Sunday Service for 18 October 2020

18 October 2020
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri C Peterson
Gourock St John’s Church of Scotland
Contact: tpeterson at churchofscotland dot org dot uk

Though we cannot yet be together in person, we can be together in spirit! Please note the following announcements:

*The building works are finally drawing to a close, we hope! The Kirk Session will meet on Tuesday at 7:30 (on Zoom) to work on plans for how we can safely gather in our buildings, assuming all goes well with both the building and the pandemic and its related restrictions, so watch for more information in the next couple of weeks.

* Coffee Fellowship Time will happen today on Zoom! The room will be open from 11:45 – 1 today, for you to drop in for however long you wish, so grab a cup of tea or coffee (or juice or whatever you prefer!) and maybe a biscuit, and come have a chat! We look forward to seeing you! 

* The Kirk now has online giving! If you have not already 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 here! If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Peter Bennett, our treasurer, or Teri and she can give you his details. You can also send your envelopes to the church by post and we will ensure they are received. Remember: no one is coming to your door to collect your envelopes, so please stay safe!

* We also now have an audio recording of the service available on the phone! Simply dial 01475 270 037 to listen to the most recent service. Please share this number with your neighbours, friends, family, and fellow church goers who don’t have the internet, so they can listen in!

* The theme for worship this autumn is “Becoming God’s People.” We’ll be exploring  who God is and how God’s character informs God’s actions, and how our actions also ought to be informed by that character…by way of stories of God and humanity working out their relationship with one another through the Old Testament.

* Children’s Time happens each Sunday morning at 11am on Zoom. If you would like the login details, please contact Teri. 

* The Young Adult Bible Study (BYOPizza) meets TODAY via Zoom at 1pm, reading chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation! If you’re aged 15-25 and would like the login details, please contact Teri.

* Churches across Scotland are calling people to join together in prayer on Sunday evenings at 7pm, placing a lit candle in the window and spending time in prayer for others. Our Sunday evening prayer services will be shared across CONNECT. Tonight’s service will be led by Teri, beginning at 6:57pm on the Connect Facebook page, and be sure to like / follow it while you’re there!

* Feel free to share this with others, with the attribution information at the top. If you know someone who does not have access to the internet and who also does not receive the tape ministry, you can either print this service out and share it with them, or let Teri know via email or phone call and we will be sure they receive a printed copy.

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Hymn: Come Bring Your Burdens To God

Prayers, Reading, Sermon

Hymn: My Soul Cries Out With A Joyful Shout

Call to Worship and Opening Prayer
God is in the business of bringing life,
even in barren places.
So come with your whole self,
bringing your anguish and your hope,
for the One who calls us is faithful.
Whether you seek comfort for your spirit
or strength to overturn the injustices of this world,
God will meet us here.
Come, let us worship God together with our whole heart, mind, and strength.

Let us pray.

You are the God who loves, showing kindness and compassion to all who call on you.
You know the truth behind all the images we project to the world, there is no place we can hide ourselves from your presence.
And You are the God who does justice, measuring our actions and systems according to your truth.
We confess that we would prefer our own measure instead, for we have believed the lie that strength and power and prosperity are evidence of your blessing and also a means to obtain our desires.
Forgive us for preferring our way to yours.
We admit that we have grown comfortable with the way this world works, and our position within it, and therefore uncomfortable with vulnerability — our own, or others’.
Forgive us for the times we have made a show of our faith, caring more about how others see us than how you do.
Forgive us, Lord God, for we confess we are not ready for the world to be turned upside down.
Forgive us, and make us ready to receive your word of life once again.
We ask in the name of Jesus,
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,
and 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.

Sung Prayer #139 vv. 1 & 4
(words: Iain D Cunningham, tune: cwm rhondda)
God the Father of Creation,
source of life and energy,
your creative love so shapes us
that we share your liberty.
Teach us how to use this freedom
loving children all to be,
loving children all to be.

Members of our Saviour’s body,
here on earth his life to be,
though we stand as different people,
may we share the unity
of the Father, Son, and Spirit,
perfect love in Trinity,
perfect love in Trinity.

