Sunday service for 6 October 2024

Sunday 6 October 2024, “moving forward together” church family dedication day
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143 
Email Teri: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

(apologies for lower resolution video than usual — technical difficulties!) 

** Today in the sanctuary is an all-age service, which means the online service is also a bit less formal, since the all-age service doesn’t normally involve a full sermon, and often has other interactive elements. 
Today’s interactive prayer is an invitation to become a prayer partner — to put your name and age down on a card, and then we will collect all the cards and give them back out randomly, so that everyone has someone else in the church family to pray for. If you would like to have a prayer partner in the church family, please send your name and age to Teri (email or text) and she will make sure you get added to the mix!
In the sanctuary service we are also committing and dedicating ourselves as various groups within the church family today — for the full script of those celebrations and commitments, scroll to the end of the service just before the announcements.

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.

Prayer
Loving and Creative God, you have called us together to worship and work…
young and old, newcomer and long-time member, in the building and in the Spirit.
You have called us together to love and to serve
whether we are introverts or extroverts, leaders or followers.
You have called us together to teach and to learn
in our faith and doubt, hope and despair, wisdom and foolishness.
You have called us together to praise and to pray
singer and speaker and hearer, healer and in need of healing.
You have called us together to be the church
and we are filled with gifts to live as your people!
You have offered us such abundance and yet we do not know how to use it.
Sometimes we keep it for ourselves, to calm our fear,
saving up for our own security, insurance against days of scarcity.
Sometimes we hoard, wanting to have the most and the best.
Sometimes we insist we don’t have anything to offer,
closing our eyes to the talents you bestow.
But mostly we are inertia-bound.
We know what to do, but we don’t do it.
You give us the tools to do your work,
but we just look at them in wonder, then put them away in the closet.
Forgive us, O God.
Open our eyes, our hands, our hearts,
to know your abundance is enough for all,
to know your gifts are for using, not looking at,
to know we are blessed in order to be a blessing to others,
and to take our part in your Body, recognising that we all have a part to play in the coming of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
We pray in the name of Christ, who gave everything he had for love of us all. Amen.

Reading and Reflection on 1 Corinthians 12 — note that this was actually recorded without notes so the manuscript here is an approximation constructed afterwards!

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free….
newcomer or long time member, immigrant or Gourock-born, lovers of rock & roll and organ & choir, young and older, all the various categories and labels and boxes we put ourselves and each other in…we are one Body, through the one Holy Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? Imagine an eye just rolling around by itself…what can it do?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? Imagine an ear just hopping about…it can’t see or smell or feel…
In fact, if you think about it, an eye or an ear on its own not only can’t operate other senses, it actually can’t see or hear either. Because the only reason an eye works is because of the nerves connecting it to the brain, so the signals the eye receives can be translated into an image. And the only reason the ear works is because of the nerves connecting it to the brain…in other words, an eye or an ear or a nose or a hand or a stomach or a knee only work because they are connected to the head — and Christ is the head of the Body. When we are disconnected, separated, amputated from him, the Body doesn’t work on its own.

God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour.
Sometimes we might be tempted to think we don’t belong — maybe our interests are different, we like music and it seems like everyone else likes sport, or we have really different family situations than what we think everyone else has, or our accent is different, or we had something happen in the past that makes us feel we don’t fit in, or it feels like everyone else has a lot of talents or money and we don’t.
And sometimes we might be tempted to look at someone else and think they don’t belong — they look different, or dress differently, or like different music or food or television than we do, or they don’t have the skills we think we need to carry on all the activities we used to like to do.
But both of these thoughts are actually lies. If we think we don’t belong, that’s not true. And if we think someone else doesn’t belong, that’s not true. The truth is that in the Body of Christ, everyone is needed. We cannot just cut each other, or ourselves, off. We also shouldn’t have the feet running ahead while the shoulders and heart are still holding back carrying a weight…no member of the Body should be leaving the others behind…though at the same time no member of the body should be holding the rest of the Body back for selfish reasons either. We move forward together, or we fall apart.

