 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on Transfiguration Sunday.
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Transcendent God, majestic and bright Shine upon us. Everlasting God, majestic and bright Shine upon us. Let your light be found Reach into us illuminating our souls, as we worship together Hymn SGP 45 – How lovely on the mountains (1,2,4) Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of grace and God of glory, you reveal your presence to the world in radiant glory and gentle whispers, on mountain tops and lowly plains, in classrooms and hospital beds, in homes and churches, in the silence of nature and the sounds of cities. Yours is the presence that pushes past our fears, yours is the touch that transforms our doubts. We come before you to celebrate your goodness, to focus on your light, and offer you all praise, honour and thanksgiving, for you are our God and we are your people, now and always. God of mercy and forgiveness, facing the light of your goodness, we confess all that keeps us from sharing that goodness. We are distracted by the desire to have more than we need. We focus on our own disappointments rather than trust the future you create. We feel discouraged by the pandemic and fail to claim the hope you hold out to us in Christ. Transfigure us by your grace, and shape us into disciples who follow Christ’s leading each day. Do not be afraid. God’s forgiveness shines into the world. The morning star rises in our hearts and we are made new. Know that you are forgiven and forgive one another in Christ’s name. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Exodus 34:29-35 Luke 9:28-36 Hymn 34 – O send thy light forth Weekly Prayer Faithful God, as we enter into your awesome presence, help us to see Jesus only, who has now made it possible for us to worship without any barriers. In the week that lies before us may we reflect your love in the way that we live our lives. May we be seen as followers of Christ and by our words and actions draw others into his loving care. Amen Reflection I received the message on my phone, ‘I have left them at your back door’. It was from a friend who had kindly picked up a box of oranges for me. Now these are no ordinary oranges, but they come from Calabria in Italy, an area where poverty and organised crime are rife, but they come from an organisation, Mediterranean Hope, supported by one of our Church of Scotland mission partners, and they support migrants who work in the fruit industry, trying to break the cycle of exploitation. Often workers can live in poor accommodation with no water or electricity, and they are given poor wages. Mediterranean Hope guarantees workers a decent wage and assures buyers of excellent, fair-trade produce. Some of the profit goes into social projects. The fruit was supposed to arrive before Christmas, but there was so much red-tape, but it has fortuitously arrived now – during Fair-Trade Fortnight. Oranges on a February day – with their bright colour they give us a lift, but the story behind them at least gives hope to the many migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean – the hope of being valued for who they are. Jesus had been telling the disciples of an arduous journey ahead of them to Jerusalem and the need to take up their crosses and follow him. But he then takes three of them, Peter, James and John, up a mountain, and there they have this incredible experience, for Jesus is transfigured. His whole body seems filled with light, and he is radiant. He is flanked on either side by Moses and Elijah. It was an overwhelming experience for the disciples – no wonder they couldn’t speak of it afterwards. Think of another hillside, with Jesus flanked by two people. Except it is Calvary and Jesus is flanked by the two thieves on crosses. It is almost as if the transfiguration is pointing ahead to it. It is almost as if he is predicting his crucifixion. Perhaps here Jesus is taking care of his disciples. They will go through a lot. They will see him sweating blood at Gethsemane; see him arrested; see him die. They will see the worst happen to him, but at the transfiguration they will see a glimpse of the best – a glimpse of what resurrection will look like. The transfiguration is one way God promises that there is always hope, that there will always be a way to start anew. On the mountain top, God gave us a glimpse of how the tragedy of Jesus’ death was going to be transformed, transfigured, into something glorious on Easter morning. If God can do that for his Son, he can do it for all his sons and daughters. God is saying that no matter our suffering, no matter what cross we are carrying, the Almighty can transfigure our dying into glorious rising, can transfigure ugliness into beauty. Just as the ugliness of the exploitation of the migrant fruit-pickers in Calabria has been transformed into the beauty of being given fair wages. There is a challenge there for us. How would the world be changed if we chose to radiate something beautiful in every situation? If we chose to radiate Christ’s beauty, even everyone is filled with anger of judgement; If we chose to radiate Christ’s beauty, even when neighbours are filled with gossip or pettiness; If we chose to radiate Christ’s beauty, even when people speak harshly of the immigrant or pass judgement on the poor; If we chose to radiate Christ’s beauty, even when we people are being negative around us. Jesus took the disciples up the mountain and radiated love, and he continued to radiate God’s love to the sick and the poor and the needy. We are called to radiate that love too and bring something of beauty into our often ugly world. Hymn 356 – Meekness and majesty Prayers of Intercession Gracious God, you have given us life and blessed us in Christ with new life. Bless the gifts we offer today, and bless our lives, so that others may see his grace at work in us. Revealing God, You bless us with your presence and wisdom, and we marvel at the wonders of your love. You created a beautiful world that reveals your majesty. Thank you for opening our eyes to your presence each day. Help us to recognize you not only in mountaintop experiences, but also in everyday tasks and in times of great challenge. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Loving God, Much in this world needs the transformation only you can provide. Where there is violence, bring calm; where there is poverty, send sustenance; where there is confusion, bring wisdom; where there is chaos, create order; where minds and hearts are troubled, bring comfort; where pain is crippling, grant release. Move the hearts of the rich to share with those in need; and call the powerful to act with justice for those at risk. Give us all the will to work for the wellbeing of the earth and to live with respect for the fragile balances within your creation. We pray for the situation in Ukraine. We lift up the work of Mediterranean Hope God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Eternal God, we pray for your church around the world and for our congregation. Give your people the energy to shine wherever there is persecution, despair or discouragement. Bless each congregation with wisdom and vision, as we face the changes in the world caused by the pandemic. Renew our imagination and commitment to develop new forms of ministry and mission for the days ahead. Gather us as a people again after months of distancing, and inspire us with greater delight in your mystery, and greater joy in seeking your presence. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Hear us now in this time of silence as we raise to you the names and situations on our hearts this day: Silence Amen Hymn 458 – At the name of Jesus Benediction God of mountaintop mystery, lead us on our way. God of daily duties, lead us on our way. God of all times and places, lead us from this place and stay with us on our way, and the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you, Amen
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 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on the Seventh Sunday of Epiphany
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Come before the Lord your God, in the quiet spaces and the busy places, in worship, praise and thanksgiving, for all we have and all we are is a gift from God. Hymn 189 – Be still, for the presence of the Lord Prayers of Adoration and Confession Faithful God, You have gathered your people in faithfulness throughout many generations. You have offered your blessing to us through their examples, and led the Church through many changes and challenges by your Spirit. Draw near to us this day to guide us in these uncertain times. Root our faithfulness in the compassion and courage we meet in Jesus. Renew us through your steadfast love so that we may dare to trust our future to you. All praise and honour are yours, O God, Source, Saviour and Spirit of Life. Gracious God, you test the mind and search the heart, so you know the thoughts and intentions we keep hidden. Trusting in your wisdom and mercy, we confess the ways we have failed to love one another, the times we looked the other way when someone needed help, and the ways our actions betrayed your goodness. Keep a brief silence. Forgive us for missing opportunities to share your love, and carrying grudges that keep us from offering the forgiveness we hope for. Renew us with your mercy to become more merciful to others we meet, in the example of Christ our Lord. Hear and believe the good news: anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life is gone, and new life has begun. Trust that you are forgiven by God’s generous love, and have the courage to forgive one another for Christ’s sake. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Genesis 45: 3-11, 15 Luke 6: 27-38 Hymn 722 – Spirit of God, come dwell within me Weekly Prayer Everlasting God, we ask that you will make yourself known to us and lead us into the coming week. Help us to believe that you are close by us, keeping us from making mistakes and helping us to love like you loved, even our enemies. Amen Reflection Masks! While we may hate them, we have grown used to wearing them and are aware that they have helped to make us safe during this pandemic. We still have to wear them in church, but it was announced that they will no longer need to be worn in schools. One pupil said she was looking forward to seeing the face of her teachers. She had been new to the school and had never seen them without a mask. It certainly helps to relate to one another when we can see each other’s faces. Our readings this morning are both about how we relate to each other and really gets to the core of the Gospel message. In Luke we continue to read from the Sermon on the Plain, and we find familiar phrases– such as ‘Love your enemies’ and ‘turn the other cheek’. They are so familiar, they roll off our tongues, but just how radical they are. Love your enemies: tell that to the Ukrainian mother whose children are soldiers on the front line. Tell it to someone who has been abused. We don’t love our enemies! It is the last thing we do. It is so much easier to say ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ and seek revenge for wrongs done to us. It is so much easier to hold a grudge, rather than to face the issue and seek to resolve it. Yet in the Gospel Jesus says that you have got to change and love our enemies and also start to break down the way we define people according to labels. He encourages us to take off our masks and see each other as a child of God. Our reading from Genesis is a case in point. Joseph could be a bit of a pain. He was his father’s favourite and was singled out for special treatment. He was very gifted and even had dreams where his 11 other brothers seemed to be kneeling down before him. It was maybe insensitive of him to tell them so. You could see why his brothers may have resented him. But they beat him up, threw him in a well, determined to leave him to die. Then the plan changed, and Joseph was sold as a slave to Midianites who sold him onto Egyptians. It is a brilliant story. Joseph hits rock bottom, when he is falsely accused of adultery and is thrown in prison. But then he interprets Pharaoh’s dream and has a stellar rise to become viceroy of Egypt. It is at that point his brothers come, basically as refugees, seeking help because of a famine in Palestine. They don’t recognise him; he is wearing the mask, you could say, of the Egyptian number two to Pharaoh. This is his chance to take revenge. Think about the beating, being sold into slavery, the misery in prison. But instead, he sees family and the chance for reconciliation. When he revealed who he was, his brothers must have trembled. But they all had to face up to what had been done in the past, and make a new start. Reconciliation was possible. In South Africa, everyone expected a blood bath, but instead under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and people like Desmond Tutu, there was the Truth and Reconciliation commission. Bringing people together, the abused with the abuser, and, taking masks off, facing the truth and moving forward. It was painful, but it was the only way. Nowadays, there is more talk of restorative justice, which is the same thing. Victims meeting up with those who have perpetrated crimes against them. So difficult, for it opens wounds again, but often that is the way healing comes. The Church supports a project called A Place for Hope, which seeks to transform conflict situations and bring about reconciliation, and I have had experience of them healing a congregation split down the middle, bringing both sides together- by addressing the hurt and the pain. That particular congregation became the stronger for it. In verse 31 is the Golden Rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do to you’. So we are ever encouraged to forgive and respect and want the best for others, just as God in his mercy has shown love and forgiveness and affirmation to us. Hymn 484 – Great God, your love has called us here (1,3,5) Prayers of Intercession God of generous love, we bring our gifts with grateful hearts, for we have received so much through your kindness. Bless our gifts, and use them to touch lives. Make us a blessing in our community for the sake of Christ, our Friend and Saviour. God of our faith and our future, there are so many pressures we face today, so many problems without simple solutions. Draw near to anyone who is struggling in this economic climate with prices rocketing. Be with all those burdened by challenges to their health and happiness. Guide us all through the changing face of the pandemic, especially as we move forward. Ease any conflict in homes and workplaces and inspire solutions that express mutual respect and deeper understanding. Help us share with others the hope we find in your presence. God of the whole human family, Hear our prayers for your world. God of mercy and forgiveness, You call us to live together in peace and unity. We pray for our communities and the nations of this world. Where people are divided and bitterness turns into resentment, show us how to work for reconciliation. Where violence and fear turn neighbour against neighbour, or nation against nation, equip leaders to work for justice that will bring peace. Help us build a world where children enjoy a future filled with good health and happiness. God of the whole human family, Hear our prayers for your world. We pray for those whose lives are ruled by hate and vengeance, rather than love and justice. For those whose homes are not places of love or safety, but places of fear and violence. For those who have no home to speak of and have become invisible on our streets. For those who are stigmatised because of status, ill-health, ethnicity, religion. Lord, You asked us to love our neighbours, all of them, not just the ones we choose. Enable us and equip us to carry out Your command and to make a positive difference in the lives of those who are our neighbours and are struggling. Amen Hymn 512 – To God be the glory Benediction Go now and share God's love with all you meet. Go now and share the joy of Jesus. Go now and share the inspiring breeze of the Spirit. Go in peace assured of God's love.  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on the Sixth Sunday of Epiphany
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Sing to the Lord a new song! Let us make melody before our God! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Let us praise God’s holy name together. How good it is to sing praises to our God; For God is gracious and steadfast in mercy Hymn 160 – Praise my soul (1,3,4,5) Prayers of Adoration and Confession Amazing God At the beginning of time your words brought the world into being. Your breath gave us the gift of life. How majestic, awesome and wonderful you are, yet at the same time you are tender, loving and kind. We lift our songs of praise to your name. Generous God, each day we receive gifts from you. The gift of this new day and the opportunities it presents to us. The gift of food and water that sustain us, the gift of love and friendship that supports us. We remember the most precious gift you have given us, your Son Jesus, who showed us how life should be lived and gave his life that we may live. We lift our songs of thanksgiving to your name. Forgiving God, in your presence we become aware of our unworthiness. Lord, we confess before you that we have not followed our calling: We have not served you as we should. We have not cared for others as we ought. We fall short in so many ways, putting ourselves above others. Renew and remake us through the grace of your Son, Jesus, your love made flesh. Jesus says, Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more’. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Jeremiah 17: 5-10 Luke 6: 17-26 Hymn 103 – Fill your hearts with joy (1,3,4) Weekly Prayer Everlasting God, send us out into the world, renewed by our worship and strengthened by your message to John the Baptist. Help us all wholeheartedly to trust in the Lord, so that we may be a testament to the Gospel of your son Jesus Christ determined to bring healing and reconciliation to our wounded world. Amen Reflection Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? It can be nail-biting watching the curling – too nail-biting, as our curlers finished 4th! But there seem to be a number of newer disciplines. Skiing isn’t just about going downhill the fastest or jumping the furthest, but involves acrobatics, and I was thrilled to watch a teenager from Aberdeenshire turn somersaults in the air from a ski-jump. What it must to see the world from another perspective; to see it turned upside down. Our readings today are about seeing life from another perspective about a topsy-turvy world. Jeremiah was called as a prophet at what was an unfortunate time – there was war with Babylon, who was emerging as the great superpower of the day, gobbling up the states around them. Judah was next on the list and indeed had been defeated by Babylon. However, the leaders were trying to wriggle out of Babylon’s clutches and form an alliance with Egypt, playing one superpower against another. It wasn’t going to work; indeed, it was all going to end in tears. Jeremiah ever seemed to be tasked with giving an unpopular message, and he would preach accommodation with Babylon and against this alliance. But in Chapter 17 he gives this lovely picture of hope surviving through all the chaos. He compares a bush in the desert shrivelling up with a tree planted by the water, filling its roots, so that even in difficult times it will survive and indeed will bear fruit. Was it pie in the sky – or was it hope? Israel’s hopes of escaping from Babylon were doomed to failure, and Jerusalem would be destroyed, the Temple burned to the ground and so many taken into exile in Babylon. But the exile turned out paradoxically to be one of the most productive periods for Israel, as they had to rethink their faith and question what they were all about. They emerged the stronger for it and were able to build a new future. Through the Covid pandemic, there have been times when we doubted that we would come out of it, and yet we have had to adapt to new ways of doing things. As the Church of Scotland, we are going through times of change with bigger presbyteries and possibly bigger groupings of congregations and, like the Jews in Babylon, have to rethink how we do things, but that can be positive and bear fruit. Remember Jeremiah’s picture of the tree planted by the river bearing fruit. It is a picture of hope for the future. In the Gospel reading Jesus encourages us to see things from a different perspective. We read Luke’s version of the beatitudes. Matthew’s are far more familiar, given in the Sermon on the Mount. But in Luke we have the Sermon on the Plain. Luke’s are hard-hitting. No sugar coating, they are sparse and get right to the point. Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those weeping, but woe to the rich and those who have. Full stop. It is a complete turnaround from the accepted wisdom of the day, which was that if you were rich, God had blessed you, and if you were poor, you had done something wrong. We see this in the story of Job. It is still with us. There is a new film just released about Tammy Faye, one of the TV evangelists of the 70s/80s, and the evangelists were famous for their lavish lifestyle and their prosperity gospel. I saw it a lot in Africa; ‘come to our church, and you will become rich’! Jesus here is showing God’s love, God’s bias, for and towards the poor and those struggling with life. He calls us to look to ourselves, for we still worship at other altars – the altars of wealth and power and instant gratification. But these are not the ways of the Kingdom, and we are called to share our good fortune with others and ever look outwards. We are called to see the world from a different perspective – even that of Christ. Hymn 544 – When I needed a neighbour (1,2,5,6) Prayers of Intercession All good things come from you, O God, and of your own do we give you. Help us to use our gifts wisely in your service Wise and generous God, we take time today to do as the old hymn suggests, and ‘count our blessings’, naming them silently, one by one, and giving thanks to you, the source of all that is good, and of the deep-down happiness for which we long. We give thanks for the obvious blessings, never to be taken for granted: for good health when we have it, and access to medical care; for food in our bellies and a safe place to live; for people who care about us and for whom we can care; for freedom to dress and speak and worship as we choose, without fear of persecution. But we are grateful also for the curious blessings recognised as such only with hindsight: for losses that help us see what really matters; for vulnerability that enables us to reach out in love; for our weakness that forces us to depend on you; for brushes with death that have helped us value life more. Loving God, you want all your children to live lives that are full and worthwhile, and we pray for those for whom each day is a struggle to survive, never mind thrive; for those who are trapped in poverty and cannot see that ever changing; those who so not have enough to eat, and those who overeat to bury their unhappiness; those who are shamed and humiliated for being who they are, and those who do the shaming. We pray for the people of Afghanistan: the families struggling to cope and find money for food, the girls no longer being educated, the women no longer able to work freely. We pray for all hopes and dreams squashed by those yielding power. We pray for all in this country, for all in our local communities as we attempt to return to some normality after the Covid restrictions. We pray for the lonely, those still anxious about mixing with others. We pray for the jobless and the bereaved. We pray for all who are in leadership. In parliament. In our local councils and communities. For all leaders of the church, all those in ministry sharing the Gospel in whatever form. We pray for the weary, those feeling out of their depth and those who are sinking beneath the heavy load of responsibility. Amen Hymn 644 – O Jesus, I have promised (1,2,4) Benediction As we go from this time of worship, we rejoice in the strength of God, we fix our eyes on the grace of Christ, and we drink deeply of the Spirit, who makes us one. And the blessing of God be with you, now and always. Amen  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on the Fifth Sunday of Epiphany
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Let us sing and pray in God’s presence. Praise be to God! For God has created the world and called it good. Praise be to God! The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, calling us to follow Jesus. All praise and glory to God. Hymn 111 – Holy, holy, holy (1,2,4) Prayers of Adoration and Confession God ever creating, ever loving, ever leading: your presence is peace when we are frantic; your Word is truth when we face deception; your Spirit offers freedom when we are paralyzed by fear. You give purpose in confusing times; You call for justice when the world settles for inequality. For all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you will be, we worship and adore you, One God, now and always. Merciful God, you call us to fullness of life but we confess our shortcomings. We have wandered from your ways and wasted your gifts. We have been suspicious of the motives of others, too quick to judge and too slow to forgive. Lord, we know that You are slow to anger and abounding in love, so may we rest in that love knowing that we can have a fresh start, that today is the beginning of a new journey with You. So Holy Spirit, encourage us to hear Your calling now. Holy Spirit, enable us and teach us to fulfil our calling. Holy Spirit, empower and sustain us in our service. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 6: 1-8 Luke 5: 1-11 Hymn 340 – When Jesus saw the fishermen Weekly Prayer Gracious God, thank you that you call us all to be your disciples. We pray for all who, like Isaiah, respond “Here I am, send me.” Help us in our daily lives of work, family and community to bear witness to the gospel in all that we say and do. Amen Reflection I grew up in a mining community, and although the miners’ rows by the colliery had been demolished, mining families were still slightly on edge, in case the siren went off to announce a disaster with the miners trapped below. It was a precarious profession. Fishing was the same. Like mining, fishing communities have been hit and fewer boats are operating. But with the storms we have had over the last few weeks, I couldn’t help but think of any boat out at sea, though I suppose technology and common sense would have told them to stay put in harbour. Fisherfolk these days have had to live with years of overfishing, compulsory quotas and competition, let alone storms and have been impacted by political and economic changes, so boats have got bigger, but numbers involved have dropped – and fishing villages now make more from tourism than fishing. The fishermen of Jesus’ time also had their own problems. The new town of Tiberias was being built just round the coast. It provided lots of jobs for craftsmen, but it was a Roman town, and observant Jews were not encouraged to work there. But also, money was needed to build it, so people were taxed. The fishers had to learn new practices of working together to minimise costs and maximise profit. This mutual support would have stood them in good stead in their new enterprise of Kingdom building, but an unsuccessful night’s fishing would not have helped them. Jesus commandeered Simon Peter’s boat to preach to the crowds. He had healed his mother-in-law; he was becoming well-known and well-respected around Capernaum and the fishing villages around. Peter calls him ‘Master’. But when he had finished preaching, he told them to go back into the deep and drop their nets again. Peter would have been dead tired and wanting his bed after being up all night, but they seemed to trust him and they did so and came back with nets groaning with all the fish they had caught. Peter’s reaction was to fall on his knees. He was aware that something special had happened, that he was in the presence of someone special, and he was aware of his own unworthiness and said, ‘I am a sinner’. It reminds us of Isaiah in the Temple in the year of King Uzziah’s death. Uzziah had reigned for over 50 years, so it was an upheaval for him to die – many had known no other ruler (Just as many have only known Elizabeth as queen!). There was change in the air, and that’s when the prophet has his vision in the temple. He is even hurt by a burning coal – there would be a cost to discipleship. But when the voice came, ‘Whom shall I send?’, Isaiah immediately replied, ‘Here I am. Send me’. Simon Peter fell to his knees and felt his own unworthiness, but Jesus saw differently and beckoned him to follow, to get closer to God’s people, to be involved, leaving everything behind. But Jesus also encouraged the Simon and his friends to take their boats into the deep, to go to the deep waters. More dangerous, but that’s where the fish were. If they stuck to the shallow waters, their nets would have been empty. As disciples, Simon Peter and his friends had to learn to go into the deep too, for that would be where the people were. They had to take risks and move from the shallow, from the comfortable into the deep, where the fish are, where people are longing for change. Like Isaiah and Simon Peter, we too are called to follow Christ. We too are filled with awe and feel our own unworthiness. Yet Christ continues to call us and wants to use us, to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We are called to go into the Deep; it can be hard, but oh so rewarding. Hymn 532 – Lord, you have come to the seashore Prayers of Intercession Generous God, Jesus encouraged his disciples to keep fishing when they thought their nets were empty. Encourage us to keep giving even when needs seem overwhelming and resources scarce. We entrust our gifts to you with the faith you can surprise us through all they can accomplish in Jesus’ name. Loving God, we bring our empty nets and ask you to fill them. We bring our tiredness and discouragement and ask you to fill us with energy