The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those listening in other places too! You are very welcome. This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well. Come, people of God, let us worship together for our service for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost.
 

Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed HERE
  
• The Roots material for today can be accessed HERE
  
• Presbytery will make an inspection this coming week with regard to the re-opening of Morebattle and Yetholm churches. It may be that we will be able to hold communal worship, though we will not be able to sing at first! Please check  the website and boards for details.
  
• Congratulations to Margaret Rustad who won 1st prize in the national Guild’s short story competition. You can read it in the summer edition of the ‘Cheviot’.
• We join with all the other denominations in Scotland to light a candle at 7pm.
• Our singing is led by Heather and Gordon

Call to Worship
The seed is sown and the crop is grown.
Come, Lord, strengthen us as we grow in you.
The rain hydrates and the sun radiates.
Come, Lord, quench our thirst in the warmth of your love.
The land is tilled and the flour milled.
Come, Lord, refine us by your Spirit.
Come let us worship the Living God as the seed of the Word is sown here with us today.
 
Hymn 739 – The Church’s one foundation
 
Prayers of Approach and Confession
Almighty God, You are the light of the minds that know you,
you are the strength of those who serve you,
you are the rest of those who seek you.
 
God in whom we live and move and have our being,
In worship we come and pause in your presence--
to rest from our work and responsibilities,
to rest from our play and distractions,
to rest from our fears and concerns.
Receive our love and attention in this time of worship
so that we enjoy your attention to our lives in this world you love.
 
Merciful God, we often appear to be choked by greed and selfishness We confess that we indulge ourselves and ignore the needs of others. We are quick to protect what we believe is our own and forget to share the bounty you have so generously provided for us. We have ignored the opportunities for bringing the love you have shown to our neighbours and those in need. Forgive us, we pray. In your mercy, give us wisdom to walk in your ways, the will to seek things that truly matter, and the grace to renew relationships with you and with one another.
 
St. Paul reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free from the power of sin and death. We are forgiven, so let us live our lives, forgiving one another. Amen
 
Lord’s Prayer
 
Readings – Genesis 25: 19-34
                    Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23
 
Hymn 623 Here in this place, new light is streaming
 
Weekly Prayer by Arthur and Kathleen:
Everlasting God, we bring our prayers to you, Lord of all nations, asking that your blessing of love and peace may be known to all people everywhere.  Creator God, we are your chosen stewards of this beautiful world; you provide us with seed and soil to sow.  Help us to bear abundant fruit from the seeds of potential that you have planted within us.   Amen
 
Reflection
Margaret Rustad from Yetholm was recently awarded first prize in the Guild competition for her story ‘The Journey’. It told of a woman Suzanne travelling to Australia to see her terminally ill sister. It is a story of sisters coming together and sharing stories from the past, cementing their close relationship, even though they had lived so far apart for 50 years and preparing themselves for the sister’s final journey, that of dying.
 
This lockdown period has made us reflect upon the important things of life. And family would be right at the top. Most families are good at keeping in touch, others less so. Occasionally at funerals I have, however, been saddened when it becomes apparent that families have lost touch and only realise too late the importance of the family bond.
 
Some families are of course dysfunctional. That is not a modern thing: one of the best examples of a dysfunctional family is the one we read about this morning in Genesis – Isaac, Rebekah and their twin sons, and today we focus on the boys. Twins are usually very close, with a special bond and fierce devotion to each other but in this case Esau and Jacob were rivals, competing even in their mother’s womb. Physically they were different, with Esau hairy and red-haired, while Jacob was smooth-skinned. Their personalities were different too. Esau liked the outdoor life. He was a hunter and was strong. Jacob, on the other hand, used his brain, though often in ways to trick people. He would deceive his blind father later in the next chapter, but in our story today he famously persuades his brother to sell his birthright for a plate of lentil soup. We instinctively feel sorry for Esau, though I suppose it was ultimately his choice, and he chose the soup over his birthright, which involved being head of the family and inheriting all of the property. Jacob was a second son, even if by only a few minutes. He was an underdog, struggling to make his way in life and using the means at his disposal, namely his brains, to do so. But he sowed the seeds of rivalry and of deceit, and that would grow into division and enmity and which only would be resolved far later in life. We have to watch what we sow.
 
In our Gospel reading we read the well-known parable of the Sower. I think the farmers in this area would be more professional about how they sowed their seed. The farmer Jesus talked about was quite extravagant, indeed reckless, broadcasting the seed, so that they fell anywhere and everywhere. While some of the precious seed fell on good soil, so much seemed to be wasted, falling on stony ground, on the path and among thorns.
 
Jesus was describing how the seed, the Word of God, was good, but people received it differently. Some were just not interested; others receptive to a point, but there were so many other distractions, so the seed didn’t grow; but others let it take root within them.
 
We have just published the summer edition of the ‘Cheviot’ and distribute it to every home in the parish. In some homes it might go straight into the bin (hopefully the recycling one!), but we hope that for most people they will gain something from it, that something will encourage or comfort or challenge; that some good seed may be planted.
 
I mentioned the sower broadcasting the seed, and of course that is the word we use in media for television or radio broadcasts which reach out to everyone. It can be a force for real good, but also it could be used for propaganda. Horrendous as the Covid 19 pandemic has been, it could have been far worse without the media keeping us informed and for social media keeping us in touch, but not all social media is good, and hate messages have caused confusion and the vulnerable abused. We have to be careful with the seeds that we plant.
 
As we reflect on the sower, let us consider the words we say, the actions we perform. May they be good seeds. We plant, but it is God who brings forth the harvest. Amen
 
Prayer of Dedication and Intercession
Generous God, we bring the gifts we have to offer to you, seeds of goodness you planted in our lives which have flourished. Bless and multiply them. Help us to choose wisely how they can best serve your purposes in our church and in your world. Amen.
 
God of wanton grace and extravagant love,
you formed the earth to be a place of joy and abundance for all your creatures.
For food in all its variety and the people who grow it, transport it, and market it, we give you thanks.
These days of pandemic have shown us how much we depend on others.
We pray for those who do not have enough food,
and for those whose agricultural supply is at risk
through extreme weather, uncertain prices and social upheaval.
Help us care for the earth and its fruitfulness
And for each other in our common need of its fruits.
 
 We pray for farmers, who work night and day, to bring produce from the land: who can feel isolated and stressed, and whose future can be insecure. We also think of farmers in countries affected by drought or flood or locust, seeking to grow their crops.
 
We pray for children who do not have the nurture they need in early years, and for parents who cannot provide what they did not know. God of love, make up every deficit of love, we pray, and enable us to be co-workers in this field.
 
In an age when not just seeds are broadcast, but images and sounds, news and opinions, helpful information and cruel lies, we give thanks for all the good and vital connections, that social media has made possible, and pray for those who have been harmed by something with so much potential for good.
 
We pray for young people concerned already about the future of the planet, who must now be wondering even more, what sort of life lies ahead for them and their children; and for older people, forced to question all that they thought was secure. May we find our security and our hope in you, whose love is in all, and for all, and available always in plentiful supply.
 
Loving God, we lay before you now our personal concerns in this time of silence:
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer. Amen
 
Hymn 543 – Christ be our light
 
Benediction 787 – May the Lord, Mighty God (Aaronic Blessing)
 
Let us say the grace together: May the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, evermore. Amen
​ere to edit.

The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those in other places too! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping safe. We find ourselves in another new month, and while some restrictions are being eased, some still remain, and we continue to worship where we are. Some of us are indoors, others may be in the garden, some in Yetholm or Morebattle or Hownam or Linton, others in Kelso, and some far further afield, but we are connected to one another through the God who made us. So come, people of God, let us worship together for our service for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost.

Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website.
  
• The Roots material for today can be accessed HERE
• The Kelso Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help with the distribution of food parcels. Contact Colin for more details.
• We join with all the other denominations in Scotland to light a candle at 7pm.
• Our singing is led by Heather and Gordon.
  
  

Call to worship
God is all mercy and grace
Slow to anger and rich in love.
God provides help for us in moments of trouble
And gives a fresh start to those who feel like giving up.
Come, let us worship God!
Let us lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving.
 
