Sunday service for 20 June 2021

Sunday service for 20 June 2021, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (SS Revisited 4)
Sanctuary/Refugee Sunday
Prepared by the Rev. Teri Peterson, Gourock St. John’s
Manse phone: 632143 
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

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Prelude Music

Welcome/Announcements

Call to Worship
One: When we are confidently following God into a new future,
All: the Holy Spirit surrounds us, going ahead to lead and coming up behind to protect.
One: When we are afraid of what’s next, longing for the comfort of days gone by,
All: the Holy Spirit surrounds us, watching over us and walking beside us on the way.
One: When we are uncertain what to do because there is no way forward and no way back,
All: the Holy Spirit surrounds us, filling us with all the courage we need for the next step.
One: Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
we direct our attention to the Way of Christ.
Come, let us worship together.

Let us pray.

Prayer of Confession
Lord, you are before and behind us, whether we stand in the midst of a crowd or the edge of the wilderness. We give you thanks for your constant presence, even as we admit that we don’t always see or hear you with us. So often we find ourselves standing at the edge…of uncertainty, of fear, of society, of faith, of life. We pray for your path to be clear, to show us your way, but we confess that sometimes we see it and we are afraid and turn our eyes back instead. We long for comfort, stability, familiarity. We admit to you that we prefer the easier way of what we have always done, even if it is not where you currently call. Forgive us, O God. Forgive us for our selective memory, our tendency to nostalgia, our hearts set on self-preservation. Turn our eyes forward, to where you are leading. Remind us that you are our God, and will never leave us. Give us faith to see your way, and courage to walk it. Focus our minds, hearts, and strength on your love, that we may know you fully…for to know you is to love you, and to love you is to serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom.
It is with faith and hope that we ask these things in the name of your Son, Jesus the Christ, whose love casts out all fear and leads us into new life with you. Amen.

Music
In person: Vesper Voluntary no 7 by Edward Elgar
Online: Our God was a Refugee by Resound Music

Reading: Exodus 14.5-31 (Common English Bible) 

Today’s reading is from the book of Exodus, chapter 14, beginning at verse 5, after the tenth plague, when the Israelites finally escaped from slavery in Egypt. I am reading from the Common English Bible.

When Egypt’s king was told that the people had run away, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people. They said, “What have we done, letting Israel go free from their slavery to us?” So he sent for his chariot and took his army with him. He took six hundred elite chariots and all of Egypt’s other chariots with captains on all of them. The Lord made Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, stubborn, and he chased the Israelites, who were leaving confidently. The Egyptians, including all of Pharaoh’s horse-drawn chariots, his cavalry, and his army, chased them and caught up with them as they were camped by the sea.
As Pharaoh drew closer, the Israelites looked back and saw the Egyptians marching toward them. The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt that you took us away to die in the desert? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt like this? Didn’t we tell you the same thing in Egypt? ‘Leave us alone! Let us work for the Egyptians!’ It would have been better for us to work for the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”
But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand your ground, and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never ever see again. The Lord will fight for you. You just keep still.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to get moving. As for you, lift your shepherd’s rod, stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two so that the Israelites can go into the sea on dry ground. But me, I’ll make the Egyptians stubborn so that they will go in after them, and I’ll gain honour at the expense of Pharaoh, all his army, his chariots, and his cavalry. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I gain honour at the expense of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his cavalry.”
God’s messenger, who had been in front of Israel’s camp, moved and went behind them. The column of cloud moved from the front and took its place behind them. It stood between Egypt’s camp and Israel’s camp. The cloud remained there, and when darkness fell it lit up the night. They didn’t come near each other all night.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord pushed the sea back by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. The waters were split into two. The Israelites walked into the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians chased them and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry. As morning approached, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian camp from the column of lightning and cloud and threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. The Lord jammed their chariot wheels so that they wouldn’t turn easily. The Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites, because the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water comes back and covers the Egyptians, their chariots, and their cavalry.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. At daybreak, the sea returned to its normal depth. The Egyptians were driving toward it, and the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the cavalry, Pharaoh’s entire army that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. The Israelites, however, walked on dry ground through the sea. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left.
The Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians that day. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the amazing power of the Lord against the Egyptians. The people were in awe of the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

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: At the Shore

Have you ever had that feeling of being trapped? Like wherever you look, there’s just no way to move…the way ahead is impossible, and the way back is blocked, and we end up so overwhelmed that our systems just shut down. At that moment, some people burst into tears. Others just sit down where they are and stare off into space. Some get out their phones and scroll through social media for hours without even noticing where the time went. Some go to sleep. Some try to just keep busy with anything they can think of, cleaning or busywork or doing things over and over hoping this time it’ll change.

The Israelites standing at the shore of the sea, with the Egyptian army behind them, decided the best option was to reminisce about the good old days and to complain about having left those days behind. Of course, the good old days were when they were enslaved, worked to death by the Egyptian pharaoh, living in constant fear of violence, and terrorised by Egyptian neighbours who might at any moment follow through on the order to throw their babies into the Nile. So those days weren’t exactly good…and they were certainly nothing to look back on with such nostalgia and longing. It was so awful that they had to run away in the middle of the night, their bread dough still un-proofed in bags on their bags.

