 Welcome, Cheviot churches and also those joining us from elsewhere. We worship together on this 5th Sunday of Easter.
Notices: • Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15) are now open for worship every Sunday. • The podcast of this service can be accessed on the Podcast page of the website, or by clicking HERE • A video of the service will be posted on Gordon McInally’s YouTube page by Sunday early afternoon (Gordon's page can be accessed by clicking HERE), or via the Video page of the website. • The moderator has a service - HERE • Christian Aid Week is from 9-16th May. Anyone willing to distribute envelopes, please contact Trish Gentry. There will be a quiz on Saturday 8th and an online service to mark 75 years of Christian Aid on Sunday 9th May at 6.30pm. Details on the Christian Aid Scotland website - HERE • Colin is enormously grateful to everybody who sponsored him in the Kiltwalk. He has raised £1,445 (which will be topped up buy the Hunter Foundation). • We are encouraged to light candles every Sunday evening at 7pm. Prayers are to be found on the Church of Scotland website. Call to Worship Come apart from your busyness. Come and reconnect with God. Remain in him and grow. Grow closer, grow deeper. Grow and be fruitful. Come and glorify God! Hymn 154 – O Lord, my God Prayers of Adoration and Confession Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, you are the vine, and we are the branches. Your love is our strength. Your energy is our joy. Your attentiveness is our hope. Your power can transform even the most difficult situations. You nourish our faith and imaginations so that we can bear fruit in many ways. You promise we can dwell in you because you are dwelling in us. We gather today to offer our praise to you, and bring glory to God the Father, through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Fill us with love, so that our love will honour you each and every day. Merciful God, We confess there are so many ways we fail to love you fully. Forgive us for our lack of reverence for the earth and for using up more than our share of its resources. Forgive us for ignoring the cries of others who know pain or discrimination. Forgive us for seeking praise from others yet failing to encourage them in their endeavours. Forgive us, O God, and root our lives more deeply in your love. Jesus died and rose again for you. In humble penitence receive his pardon, receive his peace. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Acts 8:26–40 John 15:1–8 Hymn 463 – Fairest Lord Jesus Weekly Prayer Everlasting God, we ask that you would bless us here at Cheviot Churches with vision for the future and reverence for the past. Help us to remain in You the true vine, so that You can remain in us. Help to bear much fruit and guide us each day as we minister to one another and to our community; always mindful of your amazing love for us. Amen Reflection As many of you may be aware, I spent several years working in the Holy Land. Part of my remit was to interact with local groups and especially the Palestinian Christians. But I also was involved with pilgrims, people coming from many lands to visit sites associated with the Bible, with Christ. It was a different type of ministry, because often the pilgrims were just passing through - there for a few days or even a few hours or even just a few minutes, and you had to make the most of the little time you had. But it was amazing how often we found connections. People we knew or places or situations we shared. It was a special time. I was thinking about it when I read the passages for today. In Acts 8 we read the story of the Ethiopian, whom Philip met on the road to Gaza. They only spent a short time together, but in that short time the Ethiopian’s life was completely turned around and he was baptised. Then they both went their separate ways. Philip was one of the disciples. Like Andrew, he had a Greek name and that seems to give a clue, for in preaching the Good News, he went beyond the local Jewish population in Jerusalem. Just before this passage in Acts, Philip had been evangelising among the Samaritans, and we know the Samaritans were regarded with suspicion. What the rest of his friends thought of Philip’s activities we can only guess. But then suddenly the Spirit seems to inspire Philip to head for Gaza, and there he came across a wealthy man in his chariot, reading a scroll – he must have been wealthy to own a scroll, especially of Scripture. Just by looking he would have guessed the man was a foreigner, and indeed he turned out to be a