Hymn 214 – New every morning (vv 1,2,4)
 
Prayers of Approach and Confession
God of all creation, though we are scattered, you call us together; though we are alone, you bring us into a great company; and living in unfamiliar times, you draw us into the Gospel story.
 
Lord Jesus, teacher of wisdom for all ages and alive and present with us now, we come to meet you here
 
Holy Spirit, blowing where you will, never confined, never locked down, bringing to us the presence of God, we open ourselves to your touch.
 
Merciful God, we look back over the past week and we review our lives and how we have lived them. We lay before you our regrets and our sorrows, our weakest moments and strongest flaws, and we pray for forgiveness and grace, for your Spirit to change us and your love to move us.
 
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God’s compassion reaches out to all creation. Know that you are forgiven through Christ, our Lord. Live in peace and harmony with yourself and with all people. Amen
 
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
Now and forever. Amen
 
Readings – Song of Songs 2: 8-13
                    Matthew 11: 16-19,18-23
 
Hymn 257 – Singing we gladly worship… (v 1 and chorus)
 
Weekly Prayer by Arthur and Kathleen:
Loving God, we thank you that your yoke is easy, your burden is light and so we offer ourselves to you in faith and confidence. Show us how we can best be part of your response to our prayers and fill us with the Spirit of life which was in Christ Jesus, your Son and our Saviour.  Amen
 
Reflection
On my bedroom wall there is a poster. It is from the Israel Museum, and is a stylized picture of the Sea of Galilee with snow-capped Mount Hermon in the distance. The town of Tiberias nestles by the lake, but in the foreground are two figures, a man and a woman, one of whom is looking after some goats. I don’t know who is the shepherd, but the couple are obviously enjoying each other’s company. At the bottom of the poster are the words we read from Song of Songs, ‘See the winter is passed, the rains are over and gone. The land is in flower and the turtle dove is singing’.
 
As we remember from our Sunday School/ Bible Class days, the Bible is a library of 66 books, and just as in Kelso library (whenever it reopens), you find different sections; crime, romance, biography, reference, so in the Bible we find different genres. There are history books like Kings or Chronicles or Acts. There is biography like the Gospels. The Psalms would qualify for the music section. There is wisdom literature, prophetic literature, collections of letters. And there is also poetry, such as the Song of Songs, and more specifically, love poetry.
 
 In fact, it can be really quite racy at times, and over the centuries there have been some in both the Jewish and Christian communities who have questioned why Song of Songs is in the Bible, especially when there is no explicit mention of God. However, it has always had its defenders among the rabbis and monks and theologians, who point to the young lovers and see in their love a reflection of the love between God and Israel, between Christ and the Church.
 
There is also a lovely mutuality between the couple, of give and take and of respect for each other. It is sad that down the centuries and in so many cultures that mutuality and respect have not been there, and it is something we must ever strive for.
 
In the short passage we read this morning, we find the woman at her window, gazing out longingly for her lover. In the language of today, there is a sense of her being isolated, and she is longing for her isolation to be ended, for her lover to arrive. Then suddenly she sees him swiftly approaching her like a gazelle, coming to break her isolation. That speaks to us at this time, as we long to get back to some kind or normality. We have been very inventive in keeping in touch with people and in having meetings by Zoom or Microsoft Teams, but there is nothing like face-to-face contact and being able to speak to our family and friends.  
 
But also someone said that the heartbeat of faith is a yearning for God. We long to get back to church: to worship together, to enjoy our fellowship as the family of God. Yes, we can worship in our homes, often more comfortably with a cup of tea by our side, but wherever we are, we long for God, the God who loves us and who can alone fulfil our deepest needs.
 
The lover appears, and everything seems to change. He says that the winter is passed; the rains are over and gone. The flowers spring up, the fig tree blossoms and the vine is blooming. The cold of winter has passed, and the earth regains its fruitfulness. There is a new world. There is so much hope here for the couple, hope of new life together.
 
Again, it is a reflection of the new life we are offered in Christ. The old has gone and the new has come. At present, the various restrictions are being eased, and we are hopeful of turning a corner and leaving behind the winter of lockdown and the detrimental effect it has had on so many people’s mental wellbeing. We go slowly, and we trust in God, the God who offers us life in all its abundance. And we go to make our new world , learning from our mistakes and creating a world in which love and respect for all abound.
 
Song 755: Be still and know
 
Prayers of Dedication and Intercession
O God, who created and redeemed us, we offer our selves to you: all we have, all we are, and all we might yet become. Use us and use our gifts ever to expand your Kingdom in your world.
 
God of heaven and earth, in these times apart from friends and loved ones, we thank you that there is nothing in all creation, not even coronavirus, that is able to separate us from your love.
Lord in your kindness, hear our prayer
 
We pray for your wisdom to inspire politicians, judges, and all who form and keep our laws. Work among us by your Spirit to recognize injustice and respond to create systems of fairness and trust.
Lord, in your kindness, hear our prayer.
We pray for your healing for those who are ill or in chronic pain, for those grieving the many losses of the pandemic, and for all who feel afraid for the future. Work among us by your Spirit to renew hope and sustain our support for each other.
Lord, in your kindness, hear our prayer.
We pray for those whose workplaces are recovering from the lockdowns and economic shock during the pandemic. Give courage to those who have lost so much, and creativity to those reorganizing their lives. Work among us by your Spirit to rebuild common life with an eye to the most vulnerable.
Lord, in your kindness, hear our prayer.
Silence
O Christ, the Master Carpenter, who at the last through wood and nails purchased our whole salvation; wield well your tools in the workshop of your world, so that we who come rough-hewn to your work bench may be fashioned to a truer beauty by your hand. Amen.

Hymn 476 – Mine eyes have seen the glory (vv1,4)
 
Benediction
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
And may the blessing of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you,
with the people you love
and those whom we are called to love. Amen

The Lord be with you! Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those in other places too! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping safe. We gather in our different places for our service for the 4th Sunday after Pentecost.
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website, or by clicking HERE.
• Kirk Session meets by Zoom on Tuesday 30th June at 7pm.
• The Kelso Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help with the distribution of food parcels. Contact Colin for more details.
• We join with all the other denominations in Scotland to light a candle at 7pm.
• The roots material is HERE
• Our singing is led by Heather and Gordon.

 
Call to worship
This is a place of welcome
A place where all may find solace,
Where all may celebrate,
Where all are valued, all are loved.
God welcomes us wherever we may be.
Let us worship God
 
Hymn 722 – Spirit of God (vv 1,2)
 
Prayers of Approach and Confession
Lord God, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
From north and south, from east and west,
drawn by your majesty we come to worship you,
our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
For the gift of this new day, fresh from your hand, we rejoice.
For the renewal we discover in your friendship in Christ, we praise you.
In the Spirit’s energy, blessing us in each moment, whether joyous or difficult, we place our hopes.
Lord God, we trust that all of life is your gift
so give us glimpses of your splendour, glory and love in this time of worship.
 
Lord of all life and each life,
Forgive us when we forget that life is a gift
and we fail to appreciate that all the good things in life come from you.
Forgive us when we ignore the value of each person you have created
and for the pain we have caused to others.
Restore our faith in your goodness
and free us to live with you and with each other in reconciling grace
through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Friends, trust that peace and forgiveness are God’s gifts to you this day. Be renewed by the power of the Spirit that moves with you into each new day.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
Now and forever. Amen
 
Readings: Genesis 22: 1-14
                   Matthew 10: 40-42
 
Hymn 565 – My life flows on (vv1, 4)
 
Here is our weekly prayer from Arthur and Kathleen:
Gracious God, you have given us your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin, and an example of Godly life. Give us the grace to thankfully receive this wonderful gift for ourselves, and to always strive to follow His example in giving "even a cup of cold water" in His name. Amen
 
Reflection
I watched ‘Talking Heads’ on television this week. It is a series of twelve 30 minute monologues by the Yorkshire writer Alan Bennett. He wrote them in the 1980s and 90s, I think, and they were produced for television with actors like Thora Hird famously appearing in them. Now they are updated with two new ones for Lockdown Britain. But in a number of them there is a sense of isolation or loneliness. They are about people who need to be loved, and the first monologue features a sad, lonely busybody, who has ruined the lives of her neighbours by her prying. She ends up in prison, and ironically it is there she finds acceptance and companionship
 
We all need to be loved. We read just a few verses from the Gospel. It is the end of the story of the sending out of the disciples to take the Kingdom message to the people, and that message included You are loved, you are accepted. Now some people would not receive them well, and they were told to shake the dust from their shoes and move on, but in these few verses today, we are told that the disciples are received with a welcome and even given a cup of cold water. Those who welcomed the disciples welcomed Jesus and would be rewarded. Though also, those who welcomed Jesus are also asked to welcome those Jesus associated. with, and that was the least and the lost.
 