and hope. We bring the skills that we have and ask you to teach us new ways of using them We bring such vision as we have of your kingdom and ask you to enlarge it. We bring ourselves, as we are, and ask you to use us, as you can, in the service of that kingdom of joy and peace. Lord Jesus Christ, we celebrate the life of your church, that international community of believers whose worship and service strengthen our faith and challenge us to live what we believe. We remember before you this day all the Church of Scotland mission partners and also our partner churches, giving thanks for their vision, courage and compassion. We thank you for Christian Aid and other aid agencies. May they ever act swiftly to alleviate hardship with mercy and hope. Spirit of healing and hope, we remember before you the many communities and individuals experiencing ongoing conflict and violence, widespread drought or severe flooding, crowded quarters in refugee compounds, a yearning for education and a struggle for freedom. God of grace and compassion, We lift up those closest and dearest to us and name them before you with affection and gratitude: Keep a silence for 15 seconds. Thank you that your love reaches into the very depths of their needs and gives them strength for their journeys. Be with all who need your help at this time – the housebound, the sick, the lonely and those mourning. Amen Hymn 533 – Will you come and follow me (1,2,3,5) Benediction Go with the love of God Go with a heart for all people Go and serve God's people And the blessing of God Almighty…..  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on the Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
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O Lord, in you we find refuge; Let us never be put to shame. Turn your ear to us, O God, and save us. For you are our rock and our fortress. We praise God’s steadfast love. We offer God all glory and honour this day and always! Hymn 93 – Let us with a gladsome mind (1,2,5,6) Prayers of Adoration and Confession Almighty and everlasting God, your power is incomparable, your majesty infinite, and your love beyond our imagining. You are hidden in mystery, and yet so present. In a hectic world, you are peace and rest. In a harsh world, you are tenderness and mercy. In the cold and dark of winter, you are light and comfort, and so we bring you our worship, for you are the One who created us, the One who redeems us, and the One who gives us life, our one and only God, to whom we offer all love and loyalty, now and always. God, whose name is love, we confess our faults and failings, knowing you know us through and through. You tell us love is patient and kind, and you know when our patience and kindness falls short. You tell us love is never rude or selfish, and you see the times we insisted on our own way. Forgive us the excuses we make to ourselves when our love falters. Strengthen us by your Spirit so that our love is genuine and reliable. God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s love; as far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our sins. Thanks be to God Lord’s Prayer Readings – 1 Corinthians 13: 1- 13 Luke 4: 21-30 Hymn 550 – As a deer pants for the water Weekly Prayer Lord God, we pray for all who work for peace and unity. We thank you for showing us the most excellent way of living and reminding us that "Love is patient, love is kind, and love never fails." Grant us the wisdom to not only hear your gracious words but to seek to live by them in our daily lives. Amen Reflection I wonder how many of you had haggis for supper this week? The 25th January, last Tuesday, may be the day in the church we remember the conversion of St Paul, but on national terms it is Burn’s Night, and the focus is on the poet, Rabbie Burns. I grew up in Burn’s country, so was used to poetry competitions at school, and there were lots of Burns Supper. My first kilt was bought because I was speaking at one! The last couple of years there have been no Burns suppers that I have been aware of, but I was thinking of Burns. His relationship with the Church could be quite fraught. He would attend church, but also he was brought before the Kirk Session because of his dalliances with the fairer sex. But His poems have a spiritual quality: He was a farmer; he knew the land. So he was able to write ‘Flow gently, sweet Afton’ or describe a mouse as a ‘wee, sleekit, cowering timorous beastie’. But then Jesus used the countryside in his parables, as he talked about mustard seeds, for example, growing into big bushes. Burns talked about the decency and spiritual devotion of folk in the ‘Cottars Saturday Night’, but he railed against hypocrisy of some religious people, like in ‘Holy Wullie’s Prayer’, who put on airs of being better than others, while hiding their own failings. Of course, we think of Jesus challenging the Pharisees. But Burns is perhaps best known for his poems about love: ‘My love is like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June’. Today we read Paul’s great hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13. While we might have faith to move mountains, if we have not love, we are nothing. Love is so essential. Burns may have talked of romantic love, but Paul goes deeper and recognises the love that is patient and kind; the love that never fails. Here, he is talking about love that has a cost. We can look at pictures of a newly-born baby, and it’s a picture of love. But when the baby keeps the parents awake all night, that’s true love. A couple grow older together, but when one becomes more incapacitated and starts to dribble food down their jumper, and the other has to clean up after, that is where true love is. It is when we sacrifice. For Paul, when he talked about love, I always feel he had a picture of love – and that was Jesus hanging on the cross. That was love bearing the cost, ready to sacrifice. Giving and giving and giving, and never counting the cost – so that we might live and enjoy life in its fullness. The cross is a symbol of just how much God loves us. That is what Jesus was saying in Nazareth. He had preached from Isaiah, and it was well -received. People were proud of the local lad. He could have stopped, and all could have been well. But he continued and said that God’s love and grace were so much bigger than could be imagined. So big that it encompassed those who we might feel uncomfortable about, even our enemies. He reminds the congregation of stories of Elijah and Elisha. How one helped a widow in Lebanon, and the other healed a Syrian general. There were people in Israel who were hungry or who needed healing, but the prophets helped foreigners, the enemy. God’s love was for everyone. That’s when the mood in the synagogue turned chilly. They wanted God to be their God and help them, but were not willing to share God’s love with others. Another poet, the American Robert Frost, had two farmers at a wall between their properties. ‘Good walls make good neighbours’, one of them said. The Nazareth people would have agreed. But the poet challenges this, and Jesus would have as well. He was for tearing down the walls that divide. God’s love was for all, including those who make us uncomfortable. The congregation grabbed Jesus and threatened to throw him over the cliff. That is what happens when you give an unpopular message. It is enough to get you killed! In his ministry Jesus lived out the love of God and it ended in the cross, where his arms were outstretches, as if to embrace all the world. May we show God’s love in our lives, even when it hurts. Hymn 527 – Lord, make us servants (1,2,4) Prayers of Intercession The Apostle Paul reminds us that the greatest of gifts is love. The blessings we enjoy in life speak of God’s love for us. So may all that we offer become tangible expressions of your love at work in the world for Christ’s sake. O God, your love is patient. We give you thanks for all those who have been patient with us, teaching us and caring for us in so many ways. We pray for the patience to love others as you have loved us. God of love, Hear our prayer. O God, your love is kind. Thank you for every unexpected gesture of kindness we have received. Give us the courage to be kind to others, serving those who seem unkind, rude, or difficult to love in these difficult days. Remind us that each one we meet is your child, our sister or brother made in your image. God of love, Hear our prayer. O God, your love is not arrogant, nor does it seek its own interests. Thank you for all who work to serve those who cannot fend for themselves. Strengthen those who have lost hope and confidence in their own value. Give us insight to speak the truth in love and to work for change that creates opportunities for those on the margins and respect for any who face discrimination. God of love, Hear our prayer. O God, your love never fails. We pray for all the situations in our world where there is war or hatred, where people are divided and build up walls to divide. We think of the situation in Ukraine. We remember Israel and Palestine, North and South Korea, China and Taiwan. God of love, Hear our prayer. O God, your love bears all things. We thank you for those we have loved in this life and who now dwell in the peace and joy of your presence. Let your comfort settle on those who are bereaved or lonely this day. We remember before you those with heavy burdens, many cares, much stress, and those who find too little comfort and help. Open our eyes to those in need around us and show us how to offer support and companionship, for the sake of Christ, our friend and Saviour, Amen Hymn 519 – Love Divine (all) Benediction Go in peace. And while so much of the road ahead is uncertain, we know some things that are as solid and sureas the ground beneath our feet, and the sky above our heads. We know God is love. May the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you this day and forevermore. Recessional Hymn 586 – May the God of peace  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on the Third Sunday of Epiphany
Notices: Our services this week are at 10am at Yetholm and 11.15 at Morebattle.
