Sunday service for 9 August 2026

Sunday 9 August 2026, Bloom Where You’re Planted 4
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson (with prayers adapted from Iona Abbey Worship Book)
Manse phone: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

If the video doesn’t play, please click here to view it on our YouTube channel.

Sanctuary Prelude Music (praise band)

Welcome

We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing) (praise band)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.

Opening Responses
One: Above us, God watches over all creation
All: Above us, God rains down blessings
One: Beside us, before us, behind us, God guides our path
All: Beside us, before us, behind us, God tends us along the journey
One: Beneath us, God is the rock on which we stand
All: Beneath us, God is the nourishing ground of all being
One: Within us, God is the breath of life
All: Within us, God fills us to overflowing with love

Sanctuary Hymn 531: My Jesus, My Saviour (praise band) (Frances favourite)

Prayer
Eternal God, in this place, for generation after generation,
your people have encountered your living word.
We come here, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
to renew and strengthen our grafting into your vine,
to be nurtured into the growth you desire for your kingdom.
You have shown us what you require:
to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with you.
We try, sometimes.
Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we fail.
We confess that we get mixed up,
we commit ourselves only imperfectly and sometimes
we commit ourselves to other ways…
Forgive us when we have dedicated our energy to the wrong things.
Forgive us when we have refused your pruning because we like the way things are.
Forgive us when we have given our hearts and our gifts elsewhere than to you.
Forgive us, and set us right.
Take from us all that does not glorify you,
and fill us instead with your grace.
As branches linked together in the Living Vine,
may we grow with each other and with you
that our common life may bear the fruit of your kingdom
for the salvation of the world.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Online Hymn 580: Abide With Me

Sanctuary Children’s Time

Scripture Reading: John 15.1-11
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

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.

Sanctuary Hymn 580: Abide With Me (organ) (Helen S favourite)

Sermon: fruity
Last time this reading came up, three years ago, I was still lamenting the aggressive cutting of the beautiful cherry tree in the manse garden the previous autumn…and grudgingly admitting that it might be okay. This past spring, the tree did in fact finally flower again, and carpet the grass with the delicate pink blossoms in the way that makes me so happy…and while the shape of the tree is still not how it was, it is obviously far healthier than I expected three years ago. I am still sometimes sad about what it was before, but I have to admit that Harry the gardener was right.

Around the same time the tree was cut back, I planted a boysenberry bush in the back garden. I grew up where boysenberries are native and I love the flavour, so I was excited to see it at the garden centre and looking forward to enjoying them. I knew it wouldn’t fruit the first year, but then I’ve had flowers or just one or two berries since and I was beginning to worry. Naturally, I googled what to do to care for it, and I learned that every autumn I was supposed to cut back the stalks that had grown flowers or berries, all the way to the ground.

I couldn’t believe that was the instruction — the bit of the plant that had managed to bear fruit, I was supposed to cut right back. Surely that couldn’t be right…it was the successful part! Why should I cut off the parts that worked and leave the parts that didn’t? I read multiple different websites with instructions because I was so certain that it must have been backwards…didn’t they mean I should cut the parts that hadn’t borne any fruit, rather than the parts that had?

Nope. Cut back the fruitful branches.

It turns out that pruning is for fruitful branches…not a punishment for unfruitful ones.

I’m not sure where along the way I got the idea that when Jesus talks about God the vinegrower pruning branches, it was some kind of judgment. He certainly doesn’t say that at all. He says every branch that bears fruit he prunes so it will bear more fruit. But there’s something about pruning that makes it feel like it’s…painful. Which is true, it can be. But the emphasis isn’t on harshness or punishment at all…it’s on growing fruit. The fruitful branch is the very one that gets pruned. And in fact it’s BECAUSE it bore fruit this season that it gets pruned!

What if we let God prune the fruitful branches while they are still fruitful…rather than our usual human tradition of holding on to everything for dear life until we physically and spiritually can’t do it anymore? How might that perspective of pruning currently fruitful branches in order to bear more fruit change how we think about what we do in our Christian life and our church life?

