Sunday service for 26 June 2022

26 June 2022
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143 
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

Prelude Music

Welcome

Call to Worship (from Wild Goose Wee Worship Book 5)
One: In the beginning,
before time, before people,
before the world began,
All: God was.
One: Here and now,
among us, beside us,
clearer than air, closer than breathing,
All: God is.
One: In all that is to come,
when we have turned to dust
and human knowledge has been completed,
All: God will be.
One: Not despairing of earth, but delighting in it,
not condemning the world, but redeeming it,
through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
All: God was, God is, God will be.

Online hymn: God Who Laid the Earth’s Foundations (Resound Worship)
Sanctuary Hymn 124: Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of Creation

Prayer
If we say we have no sin, we’re lying to ourselves, and that makes it difficult for us to hear truth or experience love. There’s no need for this pretence, for God is never deceived. When we are honest about our faults and failures, God clears our hearts and minds and spirits so that there is room for the Holy Spirit to fill us and bring our faith to life. So let us join together in prayer.

God, you are love, and those who know love know you. We confess that we have sometimes thought of you as harsh or demanding, and worried about your judgment when we get things wrong. We have been afraid to be our full selves, afraid to tell the truth of our feelings or anxieties, afraid to let others see what’s behind the image we project. Forgive us for hiding from you and from each other. We long to be fully known, and to experience the grace and love you so freely offer. Take from us today any thought that does not glorify you, so that we may find ourselves devoted to your way of living — in community, holy and one. Help us to see you so clearly, and know your love so deeply, that we may be serve you in every word and deed, for to serve you is perfect freedom. We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ, who came among us, lived and died and rose again, to put your love into flesh. Amen.

Friends, if anyone is in Christ, the whole creation is made new — the old has gone, and the new has come! Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit, know that you are forgiven, and live as if you are forgiven, loved, and free. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sanctuary: Children’s Time (Song: Wa Wa Wa Emimimo)

Reading: Psalm 121, Robert Alter translation 
I lift up my eyes to the mountains:
from where will my help come?
My help is from the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.
He does not let your foot stumble.
Your guard does not slumber.
Look, He does not slumber nor does He sleep,
Israel’s guard.
The Lord is your guard,
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
By day the sun does not strike you,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord guards you from all harm,
He guards your life.
The Lord guards your going and your coming,
now and forevermore.

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: Above To Watch Over
It’s something we do here all the time: I lift up my eyes to the hills…but of course when we do it we are usually admiring the view, perhaps giving thanks to God for the beauty of creation and the blessing of living in this incredible place. Maybe we’re grabbing a photo of the sunset behind the hills, or pondering a wee trip across the water to walk them, or standing on top of one of the many hills on which our town is built, taking in the panoramic views over the Clyde and beyond, or just walking the dog or traipsing up the hill from the station at the end of a long day, looking up the slope toward home.

We lift up our eyes to the hills, and the wonders of God are revealed. We know, intellectually, that heaven isn’t exactly literally higher up, above us, but somehow the hills still make us feel as if we are closer.

The person writing the psalm, though, saw something different when they looked up at the hills. Imagine being a pilgrim, walking toward Jerusalem. Coming from other parts of the country with plains, or low gentle slopes, and arriving in the hill country, it could feel imposing. Walking in the valleys, approaching these hills you have to climb to reach the Temple, anticipating the physical effort ahead while also knowing that those narrow paths were a perfect place for bandits to hide in the hills and catch travellers unawares. Looking up at the hills would bring anxiety, maybe even fear. If something happens here in this unfamiliar terrain, from where will my help come?

The psalmist then pictures God almost standing on the top of the hill, keeping an eye on everything, and everyone. No bandit would dare attack with God standing as a sentinel. And the effort of climbing those hills feels somehow less daunting, knowing God is there to help. God, the maker of the hills, was going above you, to watch over you.

There are some scholars who think that this psalm is actually a conversation — with the first part being the words of a person entering a scary situation. Though we may not be afraid of bandits attacking us on the road, there’s plenty in our own lives that causes us concern or anxiety or worry. Whatever it is that weighs on your mind or heart, whatever scenarios play out in your imagination, whatever possible problems seem to be floating on the horizon…I’m sure it doesn’t take much to call them to mind. Take a moment to just pull those things into focus for a moment. The psalmist has very real worries in front of him, and we do too. And perhaps like we do when we don’t know what else to do, he looks up and maybe even prays with a little edge of desperation. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains…from where will my help come?”

And like a Sunday school answer, ready on the tongue even if not always dwelling in the heart, we can say the affirmation: My help is from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. We know it, in our minds. We know that God the Creator is also God who is Love, and that God helps us when we are in need. And also sometimes it’s hard to recognise that help in the moment, when we’re consumed by the problem at hand or the challenge in front of us. Sometimes it feels like we’re caught in the threads of thoughts that just wrap around and get tangled with no easy way out, and in those moments of fear or frustration or worry or danger it can be really hard to take in or make sense of anything people say to us, and hard to really feel deep down the things we have said so easily before.