How good and how lovely it is to live together in unity Unity is like the dew, falling on holy mountains With it comes God’s blessing, life forevermore Hymn 739 – The Church’s one foundation Prayers of Adoration and Confession For the richness of your creation, For different colours and scents, For different birds and animals, None the same, yet part of one creation. Generous God, we praise you. For the richness of your world, For different places and peoples, For different songs and stories, No person the same, yet part of one humanity. Generous God, we praise you. We praise you Lord for creating a world of wonder and beauty, of diversity and difference. Teach us to live in harmony with you and our world. God of grace and unity, we confess we can be divisive when you have called us to unity, quarrelsome when you call us to seek peace, and critical rather than caring. Forgive us when we mistake our familiar traditions for your truth. Show us how we can witness to your love through working and worshipping together. Jesus came to bring Good News to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. We live as loved, forgiven and free people through the grace of God! Lord’s Prayer Readings – 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a Luke 4:14-21 Hymn 522 – When Jesus saw the fishermen Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we thank you that we are an indispensable part of the body of your church. Help us as we start the week ahead to walk more closely with you at our side, safe in the knowledge that your fatherly love and care knows no bounds. Amen Reflection I feel tremendously privileged in my ministry to have been involved with so many different people in so many different places in the world, but I have one slight regret. Not a big one, but I am conscious of it. I have never preached in the village I grew up in. I preached as a student in a number of congregations in Ayr Presbytery, but never in Auchinleck. I feel sorry about that, and I am always a little envious of Jesus having that opportunity. That said, if we go on with the reading, as we will next week, we discover that the congregation’s reaction was to throw Jesus over a cliff, so maybe it is better not to go back! A prophet is never welcomed in their home town, etc!! Jesus had been driven by the Spirit into the desert and had been tempted. He had had this time away, reflecting on what his ministry would be, and he came back to Galilee refreshed, invigorated, full of the Spirit. Luke in his Gospel has Jesus preach in Nazareth, his home town. As I mentioned last week, first things matter, and for Luke, this set the tone for Jesus’ ministry, for he preached from Isaiah 61 about the Spirit anointing him to bring good news to the poor, bring release to the captive, sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed and proclaim the Year of Jubilee, when there would be an evening up. For Luke, this was Jesus’ manifesto, what he felt was important. Jesus was in Nazareth, and it was the Sabbath, so he went to the synagogue, as was his custom. He was given the opportunity to read and to preach. I don’t think he was given much warning, unless they had spoken to him the night before, so he had to think on his feet. One commentator I looked at assumed this was the first time that Jesus had preached in Nazareth, but I don’t think so. He had grown up there and he was now 30 and obviously very gifted. I would have thought that he would have been offered the opportunity to preach before, but nonetheless people would have been quite excited to hear him. They knew him, they knew his family. He was given the scroll to read (there were no books as such; the Scriptures would have been written on a number of scrolls). When I was living in Tiberias, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a synagogue at Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, and amid their discoveries was a stone table with the grooves to place the ‘scroll for the day’. It was from Jesus’ time, and it was exciting to imagine him preaching there. It was the same in Nazareth – he was given the scroll, read from Isaiah 61, then expounded the message. His message was not about WHAT God demands, as much as WHO needs attention and compassion. Jesus had grown up with Exodus and Deuteronomy and with the prophets; God was speaking out for the poor, the unseen, the afflicted, the rejected, the overwhelmed and those on the margin. God’s salvation was for everyone, and no-one was excluded. This was encapsulated in Isaiah 61 with the announcement of the Year of God’s favour, the Jubilee, when debts would be cancelled and wrongs made right and a sharing of all God’s bountiful gifts. For Luke, that was Jesus’ priority, and he lived it out in his ministry. Jesus was with the blind and desperate and grieving. He speaks of God’s desire that people live in total rightness and full humanity. Jesus places himself right in the middle of God’s agenda for the whole world. What’s more, he calls us, as his followers, to ask who needs attention and compassion in our world today and embrace his manifesto of liberation and hope. Hymn 263 – God of freedom Prayers of Intercession Creator God, you made each of us in our uniqueness, and together, all of us to bear your image in the world. Accept our gifts, unique as they are, and bless them for the sake of your Son, Jesus. God of life, God of love. You created us and set us in relationship with each other: In families and neighbourhoods, in churches and communities, in cultures and nations. We give you thanks for the rich gifts of arts and culture, of home life and community celebration which bring meaning and encouragement to our lives. Help us contribute our gifts to the traditions and imagination that sustain the best of our common life from one generation to the next. God of mercy and forgiveness, You call us to live together in peace and unity. In this Week of Prayer for Christian unity, we pray that your Spirit will create understanding and co-operation among all who bear Christ’s name. Help us share our gifts with each other so that churches within our community may flourish and our common mission will find new energy after months of challenge. Lead us to reach out to those of other faiths and no faith so that, together, we may be a blessing in the world you love. God of healing and hope, We pray for our neighbourhoods and our nation. Where people are divided and bitterness turns into resentment, show us how to work for reconciliation. Inspire our leaders at every level of community life to work together for the care of the most vulnerable and to restore the goodness of our common life as we recover from the effects of these months of pandemic. Make us generous citizens and careful stewards of the land you entrust to us together. God of justice and mercy, We pray for the world you love, the world Christ died to redeem, so deeply divided by religious and political animosities, by ancient bitterness and current conflict. Encourage world leaders to work for peace and understanding, especially in places torn by violence, and areas still struggling with the effects of the pandemic, by poverty, hunger and the effects of natural disasters. May the hope Jesus embodies encourage us all to work for positive change. God of courage and comfort, We remember those of our congregation and community in need of your special attention today.... Use us as agents of your healing and hope. Amen Hymn 511 – Your hand, O God, has guided Benediction The Spirit of the Lord is upon us! We have been called, we have been anointed, we have been given a task. So go out from this place, carrying Good News to the world: news about freedom from oppression and healing for the afflicted. May God's blessing from Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this 2nd Sunday of Epiphany Notices:
Call to Worship How precious is God’s steadfast love! We will find refuge in the shelter of God’s wings. Come and feast on God’s abundance. We will drink from the river of God’s delights. For with God is the fountain of life; And in God’s light we will see light. Hymn 327 – Brightest and Best (1,3,4) Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of light and life, as the new year unfolds before us, we begin to feel the sunlight coming back to brighten the winter. Our spirits grow stronger in the light. You shine your light into our lives in your Son Jesus. Your Spirit strengthens us to face whatever this year will hold. Ever-hospitable God, the storehouse of your love never runs dry. We taste and see your goodness, overflowing, spilling into our lives and the life of the world— love, grace, and mercy enough for all, and more besides. Generous God, forgive us when, in fear, we withhold your grace, worrying that there may not be enough to go around; or, when we judge that others may not be worthy of your blessing. Forgive us when we share your grace with those ‘like us’ and those who like us, forgetting that all of humanity is our neighbour, and all are invited to your feast. Be assured. No power in heaven or on earth can separate us from God’s great love. Take heart, and know that we are forgiven. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 62:1-5 John 2:1-11 Hymn 201 – Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (1,3,4) Weekly Prayer Heavenly Father, as your Son Jesus began his earthly ministry at a wedding celebration and through the miracle of changing water into wine showed us the abundance of your wonderful love for us. May our Lord continue to transform the water of our everyday lives into the new wine of your kingdom as we put our faith in Him, transforming by his love the ordinary into the extra-ordinary. Amen Reflection I was visiting my Syrian friends in Galashiels earlier in the week, and I was chatting away to Youssef, when Hania, his wife, appeared with a tray of big bowls of a Syrian type rice pudding sprinkled with coconut. Not something I would ever choose, I must say, but I couldn’t refuse. I managed to clear my bowl, only for Hania to reappear with another bowl. I did refuse this time. Then a plate of fruit appeared – each. Banana, apple, pear, grapes. Eat, eat, eat! It was Middle Eastern hospitality. They don’t have much, but are very generous. Our Gospel reading today talks about abundance at a wedding reception - though it could have gone so very wrong! It is interesting that John should begin Jesus’ ministry at a wedding reception. First things matter. In Matthew, Jesus begins his ministry with the sermon on the Mount with Jesus as a Moses figure, giving the law. Mark has Jesus immediately into the fray, casting at demons, while Luke has Jesus preaching a sermon on liberation and healing in his home town of Nazareth. Each sets the tone for their Gospels. But John chooses what at first seems a rather frivolous story of turning water into wine. But it was a sign, and John has seven of these signs – like the feeding of the 5000, the walking on water, the raising of Lazarus, all pointing to the kind of person Jesus was, pointing to what he was coming to do, and the first of these was at the