Call to Worship With thankful hearts we gather to worship God May we be united in love and praise With generous, faithful minds we open our hearts May we be filled with the knowledge of Christ's teaching With the trials and temptations of life in our thoughts May we lay them down and prepare to worship God Hymn 214 – New every morning Prayers of adoration and confession Eternal and Loving God, We are in awe as we worship You today. Your generosity knows no bounds, and we are humbled by the breadth, length and depth of Your love for us, which extends to the people of the whole world that You made so creatively. How wonderful it is that You brought variety, colour, vibrancy and beauty to this earth, for You have been a generous and caring master who wanted to provide for Your children. We are blessed with continents, countries and areas that range from the high mountain to the deep ocean, the small rural village to the bustling city. All of this has been made perfectly, a loving gift to be experienced and lived to the full. Creator God, You have showered upon us all the resources we need for a fulfilling life, including families and friends who love us, work and leisure that inspires us, and a faith that brings meaning and purpose day by day. We are truly thankful for all You have done, and continue to do for us, day by day. Almighty God, You know everything about us. The thoughts we have, the desires we fight against, and the words that are spoken that cause distress, worry and fear. We confess the mistakes made, the actions taken, or not taken, and say sorry ... Sorry because we let others gain the upper hand, instead of turning to You. Sorry that we have not been as faithful as we could have been. Loving God, forgive us, assure us and empower us as we move forward in faith, renewed and forgiven, knowing You are with us, urging, encouraging and driving us on Lord’s Prayer Readings – Lamentation 3: 19-26 Luke 17:5-10 Hymn 153 – Great is thy faithfulness Prayer of Illumination God our creator, You have made us one with all the earth, To tend it and to bring forth fruit: May we so respect and cherish All that has life from you, That we may share in the labour of all creation To give birth to your hidden glory, Through Jesus Christ. Amen Reflection Two weeks ago was the Morebattle Flower Show; yesterday was the Yetholm Shepherd Show. At both events I stood amazed at the skills people have. There are gigantic leeks; there are thick stalks of rhubarb; there are flowers wonderfully proportioned and in the brightest of colour. There are cakes and scones; there are the beautifully carved sticks. At Yetholm there is the livestock as well, but also runners tackling a hilly course. It is all great fun, but also it represents a real commitment to grow the fruit and vegetables; a creativity to produce the best displays. I look out at my garden, and there is nothing I could display, but there are flowers and trees that have given me a lot of pleasure over the months. We humans can work away, but it is God who ultimately brings about the growth. I don’t think I saw in either of the shows any mustard bushes, but Jesus had a particular liking of mustard seeds, for he uses them in several of his parables. The seeds were of course tiny, yet put them in the ground, lavish them with TLC (tender loving care) and they would grow into a large bush. But in the parable this morning Jesus used the image of a mustard seed to talk about faith; if the disciples had the tiniest of faith, the size of a mustard seed, they could tell a mulberry tree to uproot itself and plant itself in the sea. Though perhaps more famously in Matthew, the faith to move mountains. In Cairo the story is told of a time in the Middle Ages when Cairo was a place in which the three monotheistic religions all thrived – Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The heads would gather every now and again to chat, but this time the Sultan and the chief rabbi rounded on the Christian bishop and asked about this parable and challenged the bishop to prove it and to move a mountain by faithful prayer – or else, his flock would be put to the sword. He was given three days – and he was in despair. He tried to explain that perhaps it wasn’t to be taken literally, that Jesus was exaggerating to put across his point. But they wouldn’t listen. The story goes, however, that after sleepless nights and much fasting during the day, on the third day the mountain was moved, and the Sultan abdicated and became a Christian. We may take a story like that with a pinch of salt, but for many Coptic Christians in Egypt they believed it happened. They live as a small minority, and stories like this bolsters their faith. We read from the book of Lamentations today. It is a gloomy book, as it records the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. |The temple had been raised to the ground, the precious treasures taken away to Babylon; even the king had been led away in chains. The people who were left lamented in despair. But in Chapter 3 we have the tiniest mustard seed light in their darkness, as the writer realises that God’s love is there new every morning; so great is his faithfulness. Suddenly there is hope in the worst of situations. The disciples had asked Jesus to increase their faith. By faith, I thank they meant their trust. We are often in that situation, where we look at other people or we look at those who have gone before us and feel that they had so much faith, whereas often ours is wanting. But I think we need to take these words from lamentations to heart; that God’s love is there new every morning; that God is ever faithful to us. The saints were ordinary people, with all their failings, but who somehow made a difference. We too can make a difference, even with our failings. Daoud Nasser is a Palestinian Christian and has a farm near Bethlehem. It has been in the family for many generations, and they have title deeds to prove it. It is now surrounded by Israeli settlements, which ever seek to encroach upon their land. He now calls his farm the ‘tent of nations’, as many volunteers come to stay to help the Nasser family plant olive trees especially and help them with the harvest. So often the settlers burn the trees or uproot them; the Nasser family just replant, refusing to be intimidated or to treat the settlers as enemies. That’s faith. Despite the hatred they face, they respond with love and plant believing in a bright future. We pray it will come. As the farmer plants crops hoping for a good yield or a gardener plants flowers or vegetables hoping for a good display, so we can plant the seeds of hope, for God’s love is there for us, new every morning. So great is God’s faithfulness. Prayers of Dedication O God of the ages, we give because you have given so many things to us. Help us to use our resources to bring about change that the poor will be lifted up, the broken healed, and the despised included, let our love for you increase and our love of mammon fade away. Amen. Hymn 259- Beauty for brokenness Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession Eternal One, we praise You for Your goodness and grace, Your love which sustains our world and all that is therein, the diversity of Your creation, the beauty of our planet, and the animals and forms of life with which we share our fragile home. O Most High, we give thanks for all that is good in our lives: our church where we’re nurtured and sustained, our community where You meet people in all sorts of ways, the love that we share in so many different ways – each way reflecting Your love for us. Here in the security of our worship we bring to you places, O God, that are not very secure, for we remember those who weep: the people of Ukraine living with invasion, terror and uncertainty, the people of Afghanistan recovering from earthquake and living with an unstable government the people of Yemen at war with Saudi Arabia and the civil conflict in Ethiopia. We pray for those who seek and work for peace in each of these places - seeking to sing your song of peace in a strange place. We ask Your blessing on those who investigate war crimes and attempt to bring perpetrators to justice and we ask You continue to turn the hearts of politicians toward peace and away from war. We remember too, Eternal One, our own nations in times of trouble. We pray for those who: struggle to pay their bills this month and this winter, will suffer due to the fall in the value of sterling, plot to make the rich wealthier in the proud imagination of their hearts, and those who feel they have no alternative but to strike to defend their livelihoods. Give wisdom, O God, to those who dare to lead us, that integrity, justice and compassion will become watchwords of our national life. We pray for the Church, that we might be forward looking and outward-looking. Help us to put our trust in You, O God. Give us faith to make a difference. Faith: that you still call people to Yourself; that you still have work and purpose for us; faith the size of a mustard seed. In a moment’s silence we bring to God the names of those we love and worry about… Amen Hymn 644 – O Jesus I have promised Benediction May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His smile towards you and give you peace.