God has so arranged the body, so the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
We’re all in this together. We’re part of something bigger than we can really imagine, because the Body of Christ isn’t just here at St John’s, it’s all God’s people all over the world. Which feels like we’re a tiny part of something huge, which is true. And also, every single part, however small, is indispensable, and it takes all of us to care for each other, to celebrate together and to be sad together, to pray for each other, and to work together. God has a mission for the Body of Christ. That mission is the opposite of lots of adventure and spy movies, where things are to be kept secret…your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reveal, to show the world God’s kingdom. To show the world what God’s love actually looks like. To show the world how to care for each other. To show the world how peace is possible — it feels impossible, especially right now, when there’s war everywhere and division and hate and violence and despair. But if we act like the Body of Christ, insisting that everyone is valuable and belongs, then the peace we create in our own community between people who seem so very different and yet all belong together, can give a glimpse of God’s peace that is possible.
Remember: every single member of the body is crucial. We can’t leave anyone behind on this mission, and we also can’t hold back the Body on its mission. We’re all in this together. And it is only possible if each and every one of us is connected to the Head. We have to be connected to Jesus, the head of the body. Without those connections to the head and to each other, we’re just a random dying piece, not able to actually do anything. When we’re connected to the Head and to the other parts of the Body, amazing things can happen. God’s kingdom is here, if we can put in the work together to help people see it. And the best days of God’s plan for us are still ahead of us.

So let’s get connected to Jesus the head and to each other, and everybody get to work. There’s plenty of ways for each part of the Body to contribute, from praying to attending, giving financially and volunteering, sharing and promoting and telling stories of what God is doing among us, taking the lead on a project or helping behind the scenes. Every single one of us belongs, and every single one of us is needed. No one is left out, no one is unimportant. Whatever your gift, however strange you might think it is…whatever your age or status, whatever your experience or understanding…God has put together the members of the Body EXACTLY AS HE CHOSE. God has chosen us to be here together today, and we get to be a part of God’s mission! The best days are coming, let’s do it together!

One: We belong to the body of Christ.

All: We belong to something greater,

One: where everyone is included.

All: We belong to something greater,

One: where all small tasks to help are significant.

All: We belong to something greater,

One: where everyone is needed.
All: We belong to something greater,

One: where each of us has our own gifts with which to serve.

All: We belong to something greater,
One: greater than you, or I, or us together.

All: We belong to the body of Christ.

One: For the word of God in scripture
For the word of God among us
For the word of God within us
All: Thanks be to God

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Holy God,
giver of every good gift,
we come with gratitude and praise
for your many blessings.
You breathe life
speak worlds into being
break open seeds to create anew
and call together a body to do your work.
We give you thanks with every breath.
…
Too often our thanks are clouded by grief, O God.
A world in need presses in on our attention,
and we wonder if it has yours.
Nations splinter, violence rages,
selfishness, greed, and anger seem the order of the day.
Where hate is easier to see than love, may your Body be a sign of compassion.
Where war seems easier than peace, may your justice soak in like rain.
Where division rules both minds and hearts, give us a glimpse of your kingdom.
When one member of the body suffers, all suffer together with it,
and today we suffer, O God, with your people in Israel and Palestine and Lebanon and Syria and Jordan and Iran and Yemen, in Ukraine, in Sudan and South Sudan, among the Yazidi in Iraq, in the fires of the Amazon rainforest, in the floods of Nepal and North Carolina, and so many other places that barely make the news.

Today we suffer, O God, with your people feeling powerless—facing oppression and facing illness, seeking treatment and looking at last hope, working toward recovery and overcoming shame, wondering where they can go to feel at home in church or family or culture.
And when one member of the body rejoices, all rejoice together with it,
so today we rejoice with those who celebrate small steps toward justice,
with those who feel joy in new relationships and new possibilities,
with those who cannot help but sing your song.
…
On the 6th day of the month we join our hearts as your church family to pray:
*For the Church of Scotland, for the staff based in Edinburgh and around the country, for those serving on committees and forums, for programmes and resources they produce, for those training for ministry and those who support them, for our mission personnel abroad, and for the Church’s witness locally, nationally, and worldwide.
*For the youth organisations of St John’s: for the Anchor Boys, Junior Section, and Company & Senior Section of the Boys’ Brigade, for the Smurfs, Brownies, Guides, and Rangers, and for the Exploratorium holiday clubs. For their leaders, volunteers, young people, and families. May they grow in faith, hope, and love together.
*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Russia.

And as we celebrate all your have given us as a community, and all you are doing among us in these days, we give thanks for the ways we see you at work in the Contact Group, the Bible Study, the Intercessory Prayer Group, the facilities team, the choir and the praise band, those who serve on door duty, as readers, and as counters, those who donate flowers and those who arrange and deliver them, those who volunteer to clean our church building, the elders and the staff who lead us in your way, and those in the community who use the building we have been entrusted with — theatre groups, musical groups, fitness groups, community groups, and so many more. We are grateful for all the ways you bring us together, guide us in service, and send us out in grace. May we be dedicated to making your kingdom visible in this place.

