 We welcome everyone to our services at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15am), when we celebrate communion. Everyone who loves the Lord is welcome to participate.
Call to Worship Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness Come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Hymn 63 All people that on earth do dwell Prayer of Adoration and Confession Creator God, we marvel at the wonders of your creation! You have painted the sky with sun rises and sun sets, you scattered the universe with stars and planets so that we can be awestruck by your creative force. You pay attention to each and every living creature, no matter it’s size or assumed importance, including us. We praise you this day. God most holy, You are known to us as the Almighty, Eternal Ruler and Lord. We call you our Shepherd and Guide. We praise you with many names, but you are beyond our imagination, so much greater than our words. We praise you with our lips and with our lives to offer you honour and love, now and always. God most merciful, We confess that we have failed to love fully or forgive wholly. You offer us freedom but we settle for the familiar. You offer us hope but we prefer knowing what will happen next. Teach us to give up cautious faithfulness, so that we can offer you our whole lives, and commit to following Jesus into the future you are creating. Hear the Good News. God’s compassion never fails. God’s loving kindness is steadfast. Know that you are forgiven by the grace of Jesus Christ. Forgive each other and live in peace and harmony. Amen Readings – Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 Hymn129 – The Lord is King Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we give thanks to you for all that you do in our lives. We pray for the gift of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may get to know you better by serving those who are in need in our world. We remember your sacrifice for us on the cross and come with grateful hearts. Amen Sermon Do you like surprises? Sometimes we enjoy giving someone a surprise, throwing a surprise party, though I must admit that I don’t like being surprised myself. I like to be prepared and know what’s happening. Though on my trip up north last week, I was surprised going out in Elgin that the restaurants were all very busy – a Monday night in November! I was surprised in Dundee at how many young people there were, but then I was in a student area. In our Gospel reading today there is a degree of surprise. Jesus is in his glory and divides the sheep from the goats. Not such as easy task in the Middle East where they do look so alike. Jesus says, I was hungry and you fed me – or not as the case may be. Both those identified as sheep and those named goats are surprised. “Lord, when did we…” and “when didn’t we…” both capture the shock each group expresses when Jesus commends or condemns their behaviour. But what exactly are they surprised by? That they acted either in a righteous way by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned or, on the other hand, in an unrighteous way by neglecting to do the same? No. Neither group denies their behaviour. Rather, they are surprised by their failure to recognize the Son of Man. Or, more to the point, they are surprised by where the Son of Man hangs out. No one expects to see Jesus in the face of the disadvantaged, the poor, the imprisoned, and all those who are in manifest need. Perhaps that’s to be expected. When we think of God, we typically think in terms of power and might and glory and all the rest. And, indeed, the parable begins by describing the coming of the Son of Man in glory to sit on his throne attended by angels, seemingly only reinforcing our preconceptions. But maybe it shouldn’t, as the God we know in Jesus seems to delight in such surprises. After all, God didn’t come to reign over humanity in Athens or Rome or Jerusalem where one would expect God to arrive, but rather God came to identify with us by being born in lowly Bethlehem in the form of a vulnerable infant. And God didn’t come to conquer the world with military or political might, but in the scandal, shame, and pain of the cross. He doesn’t come in conquest but crucifixion. Not in power but in weakness. And so, God continues to come where we least expect God to be: in the plight of the homeless, on the side of the poor, in the face of the needy, and in the company of the imprisoned. He comes to surprise us, disarm us and overturns all our expectations and judgements. Jesus shows us a new kind of kingship where compassion and humility are what matters; and a new kind of kingdom where service is paramount. Jesus showed that compassion and concern for the marginalised throughout his ministry and in this parable calls us to do the same, to see him in the poor and the hungry. Jesus showed his service for others as he suffered the mockery of the soldiers, as he carried the cross through the streets of Jerusalem to be crucified on the same cross, his body broken, his blood shed, all so we might be saved and know fullness of life. We celebrate that at communion today, and we remember that sacrifice Christ made for us. That’s a surprise that God loves us so much he gave his only Son. But the challenge is there too, for as we take the bread and wine, we also realise that we have the responsibility to care for those in need in our world, for in doing so, for Christ is there among them. Someone said that you could draw a line with those who are in on one side and those who are out on the other – Christ would always be on the other side. He continues to surprise us with his inclusive love. Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Generous God, you envision a world where the hungry are fed and strangers are welcomed. We bring you our gifts to put your vision into action. Bless them and the lives they will touch so that the love of Jesus Christ wears a human face again for those who need him in our time. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, you proclaimed God’s kingdom among us and within us. In the power of the Spirit, your love is always at work, bringing good out of evil and life out of death. We thank you that your love never lets us go, for you have known the good times and the hard times of this life before us. You came as one who was hungry and thirsty. Where people live on the streets today, suffer from hunger, or beg for a meal: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as a stranger in need of welcome. Where people live lonely lives or feel like strangers in a strange land; where people face rejection for the colour of their skin or the language they speak: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as one who was naked. Where people lack enough clothing, shelter, or life’s basic resources; where people live without dignity, exposed to every kind of pain and hardship: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as one who was broken. Where people feel pain in body, mind or spirit; where someone grieves the loss of a beloved or the future they planned; in places where disaster has struck and desperation has moved in: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. You came as one who was in prison. Where people are treated unfairly, targeted or tortured; where justice has failed and people are punished with cruelty: Your kingdom come. Your will be done. Nicene Creed (Hymn 649) Invitation to the Table This is the Lord’s Table. The Lord Jesus invites us to share this joyful feast. From east to west, from north and south, People will come and take their place At the banquet in the kingdom of God. Hymn 19 - Ye gates Communion Hymn 449 – Rejoice the Lord is King Benediction Let us go out as Christ’s hands and feet, sowing seeds of harmony and community, challenging injustice and promoting peace, dancing together in the eternal dance of humanity, united by the love of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And may the love of God Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer bless you, along with those we love and those we struggle to love. Now and forever, Amen.
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