Having lived in the Middle East I appreciate the reference to the cup of cold water. There is nothing better! Remember the story of Jesus asking for water from the Samaritan woman at the well? After a tiring journey in the heat, there was something precious about the simplicity of cold water. A little thing, but it made all the difference.
 
We often imagine the disciples and apostles and biblical figures performing great feats and enduring great sacrifices, such as Abraham being asked to sacrifice the person dearest to him, Isaac. It is a gruesome story, and I think both Isaac and Abraham would have been traumatised by it for life! But it somehow shows Abraham’s loyalty to God. But often discipleship is about simple things – it can be as simple as giving someone a cup of cold water – or a pot of jam or a cup of tea. Something as simple as offering sympathy to someone who is mourning or helping someone to pick up their shopping or prescription. Or supporting a charity. Or lighting a candle every Sunday in prayer.
Discipleship does not have to be heroic, but small acts of kindness and forgiveness can help build up relationships. The life of faith is full of such small gestures. But according to Jesus there are no small gestures and anything done in faith and in love has cosmic significance.
 
I am reminded of the story of the star thrower. Someone was walking along a beach which was full of starfish which had somehow been stranded on the beach. But he saw a girl throwing the fish back into the water. ‘Why are you doing that?’, he asked. ‘If they do not get back into the sea, they will dry up and die’, she replied. Looking at all the thousands of star fish on the beach, the man commented ‘There are too many. You can’t hope to make a difference’, to which the girl retorted, as she threw another starfish back into the sea ‘It made all the difference in the world to that one’.
 
Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed. We see so much suffering in our world, so many people going hungry, so many people needing to be loved. We want to help, but its too much to be done, too many people to help. We are called to followers of Christ, but where do we start. Just like the girl on the beach, we are called to work in the corner where we are placed, seeking to make a difference. For even a cup of cold water can make a huge and unexpected difference to those in need of it.
 
Thank you to all of you for making a difference where you are, especially at this time when we have been hit by the pandemic. We make small gestures, but they can make all the difference in the world.
 
Taize Chant  801 – Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est (Where there is charity and love, there is God)

Prayers of Dedication and Intercession
Lord, we bring to you our offerings: our money, our time and ourselves, not as payment for something given but out of adoration and thanksgiving for all we have received. Take what we offer and who we are, bless them to the work of this church and your kingdom.
 
God of welcome, we thank you that you are always ready, waiting to welcome us, always waiting to spend time with us and hear what we want to bring to you in prayer.
We are so consumed by the effects of a virus that many situations have gone unnoticed. We pray now for those in our world who feel forgotten: for refugees in camps, those whose harvests have failed and whose wells have run dry. And now fear this virus;
for men, women and children behind closed doors living with danger and torment at the hands of people who profess to love them;
for people living with life-limiting conditions, relying on reduced levels of care;
for those in the background within care-giving services, the cleaners and janitorial staff, the administrators and managers, doing what is needed to ensure hospitals and care homes run smoothly and safely; For those preparing for the easing of lockdown, like our teachers:
for places of conflict where, with attention elsewhere, dangers are increased and tensions raised, and where deaths continue unheeded.
 
So many places, so many concerns. We lay them before you. O God, hear our prayer. Amen
 
Hymn 130 – Ye servants of God (vv1, 3, 4)
 
Benediction
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
And may the blessing of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you,
with the people you love
and those whom we are called to love. Amen

Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those in other places too! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping safe. We gather in our different places for our service for the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost. This is also Fathers’ Day and Refugee Sunday.
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website - or by clicking HERE.
• The Roots material for today can be accessed HERE. 
• Kirk Session meets by Zoom on Tuesday 30th June at 7pm. A trial for those not familiar with Zoom will take place on Thursday at 7pm.
• Churches will be permitted to open for private prayer from next week, though we have to comply with various regulations. This will take some time, so our buildings will not open immediately. We are working on it, so please be patient.
• We are planning to bring out the summer edition of the Cheviot. Any articles should be handed in by 26th June.
• There is now a ‘Donate’ button on the Church of Scotland website, and you can donate to our local congregation by pressing the red button HERE , then clicking on the right and typing 'Cheviot Churches'.
• We join with all the other denominations in Scotland to light a candle at 7pm.
• Our singing is led by Heather and Gordon.

Call to worship
Gladden the souls of your servants, O God
To you, O Lord, we lift our hearts
The Lord is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love
Listen to our cries, O God, and answer
God is great and does wondrous things
We come to worship and bow down before you, O Lord.
 
Hymn 166 – Lord of all hopefulness (vv1 ,3 ,4)
 
Prayers of Approach and Confession
Glorious God, with joy and gladness we gather in our different places to worship you and to rest in your presence. We praise you for all your goodness to us and for sustaining us during these difficult times. In these early summer days we praise you for the abundance of colour and smell in our gardens, for flowers and mown grass, for the sight of tractors in the fields and the earth revealing its bounty. We are your people and you are our God. Receive our praise.
 
Spirit of God, you are the breath of life, the wind of change blowing through our lives, opening us up to new dreams and hopes, new life in Jesus Christ.
 
Forgive us our closed minds, barricading themselves against new possibilities and ideas.
Forgive us our closed eyes, which fail to seethe needs of your world, blind to opportunities of service.
Forgive us our closed hearts, which limit our affections to ourselves and our own.
Forgive us and break down and break down the prison walls of our selfishness that we might be open to your love and alert to the service of your world.
 
In Christ we are made a new creation; the old life is gone, and the new life is come. Know that God loves you and forgives you and beckons us ever to make a new start.
Lord’s Prayer
 
Readings  Genesis 21: 8-21
                  Matthew 10:26-39
 
Hymn 360 – Jesus Christ is waiting (vv 1,3,5)
 
Our Weekly Prayer from Arthur and Kathleen:
Heavenly Father, we rejoice in the call to belong to the Church, to believe in the Gospel, and to be united with those who have gone before. We remind ourselves that the Holy Family were once refugees, and in this week, we especially remember the many who are seeking refuge in today's world.  Amen.
 
Reflection
Cast your mind back a few years, to the time when we were all transfixed by the television coverage of so many refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat or walking by land through Turkey. There was then a stream of people going up through Greece and then through the Balkans, negotiating the borders, with the ultimate goal of  reaching Western Europe.
 
Right in the North of Greece was a Protestant church, and it was bang on the route to the border, and many refugees went past its doors. These doors were firmly locked. This was not their problem. But then it happened that the border closed, and the refugees, many of them from Syria, camped by the church, making do as best as they could. The local church people watched warily at first, but they couldn’t help but notice that at least two of the women were heavily pregnant – maybe they needed help. They couldn’t ignore that – they had to engage. Soon, food and medicine were brought, some of the older people and the two pregnant women were given rooms in homes. Conversation classes began and some lessons for the children.
 
Why did they do it? Partly they remembered the teaching of Christ, but also for a more personal reason. Many of the grandparents and great grandparents had grown up in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, and after the 1st World War there was a massive population exchange, with the Muslim population of Greece moving to Turkey, and the Greeks in Turkey moving to Greece. Many had gone via Aleppo in Syria and had been well received, and that collective memory came back. And so this little church opened up to the refugees of different faiths, and both groups benefitted from the interaction.
 
Our bible readings today are about outsiders. When Sarah thought she couldn’t bear a child, she gave Hagar, her Egyptian maid, to Abraham, and a son, Ishmael, was born. But now that Sarah has given birth to Isaac, she becomes jealous of and threatened by Hagar and Ishmael. She doesn’t want Ishmael to get a share in Isaac’s inheritance. And so Sarah and Abraham cast them out. It is a wonder that we find these stories in Genesis, for it doesn’t reflect well on Abraham and Sarah. Hagar and Ishmael are outsiders; they were cast out and we find them in the desert, their water run out, and Hagar can’t bear to watch her son die. It is very poignant, but is a reality even today for so many refugees. But God hears their cries, sees their suffering and brings about their safety. They are within the embrace of God’s love too, and Ishmael’s descendants will be a mighty nation too. No-one nation or group has the monopoly of God’s love.
 
