Category Archives: Church News

Sunday 9th January 2022

Welcome
Welcome to our joint service for this second Sunday of January. Wherever we gather, in the sanctuary or at home, we are encouraged in these times of challenge to find hope in God, as expressed to us through the voice of Scripture.

Call to Worship (Psalm 29: 1-2, 11)
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
    worship the Lord in holy splendour.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace!

HYMN 120 God, we praise you, God we bless you

(from St. James URC, Newcastle)

Prayer:

Let us pray:

Loving God,
like the Psalmist,
we have entered your gates with thanksgiving
and your courts with praise.
This is the day that You have made;
we rejoice and are glad in it.
For You O Lord, are a good God
and Your love endures for ever,
Your faithfulness continues through all generations.
Blessed be Your holy name for ever and ever
through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Forgiving God,
we confess to You the many ways
in which we have fallen short of Your expectations of us.
We confess our sins against You our God,
and against our fellow sisters and brothers in this world.
Often, we have failed to witness of our faith in You,
of our love for You and of Your care for us.
Often, we have chosen the easy way of talking about everything else
but of our relationship with You.
We have kept faith as those who are now in Your presence did years ago.
Have mercy upon us, grant us Your grace that by Your Spirit,
we will be true disciples of our God
whose son Jesus Christ,
died and rose for the forgiveness of our sins.

Gracious Lord,
as we receive Your forgiveness,
we ask that You be present with us in this time of worship.
May Your Spirt unite us, whether gathered in the sanctuary
or joining from our homes.
Grant us grace to worship You,
to hear Your words read and preached with new ears,
and to respond with renewed commitment.
Make us a people after Your heart,
seeking to do good to the world
bearing testimony to Your love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who taught us when we pray, to say:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 43:1-7
But now thus says the Lord,
    he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
    Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
    and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
    I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
    and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
    and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.’

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’


Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

HYMN 485 Dear Lord and Father of mankind

(from Winchester Cathedral)

Reflection:

How are you feeling? It is a serious question, not one of politeness with the expectation of the usual meaningless response, ‘fine’. So, how are you feeling?

For some of us it may be tiredness resulting from Christmas, New Year, and all that these require of us. For some it may be anticipation of what we will personally face this year. There will be folk for whom there is a nervous anticipation of something good coming to pass in this new year. Yet, for some of us the prevailing feeling may be one of sadness, even despair. This sadness could be personal, yet it could also be a response to the proposals of Presbytery as regards this congregation and our building. The passages set before us for this Sunday offer us something to begin to offset any such negativity as we may be experiencing. They offer us hope.

We have heard three passages this morning, from the prophet Isaiah, the Psalmist, and the Gospel of Luke. All three point to the presence of God in every facet of life; they all point toward the hope that such truth offers us. We began with the Psalmist in our call to worship. Here, in the midst of the storms of life, God is seen to be majestic and powerful, deserving of praise. Yet in this we are not forgotten. When we heard from Isaiah, we heard these themes continued. Irrespective of our circumstances God is seen to be with us, at our side. Finally, in the Gospel passage, the suggestion is that we immersed in God. God is seen to be all around while we are to be found in Him. In other words, there is hope. Let’s consider these passages one at a time.

The Psalm speaks of the voice of the Lord in the midst of the storm. The writer uses his words to attempt to capture something of the wonder and power of God even as the images of the storm trouble or frighten. The voice of God is said to be like the thunder rumbling over the seas, over the land. It is said to make everything look small by comparison, emphasising the might of the Lord. Yet, even in His greatness, the Psalmist impresses on us the assurance that God is with us. On God we can lean. In God we can find the strength to carry on when we are failing. As the Psalm closes, we are reminded that as we walk in faith we are blessed with the peace of God. His hand calms any storm we may need to pass through in our daily lives.

The words of the prophet Isaiah may draw us to the hymn “Do not be afraid”. These words of scripture offer us a sense of calm; Isaiah’s words are meant to sooth. The prophet offers us, all of us, regardless of our background, assurance and comfort. He assures us, reminds us, that we do not need to face things alone, we can go in the presence and strength of God. We can allow ourselves to take a deep breath; we can honestly say, ‘With God, I can do this.’
Luke invites us all to revisit our baptism, if we can recall it. Indeed, in some Christian traditions, there is an annual service of blessing with water, accompanied by the renewal of Baptismal vows. As we hear this story of Baptism at the beginning of the new year, we could interpret it as an invitation to wash off the old year and step forward in faith into the new. In other words, it is an invitation to start afresh before God. At the start of the reading Luke tells us the people were seeking, searching, hoping for the Messiah; they were filled with anticipation for a coming saviour. The Baptizer, John, gives them hope in his witness of who is to come and what the Messiah will bring. He understands his role and the purposes of God for him. John tells the people that this coming Messiah will be both judge and Saviour; He will demand justice where there is none. When Jesus is baptised by John, He receives the Holy Spirit and God’s approval; prophesy is fulfilled, and the public mission of Jesus begins.

