Christmas Post 2023
St John’s Youth Organisations are once again delivering your Christmas post! Bring your cards to the church to drop off no later than the morning of 17 December and we’ll deliver them for only 30p per card! You make a big savings AND you support the youth organisations and their work with young people in our community. the Youth Fund is entirely funded by the Christmas Post so thank you for letting us be your posties this Christmas!
Jump Into January winter exploratorium — mini holiday club for P1-P7
Start the new year off right! We’ll be JUMPING INTO JANUARY with games, songs, stories, and friends at the winter mini-exploratorium. Come along and get moving after the holidays, build up your muscles and wellbeing and joy as the year begins!
This club is open to all children in P1-P7. There will be running-jumping-playing, singing-signing-laughing, stories-art-wonder…you don’t want to miss it.
We’ll be jumping for joy on the 3rd and 4th of January in the church halls! There’s a breakfast club if needed, from 8am, and the club day runs from 9am – 1pm with snacks and lunch included.
Register today by clicking here!
Welcome
Welcome to our website!
St John’s is a congregation and parish within the Church of Scotland. As such, we seek to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all in as faithful and friendly a way as we can. As a fellowship, we endeavour to encourage one another and provide the means whereby we can grow in Christian grace and faith.
The church is growing and transforming, leaning in to what God calls us to be and do in the rapidly changing world of the 21st century. This means that in addition to what might be called “traditional” ways, we have also incorporated to a variety of different ways of supporting each other, building community, nurturing faith, and participating in God’s mission in the world.
Sunday Worship
We gather in the sanctuary at 11am for services that include an eclectic variety of music (we have an organist and a praise band, as well as congregational participation), singing, prayer, reading from scripture, reflecting and responding to God’s word, and a variety of creative expressions of faith. Our services are suitable for all ages, and children participate together with the whole church family — we do have special seats and activity boxes for them if they want, full of things related to the day’s readings and theme! Our services include multi-media as well, with words and images and videos on the screens.
There is also an online service here each Sunday morning. Both sanctuary and online services include the same reading, prayers, and sermon. The sanctuary service music is provided by our organist and praise band and by congregational singing, while online music comes to us from a variety of sources around the world, so the music may be different.
Spiritual Formation
We have a Wednesday Evening Bible Study that meets in the manse (6 Barrhill Road) at 7:30pm. If you want to join the bible study but stairs into the manse are a problem, please contact Teri and we will happily move into the church building instead! We are using the book “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year W” by Rev. Dr. Wilda Gafney as our guide.
We have regular video devotions on our Youtube channel and Facebook Page.
There is a weekly-ish devotional email, which you can sign up for by clicking here.
The young people’s Bible study (for people in their 20s) meets on the 2nd Sundays at 7pm on Zoom. We are reading the gospel according to John — everyone in their 20s is welcome! Bring a friend! Contact Teri for the zoom link.
Our elders and members are building community and deepening relationships through visits, phone calls, cards, and emails. Our Parish Assistant is also making visits and calls. If you or someone you know is in need of some support through a friendly phone call, a visit, or a neighbour who can help with essential tasks, please contact the minister and she will make connections: tpeterson at churchofscotland.org.uk.
Youth Organisations
The Boys Brigade and Girl Guides have a wonderful programme of activities in all sections for all ages. New members are welcome, at any age (5-18), and you don’t need to have prior experience in youth groups to join! For the Boys Brigade (Anchor Boys, Junior Section, Company Section), please contact 2ndgourock (at) inverclydebb.org.uk. For the Brownies and Guides please visit the website to get registered. For the Smurfs please contact the church — email tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk, or call the manse at 632143, or message the church Facebook Page, and we will put you in touch with the leader. All young people are welcome!
Other Organisations and Groups
There are a variety of groups, both church groups and others that use the halls, so please contact us for more information!