You have equipped us for every good work, O God,
now give us eyes to see and ears to hear where you would have us use these gifts.
Fill our toolboxes with the things we need to carry out your plans,
and fill this Body with courage to work toward your goals.
Guide us as we seek to follow you each day,
bringing good news to all.
…
We pray in the name of Christ, the master carpenter, whose tools of wood and nails, love and justice and peace, continue at work in your world, even as we pray as he taught us:

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.

Hymn: Send Us Out

Benediction
The best days God has in mind are still ahead of us. Let us grow together as the body of Christ, seeking God’s will and putting our faith into practice to serve in Christ’s name. And as we go, may the Spirit of God  go above us to watch over us. May the Spirit of God go beside us to be our companion. May the Spirit of God go before us to show you the way, and behind us to push us into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within us to remind us that we are loved more deeply than we can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in us, and through us 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.

~~~~~~~~

Church Family Dedication — today in the sanctuary we have invited all the groups and individuals who are part of St John’s family to join in and be celebrated and to commit themselves for the coming year. Here is the transcript of those dedications:

Being part of the Body of Christ means that there are no unimportant members, no parts we hide away or pretend don’t exist. Every part of the Body matters, and the way we use our gifts to build up the body, to be in community together, to help each other, to learn together, and to serve in God’s world together is so important. Every one of us has the privilege, the opportunity, and the responsibility to not only honour our past but to build on it to create the future that God has in mind for us. 

St John’s is a family that indeed has many members, ranging in age from just a few weeks old to nearly a hundred, with interests and activities that encompass the whole spectrum of life. There’s something for everyone, and there are so many opportunities for us to be involved at whatever level works for us, our abilities and situation, and so today we give thanks and also commit ourselves to this Body, dedicating what we can, whether that’s praying, attending, serving, funding, promoting, or any combination! We celebrate that the Church of Jesus Christ, and St. John’s as a part of that Church, is living and active in many generations and forms.

Friends, you have been called by God: not to be perfect or all-knowing, but to be faithful, and to share your journey. There are many on this journey with us, and so:

I’d like to invite the leaders of the congregation: the elders, members of our vision task groups for Listening, Praying, Experimenting, and Development, and our paid staff to stand.

Thank you for your servant leadership! You have been tasked with discerning God’s vision and leading our response to God’s word. No one asked for perfection, but we do ask for faithfulness and commitment to helping us follow Christ as a community. We ask for you to be persistent in prayer, generous in time and energy, to lead by example as well as by word. Will you continue in this task of vision and leadership, assured of our prayers for you and our commitment to follow your lead? Will you?

I’d like to invite all those who lead us in worship: the choir, the praise band, readers, A/V team, those who serve on door duty, those who prepare or deliver flowers, and those who count the offering, to stand.

Through your gifts, we come together to direct our attention to God, to sing praise, to hear the word and respond, and to make worship a way of life. Thank you for the time and care you bring to our worship life. In the year to come, will you commit to enabling the worship of our community both in this building and outside it, diligently preparing for your role and listening always for the voice of God who calls us to a life of worship? Will you?

I’d like to invite the members of Tom’s facilities group, the cleaning team, and the gardening group to stand.

Without you, we literally wouldn’t be here in this space together. Your behind-the-scenes work, the countless hours spent in the workshop, on the roof, in tight corners, and covering every last centimetre of this building is work we rarely see in action, but we see the results. We are grateful for the gift of your time, your expertise, your early mornings and late nights, caring for this building that this family can call home. Will you use the gifts and skills God has given you to make God’s kingdom visible in our building and grounds? Will you?

I’d like to invite the leaders of the youth organisations to please stand.

You are called to share God’s love, to walk with Jesus, and to look for the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world. Today we ask you to be mindful of this task: to form young people in grace and gratitude, to help them discover God’s purpose for their lives, and to lead them in being a blessing to the world. Will you, by your work, your word, and the example of your life seek to advance Christ’s kingdom, to work in partnership with the Church to share the good news of God’s love? Will you?

And will you, in your own life, attend to the purpose God has for you, seeking God in prayer and offering yourself in service, that you might be equipped for every good work? Will you?

And now would the parents of young people please stand?

Friends, you are in the midst of one of the greatest tasks in the world. You are called to love unconditionally, to set boundaries and offer help, to point the way even though you cannot walk it for your children, and even though sometimes they might refuse to participate or even stop speaking to you when they don’t get their way. You are doing a good job. You have entrusted your children to the care of God, and of the church, and we are here to support you in this enormous task of raising up the next generation. You aren’t called to be perfect, or to do everything on your own. So I ask you, as well, to be mindful of the call to live your purpose. Will you pray for your children, and for the children of others, and for these organisations that seek to serve young people? Will you?