Reading: 1 Samuel 1.1-20, 2.10, New International Version)
After Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan and divided up the land among the twelve tribes, they lived in the promised land for around 300 years, during which God would occasionally raise up judges to lead them through a crisis—judges such as Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. During this time, scripture tells us “there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” The fabric of the nation frayed as each man looked out only for himself, until by the end of the book of Judges, society had so decayed that people, especially women, were treated as disposable.
It is at the end of this 300 years that we meet Hannah and her husband Elkanah, and her rival wife Peninah. Hannah was barren, and she longed for a child more than anything else in the world. Peninah had many children, and used her status as a mother to bully Hannah. Though Elkanah loved Hannah, she could not be consoled. We pick up their story at the point when the family goes up to worship and offer sacrifices at the temple at Shiloh, where Eli and his sons were priests, as they did each year. The reading today is from 1st Samuel chapters 1 and 2, and I am reading from the New International Version.
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1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
 3Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, ‘Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?’
9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’
12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, ‘How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.’
15 ‘Not so, my lord,’ Hannah replied, ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.’
17 Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.’
18 She said, ‘May your servant find favour in your eyes.’ Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
19 Early the next morning they arose and worshipped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’
2 Then Hannah prayed and said:
‘My heart rejoices in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
    for I delight in your deliverance.
2 ‘There is no one holy like the Lord;
    there is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.
3 ‘Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
    and by him deeds are weighed.
4 ‘The bows of the warriors are broken,
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 ‘The Lord brings death and makes alive;
    he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
    he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and makes them inherit a throne of honour.
‘For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
    but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
‘It is not by strength that one prevails;
10     those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
    the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
‘He will give strength to his king
    and exalt the horn of his anointed.’

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: Praying the Whole Truth

Hannah was feeling really low. She had no children, in a culture that placed women’s value and their security in their sons. Without a son, she was in a precarious position — if her husband died, for instance, she would be completely vulnerable with no protection or resources. And without a son, she was worthless in the eyes of her society, and even the rest of her family. Her one job was to bear children and raise a household, and so she was seen as a failure.

And, of course, her fellow wife was bullying her about it. So there was nowhere to get away from the shame and despair, as even in her own home, the taunts followed her. And when they went up to worship, despite her husband giving her two portions at the meal afterward, everyone knew that was just pity, an attempt to cover the fact that she would soon be alone in the world.

Elkanah tried to help, and I think we should give him his due for continually reaching out and reminding Hannah that she was loved, even if she couldn’t feel it. However much she cried, he kept telling her that to him, she had value, no matter what society said, no matter what Peninnah said. He showed her his love by giving her extra portions at the festival feast, even when she didn’t feel like eating. He tried his best, however clumsy that might have been, and he did what we ought to do if someone we love is in poor mental health — reach out and offer support and love. Sometimes they can’t hear it, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

Hannah, in her desperation, went into the temple to pray. At the time, the tradition was for people to pray aloud, but Hannah was so down that her voice wouldn’t even come out. She didn’t need anyone’s attention, though, except for God’s. She prayed and prayed and prayed, pouring out her heart and soul, her sadness and despair, to God, begging for God to change her circumstances and her life.

The priest, Eli, could not hear what she said to God, so assumed she must just be drunk.

That’s when Hannah discovered that she still had some fight left in her after all. She’d laid her troubles at the feet of the Lord, and when confronted by someone maligning her, she found her voice. On behalf of distraught people everywhere, she corrected Eli’s wrong assumptions and reminded him that just because he couldn’t hear didn’t mean it wasn’t an earnest prayer.

The story says that Hannah went home feeling better. She stopped crying and was able to eat. Her outlook improved, and then she did indeed receive what she had prayed for: a son, whom she called Samuel, and when he was weaned, probably around age 3 or so, she took him back to that very same temple and dedicated him to the Lord’s work, just as she had promised God she would.

Now, I want to be very clear about something important: prayer is not a cure-all for mental ill health. We should not read this story and say “if I just pray harder, God will make me feel better.” And we should definitely not read this story and then say to someone else “you should just pray more and God will cure your depression, anxiety, or eating disorder.”