high-ranking official, the treasurer no less, of the Ethiopian Queen. But he was also a eunuch, and the book of Deuteronomy was quite clear, that eunuchs were excluded from worship in the Temple and being part of the community. Later, after the Exile, Isaiah had a more inclusive approach and in chapter 56 said that both foreigners and eunuchs were welcome, if they loved God and sought to keep the commandments. Philip took Isaiah’s approach and saw that God’s love was not confined to one particular group of people but embraced everyone. He took time with the Ethiopian, talked about the Scripture that he was reading, where Isaiah talks about the Suffering Servant, and Philip links it with Jesus. Philip’s words make an impact, and the Eunuch asks, ‘What is to stop me from being baptised?’. Philip didn’t say that he had to go through so many weeks of special classes, but immediately baptised him in a pool of water. Then the eunuch proceeded on his way back to Ethiopia, where tradition has it that he was an evangelist. Certainly, Ethiopia was one of the first countries to become Christian and has remained a strongly Christian country, and indeed the Ark of the Covenant is claimed to be kept in one of the churches in the North. By his baptism, the Ethiopian became part of the Christian family, he bore the name of Christ. He was connected to people of different races, who spoke different languages. Just like the intertwining branches of a vine, he was connected to Christ and to Christ’s family. But he had to continue to be rooted in Christ to be nourished and nurtured. So it is with us, we are part of the family, but we too need to be nourished by the Word and by our interaction with our fellow Christians, so that we can bear good fruit. Hymn 550 – As a deer pants for the water Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession Jesus Christ, the true vine, in our need we come to You, in weakness, needing Your strength for we too easily become dry and lifeless without Your life-giving spirit. Jesus Christ, the true vine, teach us to remain in You and so to find Your life flowing in us giving strength and vigour to our discipleship. And as we come closer to You our lives are drawn closer to others. Our minds turn to images of violence we have seen on the news in places of fear and terror, to where people are at loggerheads, over race, religion, land, power. Our thoughts turn to Christians living with persecution, who face danger, simply for being linked to You. Father, prune back all that stands in the way of peace. Our thoughts turn to people in leadership and power – who have decisions to make over the economy and people whose jobs and livelihood will be affected. We pray for our nation, and its leaders. May changes and choices be shaped by the values of the kingdom. On our hearts are people in need in our church and community. Wherever hearts are breaking … bodies are failing … minds are confused … families are ruptured … Lord, come with Your help and healing. We pray for the situation in India where the surge in Covid cases is causing so much suffering. We also think of those involved in the disaster at the religious festival in Israel. Here, too, as Your church gathered today, we give thanks for the saints of the past and the fruit they have borne in our community and beyond. Like them, help us to remain in You that we may be fruitful and bring glory to Your name. Through Jesus Christ, the true vine. Amen Hymn 470 – Jesus shall reign Benediction Go in peace to love and to serve the Lord and may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all, now and always. Amen
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 Our minister Colin put on his kilt (a tasteful, muted Johnston tartan) and walked round the 5 churches in the parish on the 23/24th of April as part of Kiltwalk 21. He started at Hownam (see photo above) and walked in the glorious sunshine to Morebattle on the Friday. On the Saturday he started off for Linton, then to Hoselaw, meeting sheep, cattle and horses on the way. At Hoselaw he was joined by Carol Butler to walk across the hills to Yetholm where he was met by a finishing line and a group of church members (below). He has raised £1,245 to date, with the prospect of another £100 to come. The Hunter Foundation has pledged to give an extra 50% of anything raised. Many thanks to all who have contributed - and, of course, to Colin.   Welcome, Cheviot churches and also those joining us from elsewhere. We worship together on this 4th Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday.
