A couple of weeks ago we said that over the latter part of the summer our Sunday services would be created by various members of our congregations, all of whom have experience in leading worship. This week leading us in our praise and reflection is Louise McAspurren.
Call to worship (Psalm 128: 1-2)
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart …
I will bow down towards your holy temple and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness’.
Hymn 739 The Church’s One Foundation
Prayer
Faithful One,
Everlasting and true,
We give you thanks
For your unending love.
Thank you that when we call, you listen.
When we are scared, you comfort us.
When we feel tired, you renew us.
When we grieve, you weep with us.
In all times and all places, you stand with us.
And so, you are with us now.
As we come to worship you.
Forgive us our failings,
Help us begin again in your grace.
Open our eyes to see you.
May we feel your Spirit’s presence.
Open our ears to hear your truth.
Guide our steps to walk the journey ahead of us,
Living and working to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Scripture Readings
Romans 12: 1-8
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Matthew 16:13-20
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ’Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Hymn 559 There is a Redeemer
Reflection
In our gospel reading, we find Jesus and his disciples at a time where Jesus’ miracles and teaching had brought him both supporters and critics. To many he offered hope, healing, and forgiveness. To others he threated their understanding of faith.
It is in this context, that Jesus asked his disciples, ‘who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ The disciples gave several answers. People had different ideas about who Jesus was. Interestingly, rather than trying to define him as someone new, folk tried to link him back to their faith history, identifying him as a manifestation of prophets or leaders from the past.
However, then comes the BIG question – ‘But who do you say I am?’. This was no longer an academic question about what other people thought – this was a direct challenge to those closest to him. In other words, Jesus was asking his disciples whether they really knew him.
It is Simon who answers: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’.
Jesus blesses him immediately, making it clear that this was not an answer based on public opinion or harking back to history – this was an answer given by God. This was new – this was the start of recognising Jesus as both Son of Man and Son of God, the Messiah! A different kind of leader to save his people.
But Jesus did not leave it there – this was also a new start for Simon. From now on, his name was to be Peter – he would become the rock of the church and the keys to the kingdom of heaven would be his. Imagine Peter’s reaction! What would he be thinking? Did he really understand what Jesus was saying to him? Did he grasp what kind of Messiah Jesus was, and how that would affect his future life?
Today, as Christians we know the story of the resurrection. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus defeated death, overcame the power of sin, and sits at the right hand of the Father. In many ways, it is easier for us to call Jesus the Messiah. But, how ready are we to hear our Messiah as he calls to us? For just as Jesus responded to Peter, can he not also speak to us? In this time of COVID19 the church is being called to reflect on how to develop its worship and mission. Perhaps this is also the time for us, as individuals, to ask questions of ourselves and of God. Is now the time to know our Lord better and to seek our place in Him? In knowing Jesus as the Messiah, Peter found his purpose– he became the rock for the church. We can find our calling in Christ, too.
We may be called to do different work, to use our God given gifts to spread the good news and show God’s love for all (whether in the church, at home or in the community). No one person or one gift is greater than another, and all are accountable to each other. As Romans 12: 4-5 puts it ‘For just as each of us has one body with many members and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others’
It may not be a straight forward path. After being told he would receive the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Peter went on to deny Christ three times. Yet, Christ’s love for him remained. After Jesus rose from the dead, he sought out Peter. He strengthened him and commissioned him to shepherd his flock. There were challenges, but Peter continued to build up the church because this was his destiny. In the same way, Christ will strengthen us to find and bring about our purpose regardless of the challenges we face, if we let Him. In Christ we can learn of God. In Christ we can learn who we are. In Christ we can find our place in this world and in His kingdom. Let us take this time and opportunity to do so. Amen.
Prayers
Listening God, You call us to come to You with our prayers for others. And we do so in a spirit of gratitude for all the ways Your grace and mercy fills our lives …
We thank You for creation, and for all the blessings of this life, and, most of all, for Your boundless love in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our redeeming presence.
Give us a constant awareness of Your mercy. Call us to take time to immerse ourselves in Your grace. Make us aware of signs and symbols of Your love in action.
You made all things in Your wisdom, and, in Your love, You save us. So we pray for all creation, that evil might be cast down, that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness might be fed, and that all Your children might enjoy in equal measure the fruits of Your world.
We pray for the Church. Keep us one in faith and service, so that Your Good News might be proclaimed, and so that Your love and light might be a beacon of hope and purpose in the darkest places.
We cannot love You fully unless we love our neighbours as ourselves. So we pray for all those in need, in body, mind and spirit; we pray for all who suffer from pain and sorrow; especially those who are affected by the COVID19 pandemic. We remember those known to us at this time …
God of compassion, bless us and those we love, that, drawing close to You, we may be drawn closer to each other. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
Hymn In Christ Alone (This is a new one to us, and is not found in CH4.)
Benediction
Let us go out into the world in peace.
Let us love our God with all our heart.
Let us be challenged by the Spirit’s promptings
Let us hear the call to serve Christ and be obedient to God’s will.
And may God bless us,
the Spirit restore us,
and Christ’s presence strengthen us,
now and always.
Amen.
Acknowledgements:
Scripture readings: Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.
All rights reserved worldwide.
Second Prayer, and Benediction: adapted from:
Church of Scotland Weekly Worship, 23rd August 2020, by Tom Gordon.