wedding reception. Weddings can last several days in the Middle East, but at this one, the wine ran out. Inconvenient, to say the least. Positively embarrassing for the family, you could acknowledge. But at that time and in that place, it was a real disaster. For wine was more than a social lubricant, but symbolised God’s harvest, God’s blessing. It would be an awful start to anyone’s marriage, if the wine ran out. There was no point looking at who was to blame; something had to be done! Enter Jesus’ mother. She gave Jesus the ‘look’ and told him to get on with it. He protested his time had not yet come, but Mary had a steely determination about her, and Jesus soon was asking that six big stone jars be filled with water, and when tasted, it was the best of wines, so good that the steward remarked on the family keeping the best wine till last. The day was saved, as were the family’s blushes. Some commentators look at the six stone purification jars and see the emptiness of the religion at that time, contrasted to what Jesus brought- something new, something out of the ordinary, something transformative. He brought the sign of God’s abundance, for the six jars would have produced 1000 bottles, more than enough for the reception. In Isaiah 25, there’s a banquet on God’s mountain, where all are satisfied; the Messiah would bring this about. In Isaiah 62, which we read this morning, Israel would be transformed and given a new name – they would no longer be forsaken, but called Hephtzibah, my delight. We have been going through a difficult time, and certainly we are not out of the woods yet, but in this sign John is pointing to God’s extravagant love and abundant grace. As Jesus was committed to the wedding family, so God is committed to us. The story of the wedding in Cana is all about the joy and abundance that Jesus brings in his kingdom, where no-one gets the dregs and where worry is turned to wonder and embarrassment to joy. In this act, Jesus shows the best is yet to come. ‘Don’t worry’, he says, ‘I have saved the best till last’. Hymn 697 – Let’s praise the Creator Prayers of Intercession O God, Jesus brought the joy into lives that needed hope and a new beginning. We pray for all those who need a new beginning this year: Individuals trying to make a new start, Families trying to sort through difficulties, Groups hoping to accomplish good things for others, Refugees building new homes in a new land, Students and teachers beginning a new semester, Businesses and congregations trying to rebuild in uncertain times. Show each one how much they matter to you, and renew their courage and resolve to make a fresh start. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. O God, Jesus changed water into wine to show us that you can accomplish extraordinary things through ordinary lives. We pray for all those volunteering their energy and concern to make a difference for others in this community. We pray for our elected leaders and for all workers trying to manage their responsibilities in such challenging times. We pray for those working for justice, raising awareness to problems in society and for the earth itself. And we pray for one another and for each good purpose we undertake with new resolve this year. Give us a glimpse of how our hands become your hands, blessed by the Spirit. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. O God, Jesus faced the suffering around him with compassion, reaching out to those in pain and grief with healing and hope. We remember before you those whose lives are wrapped in sorrow or despair, and those facing tragic death or critical illness… We remember those burdened by pain or problems that seem to have no end… Embrace each one with your comfort and courage, and show us what we can offer to make a difference. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. O God in whom we live and move and have our being, thank you for giving us the courage and commitment we need to follow Christ in good times and in hard times. Thank you for the strength we find together as part of your church and the gifts you give us in each other. Help us trust in the promise of your love for us and energize us with your Spirit so that we can recognize the opportunities you give us to live out the grace and mercy we know in Jesus Christ. Amen Hymn 700 – As man and woman Benediction  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this 1st Sunday of Epiphany Notices:
Opening Words By the light of the Lamb shall the nations walk, and to it the kings of the earth will bring their splendour. Revelation 21:24 Collect Eternal God, by a star you led wise men to the worship of your Son. Guide by your light the nations of the earth, and the whole world may know your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever Hymn 326 As with gladness men of old – vv. 1,2,3 Prayers of adoration and confession Our dearest Father, who is changeless but who makes us able to change; you who are the Unmoved Mover who inspires us to move; Lord who is both our origin, our destination and our route, we creep towards you in humble wonder. We would not know where to journey except you magnetised our hearts, our minds, our souls that we might seek you who knew the paths we have been set. We give thanks for the way along which we must pass: for the lengthening days at the darkest times, for the very first signs of your return as the earth begins to awaken, for the constellations that seem to turn like clockwork until the meteors erupt, unexpectedly. Holy Jesus, before your infant form, sages took the knee and acknowledged your lordship over all power and wisdom. Grant us also clear vision and courage, that in the light of your light we may devote our power and potential to your service, even that requires us to go home by another way. Spirit, who is still ahead of us, still guiding us, still and forever beckoning us onwards, we thank you for not having left us alone, stranded in the maze of the world. Be with us at all times, and guide us always, whether that voyage is inwards or outwards, to understand that we are loved by you, the Son and the Father. We have often strayed and been misled along the road. We have allowed self-pride and self-satisfaction to make us loiter. We have ignored the needy by the wayside and have looked to pomp and earthly power rather than to the stony track ahead. We have been lazy, prideful and have kept our riches for ourselves rather than made them into gifts. We know that you see all our failings, but we know that you are merciful, gracious and forgiving. We pause, for the way is long, and think of what we might have done differently and what we did foolishly and what we did maliciously. With contrite hearts and clear eyes, we are meek to say the family prayer that you established, saying: Hymn 470 – Jesus Shall Reign where’er the sun - vv. 1,2,4 Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12 Hymn ( CH3 185) – All poor men and humble – vv. all Weekly Prayer Heavenly Father, you sent your son to guide your people, just as you sent a star to guide the Wise Men to worship him. We pray that you will send, your Holy Spirit to guide our Church as we begin a New Year and may we rise and shine as we reflect your light in our community. Amen Sermon I have a friend, Sarah, whom I mentored when she studied Creative Writing in Edinburgh. Although she was working thereafter the government decided she wasn’t earning enough to stay on a student visa, and so she went back to America, to North Carolina, then Texas, and now is in Paris. She was one of the few I knew who was Christian, but she had an unusual background. She and her father were Episcopalians, and her mother and siblings were Orthodox. When I asked her about this she said “it’s brilliant. I get two Christmases! The 25th for us and January 6th for them!” We have a strange relationship with Epiphany. It seems, to use an awful newly coined word “betwixt-tide”. Christmas is over, and Epiphany is a vague nod. I do like that some denominations call it the “Little Christmas”. We are still adjusting to what has just happened in Bethlehem and are beginning our journey to Lent. So what does Epiphany mean for us? I am sure you have heard many standard sermons on the Magi or Wise Men or Kings. There is the version where you point out that they came after the lowly shepherds, inverting the hierarchy. There is the version where you say “well, the Bible doesn’t say three kings” at all, and the Syriac Church has twelve. (Their traditional names, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar originate from the 8th century, but they were venerated from the 4th century). Everyone who has been carol singing knows the symbolism of the gifts: gold for royalty, frankincense for priesthood, myrrh for death. There is the post-colonial version as they supposedly represented Africa, India and Arabia. But what do the Magi mean? The first thing to say is that it is unusual that they are in Matthew’s Gospel. Luke, who gives us the shepherds, was far more attuned to the mission to the Gentiles, whereas Matthew was more concerned with Jewish tradition. But it is Matthew who introduces the Gentile worshippers and Luke who commemorates the startled shepherds. Already, things are being inverted and turned upside down by the Nativity. The second is – and I say this as someone who is quite clever – clever people are stupid. Yes, the Magi might have been astronomers or scientists or sorcerers seeing an unusual star and inferring a new King, and yet, they went straight to Herod. That was, frankly, dumb. They didn’t keep looking and studying but scurried to power instead. It would have disastrous consequences. It also shows the virtue of knowing the scriptures: Herod’s advisors give away where the Messiah is by quoting Micah 5, which presumably these scholars did not know. Nevertheless it is interesting that God speaks to them in dreams to say it might be best to be circuitous and not to go back to Herod. He shall do the same with Joseph in the next chapter. What do we learn from the Epiphany? The Greek work epiphaneia does not occur in Matthew’s account – it does appear in 2nd Timothy and in Revelation, always about the second, not the first coming. But the Greek means “an appearance or a sudden realisation”. It is a little like Archimedes having his “Eureka” moment or Newton realising the apple which has just hit him on his head and the moon are governed by the same force. In literature, it was a trademark of Modernist writers. I won’t discuss James Joyce or Virginia Woolf, but Agatha Christie has one of the best examples in one of the Marple novels: how did you know Jane? Well, they passed the salt and pepper too politely. It is about suddenness more than anything. And we must be prepared for God to be sudden. It is also about the extensiveness of God’s love, for Israel, for the Gentiles, for you and for me. He will in crisis intervene, unexpectedly. What I really take from it is the ending of the reading. “They returned to their country by another route”. If we meet the Christ, in whatsoever circumstance, there is no going