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Call to Worship Jesus the Christ said, I am the Good Shepherd. We have come to follow him. We gather in the name of the One who leads us by still waters. We have come to be restored in him. We gather in the name of the One who prepares a banquet for us. We have come to be fed by his love, so let us worship God. Hymn 14 – The Lord’s my shepherd Prayers of Adoration and Confession Lord God, our good and loving shepherd, You nourish our lives and lead us into green pastures. You restore our souls with rest and peace. You give us true joy so our cup overflows with goodness. You walk with us through the darkest valleys, offering us courage and compassion. At all times and in all circumstances, you are with us, Creator, Redeemer and Guiding Spirit, we praise you, Holy One, now and always. Amen. Patient God, whose mercy is abundant and your love endless, we confess that often we have not shown your love to others, even though we claim it for ourselves. You have called us to show compassion, but too often we are quick to judge others. You have been called to follow Jesus, yet we are distracted by our own plans and desires. Forgive us for falling short of your hopes for us and renew a right spirit within us. The mercy of our God is from everlasting to everlasting. Friends, hear the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, God’s generous love reaches out to embrace us. We are forgiven and set free to begin again. Thanks be to God Lord’s Prayer Readings – Acts 4: 5-12 John 10: 11-18 Hymn 624 – In Christ there is no east or west Weekly Prayer Loving God we pray for all our leaders that, using Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd as the ultimate model of leadership, they would lead and care for their own flocks in such a way that peace might abound, righteousness flourish and injustice be eradicated. Amen. Reflection Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, and every year at this time we focus on a portion of John 10, when Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd. This is of course sheep country, and a number of our members have been shepherds in the surrounding hills. In 1st Century Palestine, however, shepherds were regarded with some suspicion, for they were out in the fields and so could never get to synagogue, so there is a certain irony when Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd. But it became one of the most loved images of Christ in the Early Church, with so many statues of Jesus with a lamb over his shoulder. And not just the early church, for certainly growing up I was very used to seeing pictures in church halls of Jesus as the shepherd. One of our favourite psalms is, ‘The Lord’s my shepherd’, and it takes us on a journey. The Lord’s my shepherd. I shall not need a thing. He leads me by green pastures and finds quiet pools. Here the psalmist is talking about the daily life of shepherding. Making sure the sheep are cared for and provided with grazing and water, which in the arid conditions of Palestine was not always easy. You had to be knowledgeable if you were a shepherd and really know the sheep and their needs. That is where Jesus in the Gospel says that he knows the sheep and the sheep recognise his voice. It is more than ‘head’ knowledge, but is an intimacy that comes from the heart. We are the flock of Christ, and we rejoice that he does know us through and through, just as a shepherd knows the sheep. But life is not always easy, and for the shepherd there were dangers. The Psalmist talks of the dark valley, the valley of the shadow of death, a place of dangers, where the sheep were encouraged by the strong presence of the shepherd. Your rod and staff they comfort me. Jesus in John’s Gospel talks of the dangers of wild predators and of thieves, and the shepherd had to be prepared to defend the vulnerable sheep, even lying across the entrance to the fold at night. The shepherd had to be prepared to lay down their life for the sheep, and this is mentioned three times in our passage. This was complete commitment and self-giving. We are in the ‘afterglow’ of Easter, and we know that Jesus did indeed give his life for his sheep on the cross of Calvary, showing his commitment to us. When Jesus said he was the Good Shepherd, he would have been aware that the leaders and monarchs in the Old Testament were called shepherds of their people, but too often had let them down. We have the elections for the Scottish Parliament coming up and are being bombarded with leaflets and manifestos from politicians claiming that they will do the best for us and for the country. But leaders need to stand up to scrutiny. In a week where the greed of the big football teams has been exposed and there have been accusations of sleaze, it is so important for politicians to show that their integrity and their commitment to the good of all. I talked of Psalm 23 being a journey, for shepherds and their flocks were always on the move. We have had the daily routine and the dangers, and the psalm finishes with a homecoming, where goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The flock has gone through all the ups and down, but is sustained by the love and commitment of the shepherd. The longed-for destination is reached. God is with us in the ordinary and the extraordinary and waits with arms outstretched to welcome us home. Hymn 462 – The King of love Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession Living God accept these our offerings. Grant that they may go where we can’t go, that they may reach where we cannot reach, that they may do what we cannot do. Use them to strengthen Your Church and advance Your kingdom here where we are and