Fellowship and Outreach
There is tea and coffee after the service each week, and all are welcome. On the first and third Mondays of each month we get together for a Bowl & a Blether — a bowl of soup and a chat with friends old and new. No RSVP necessary, just drop in anytime between 11:30 – 1:30 for soup, toasties, treats, and conversation. Throughout the year there are a variety of coffee mornings, luncheons, and other events to which you are invited, and they’ll be posted in the announcements of each week’s service and on our social media page.
Current Church Notes (church magazine)
Click here to read the most recent Spring 2023 edition of the Church Notes to learn more about what has been going on at St. John’s, and consider it your invitation to join in the ministry and mission God is doing with us here!
Sunday service for 19 November 2023
Sunday 19 November 2023 — NL2-11
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Prelude Music
*We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship
1: When all seems chaos,
can we look past the obvious to see something deeper?
2: When we feel like all is lost,
can we listen with our hearts instead of our ears?
3: When destruction appears the order of the day,
can we recognise an opening for something new?
All: In the midst of all that is around us and within us,
we try to imagine hope.
Hymn: O Day of Peace (tune: Jerusalem)
Prayer
True and Living God, Creator of all things, architect, sculptor and inspirer.
In the hush of this sacred moment, we set aside time to acknowledge the beauty that surrounds us—the beauty that whispers of your creative genius. As we gather as your people, we sense the rhythm of your divine brushstrokes on the canvas of our lives.
Lord, you are the Author of imagination, the Composer of consciousness and the breath that gives life. We thank you for the diverse tapestry of gifts woven into the fabric of your people. As we commune with you in the silence of our hearts, may the melodies of your creativity displayed in creation reveal to us the harmony of your eternal Kingdom.
We stand in awe of the way you infuse the world with colour, texture, and form. Just as you breathe life into the dawn and mould the landscapes with your gentle touch, stir within us the desire to mirror your artistry. May our own creative expressions be a reflection of your grace, beauty, and unfathomable love.
Grant us the discernment to perceive the sacred nature, the divine spark in each human being, to admire the uniqueness of each soul, set aside for a purpose even before you knit the first atom together. As we navigate the canvas of our existence, may we, catch glimpses of the divine choreography that hints at the coming Kingdom.
In our endeavours, instil in us a sense of responsibility as caretakers of your creation. Show us how our expressions can echo the justice and compassion that flow from your heart. May our creativity not only reflect your Kingdom but also contribute to its unfolding here on earth. Help us to be brave and bold enough to try new things, to go against the rules and blaze a new trail of creativity.
As we engage in worship today, may our prayers be a fragrant incense rising to your throne. Guide us, O Lord, in the gentle rhythms of righteousness, and use our creativity to illuminate the path toward your everlasting Kingdom.
In the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, our Muse and Redeemer, we pray.
Amen.
Sanctuary Children’s Time
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11.1-9 (New Revised Standard Version)
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see
or decide by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
For the word of God in scripture
for the word of God among us
for the word of God within us
thanks be to God.
Sermon: Imagine
I invite you to, if you’re comfortable, close your eyes. Picture a tree stump…is your stump freshly cut, flat and smooth on top and you can see the rings… Or is it dried out and cracked, or damp and composting itself from the inside out? Is it uneven like the tree fell rather than being cut? How big around is it, how old was the tree when it became a stump? When you look at the stump, what do you think or feel?
Picture this stump and then in a moment, still with your eyes closed, I’m going to invite us all to say out loud the word or phrase or sound we think or feel when we see it. There are no wrong answers, and we won’t be listening individually, but just all together we’ll say the thought or feeling….1, 2, 3.
Some of us feel sad seeing something like that….others of us might see a seat we can rest on for a bit…or a chance to look back at the past, exploring the rings and what they tell us about the weather of the tree’s lifetime…some feel grief or loss, maybe others gratitude for the wood.
One thing we can agree is that a stump indicates an end. The tree is no longer living and growing, no longer expanding, no longer fulfilling its purpose. The tree is dead, and all that’s left is the stump.
But what if…?
What if dead things weren’t as dead as they seem?
Or rather, what if death wasn’t the end of that stump’s story?
We are resurrection people, after all. The roots of our Christian faith are in life having greater power than death, hope springing out of a closed tomb, light shining in darkness.