back the same way, no way to retread. It will require us to be brave and require us to be daring, but the encounter means we are changes. That option is open, always, forever, to us. Prayers of intercession Father, we pray for the world, which you imagined, created and sustain still, and into which you entered, in a time of conflict, repression and bigotry. Millennia have not changed that. For every place marred and maimed by warfare, intolerance and catastrophe we ask that you help us to know how to help. We ask that you focus our minds, so that news about Kazakhstan does not allow us to forget Yemen, or that news about Myanmar does not distract us from Haiti; nor let us forget the injustices here which are suffered and in which we are complicit. You came into the world not for a tribe or sect or natin or empire but for the whole world, and for the whole world we pray. We pray for the church, in all its forms. Keep uppermost in our minds that it does not matter which day we celebrate or commemorate, but that we do. Give us fortitude as we go into a New Year which will bring changes and challenges, instilling in us the knowledge that your first church was nothing more than a stable and yet it reached out to the ends of the earth. We pray for all those who hold power, that they use it wisely, are cautious always to consider their impact on the least and lowest in society, and that they behave with due dignity. Make each person who has impact be mindful of that impact, and whether it works towards fairness, equality and justice. We pray for all those who need not just prayers, but for us to act; for those who are ill, lonely, lacking employment or security or purpose, those who are lost and those who have lost loved ones. We pray for those with not enough food or inadequate shelter, for those in hospital and those in prison, for those who lack what we often take for granted. We pray for anyone in any kind of need – material, physical or spiritual – that you comfort them as you enlighten us as to how to bring help to the helpless and hope those without hope. We give thanks for all those, particularly in this time of pandemic, who are caring for the unwell, who are using their intellects to find solutions, those who are picking up the pieces. Strengthen them and make us, in whatever manner is right in your sight, means to improve the lives of others. Make us, Lord, the world, the church, those with power, those with none, each and every one of us here fit for your purpose. Amen. Hymn 646 – Forth in the peace of Christ we go – vv. 1, 3, 4, 5 Benediction Go out now, and do not return the same. Go with confidence that the Father will be behind us, the Son beside us and the Spirit ahead of us. In the name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, bless us, protect us and encourage us. Amen.  Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this 2nd Sunday of Christmas.
Notices:
Call to Worship A new year has begun O Lord, call us so we may hear Your voice The world turns to hopes and dreams of the future O Lord, keep us in Your ways and on Your path We enter this new year with hope O Lord, guide us as we look to You and worship You. Hymn 161 – O God, our help in ages past (1,4,5,6) Prayers of Adoration and Confession God of our lives and the times in which we live, we come before you on this first Sunday of the year, marvelling that another year has passed. For some of us, time has slipped by and we wonder where another year went. For others, the pressures of the pandemic have been intense; the sorrows, heavy; the conflicts, challenging. O God, you have seen us through this peculiar year and we are grateful. In the year to come, be our help and company. Hold our hands as we journey onwards and may your dream of shalom, where all will be at peace, be our guiding star. God of our lives and the time in which we live, we know you are with us through thick and thin, in times of great joy and at moments of disappointment. We confess we sometimes feel let down when the joy of Christmas has passed. Our hope seems to get folded away with the gift wrap, our energy for the future feels a bit tattered. Forgive us when our faithfulness flickers like a Christmas candle burning down. Renew our hope and energy for the year ahead through the steadfast grace of Christ our Lord. Lord’s Prayer Hymn 324 - Angels from the realms of glory (1,2,5) Readings – Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13 Matthew 25: 31-46 Hymn 305 – In the bleak mid-winter (1,4,5) Weekly Prayer Father God, help us to remember that the Christmas story did not end in the stable but continued as Jesus grew into a man. As a New Year begins and with it, the next chapter of our lives, help us to grow in faith and wisdom and to recognise that you have set eternity in our hearts. May we experience your peace and joy throughout the year ahead and may your presence be with us in all we do and say. Amen Reflection Welcome 2022 and Goodbye to 2021! Are you glad? This last year has been dominated by the Pandemic, and we have had to adjust our lives accordingly. But the year was also marked by tensions over Brexit and the pull-out from Afghanistan and also a greater awareness of the Climate Crisis and the fragility of our Earth. There have also been births and weddings and somehow life goes on. So what will 2022 bring? In the carol ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ we hear the words ‘the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight’, and inevitably there will be the hopes and fears, the good and bad. New Year is a time to look backwards and to look forward and take stock. Maybe it is appropriate that we look at Ecclesiastes, which reflects on time. We live in a time-obsessed society. We live by the clock; have time-saving devices like microwaves – where would we be without them. We become agitated if a bus or train happens to be 5 minutes late or if we have to wait longer than expected at traffic lights. Africa, on the other hand, is time-rich. Church services would begin late and often go on for hours. Visitors from Scotland found it difficult to cope. Maybe the answer lies somewhere in between. Ecclesiastes! In the original Hebrew it is called Qoheleth, which means the Preacher. The Preacher reflects on time. Some view the book as being quite cynical, and the line, ‘All is vanity’ comes up over 20 times in the book, though not in our passage this morning. In other words, what’s the point! In the Middle East there is one phrase you hear again and again. ‘Inshallah’. We will meet tomorrow inshalla. It means ‘God Willing’. It is quite fatalistic, but recognises that everything is in God’s hands, but a distant God in some far-off corner of the universe. But there are others who would say Qoheleth was more a realist, a practical theologian who refused to look at the world through rose coloured glasses. He says it as it is, and certainly in our reading today, there is a time and season for everything under heaven –a time to laugh and a time to cry, a time to be silent and a time to speak, and I think immediately of Desmond Tutu speaking out. Even some of the ‘seasons which jar, like a ‘time to kill’ can have meaning as we think of old habits that need killed off this new year. In the end the Preacher recognises we must stand in awe of God, who ‘puts eternity in our hearts’. Yes, everything is in God’s hands, but we see another picture of God in the bible, and that is of a God who is continually doing new things. God is in the business of newness. Behold I am doing a new thing, writes Isaiah, while John the Divine had a vision in Revelation of a new heaven and new earth, a new Jerusalem. And scripture makes it clear that God is a God who takes a risk. A God who did a new thing by taking the gigantic risk of being born as a child among us in a draughty stable, as Emmanuel, God with us. This is a God who is involved, not far off in a distant heaven, but hands-on. Who calls us to be involved too, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger. Dag Hammarskjold was UN General secretary, whose plane crashed in Zambia while he was trying to make peace in the Congo in the early 60s. He was a very spiritual person and he wrote, For all that has been – thanks. For all that shall be – YES. I love the yes, for that is a Yes which works for peace and justice, for inclusion and unity, for a greener world, for a world in which we are kind to one another, for as our Gospel reminds us, we do it to Christ. 2022 lies ahead of us, and who knows what kind of year it will be. But with God, we can move forward giving thanks for the past and saying Yes to the future, for God accompanies us and will never forsake us. Hymn 526 – This is a day of new beginnings Prayers of Intercession God of majesty and mystery, we bring our gifts to you, grateful that you are with us in good times and hard times. We do not know what the year ahead will hold but your love shines like a star to guide us. Bless these gifts that they may keep the light of Christ shining through the church to offer the world truth and wisdom, healing and hope in Jesus name. God of all time and space, as we gather in prayer, we recognize that our lives are but small details in the vast expanse of your universe. We thank you for attending to the details of our lives. We thank you for the year just past, for walking through the good days and the hard days with us. The pandemic has been exhausting in so many ways but we are grateful for your steadfast love. Thank you for friendships that sustain us in uncertain times. We ask for your Spirit to guide us into the future, and create new possibilities for ministry and mission through our congregation. God of all people and places, The year just ending has held sorrows for so many in our community and around the world. We remember dear ones of have died and pray for those who look ahead in loneliness or sadness. We pray for those who face challenges in health, in their families or at work; for all who are ill or mourning. Support each one who needs you close by. God of community and commitment, We pray for wisdom and courage in the year ahead. Strengthen us as a congregation to be a lively and committed witness to your love. Help us reach out to our community in faithfulness and service. Guide leaders in our nation and around the world so that justice and peace may prevail, especially in troubled places and vulnerable lives. Show us all how to honour and protect your creation, even when that takes sacrifice on our part. Receive our humble prayers and encourage us onward in the name of Jesus our Christ. Amen Hymn 235 – God is working his purpose out (1,3,4) Benediction God of time and eternity, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end Bless us now in your unconditional love, that this may be a year of grace for us and for all the world. And the blessing….  We gather at this Christmastide to celebrate the child who was born in the stable at Bethlehem, bringing joy and hope to the world. So we come as we are and offer our worship to Jesus. Lord, come close to us as we come close to you.