far beyond for Jesus’ sake. We pray for our world. We pray for those of faith and those of no faith, for those with purpose and those with no purpose in life. For those who have a clear direction and those who flounder uncertain for life in all its complexities. For those whose mental health causes them pain, anguish, confusion and loneliness, for those who feel abandoned, unwanted, unloved and un-helped. For the world and its people, Lord, we pray. For countries at war with other countries and within themselves, for their leaders that they may good and responsible shepherds and for people who fear for their lives and stability, for those made homeless and jobless and offered nothing but an uncertain future. We remember countries at war where their people are damaged, isolated, abused, for Myanmar, Ethiopia, Mozambique. For the world and its people, Lord, we pray. God, who has sheep in other folds, we pray for Christians trying to work out the best way to live out their lives, true to their faith, to the Gospel, to their calling. Remind us to look beyond the present to the future, beyond our immediate neighbourhood to the world-wide family, for we are all God’s children. Help us to catch a wider more inclusive vision of the needs of the world and its people for unless we are all fed no one is satisfied, unless we are all inoculated no one is safe. For the world and its people, Lord, we pray. For countries with surging Covid cases, for those with poor infrastructure and resources, for countries with little PPE and no vaccines and no realistic prospect of national immunisation any time soon. For those engaged in trying to resolve such issues no matter what faith, colour, creed. For the world and its people, Lord, we pray. For all who grieve for the loss of loved ones, family or friends, near or far away. Especially those who are bereaved a long way from family, who can’t travel to be with them to offer comfort and support. In their loss, in their grief, in their solitude may they find a calm centre and be upheld by their faith, their friendship and their neighbours. For the world and its people, Lord, we pray. For ourselves we pray that our ears may be used to hear the cries of the needy, that our eyes be used to see the needs around us, that our voices be used to speak up for the marginalised and the poor, that our hands be used to reach out in comfort and that our lives be used to improve the lives of others. For the world and its people, Lord, we pray. Amen. Hymn 355 – You Lord are both lamb and shepherd Benediction Go in peace to love and to serve Jesus, the good shepherd of us all, and may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all, now and always. Amen  Welcome, Cheviot churches and also those joining us from elsewhere. We worship together on this 3rd Sunday of Easter.
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Call to Worship We gather with joy, for Easter brings us new life. The Risen Christ is with us wherever we go. Love breaks all bonds and unites us in hope. Christ has defeated death. Let us rejoice and be glad! Hymn 427 – Alleluia, Alleluia Prayers of Adoration and Confession Loving God, we rejoice in new life around us. For daffodils and tulips in the garden, for lambs and calves in our fields. The whole world rejoices in Spring. We praise you for the Easter message of Jesus rising from the dead, a glorious new beginning for the world. We can never be the same. Help us to show forth the new life you give us and greet each new day as an occasion to discover Christ in our midst, making all things new with the springtime of your Spirit. Loving Creator, as your children we are given a place within Your heart. You know our inner workings, and are able to name what is right and wrong in the lives we lead. Lord have mercy, As Your children, we recognise the upset and hurt we cause to those we love the most, with the harsh words we use and our selfish ambition Christ have mercy, As Your children, we are invited to share in the stewardship of creation, and sometimes we fail to care. Tempted by what is easy to use and readily available, we ignore the need to sustain all of life. Lord have mercy upon us and forgive us. Hear the words of the risen Christ: Peace be with you. Receive the peace and forgiveness of Christ, and rejoice in his gift of new life this day and every day. Thanks be to God. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Acts 3:12–19 Luke 24:36b–48 Hymn 405 – We sing the praise Weekly Prayer Creator God, you gave us a beautiful world to live in and to care for especially here in the parish of our Cheviot Churches. We pray that you will open our minds so that we may understand the scriptures, and that by faith in the name of Jesus, times of refreshing may come to us again. In faith we hear the Lord's voice speaking to us over the ages " Peace be with you". Amen Reflection What are you looking forward to do, once we fully come out of lockdown? For many people it will be visiting family or even going a holiday. Some people may be looking forward to going out for a coffee or to shop. I actually quite miss going to museums. In Cairo I was lucky, because the Egyptian Museum was nearby with mummies and the wonderful treasure found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. When it is taken on tour, there are queues a mile long to see it, but in Cairo you just walk in and there are cases of the most wonderful exhibitions, with only one security guard looking at their mobile phone. You feel you can reach out and touch the mask, but of course there is glass in the way. Quite flimsy glass, if truth be told, but they are opening a new museum soon, and maybe the security will be better. We are still in