So perhaps we should not be surprised at the promise: a shoot shall come forth from the stump. From what seemed dead, cut off, sad and decomposing…from the roots of that stump, growing up through the old rings, a tiny sprig of green begins to grow.
Perhaps it’s a shoot of the same tree, growing up from the roots and pushing its way through.
Perhaps it’s something entirely different, a seed dropped by a bird or carried by the wind, fallen into the cracks of the old stump and finding the composting interior of the stump is the perfect nurture for a new thing to spring forth.
Perhaps it’s a small plant loving the space available, not crowded by other things competing for the nutrients in the soil. Perhaps it’s a sapling that will grow so big it will eventually hollow out and split what’s left of the stump it currently calls home.
But it is one thing that we all know a stump cannot be: it’s alive.
This is what happens in the kingdom of God. Things that cannot be alive…are. Things that cannot be possible, like a wolf and a lamb, a calf and a lion cuddling in together…they aren’t just possible, they’re normal, regular, everyday life.
It almost feels to me like Isaiah is escalating the imagination in this passage….starting from a dead thing that lives, then talking about a servant of God who will make decisions without using what he can see and hear — things that easily lead to assumptions as we fit what we see into the patterns and stereotypes of our own worldviews, which means that because we think we know what we’re seeing, we don’t look deeply and it’s easy to miss seeing the whole truth of a person or community or situation. Instead of using information that comes through the senses, this person who is a green shoot of life springing up out of a dead and cut off stump will start from the root of righteousness and equity to make decisions.
That’s a pretty unbelievable thing to imagine — making choices based first on equity and justice without getting distracted by what we think we see. And from there, Isaiah goes on to the most difficult to imagine scene: predator and vulnerable living together in harmony.
What do you think — does it seem easier or harder to imagine the dead stump springing to life, or the person who doesn’t judge based on what he can see and hear with his senses, or the lion and lamb together?
Isaiah has given us a starting place for envisioning God’s kingdom — a seed, if you will, that grows and grows into something ever more incredible. It may seem as if there’s no hope, everything is cut off, there’s just a stump reminding us of how things used to be but aren’t anymore. But God’s vision is for life to spring up…and not just spring up, but to flourish.
The trouble is it can be hard for us to see God’s vision. It’s hard to imagine that the world can be any other way than it is. But God is not constrained by our limited imagination. And God longs for us to be set free from the constraints of our limited imagination, too.
We often think, rightly, of Jesus when we hear of the shoot that springs up from the roots of the stump, the one in the line of Jesse — David’s father — who brought new life when everything seemed cut off and hopeless. But Isaiah’s vision doesn’t stop there. This isn’t new life that happens once and then is finished…if it was, there’d just be yet another stump of despair. Instead, the new life that springs up is a precursor to a changed world.
And how does the world change? By people being transformed. By new life springing up where all seemed death. By people judging from the root of justice and equity instead of by what they think they see and hear. By predators choosing to lay aside their power and violence and care for the vulnerable instead. It feels impossible but once we’ve learned to imagine it, then it becomes possible. As George Lucas — the filmmaker behind Star Wars, among many other things — once said: if you cannot dream it, you cannot do it. Isaiah has planted a seed in our imaginations so that we can dream of a world transformed into the kingdom of God…and once we can dream it, we can participate in it.
How do we expand our imaginations? First by asking God to for help, of course. Second by feeding our spirits and minds and hearts with things that open us to new perspectives and ideas and angles and views. That can be art…literature and film and music…travel…conversations with people who are different from us. Third by using our imaginations — they are like a muscle that needs exercise, it’s a use-it-or-lose it kind of thing. When we read a Bible story, can we imagine it happening around us, can we see ourselves in the scene, can we hear and smell and taste and see the people and places and events and feelings and moments? When we see an ancient place, can we imagine what life was like for people there? When we read a news story or see photos of somewhere else in the world, can we imagine what daily life is like in that place, imagine being friends with the people in the story? Exercising that imagination muscle is also a good way to strengthen our empathy and love for our neighbours, too…which is all a part of the transformation that leads to the peaceable kingdom and beyond. Imagining is a spiritual practice that changes us…and changed people lead to a changed world.