And then they stood at the shore and wondered what to do.

This is, sadly, still a shockingly common experience. People who have experienced such violence, terror, and oppression that they have to run away, with only the possessions they can carry, standing at the shore and wondering what to do. There’s no way forward, but it’s too dangerous to go back. Worldwide there are more than 82 million people who have been displaced from their homes. Many of them have stood at the shore…of the Mediterranean, of the South Pacific, of rivers, and sometimes of the English Channel, and felt that overwhelm, and not really known what to do next. Every option is dangerous. Every option is costly. But one way, even though it is dangerous, leads to hope, however faint, and the other to despair or certain death.

What would you choose?

God’s desire for all people — God’s promise — is for life, abundant life. For justice, and liberation, and peace. All things that people standing on the shore of the Red Sea, and standing on the shore today, long for. They heard the promise…they hear the promise…and have really only two options. The same two options that we have when we look at our own future as a church, as a community, as individuals:

To give in to fear, turning back and relying on our own power to try to handle the deadly situation.

Or to trust God’s word, and step forward. Even knowing that there will be impossible challenges ahead. Even knowing that the people on the other side of the sea would resist this influx of newcomers. Even knowing that the journey isn’t over when we reach dry land. Even knowing that the promised land isn’t always all it’s made out to be. Yet still…even with all of that, there’s more hope ahead than behind. Standing on the shore, we have to decide whether we trust God’s promise that the best is yet to come, or whether we believe our own fear telling us that the best days are behind us.

There is a beautiful midrash about this story — a midrash is a story about a Bible story. They are a common way in the Jewish tradition to fill in some details and background with holy imagination, and they help explain different things they believe, too. This midrash was told by ancient rabbis, about the day that the Israelites stood on the shore of the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army closing in behind them. I think I may have talked about this story with you before, but it’s so great that I want to share it again. They looked at the water, and they looked at the army, and they looked at Moses and said “why did you bring us out here?” as if life in slavery was better. They were afraid because no matter which way they looked, there seemed no way out. And Moses told them to let God handle it. And God said “tell the people to get moving!” So Moses told them, stretching out his arm and using his staff to point the way. But remember that in the ancient world, the sea was a symbol of chaos. No one was willing to step into the chaos, into the danger.

Finally, one person moved. One person took a step toward the sea, and another, and another. Everyone else — every man, woman, child, and animal — watched. Some may have watched in fascination, others in trepidation, but they just…watched. Another step. The person dipped a toe in, and then took a step into the water. The waves came up over their sandals…and you know that first feel of the sea, when it’s warmer than you expect but colder than you want? The person stood there for a moment and let the waves come…and then another step, and another. Soon the water was up to the knee…and then a few more steps and it was waist-deep. Another pause, because it’s a scary moment to be waist deep in the sea! Acclimating to the temperature, moving their bag up onto their shoulders or maybe even perching it on their head…a step, a step, a step, and the people on the shore just watched.

The water was up to chest-deep, and at that point there’s nothing to do but keep going…one foot in front of the other. Don’t look back at the shore, or you might lose your nerve.

And when the water reached the person’s neck, they took a deep breath….and another step.

And then, just as the water reached their chin, as they lifted up their foot to take another step, the wind blew and the waters parted, and a path was revealed, and all the people were able to walk in together.

It just took someone willing to trust God enough to wade in, and to keep going, step after step.

That’s still true for us — someone needs to trust God enough to wade into the chaos, praying that the path will be revealed for all of us to walk through into the future God has planned. It’s true when we feel stuck as a family, and in our politics locally and nationally, and when we look at the challenges facing the church — we can’t go back because that way is certain death, and we can’t see how to go forward, but do we trust God’s promise that there are better days ahead of us?

And when we look at people fleeing their homes and livelihoods…do we see people following the story of the exodus, standing at the shore and pondering whether to go back to death or forward to faint hope? When they do take that step into the sea, are we waiting on the other side to welcome them or to reject them, to push them back toward despair and death, to fight every step of their journey when they were simply seeking freedom and peace and justice and hope? Imagine the mixture of desperation and faith it takes to get into one of those boats, or to step out into the desert, or any of the other ways people try to escape to a better life. That same mixture of desperation and faith is what led the Israelites into the sea…and kept them going when they encountered a hostile environment on the other side.

Imagine if, instead of a hostile environment, they had been welcomed, supported, celebrated…and together all the people, those newly liberated and those always free, had entered into abundant life together.

It’s not too late. We can make a difference for those already here in Scotland yet caught in the horrors of the asylum system. We can make a difference by demanding the UK government handle refugees with more compassion and less red tape. We can insist that a hostile environment is unacceptable, and we can build a community that welcomes those whose suffering has been beyond our comprehension and yet whose faith was so great they stepped into the sea.

God’s vision may feel like chaos, but all it takes it someone to step toward it…to trust God’s promise enough to make a move…and the path will be revealed. So what are we waiting for?

May it be so. Amen.

(online) Hymn 270: Put All Your Trust In God

Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Today’s prayers for Sanctuary Sunday are based on prayers written by refugees living in Scotland, and those who work with them.