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Call to Worship Creator God, of Justice You are with us now Bright God of Change You will walk beside us Rainbow God of life We will follow you! Hymn 200 – Christ is made the sure foundation Prayers of adoration and confession Creating God, beauty and harmony mark your creation. As the seasons change, we see you are still at work in the world, transforming hearts and situations. We praise you for all you do to repair injustice, to bring peace to places of war, working for goodness to prevail in all nations. You offer us new possibilities day by day, and so we place our trust in your redeeming power. Renew our energy to reach out in love this autumn and open our eyes to new opportunities in Jesus’ name. Through the power of the Spirit, make us participants in your work, bringing justice and joy into the world you love. Compassionate God, you open your heart to those in need, and to your aching creation. We confess we often turn away so that we do not have to see pain, suffering or injustice, right before our eyes. We don’t like to feel uncomfortable or pressed into service. Forgive us and give us courage to love others as you love. The prophet Micah declared that God requires of us three things: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. To all who repent, who act for justice and seek to serve God and neighbour in kindness, God offers forgiveness and peace. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Lord’s Prayer Readings – 1 Timothy 6: 6- 19 Luke 16:19-31 Hymn 517- Fight the good fight Prayer of Illumination God, whose name is not honoured Where the needy are not served, And the powerless are treated with contempt: May we embrace our neighbour With the same tenderness That we ourselves require; So your justice may be fulfilled in love, Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Reflection I studied at St Andrew’s, and tourists would come and rave about being at the home of golf. I was caught by surprise, because after the first week, I never noticed the golf, I never noticed the golf courses. This week I was speaking to some visitors at Yetholm Church, and they were raving about the thatched cottages and the village greens and even the house in the Morebattle Road with the gnomes in the garden. I realized that I have grown used to these now; I accept that they are there and don’t see them as different. Some things become so familiar that we don’t notice any more. We have to look with the eyes of a stranger to see how beautiful a part of the world we live in or even to see what needs done about the house - that we do need to change the wallpaper or give the door a lick of paint. The parable we read this morning is about failing to notice. There are two main characters, and there is a chasm between them – because one is outrageously rich and the other dirt poor. There is a chasm between them in the afterlife, as one is in heaven and the other in the torments of Hades, of Hell. There is a rich man. Sometimes we call him Dives, but that simply means rich man. And there is the poor man, a destitute, with sores all over his body that the dogs lick. He is called Lazarus, and in all Jesus’ parables, Lazarus is the only one Jesus gives a name to. The prodigal son isn’t Aaron, woman looking for her lost coin isn’t Rebecca; the sower isn’t Zack. Only Lazarus is given a name, the lowest of the low. And the name Lazarus means ‘God helps’. There is a painting of this parable by the Italian artist Veronese, and the rich man is sitting at his table, eating the sumptuous fare, drinking the finest wine, while musicians play for his enjoyment. He is dressed in the latest fashion. He has everything money can buy. But Lazarus is lying by a pillar, dogs licking his wounds. The rich man would have passed Lazarus every day, but never noticed – or chose not to notice. He had become just part of the scenery. But then the scene shifts to the afterlife. Jesus is talking with some Pharisees, and they believed in the afterlife. Jesus isn’t giving a model of what heaven is like, but is rather using a folklore version of heaven and hell. On death, Lazarus is whisked away by angels to heaven, but the rich man ends up in hell, where he suffers. This time, for the first time, he does notice Lazarus seated beside Abraham, but a chasm lies inbetween. The rich man was used to giving orders and he begins to instruct both Abraham and Lazarus, telling Lazarus to warn his brothers to mend their ways. They will believe, he thinks, someone who comes from the dead. But the parable finished with Abraham saying that if they hadn’t listened to the teaching of Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen to someone coming from the dead. Wealth plays a part in this parable, though Jesus doesn’t dwell on it. But in our reading from Timothy, we hear the famous verse about the love of money being the root of all evil and how destructive it can be. Yet the rich can also help – the Hunter Foundation matches by 50% every pound raised for charity in the Kiltwalk for example. He gets some kudos out of it and can probably well afford it, but even so, he has done a good thing. It is the abuse of money that is the problem. Paul encourages the young Timothy to concentrate on living his life in a good and compassionate way, fighting the good fight and pursuing love and faith and gentleness. The was a challenge to the Pharisees with whom Jesus was conversing, for did they notice the downtrodden? Or did their learning blind them? But it is also a challenge to us. We are privileged in so many different ways, with education, lifestyle, technology. But what – of whom- do we pass by, with eyes closed? Some are obvious – the widows, orphans, refugees that the Old Testament prophets keep mentioning, but others of our neighbours can have hidden needs and anxieties. We need to keep our eyes – and our ears – open. And as a Church we are tasked to build bridges over the chasms that divide and tackle the prejudices that create these chasms in the first place. Jesus called Lazarus by name. Let us give everybody their dignity- by noticing them and not walking past. Prayers of Dedication Loving God, we bring you our gifts, grateful that we have something to share, and glad to be part of a network of mission and mercy which circles the earth. Bless the various good works supported by our Church of Scotland as well as the mission of our congregation. Use our gifts to multiply their impact in the world you love through Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymn 544 – When I needed a neighbour Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession God of mystery and wonder, We look around at the beauty of this world and the worlds beyond us, and sense that you have given each precious thing its place and a way to sustain itself. Thank you for the care you hold for your whole creation. We also look around at the aching of the world and sense that many precious things are under threat. Too many pieces of your creation have fallen out of balance with each other. Show us how we can help restore that balance and protect what is at risk for the health of your whole creation. God of all creatures great and small, Make us stewards of what is precious to you. God of energy and life, We look around at the peoples of this world and see your image and dignity in every variety of face and culture. Thank you for the care you hold for all humankind. Yet we look around at the people of this world and see the aching of the hungry and hurting; we hear the groans of parents whose children die in their arms and feel the tears of children whose parents die too soon. We know neighbours who are suffering and hear of strangers who can’t imagine how to make it through tomorrow. Awaken our generosity to offer what healing and hope we can to the lives you cherish in every neighbourhood and nation. God of all creatures great and small, Make us stewards of what is precious to you. God of promise and possibility, We look around at places where people collide with each other. We hear the grumbling of nations locked into old rivalries and grievances. We watch the jousting of leaders impressed more by polls than effective policies. We worry about the future of our communities and our children. We hear your call to do justice and live generously. Guide us as citizens to act for justice that brings peace and well being to communities near and far. Bless the Church as she engages with causes both in this country and abroad. God of all creatures great and small, Make us stewards of what is precious to you. God of faithfulness and surprise, We look at ourselves and sometimes doubt we can make a difference or have an impact. Challenge us to recognise the kinds of power we do have: The love and compassion, the courage and commitment, the laughter and friendship, the generosity and mercy You inspire within us. In all these gifts we know your power. Through all these gifts, our lives have been changed. Using these gifts in our lives, bring Christ’s love and mercy to the world you love, Silence Amen Hymn 737 – Will your anchor hold Benediction Go in joy, knowing God rejoices over you; And care for others, knowing God rejoices over them, too! May the blessing of the God who made us, the Christ who mends us, and the Spirit who gives us life be with you now and always. Amen We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15). Please sign the Visitors’ Book. Pippa Emerson will lead worship and preach today.
 We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15). We have been greatly saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth and mourn her today.
