Call to Worship This is a place of welcome, A place where all may find solace, Where all may celebrate, Where all are valued, all are loved. God welcomes us wherever we may be. Let us worship God Hymn 125- Lord of all being Prayers of Approach and Confession Lord God, Loving God, how majestic is your name in all the earth. From north and south, from east and west, drawn by your majesty, we come to worship you. For the gift of this new day, fresh from your hand, we rejoice. For the renewal we know through friendship with Christ, we praise you. For the Spirit’s energy, blessing us in each moment, we honour you. Lord God, Loving God, all of life is your gift, so give us glimpses of your splendor and love in this time of worship. Accept our praise offered in word and action, now and always. Lord of all life and each life, We confess we can forget that life is your gift, especially when we face struggles or feel hard done by. Forgive any hurt we have caused by action or inaction and show us how to make amends. May we live with you and with each other in reconciling grace through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Friends, Jesus knows we have fallen short of his intentions for us, yet in his great mercy, he welcomes us back into his embrace. Thanks be to God that we are forgiven, refreshed and restored for ministry by God’s grace. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Genesis 22:1-14 (Pg 21) Matthew 10: 40-42 (Pg 975) Hymn 463- Fairest Lord Jesus Weekly Prayer Merciful God, thank you for the faith of Abraham who said "God himself will provide the lamb". Thank you that our Lord Jesus became the lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world. Let us speak your word of truth with confidence, so that those who are searching and listening will be able to clearly see and hear your message of forgiveness, love and peace. Amen Sermon Mellerstein House is a stately home just north of Kelso. I had visited the gardens during the Pandemic, but it was only this week that I had the opportunity to visit the house. It has a fascinating history, as Robert Bailie, who wanted to replace the old camped Tower with a grander house, was a Covenanter, who had signed the Solemn League and Covenant, which pledged loyalty to the king but also to the Church, at a time when there was a move to restrict freedom of worship. He was imprisoned, and his friend and fellow Covenanter Patrick Hume sent his daughter Grisell to the prison with a message. Later Patrick had to flee his home, as Covenanters were being arrested, and he hid in the crypt of Polwarth Kirk, with Grisell again tasked to take food, before he was able to escape to the Netherlands. With the ascension of William and Mary to the throne, all was well, and Grisell who had fled to the Netherlands too married a Baillie and became mistress of Mellerstein. All a bit confusing – but what interested me was that these families were willing to stand up for their faith and were even willing to die for their faith. One of their descendants, another Grizell Baillie, was the first deaconess in Church of Scotland and founded the deaconess hospital in Edinburgh. It took me back to my childhood, as the congregation I grew up in was named after one of the Covenanters, Peden the Prophet, and every year we would go into the moors on the east of the village to hold an outdoor service, as the covenanters used to do, though they would have people looking out for soldiers hunting them. People were prepared to risk their lives for their faith. Maybe some were crazy and fanatics, but many honest faithful people. Was Abraham crazy or a fanatic or purely a man of faith? He is one of the heroes of the Bible, but in Chapter 22 we have this incredibly disturbing story. I recently read some reflections on ‘bible stories they don’t teach you at Sunday School’. Stories of trickery or deceit which don’t sit well with us these days, and the intended sacrifice of Isaac is one of these. After all the heartache of Sarah being barren, of suddenly giving birth and the subsequent casting of Hagar & Ishmael out of the camp that we looked at last week, with the longed-for son born and growing up, suddenly we have this story where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, to take Isaac up a mountain and to slaughter him. What kind of God would do that – it is not in keeping with all we believe God to be – a God of love and grace. What kind of father would do it? What’s more, Abraham complies without a murmur. When God threatened to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham argued with God, pleaded with him to save the inhabitants. But here he meekly accepts the inevitable. What did Sarah think of it all? We don’t know, as she doesn’t get a mention. Though we can imagine her fury. I wouldn’t have liked to have been in Abraham’s shoes when he got home that night. Genesis says that God was testing Abraham, making sure he was the right person, a person of loyalty and faithfulness. He passed the test, he was willing to sacrifice the most precious thing, to him, but at what cost? Abraham and Isaac would both have been traumatised by the experience. Maybe we need to move from the horrors of the story to reflect on the willingness to sacrifice what is precious to us. For the covenanters it was their freedom and even lives, and that is still what many Christians throughout the world are ready to sacrifice. For us, it might be simpler things, but this passage asks us to ponder them. Of course, we think of the supreme sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross for us. We read just a few verses from the Gospel. It is the end of the story of the sending out of the disciples to take the Kingdom message to the people. Now some people would not receive them well, and they were told to shake the dust from their shoes and move on, but in these few verses today, we are told that the disciples are received with a welcome and even given a cup of cold water. Those who welcomed the disciples welcomed Jesus and would be rewarded. Though also, those who welcomed Jesus are also asked to welcome those Jesus associated. with, and that was the least and the lost. Having lived in the Middle East I appreciate the reference to the cup of cold water. There is nothing better! Remember the story of Jesus asking for water from the Samaritan woman at the well? After a tiring journey in the heat, there was something precious about the simplicity of cold water. A little thing, but it made all the difference. Discipleship does not have to be heroic, but small acts of kindness and forgiveness can help build up relationships. The life of faith is full of such small gestures. But according to Jesus there are no small gestures and anything done in faith and in love has cosmic significance. Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac; we are not asked to do anything so drastic, but we are asked to live to the best of our abilities and serve God in all things. Hymn 162- The God of Abraham praise Prayers of Dedication, Thanksgiving and Intercession Jesus teaches that the gift of a simple cup of water is a gift worthy of his disciples. Friends, whatever we give to God this day can bless the world in Jesus’ name. Generous God, what we return to you today has first come to us from you. Bless what we offer so that those in need may taste your abundance which we know already in Christ, our Living Lord. Amen. Lord God of heaven and earth, with joy and thanksgiving we praise you for you create, sustain, and redeem all things. For making us in your image to love one another and to care for your creation, we give you thanks. For the gift of your Son whose life is the pattern for our lives and learning, we give you thanks. For the energy of your Spirit to inspire us in times of challenge and change, we give you thanks. Strengthen us in these challenging times to show your love to others as we pray For the Church and those who lead it to find new ways of reaching out in a culture with changing values For creation that we may learn to reverence and care for it . . . For those who lead the nations of the world that they may work for the wellbeing of the most vulnerable and seek peace together. . . For those who make decisions about health care, education and social services and transport in these times when there are many demands in every area . . For the poor, the hungry and those struggling to find affordable housing when prices for everything seem to rise each day . . . For those who struggle with illness, addiction, disability or despair, and for those who mourn the loss of someone dear . Hear us now as we pray in silence for situations on our hearts this day. Eternal God, thank you for listening to us in every situation. Keep our eyes open for your Spirit at work among us. Amen Hymn 470- Jesus shall reign Benediction
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
RSS Feed