the aftermath of Easter and still looking at the resurrection stories, and today we are looking at Luke. The two disciples, Cleopas and most probably his wife, have walked to Emmaus and have been accompanied by a stranger, who shares a meal with them. In breaking bread, they recognise that it is the Risen Lord, who has been accompanying them, setting their hearts on fire with his words. They hurry back to Jerusalem to share the good news with the other disciples, and that is when we start our reading today. They are in the process in recounting what had happened, when Jesus appears to them all. The risen Jesus stands among them and says Peace be with you. It is almost like a rerun of the story we read last week about Thomas from John’s gospel. The disciples seem at first confused and anxious, taking him to be a ghost and treating him like an exhibit. But there was no glass to separate him from them, and here in Luke they are able to touch him. Indeed, he invites them to do so. What’s more, he asks for something to eat and eats some fish. The Road to Emmaus story is one of my favourite in Scripture, but I always feel what we read today has been tacked on. Luke is trying to address concerns over whether Jesus actually rose from the dead or whether the disciples had visions. In this story Luke is stressing the physicality of the resurrection, for ghosts can’t be touched, ghosts cannot eat. Maybe it would have helped if Jesus came down a glitzy staircase from heaven and dazzled the disciples with resurrection power, but that wasn’t his way. He came still bearing the wounds from the cross. That is something that comes across so strongly. Jesus came to the disciples. They didn’t search out him. He came to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; he came to the disciples on the lakeshore; he came to them in the Upper room, as in our reading today. He came to them in familiar places, and he offered peace and forgiveness. He came to a group of bewildered people and offered new hope and new life. But then God comes to us in our familiar places, and embraces us as we are, loves us as we are and redeems us as we are. The disciples were made witnesses to say what they had heard and what they had seen and what they had experienced, and they testified to the flesh and blood Christ who rose from the dead, about how he had changed their lives. They went from that Upper Room and turned the world upside down, that group of ordinary people. We too are witnesses to Christ and empowered by the Spirit, we too have to share the wonders of God and the new life offered and so be an Easter people in our world. Hymn SGP 51 – On the hill of Calvary Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession God our Maker, Source of Easter power and hope, You have walked with your faithful people through many generations, people facing challenge and uncertainty, people seeking your purpose and promise. We still face challenges and uncertainty, even with Easter in our hearts. Walk with us and with those for whom we pray for this day, so that your resurrecting power may lead us in lives of faithfulness. In the name of Christ our Risen Lord, All: Hear our prayer. We pray for children and young people who must think about the future in these uncertain times, facing threats new to this generation like the pandemic and climate change. Give them hope rooted in the knowledge that their lives matter to you. Show them how to make a difference in the world, whatever threats they face as they grow. In the name of Christ our Risen Lord, All: Hear our prayer. We pray for people for whom age or experience, illness or disability create barriers to full participation in your world. Surround each one in pain or despair with your comfort and renew in each one a sense of dignity and purpose. Show them how much they matter to you and to us. In the name of Christ our Risen Lord, All: Hear our prayer. We pray for all those facing grief and loss in these difficult days when it is still so hard to gather for support. Stay with those who must rearrange their lives without their beloved. Give them strength and comfort through your promise of resurrection. We continue to remember the Queen and the royal family at this time and all others who are mourning. We pray for communities challenged by forces beyond their control-- natural disaster, volcano eruption, political strife and the economic consequence of the pandemic. Give courage to those facing challenges, and wisdom to those who lead, so that well-being may be restored soon and hope for the future prevail. In the name of Christ our Risen Lord, All: Hear our prayer. As Earth Day approaches this week, we remember before you the struggles within your creation, creatures losing habitat, unique species dying out, oceans filled with plastic, the climate warming and the havoc that results for all of us. Jesus, you are the firstborn of all creation; Help us to honour you by caring for the earth and its fragile balances in the ways we live and the priorities we set. Amen Hymn 409 – Jesus is risen. Alleluia Benediction May God who is light shine in your darkness May God who is love be the love among you May God who is life be your life everlasting And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all, now and always. Amen  Welcome, Cheviot churches and also those joining us from elsewhere. Come, people of God, let us worship together on this 2nd Sunday of Easter, what is traditionally been called ‘Low Sunday’, after the highs of Easter Day, and we focus on Thomas’ encounter with the risen Christ. Rev Ian Clark, assisted by Graeme and Elizabeth Watson, will lead the services on Sunday, so the service below will not correspond to their service.