What other things might be in God’s vision of the kingdom that we can’t even imagine? And what might be possible if we let our imaginations grow?
May it be so. Amen.
Hymn: What is the World Like (text: Adam Tice; tune: New World)
Offering (organ reflection music)
*Sanctuary Offering Response: God Our Creator, vv. 1 & 4 (tune: Bunessan; words: John L Bell & Graham Maule)
God our Creator, you in love made us
who once were nothing but now have grown.
We bring the best of all our lives offer;
for you we share whatever we own.
And with the people summoned together
to be the Church in which faith is sown,
we make our promise to live for Jesus,
and let the world know all are God’s own.
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Come quickly, Lord,
and bring new life out of the roots
for looking around, it’s easy to think all is lost.
Show us a green shoot,
a sliver of hope,
even a possibility that seems outrageous.
For we are longing for peace founded on justice,
not only on a rebuilding of walls.
We are longing for an end to predatory ways,
and a new community of respect and compassion across old boundaries.
We are longing for leaders with wisdom and discernment,
and for truth to be spoken that all may thrive.
Hasten that day, O God,
when your kingdom is revealed,
visible and tangible in this place.
In places where justice is replaced with verbal gymnastics and excuses,
where stereotypes determine what people see,
where decisions to go with “close enough” end up hurting our neighbours,
may your justice be at the forefront of minds,
and your love the measuring rod for all our plans.
And on this 19th day of the month, we join our hearts with all our church family to pray
*For all the carers, social workers, and other professionals who visit and support our neighbours. We ask your compassion and help to flow through their hands as they make it possible for people to remain in their homes. May they be blessed with cheerful smiles, good listening skills, open hearts, and discerning minds as they offer support, companionship, and help to those in need. Make them your hands and heart, building up community and encouraging your people.
*For the staff of St John’s: for the minister, the organist, and the parish assistant.
*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
Come quickly, Lord,
and make us the small sign of life,
the light that shines into the shadows,
the vision of another way.
Transform what seems dead and dry into a hope of a new harvest.
Change what we assume is unchangeable,
until your kingdom is present here on earth as in heaven.
We ask these and all things in the name of the One
who embodies your spirit and truth for us, Jesus the Christ
who taught us to pray together:
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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
*Sanctuary Hymn 617: Great and Deep the Spirit’s Purpose
Benediction
Go from this place with your imagination growing, so that you can be a sign of God’s new life sprouting forth in even the most hopeless of places.
And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.
*Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.
Postlude Music
Announcements
* Inner Visions: Art and Spirituality festival is happening now and runs for two weeks, closing on Friday 1 December from 5-6pm. This festival brings together local artists, our community, and the church to explore how creativity and spirituality go together, and how creativity can help us connect to our Creator and to one another. We will be looking for people willing to staff the exhibition for an hour or two at a time throughout the two weeks — just to be present in the sanctuary while the doors are open, and to welcome people and be hospitable while they’re in. Please sign up! Thanks!
During the festival, there will be a lecture by Alec Galloway on the history of expressing spiritual themes in artwork, especially in stained glass, TODAY, Sunday 19 November at 3pm. There will be a panel discussion with the artists who created the pieces for the exhibition, discussing how they went about creating them, the process and meaning behind each piece, and how artwork is important in feeding and expressing their spiritual lives, on Saturday 25 November at 6pm. There will be a Spirituality Cafe service on St Andrew’s Day, Thursday 30 November at 7:30pm.
* The next Bowl & Blether is TOMORROW 20 November, with doors open from 11:30-1:30. We are in need of volunteers to help with set up and making soup in the morning (from 10am), making toasties from 12-1:30, and clean up (from 1:30-2:15). You’re also welcome to just come for soup and a chat with neighbours — it’s a great opportunity to get out and meet some people and have a meal and some social time!
