Sunday service for 3 August 2025

Sunday 3 August 2025
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

Welcome

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.

Call to Worship
One: Come, for the presence of God leads us.
All: We come, hopeful even in our uncertainty.
One: Stand firm, for the presence of God surrounds us.
All: We stand, for what else can we do?
One: Go, for the presence of God pushes us out.
All: We will go, renewed as God’s people.

Sanctuary Hymn 127: O Worship the King

Prayer
Holy and Liberating God,
You call us to be ready,
to prepare to experience your power,
for You are making all things new.
We confess that we rarely expect you to act,
and we aren’t convinced of the need for “new”…
the way things are works for us,
and we admit we have grown complacent,
building up traditions that make us feel good without requiring anything of us.
We are good at using words of freedom and justice,
but too often we resist the tangible implications of your liberating grace.
We see the needs of the world and the oppression of our neighbours
and the faltering of your Body the church,
but we insist on taking more time, going slow,
ensuring everyone is in agreement before taking any action.
Forgive us for telling our neighbours to wait for justice.
Forgive us for holding back when you are calling us forward, urgently, now.
Forgive us for believing that we can control the spread of freedom so that no one —
or no one like us — needs to be uncomfortable.
Change our hearts and our lives, now.
Make today the new beginning that marks the coming of your kingdom among us.
We stand at the edge, O God —
the edge of hope and fear, the edge of life and death,
the edge of sorrow and joy, the edge of past and future,
and our courage wavers.
Sustain us, Lord.
Hold us when we begin to falter,
push us on when we long to turn back,
reveal yourself in ways we cannot yet imagine.
All we have is our trust, and we place it in you.
From this day of new beginnings,
through the uncertainty that lies ahead,
relying on your presence and power,
we make our way into your promised future.
Lift our eyes to follow where only you can lead.
We ask through the name of Jesus and the power of your ever-present Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Online Hymn: Sing a Hymn to God’s Great Glory (Resound)

Sanctuary Hymn 173: Sing to God New Songs of Worship

Children’s Time and Bible Story: Exodus 7-12
Last week we heard about Moses and Aaron confronting Pharaoh over and over again, and God sending ten plagues on the land of Egypt to demonstrate who’s the real God here. We ended with the final plague, where the firstborn of every generation in every family was killed in the night, and Pharaoh told Moses to take the people and get out, not even waiting for the sun to rise — leave now. We pick up the story today right there, when Moses and Aaron leave Pharaoh’s palace having been told to get out, at the end of Exodus chapter 12, and we will read about halfway through chapter 15.

The Egyptians were so afraid, after all these plagues that had gotten worse and worse, that soon they would all be dead like the firstborn, so they demanded that the Israelites leave immediately, even while every Egyptian household was still wailing with grief, that same night. They rushed the Israelites to get out, so they picked up their bags, where they’d packed the jewellery and valuables they got from those same Egyptian neighbours who were now demanding they leave right now. They wrapped their cloaks around their mixing bowls that already had bread dough in them — there was no time for the dough to prove and bake properly, because they had to go right now. They just attached those to the top of their packs and they left. It had been 430 years since Joseph’s family of 70 people had joined him in Egypt…and now Moses carried Joseph’s bones with him in his pack as they left… 600,000 men, plus women and children, plus the flocks and herds, plus a mixed group of other people who didn’t feel they belonged in Egypt anymore either.

God went in front of them as a pillar of fire by night, lighting the way, and a pillar of cloud in the day time, leading them, so they could travel day and night. God didn’t want to take them along the shorter Mediterranean route, across the top of the Sinai and by the land of the Philistines that we now know as Gaza, because if they met any opposition or an army called out to stop the giant crowd approaching the border, God thought they might decide it was too difficult and turn back. Instead, God led them, a pillar of fire and cloud, in a roundabout way through the wilderness on the Red Sea side, and they camped at a place called Succoth. They had their flatbread that had baked in the packs along the way, but that was all the food they had packed, because they hadn’t had time — it wasn’t even proved and baked properly, just dough baked by the hot desert sun. But still God told them: every year from now on, this will be the food you’ll eat to remember the day you were set free: unleavened bread and roasted lamb, to remember that I brought you out with a mighty hand.