Notices:
Call To Worship Lord Jesus, for whom there was no room in the inn Help us to make room in our hearts for you. Lord Jesus, a star shone brightly in the sky to announce your birth Lead us to your light that we might worship you Lord Jesus, angels sang at your birth filling the heavens with a celebration of divine love Fill us with joy as we sing the praises of the Christ child, who is God-with-us. Carol 306 – O come, all ye faithful Prayer Our God, You turn night to light; your glory shines in the deepest darkness; your grace breaks the power that would keep us down. You are the giver of life and bringer of hope; answering the yearnings of our hearts. You point to a different way, where justice, righteousness, and peace blossom; where sorrow is swapped for the sounds of singing, and where joy abides forever. Great Giver of Gifts, this night we celebrate you. We wonder with the shepherds, we rejoice with the angels. We hear again that ancient story made new in us once more that warms our hearts and reminds us of mercy, fashioned in flesh and bone. With the angels, and with countless generations through the ages, we cry: ‘Glory to God in the highest!’. O, God, whose glory shines upon us in this season of long nights, whose light flickers in the darkness and cannot be put out, whose love warms even the coldest of hearts, we sometimes lose our way, our bearings, as we journey on your path. May the star that shone above the stable in Bethlehem reorient us, and lead us back to you. May we be your people of peace, proclaiming your kingdom of justice and righteousness with joy, with hope, and with love in our hearts. And may the message of the child in the manger be born in us this day. Amen Carol 321 – Come and join the celebration Reading – Isaiah 9: 2-7 Luke 2: 1-14 Hymn 300 – The Virgin Mary had a baby boy Prayer God of mystery and manger, as we listen to the familiar story of your coming among us as a child of flesh and blood, open our minds and hearts so that we may hear these wondrous events with new understanding, wisdom and joy. Reflection I was speaking with the school children this week – the first time for 2 years. I was asking how many had Advent calendars, and most of the hands went up – the teachers; hands too. I think most of them would have chocolate calendars. I have one this year, but not a chocolate one; rather, it tells the story of Sami, a boy whose family has fled Syria and who settle in Lebanon. They have no shelter, no shoes, no clothes, but are met with kindness, and by window 24 Sami is at school and integrated into the community with everybody helping one another. There is always the excitement of opening each door to find out the next part of the story. There are of course open doors and shut doors in the Christmas story. When Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, Joseph had not booked ahead! So they went to the inn, the house where travellers would have stayed, but because of the census, it was busy. We are all familiar with the words from Luke’s Gospel that there was no room at the inn. A shut door, and often the innkeeper is portrayed as boorish and ready to slam the door in their face. However, I was reading an account of this story, and, yes, the innkeeper had been saying ‘No’ all night. No, you can’t get a room for tonight. No, you can’t have more towels. No, you can’t have seconds. No, you can’t have your mother-in-law and her whole family to share your room. No, no, no…. When the bell rang once more, he swung it open ready to launch into his usual spiel, when he hesitated. He was trying to say ‘No’, but the man looked so concerned and the woman was about to have a baby and instead of no, his lips moved in another direction and he said ‘yes’. But we haven’t asked you anything, the couple said. The innkeeper just said ‘yes’. ‘So you have a room’? ‘Yes’. In here or round the back? ‘Yes’. It was a new experience for him to say Yes, that he was positively beaming. ’Which’, and he took them round the back to the stable. And once the baby was born, and people like the shepherds came to the door asking for the family, the innkeepers answer was always Yes. Such has been the way of all those caught up in the Christmas story. Mary said yes to the angel, telling her she would bear the son of God. Joseph said yes. The shepherds said yes to the choir of angels and now the innkeeper. The answer to Christmas is ‘Yes’ and it changes everything. For at Christmas God says ‘Yes’ to the world. By the birth of the baby in the manger, so vulnerable, God was fulfilling the prophecies of the likes of Isaiah that a boy would be born, with the titles: wonderful counsellor, prince of peace. God was saying ‘Yes’ to a careworn people, full of anxiety: You are deeply loved, Just as you are, forgiven, loved and challenged to be The very best you can be. So I am speaking to you in the only way I know how- From a stable, In a child born in poverty, Soon to grow to maturity, born to show you in a human life the love of God. God says ‘Yes’, affirming the world that he will not abandon us, but rather is born among us as a baby. Looking at that scene in the stable demands some response from us. We are invited to say ‘Yes’ too and live our lives according to God’s ways, showing the Advent gifts of joy and hope and love and peace to all. Carol 309 – Still the night Prayers of Intercession God of the starry heavens and the good old earth, Eternal God, God with us, Tonight you come among us in the figure of a baby, a newborn reaching out to us, to bring a smile to our lips and hope to our hearts. Thank you for your tenderness with which you touch our lives. Tonight as we remember the baby lying in a manger, We pray for peace: Peace in all the places where there is anger or war or fear… Peace in all the hearts that know sorrow or stress… We pray for people who will not sleep safely tonight because of conflict in their lives….. Cradle all these people and places in your love so the world may sleep in heavenly peace this night. Tonight as we remember the mother Mary rocking her baby, we pray for all children born this Christmas season… Watch over mothers and fathers and grandparents, hoping for the best for their newborns… Help us create communities where every child is valued and every family has enough … May families rejoice because Christ the Saviour is born for each of us and for all of us. Tonight as we remember the father Joseph protecting his little one, we pray for all those watching over the helpless and the hopeless... Be with all those who must work tonight to keep the world safe and to care for those in need…. Be with those who are sick or sad or lonely so each one will know your comforting presence. God of the starry heavens and the good old earth, Eternal God, God with us, Tonight as we remember the shepherds coming in haste, and the wise men coming in wonder, open our hearts to reach out to the Christ Child, to receive the gift you offer us in him, even as we offer our love to you in his name. Bless us in the year ahead so we can share your love with all the lives that touch ours. Amen Carol 303 – It came upon the midnight clear (1,3,5) Benediction May the news of the angels fill your heart with great joy. May the star that guided the wise lead you to the truth of understanding May the witness of the shepherds affirm in you the message of the Gospels May the presence of the sacred baby bring you peace and joy And May God this Christmas bless you, comfort you and inspire you as you journey into another year, Amen. |
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