Sunday Service for 7 November 2021, All Saints Sunday

7 November 2021, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time // All Saints Sunday, Uncovered 7
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse phone: 632143 
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

To hear the audio recording of this service, please phone 01475 270037. It’s a local landline number so minutes should be included in your phone plan.

Prelude Music

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship
One: Wherever we find ourselves,
All: God is there, ahead of us, providing:
1: Food and water in the wilderness,
2: rest for the weary, support for the journey,
1: a tangible sense of God’s presence,
2: a call to the next task of the kingdom.
One: Wherever we find ourselves,
in grief and in joy, in plenty and in want,
All: God is there, ahead of us, providing.

Prayer
You are a God of endless capacity, for you will be who you will be.
We confess that we like you to be who we want you to be, O God.
We want you to match our passion, or our simplicity, or our rigidity,
and yet you continually expand our experience of you,
even as you define the limits of faithful zeal.
We admit that we rarely expect to encounter you
in the opposite of our preferences and desires,
preferring to believe that we worship and pray and serve in the correct way.
Forgive us for making you in our image, for narrowing your freedom.
And forgive us, too, for the assumptions we make
about those who know a different side of you. Remind us once again that you are not only
beyond our comprehension but beyond our control.
So in the quiet of this place, speak again, O God.
To our successes and our failures,
our zeal and our apathy,
our one-sided vision and our hope,
speak.
For we are here to renew our relationship with you,
to enliven our connection to the cloud of witnesses,
and to strengthen our foundation on your word.
So we stand on this holy ground,
awaiting your voice,
whether thundering or silent.
~quiet~
Amen.

Music
Online: You Are A Refuge (Resound Worship)
In Person: organ by Philip

Children’s Time (in person only)