After a wee rest, they journeyed on through the wilderness, and the pillar of fire and cloud never left its place in front of them, leading the way day and night. After their next camp, God told Moses to turn the people around, and they went back the way just a bit…God said “Pharaoh will hear about it and think you’ve gotten lost in the wilderness, and he will come after you. His heart is hardened and I will win a great victory that will be told from generation to generation, and all Egypt will know that I am the LORD.” So the people followed the pillar of fire and cloud back in the direction they had come, just for a bit, and then they camped right beside the Red Sea.

Pharaoh heard that the Israelites were wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, and his heart was hardened. He and his officials changed their minds and said “why did we ever let them go? Now who will do all the work?” Pharaoh summoned his chariot, and he called together the entire Egyptian army — all the chariots and soldiers in the whole land. They rode out to pursue the Israelites. As they got close, the Israelite people turned to look back and they could see the dust rising, they could see the army getting closer, and they were so afraid. In their fear, they cried out to God…and they were so scared that next they turned on Moses. “Why did you bring us here? Were there not enough graves in Egypt to bury us there, you had to bring us out here to die? We told you at first to leave us alone! It would be better to be enslaved to the Egyptians than to die out here alone in the wilderness!” They just kept shouting at Moses and at God, they were so scared. Moses said “don’t be afraid, just stand firm and see how God will deliver you today. God will fight for you, all you have to do is stand firm and see what the Lord will do.”

God said to Moses: get moving! It’s time to move forward. Stretch out your staff over the sea, and go forward. Moses stretched out his staff over the sea and the wind picked up and blew so hard that that night the sea parted, revealing a path. The water was a wall on each side, but the sea floor was a dry path. Moses led the people on the path, and the pillar of fire and cloud moved behind them, between the people and the Egyptian army. All night long the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground…and the Egyptians followed them in with their chariots. They couldn’t get close because the pillar of cloud and fire was there, but the whole army of chariots followed on the path. Just as dawn was about to break, the last of the Israelites stepped out of the sea, and God looked at the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and the ground began to get soft and soggy and the chariot wheels got stuck. The Egyptians panicked and shouted out to each other to turn around, because God was fighting on the Israelites side! But before they could turn around, God said to Moses: “stretch out your staff over the water” and he did, and the walls of water collapsed and the sea returned to normal…and the entire Egyptian army was swept away by the waves, not one remained, not even Pharaoh.

And Miriam, Moses’ big sister, took out her tambourine, and all the women took their tambourines and led the people in singing and dancing, a brand new song: “glory to God, the mighty Lord…he has thrown horse and rider into the sea, by his powerful hand he has set us free.”

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: follow that pillar!
Here we are, finally — halfway through our series on Exodus, and just at the big climactic moment: freedom! God said Go, and the Israelites went…

But it still wasn’t easy.

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about a couple of different aspects of this story, and how familiar they feel even though the story is thousands of years old. It might not seem super contemporary on first glance, but as I was memorising the story to tell it today, some things started to stand out.

The first thing I noticed that feels surprisingly current was that God led the people the long way rather than the most direct route…specifically because God was worried that if there were too many obstacles or opposition, the people would want to go back to Egypt. But ultimately they wanted to go back anyway! So on the one hand, God was right…at the first sign of difficulty, in their fear they turned on both God and Moses and wished they were still back in slavery because that was better than the challenges they faced now. On the other hand…if they were going to demand to go back either way, why not just go the shorter route? It seems like God’s plan to go the long way had the same outcome as going the short way would have…so there must be more to the reasoning and the story than we can see at this point in the story.

But how often do we wish we could have just taken the shortcut, if the short-term outcome was going to be the same anyway? What difference does it make if we go through the whole process or if we skip to the end? From our limited human perspective, maybe it doesn’t make any difference. But from God’s perspective, there must be a reason…a bigger picture. That doesn’t make it any easier when we feel like we are in the middle of pointlessly going the hard way, but keeping our eye on God’s leading will also draw our attention beyond the current challenge and invite us to a glimpse of that bigger picture.

I think part of the reason they had to go the long way, even though they would still end up wishing to go back at the first sign of difficulty, is that if they’d just walked along the Mediterranean route into the promised land, God’s victory over Egypt, vanquishing their military industrial complex as well as the leader who thought he was god, would not have been complete. And the people would not have seen the fullness of God’s power over the sea — the symbol of chaos — as well as the land and its people. And I think also the staying power of their moment of liberation would not have been as great…this way there is a major moment, a core memory that will stand the test of time and storytelling through the generations, an event that will define a people and their relationship with God for millennia. God is the one who saves, who sets free — not through a battle that the people have to fight and win, but by God’s own hand and God’s own providing. We are the people God has set free with power and presence, and we could not have done it with our own power and strength. Both God and the people needed that…which means they had to go the long way to get there. So perhaps when it feels like we are wandering aimlessly, going around in circles, taking the long way instead of the shortcut that was right there for goodness’ sake…perhaps God is giving us something we need, even if we didn’t know we needed it.