What I think we can say is that the kind of prayer where we bring our whole truth honestly before God is important.
Whether we have all the right words to say, or no sound comes out no matter how hard we try…
even if we feel like a complete mess…
no matter how deep our despair or how big or small our problem…
whether we think God will care or not, and regardless of what other people think…
fully laying our burdens before God can bring us some relief, or can show us a different perspective than we could see before, and can give us a sense that we are not as alone as we feel.

Prayer is not a substitute for health care. It is, however, crucial to our well-being.

It turns out that it is also crucial to the well-being of the whole world. Hannah cried out in the midst of her suffering, and God heard her — and the answer to her prayer was not only for her, but for everyone. She begged God to bring life into the barren wasteland, to change things around. And God listened, and in love addressed both her immediate need and also the larger situation of the whole people.

The son Hannah prayed for would indeed change the world — first by upending the household, because no longer could Hannah be the target of scorn and bullying; and then by upending the religious system, as he spoke God’s word to the priest Eli and his corrupt sons; and then by upending the political system, because Samuel would be the last of the judges, the one who would anoint the first kings: Saul, and then David. It is Samuel’s work that will bring the nation together and make the rest of the biblical story possible. And all because Hannah took her burden to God, and laid it there, trusting God would hear even if no one else understood.

When Hannah brought Samuel back to live at the temple a few years later, she did not pray silently anymore, but instead sang a song that celebrated the bigger picture she had come to see. Hannah’s song, and later Mary’s magnificat, which is based on Hannah’s song, is a reminder to us all that we can and should demand that God use his power to turn things around, to bring life out of death, to reverse the injustice of this world and create a new system where no one is put down, bullied, devalued, or left out. After all, God is in the business of new life, and Hannah shows us that we, God’s people — however messy our own lives may be — have the power and the privilege to speak to God and ask for big things.

Obviously not every prayer from our own suffering will also be of national or cosmic significance. But Hannah had no way of knowing that her prayer would change the course of history, and neither do we. What we do know is this: God hears us no matter how feeble our voices, and loves us no matter the trouble we’re in. God cares about suffering, and has a proven track record of changing lives. And sometimes one small thing leads to another, and another, until it’s actually quite a big thing. God may well answer one prayer in a way that sets a whole world-changing vision in motion.

So don’t hold back, but bring your whole self to God — and see what God will do.

May it be so. Amen.

Prayer
Gracious and merciful God, we thank you for hearing us when we come to you.
We lift our hearts in gratitude for your care:
we see your blessings around us in the turning of the seasons,
in the gift of family and friends,
even in the privilege of technology that keeps us connected, learning, and serving.
We bring our thanks and praise for the ways you provide for us in every place we find ourselves.
Today we especially thank you for the people who continually build us up,
whose love never wavers, even when we cannot receive it.
And we pray for those who struggle with their mental health,
with eating disorders,
with grief that overwhelms.
We remember this day those who are bullied,
those for whom home is not a safe place,
those who cannot be themselves even among their loved ones.
We ask for your comfort and your wholeness to cover them, fill them, and bring peace.
(brief silence)

We thank you this day for those who add their blessing and hope to our prayers,
who remind us of your faithfulness and guide us to trust your word.
And we pray for those who hear only words of despair,
who live in fear, in the midst of war or famine or disease.
We remember this day those who are ill,
those waiting for test results, praying not to get bad news,
those struggling to breathe or suffering through treatments.
We ask for your grace to be made tangible, to bring them hope and healing.
(brief silence)

We thank you this day for those who have walked this journey ahead of us,
whose songs of praise echo through the ages and remind us of what you can do.
We pray for those who wait impatiently for the day of your justice,
who have been oppressed and silenced and hungry and forgotten.
We remember this day those who work for peace,
those who have suffered at the hands of those who flex their might,
those who demand to be remembered, by you and by us.
We ask for your power to bring new life this day,
and your strength to turn this world toward the light of your kingdom, even now.
(brief silence)

We trust in your promise, O God, and so we offer ourselves,
the prayers of our hearts and the living of our days,
for your glory.
Hear us, and answer us, through the power of your Holy Spirit,
and in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Benediction
As you go into your week, 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.

Benediction Response
Words and tune (Gourock St. John’s): John L Bell
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.