I began, today, by asking “How are you?” I meant it. I asked as we are living through times that are both complex and challenging for both individual and congregation. Yet our readings from Scripture offer us something to hold on to. They began by reminding us that there is nowhere in life that is not touched by the presence of God. Then we were reminded that despite the apparent size and wonder of creation that God has not forgotten us. Finally, we are reminded that in our Baptism we are called into a life of witness to these things; a life where we are nurtured and carried onward. As we step on into the challenges of the times before us let us return continually to the words of Isaiah, and the promise they bear us. In them we will not be disappointed no matter how much we are by the world around. Isaiah, proclaiming the word of God, writes, “you are precious in my sight, … I love you.” (Isa 43: 4).
Amen.

HYMN 191 Do not be afraid

Prayers:

Let us pray:

We give thanks to You our ever-loving God
for the blessings of this and every day.
We offer this day the gift of our lives,
that we might make a difference in our communities and beyond.
We do this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who freely offered His life that we might life in abundance.

We pray for all who are bearing heavy burdens:
those facing difficulties and problems to which they can see no solutions,
wrestling with inner fears and racked by anxiety for themselves or loved ones;
troubled about money, health, work or relationships;
all who crave rest for their souls but cannot find it.

We pray for the influence of Your Holy Spirit in the troubled places of the world.
Fill us with Your passion for justice that we may strive to build bridges of reconciliation.

We pray for all who are happy and for whom things are going well,
that they may know the source of their blessing.

We pray for all who are distressed.
Comfort the sad, be present with the sick making Your will known to them.
Strengthen those who are depressed by failure.

Loving God,
help us to spread Your love to our friends and neighbours.
Let us think of one or two particular friends
and ask that God will help us tell them the good news.

Let us think of the people sitting on either side of us
asking that God will be especially close to them.

We remember those people who are not with us today,
perhaps through illness, holiday, or some other duty.

Lord, thank You that You listen to our prayers,
spoken and unspoken
in Jesus name.
Amen

HYMN 737 Will your anchor hold

(from Cape Town Massed Choir, and Philharmonic Orchestra)

Benediction:

May the blessed presence of God fill our hearts with the assurances of God’s love.
May the gracious arms of Christ embrace us as part of the community of believers.
May the Holy Spirit baptise us afresh and lead us into newness of life.
And may the blessing of God,
Father, Son, and Spirit Holy,
be with us all,
evermore. Amen.

Sung Amen:

Acknowledgements:
Bible Quotations taken from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

English translations of The Lord’s Prayer, © 1998, English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), and used by permission. www.englishtexts.org
Prayers and final blessing adapted from Church of Scotland Weekly Worship for 9th January 2022.

Embedded content from youTube does not infringe copyright:
https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms

Sunday 24th October 2021

Welcome to Craigmillar Park and Reid Memorial Churches, and to our service of worship for Sunday 24th October. This week we look at how nobody is beyond being touched by God. As we worship, either at home or together in a church building, may we be drawn closer to each other and to our Lord.

Call to Worship (Psalm 34: 1-3)
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
Let us worship God.

HYMN 127 O worship the King, all glorious above

Prayer:

Let us pray:

God of grace
we come to worship you this day.
We come to lift high Your name
through prayer, word, and song.
We come with all that we are,
offering up our lives
as living sacrifices.
Take this offering, we pray,
and make it pure in Your sight.

In the beginning You separated light from dark.
You created the world that it might give You glory,
and humanity that You might have fellowship.
You made us little lower than the angels.
You made the day for us to live,
and the night for us to rest.
But it is You that we move and breathe
and gave our being.

You showed us Your love
in that when we wandered
You sent Jesus to return us.
You showed us Your love
that when we betrayed You,
You sent Jesus to redeem us.
You showed us Your love
in that when we denied You,
You sent Jesus to renew us.

Creator and sustainer,
show us how to appreciate all that You have done.
Show us how to truly give thanks.
This day, open our minds
that we would know You;
open our hearts
that we may love You;
Open our eyes
that we may see You.

We come before You this day
in the power of Your love;
in the strength of Your Spirit;
in the mercy of Jesus,
in whose words we now pray, saying:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

Scriptures:

Mark 10: 17-31, 46-52
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.”’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money[ to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age – houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’

…..

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

HYMN 286 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord

Reflection:

Life is full of contrasts from the simplicities of day and night, waking or sleeping, through to the more complex and subtle ones of life in a modern city. Throughout our lives we are regularly invited to compare and contrast something that is before us. This could be between two pieces of literature in a school exam or something possibly more important such as the path of life we will choose. Whatever the situation, conscious or otherwise, life is full of contrasts. Our reading from the Gospel today is one of quite profound contrasts. It is also a reading that is pertinent to our lives in the affluent nation that we find ourselves living in.