As I was thinking about this, I started to wonder if we even know what these words actually mean in real life. We talk a lot about abiding in God, about keeping connected to the vine, about bearing fruit…but those are like spiritual concepts, kind of abstract. What do they mean, practically?

I don’t like to be the kind of preacher that defines that for us because I often think each of us needs to discern how to live our own faith. But the more I thought about it this week, the more I realised that in some ways that gives me, and you, an easy out. We can talk forever about abiding and vine and branches and fruit and pruning and never do any of it. Or we can talk about praying for God to prune but then never let go of a single thing ourselves. So I wonder if we can take a moment to put some actual practical, tangible, real life meaning to this.

What does it mean in our real everyday human life to abide in God, to keep connected to the vine? This part feels fairly easy to define — it means prayer, in the two-way communication sense. Not just when we need something but every day…or as Paul says, without ceasing. It means reading Scripture regularly — not just on Sundays — so we can be nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It means looking for the movement of the Spirit around us, in creation and in community. To abide in God, to be connected to Christ the vine, is to be aware of being in God’s presence, and to prioritise that relationship by investing time and attention.

But then what does it mean to bear fruit? And how do we know if our faith, or a church program or ministry, is bearing fruit?

Of course we know that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, generosity, gentleness, and self-control. And hopefully our lives demonstrate more and more of these things every day we walk with Jesus. But then again…those are also kind of big-idea words.

It’s also easy to say that we’ll know something bears fruit if more people come to church on a Sunday. But is the number of people showing up in a particular building for an hour (and fifteen minutes!) all that Jesus means by bearing fruit?

I think it is true that one way that we who are disciples of Jesus bear fruit is that we make more disciples. Not just that we make more church members, but that we encourage people to follow Jesus.

And also, our faith bears fruit when our community is better off because we’re here than they would be if we were just another club or social group. Because fruit doesn’t feed itself — it’s for feeding others.

Our faith bears fruit when vulnerable people are cared for, and also when the things that make them vulnerable are addressed so that it doesn’t happen to anyone else. So one way of bearing fruit is to feed people like Jesus did regularly, and another is to advocate for employment practices that mean no one is stuck on a zero hours contract that doesn’t pay enough to house and feed their family.

Our faith bears fruit when we become peacemakers, not just peace lovers. Yes, the fruit of peace includes our own sense of inner peace, that trust in God’s bigger picture that comes from being connected to the vine and that allows us to face big challenges without being overcome by fear. And also peace is not just for us, it’s for everyone and it’s our responsibility to make it happen…choosing our words so that they are peaceful and not violent — no matter who we are talking to or what we are talking about. Choosing where we spend our money so that we aren’t inadvertently supporting violence against people or the environment, even when it means taking time to research before we shop. Choosing how we vote so that the dignity of every human being is upheld, not just the ones who look like us. We can’t pray for peace and simultaneously support war, nor can we protect our own inner peace while ignoring facts such as the most dangerous place for a woman, statistically, is inside her own home, especially during a major sporting event, and that violence in our own neighbourhood is ours to address.

Our faith bears fruit when we make room for everyone in our community — when we have the patience and the self-control and the generosity of spirit to accept the variety of personalities and gifts, to allow people to be fully themselves, and to find ways to be a family together.

Our faith bears fruit when we give of ourselves — our time, our talent, and our treasure. I mean time and talent in volunteering, yes, and also time in attending things where our presence would be a gift to others, whether that’s a church event or a concert or sport that someone in our church family is playing in, or a talent we might have to share that would be a support or encouragement to another. And I mean treasure, yes, our money and resources that God has given us though we talk about earning them for ourselves…like every gift, God gives us resources for a purpose, so how are we using our income for God’s purpose? Giving may feel sometimes like pruning, but pruning brings about more growth — growth is rarely comfortable, but it is still what God wants for us.

Bearing fruit is more than just pretty words to say and sing — Jesus uses this image because he expects his disciples to live their faith in a way that nourishes the world around us. The fruit we bear isn’t to feed ourselves — it’s for others. And that fruit bears the seeds of the next crop, too, and so the kingdom continues to grow.

