 We welcome everyone to our services at Yetholm (10am) and Linton (11.15) on the 3rd Sunday of Lent.
Call to Worship The heavens are telling out the glory of God The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork. The law of the Lord revives the soul May God’s teaching bring wisdom in our worship Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts Be acceptable in your sight, O Lord Hymn 212 – Morning has broken Prayer of Adoration and Confession God of majesty and mercy, you set the whirling cosmos in motion and call all creatures into being. Mountains and molehills alike speak of your majesty, for no detail misses your care and attention. You know each of us by name, and make yourself known to those who seek you. We gather in your presence to listen for your wisdom for our times and our lives. To you, O God, we offer all honour and glory in our prayers and our praise this day and every day, now and always. Wise and welcoming God, You are always seeking us out, yet we confess we are easily distracted from your presence. We envy those who are successful in the world’s terms, and pursue our own desires. We fail to question the cost of our desires to the earth or those in need. Forgive us, O God. Re-awaken us to your purposes and re-ignite our commitment to pursue them for the sake of Jesus Christ Brothers and sisters in Christ, here is the good news: God loves and values us and forgives what is past. Trust in your hearts the promise of new life and proclaim with your lips the goodness of God. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Exodus 20 : 1-17 (Pg 77) John 2: 13-22 (pg 1065) Hymn 360 – Jesus Christ is waiting (vv 1,2,5) Weekly Prayer Everlasting God, help us to feel your presence as we worship You and You only. Mindful of the Commandments that you gave to Moses, we pray that you would be worshiped above all else. Grant us the strength to reject all the idolatry of our secular world. Amen. Sermon In the National Gallery in Edinburgh there are many wonderful pictures, including a stunning new gallery for Scottish art. Some pictures stand out like the Monarch of the Glen, Landseer’s picture of a majestic stag. But somehow even more iconic is the picture of a minister skating on Duddingston Loch. He skates so effortlessly, seemingly without a care in the world, though I am sure that wasn’t the case. It reminds me of a story about a Dutch pastor, who had two churches, and after he finished the first service would go across country to the next church. But the winter was hard, and snow blocked the route overland. So the pastor took his skates and skated along the frozen canals to arrive at the other church. Afterwards the elders called the minister, who thought they might congratulate him on his ingenuity. But no, they expressed their concern that he had broken the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. They debated the issue, and in the end decided that is was fine to skate, as long as he didn’t enjoy himself while skating. They had misunderstood the commandment, but maybe we all misunderstand the commandments. The Israelites had fled Egypt and were at Mt Sinai, and Moses went up the mountain, and when he eventually came down he brought the 10 commandments. God was providing the framework of how they would live as a community, as a society. The first 3 commands were ‘vertical’, you could say, relating to how they would interact with God, while the rest were ‘horizontal’, dealing with how the Israelites related to their neighbour. Most of the laws were common to other societies around them. Do not kill, do not steal, don’t commit adultery. You would find these laws in Egypt, in Mesopotamia. But some were unique, such as worshipping God and God alone, whereas in Egypt there had been many gods, you could take your pick. But maybe the most radical was to keep the Sabbath holy. The Dutch elders maybe thought it was about going to church and doing little else, and we can think about the Sabbath in that way too. But for people who had been slaves in Egypt, who had worked all day, every day, the prospect of a day off was very radical. It still is, with all the mental health issues of today, we need time to recharge our batteries to rest, as well as to worship. Of course, over time these 10 laws were developed to cover all sort of situations the Israelites might find themselves in, just as our laws do today, reflecting the culture and values of today, the role of women in society comes to mind. In time, as the Israelites settled, the worship of God became centred on the temple in Jerusalem, where sacrifices were made, and there were rules about what to sacrifice and when. The Temple should have been a place where people could feel close to God. But in our Gospel reading, we find that this was not the case when Jesus went to the Temple in John’s Gospel. It was like a market place, full of the clamour of buying and selling. There were various booths, changing money into Temple currency and selling animals and birds for the various sacrifices. In seeing it, Jesus was filled with righteous anger, that God’s house should be defiled in this way. What’s more, they had taken over the Courtyard of the Gentiles, so they were depriving people, excluded from other parts of the Temple, space from worshipping, and Jesus proceeded to overturn their tables and drive them out. It seems out of character with the gentle Jesus meek and mild image we sometimes have, but he felt strongly that God was being dishonoured. Similarly, there are so many injustices in our world, and over the centuries and indeed today many Christians have channelled their frustration with injustice to reform society and keep it more in line with the vision of Christ’s kingdom. So may we live our lives, seeking to live out God’s commandments and overturn the barriers of fear and injustice and manipulation and greed and build a society where love and respect and compassion hold sway, build the Kingdom of God. Hymn 535 – Who would true valour see Prayers of Dedication & Intercession As offer ourselves in service to the work of the Kingdom, so we bring our gifts of money, time and energy, offering all that we are, for the sake of Christ. Loving God, we thank you for the world you created, its beauty and its life sustaining promise. When we breathe in fresh air and enjoy the outdoors, remind us of our partnership with you to care for creation. As spring comes and the sun shines longer each day, reawaken our hope in your promise of new life. Ever present God, thank you for walking with us through days of uncertainty as well as times of pleasure and satisfaction. In times of stress and worry, you provide a still point of calm. In times of challenge, you inspire courage and confidence in us. Thank you for the wisdom and encouragement we receive from you. Today we pray for those who find this year hard going, For those worrying about making ends meet, and for those concerned about the way the world is going. Give us all peace and patience through your love. We pray for all churches searching for new ways to worship and witness in a changing culture. Keep us strong in faith and fellowship, and make us creative agents of healing and hope in our communities. We pray for our nation and the nations of this world. Raise up leaders the with courage, wisdom, and compassion to confront the challenges of these times. We pray for innocent victims of violence around the world. Work through advocates for peace with justice to bring an end to conflict, to inspire change where it is needed, and offer daily bread to those whose lives and livelihoods have been disrupted. And we pray for all those who are enduring pain and illness, those who are facing grief and loss, and those who work to relieve suffering in so many ways. Grant rest and renewal to all who find their situations exhausting. Be our comfort and encouragement day by day. Amen Hymn 396 – And can it be Benediction
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