That is the message from the Gospel too. Matthew was writing at a difficult time, when the church was becoming more distinct from the society around. Living out the radical Gospel teaching made society nervous and threatened the Roman Empire. Families became divided, and many Christians were disowned by their families and ostracized by society.
 
In our passage, Jesus talks about the sparrows God’s deep care for these small birds sold at the market for a ha’penny. If God cares for the sparrows, so God cares for us. We are loved and valued without measure, for we are made in God’s image. The imprint of God is on us, and God has counted even the hairs on our head. This passage follows on from the sending out of the disciples we read about last week. They were sent out with few supplies, but with the assurance of God’s love and care. The Christians of Matthews time needed to hear that, and we need to hear it today - that we are valued, but also that others are valued too, and on this Refugee Sunday we remember that those, cast out of their homes and countries for whatever reason, are within the embrace of God’s love. Like the members of the little Greek church, we should be reaching out in God’s love to them. Amen
 
Chorus – Abba Father
 
Prayers of Dedication, Thanksgiving and Intercession
Generous God, you have given so much to us. Accept our gifts, we pray, and may we be your hands, feet and voice in the world.
 
We thank you for moments of joy that still break into our lives, even in the strange times of pandemic and re-opening of our communities:
for love given and received, for friends who furnish our life with meaning and happiness, and for family who embrace us with love and understanding.
And we thank you for all caring and faithful fathers celebrated this day,
and praying for those cut off from their families.
 
God of the nations, we pray for our country and countries around this world so deeply affected by COVID-19.
Guide leaders to make wise decisions about reopening communities, and give patience and courage to those whose lives have been disrupted,
especially those who fear what the future holds.
Wherever injustice rules and misinformation confuses,
protect the vulnerable and shine the light of your truth
to reveal the path to justice and renewed hope.
 
God of compassion,
We pray for peace to prevail in places torn by war,
and ask that respect for human life will grow
wherever people are abused or scorned.
We pray for countries going through difficult times and remember Lebanon especially, as it undergoes economic troubles and for countries like Brazil, so affected by Covid 19.
We remember all refugees, forced to flee their homes and often struggling to fit in and be accepted where they find themselves.
We pray for all those who are suffering in any way.
Surround them with your love and support them with the strength of your Spirit.
Open our eyes to see how we might bring comfort to those who are hurting.
 
Be with all our workers on the frontline and bless all who are going back to work as lockdown eases, who may still feel anxious.
 
Silence
 
Lord, hear our prayer, Amen
 
Hymn 245 – It’s a world of sunshine, a world of rain (vv 1, 2)
 
Benediction
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
And may the blessing of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you,
with the people you love
and those whom we are called to love. Amen

​​Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those in other places too! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping safe. Amazingly this is the 12th Sunday podcast, and we still gather in our homes, gardens (maybe not in this weather) or wherever to have our service for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost.
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the website.
• The Roots material for today can be accessed Here
  
• We are planning to bring out the summer edition of the Cheviot. Any articles should be handed in by 26th June.
  
• There is now a ‘Donate’ button on the Church of Scotland website, and you can donate to our local congregation by pressing the red button, then clicking on the right and typing in ‘Cheviot Churches’ - Here
  
• We join with all the other denominations in Scotland to light a candle at 7pm.
• Our singing is led by Heather and Gordon.
• The picture is from a series of pictures from Cameroon in Africa, featuring the life of Christ
  

Call to Worship
Back then there were twelve. Here and now there is us.
We are your disciples today and we gather in our own places to worship you
Back then there were but a few. Today we number millions, all over the world.
We are your disciples today and we gather to serve you
Let us worship God
 
Hymn 127 – O Worship the King (vv 1,6)

Prayers of Adoration and Confession.
Almighty and eternal God, from the depth of mystery you reveal yourself through the wonders of creation. We look at the night sky and are filled with awe. We see the rivers flow and the hedgerow grow and our gardens blossom and praise you. We relish the greening of creation and the intricacy of the butterfly’s wing. Creator God, we worship you and give our thanks.
 
We come as we are before you, from our different places and backgrounds, but all one in you. We praise you.

We come before you in confession, owning and admitting all within us that draws us away from you. You long for creations restoration and humanity’s safety, where we destroy and demean. You teach us your ways to be, but we prefer our own ways and ignore the havoc that we shape. We have made mistakes. Forgive us.
 
Hear these words: The Lord our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Know that your sins are forgiven and be at peace with God, with yourself and with one another
The Lord's Prayer
 
Prayer of Illumination
Open your holy Word to us, God of comfort and challenge. Let it be a word of life and hope, a word that inspires us and guides us, a word that dances in our hearts and lifts our minds. Amen
 
Readings
Psalm 100
Matthew 9:35 -10:10
 
This is the season of Pentecost, and we sing a hymn of the Spirit. Hymn 593 – She sits like a bird, brooding on the water (vv 1,4)
And now our weekly prayer from Arthur and Kathleen:
Gracious God, we thank you that there is nothing too hard for the Lord.  Hear us as we pray and help us not only to remember our Saviour’s words, but to seek by your grace to live by them. As we go into the week ahead may we, like the disciples, "proclaim the good news, the Kingdom of Heaven has come near”. Amen
 
Reflection
I have a riddle for you this morning. What has a sole but no body? A tongue but no mouth? Needs heeling, but there’s no wound? Can be any length, but is always a foot?   Those reading the podcast may have a better chance of guessing it than those listening in. The answer, of course, is a shoe. And I was thinking about shoes when reading the Gospel lesson for today.
 
Jesus sends out the 12 disciples on a mission, and in Mark and Luke’s version of the story, they are told to take very little, but they are at least allowed sandals on their feet, but in Matthew’s version which we read today, they are not even allowed sandals. I think, for the disciple’s sake, I prefer Mark and Luke’s version, for the work would have been hard without proper footwear.
 
The disciples are named, and they are quite a bunch. Some like Peter are well known to us, while others like Thaddeus are maybe just a name. There is Matthew who had been a tax collector, working for the Roman occupiers, and Simon the Canaanite, who was a zealot, fighting these same Romans. A motley crew, but they were disciples, and as disciples they were learning from Jesus. Apprentices watching the Master-Craftsman at work. What was that work? It was in reaching out to the people around, and the end of Chapter 9 gives a summary of how Jesus healed the sick, taught and proclaimed the Kingdom, how he brought something of heaven to earth. But he was conscious that the people were harassed and helpless, like sheep without the shepherd. It was a terrible indictment, for the religious leaders had let down the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalised. That is why Jesus sent out the disciples.
 
The harvest was ripe, he said, but the labourers are few. It rings a bell these days with fruit and vegetables in the fields in some parts of the country, ripe to be picked, and a ripe harvest cannot wait, but the usual labour from Eastern Europe not so able to come. Maybe the situation will get better as the summer progresses. But in 1st century Palestine, Jesus sends out the twelve, including Judas. They had been learning from Jesus, watching him in action. NOW they had their practical. Like all good apprentices, they had to put their learning into action.
 
I wonder how they felt. Maybe they were excited. If it were me, I would be panicking, especially with healing the sick and casting out demons. What if it didn’t work! In Zambia, casting out demons was not unusual, and my students were very keen on exorcisms, though I always felt rather inadequate for the task. New College hadn’t taught me this!
 
There is however, much evil in our world which we still have to tackle. This week in particular we have been conscious that we have still to cast the demons of racism out of our society. The toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol has even ‘knocked off’ coronavirus from the headlines of our newspapers. I think there are a lot of issues there, and there will be many views over the rights and wrongs of taking down statues and replacing street names, but it does highlight our task in the here and now of tackling the demons of racism and of how we treat everyone who is somehow ‘different’. As lockdown eases, we face big questions about how we want to live our lives – whether we go back to how it was or whether we create a new normal – a more jus, more caring, more inclusive society.
 
