 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this Sanctuary Sunday, when our focus is on refugees.
Notices:
Call to Worship We are gathered for worship today in the name of God who takes care of every creature as a father and as a mother; Who in Jesus Christ is on the side of the weak; Who in his Holy Spirit gives us the capacity to give solidarity to those who suffer and welcome the vulnerable. We believe that our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth for that we bless His name forever. Hymn 195 – Here to the house of God we come (1,2,4) Prayers of Adoration and Confession Holy and gracious God, We live in a world of wonder, conceived by your divine imagination. The universe is your creation born out of love and generosity. Hallowed by your name. Through centuries of thought and searching, through law and wisdom, insight and experience, your will and purpose were gradually glimpsed until, in Jesus, all that was hidden was revealed, and you let earth be touched by heaven. Hallowed by your name. In the beauty of the earth; in the silence of our hearts; in the community of the church and in our worship we offer, may your name be hallowed. God of Wholeness, we come before you as your children needing your forgiveness and your help. If we have desired comfort more than devotion. Forgive us. If we have worshipped lesser gods and gone for an easier gospel. Forgive us If we have limited our company to those like ourselves and restricted our conversation to matters of no consequence. If we have compromised our integrity. Forgive us and make us whole. You are beloved children of God. There is nothing you can do, no place you can go, where God cannot find you, comfort you, heal and love you. Live in God’s forgiveness and grace. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Job 38: 1-11 Mark 4: 35-41 Hymn 259 – Beauty for brokenness (1,3,5) Weekly Prayer Gracious God, help us to know that the one who calmed the waves on the Sea of Galilee is present with us day by day and that He cares for us and can speak to us out of the storms that engulf our lives from time to time. Help us to trust Him more fully and listen to His voice in the days and weeks ahead. Amen. Reflection A question. What do these people all have in common? Freddie Mercury, Olivia Newton-John, Madeleine Albright, David Miliband, Jesus, Albert Einstein, Ncuti Gatwa, Marlene Dietrich and Victor Hugo? The answer - all of them were refugees or born to refugees. Yet all of them have made an impact on society through politics, literature, the arts – or by redeeming the world in Jesus’ case! Throughout history many people have had to leave their homeland to live in other lands. For some it has been economic reasons, and they have gone to work or because they were in the army. For some it was faith, and so many missionaries went abroad, often realising they would never see their homeland again. Others were forced out. The Highland clearances meant whole communities leaving for North America to make way for sheep – or the potato famine in Ireland led to many sailing the Atlantic. Yet they lamented their forced departure and would keep alive the traditions of the homeland. Today, apparently more than at any other time of history, so many have had to become migrants and refugees. Many forced to leave their homeland for economic reasons or because of climate change – their land is no longer productive. For many, it is because of war or oppression or torture. They fear for their lives, and so they make often hazardous journeys, seeking a safe place. Today is Sanctuary Sunday. A sanctuary is a safe place. The Old Testament has sanctuary cities, places to go if you were in trouble of any kind, and there you would be safe. No-one could touch you. Similarly, churches or monasteries often provided sanctuary, and today in Cairo, when refugees entered the gates of St Andrew’s Church, they felt they were in a safe place away from discrimination and insult. Sanctuary Sunday is a time to reflect on those seeking a safe place away from violence and fear. One of the abiding images of refugees in recent times is of a small boat packed to the gunnels with refugees in orange lifejackets, crossing the Mediterranean - or seeking to cross, as often they did not make it! It is appropriate that our Gospel reading focussed on the storm. Jesus and the disciples had got into a boat to cross to the other side of the Lake, and we are told there were several other boats with them. A flotilla. At least some of the disciples were seasoned fishermen, used to the vagaries of the weather. But even they were worried, when a terrible storm was unleashed. Waves pounding, gales howling. They feared for their lives. But meanwhile, Jesus was asleep. ‘Do you not care that we die’, they asked, as they shook him awake. But Jesus rose and speaking with an amazing authority, he said ‘Be still’, and the wind and waves obeyed him. In our first reading we read how Job wanted an answer to why he had suffered so much, but was put firmly in his place by God, who said, ‘Where were you when I made the earth, when I made the sea and set its bounds?’ Jesus certainly puts the sea in its place and tells it, ‘Here and no further’. Afterwards they continued their journey to the other side and safety. People long for a safe place. One of my friends is Ghiath, who is a Syrian living in Egypt. His mother, brother and sister are still in Damascus, while another brother is in Sudan. His father died last year, and he might not see his mother again, though he speaks to her every day by phone. But he has found a job and a place to live in Cairo, and he has friends there. It is, just now, a safe place. The Bible from beginning to end tells us to welcome the stranger and alien and to offer hospitality. We have to recognise our common humanity and seek to provide places where all caught in the storms of life can feel safe, but also work to make a world where so many are not forced to leave their homes. Litany of Justice Reader: Jesus said,” I was hungry and you gave me food.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. Reader: Jesus said, “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. Reader: Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. Reader: Jesus said, “I was naked and you gave me clothing.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. Reader: Jesus said, “I was sick and you took care of me.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. Reader: Jesus said, “I was in prison and you visited me.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. Reader: Jesus said, “In as much as you did to one of those considered to the least important, you did it to me.” Made in the Image of God, All: We see the face of Christ in all. We go from here to see and serve Christ in all. Amen. Hymn 623 – Here in this place (1,2) Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession Gracious and merciful God, we pray for all families and individuals who have left or fled their country, their land, their homes, seeking safer and better lives. We lift up to You their hopes and dreams, their fears and anxieties, and all their needs and necessities, that they may be protected on their journeys, their dignity and rights may be fostered, honoured and upheld, and they may be welcomed with open arms into generous and compassionate communities. God of family, we bring before You the parents who are weeping and lamenting, who are waiting for their children, whose trace is lost in the sea, in the desert, on railway tracks, in shipping containers and uncertainty: men, women and children who had escaped from the war zones, the famine and poverty of this world , with the hope for a better, safer life. God of justice, we bring before You political leaders, advisers and decision-makers who hold the fate of others in their hands. May they be aware of the causes of migration and flight and may their decisions be guided by solidarity and compassion. We remember in prayer today: those whose businesses are sinking... those drowning in debt... those going under with stress... We pray for those embroiled in stormy and violent relationships, among and within nations, communities, and families... those played out on the world's stage... those hidden behind closed doors… Silence Amen Hymn 547 – What a friend (1,3) Benediction May God who is light shine in our darkness. May God who is love be the love between us. May God who is life be our life everlasting. And the blessing of God, Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit be with you and with all people, now and always. Amen.
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