Call to Worship ‘Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord . Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.' Hymn 160 – Praise my soul, the king of Heaven Prayers of Adoration & Confession Almighty Father. You are the Lord who is beyond time and change. Through all the myriad courses of history, you have been the one constant that has enabled our wayward humanity to follow a safe pathway. And as we think of our native land and the twists and spirals of its journey to this hour, we are grateful for your care and endless benevolence. And bright among the shine of your blessings through so many years has been the presence of our sovereign. So this time of loss touches deep, and with our sadness uncertainty comes to snap at our heels. But then comes your word calling us to stand fast in the faith that our Queen knew and which sustained her through all her days. So we turn to it, knowing well that it will uphold and nourish us through this time. Forgive us if ever we forget ourselves and look to another rock than you, or another quarry from which to draw our security. For in you alone is our hope, from you alone is our comfort, through you alone is our nation made whole and strong, and by you alone is our future made secure. Such prayers now we make through Jesus Christ, Our Lord Lord’s Prayer Readings – Romans 8: 31-39 John 14: 1-4, 6, 27 Hymn 425 – The Saviour died, but rose again Prayer of Illumination O Christ our tender Shepherd, you know how anxious we are and how easily we stray. Let us hear your voice Above the clamour of all others, That we may learn who truly feeds us And find our way home to you. Amen Reflection Whenever the Queen was in residence at Balmoral, a minister would be invited to preach at Crathie Kirk, and they would stay the weekend. A couple of friends of mine have been in that position. In both cases, they panicked for weeks over needing a new wardrobe for the barbecue and dinner. But immediately they reached Balmoral, they were put at their ease. The Queen had a knack for engaging with people, so that soon they were chatting and laughing. Ian Greenshields, the present moderator, was at balmoral only last weekend, and he paid testament to the Queen’s knowledge, but also to her sense of fun. He was shocked, as so many of us were, to hearing how gravely ill she was, because ‘she was in such amazingly good form at the weekend’. She died on Thursday afternoon. The Queen was held in the greatest respect by all, Royalists and even by those who would not support the Monarchy She touched the lives of so many people here in Britain, but I have also received messages from friends abroad speaking of their admiration for the Queen. She became Queen at the young age of 25, her father dying when he was only 56. She was in Treetops in Kenya and immediately began to write letters apologising for cancelling the rest of the trip and upsetting people’s plans So began a life of impeccable duty. What a reign – she spanned 15 Prime Ministers and 14 American Presidents. During her life, there has been the Second World War, and she broadcast as a 14 year old, encouraging the children and saying that we will come through this. Astronauts walked on the moon, the Berlin wall was built and also knocked down; an iron curtain disappeared; the internet has revolutionized life; apartheid ended in South Africa, and a rainbow nation came into being. The list is endless, but the Queen offered the still small voice of calm and stability throughout. She wasn’t shaking hands looking for a vote or addressing rallies looking for power or, like celebrities these days, blurting out her personal thought every which way. Instead, she embodied service and devotion. At an age when most people would have retired decades before, she was still at work, right up to the last. She believed that it was a God-given task, to serve the people. Not just some, but all people. Her Christian faith was central to this. She believed, and always had a real concern about the Church, while also respecting those of other faiths. At 96 she lived a good and a long life and touched so many people’s lives for good. In his letter to the Church in Rome, Paul asks what can separate us from god’s love and the goes on to list various calamities and even death itself, the last enemy, but he is bold to say that he is convinced that nothing, neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come, can ever separate us from the love of God. Meanwhile in the Gospels, Jesus gives the reassuring message to the disciples that there are many mansions in His father’s house, there is so much space, and he assures them that they will be with him, and we cling to that hope, that God, maker of all things, has made us for more than this life and that there will be a coming together with all who have gone before us. The Queen lived her life in dedicated service; let us be thankful for that example and as we seek to follow the way of Christ, let us seek to serve one another and the community around. Prayers of Dedication In Jesus’ parable, the woman who found the lost coin rejoiced over something precious. What we offer to God is precious to us. When we present it to God, God rejoices in our gifts. Let us bless God with our offering. Lord God, receive our gifts offered in a spirit of generosity and humility. Bless and use them for the work that you long to do in the world in Jesus name. Amen. Hymn 691 – Be still my soul Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession Generous God, Who engages with the world in which we live, We give You thanks that all is known to You, And blessed by Your eternal presence. God of the past, the present and the future, For the bed-rock of faith, For the deep roots of faith, Receive our thanks this day. In times of change and transformation, Where we miss the familiar, And long for stability, Reassure us with the steadfastness of Your love. Hear our thanks for this nation of ours: Its people and its places, The human tapestry of young and old, women and men, The city-dweller and the country folk, One people. Enhance our respect for each other, Trusting in the inherent goodness that each child of the universe Offers to a broken world. Hear our thanks for Elizabeth, our late Queen, Blessed by grace, Resolute in service, Modest in person. For the years of her reign, And the sweep of history through which she provided Both anchor and springboard. We thank You for her dedication to this nation and Commonwealth, And for all the rich gifts of wisdom, kindness and inclusion She brought to her long decades. We give You thanks for lives her life touched, For the radiance of her smile And the encouragement of her words. We thank You for the sparkle of her humour That eased the tensions she encountered, And for the determination of her life To see its duties through. King of kings and Lord of lords, We thank You for the families she united Through her person. Those near and dear to her in her home life; Those brought together by the union of this kingdom; Those spread throughout the Commonwealth of nations So dear to her heart. For our nation at this time we pray, Asking for comfort in our loss, And hopefulness as we step forward into the days ahead. As our thankfulness mingles with our sadness, May we support each other And be, together, communities of tenderness and kindness. Sustain us with the strong memories of the past, And prepare us for joyfulness in the days before us. In the dignity of our time of grief, May we find in each other encouragement To share our tears, and be consoled by remembering laughter That eases emptiness and speaks to us Of life continuing in generations to come. God save our King, And bless him in these days of preparation. Imbue him with the strength of character, The openness of heart, The suppleness of mind And the generosity of spirit That will anoint him in the coming days. Silence as remember those who are ill and situations of strife and conflict in our world today. Amen Hymn 694 – Brother, sister, let me serve you Benediction Go in peace and love. May the blessing of the God who made us, the Christ who mends us, and the Spirit who gives us life be with you now and always. Amen. 
Call to Worship O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise. O Lord, may we open ourselves in worship, and give of ourselves in worship and service. O Lord, receive our praise as we gather to worship you. Hymn 457 – All hail the power Prayers of adoration and confession God of all creation, you have opened the world around us and filled it with creatures of your love and purpose. Each one declares your praise – the mountain states your majesty; the ripened field, your generosity. Birds flying aloft sing of your freedom; the tiny ant works with your persistence. And what do we declare about you in our lives? We pray that our work will honour your justice and mercy; may our relationships speak of your love and compassion. So may we praise you, O God, not just in this hour of worship, but in all our waking and our working. Challenge us today to live out the praise we offer you through the grace of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God of justice and mercy, we offer you our love and loyalty in worship yet we admit we do not live out that love and loyalty. We don’t always act on our good intentions, we fail to keep our promises, we hurt each other, and then refuse to seek or offer forgiveness. Forgive us, we pray, for not taking up our cross and following Christ. Friends, let us proclaim good news to one another. In Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Philemon 1-21 Luke 14: 25-33 Hymn 191 – Do not be afraid Prayer of Illumination Spirit of God, present now in each of us, bring forth truth from words spoken and heard, as we seek to follow in the way of Christ the eternal living Word. Amen. Reflection It is often interesting when people come up to read the lessons to hear how they will pronounce certain names. I was taking a service in one of the sheltered housing complexes in Kelso this week and talking about Moses. Afterwards, someone asked me about my pronunciation of ‘Moses’. It never occurred to me that I was saying it in a different way from everyone else. Moses/ Mosis. In Zambia, people liked soft ‘a’s, so Jacob and Abraham were pronounced differently and probably nearer to the original Hebrew. But today we had ‘Philemon’ and ‘Onesimus’. We don’t read from Philemon very often, so it is not one which trips off our tongues, but it is a fascinating book of the Bible. It is the shortest of Paul’s letters, only 25 verses, and the only one written to an individual rather than a church. That’s because the message was personal. Because Philemon, who was a prominent member of the church, also owned slaves. Now in the 1st Century world there was nothing unusual in that. Slavery was at the heart of the economy of the Roman empire, and indeed all other cultures at that time. It was a given. But one of Philemon’s slaves had run away and had somehow made their way to Paul, who at that time was himself in prison. Being in prison, having his own liberty taken from him, would no doubt have made Paul sympathetic to the runaway slave, but he knew Philemon and knew the punishment if Onesimus was caught, and so he wrote to Philemon, and he said ‘Philemon, you have a problem!’