The second thing I noticed that feels really current to me has to do with the sort of whiplash feeling they must have had. They were escaping, they went in the middle of the night, not even time to pack provisions beyond the unbaked bread dough. The atmosphere in that group must have been electric — so urgent, so excited to finally be free. Imagine the buzz in the camp the first few nights and the first few stops. Following God’s pillar of cloud and fire…knowing that even though they didn’t know where they were going, God was leading so it was all going to be great. And then the camp beside the sea, a beach holiday for the formerly enslaved…until they were hemmed in from behind by the approaching army. Then the sea turned from a delight to a dead end, it might as well have been a brick wall. They were trapped.

I think sometimes this is what it feels like in the institutional church right now. We get a lot of excitement about something, whatever the latest new thing is…we head down the road, so sure it will be our salvation…and then we meet a dead end. And not only can we not move forward because the obstacles are insurmountable, but we can’t go back either. We’ve talked already in this series about how demoralising it is when you get your hopes up and then they’re dashed…how much worse is it when we thought we were following God only to end up stopped in our tracks by something we can’t just work harder to overcome?

Standing there at the seashore and feeling that excitement turn to despair and panic…having had that tiny taste of freedom, that glimpse of the future that we longed for, only to have it all crash in on itself like waves breaking on the beach…we’ve been there, as a church. Sometimes I think it’s where the whole Church of Scotland is. We have had so many promising starts, and so many brick walls. And like the Israelites, we have assumed it wasn’t God leading us after all, and then turned on our leaders and blamed them for getting us into this situation…which means we’ve taken our eyes off the pillar of cloud and fire. We’ve looked away from God’s guiding presence, thinking we’d been mistaken. And then, unlike the Israelites…maybe we missed what God did in the dark of night, revealing a way where we thought there was no way. We didn’t want to follow the leader we were blaming for our situation, so we stayed on the shore. And sure, God’s pillar moved behind to protect us from the immediate threat of the army there, but we did not move our feet onto that new and impossible path, we stayed firmly camped where we were as if it was the best we could hope for now.

What would it take for us to step into the sea?

That question brings me to the third thing that stood out to me in this story…it was just a passing reference, but I think it was important. We heard that it was 430 years between Joseph’s family joining him in Egypt and then going out again…and that Moses himself carried Joseph’s bones. Those are 400 year old bones, carried like a priceless treasure.

They were a symbol, a reminder, that God had cared for them in the past. That God’s promise was ongoing. That God was present way back then, and because they had that experience, they could trust that God was present now.

Remember how the book of Exodus began? A new pharaoh arose, who did not know Joseph. Because he had forgotten his history, because the memory of being guided by God was too distant, all these things happened. But the Israelites carried the memory with them. They brought into their new life this tangible reminder that there has not been a single moment when God wasn’t with them, providing for them, giving them a future with hope even when they could not see how it would be possible. And carrying that, even though it was a burden to bear, also meant they could trust the pillar of fire and cloud enough to follow even when the route didn’t make sense. They could let their anger at Moses die down for a bit and follow his footsteps into the sea. Because they carried forward the truth of God’s presence and promise.

But that was all: the bones of Joseph. They didn’t carry all the other accoutrements that had built up over 400 years. They didn’t carry enough provisions to last the journey. They didn’t pack wagon trains of their favourite things. They didn’t dismantle their buildings and carry the bricks. They carried the symbol of God’s providing, the man who had listened to God’s dreams and saved the entire region from famine…and that was all, and it was enough.

What do we need to carry to give us the courage to follow the strange path, the courage to step into the sea? We can’t carry everything from our old life, but we need to have something. What will be our reminder of God’s promise and presence and providing? What will not hold us back, not be a burden too heavy to bear for the distance, but will give us the strength to step forward in faith?