Mark relates to us the story of Jesus travelling to Jericho. As he arrives he encounters Bartimaeus, a man who is blind, who calls out seeking mercy. On being asked what it is that he wants he answer that he wants to see. What happens next is not one but two miracles. First Jesus heals Bartimaeus; he can now see. The second is that the newly healed man changes the direction of his life and followed Jesus. That this latter happening is a miracle is something that will become clear as we progress. Here we see a series of profound contrasts. The blind man comes only with his need, nothing else, yet immediately follows Jesus; the disciples, however, and are still seen as struggling with following and all that it may mean for them. Another contrast is between this story and one that immediately precedes it in the Gospel. The previous story had been the one of the rich ruler; he appeared to have everything yet this wealth stood in the way of his coming to Jesus and following him. The rich man could not give up his wealth to follow whereas Bartimaeus gave up even his cloak, the only possession that he had. He seemed to know that he needed something else in life and was open to receiving it.

Our next contrast is between the way of the crowd and the way of Jesus. In our reading the crowd are, at best, unsympathetic to the needs of the blind man. They want him to shut up and they order him to be silent. He is perceived as an inconvenience, and irritant and distraction to them. They appear to be focussed on their wants and not on someone who is in need. In short, the crowd treats Bartimaeus as a nobody. As we journey through this Gospel, we see a significant change develop in the mood of the crowd. They begin as needy, just like the man who was both poor and blind, yet they evolve into a mass that becomes increasingly mean-spirited and sinister. They journey from cries of need to cries of ‘crucify’! The many may ignore Bartimaeus but Jesus doesn’t. Despite all that he knows lies in store for him he takes the time to make time to attend to someone’s genuine need. The actions of Jesus speak more clearly than any sermon would have done. His reaching out to heal declares that no-one is a nobody, that everybody has a value, and that to God everyone has a name.

So what has all this to do with us? Firstly, the story of Bartimaeus should remind us that nobody is without hope, that no-one is beyond restoration by God. Secondly, we are cautioned to be different from the world. The world can be a cold and uncaring place. Poverty exists even in our wealthy nation, and a spirit of meanness can be seen to be growing even here. Look at how both government and society treat those on the fringes. Thirdly, note that it is the blind man who can see the truth yet the disciples and the rich ruler are the ones who are blind. The disciples, again, fail to understand what is going on before them. The rich ruler is blinded to the truth by his wealth. In an age of what is sometimes known as conspicuous consumption do we need to be aware of how our wealth and possessions become a barrier to following Jesus with our wholeheartedly?

More than all, this Gospel passage is a message of hope. The community for whom Mark wrote his Gospel would have been suffering various forms of persecutions. In many ways they would have been the outsiders, even in their own towns and cities just as was Bartimaeus. The healing of that man proclaims that with God sees no-one as an outsider as no-one is beyond his reach or his mercy. That this mercy is shown on the way to the Cross, let alone through the Cross, is something of a miracle itself. Like Bartimaeus we are to risk everything to share the Gospel. We are to rely not on human values or vision but on the mercy and promises of God. Like Bartimaeus we are all in some way blind yet, by the grace of God, we can be healed and serve His kingdom bringing glory to His name.
Amen.

HYMN 153 Great is Thy faithfulness

Prayer:

Let us pray:

God of mercy
we come before you with our cares and concerns.
We pray for the world that You created;
we pray for our friends and neighbours;
we pray for ourselves.

For our world we pray.
As we look at the news
and hear stories from afar
we find ourselves troubled by what we hear.
We hear of conflict;
we hear of poverty;
we hear of disease.
Merciful God,
where there is discord may we bring peace;
where there is poverty may we bring abundance;
where there is illness may we bring healing.
Merciful God,
may this all be done in the name of Jesus.

For our neighbours we pray.
As we see and meet with them,
hearing stories of their lives and cares,
we find ourselves moved by what we hear.
We hear of grief;
we hear of sadness;
we hear of strife.
Merciful God,
where there is loss may we bring wholeness;
where there is weeping may we bring joy;
where there is struggle may we bring hope.
Merciful God,
may this all be done in the name of Jesus.

For ourselves we pray.
As we look at our souls
and see the depths of our hearts
we find ourselves in need of You.
We feel the questions of our minds;
we feel our hearts pulled by our emotions;
we feel our own human frailty.
Merciful God,
where there is doubt may we know faith;
where our hearts struggle may we know love;
where we feel weak may we know Your strength.
Merciful God,
may this all be done in the name of Jesus.

God of mercy
You know our cares and concerns;
You hear and answer our prayers.
So enable us that we may become the answers
and bring all the glory to You alone.
Amen.

HYMN 352 O for a thousand tongues to sing

Benediction:

Go from this time
in faith, hope, and mercy.
And as you go
may the blessing of God,
Father, Son, and Spirit Holy,
go with you
now and always.

Sung Amen:

Acknowledgements:
Bible Quotations taken from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

English translations of The Lord’s Prayer, © 1998, English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), and used by permission. www.englishtexts.org