. The problem was that Philemon had a runaway slave, who may well have taken something when he fled, but this same runaway slave had come to faith and been baptised by Paul. Now he was a brother in Christ. That would make for an interesting dynamic in Philemon’s household. That problem had a name, Onesimus, which means ‘Useful’, maybe a name given to him. Paul begins his letter with dollops of flattery, praising Philemon’s work in the church, but then has the sting in the tail, as he makes an impassioned appeal for Philemon to welcome Onesimus back, to forgive him any wrong and to treat him as a brother. Paul doesn’t condemn slavery outright in the letter, but obviously has sympathy with the slave. Elsewhere he writes that in Christ there is no male and female, slave nor free – we are all one in Christ, and many slaves were attracted by the radical message of Christianity. We don’t know what happened, how Philemon reacted. But we do know that there was a bishop in Ephesus in the early 2nd century called Onesimus – was it the same person, or someone named after the slave? The fact the letter exists and was so treasured in the early Church that it was included in the canon, in the books that make up the New Testament, tells us something. I think it tells us that Philemon took the message to heart and welcomed Onesimus as a brother and even perhaps gave him his freedom. Our Gospel reading today has Jesus counting the cost of discipleship and making it clear to the disciples that to follow him meant complete commitment and sacrifice. He called them to take up their crosses to follow him. It cost to be a Christian, and it certainly did for Philemon. When Jesus comes into the equation, things have to change. Before he was a Christian, Philemon would have punished Onesimus for running away, but now Christ had entered his life, he had to act differently. He had to show the same forgiveness and compassion Christ showed. It is the same with us; Jesus has entered our lives, so if we take him seriously, we must change the way we treat people. We need to reflect on what Christ would do in any situation- and change accordingly. Take slavery. It is so difficult for us to understand why Christian rulers were so heavily involved in shipping all these thousands of slaves to the Americas from Africa; why plantation owners in the Caribbean or the Southern states in America could go to church, even build churches, while all the time oppressing their fellow human beings. We thank God for Christians like William Wilberforce and others who campaigned so relentlessly to see Slavery banned. However, slavery still exists in our world today. Human trafficking goes on, luring women and children especially with promises of a new life, only for them to find themselves in impossible situations, often having to work in prostitution. A lot of the workers building the stadia for the next football world cup in Qatar may not be classed slaves, but their conditions are not unlike slave labour. Yet we can just let these things pass us by. It is like climate change, the effects of which are so obvious to us. And yet the enthusiasm to do something about it after the COP conference last year seems to have waned. We need to keep our eyes open to what is in plain sight in front of us. Paul encourages Philemon to look at Onesimus not as a slave, but as a brother. We too need to look around us and see beyond the labels we stick on people, and see them rather as people made in God’s image and beloved to God and work ever that people may enjoy the freedom to know God and to follow. Prayers of Dedication O God, we offer these gifts to you. Bless them and use them to heal and reshape the world you love Hymn 402 – Take up thy cross Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession Clouds rolling across the sea and land, freedom and space to explore, the soothing pattern and rhythm of our days and seasons grounds us in the Eternal. Tranquillity in early morning rising, delight in green surroundings, joyous laughter of children all remind us of the wonders of our lives. We give thanks for the gifts we witness around us, in green spaces, in music and creativity, support, validation, and love in companionship, our church communities, the wisdom in our shared heritage, and the wonderful example of Jesus. There is much happening in our world that concerns us and which we bring to you in prayer: the armed conflict in places like Ukraine and Yemen, displaced people who have already lost everything; people who are being trafficked and those who have no freedom at all. We think of the cost-of-living crisis, raising food prices and impacting those across our world who can least afford it. God, not only do we cry out for justice and fairness, equity and enough for all people – we pray also that you would show us, how we might be agents for the kind of change our world needs. We bring our silent prayers for those who lie heavily upon our hearts.…………………. As we answer our call to follow Jesus, be with us in our difficult life experiences and trials; where we fear there can be no hope, may we feel the healing touch of Christ. We remember all who have sought God before us, Saints and martyrs, their wisdom which shapes our knowledge and understanding today. We pray for our loved ones who have gone through death, that they may know the brightness of everlasting life, and we who are left can continue to grow through their inspiration. Amen Hymn 192 – All my hope on God is founded Benediction 
Call to Worship Come all you travellers, tired from the journey. Come to the feast; there is room at the table. Come all you questioners, looking for answers. Come to the feast; there is room at the table. Come let us worship God, who welcomes us in with love and grace Hymn 125 – Lord of all being Prayers of adoration and confession Welcoming God, we join together to offer this time of worship. We are glad to come as we are, each one unique, different and each loved just the same. We are aware that you meet us here, may we notice your presence all around us. You are the host, and we are invited to be here to join together in worship, in song, word and silence. May we remain humble and faithful to you here and now and always. We come to show our love for you and all you have revealed to us in Jesus. We come to hear your word afresh and learn more of you. We come to offer ourselves just as we are and to give our gifts to help build your kingdom. Welcoming God, we confess we too often fall short of the kindness and compassion we meet in Jesus. You have welcomed us like guests to a banquet, yet we find it hard to welcome a stranger in church. You have shown us what matters most in life, but we are distracted by worries, busy with things that really do not matter. Forgive us, O God. Teach us to honour you and those we meet in all we do and say, for the sake of Christ, our Lord. Dear friends, while it is true that we have sinned and fallen short of God’s hope for us, it is a greater truth that we are forgiven through God’s amazing love. Praise be to God. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Jeremiah 2: 4-13 Luke 14: 1, 7-14 Hymn 489 – Come down, O Love Divine Weekly Prayer: Heavenly Father as we humbly come before you this day help us never to forsake you, our spring of living water. Help us to focus our priorities and our thoughts on heavenly things, as well as placing our treasures in heaven. Give us eyes to see and hearts to understand not only what you do on our behalf, but what you call us to do on your behalf. Amen Sermon n the old days of air travel, there used to be smoking at the back and non-smoking near the front, though it didn’t seem to matter. In the old days of air travel, you could sometimes ask for an upgrade and, if you were lucky, find yourself in business class. It happened to me a couple of times, and it felt really good having slightly more space and some nice food. I don’t think you would get anywhere nowadays if you asked. Have you ever been upgraded? Maybe it has been on a train or you have been given a sea-view in a hotel or a special cabin in a cruise. Once I had cheap tickets for a concert, but found myself in a box, though that was because the person I was with knew one of the ushers. It can make us feel good, when we are upgraded. It can make us feel special. Jesus was at a dinner party; in a way, he was the star attraction. He was fascinated to watch as people positioned themselves, all vying to be near the top, to be in the places of honour. The guests at the dinner party would have been wealthy, they would have been people with influence, people with clout. They would have all felt that they were entitled to be at the top table. But imagine their shame, if they were asked to give up their place for someone else and be moved down. Jesus taught that it was far better to humble yourself and sit at the back or further down the table and be given the honour of being brought up to the front. Though in your average church of Scotland congregation, people might prefer to remain at the back! In Zambia, whenever there were meals, the clergy would always be ushered to the front and given the best pieces of chicken, and I was never comfortable with that. Only, when I went to the back of the queue, others were not comfortable and always ushered me to the front, which I had to accept. I think we have moved on from that in Britain now! But honour and shame still play a part in our everyday lives. I don’t know whether you use social media or not? In Facebook, for example, you can post a photo or write a few lines, and people can ‘like’ it. If there are lots of likes, then we are happy. However, if there are ‘dislikes’ or negative comments, it can really be quite devastating. I don’t use Twitter, but I know that comments can be retweeted, which makes you feel good, but again, negative reaction can be very hurtful. Most of us can take it in our stride, but for younger people, it can have a big impact and they can feel bullied and depressed, shunned and excluded.. Their sense of self-value damaged, for somehow people measure their status with how many likes they have, and it is so damaging. In God’s eyes all of us are valued, all of us have worth; we need to see ourselves through God’s eyes. Jesus was at the meal, because he had received a bunch of ‘likes’, you could say. People wanted to hear him, especially if he was controversial. He didn’t disappoint, for he questions who we should invite to our dinner parties. Do you invite those who will invite you back or who will be able to help you in some way? Or should you invite the overlooked and the marginalised? He gives a glimpse of the Kingdom, where all are welcome and where social distinctions are turned on their head. There is a story told, and maybe it is apocryphal, of a big church in the States who were waiting for a new minister. The day of the induction came, and the church was absolutely full. There were young and old, rich and not-so-rich. There was even a homeless person, judging from his clothes, who had wandered in. The elders were all at the front. The homeless person made for the front, but the team on duty soon took him to the back and fund a seat, though the family next to him felt obliged to move. The organist was playing, but where was the new minister? People were excited, but there was no sign of him yet. Someone went to the microphone and appealed for the new minister to come to the front, but no-one came forward – except for the homeless person who was on his wanders again. I am sure you have guessed it… the homeless person was the new minister, who had dressed incognito to see how welcoming his new congregation really was. The gospel reading today doesn’t give us much wriggle room. We are encouraged to reach out to the poor, to the outcast, to those on the margins. The people without any influence, but they are the ones who get a place at the table. The Kingdom is not about popularity, but is a place where everyone is welcomed, everyone is valued. So, if you see someone sitting alone, draw a seat up and sit with them. You may well find that Jesus draws a seat up and sits beside us. The Pharisees liked their distinctions, but in God’s kingdom all are welcome. Hymn 543 – Longing for light Prayers of Dedication and Intercession God of all good things, take our humble offerings of money and time and talent and multiply them, that through our resources which we return to you, our world may be changed. Good and generous God, in Jesus Christ you came to us, promising us life in abundance. We give you thanks today for the abundant gifts we receive in him – assurance of your love day by day; relief of mercy when we recognize our own failings; hope when things seem bleak; energy to make a difference through our work and our witness; peace that comes when we trust ourselves in you. These are the gifts that matter, O God, especially when the future seems uncertain: Generous God, today we pray for all whose lives seem empty: For those whose lives are empty of joy because the going is tough and friends seem far away… because sorrow surrounds them… because hearts are filled with anger or disappointment… Generous God, we remember before you those whose lives are empty of purpose and those who do not know the respect of their neighbours: because they are without work… because they face discrimination in their communities… because they have made poor choices and cannot find a way forward… Generous God, we remember before you those who lives are empty of peace & hope: because they struggle with illness or disability… because they are powerless in the face of violence… because old animosities rankle & opportunity for reconciliation is elusive… Good and generous God, fill us with the energy & compassion of your Spirit to reach out to those whose lives seem empty. Silence. Amen. Hymn 458 – At the name of Jesus Benediction  We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15). Please take sign the visitors’ book.