The disciples were tasked with proclaiming the Kingdom values of love and justice and peace as emissaries for Jesus.
We have that same task today. The Message says ‘You don’t need much equipment. You are the equipment’, and by living out our lives in love we reach out as ambassadors for Christ to seek to bring hope in our troubled and strange world, to be enemies of apathy, to bring reconciliation and work ever for peace. Amen
 
Chant - O Lord, hear my prayer
​
Prayers of Dedication and  Intercession
You, O God, give us everything that is good, and out of gratitude we give: we give of our time, our love, our presence, we give of our talents, our tears and our treasure, bless our gifts that, through them, You may change our world.
God ever creating, God ever loving,
We turn to you in uncertain times, trusting in your steadfast love.
Wherever people are anxious about the future, overwhelmed by their responsibilities, or worried because of the upheavals the pandemic has caused,
Bring peace and hope, we pray’
 
God of all compassion,
Where people are lonely or isolated, longing for love;
Where people are trapped in unhealthy or even violent relationships;
Where people are grieving the loss of routines or purpose in their lives or the loss of someone beloved:
Bring courage and hope, we pray
 
God of tender strength,
Where people feel pain in body or mind or spirit;
Where people seek help or healing,
Where illness has eroded hope and desperation and fatigue fill each day;
Bring healing and hope, we pray
 
God of trustworthy truth,
Where leaders work to guide the world and their communities to renewed life:
Where professionals discern scientific, medical and economic insights to protect and restore the quality of life after the pandemic:
Where individuals still strive to care for the earth and its vulnerable inhabitants
Bring wisdom and hope, we pray.
 
Silence for personal prayer
 
Create in us a renewal of hope, a deepening of trust, a strengthening of faith as we seek to follow you, our Sovereign, Saviour and Sustainer, to whom be glory now and for ever.  Amen.
 
Hymn 458 – At the name of Jesus (vv1,2,4)

Benediction
Father and Mother to us,
Son and Saviour to us
Spirit and encourager to us,
Bless us this day and in the days to come
With bright hope and deep joy,
With willing hearts and open minds.
May we follow you wherever you take us
To glimpse you at work.
May we know you and rejoice. Amen

.
Good morning, Cheviot Churches – and Good morning to those in other places too! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping safe. The weather has certainly changed this week, but I am sure farmers and gardeners are happy with the rain. We gather in our homes, gardens or wherever to have our service for Trinity Sunday.
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed via the podcast page on the website.
• The Roots material for today can be accessed at HERE.
• We are planning to bring out the summer edition of the Cheviot. Any articles should be handed in by 26th June.
• We join with all the other denominations in Scotland to light a candle at 7pm. A prayer can be found HERE.

Call to Worship
O Lord, our Sovereign,
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
When we look at your heavens, the moon and stars, the work of your fingers,
Who are we to praise you?
Yet you have made us in your image and set us in this world you love.
And so we come to worship you and learn to care for your earth.
 
Hymn 111 – Holy, holy, holy

Prayer
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 is 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 criminal on whom the soldiers spat 
not knowing they were fouling the face of God; 
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 disciples drunk with grace; 
You converted souls and emptied pockets; 
You showed how love made all things new 
and opened the doors to change and freedom. 
We praise and worship you.
 
God our Creator, we confess that we have not lived wisely in your creation,and so the earth suffers.God our Redeemer, we have not valued ourselves or one another as those made in your image, and so our relationships are strained.God our Sustainer, we have not trusted in your loving guidance, and so we follow paths that lead to foolish ends.Forgive our mistaken choices and selfish desires.Call us back to your loving presence and teach us again how to follow you. 
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away. See, everything has become new! Thanks be to God that we can all make a new start this day and every day.

Lord’s Prayer
Readings: Psalm 8
                    Matthew 28:16–20
 
Hymn 550 – As a deer pants for the water

Here is our weekly prayer from Arthur and Kathleen:
Oh Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth. As we look around us here in Cheviot Churches, we give thanks for the beauty of our surroundings.  God in three persons, blessed Trinity, we pray for peace in the world, in our communities and our families: create in us a love for peace, not peace that is absent from struggle, nor peace that is blind to injustice but the peace that makes whole what now is broken.  Amen
 
Reflection
I was at the Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh the other day. Now, I wasn’t breaking any lockdown rules. It was a virtual tour, on my laptop, but I could see the various portraits and photographs of famous people. In most cases they would have known they were getting their picture painted or photo taken and would have planned accordingly, choosing appropriate clothes and background, because that would be how they would be remembered in the future. David Livingstone, for example, sits very nonchalantly, but with books piled on the table beside him. It reminds me of the Zoom interviews and meetings, where people position themselves in front of pictures they like or bookcases, because they want to project a certain image.

I once had my portrait painted in Zambia, but from a photograph, and it took me ages to choose which photo to use. Winston Churchill, or maybe it was his wife, famously didn’t like a portrait of him by Graham Sutherland and burned it.

How would you wish to be portrayed? Would you wish to appear younger or more mature? Obviously not with a lockdown hairstyle. Out in the country or in a study? We all want to project a favourable image of ourselves.

Today is Trinity Sunday, and in a way the Trinity is a portrait of God. It was the early Church’s way of expressing how they viewed God. They saw God as the Almighty, the Creator God, whom we hear about in Psalm 8; the transcendent God, before whose holiness Isaiah was to fall on his knees in awe. Yet they also saw God in Jesus, in his words and his actions, reaching out in love and acceptance to all in need, regardless of gender or age or colour or status. And they saw God in the Holy Spirit, working and involved in the present, encouraging and inspiring.

 You could say the picture was of God beyond, beside and within. All different, but all working together, because they are interconnected. A traditional Celtic image of the Trinity is of three rings interconnected (see below), while a famous icon by the Russian artist Rublev shows the Trinity as the three angels who visited Abraham in Genesis 12. It portrays the Trinity as being in community with one another, in loving harmony and interdependence, each being distinct (see above). That speaks to me, for we are made in God’s image; and so we too are made to be in community and are only truly ourselves as we live that out. We have to live out our faith together with our fellow-believers.

Our Muslims friends often talk about the 99 names for God, 99 different aspects of the divine, and certainly for Christians there are infinite ways in which we could try to describe God – and never fully succeed. However, the image of the Trinity, all different but all working together as a community, is helpful. It is also something we need to emphasise in our daily lives.

We have all been outraged by the events in Minnesota, where the appalling death of an African-American man, George Floyd, has resulted in protests and riots. It highlights how divided a society the United States remains, how fractured a community it is. We need to recapture the image of Trinity distinct, but working in harmony and community.

At Pentecost the Spirit came upon all the believers and did not discriminate between young and old, male or female, Libyan or Persian. On the mountaintop of Matthew 28, the disciples, some still doubting, were given the commission to take the good news and to baptise in the name of the Trinity– not just to certain people, but to the whole world.
Therefore let us rejoice in the wonderful diversity of human beings and rejoice in the communities in which we live, ever working to strengthen them and to affirm all who live in them, for we are all made in God’s image. Amen
Hymn 769 – Holy, holy, holy (Argentinian chant)

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
 
God of our past and our future, God of healing and hope,
We come before you with grateful hearts,
trusting that you walk with us through all the times of our lives,
including this strange time of illness and isolation.
You are still the God of our history and God of the world you love,
hear us as we pray for your world and the people around us.
 
We remember today those who face danger and despair in these times:
Those who suffer the effects of coronavirus in their lives and in the lives of loved ones;
those living with hunger while the world is distracted,
those caught up in unrest and violence despite the pandemic,
and all whose lives are directed by forces beyond their control.
We especially pray for the United States; for those who feel devalued because of the colour of their skins. Help them to know that they matter. We pray for those who are frightened and for all trying to work out peaceful solutions.
 