We bow our hearts to You and pray, O God.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done.
You are a God who leads us, who makes a way when there is no way.
We give you thanks, O Lord, for being our refuge and my strength.
We give you thanks, for your creative Spirit is always at work,
making all things new.
We give you thanks, for though we feel scattered or on edge,
there is no place we can go beyond the reach of your love.
No matter what the circumstances, we can count on You to shelter us and to give us strength.

And so we are bold to lift our voices to you, to admit our need.

Gracious and merciful God,
we hold in our hearts and minds
all who have left or fled their country, their land, their homes,
seeking safer and better lives.
We thank You for the safe arrival on these shores
of all who have had to flee from war, conflict, persecution, and exploitation.
We lift up to You their hopes and dreams, their fears and anxieties,
and all their needs and necessities,
that they may be protected on their journeys,
their dignity and rights may be fostered, honoured and upheld,
and they may be welcomed with open arms
into generous and compassionate communities.

Especially we pray for those who now call Scotland home,
Bless all who have arrived here as refugees
and may they be welcomed here by all whom they meet.
We ask Your blessing also on those whom they have left behind –
family, friends, loved ones, whom they may never see again,
particularly for their safety.
And we ask your comfort for those who live daily with grief and anxiety,
for the parents who are weeping and lamenting,
who are waiting for their children,
whose trace is lost in the sea, in the desert, on railway tracks,
in shipping containers and uncertainty.
We join our voices with those crying out for justice
for those longing for a better life for themselves and their children,
and especially for those who perished in the process.
We lift up before you all those men, women, and children
who escaped from war zones, famine, or poverty
with the hope for a better, safer life,
and for those still desperate for liberation and for peace.

God of justice,
we bring before You political leaders, advisers and decision-makers
who hold the fate of others in their hands.
Make them aware of the causes of migration and flight,
and honest about our role in creating them and in changing our ways.
Keep their consciences alive so that refugees are offered protection and dignity.
May they be guided by solidarity and compassion
to decisions that recognise the human rights and belovedness
of every person made in your image.

As refugees find a new life here in Scotland,
we pray that they and their families will settle in;
we pray for the children, in their new schools and making new friends;
we pray for the adults, learning a new language and a new culture;
we pray for those helping them to find their feet in their new lives.
Lord, bless refugees and displaced persons everywhere,
and bring an end to the strife in our world

God of peace,
give us the strength to be witnesses of the suffering of the world
and fill us with the fire of Your spirit to renew our efforts to serve those in need
and give us the grace to welcome, learn about and share our lives
with people who come to live in our communities.
Make us a sign of your boundless love.

We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ,
who embodied your command to love our neighbour and welcome the stranger,
and who taught us to pray together,
Our Father…

(In person) Hymn 270: Put all your trust in God

Benediction
Friends, go into your week trusting God enough to take the first step — the first step toward God’s future of welcome, of justice, and of joy. 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 (tune: Gourock St. John’s, words by 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.

Postlude Music

Announcements

* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we also meet in person, subject to the usual protocols for distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing, and some limited singing! We can welcome approximately 35 people for worship, so if you would like to come in person, please phone Cameron (630879) on a MONDAY afternoon between 1-3pm or Anne Love (07904 617283) on a Saturday morning between 10-12 to book a place.

* Tonight we will gather with Christians across the nation for evening prayer on the Connect Facebook Page. Teri is leading tonight’s service, log on at 6:58pm to join in.

* 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 by clicking 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 or the manse 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!

* 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!

* Today is Sanctuary Sunday. It’s a day when we remember that more people are currently displaced from their homes than at any other point in history, and we join in prayer and commitment to justice and hospitality for those who are displaced. Very Rev Susan Brown, convener of the Faith Impact Forum, said hospitality reflects a fundamental aspect of our Christian calling.”The Gospel calls us to welcome the stranger”, she said. “We need too, to listen to the stories of those who have often had traumatic experiences, leading to horrendous journeys that carry even more trauma – all in an attempt to find violence free, freedom and sanctuary. Sanctuary Sunday allows us to stand alongside those who have come through so much as we pray and look for ways to support the stranger who longs to be a friend.” It is also a chance to celebrate the contribution to society of those who have begun new lives in Scotland under difficult circumstances.We are invited to pray with refugees and remember the difficulties they face as well as those who have lost their lives fleeing their homes. Rev Raheel Arif, who is the minister of Denny Old Parish Church linked with Haggs Parish Church, said: “The Church celebrates Refugee Sunday once a year, but our call as Christians is to act every day. “It is an opportunity for Christ’s body to reflect on God’s heart for refugees, and to pray and provide for the millions of struggling refugees and displaced people around the globe.” 
The Church of Scotland recently joined the #TogetherWithRefugees campaign alongside 200 organisations to call for a more humane approach to refugees. At the 2021 General Assembly, commissioners reaffirmed the Church of Scotland’s commitment to working with refugees including campaigning for the development of safe and legal routes for those seeking sanctuary in the UK.
Learn more, and how you can get involved, at Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees: 
http://www.sfar.org.uk.