* Gourock Schools and Churches Together is hosting an afternoon tea concert at St Columba High School on Tuesday the 21st of November at 1:30pm. Tickets are available from Teri.
* NEXT SUNDAY the 26th we will celebrate the baptism of twins Millie and Flynn. Can you please bring with you a teddy or other plushy-type toy you’ve had since you were young? Nothing will happen to them and you’ll take them home again, they’re a part of the service but nothing dangerous! Thanks!
* Stories and photos for the Church Notes should be submitted to Seonaid Knox by Friday 1 December. The Notes tell the story of what God has been up to at St John’s since Easter until now — we look forward to your stories of the Spirit moving here these past months! If you have announcements about upcoming events, please send details to Teri for inclusion in the weekly church email rather than the Notes. Thanks!
* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.
* Starter Packs are short of Shaving Foam and Shampoo.
The FoodBank are short of biscuits, UHT milk, tinned soup, tinned custard, tinned tomatoes. You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!
* Starter Packs is having a fundraising coffee morning on Tuesday 21st November from 10am to 12 noon at St Mary’s Church Hall, Houston Street, Greenock, ticket priced £2.50. For the December packs they would be grateful for gifts of selection boxes, chocolates, biscuits as well as hats, scarves and gloves.
* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. It is also possible to donate to the work of the new parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that new item in the budget.
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* This Advent we are going to be asking everyone to update your Gift Aid information, so we can ensure we are maximising our Gift Aid opportunities. Look out for a request to update your Gift Aid forms soon!
* Wednesday Evening Bible Study meets at 7:30pm at the manse.
* The next meeting of the Contact Group is next Tuesday, 28th November at 2pm in the large hall. The speaker will be Alison Bunce of Compassionate Inverclyde.
* Christmas Post: Our youth organisations will again deliver Christmas cards in Gourock and in the west end of Greenock. Delivery will remain at 30 pence per card, and they can be brought to church on Sundays, 3rd, 10th, and 17th December. The money raised by the Christmas Post funds our youth ministries throughout the year, so it’s a good cause as well as saving you a lot of money compared to the post office!
* This year our Advent Gift Day will be received on Sunday 10 December, and will be an offering for Inverclyde Faith In Through-care, which supports people coming out of prison and re-integrating into society. IFIT believes everyone deserves the chance to learn new life skills, access training and employment opportunities, and develop positive relationships. Their goal is to empower individuals to realise their full potential and make positive changes in their lives.
There are a number of ways to participate in this Gift Day. We are looking for donations to enable the staff to provide supermarket vouchers during the holiday period and to help provide a trip to Camas next year; for items that can go into gift bags for the participants (shower gel kits, hats, scarfs, gloves, socks, etc — most participants are men but there are a few women as well); and for items for children of participants. The ages of those children will be forthcoming to help you choose.
* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.
* Would you be able to host two university students from the USA from 8-11 June, 2024? They will each need their own bed, though they can share a room, and you would be providing them breakfast and dinner, bringing them to church on Sunday, and being a welcoming and engaging host as they get a cultural exchange experience. There would be some financial help to cover the food expenses. If you might be interested, please be in touch with Teri or Seonaid Knox, so we have a sense of how many students we can host.
Inner Visions: festival of Art and Spirituality
In collaboration we Crow Cottage Arts, we are excited to present Inner Visions, a festival of Art and Spirituality from 17 November – 1 December. For too long both creativity and spirituality have been trapped in rigid boxes that scare us off — “art” and “religion” are formal things that have rules and good-and-bad and other norms that make it difficult to break in or to try it out or to make connections.
But the truth is that we are creative beings, made for connection with the Divine, with ourselves, with each other, and with the world. In this festival, we are exploring those connections, celebrating creativity, and digging deep into what makes us human. Our spiritual lives are not confined to the box of “religion” and our creative lives are not confined to the box called “real art” as if there’s some wrong way to express the spirit within us. This festival is for all, whether part of a faith tradition or not, whether you “get” art or not, whether you think of yourself as creative or spiritual or just curious and loving beauty.