Call to Worship With all our hearts, let us praise the Lord. With all that we are, we will praise God’s holy name! The Lord forgives our sins, heals our weakness, and gives us life everlasting. Let us worship God who is merciful and patient, God’s love never fails. Hymn 210 – Awake my soul, and with the sun.. Prayers of adoration and confession O God, our strength and refuge, We come together to worship you and praise your loving kindness. In your presence, we rest from what distracts us, to focus on your truth and goodness. You call us to live in relationship with you. Through the love of Jesus Christ, you repair our lives. Through the power of your Spirit, you engage us to serve you in the world. Receive our prayers and our praise this day, Creator, Christ, and Spirit, revive our hope and our energy and make us ready to answer your call. O God, our judge and our hope, we confess we often turn away from your truth, and ignore your call to do justice. Forgive us when we say one thing in worship but do another in the ways we live. Forgive us when we ignore how others are treated and think only of ourselves. Let your judgment awaken us and your mercy refresh us. Merciful Creator, remind us that we are loved, and transformed by love. Help us to let go of the hurt we have caused others, and enable us to forgive those who have hurt us, so that we can flourish. Jesus delighted in setting people free, May we know forgiveness for the hurt we have caused, and be able to forgive the hurt we have experienced. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Jeremiah 1: 1-10 Luke 13: 10-17 Hymn 251 – I, the Lord of sea and sky Weekly Prayer: Everlasting God, forgive us for overlooking your power and trying to live in our own strength. Help us to understand that we can’t do it on our own, and thank you that even before our birth your gracious hand was upon on our life providing everything that we need. Amen Sermon Every Friday I receive a message on WhatsApp from a friend in Israel, saying ‘Shabbat Shalom’. It is the traditional greeting in Israel to welcome in the Sabbath. At dusk on the Friday night, buses stop running for 24 hours, and families come together for a special evening meal. The Saturday morning is quiet, and peace reigns where usually there would be the hubbub of traffic and horns. The Sabbath is still important; some might even go to synagogue, but most secular Israelis still see it as a day to keep different from all the others, to rest or to meet up with family and friends. Some people work on the sabbath, because they have to, but are paid extra. Though for the Orthodox Jew, Sabbath is a day to keep holy, and the more extreme even have a Gentile, maybe a Filipino or Indian worker, to fetch water or even turn on light switches, because that would be deemed work. But for all, the Sabbath is a special day – because in Pharaoh’s Egypt the Hebrew slaves had no day off; it was work 24/7. So the enshrinement in the Law of a day of rest was so important. I am sure many of us grew up with Sunday being a distinctly special day. No shops would be open, apart from the newsagent to sell the Sunday papers in the morning. It was a day for church. How things have changed over a relatively short time, and not always for the best. In our Gospel reading, Jesus is at the synagogue on the Sabbath and has been invited to preach. But he stops his sermon half way through when he notices a woman bent over. He speaks with her and heals her, and it causes a furore. Some people praise God, because they have witnessed something wonderful; a woman who had been disabled in this way for 18 years has been healed. But the leader of the synagogue takes exception. The service has been disrupted, but also he feels the law of the Sabbath has been violated and he remonstrates with Jesus and breaking the law. Could you not have come back tomorrow, you almost hear him say – she has waited 18 years; one more day wouldn’t make a difference. For the Leader of the synagogue, the law mattered and he was upset over what he saw as an infringement of the law in his synagogue. The law does matter – it is there to keep order. But Jesus challenged this, by quoting from the Law, and by healing the woman, showed how grace and mercy brings life. The woman was restored to life and for the first time in 18 years could look people in the eye. Love trumped legalism; The broken spirit was put before the broken command. We don’t know the woman’s name. Maybe she had attended worship at that synagogue for 18 years or more, always looking down. How was she treated? Maybe people just grew used to her and her condition. But it does raise the issue of how we treat those who are disabled in one way or another. In Zambia I was in touch with a group of disabled young people who made rugs out of rags; they were very colourful. But they told stories of other people who were blind or crippled who were kept at home; their families somehow ashamed of their condition. Thankfully in Britain great strides have been taken for the disabled to feel more accepted in society. There are disabled presenters on TV, while at the recent Commonwealth Games races for the disabled were not kept separate from the other races but rather integrated. As the Church we also have to be conscious of those who are disabled and make such there is accessibility and that all are included. The wonderful thing about this passage is that Jesus noticed the woman and saw her need and was able to include her in God’s love. She was restored to the community and had her part to play. All of us have our part to play. That comes out in our Old Testament reading, when Jeremiah is called. Like Moses, he recites the reasons why he can’t possibly take up the role God has in mind for him. Moses wasn’t comfortable speaking, remember, but Jeremiah complained that he was too young. But God had other ideas, and Jeremiah is duly commissioned. All of us have our part to play in the life of the church. In Christ’s service all of us can walk tall, for all are included and all of us loved. Hymn 718 – We cannot measure how you heal Prayers of Dedication and Intercession O God, We offer our gifts as symbols of our lives. Help us to use these and all of your gifts wisely, Bless our offering of money and of ourselves and use all to build your Kingdom and share your love God, Creator, Healer, Sustainer, we bring to you our prayers. We pray for the world in all its beauty and pain: the land stripped bare of resources by human greed, the animals and plants driven to extinction the oceans overfished and exploited. We pray for those who call us to account for our misuse of the planet Give them courage to speak and give us courage to act to protect the globe. We pray for the healing of the world. We pray for your people, each one made in your image: those caught up in war, living in fear, fleeing in terror, those dying in places of famine, where enough is a distant dream, those burdened by poverty in lands filled with wealth. We pray for the people of Afghanistan, especially those who live in fear and in poverty. We pray for all who speak for justice and equity among peoples and nations: those who broker peace in the face of hunger for power. Give them courage to speak and give us courage to act with and for those in need. We pray for the healing of the nations. We pray for your Church in every place sent out by the flame and wind of Pentecost to tell your story and be your love. We pray for the unity that comes through Christ. We pray that your Church may rejoice in diversity of worship and style and that all may be pleasing to you. We pray that your Church may serve you in Spirit and in truth. We pray for ourselves: carrying the burdens we bring and cannot let go of, the unspoken and unhealed hurts, grief in its fresh rawness or the dull ache of time. We pray for those we know in need of your presence today and in the days to come. Silence. Amen. Hymn 459 – Crown him with many crowns Benediction  Notices:
Call to Worship O God, our Shepherd, gather us together and lead us like a flock. O God, our Gardener, plant us like a vineyard so that we produce good fruit. We bow before you, O God, and offer our worship with glad and humble hearts. Hymn 173 – Sing to God new songs of worship Prayers of adoration and confession Awesome God, when we consider your creating power, we stand amazed. You spoke, and worlds came into being: the star-spangled universe, the beautiful green-blue earth, the expanse of the heavens, stretching beyond our imagination; the abundance of nature on land and in seas, from the tiniest insect to the great beasts that dwell in forest and savanna, from minnows to the great whales that frolic in the seas, every one the work of your hands. Awesome God when we consider that out of dust you created human beings, we stand amazed. Flesh and bone, muscle and sinew, life and breath, all working in harmony; each unique and precious, the same yet different, gloriously diverse. Awesome God, we barely dare to stand before you - you who are both mystery and yet present with us. And yet you call us to you. You open your arms to greet us. In Jesus you share our lives; our sorrows and joys, our disappointments and anxieties, our hopes and dreams. Awesome God, we respond to your call and come to worship you. And even as we sing your praise and reflect on your goodness we are aware of our own shortcomings and failures. Though we seek to follow Jesus, we often give up when the path is hard, We follow our own desires instead of listening to your voice. We harden our hearts to the needs of others and put ourselves first. We bring to you what we would have you change in us. Awesome God, love is your nature and forgiveness freely given. Renew and restore us to live your ways and be your people. With thanksgiving we accept your mercy and grace, newness of life and endless fresh beginnings. Gracious God let us trust in your words of healing and life. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is Your love for those who fear You; as far as the east is from the west, so far have You removed our transgressions from us. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 5: 1-7 Luke 12: 49-56 Hymn 522 – The Church is wherever …. Weekly Prayer: Faithful God, as we go from today’s worship, enable us to see each individual we meet as uniquely made in Your image and worthy of our love and respect. Help us to judge what is right and show Your love through our lives in some small way today as we seek to demonstrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Sermon The church lay empty, its windows bricked in and the grass outside overgrown like hayfields. It was a sad sight. Italy was the first part of my holiday, but for the second part of my break, I had travelled to spend a few days in Ayrshire, back to my roots. I returned to the area where I grew up and spent a night in the hotel in which I worked the summer before going to University. It had changed, but then the whole area had changed; Dumfries House has opened to the public with a lot of input from Prince Charles, and there has been an emphasis on redevelopment in the community. But when I went back to Auchinleck, it just looked as rundown as ever. I hadn’t been back for 30 odd years and have no connection with anyone. I passed my old secondary school, which was split new in the early 70s, but now it was all shuttered up, because a new state-of-the-art school complex has been built for the area in the next town. But then I drove to Peden Kirk, the church where I had been baptised, where I had been confirmed and joined the church, and I found it closed and uncared for, the ground overgrown. It had been built in the 1950s as a hall church right in the heart of the new housing scheme, and the sanctuary was full of light, but now the windows were bricked in. It had been full of activities and people, but now it was empty. It didn’t, I must admit, come as a surprise, for in the 1980s, the two churches in the village had very sensibly been united, and the older, slightly grander church on the edge of the village had been chosen, but Peden was in the heart of the community and to be used as the halls, but obviously that isn’t the case now. But I had passed new community halls, and perhaps the church uses them. They perhaps provide better facilities. I don’t know. Looking at my old church I didn’t feel emotional but just sad, but the congregation there could well be a vibrant one, just adapting to new situations. In Yetholm/ Morebattle there were several churches at one time; now there is just one in each village. The Church has had to adapt over the years, especially as numbers have fallen and buildings are not so adapted for present needs. Certainly, over the past years, a lot of churches in Britain have been faced with falling numbers and buildings requiring a lot of work and money spent on them, and the Church of Scotland is no different. We are challenged to be the Church in the 21st Century and to look at new ways of expressing our faith. And so it is with Jedburgh Presbytery. Whereas 10 years ago there would be 11 ministers in parishes within the bounds of the presbytery, the figures we have been given now are that there will be 5.5. The 0.5 would mean that someone would be part-time. But that obviously means sacrifices have had to be made. In the Kelso area it means that there will be two ministers; one for the Kelso North/ Country Churches area and one for Cheviot Churches/ Kelso Old and Sprouston, that will be either when I leave or sooner. It will mean big changes with our worship leaders and elders and indeed members having to rise to the challenge. It will be a linkage, so we will keep our Cheviot Churches name and identity, but share a minister and also, I would hope, doing some things together. The Plan does, however, mean that some of our buildings are not deemed ‘well-equipped spaces in the right places’, and Hownam and Linton are in the B category which means that they will be closed, though we will try to keep them open as long as we can. We also hope that at least Linton will be taken over by a trust and kept open. It is a painful process, and all around Scotland people are in the same boat, facing the closure of buildings they love. Our Luke reading talks about division. Jesus didn’t come to bring peace –that is the status quo, but the effect of his message can often divide. Certainly there will be a lot of unhappiness with this plan, but it also presents a way forward However, we have been singing that the ‘Church is wherever God’s people are praising’, and one of the reports that I always found challenging was the call to be the Church without walls. We are called to use the facilities available to us in the community to be the church and to be relevant. The thrust of this plan is very much missional, as we show the love of God in action. In Isaiah, we had another desolate picture. A vineyard, but one that bore sour grapes. On the news this week there have been pictures of land in France where the crops, including the vines, have all shrivelled up in the heat. This vineyard that Isaiah talks about was like that. So much had been invested in it – time, money, love. It was to be the best. But when the harvest came, the grapes were sour. So angry was the owner that they were set to destroy the whole enterprise. But the owner was God, and the vineyard was Israel. So much love had been lavished on them, but the fruit they bore was not what was expected. It was sour. That is our challenge as we go into the future; in all we do, we have to bear the good fruit of the Kingdom. The Church is going to be somewhat different in the years to come, but the question is what do we do, and that is to live out the kingdom values wherever we may be and to be church where we find ourselves. Pray for the Church of Scotland as we go through painful times for many, but also let us be aware that in these storms, we cling to the rock which is our Saviour. Our earthly endeavours may change, but God and God’s love remains constant Hymn 565 – My life flows on in endless song Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Faithful God, bless the gifts we offer to you today. Use them to plant seeds of faith, hope and love in the world, so that your goodness will grow among your people, and your name be honoured for Christ’s sake. God, in whom we live and move and have our being: As we gather in your presence today, we give you thanks for your faithfulness to your people across many generations and in so many situations. Thank you for the faithfulness we meet in the world around us: In friendships that endure, in communities that pitch in when someone is in trouble, in workers who go that extra mile, in countries who offer safety or sustenance when disaster strikes and strangers are in desperate need. Faithful God, hear our prayer, Compassionate God, we are aware of many challenges in our own lives, in the lives of those we care about, and in the world around us. Show us how our care and concern can respond to the prayers of those we love: We pray for the Church around the world and especially for our Church of Scotland, as she seeks new ways to respond to falling numbers and income. We pray for all who feel a sense of anguish and hurt and pray for vision ever to seek ways of building your kingdom and showing your love. We pray for our country, as the cost-of-living crisis hits everyone. Be with all who are anxious about paying bills and may we ever seek to help those who struggle most. As we enjoy the summer sunshine, we pray for those whose water supply is under threat. May we wake up to the signs that are all around of a world in need: Fuel poverty Food poverty Homelessness Migration War Greed Complacency Help us not to look away but to keep on staring until we see a way by which we can make a difference. The signs confront us every day. May we respond with love. May we respond with compassion. May we respond with action We continue to remember our world. We pray for the war in Ukraine and all affected by it. We think of those who have taken refuge in other countries, a more prolonged stay than was perhaps expected. We pray for East Africa and the drought there. Be with Christian Aid as it seeks to assist. We pray for all those who have lost people dear to them and feel the pain of separation. We think of those who are ill and those who are anxious and lay awake at night and for all who worry about the future. We pray for our children and teachers as they return after the summer break; for those starting school and for those starting new schools. We pray for those who received results which will affect their future and rejoice with those who have done well, but pray for those who are disappointed that you will open up a way for them. Silence. Amen. Hymn 501 – Your hand, O God, has guided Benediction Where there is discord: harmony. Where there is division: unity. Where there is dogmatism: vulnerability. Open our hearts, O Lord, open our minds; open our arms wide to share your love, that each moment, each minute of our allotted time be a sign of the coming of your kingdom. May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you, this day and even forevermore. Amen Notices:
· We welcome all visitors to our services this Sunday at Yetholm (10am) and Linton (11.15). Please take sign the visitors’ book. Stuart Kelly is leading worship for us today.