Will you do your best to be an example of faith, hope, and love, to always make choices based on your values, so that in your words and your actions, these children will see God’s blessing and God’s call to faithfulness, for them and for others? Will you?

Smurfs, Guides and Brownies, will you please stand. You are children of God, loved and gifted, and I know you have been exploring your own beliefs and your place in the God’s world. As you grow and learn and discover what part of the body of Christ God has made you to be, will you do your best to take part in the work God is giving you to do? Will you?

One of your leaders will come to help you make your Guide promise.

Boys Brigade members, in all three sections, will you please stand. You have heard God’s word, and you have seen the promises others have made. You, too, are part of the worldwide family of the Church, and God asks you to make a commitment as well. Do you promise to be a loyal member of the Boys Brigade, supporting the activities of the Company? Do you promise to do your best to follow Christ and his purpose, to be a blessing to others? Do you?

I’d like to invite all who participate in our Fellowship and Study groups: the Contact Group, Bible Study, Intercessory Prayer Group, Sunday morning prayer group, and Exploratorium, to stand.

Throughout the year you are learning and sharing, seeking God’s voice and holding one another’s stories with grace, building up the Body through friendship and prayer and study. Thank you for your faithful attention to God’s word and to one another. As you enter this new session, will you continue to listen for the Spirit, support each other in fellowship and prayer, learn about God’s world, and share what you have learned with others? Will you?

And I’d like to invite all our Community groups — theatre groups, Bowl & Blether volunteers or attendees, badminton group, yoga class, the Bothy, Ukrainian Community, and any others to stand.

Friends, we hope that you experience something of St John’s hospitality in this space, as you pursue so many different avenues of life: wellness and friendship and arts and culture and language and fitness and food and so much more. It is a privilege to be in community with you, to be able to share this place our forebears provided, and to seek together to be the kind of community that we want to see more of in the world — a community of grace and compassion, diverse in our backgrounds and interests and languages, working together to make the world a better and more beautiful place. As you come together for your gatherings, rehearsals, classes, games, meetings, and meals, and then go out again to every neighbourhood and work and school and business, will you seek the good, honour the full humanity of everyone, pursue peace, and live with love for the community we share? Will you?

All of us who think of St John’s as your church, all who call this church family or home, I have a question for you as well. The Church is far more than what happens here on a Sunday morning. Each of us is part of the Body of Christ, wherever we are, and whenever we gather, whether that’s for an hour on Sunday morning or for many hours in the evenings or on trips, or online, or only occasionally. Part of what it means to be the Body is that we rejoice together and weep together, we support one another and hold each other up. Will you keep all your fellow members of the Body in your prayers, offer your time and talent, and support them as we are members of one family, and take your part in the mission that God has given to us? Will you?

Announcements

* Bowl and Blether is TOMORROW, Monday 7 October, and also Monday 21 October, and on the first and third Mondays of each month through the winter. Doors open at 11:30am, soup and toasties are served from noon – 1:30. All are welcome to join us for lunch and a chat in our cozy warm hall. Volunteers are also needed and welcome, please speak to Teri or Charlene if you’d like to volunteer for set up, toastie-making, serving, or clean up. 

* Charlene, our parish assistant, will be available for “Conversation Corner” (Vestry Hour) in the Vestry every Wednesday this month from 12:30-1:30-ish pm. Feel free to stop by for a chat, a pastoral conversation, or anything else on your mind! Please use the St John’s Road door, and ring the bell if it’s locked, she’ll come to let you in!

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study is in the manse at 7:30pm each week, and we are currently studying the book of Jonah.

* 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 Sunday evening service is on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. We’ll have toasties and sandwiches together from 5:30 and the service will start at the back of 6. All are welcome for this simple meal and time of worship. The Sunday evening service is informal and reflective, with guitar-based music, Bible readings, and prayer for our parish. Come along and discover practical ways to apply the word to your life, in a chilled vibe that fosters connection and reflection.

* 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.

* The Contact Group meets on Tuesday 8 October at 2pm in the Large Hall when Isabel Lind will join us to talk about Irish immigrants to Greenock. Looking ahead, on Tuesday 22 October at 2pm we will welcome Janice McAvoy to talk about Calum’s Cabins. Our Syllabus of Events is available for £5.

* Starter Packs are in need of soap, shampoo, Kitchen Towel, Cleaning Cloths
The FoodBank are in need of bottles of squash, tinned fruit, tinned ham, tinned soup, biscuits, ladies & gents toiletries. 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? 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 new item in the budget.

* 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!

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