A number of local artists, from professionals to workshop-goers to high school students, have created pieces specifically for this exhibition, and also written about their experience as spiritual beings who express and experience their spirituality in creativity.
Throughout the festival, the exhibition will be open to the public for several hours each day. In addition, there are events to which all are invited and welcome. The festival is entirely free of charge.
*Exhibition opening: Friday 17 November, 6-8pm, with refreshments, artists on hand to speak with, and music to lighten the soul.
*Alec Galloway lecture on stained glass and spirituality: Sunday 19 November, 3pm
*Panel Discussion with the artists: Saturday 25 November, 6pm
*St Andrew’s Day Spirituality Cafe (an informal gathering exploring some aspect of our spiritual lives through creativity, conversation, and snacks): Thursday 30 November, 7:30pm
*Exhibition closes: Friday 1 December 5-6pm
Opening hours:
Saturday 18 November: 12-3 pm
Sunday 19 November: immediately before & after the lecture by Alec Galloway at 3pm
Monday 20 November: 10 am-12 noon, and 7-9 pm
Tuesday 21 November: 10 am-3 pm, and 7-9 pm
Wednesday 22 November: 9:30 am-12 noon, 1-3 pm, and 6-8 pm
Thursday 23 November: 10 am-12 noon, 4-9 pm
Friday 24 November: 7-9 pm
Saturday 25 November: 4-6 pm (before the artist’s panel starting at 6pm)
Sunday 26 November: 1-3 pm
Monday 27 November: 9:30 am-12 noon, and 7-9pm
Tuesday 28 November: 7-9 pm
Wednesday 29 November: 1-3 pm, and 6-8 pm
Thursday 30 November: 5-7 pm (Spirituality Cafe at 7:30)
Friday 1 December: closing reception 5-6 pm
All are welcome! Please invite friends and neighbours, come as often as you like, and join us as we seek a deeper spiritual life together through the beauty of this world and this community.
Sunday service for 5 November 2023
Sunday 5 November 2023 — Martin Fair visiting
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Revs. Martin Fair and Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Prelude Music (praise band)
*We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship
One: You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
All: We thirst for you,
our whole beings longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
One: I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
All: Because your love is better than life,
our lips will glorify you.
One: I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
All: We will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips our mouths will praise you.
Hymn 510: Jesus calls us here to meet him (tune: Lewis Folk Melody)
Prayer with sung prayer Mungu ni mwema
Mungu ni mwema
You are good, O God, and you have shown us your goodness.
We thank you for teaching us, leading us, parenting us —
you are committed to love and you call us
to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to you, your community, your way of life.
Mungu ni mwema
We confess that we have not committed wholeheartedly.
We have committed part of our hearts, part of the time,
and part of our lives, part of the time,
and part of our minds, part of the time.
We chafe under instruction,
and though we long for your promise we can’t see how it can be true.
So we don’t tell your story,
we don’t talk about you with others,
we don’t teach the next generation,
because we don’t want to rock the boat
and we don’t want to be on the hook for when things don’t work out
and we like to have plenty of options just in case
and there’s so much else going on.
Forgive us, O God, for neglecting your word and your way.
Forgive us for speaking one thing but doing another.
Forgive us for putting your commands into a box
to be dusted off every now and then
but otherwise deemed irrelevant or impossible in our modern world.
Know that God is Good
We know you are good…at least, some part of us knows.
May your forgiveness seep into us so that we know it with our whole selves.
May your goodness reach into our minds
and displace the worry that we must somehow be good enough to earn your love.
May your goodness reach into our hearts
and soften the hardness that has crept in and that keeps us from feeling with and for our neighbours.
May your goodness reach into our souls
and fill us with grace that spills out in word and deed.
May your goodness reach into our bodies
and strengthen us to reach out in love.
You are devoted to loving the world, O God,
and your love transforms us from the inside out,
and we give you thanks for the ways you change the world by changing us.
Halle – hallelujah
Amen.
Sanctuary Children’s Time
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NLT) & Acts 2:42-47 (NRSV)
These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
Listen! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
~~
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
For the word of God in scripture
for the word of God among us
for the word of God within us
thanks be to God.