Reading: 1 Kings 19.1-16
After King David came Solomon, who was renowned for his wisdom and wealth and for building the Temple in Jerusalem. Unfortunately the conscripted labour for the Temple, Solomon’s political alliances through multiple marriages, and the inequality between the palace and the people meant that after Solomon’s 40 year reign ended, the succession was in a bit of disarray, and split into the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Today’s story takes place during the reign of Ahab, who was the seventh king of the northern kingdom. Ahab did not follow God’s word. In addition, he married a princess from a foreign nation, who brought with her the religious, cultural, political, and economic traditions of her own upbringing. Her name was Jezebel. The prophet Elijah, in an attempt to bring Ahab and Jezebel to faithfulness, declared there would be no rain in Israel until they repented and returned to God’s way. He then went to stay with a foreign widow and her son, promising that her jar of flour and oil would never run out, and even healing her son when he fell ill. In the third year of this drought, Elijah had a standoff with the royal court prophets. They and Elijah each set up a sacrifice on top of Mount Carmel, with the wood and the animal ready, and then called on their respective gods to send the fire. Baal did not answer, but God did, in a spectacular way, and everyone declared “the Lord is God.” Elijah, however, took that as an opportunity to have all the court prophets killed. We pick up the story that night in the royal palace, as the king reports to the queen all that happened on the mountain, in 1 Kings chapter 19. I am reading from the New Revised Standard Version.
~~~~

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’ Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’
He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

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: After
I love this story, and I often refer to it as “Elijah’s earth wind and fire concert” — although he doesn’t get much “Boogie Wonderland” on the mountain!

It’s a fascinating story, because of course Elijah was a famous and successful prophet. Just the chapter before this, he not only presided over one of the most astounding displays of God’s power that anyone had ever seen, causing everyone to proclaim the one true God, he also dispatched the false prophets and ended the three year drought. He was used to God showing up in big ways, and he trusted that God would do what God promised. Yet when the political powers proved immune to God’s persuasion — as they often had, throughout history, remember Pharaoh’s hardened heart? — Elijah’s courage faltered a bit. He went off to be by himself in the wilderness and wished for the end. And when the end didn’t come, he went instead to the very mountain where Moses — who had faced down Pharaoh and won — met God in such dramatic ways.

The way things used to be on the mountain, God spoke to Moses in the cloud, and in thunder that shook everything, and in fire that rose from the top of the mountain. The Israelites had seen God in the pillar of fire and cloud, they heard God’s voice rumbling the air around them and the ground beneath their feet.

Today on the mountain, Elijah heard and felt the wind, and the earthquake, and the fire, just as Moses had done. But unlike Moses, he didn’t hear God there this time. Elijah was very zealous, full of certainty about who God is and what God does, and he’d been a part of showing God’s power in fire and water…but this time, it was different.

This time, God knew, Elijah needed to see another side of God. He was so wrapped up in what he thought God was supposed to be like, he’d forgotten there was more. And so came the sound of sheer silence, or sometimes it’s translated a still small voice, a barely audible whisper. It was then that Elijah got a glimpse of God on the mountain — not the way he expected, not the way he was used to, not the way it used to be, but what God knew he needed.

After all that, God asked Elijah the same question as when he’d first arrived at the mountain: what are you doing here?

Why did you come to this mountain?

I wonder if, when he heard that question, Elijah thought for even a moment about how God had been with him in places other than the mountain. After all, in the wilderness when he was feeling so lost and alone, it was God’s messenger who brought his picnic lunch. It was God’s creation that put forth the tree in whose shade he had slept. It was the strength of the breakfast the messenger provided that allowed him to walk 40 days to the mountain. He already had experiences of God being quieter, closer, more intimate, and more practical — why did he need to go to the mountain?

Perhaps he went there because he wanted to recapture the tradition, to do what his people used to do. Or perhaps he went there because he wanted to reconnect with his faith and he thought that if he was going to talk to God, he needed to be in that particular holy place. Perhaps he wanted to be strengthened by the cloud of witnesses — to feel what Moses felt, and so be strengthened to have the courage Moses had in the face of the powers.

What are you doing here, Elijah?

The beauty of this story, to me, is that God was with Elijah the entire time, even when he couldn’t see or recognise God’s presence. Even when Elijah was feeling alone, abandoned, afraid, tired, and hungry. Even when he was looking so desperately for a sign in the usual places and experiences. Even when the tried-and-true earth, wind, and fire didn’t work. And yet it was after all of that—after the disaster, after the rushing, after the earth-shaking life changes, after the doorbell and phone stop ringing, after the flowers fade, when he was left alone with himself and the gaping silence of life *after* — that’s where Elijah finally knew God.

God was there all along. And God was supporting the journey, even though it wasn’t a journey God required — it was a journey Elijah needed to make. And when it didn’t turn out the way he expected, God was there.

And then, only then, does God turn Elijah’s eyes forward. Elijah had been so caught up in what he thought God wanted, in what he thought God was supposed to do, in how alone he felt in following that God…and God had listened and carried him through all of that. And then, into the sheer silence, God whispered…I have work for you to do. It won’t be easy. It isn’t what you thought you’d be doing, and it doesn’t involve the people you’re used to. But it’s what I need. And just as I was with you every day up to now — in the royal courts, in the villages of Syria, on Mount Carmel, in the wilderness of Horeb, and on this mountain — I will be with you then too. You are not alone, I’ll surround you with people who will support and encourage and challenge you, who will help you see me in all those places you couldn’t see me before. Now get up and go into the future I have planned for you.

May it be so. Amen.

Online Hymn 740: For All The Saints

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

for today’s prayers, you may wish to have a piece of paper (just regular A4 paper) cut into the shape of a cloud, and a pen or something to write with.

One of the reasons I think Elijah went to Mt Sinai when he was feeling stressed, exhausted, and alone is to be connected to the cloud of witnesses, to stand where people of faith had stood and hopefully experience God’s presence as they had done. To be encouraged by their witness and to find the strength to carry on in his part in the story God is still writing.

We can use that encouragement ourselves. So I invite you to find the white rounded paper that should be near your chair, and a pen or pencil or crayon. Take a moment to think of those people in your life — they could be living or dead, they could be people you know personally or people you have only experienced from afar but have had an impact on your life —
*those people who have offered you nourishment when you needed it. People who have fed you, whether literally or spiritually. Write their names on your cloud.
*Take a moment now to think of those people who have been a breath of fresh air in your life — perhaps they even blew in on the wind and out again, or perhaps they were like a wind that rushed in and up-ended things that needed changing, or perhaps they’re people who have helped you stand firm in a storm. Write their names on your cloud.
*Take a moment to think of those people who have shaken things up and helped you find new footing during times of change or difficulty or transition. Who has helped you figure things out when you didn’t know what to do? Write their names on your cloud.
*Take a moment to think of those people who have brought light and heat into your life, purifying and clarifying your thoughts, challenging you to let go of old ways and grow into something new, warming your heart or mind or home with their presence. Write their names on your cloud.
*Take a moment to think of those people who have listened when you’ve needed a shoulder to cry on, or when you needed to moan or rage, or when you just had to tell a story. Those who have heard you, and held your confidences, and allowed you to just…be. Write their names on your cloud.
*Take a moment to think of those people who have shown you the way, taught you, been examples of faith and life, helped prepare you for your own journey. Write their names on your cloud.

We give thanks for all these people who have revealed God’s presence with us, even if we can only see it looking back…and we offer our gratitude for the ways our paths have crossed and shone more light into the world. 

God of every time and place,
you create us in your image and hold us in your care.
You appear to each person as we need to know you,
balancing our narrow understanding with your fullness.
We give you thanks for your faithful people who have taught us your grace —
for those whose zeal inspires us,
and for those whose quiet strength shines through,
and for those who have worked faithfully day in and day out behind the scenes.
We are grateful for those among your creation who have made sure all are fed,
and those who have encouraged us to rest,
and those who have supported our journey even when we weren’t sure where we were going.
Today as we remember those who have gone ahead of us,
…especially within our St. John’s Community we remember:
(We name those dear to us who have died in the past 18 months)
…
…
We remember those who have gone ahead of us,
those who are in this great cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
and today as we remember
we are particularly grateful for your constant presence in every place.
When we find ourselves in the wilderness of grief, you are there.
When our lives are in chaos, you are there.
And in the silence after the storm,
when the flowers fade and the cards stop and the phone no longer rings,
when we feel completely alone, you are there.
As we glimpse the great cloud of witnesses this day,
we pray too for a sure sense of your companionship on this way,
that we may be found faithful to the last,
whatever you ask of us.
We ask through the power of your Spirit and in the name of 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.

In-Person Hymn 740: For All the Saints (verses 1-2, 4-5, 7-8)

Benediction
Friends, go into your week knowing that God is with you. In the chaos and the storm, in the silence and the “after”, you are not alone. All around you, God is present in other people and in this creation God called good. So 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 (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 theme for worship in this Harvest season is “Uncovered” — we’ll be looking at things God is calling forth that we didn’t know we had in us.

* 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. We can now welcome up to 85-100 people for worship with 1m distancing between households. No booking will be required. Masks are required at all times inside the building, including while singing. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access, and families with children, should use the back door.

* Tonight we will gather with Christians across the nation for evening prayer on the Connect Facebook Page, led tonight by Jonathan. 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!