I don’t have an answer today. I suspect it might be different for each of us, and for each church family. What I know is that we can’t keep up our endless wishes for a shortcut…we can’t step into the sea if we don’t trust that God’s impossible path leads somewhere better than where we have been and the best days are ahead of us…and we know God has been present through every generation, so carrying that promise forward is the only way to go. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire never left its place leading the people…will we follow?

May it be so. Amen.

Hymn: Faith Begins By Letting Go (text: Carl P Daw Jr b. 1944)

Sanctuary Offering and Response 809 (tune: Old Hundredth)
Praise God, the Source of life and birth;
praise God the Word, who came to earth;
praise God the Spirit, holy flame:
all glory, honour to God’s name.
Amen

Concerns of the Church
Food Bank – diluting juice, tinned mince & onions, tinned stew, tinned ravioli, tinned macaroni, tinned fruit, pasta sauce
Bible Study – none this week due to holiday club
Holiday Club – donations, prayers…it starts tomorrow!
Prayer Groups: Sunday morning at 10:10, Brian; intercessory group Fiona W.

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer (Anne L)

During this intercessory prayer after I say Lord, in Your mercy I invite you to join me in saying Hear our prayer.
Gracious and merciful God,
We come before You with hearts full of hope, sorrow, and deep concern for our world. In a time of great need, we lift our voices in intercession.
For nations at war and people displaced by violence
We pray especially for peace in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and all places torn by conflict.
Comfort those who have lost homes, loved ones, and any sense of safety.
Guide world leaders toward just and lasting peace.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For those affected by climate disasters
We lift up communities struck by wildfires, floods, and droughts—especially in California, India, and the Horn of Africa.

Protect the vulnerable, inspire global cooperation, and strengthen our resolve to care for Your creation.

Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For the hungry and the poor

As food prices soar and economic inequality deepens, we pray for those who are hungry, jobless, and without shelter.

Empower us to share generously and work toward systems of equity and compassion.
Lord, in Your mercy,

Hear our prayer.
For refugees and the displaced

We remember the millions seeking safety across borders—
those fleeing persecution, poverty, and environmental devastation.
May they find welcome, provision, and dignity.
Lord, in Your mercy,

Hear our prayer.
For those suffering in mind, body, or spirit

We pray for those overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, addiction, or chronic illness.

Bring healing, connection, and hope.
Help us to be present to one another in love.

Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For the Church and people of faith across the world

May we be a light in the darkness—
courageous in truth, generous in love, and faithful in prayer.

Renew us by Your Spirit and send us out as agents of peace and justice.

Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
On this the 3rd day of August we pray for your other Churches in Gourock: for St Ninian’s Roman Catholic Church, Old Gourock & Aston Parish Church, Gourock Community Baptist Church, Struthers Church, Bethany Hall, the Vineyard Church, and other independent churches.
For the leaders of St. John’s congregation: for the elders, the Kirk Session, the Session Clerk and Assistant Session Clerk, and the Treasurer.
For the land, people and governments of the nations of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Andorra, Spain and Portugal
Lord, in Your mercy,

Hear our prayer.
And we now join our voices together in say The 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.

Sanctuary Hymn 270: Put All Your Trust In God

Sending

When God says “go”…go! And trust that God is leading us into a new life that is far better than anything we can even imagine. And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you…and 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 if you thought you were 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

* The summer exploratorium starts tomorrow, with 46 children registered. Please be praying for the volunteer team, and for the children and families who will come!

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and 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.

* The first Sunday of the month at 11am is now an all-age service, with different ways of encountering God’s word without a traditional sermon. All people — young and old, different personalities and learning styles, are welcome! You’ll find a more informal service with a variety of music, a Bible story, prayer, and some more interactive elements. The online service for the first Sunday will therefore also be different — there will still be a reading, prayers, and music, but usually not a sermon.
*******HOWEVER: In August, our all-age service will be on the SECOND Sunday, the 10th, to celebrate the end of the Exploratorium.

* Starter Packs are in need of Bathroom/Kitchen Cleaner, Washing up Liquid, Cleaning Cloths and Hand Wash.
The FoodBank are running low on diluting juice, tinned mince & onions, tinned stew, tinned ravioli, tinned macaroni, tinned fruit, and pasta sauce.
You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week and we are currently running about £500 short? 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 parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that item in the budget.

* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email newsletter! 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. 

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study is at 7:30pm in the Manse and we are reading Luke! HOWEVER, there is no bible study this Wednesday — we will resume next Wednesday the 13th.

* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.