Sermon: Growing Up, Growing In, Growing Out – the Very Rev. Dr. Martin Fair
Hymn: Bless the Lord (10,000 Reasons) (praise band)
Sanctuary Offering (choir to sing Colours of Day)
*Sanctuary Offering Response: God Our Creator, vv. 1 & 4 (tune: Bunessan; words: John L Bell & Graham Maule)
God our Creator, you in love made us
who once were nothing but now have grown.
We bring the best of all our lives offer;
for you we share whatever we own.
And with the people summoned together
to be the Church in which faith is sown,
we make our promise to live for Jesus,
and let the world know all are God’s own.
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Hymn: Send Us Out (praise band)
Benediction
*Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.
Postlude Music
Announcements
* Next Sunday is Remembrance Sunday and the service begins at the earlier time of 10:45am, followed by a short wreath laying at the anchor, then parading down to the cenotaph for the service at 12:15. The sanctuary service will be livestreamed to our Facebook page, technology permitting.
* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.
* Starter Packs are short of Shaving Foam and Shampoo. The FoodBank are short of biscuits, UHT milk, tinned soup, tinned custard, tinned tomatoes. You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!
* Bowl and Blether will be on Monday 6 November and Monday 20 November, with doors opening at 11:30 and soup served from noon – 1:30. Volunteers are needed and welcome, especially at the new third Monday of the month!
* Wednesday Evening Bible Study meets at 7:30pm at the manse.
* The Kirk Session will meet on Thursday 9 November at 7:30pm in the sanctuary.
* The Contact Group next meeting is on Tuesday 14 November at 2pm in the large hall. The speaker will be Alan Aitken MBE, sharing about the 125th anniversary of the 2nd Gourock Boys’ Brigade. All are welcome at this and any of the meetings held fortnightly. The group’s syllabus is now available from Fiona Webster for a donation of £5.
* Inner Visions: Art and Spirituality festival begins with an exhibition opening at Friday 17 November from 6-8pm, and runs for two weeks, closing on Friday 1 December from 5-6pm. This festival brings together local artists, our community, and the church to explore how creativity and spirituality go together, and how creativity can help us connect to our Creator and to one another. We will be looking for people willing to staff the exhibition for an hour or two at a time throughout the two weeks — just to be present in the sanctuary while the doors are open, and to welcome people and be hospitable while they’re in. Please sign up! Thanks!
During the festival, there will be a lecture by Alec Galloway on the history of expressing spiritual themes in artwork, especially in stained glass, on Sunday 19 November at 3pm. There will be a panel discussion with the artists who created the pieces for the exhibition, discussing how they went about creating them, the process and meaning behind each piece, and how artwork is important in feeding and expressing their spiritual lives, on Saturday 25 November at 6pm. There will be a Spirituality Cafe service on St Andrew’s Day, Thursday 30 November at 7:30pm.
* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. It is also possible to donate to the work of the new parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that new item in the budget.
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.
* The Church of Scotland has a new online learning platform called Church of Scotland Learning (more info here). The first set of modules is now available, and are designed with members of local congregations in mind and will help to grow faith, stretch minds and explore possibilities. They are set at an introductory level and accessible for all. We hope this will ignite people’s interest in learning more. Currently available topics include Vows for Elders; Vows for Ministers; Conversations in Discipleship, Exploring Discipleship, Talking About Your Faith; New Ways of Being Church; Knowing You Knowing Me (Learning to understand more fully where God is and what God is calling us to do); Theological Reflection for Everyone; Equality Diversity and Inclusion; and Unconscious Bias and Me. More modules will be added periodically, so sign up today by clicking here!
* Would you be able to host two university students from the USA from 8-11 June, 2024? They will each need their own bed, though they can share a room, and you would be providing them breakfast and dinner, bringing them to church on Sunday, and being a welcoming and engaging host as they get a cultural exchange experience. There would be some financial help to cover the food expenses. If you might be interested, please be in touch with Teri or Seonaid Knox, so we have a sense of how many students we can host.