We pray for all those working to relieve suffering of many different kinds and bring justice and peace to those most vulnerable.
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
 
We pray for all those facing fear or frustration,
and those wrestling with sorrow or discouragement.
We remember those who live with illness, disability or pain day by day,
and all who know the grief and change of bereavement…
 
We pray for all those who work to bring healing and comfort to those who suffer,
remembering those who put their own health and life at risk during the pandemic.
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
 
We pray for all who feel helpless or hopeless in this present time of such uncertainty:
For those facing unemployment or struggling to make ends meet,
For those caught up in misunderstanding or broken relationships
And for those working through situations of conflict at home or at work…
 
We pray for all who offer guidance and support in the midst of such difficulties.
Silence
Amen
 
Hymn 112 – God whose almighty word
 
Benediction
May the holy wisdom of God
Guard your ways and guide your paths
May the living truth of God
Enlighten your hearts and open your minds
And may the living Spirit of God
Give you life, and life to the full!
And may the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, be with you and be with all whom you love, now and forevermore. Amen

Good morning, Cheviot Churches! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping both safe and sane. We have our service today for Pentecost. The Moderator is leading worship for the whole of the Church of Scotland on Sunday morning at 10 am on the church website https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/, and I would encourage everyone to tune in, if you are able. We do have our podcast as usual, and you may wish to listen to that earlier or else later on.
 
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website - or by clicking HERE.
  
• The Roots material for today can be accessed HERE
• Remember to join Christians throughout Scotland and light a candle at 7pm every Sunday. There is an excellent prayer to say as well, found in the article HERE:
• Although we are not meeting physically, the work of the Church goes on, so please do remember to fill your envelopes. Brian Kelly, our treasurer, will be happy to help with any questions.
  
  

Call to Worship
Come, Holy Spirit; fill us with your peace.
Come, Holy Spirit; unite us in our worship.
Come, Holy Spirit; raise us by your power.
Come, Holy Spirit, come now.
 
Hymn 584 – Like fireworks in the night
 
Prayer of Adoration and Confession
Exuberant Spirit of God,
bursting with the brightness of flame
Into the coldness of our lives
To warm us with a passion for justice and beauty,
We praise you.
Exuberant Spirit of God,
Sweeping us out of the dusty corners of our apathy to breathe vitality into our struggles for change. We praise you.
Exuberant Spirit of God,
speaking words that leap over barriers of mistrust
to convey messages of truth and understanding,
we praise you.
 
Come Holy Spirit! Exuberant Spirit!
Flame, wind, speech
Burn, breathe, speak in us and fill your world with joy and with love.

Merciful God, forgive us when we bar our minds and hearts to Your Spirit at work. Forgive us when we refuse to acknowledge the Spirit’s action in others and in situations out-with our own comfort zones. Forgive us when we block the Spirit’s constant promptings to share the good news with others, by word and loving action. Forgive us when we choose safe and comfortable paths in place of the sometimes risky routes of service to which the Spirit directs us.
 
Friends, hear and believe the good news of the Gospel! In Christ, we are forgiven and set free to begin again in the renewing power of the Spirit. Thanks be to God.

Lord’s Prayer
 
Readings: Acts 2: 1-13
                      John7: 37-39
 
Hymn 582 – O day of joy and wonder (vv 1,3)
 
Here is our weekly prayer from Arthur and Kathleen: Creator God, on this Day of Pentecost, we rejoice in the wonderful gift of your Holy Spirit. Send Him again into our hearts, into our lives, and into our world so that we may experience Your salvation and know Your peace . Amen

Reflection
Happy birthday! I know that many of us have celebrated birthdays in lockdown. One of our members had her 90th birthday a few weeks ago, and I know the Session Clerk and Treasurer and even the minister have had birthdays during this time. Happy birthday to all. And today happy birthday, dear… Church! Happy Birthday to you. For Pentecost is often marked as the day the Church came into being.
 
On the day of Pentecost, a mighty wind surged forth from heaven, pushing the followers of Jesus out of the house where they had been skulking, and into the streets. They went public. Flames danced above their heads, their tongues began to wag, and suddenly all barriers of gender and age, language and culture were blown down by the wind, and Peter gave a sermon which would cause Billy Graham to turn green with envy – and three thousand people were baptised. The Church certainly started with a bang.
 
One of the countries that has coped well with this Coronavirus crisis has been New Zealand with its Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. She was on television earlier this week, when the studio began to shake – an earthquake! But she seemed to take that in her stride and continued with what she was saying. I would have been terrified. But reading the story of that first Pentecost, I would have been terrified if I had been there. What with gusts of wind and flames of fire, it doesn’t seem to have been a safe experience at all. Luke, the writer of Acts, was trying to put into words the sheer energy of the Spirit coming upon the disciples and transforming them. It is sometimes not safe to be Christian. Someone gave the illustration of fishing boats being safest in the harbour, looking so pretty, but that isn’t what boats are for – they are made for the high seas with all its potential dangers. After Pentecost the disciples couldn’t keep hiding away in safety; the days of fear and whispering were over – they went out into the world, propelled by the Spirit, ready to be the Church in a dangerous world.
 
Pentecost can be frightening; it can also be very exciting. It was the Jewish festival of Shavuot, 50 days after Passover, and celebrating the barley harvest and also the giving of the law to Moses on Sinai. People had gathered from all over the Mediterranean world and beyond to celebrate it, but suddenly they heard the disciples speaking in their own languages. How I envy the disciples! Having struggled with German irregular verbs and Arabic plurals and various African languages, how I wished that I could just wake up and be able to communicate with ease. It never happened. The disciples were, however, able to communicate to the people around in their own language. That is a challenge to us, both to realise that we are part of something global, but also to communicate to the people around us in ways they understand – and probably most so in the language of love and kindness and service.
 
Pentecost also signalled movement. The Church was on the move, led by the Spirit. We can have our dreams and our visions. We can think that we in the Church are doing the Spirit’s work – but the Spirit is always one step ahead, calling us to catch up. R.S. Thomas said, ‘Such a fast God. Always before us, and leaving as we arrive’. It reminds me of hill-walking and going at a slower pace. My friends are ahead further up the hill, but kindly wait for me to catch up, only to move immediately on the moment I get there, when all I want to do is rest.
 
The Spirit is moving even in this Covid crisis, urging us to discover new ways of being the Church. Some of us have discovered new ways that technology can be used, and these are lessons to be learned for the future. While we yearn to be back in our church building singing our hymns, it may not be for a while yet, we have to be open to new ways.
 
Therefore this Pentecost let us call on the Spirit of God, the encourager, the one who prods us on, that a fire may be kindled in our hearts that will defrost what has become cynical and safe, that we may travel on, like the apostles, with courage and openness to face our future ever with hope and ever with the Holy Spirit.
 
Prayer of Dedication
God of fire, burn brightly in your Church. Consume our petty concerns and jealousies, purify our deeds and intentions, kindle in our hearts the fire of your love. Spirit of grace and power, bless the gifts we offer, so that they accomplish surprising things in Jesus’ name. We offer ourselves, too, so that our lives may proclaim the Good News with your grace and power. Amen.
 
Hymn 600 – Spirit of God, unseen as the wind

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us on this day of Pentecost and renew our faith.
Re-awaken our love for God, let your flames warm our hearts with trust in Jesus Christ and dare us to do great things in his name.
 
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and give us energy to serve you in Christ’s church.
Open our eyes to recognize needs for ministry and mission, and to learn from this time when we have had to do things differently in worship and pastoral care.
Open our hearts to connect with those for whom the time of social distancing has been very difficult.
Open our hands to share in the tasks that need doing,
and open our lips in prayer and praise.
 
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and give us understanding:
For those whose lives seem so different from ours
and those facing situations because of the pandemic that we haven’t encounter;
Understanding for problems and challenges at home, at work, and in our world as the restrictions are slightly eased.
We pray ever for wisdom for our leaders and for your blessing on those on the frontline in hospitals and care homes.
 
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and bring healing
for all who face pain or illness, discouragement or disappointment, made so much keener because of isolation;
healing for all who know sorrow, sadness or grief,
and for those who face stress and pressure as they try to rebuild their lives.
Bring healing to the earth, to places of upheaval, where war and discrimination and persecution are rife.
 Bring healing to our world and ecosystems at risk.
 
Silence
Amen
 
Hymn 616 – There’s a spirit in the air
 
Benediction
we leave this space of worship
And while so much of the road ahead is uncertain,
the path constantly changing,
we know some things 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 is there,
found in the space between all things,
closer to us than our next breath,
binding us to each other,
until we meet we again,

Go in peace. May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you and be with all whom you love, this day and even forevermore. Amen.

Good morning, Cheviot Churches! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is staying well and keeping both safe and sane. We have our service today for Ascension Sunday and we are invited to embrace the breadth and depth of God’s vision for the whole of creation.
 