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Call to Worship In worship and in prayers Jesus stands among us In the telling of stories and in signs Jesus stands among us In this place and in this moment Jesus stands among us in joy Hymn 415 – This joyful Eastertide Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of new life, we come to you, rejoicing in the mystery of the Risen Christ, present among us always, even when we least expect him. We marvel at your constant love, your victory over evil and death, and your resurrecting hope which embraces us in every circumstance. Trusting in these gifts, we seek to live as Easter people in every place and time. Strengthen us with the gift of your Holy Spirit in this time of worship, and bless us with your peace through Christ, our Risen Lord. Yet even as we delight in Easter’s promise, let us confess the ways we fail to live it out: Merciful God, we confess there are times when our trust in you weakens, and we become anxious about many things. We talk about love, but we are gripped by fear of those who differ from us. We cling to our personal agendas and forget you call us to live as a community of believers. Forgive us for seeking our own interests before the needs of others. Open our eyes to the many signs of your love for us. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, rekindle our passion for you, so we can work together to witness to your love. Hear the words of the risen Christ: Peace be with you. Receive the peace and forgiveness of Christ, and rejoice in his gift of new life this day and every day. Thanks be to God. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Acts 4:32–35 John 20:19–31 Hymn SGP 7 – Alleluia, Alleluia Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we praise you for the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ from the dead. As Jesus stands among us now, we see the bodily marks of His saving love. May we live as those who believe in the triumph of the cross and that believing, we have life in His name. Amen Reflection Maybe it is an occupational hazard, but I like graveyards. I find it fascinating to go round and look at the old stones. Some have marvellous carvings on them, of angels or cross bones, and the inscriptions can tell us a lot about the history of the area. But as time goes on the inscriptions can be eroded, and so I was happy to find that a few of my members had gone round the churchyards in Roxburgh and Berwickshire, painstakingly cataloguing the graves. Easter is a time we think of graves, as Jesus was buried in a tomb, but the tomb couldn’t hold Jesus, and the stone blocking it was rolled away. Jesus had risen, and of course we celebrated that last Sunday on Easter Day. Mary encountered her risen Lord and ran to tell the disciples, He is risen! What would your reaction be? If you had been one of the disciples, you would have thought that the death of Jesus had affected Mary’s mind, that she was imagining things, though she seemed to speak with such conviction. Just as Jesus had been closed in the tomb, so the disciples had hidden themselves away and locked the door. They were terrified, probably justifiably, that they would be next, that they would be arrested. Mary’s assertion that she had met Jesus just added to the mix of their jumbled emotions. But in our reading today, Jesus suddenly stood among them. Locked doors or not, he was there. He spoke words of peace and he spoke words of forgiveness. They would have needed that, for they had deserted him and ran away; they had let him down when he needed them most. In their confusion, in their grief, with their whole world topsy-turvey, Jesus spoke words of peace. Just as we have been isolated and shut in our homes, Jesus still speaks his words of peace to us. Peace which is comforting, yes, but also the peace which is liberating. But one of the disciples was missing when Jesus appeared. Thomas wasn’t there. Maybe he was braver than his friends and had gone out for the shopping or to see the lie of the land, hear if they were liable to be arrested. We don’t know, but he wasn’t there. And when he was told that Jesus had appeared to his friends, he pooh-poohed the idea. Thomas the doubter, we call him, rather unfairly. I prefer to think of him as ‘Questioning Thomas’ and the patron saint of all the researchers carrying out work on the coronavirus, asking the questions to find ultimately a vaccine. We live in a world of fake news and social media, where we need to sift through to see what is true. Thomas can be our patron saint too, for I think that our faith is always strengthened by asking questions about what we believe. Jesus did appear again, though a week later. He shows Thomas the marks of the nails on his hands, the mark of the spear in his side. He still has the scars that speak of sacrifice and was the same Jesus who had been nailed to the cross, who was willing to die to show us the height and breadth and depth of God’s love. That means Christ can still speak to our wounded, suffering world today. Christ can still speak to us in our pain. Christ showed Thomas his wounds, and Thomas said ‘my Lord and my God’, one