That’s why we need the friend the psalmist has — the friend who will remind us of the truth, but in simple ways that can pierce through the fear and frustration. You know: short words, repeated over and over, until they sink in and let a bit of light start to shine through. The whole rest of the psalm is that friend offering a blessing, saying what we need to hear, repeating over and over the word shamar — in six verses it’s used six times! Shamar is a word that can mean watchman or guard, the person whose job it is to pay attention and notice everything…and it also means someone who tends or keeps, like a shepherd or keeper taking care of animals or gardens, making sure they have everything they need to flourish and grow. Some of you know that I used to love the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the person who looks out for Buffy is called her Watcher — the job of the Watcher is to keep an eye on the slayer, to help her if she gets into difficulty, to be backup in a tricky situation, and also to teach her, to train her for the task ahead. The Watcher is like a protector, a shepherd, a mentor, and a personal trainer, all in one.

God is your shamar — your watcher. God never sleeps, never takes his eyes off you, is always there day and night, providing everything you need to flourish through whatever difficulty lies ahead. Literally you can never see the sun or moon without God also watching over you. Coming and going, wherever we find ourselves — in dark valley or bright heights, and everywhere in between — God is paying attention.

When I put it like that, it can sound a little weird. But this is not about God spying on us all the time, or stalking us in some creepy way. It’s about God’s constant care. There is nowhere we can go that would be beyond God’s view. There is no trouble we can get into that God isn’t present in. There is no problem in front of us that God is not equipping us to face. That’s what it means for the watchman, the guard, the tender, the keeper, the shepherd, to be watching over us. Not just protecting like a shield, but teaching us how to walk the journey.

This blessing doesn’t say that there won’t be troubles on the way, or that the road will always be smooth and flat. The whole psalm is about an uphill journey that has plenty of dangers, toils, and snares ahead. Instead it’s a mantra for us to repeat, a word to hear when our minds can’t manage anything else, a reminder that we are not alone, and that God is always helping us get ready for the next step. God is our keeper providing for us, our watchman with eyes open at all hours, our guard who will never leave his post. As we walk this journey of life and faith, whatever may come, we lift our eyes to the hills: to take in the beautiful view and give thanks to the Creator, and to look for help when everything inside us feels confusing or impossible. God — who made those very hills — goes above us to watch over us.

May it be so. Amen.

Hymn 81: I To The Hills Will Lift Mine Eyes
I to the hills will lift mine eyes:
from whence doth come mine aid?
My safety cometh from the Lord,
who heaven and earth hath made.

Thy foot he’ll not let slide, nor will
he slumber that thee keeps.
Behold, he that keeps Israel,
he slumbers not, nor sleeps.

The Lord thee keeps; the Lord thy shade
on thy right hand doth stay;
the moon by night thee shall not smite
nor yet the sun by day.

The Lord shall keep thy soul; he shall
preserve thee from all ill;
henceforth thy going out and in
God keep for ever will.

Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer (Adapted from Bare Feet & Buttercups page 142)
Creator God, we give you thanks for the joy of creation,
for all that you have made and given,
for all that we participate in shaping and creating,
for the springing forth of new vision.
We give you thanks for the vitality of creation,
around us and in us,
for times of stillness and rest and renewal,
for times of play and laughter and refreshment,
for all that nourishes and restores both earth and its creatures.
We give thanks for the passion you have planted within us,
and for the vision you are bringing to birth through us,
and most of all for your love that is both strong and compassionate,
at the core of all things.
For the places in the world where it is harder to see love, we pray.
…
For the creation that groans under our weight and suffers because of our choice not to care, we pray.
…
For the people who do not have the privilege of rest, or play, or laughter, we pray.
…
For the people whose passion and vision are dimmed by exhaustion, stress, trauma, and illness, we pray.
…
For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, we pray.
…
For your church, seeking its way in a different world than we ever could have imagined, we pray.
…
For our town — for all who live here, work here, have businesses here, come to experience its beauty, come seeking healing, or find themselves in need of a friend here, we pray.
…
For ourselves, open and honest about our needs and hopes, longing for clarity on your call, we pray.
…
Thank you for your faithfulness in watching over us.
Trusting in your word, O God,
we pray to recognise your promised presence
as we ask all things in the power of your Spirit
and the powerful name of our Saviour, 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 127: O Worship the King

Sending
Go into your week with your eyes lifted to the hills, trusting that the God who made heaven and earth goes above you to watch over you. The Spirit of God will also go beside you to be your companion, and before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone, and 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

*You are invited to join in reading the Bible in a year for 2022 — immersing ourselves in God’s word throughout the year. We get together to discuss each week on Wednesday at 7:30pm in the Sanctuary. Please enter via the front door on Bath street — if you can’t manage the stairs, let us know and someone will meet you at the St John’s Road door. All are welcome, no experience necessary! Feel free to invite a friend, too! Anyone who has ever wondered just what the Bible actually says and what it has to do with us is welcome. NOTE: The Bible Study will not meet on 29 June, though we will individually finish reading the book of Proverbs. We will meet again in the sanctuary on 6 July.

*Next Sunday, 3 July, we will celebrate the sacrament of Communion together.

*Note that we have a number of weddings in the sanctuary in coming days:
3 July, 3pm: Irene Donald (Frizzell) and Danny Sorrell
8 July, 11am: Sarah Glenny and David McGahey
9 July, 1pm: Ross Aitken and Emily Atterton

*All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we also meet in the sanctuary at 11am. Hand sanitiser is available at every entrance, and mask-wearing is optional. Masks are available at the door if you would like one. 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.

* Tonight we will gather for evening prayer on the Connect Facebook Page, led tonight by Teri. 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!

*Young Adults Bible Study is now meeting together many Sunday afternoons, sometimes in the manse and sometimes on Zoom. Contact Teri for information on how to join and for a copy of the book they are using.