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website, or by clicking HERE.
• The Roots material for today can be accessed HERE.
• Kathleen, our prayer convenor, sends out a prayer letter by email every week. If anyone wishes to receive it, please let Kathleen know at akbates@hotmail.co.uk. Also, if there are any prayer requests, please let Kathleen know.
• The Moderator has encouraged us to be involved in the ‘Thy Kingdom come’ prayer initiative, which runs from Ascension to Pentecost. The prayer journal offers a reflection for each of the days - click HERE to find out more.
• Many of us will remember Marian McIntyre, the Guild National President, who led a joint service in Yetholm last September. She has now completed her year, and you can access her reflections on the Guild Facebook page.
• Trish is our eco-church rep and forwarded their monthly newsletter tome, which is full of good information. You can sign up for the newsletter on their website - HERE.
• If anyone without internet access would like a hard copy of any of the above links, please get in touch.

 
Call to Worship
We know you and we do not know you
YOU ARE MYSTERIOUS AND FULL OF JOY
You know us and you understand us
 YOU ARE LOVING AND FULL OF TRUTH
You welcome us and you live in us
 YOU ARE HOLY AND FULL OF HOPE
Let us worship God
 
Hymn 438 – The head that once was crowned with thorns (vv 1,2,6)
 
Prayer
God of majesty and might,
your glory shines throughout the universe:
from the highest heaven to the deepest sea;
in all the creatures you have made;
in the seasons that shape our living.
Your glory shines through who you are
and through what you do.
The power of your glory
touches your creation and exalts it.
To you we offer our worship;
to you we offer our praise;
before you we come in adoration.
 
Lord Jesus,
you are greater than we can ever imagine,
before all, beyond all, in all and over all.
Forgive us for losing sight of your greatness and for underestimating the breadth of your love;
for tying you down to the things of this earth rather than opening our hearts to the breadth of your vision for the whole of creation.
 
Forgive us for our short sightedness
and call us to the down-to-earth message
of Your love,
to care for the needs of those around us,
especially the oppressed and marginalized.
Broaden our vision, enlarge our understanding and kindle our imagination, that we might glimpse your glory and work more faithfully for your kingdom.
 
People of God, know that you are forgiven and loved by the God who made the earth and who made you,
Go, share the Good News.
 
Lord’s Prayer
 
Reading: Acts 1: 6-11 Luke 24: 50-53
 
Reflective Reading
A cloud? A bit dramatic wasn’t it, Jesus? A bit over the top!
Hands raised. Floating heavenwards …… And I’ll lay odds that future artists will dress you in shining white, and paint the sky deep blue – to ‘match’ your eyes. OK – so there were some precedents: Elijah and his chariots and that fiery cloudy pillar thing that moved around the wilderness; but those were the old ways – you aren’t like that.
Is this really what you want us to remember about you, Jesus? That you disappeared in a cloud and that you now live somewhere above the skies, way beyond our reach?
What about your stories, your friendship; your tears, your pain, your laughter?
What about the way you believed in us, trusted us, sent us out to teach and heal?
I’m not sure that you being alive somewhere where we cannot see you, talk with you, laugh and cry with you, is going to be much help to us, Jesus.
Please, can’t you find a way of living with us, close enough somehow for us to know that you’re near?
You said something once about a Spirit, a holy Spirit from God, who would come to us. Does that mean you’re coming back to us?
And if you are – no dramatics this time, please Jesus. Just come back to us quietly … No more clouds! (Ruth Burgess)
 
Hymn 439 (vv 1,4)– Look ye saints
 
Now we have our weekly prayer from Arthur and Kathleen:
Almighty God, may our prayers ascend to you just as Jesus Christ, your son, was taken up to heaven.  As we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus let it inspire in us feelings of joy and hope rather than fear and separation as we await the coming of the Holy Spirit. Amen
 
Reflection
Last weekend should have been the Eurovision Song Contest. Needless to say, it didn’t take place, but instead there were a few programmes about Eurovision, one of which featured the acts who would have performed this year from 40 odd countries under the theme ‘Love shine a light’, which apparently was a winning UK song!! Having been abroad for the last 25 years and Eurovision-less, I had a lot of catching up to do, as all these songs had somehow passed me by. But what really struck me was that everyone in Europe has been affected by Coronavirus, but that there was tremendous goodwill and a sense of togetherness with people from so many countries: that we were all in it together and working together to send a light that we will not be defeated.
 
I thought it was a powerful message at the start of Mental Health week, for our mental health has disturbed by the lockdown, by not being able to see loved ones, by uncertainty about the future.
 
We are in the last Sunday of this season of Easter. The mental health of the disciples must have been disturbed by the events of the crucifixion, but the Risen Lord had come to them, encouraged them, walked beside them. It couldn’t last. There had to be a break, and Christ had prepared them, promising the Spirit would be there to support them. That break would come at the Ascension, and today is Ascension Sunday.
 
Luke in the reading from Acts pictures Christ going into the sky, and in Linton Church, and indeed in Hoselaw, we have a stained-glass window of the ascended Christ, with the disciples, including the women, gazing up in wonder. As a child of the 60s I had always a picture of Jesus rocketing into the sky. But this was Luke’s way of saying that the break had come. Luke’s way of saying ‘Now, it is going to be different’. A new normality for the disciples, you might say, with no going back to the old ways.
 
When Jesus was with them, the disciples grew accustomed to him being there – he became too familiar, part of the furniture. They had to learn to stand on their own feet and, yes, make their mistakes, but always living their lives in love in and through him.
 
I love the two men in white in Acts, scolding the disciples for gazing at the sky after Jesus and saying ‘Get on with it. There is work to be done, a broken world to be healed’. In his Gospel, Luke has the disciples saying their goodbyes to Jesus, but returning to Jerusalem ‘with great joy’, their sleeves rolled up for the work.
 
Jesus is no longer with the disciples physically, but is there spiritually, through the Holy Spirit. No longer bound to 1st Century Palestine, but alive in the here and now and able to speak to us in the here and now of Coronavirus Britain.
 
And that is another theme for Ascension. The disciples were commissioned to take the Gospel message, not just to home area Galilee, but to ‘Judaea and Samaria and to the end of the earth’. They were being given a broad vision and so had to let go of their old life in Galilee, their narrow way of thinking, that they could receive the Spirit, empowering them to a new expansive vision, which took in all the world.
 
We can be preoccupied with our own situation, but God is always challenging us to look beyond and shine the light of love with compassion and kindness in our own community, but even to all the world. For we are all connected. Amen
 
This is the time in our service when we would usually give our offering, and do remember the church at this time.
Eternal and ever-present God, we offer you these gifts in thanksgiving for the work of Christ in our lives. Bless them and us with the power of the Spirit, enlisting all our gifts for the work of reconciliation Christ has given us to do in the world you love. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession
You are free, Lord,
your Ascension has set you free:
free from the constraints of human existence,
outside the limitations of time and space;
free to be here with us now,
in our worship and fellowship;
and free to be with us always;
for in your freedom
you have bound yourself to us with a promise:
“Lo! I am with you always
even to the very end of time.”
 
God of creation, stretch our imagination to share your vision of a world in balance and harmony. Help us to care for our environment, to repair the damage we have done and to live sustainably in the future.
 
God of all nations, expand our horizon to include your whole human family, in your web of belonging. Help us to build bridges of trust, so that we may resolve conflicts that divide us and to live peaceably with all. May the leaders of nations follow your ways of justice. Guide their way through the challenges of this pandemic. Protect all politicians and advisors from sickness and burn-out. Despite our own needs, keep us mindful of the needs of others, especially refugees and prisoners.
A brief silence.
O God, incline your ear to us:
Make haste to deliver us.
 
Be with those who are sick, sorrowful, or suffering from mental health issues. Comfort them in suffering, ease their distress, and carry their burdens. Be a strong presence with all who mourn.
A brief silence.
O God, incline your ear to us:
make haste to deliver us.
 
Protect and inspire all who work on the frontline, all the nurses and doctors, cleaners and porters in hospitals, the staff and the residents in our care homes and all who are active in making our lives more bearable at present time.
A brief silence.
O God, incline your ear to us:
Make haste to deliver us.
 