of the most heartfelt affirmations of faith we find in the Gospels. And from there the disciples became transformed into an Easter people, ready to turn the world upside down with their belief in the Risen Christ. We too are an Easter people ready with our questioning and with our faith to be as Christ to those around us at this challenging time. Hymn 432 – How often we like Thomas Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession Generous God, we thank you for the hope and joy we find in your resurrecting power. Bless the gifts we bring so they may spread that hope and joy in the world you love. Thank you, loving God, for your renewing presence in our lives, and for all the many blessings we have in life. For family and for friendship, for shelter and for food. For medical care and local services. All the things we take for granted, but we are so grateful for them. We pray for those who are feeling fearful, worried or overwhelmed, especially as the months of pandemic restrictions stretch on. We pray for those who face violence and unrest each day, in countries around the world and at home in our own community, and we think of the unrest in Northern Ireland. We pray for our national and local leaders, especially at election time for the Scottish parliament. Be with all as they work for our communities to recover from the pandemic. We pray for our congregation, for churches in our community, and for Christians around the world, especially those who face persecution. We pray for our neighbours, especially for those who live in poverty and those who know rejection and discrimination. We pray for those who are ill, in pain or in grief. We remember before you, silently or aloud, those on our hearts today: (silence) Bring them comfort and strength, Lord Jesus, Reveal to them your risen presence. God our Maker, hear our prayers, and use us in ways we may not yet even imagine to respond to those around us with the love we see in Jesus Christ and the confidence we draw from his resurrection. Amen Hymn 404 – I danced in the morning Benediction Risen Christ, no tomb could hold you and no door could shut you out. Bless us with your presence and fill us with your peace. And may the blessing of God Almighty, the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, be with you and with those whom you love, wherever they may be, now and always. Amen  The Lord is risen.
He is risen indeed! Alleluia Welcome, Cheviot churches and also those joining us from elsewhere. Come, people of God, let us worship together this Easter Day Notices:
Call to Worship Jesus was dead, laid in a tomb. But the stone is rolled away. Hallelujah Morning has broken, the tomb now empty. Hallelujah! Christ is risen! A new day has come, life not undone Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Come and worship, the Lord is here! Hymn 410 – Jesus Christ is risen today Prayers of Adoration and Confession Risen Lord, we are the Easter people, and Alleluia is our song. We are the Easter people come to worship, released from tombs of pain and doubt and fear and death into the freedom of this new day, and its promise of hope fulfilled. We are the Easter people, Emerging into the brightness of faith, Blinking, questioning, wondering, hoping. Come to us, into the garden of our lives, and touch all that is barren, and wasted and dried with Your healing hand. Forgive our half-lived lives, our broken promises, and our failed kindness. Call to us by our name, that we might turn from all that limits and burdens us, and lift us up into forgiveness and freedom. Open the gateways of our hearts and minds, and call us out into Your world to be embraced by Your unfailing and renewing mercy. Today, in silence, prayer and song, may we encounter Jesus and His grace. For we are the Easter people, and Alleluia is our song. Lord’s Prayer Talk – Fairtrade Easter Eggs Readings – Acts 10:34–43 John 20:1–18 Hymn 416 – Christ is alive Weekly Prayer Hallelujah Christ is Risen, and the power of His resurrection fills the world today with new life, hope and expectation and so we bring to Him our praise and worship. Faithful God, we join with your universal church celebrating the resurrection and unite with all believers trusting in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. May the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, be made known throughout our world. Amen Reflection Such is the scale of consumerism that enormous ships sail the seas to bring us goods and commodities from afar. But a gigantic ship skews itself in the Suez Canal, and world trade almost grinds to a halt. I am sure you were watching this story. Apparently a sandstorm, and probably human error too, played its part in the ship running aground and blocking the canal, stopping all the other ship from passing. Every day, with bated breath, we wondered what would happen, as experts arrived from round the world. Then at last on Monday evening, we heard the ship had been freed. Back to normal again, and there was a sense of relief. Certainly, after these long months of lockdown we need good news. But the vaccination programme is good news; restrictions seem to be easing, and