to care for the widow and the orphan and the stranger, and at harvest time some of the harvest was left for them to glean or to gather. In fact, it still happens in Israel today. Boaz very much kept the law, and when he saw Ruth, a young woman, a widow and a foreigner, he encouraged his workers not to take advantage of her and also to leave her enough to gather and to take home. He was a good man, Boaz. For Ruth she was vulnerable as a young widow far from home, standing ‘amid the alien corn’ with only her mother-in-law to look after her, but because of Boaz’ kind treatment of her, she felt welcomed and soon became part of the community. An example for us all to take to heart. Angela is also a widow and also feeling vulnerable. She grows coffee in Nicaragua in Central America, but the climate is changing, and it has become hotter and that has affected the growth of her crop. There are new pests, and Angela is losing more and more each year. She has two daughters, and life in hard. But Christian Aid has helped to set up a cooperative in her village, and they have now diversified their crops and switched to growing climate-resistant cocoa. Suddenly everything is good, and they can look to the future with hope. Another Harvest voice is Alwyn, a father of two from Northern Ireland. He had lost his job and found himself on a downward spiral. There was rent to pay, bills kept coming in, there were school trips to fund, but some days there was just no money for food and he found himself in a dark place. Often he would just give his daughters sugar to keep up their stamina and lots of water to keep them hydrated. He was referred to the local food bank and felt embarrassed going. But he was met with a welcome smile, a cup of coffee and given a bag of food. A few weeks later it was Christmas, and the family were given a bag of treats. Alwyn has since found a good job, and the family are on a stable footing, but he was so impressed by the Food Bank. At Harvest we give thanks to God for providing us with food to eat, but we are encouraged to look beyond ourselves and see those in our wider community and those overseas who struggle to make ends meet, and especially at this time of Covid-19, and reach out with love and practical assistance. Hymn 232 – Pears and Apples Prayers of Dedication, Thanksgiving and Intercession God of all creation, we praise and give thanks for all that You have given to us in our lives. We thank You for the beauty of the countryside around, for hills and rivers and fields and rolling landscapes. We thank You for the orchards, the grazing pastures and the rich soil for cultivation. We thank You for all those who work the land and sea to provide food to feed us; for farmers who grow crops and produce livestock with love and care and those fishing the deep oceans. We thank You God for the rich variety of food that comes from all across the world. We pray today for farmers and farm-workers, especially those we know in our parish. We pray for them in the heat of summer and in the wet and cold of winter, as they tend their stock daily and cultivate their fields, as they manage the hedges, woodland and waterways. We pray for safety in a hazardous industry, encouragement for the solitary and anxious, and a fair price for their products. Generous God, as we celebrate Your goodness to us in Scotland, we also remember the plight of those abroad, and especially those whose harvests have failed. We pray for those whose land or crops have been affected by floods, drought or fire, by pests and disease. For those whose families are hungry and for those who have no seed or livestock for the future. We also remember those who are dependent on food banks. Help us to be generous givers – of our money, food and time, as Christian disciples in this place, and show us how to be stewards of the resources of Your world, for the benefit of all people. We continue to remember our country and all the countries of the world at this time of pandemic. Be with all who lead and grant ever wisdom, and help us to be ever considerate to the needs and health of others. Be with those in countries where medical professionals are few and where facilities in hospitals and clinics are limited. Be with all who are sick at this time and grant healing we pray. Silence Amen Hymn 229 – We plough the fields and scatter (1,3) Benediction May God who clothes the lilies and feeds the birds of the air, who leads the lambs to their pasture and the deer to still waters, lead us, feed us and change us to reflect the glory of our Creator. And may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, rest upon you and upon those whom you love and those whom we are called to love, now and for ever Amen |
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