We pray at this time of financial turmoil,
for those who have lost jobs,
those who struggle to pay bills,
those who fear the future
and those who have the power to affect positive change. [Silence]
O God, incline your ear to us:
Make haste to deliver us.
 
Silence for own prayers
 
We remember before you for all who have died in the faith, those struck down by the coronavirus, and those whom we name now in our hearts.
A brief silence.
At the end, bring us all to you, who are our way, our truth, and our life. Amen
 
Hymn 441 (vv1,2,5) – Blessing and honour
 
Benediction
May God renew our faith, restore our vision and redirect our actions, that we may follow God into new adventures, and may the blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, be with you and with all whom you love, wherever they may be, now and evermore, Amen
 
Blessing 786 – May the God of peace go with us

In this corona-virus era few people were able to attend Anne Stobart's funeral last Friday. However, for those who are interested, a video was made of the service and can be downloaded by clicking HERE. This link takes you to the WeTransfer site and from there you can download a copy which you can view and keep. Please note that this link will we only be valid until the 26th May.

Good morning, Cheviot Churches! This is Colin, and I hope everyone is well and safe. We have our service for the 6th Sunday of Easter, and today we focus on the Spirit being our advocate, the one to stand beside us in all the twists and turns of life.
 
Notices:

• The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website.
• The Roots material for today can be accessed HERE
• Let us remember to light our candles on our Let us remember to light our candles on our windows at 7pm every Sunday evening.
• Heart and Soul usually takes place in Princes Street Gardens on the Sunday afternoon of Assembly week. This year there will be an abridged version of the event online with a mixture of worship, music, stories and some exciting ‘In Conversation’ guests and finishing with some rousing hymn singing. You can access this on Sunday 17th May from 2.00 – 4.20pm  on the Church of Scotland Facebook page or website: www.churchofscotland.org.uk
  
• Some people requested alternate ways of contributing to Christian Aid. You can do so by phoning 0207 523 2269 to make a donation, using cards. If you can only send a cheque it should go to: Christian Aid, 35-41 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. It may take a little longer than usual to be banked and thanked. 

Call to Worship
Let us see you this day, O God,
Come to us as light.
Let us hear you this day, O God,
Come to us as truth.
Let us sense your presence, O God,
Come to us as love.
Come and let us worship, God.
We will rejoice in God, our Saviour.
 
Hymn 97 -O God, you search me and you know me. A paraphrase of Psalm 139 (vv1,2,5)

Creator, Christ and Spirit;
how awesome is your love, O God.
In you, we live and move and have our being.
In you, we find our beginning and our end.
In you, we find a judge who is kind and gracious.
We know you as Saviour, keeping watch over all your
people, calling us to walk in paths of justice and
peace, leading us away from trouble, toward the
hope you promise.
Here we offer you our praise and worship,
seeking to serve you in gratitude each and every day.

Creator, Christ and Spirit,
We also offer you our confession so that we might renew our faithfulness to you.
We have claimed to be wise when we were ignorant.
We have sought after things of little value,
and valued little the things of great worth.
We have failed to speak out for you.
Forgive us our foolishness.
Renew us by your mercy.
Restore within us a right spirit and guide us in your ways of wisdom.
 
Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and set free by God’s generous grace.

Lord’s Prayer
 
Readings:  Acts 17: 22-31
                   John 14: 15-21
 
Hymn 691 – Be still my soul (vv1,4)
 
Here is our weekly prayer from Arthur and Kathleen:
God of heaven and earth, companion in life, Spirit of truth, to you alone we turn our eyes and lift our hearts. We thank you that because you live we will live also. Help us to be always prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have in you, to keep your commandments and to love one another as you love us.  Amen
 
Reflection
Over the last few weeks, I have been looking out into my garden and have noticed occasionally pheasants appearing, which has been very nice. Yesterday I looked out my window and did a double take. A mother pheasant was there with some chicks. I grabbed my phone and rushed outside to take a picture, but they ran away. Today – they are back, and I think they have taken up residence in my garden. I have now counted thirteen chicks, which seems an awful lot, but the mother is very protective of them. It is always wonderful to see the care nature takes of their young. No social distancing here. Of course, it is a good excuse for me not to cut the grass, in case I scare them!
 
One of the very difficult things that many of us are going through just now is not being able to see family far away and being able to give loved ones a hug. Zoom, Skype, social media, the telephone have been godsends and have given us the chance to speak to loved ones. But it is not the same. We feel very much at a distance.
 
We have been reading from John’s Gospel these last few weeks, and the setting is the Thursday of Holy Week; Jesus is preparing the disciples for his departure. He has warned them that he would be betrayed and handed over to the authorities; he is trying to prepare them for the fact that he wouldn’t be with them. In the heightened tension of that time (his death on the cross was only 24 hours away), this news would have devastated the disciples. But despite all he himself was going through, the struggles within himself that would be seen as he prayed for the cup to be taken from him at Gethsemane, Jesus thinks about his friends and makes a promise to them.
 
He promises that he will not leave them alone, that he will not abandon them. In fact, he says ‘I will not leave you orphaned’. What does ‘orphaned’ mean to you. It might be something very personal for some of us, others might think of Dickens and Oliver Twist or Pip in Great Expectations. I tend to think of those orphaned by AIDS in Africa in another pandemic, very different but with some similarities to the one we are experiencing today. To be an orphan meant losing parents, but also losing a whole way of living and being left vulnerable and alone.
 
Jesus said to the disciples that he wouldn’t leave them alone and forgotten, but would send an Advocate to be with them, and that of course was the Holy Spirit.
 
When we hear the word ‘Advocate’, we think of it in the legal sense, but it is someone who stands up for you when you need it, who speak up on your behalf, who lends a helping hand, takes your side and won’t leave you when you are down, who stands by our side. The disciples needed to hear this promise, that in the trials and tribulations that they would face in their lives, that they would not be alone, but would have the Spirit to support and encourage them. Jesus would be with them – through the Holy Spirit.
 
Jesus continues to make that promise today – not to leave us orphaned or alone, you are not forgotten.
To those who have lost loved ones or miss loved one, You are not alone, you are not forgotten
To the person whose career is falling apart and who doesn’t know how bills will be paid, You are not alone, you are not forgotten
To parents with handicapped children, wondering how they will adapt to school again after this absence, You are not alone, you are not forgotten
To those of us in isolation, trying to cope day by day, You are not alone, you are not forgotten
To refugees or persecuted Christians, you are not alone, you are not forgotten.
 
We don’t have to face anything alone; the Advocate is with us. And that also propels us to be ‘as Christ’ to the people around, and be willing to stand up for and to stand alongside and lend a helping hand to the vulnerable and the marginalised in our society. Amen
 
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Loving God,
We thank you for calling us into a relationship with you, and setting us in the world you love. Through our prayers, we bring to you our doubts and fears, our joys and our concerns, and our deepest longings for your world.
 
Reconciling God,
We pray for our family and friends, those far away and those close by, any who are estranged from us and those whom we depend upon daily. Where our relationships are strained, bring understanding and new possibility. Bless and protect relationships that are joyful and life-giving.
 
Guiding God,
We pray for those in government and all who serve the public good day by day. Guide each one to uphold standards of good service above personal gain. Where they experience tension between their faith and their public roles, give them wisdom to make faithful decisions and courage when those decisions are unpopular. We thank you for journalists holding officials to account.
 
Caring God,
We pray for the people we encounter every day, both those who are shining lights in our communities and those whose lights have yet to be discovered. Help us be respectful of every neighbour, and treat each person we meet with kindness. We think of fellow Christians, especially those who live in a minority situation and can face levels of discrimination. And we also think of those from other faiths or cultures living in our midst whom we sometimes treat differently. Especially at this time we remember our Muslim friends at Ramadan.
 
Healing God,
We pray for those who are suffering from illness or chronic conditions, for those in grief or loneliness, and for any who feel frustrated or overwhelmed by what they face. Move in their lives with your healing grace and show them signs of your presence and compassion in life-giving ways.
(Silence)
Amen

Hymn 470  (vv1,2,4) – Jesus shall reign

Benediction
Now go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and may the blessing of God, the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you and those whom you love, wherever they may be. Now and forevermore, Amen