that has brought smiles to the faces of TV presenters; and daffodils and forsythia are blooming, and it has given everyone a bit of a lift. And we have Easter – and Easter is the Good News story par excellence. For, as Peter told Cornelius and his family in our Acts reading, it is right at the heart of the Gospel message, and Gospel of course, means Good news. Going through the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, our emotions are wrung ragged, but think of the disciples, for them to see Jesus dying on the cross, they were absolutely devastated. But it is the women who go back to the tomb to anoint the body; and in John’s Gospel it is Mary Magdalene alone, who goes – maybe simply to be at the tomb, to feel the comfort of being close to the body. So Imagine how she must have felt to see the tomb gaping open, the stone blocking the entrance dislodged. Recently some of the stones in our cemeteries were pulled down to the upset of the villages. There is a similar thing here, and Mary in her distress runs to tell the disciples, and we have this strange race between Peter and John, to see who could get to the tomb first. But it is Mary who remains, who lingers at the tomb. There is a place in Jerusalem today called the Garden Tomb. Many pilgrims find it a deeply meaningful place, as there is a 1st century tomb there, like the one Jesus would have been laid in. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens, and even though it is bang next to a bus station, it is a place of peace. The tomb would have been in a garden area, and when Mary hears someone behind her, she thinks it is the gardener, and it is only when he says her name, Mary, she realises with joy that it is Jesus. My Teacher, she says. There are two points here: firstly, the story of Adam and Eve was set in a garden, with humanity disobeying and falling away from God. But here in a garden, humanity rans to God and encounters the Risen Jesus, redeeming the world. But secondly, Jesus is standing behind Mary, waiting to be noticed. How long has Jesus been standing in our lives, in our churches, in our world, just waiting to be noticed? Jesus sees Mary in her distress and reassures her. Might it not be that Jesus, standing, is also seeing us this Easter Day? Then He says her name. Might it not be that Jesus, standing, and seeing us, might also say our name this Easter Day? The hymn we just heard has the verse, ‘Christ is alive, no longer bound to distant years in Palestine, but saving healing, here and now…’ The Risen Jesus is with us in the here and now, still ready to address our needs. Mary returns to the disciples and announces ‘I have seen the Lord!’ We take up her cry of faith and proclaim the one who has triumphed over death and sin and who offers good news to the world. We are an Easter people, and our song is Alleluia. Hymn 417 – Now the green blade riseth Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession God of Resurrecting Hope, we thank you with grateful hearts, recognizing how much you have given us in Christ, and what his gift has cost. Bless the gifts we bring so they may help spread the hope and joy we feel today in the world you love so dearly. God of new beginnings, Break into your church with resurrecting power. Where congregations have drifted apart through months of distancing, re-energize the connections and commitment needed for ministry. Bless the Church throughout the world this Easter Day, and especially where your people are persecuted. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of new possibilities, Break into our relationships with resurrecting power. Where they are vibrant and life-giving, nurture and sustain them. Where they are marked by memories of hurt or current misunderstanding, refresh them with forgiveness and reconciliation. Where they are neglected or taken for granted, open eyes to the great gift we offer each other. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of new opportunity, Break into the governance of your world with resurrecting power. Stir the minds and hearts of leaders to work for justice, understanding and the equitable sharing of resources. Where the pandemic presents new problems and complicated decisions, bring wisdom, compassion and cooperation to all in authority. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of new life, Break into situations of illness, pain, grief and loss with resurrecting power. Where there is sickness of body, mind, or spirit, bring healing and hope. Where people mourn the loss of relationships or dreams, bring comfort and courage to go on. Where those who serve and care and maintain our common life are exhausted, bring rest and renewal. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of Easter Day, In silence we bring before you the prayers of our hearts. Silence Resurrect, renew and revive our spirits. Hear our prayer. Amen Hymn 419 – Thine be the glory Benediction Go in peace to be the Easter people in the world and may the blessing of God, Creator, Son and Spirit, be with you, and among you, and go with you wherever you go, now and always. Amen |
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