Hymn 189: Be Still For The Presence Of The Lord Prayers of adoration and confession Dearest Father, we come before you in reverence and prayerfully, aware that our minds are too limited to comprehend your magnitude and magnaminity, that our hearts are too hardened to understand the extent of your love and care for us, and our souls too fickle to grasp how steadfast and faithful you are. You are beyond all experience and knowledge and language, and yet you have reached out, constantly and tenderly towards us. You reveal yourself in your creation, and patiently teach us how to read your world around us. We can discern its beauty and its necessity, each thing fashioned and crafted and curated for us and for your delight. We hear you whisper to us in all things, your promise of return and renewal and resurrection inscribed through all of creation. You reveal yourself in your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, wholly human and wholly God, whose life was a template for us to follow; whose sinless earthly existence was the fulfilment of the law and a new yardstick by which we shall be measured. You reveal yourself in the Spirit, the gift of communication, inspiration, conscience and grace. You have given us every opportunity to draw nearer to you and better to be the beings you long for us to be. Yet we have been obstinate and petulant. We have been negligent and deliberately set ourselves against you. When good things happen or we succeed we take credit for ourselves which is due to you, when bad things happen or we fail, we have the audacity to blame you and not look to our own waywardness and disobedience. In myriad ways we let you down multiple times each and every day. Yet, even though you could give up on us, you do not. You are a merciful God, and grace is available to us if we truly confess, truly repent and truly try. Let us, in silence, lay before you all that we feel guilty about, all that we regret having done, all that we have done that caused harm. You are a forgiving God, and with all earnestness, we join together in the prayer you taught us, committing ourselves anew to uphold it: [Our Father…] Isaiah 1: 10-20; Luke 12:32-40 Hymn 473: ‘Thy kingdom come!’ – on bended knee the passing ages pray Weekly Prayer: Everlasting God, we give thanks for this new day and worship you with all of our hearts. We pray that through our belief in you we will act justly, overflowing with love for you, and for all who we meet along our journey. Amen. Sermon Over the past month we’ve been hearing about the Old Testament prophets – Elijah and Elisha (who don’t have books), and then from Amos and Hosea (called the minor prophets which always seems a bit disrespectful to me). This week and next week we move on to Isaiah. It’s a bit of a gear change because Isaiah well – these are my comparisons – Beethoven’s 9th, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Turner’s Snow Storm – with Isaiah we are unequivocally in the realm of indisputable masterpiece. Isaiah is almost the entire Bible in miniature. It deals with how we alienate ourselves from God and how God is reconciled to us. It is about judgment and promise. It is about exile and return. Isaiah has the clearest prophecies about the Messiah; both in glory and triumph and as the suffering servant. It is no wonder that some of the early Church Fathers referred to the book of Isaiah as the “fifth gospel”. It is the most frequently quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament – it is quoted 65 times, right from Matthew through Acts and the Epistles (both of Paul and Peter) and up to Revelation. Parts of it have become part of everyday language, even for those who aren’t of the Church – the voice in the wilderness, beating swords into ploughshares, eat and drink for tomorrow we die, mount up on eagles’ wings, man of sorrows and so on. And if Isaiah is the Bible in miniature, Isaiah chapter 1 is Isaiah in miniature. The part we heard today begins in an uncompromising, even shocking fashion, with Zion, Jerusalem, being compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. The fate of those cities showed God at his most wrathful. They were by-words for sin and the consequences of sin. The Lord eradicated them, and threatens to do the same to the beloved Zion. He is, officially, not mucking around. The stakes are high. The next part is even more startling, as God tells the people that their sacrifices and offerings and incense and congregations and prayera are meaningless, detestable, a burden: in fact they are an abomination to him. But let’s scroll back a little bit. Who instituted the Temple rules? God did. It was not Aaron or Moses but God who gave them: over 100 out of – well, the figure is disputed, but the earliest say 613 mitzvot or commandments. If God is sickened by their devotions, we really have to ask “Why?” The next section makes it abundantly clear. Yes, they have followed the letter, but not the spirit, and one suspects they followed the letter grudgingly – and don’t tell me none of us has ever woken up on a Sunday feeling weary duty rather than joy. God sets out quite basic ethical principles to do with justice and particularly how we treat the vulnerable. We see the same pattern in the life of Jesus, berating the vipers and whitened sepulchres of the pious and setting out a simple command: feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, clothe those without adequate clothing, visit the prisoners, receive the stranger or foreigner or outcast, tend the sick. God is saying no amount of box-ticking and aye-been performances can compensate for a lack of love. I was reading this week a new biography of the 17th century poet John Donne and it had a very interesting section on Donne wondering (he was a courtier before he became Dean of St Paul’s) whether it was possible to flatter God. He concludes, rightly, that it was impossible: God doesn’t need flattery, and God sees through the attempt at flattery. But this is what the Temple priests were doing. Some expensive perfume, the best cuts of meat and God would be placated. Boy, is God not. The great Biblical commentator Matthew Henry, a contemporary of Donne’s expresses this better than I can: “When sinners are under the judgments of God they will more easily be brought to fly to their devotions than to forsake their sins and reform their lives.” God is not taken in by us. But we are taken in by him. This part of chapter 1 ends with the most staggering turnaround: “your sins are like scarlet, but they shall be as white as snow”. What is almost more unbelievable is the point where God changes the story: “Come now, let us reason together”. This is God as the one who placates, the one who is willing to hear humanity out, the one who grants us responsibility and agency. That is unlike anything in other religions. What Zeus wants, Zeus does; what Odin desires, Odin gets; but our God says “right, sit down, let us talk this through”. Would that more of the world took that to heart. The Gospel reading seems somehow disconnected, but some parallels can be seen. The opening has Jesus giving both practical and emotional advice – to his little flock he gives a daunting task and a supreme hope. But the real link is in the parable; in its overturning of expectations. The servants – slaves even – get a little forgotten. It’s not like the parable of the wise and foolish virgins which has a similar moral; since here, there are no foolish servants (there are if you read on, when Jesus has to explain the parable). They have stayed awake, they were prepared and their master or owner does a radical thing. He dresses like them, bids them sit and he serves them. Yet again, God is upending convention: he critiqued the hollow observations of Judah, he makes himself the servant. Why does he do this, endure this? Because, simply, out of love. God, at any point, could say “I have had enough of humanity, it is irredeemable, it is wicked” but, but and but again he does not. He says sit down and we shall think about this; sit down and enjoy because you have been faithful servants. Hymn 134: Bring many names Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Father, you have made it clear that merely going through the motions disgusts you. In giving our offerings, we give ourselves as the offering, that you dedicate what we contribute and what we do to the greater glory of the Kingdom, which is coming and so we must be prepared. Lord God, we think of your world, a place made to be home and turned into a wasteland of refugees and displaced people, those made homeless by conflict and those made homeless by never feeling truly at home. We think of how fragile the world is, and how its beauty is scarred and marred by our selfishness. We ask you to make change us, that we might nurture the world and the people of the world. Lord God, we think of your Church, and ask earnestly that we do not succumb to being people who mouth the words but do not believe in them, that we are, as Church, never the dried husk of tradition but the living water of replenishment. We pray for all ministers, deacons and readers that you guide them as they guide us. Lord God, we think of those in power, those who so frequently kneel at the altar and turn on their heel. Give to all those, in any position of influence, a proper sense of their responsibilities and duties. Make them more like the servants who stayed awake, and less like the rulers who drowsed as their cities fell. Lord God, we think of those who are thought about thoughtlessly, if at all. We think of those who think their sins are so scarlet, there is no possibility of white, those who feel unloved, unrecognised, incapable and undermined. We think of those whose basic needs are not met by a fair wage, those whose hearts are stricken by grief, or sickness, or despair, or feeling lost in a confusing and uncaring world. Make us strong, and brave, to be the hand that reaches out, the candle in the darkness, connection to the world of those who feel left behind by the world. There are those whom we have a personal knowledge of, to whom your care and grace and comfort are needed. Lord God, we think finally about the bereaved, confident in the knowledge that those gone know more about your love and mystery, feel no further pain or anguish and sing to you as we hope one day so to do. And finally, Lord God, we think of those for whom we struggle to pray; for those whom we resist forgiving. Make us more open-hearted in the hope that where we lead, others may follow. Hymn 449: Rejoice! the Lord is King Benediction Father, send us from this place reinvigorated and ardent to do, not just say, to change and not just be stale, to wait and stay awake. And the blessing of Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest with us and remain with us and propel us into the world, this day and every day. Amen.  Notices:
Call to Worship We gather to give thanks to You, O Lord We will sing Your praises before all creation and rejoice in Your steadfast love! You have created us O Lord, and made us And love us with an everlasting love Hymn 225 – Summer suns are glowing Prayer & Lord’s Prayer Most Holy God, we take this moment to pause, and wonder, and bless. Your greatness balanced by Your nearness. Your judgment balanced by Your mercy. How we should praise You! As we still ourselves before Your majesty, and wait in awe, yet we are also bold to lift up our eyes to see You, face to face. We call You our King, our Saviour, our Inspiration, our Friend. Too often we rush by and fail to take the time to marvel and exclaim at the wonder of this world, the intricacy of creation, the abundance of good things You have given us to enjoy and to share. This day, Lord, we sing Your praises! This day, Lord, we rejoice in Your generosity! This day, Lord, we are glad You continue to reach out to us, even us, with love. Forgiving God, it does not take us long to stumble from the high peak of praise, to the low valley of brokenness as the awareness our sin engulfs like darkening cloud. Not only the major flaws in our character, but the petty triviality that trips us daily. Forgive us the hasty word, the harsh thought, the too-easy judgment, the spiteful action. Why, with all the potential You have knitted into our souls, do we, so easily, slip into bad habit, shameful action, unhealthy obsession, lazy forgetfulness? O gracious God, have mercy on us. Forgive us, remake us, redeem us, restore us. When all seems lost beyond hope, yet still You reach out in tenderness and kindness to make that difference in our hearts and souls and minds, to reinstate the broken relationship, to give us the second chance we sorely need. Through Jesus Christ our Lord Lord’s Prayer Readings – Hosea 1: 2 -10 Luke 11: 1-13 Hymn 641 – Seek ye first Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we thank you for the opportunity of being together in prayer. Help us in our prayer life this week to seek, ask, and knock so that the door to your presence will be open to us. Make us aware of your love and support in all we do. Amen Reflection Names! I was speaking to someone the other day who was telling me the names of their grandchildren. There was a Rachel and a Rory, but also A-Jay and Takira. Some names stand the test of time – like Joshua, though it seems to be shortened to Josh. Others are very new. In Zambia, a lot of children were given names like Blessing or Grace, but quite often I baptised a Mabvuto, which means suffering or hardship. The mother obviously had a difficult pregnancy, but the child had that name throughout their lives. I have a soft spot for the Book of Hosea. I enjoy reading it, yet it starts off in a really quite shocking way. The prophet, a good upstanding citizen, is told to marry a prostitute. The term could mean a lot of things, but she is unfaithful to him, which brings a lot of sorrow. But this relationship is a mirror of God’s relationship with Israel. God is devoted to Israel, but Israel goes after other gods, other lovers and flaunts them in God’s face. God is filled with righteous anger, but … but still loves Israel and still is prompted to give a second chance and a third chance. God is still prompted to forgive, still can’t let go. That is the book in a nutshell, but here in Chapter one, we learn that Hosea’s wife, Gomer, bears him three children: The first is called Jezreel, which is the name of a great plain in Northern Israel, but also where there was a bloodbath, where many were killed. His name, Jezreel, was there to be a judgement on the nation. Like someone in the Highlands being called ‘Culloden’ or an Australian being called ‘Gallipoli’. But what’s more, the second child is called ‘Lo-ruhama’, which means Unloved, which is a terrible name to give to a child. The third, it was called ‘Lo-ammi’, not my people. Each name represented a part of the relationship between God and Israel. It is almost child abuse to give such names to children, but they point to the complete breakdown of the relationship. God has courted Israel from the days in the wilderness, but they have worshipped the golden calves and the baals. God affirmed them as his people, but now he is saying that they are no longer his people. It is complete rejection – or seems to be. In the wilderness on their journey to the Promised Land, Israel was sustained by their status as the people of God. Now God was negating it. Hosea was forcing the people to examine their relationship and how sincere they were. Later in the book Hosea criticises the people for paying lip service to God, offering sacrifices while all the time remaining unfaithful to God. I don’t know whether you watched any of the debates between the candidates striving to be the next Conservative leader. In the first debate so much of the time was spent talking about trust and honesty. These were the qualities people rated most highly and yet did not see in politicians. Israel had betrayed the trust God had placed in her. She had been unfaithful. The prophet calls the people to repent and be worthy of God’s trust, for when there is no trust, the fabric of society is damaged. In our Gospel reading, the disciples have asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and he teaches them what we call the Lord’s Prayer. The first few words encapsulate trust: ‘Our Father’. There is a story of a boy, who as a young child loved to be carried. He could smell his mother’s powder and perfume as he nuzzled into her; he loved being carried on his father’s shoulders. And at bedtime it was his father who carried him to bed. He pressed his ear to his father’s chest and said, ‘I can hear your heartbeat’. His father replied’ And I can hear yours’. It was their unofficial way of saying Goodnight and I love you. There was a sense of real security and trust in that relationship. I can hear your heartbeat. Jesus uses the image of a parent to convey who God is and how God loves us. Matthew uses the image of God as a mother hen gathering her chicks around us; John uses the familiar ‘Abba’. Here in this prayer, it is ‘Our father’. Not my father, but the collective our, for the God who loves me also loves my neighbour and even my enemy. Luke uses the intimacy of the parent-child relationship to start the prayer. It is as if Jesus is saying that God loves us and carries each of us in his arms, so that we can hear the heartbeat of God’s love. Jesus was born as flesh and blood and lived among us; so that we could hear in person how deeply we are loved, for Jesus is the incarnation of the God whom he teaches us to call ‘father’. Hosea gave his children these crazy names to force Israel to look at themselves and their relationship with God. We too need to examine our relationship and where it is lacking, but in the knowledge that in Christ we can be bold to pray ‘Our father’ as children of the living God. Hymn 724 – Christ’s is the world Prayers of Dedication & Intercession Gracious Lord, when we review the ways in which You continue to break in upon our lives, showering us with gifts and wonder, we are reminded how we, in our living should emulate that same generosity. Remind us the best giving is cheerful, and that the unclenched hand is more fitted to sharing. Accept what we offer: our time, our talents and our money, and all that we have and are. So that this world, our world, Your world, need not be gripped by fear or want, or lack of shelter, or lack of friends. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal God, we may only see our small corner of this earth, You will see the whole expanse of countless universes, yet we are called to bring our prayers not only for ourselves, but for those around us. In a world fraught with fear and violence and greed, we pray that darkness is driven out by the light of compassion, of open-handedness, and of peace. Let these not be mere words we pray, but words we put into action through our support of causes and charities and individuals who make it their mission to be the light-bearers in every darksome place. We pray today for the healers who practise their gentleness in every hurt place of heart and soul and body. Where the encouraging word, and the unflinching compassion brings hope like a cleansing flame into every wound. We pray today for the teachers whose gift of thinking and words enrich our mind and help us grow and develop and mature. Especially today we thank You for those who taught us to pray, who formed the ideas and the rhythms and cadences that to this day give texture, colour and shape to the relationship we have with You, our living God. We pray for our Queen and country, and all who are called to be the decision-makers in our society at every level. For politicians and economists. For artists and scientists. For farmers and business owners. For those who provide our energy and secure our safety. We pray for our world in its beauty and fragility, the astonishing resources, and the unsustainable demands we make on them. As we seek to form a new relationship with You, our God, and with our sisters and brothers, let us also seek to form a new relationship with this Earth we call our home. Nurturing it, tending it, stewarding its beauty and energy, not only for ourselves, but also for the generations still to come. In a moment of silence we bring before you those on our minds and our hearts this day – especially the bereaved, the sick, the anxious In your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen Hymn 130 – Ye servants of God Benediction |
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