May it be so. Amen.

Silence for Reflection

Online Hymn: Thrive (Casting Crowns)
Sanctuary Hymn: We Are Called to Be God’s People (words: Thomas A Jackson b. 1931; tune: 339 Nettleton) (organ)

Sanctuary Offering and Response Hymn 231: For the Fruits of All Creation, v1 (tune: ar hyd y nos)
For the fruits of all creation,

thanks be to God;

for these gifts to every nation,

thanks be to God;
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,

silent growth while we are sleeping,

future needs in earth’s safe-keeping.
thanks be to God.

Concerns of the Church
*prayer meeting next Sunday
*prayer groups

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Into your hands, we commit ourselves, O Lord our God
for your holding, your directing, your inspiring, your perfecting.
May your pruning and fertilising, nurturing and tending
be a blessing not only for us
but for this place you have planted us.
Bless us with your power
to heal, help, liberate, and challenge.
Bless us with your yearning for a better world and a fuller faith.
Bless us with your Holy Spirit within us, and among us.
Enable us to be fully open to you,
to all you have to offer,
and to all that you ask of us.
In this world in need, we pray for your healing grace to be tangible,
for peace to be real,
for hope to lead us on.
May all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit experience your goodness,
may they know your presence
and may they be surrounded, too,
by the Body of Christ offering comfort, compassion, and help.
May all those who live with violence, fear, or hatred experience your justice,
may they know your love and peace not only in their hearts but in the world around them,
and may they be surrounded by the Body of Christ
working for a better world for all.
May all those who hold positions of power or privilege in this world experience your courage,
may they hear your calling to the common good,
and may they be surrounded by the Body of Christ
offering your vision and holding them accountable to it.
May your Church, your Body,
abide in your love, reveal your kingdom on earth,
and bear fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness,
generosity, gentleness, and self-control.
Take the time and gifts you have entrusted to us,
and teach us how to use them to give others the abundant life
which Jesus Christ came to bestow on all,
so that your people may rejoice in the new life you give,
for you are the Vine and we are the Branches,
You are the life giver, and we are your servants.

And on the 9th day of the month we join our hearts together as your church family to pray:
*For all who live and work in the Ashton area, along the waterfront of Gourock. For families, tourists, those who take their exercise and who sit to admire the view.
*For the Bible Study and prayer groups at St John’s, that they may encounter you, Living God, in word and prayer.
*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Türkiye, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Egypt, and Cyprus.

May peace and justice abound and grace prevail,
and may all people together share in the hope of your kingdom.
Lord Jesus, teach us once again that you have no body now on earth but ours;
No hands but ours;
No feet but ours;
Ours are the eyes through which your compassion
Must look out upon the world;
Ours are the feet with which you
Must go about doing good;
Ours are the hands through which your blessing flows
to all people and all creation.
Set us to your purpose,
and make us the agents of your grace, peace, and love in the world.
We ask these and all things in the name of Jesus the Christ,
the vine in whose love we abide,
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 529: Forth In Thy Name (tune: Truro) (organ)

Sending
Wherever you find yourself in the days ahead, abide in Christ’s love, keep connected to the vine, and bear fruit that feeds God’s world.
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 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) (organ)
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 (organ)

Announcements

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and Sunday worship is also online.

* The first Sunday of the month at 11am is 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.

* There will be a time of prayer and reflection following the service on Sunday the 16th of August led by Brian Ross. It will include short readings to focus our thoughts and some time for silent, personal prayer. Please pick up a coffee and come back into the sanctuary after the service.

* Bowl & Blether is on the first Mondays of the month, with doors open from 11:30-1:30, and lunch served from noon. All are welcome for a bowl of soup, a toastie, a friendly chat in our warm hall! See you next on the 7th of September.

* Starter Packs are in need of Toothpaste, Hand Wash, Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaner.
The FoodBank are short of diluting juice, biscuits, and pasta sauce.

You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

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

* 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.

* 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 and Theology Thursday on Youtube, get snippets of thought or inspiration following Teri on TikTok, and of course keep up with announcements and events on Facebook and our weekly email.