Sunday service for the second Sunday of Easter, 27 April 2025
Sunday 27 April 2025, Second Sunday of Easter
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 (praise band)
Welcome
Concerns of the Church
*Book group meets at 7pm on Monday evening in the Spinnaker, reading Jesus for Everyone, Not Just Christians, discussing chapter 6 tomorrow evening.
*Bible Study Wednesday 7:30pm at the manse
*Prayer groups — Sunday morning 10:10 (Brian Ross), Intercessors (Fiona Webster)
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: Walking along the road
All: our hearts are burning as we listen and share.
One: Standing at the door
All: our hearts are open to welcome the stranger.
One: Sitting at the table
All: our eyes are opened and we recognise him!
Sanctuary Hymn: Come People of the Risen King (praise band)
Prayer
You are alive, Lord,
and we can hardly believe it!
We don’t know what to think —
we have heard the testimony of the women
but can it be true?
We want to talk about it all
but we can barely find the words
and they don’t make any sense anyway
so we just go round in circles.
If we can just get back on familiar ground,
back to the place where we feel at home,
back to the way things were,
back to normal.
Forgive us, God, for our desire to go back when you are going on.
Open your word to us today,
not to confirm what we thought we knew,
but to show us what has always been true but we never could see before.
Open us to your word today,
not to use it for our own ends
but to orient us in your life, that we too may live.
Teach us, Lord,
and when we still don’t get it,
sit down at our table and become the host,
revealing yourself the way you always have,
in the breaking of bread.
Make our hearts burn and our eyes blaze with insight.
Make our minds open and our feet quick to follow.
Make our welcome true and our community an anchor for your presence to be made known.
We ask in the name of the One who died and yet lives to redeem us all,
Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Sanctuary song Hallelujah Christ is Risen
Scripture Reading: Luke 24.13-35 (NRSV)
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognising him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him, and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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: Let Us Stay Together For a Time (words/tune by Brian Woodcock)
Let us stay together for a time
let us stay together for a while
when the evening is approaching and the day is almost spent
let us stay with one another for a time.
All we have in common is a road;
all we have in common is a journey:
we are simply fellow travellers
who are passing in the night
let us stay with one another on the road for a time.
Dare we trust a stranger with our dreams?
Dare we trust a stranger with our story?
If we cannot hide our tears
let us share our hopes and fears
as we stay with one another, with our dreams.
All we have to offer is our Word;
all we have to offer is a Bible
let us open it between us
till the fire burns within us,
as we stay with one another in the Word for a time.
He was nothing to us but a name,
and we thought our road would never find him
he was with us all the while
and he’s walking every mile
as we stay with one another in his name.
All we have between us is a loaf;
all we have between us is a table:
as we break the bread together
we will recognise our brother,
and we’ll stay with one another, breaking bread, for a time.
Shall we stay for ever in this place?
Shall we go back home and tell the others?
If we stay on holy ground
we’ll lose the miracle we’ve found
and we’ll be left with one another in this place.
We don’t need a special place or time;
we don’t have to travel to Emmaus:
any road and any table
we can meet you, Lord, again;
we can stay with one another any place, any time.
Meditation on the Road and Table
(including the Lord’s Prayer and Communion)
“That reminds me of a story in the Bible” — used so often in skits at Mayhem that it’s become a bit of a joke, but it’s also true!
Scripture helps us understand our experience….and our life experience helps us understand scripture…it’s a circle that never ends, as every time we tell the story intertwined with our own, we see something new, something different, a new angle.
Telling the story helps us make connections…and walking with Jesus the disciples saw new perspectives on the story they had known all their lives.
They had hoped…they were crushed, disappointed, couldn’t believe anyone wouldn’t know the trauma…they had to talk it out in order to try to make sense…
Journey-conversations can be really profound…
But it’s when they get to the table that all the pieces finally fall into place and something clicks. Just three nights before, Jesus said “remember”…and then when he did it again, saying the same words, breaking the same bread, it was like the key just fit, and all the stories they had heard and told matched up with the frame edges of their experience and they could see the picture, they could see the truth, they could see Jesus sitting right there in front of them.
And then they couldn’t wait to tell the others — the story becomes more real each time we tell it. Though they hadn’t entirely believed the women in the morning, now they had the women’s story and their own together to make something new, and they had to share.
…host’s job to bless, yet he as guest took the break, blessed it, broke it, gave it to them…became the host…and so we know we can see him as host at every table, not only special tables. Here is where he promised we would see him, this is how he promised we would remember: that when we tell the story together at the table, taking and blessing and breaking and sharing both the bread and the living word, we would know his presence and it would be the key that makes everything else fit. When we want to see Jesus, we come to the table. Here is where the stories come together.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe,
for you are a Living God,
you are the One who overcomes
breaking the power of all we thought held us captive:
our assumptions and narrow vision,
our brokenness and certainty,
even death gives way to your resurrection power.
We give you thanks for your wonders,
even the ones we don’t yet have words for.
Hear our praise for your presence among us
and our prayers for this world longing to see you.
For those whose hopes have been crushed,
whose hearts are downcast,
whose disappointment is all-encompassing,
we pray for your comfort and courage.
May they see a glimmer of light,
hear a word of grace,
and sense you always near.
For those who have not been believed,
whose story has been dismissed,
who aren’t sure if they belong in the community they used to call home,
we pray for truth to be powerful.
May they know your strength to persevere,
and your love as they speak what needs to be said.
For those who walk the road of this life alone,
who don’t feel able to share or be vulnerable,
whose trust has been betrayed,
who are isolated from family or friends,
we pray for companionship on the journey.
May they know their worth and belovedness,
and find joy and strength in community.
For those who so rarely get a welcome,
those passed over or pushed aside,
those we can’t imagine inviting in,
we pray for hospitality and providing.
May the hungry be fed and the homeless sheltered,
not just for one day but with dignity and compassion.
For those who do not recognise you,
whether not grounded in scripture
or not feeling worthy to come to the table
or not willing to see past the old understanding,
we pray you would reveal yourself anyway.
You always find a new way, O God,
may your persistence meet us where we are
and draw us ever nearer to you.
All along you have been there,
working and speaking and breathing and providing and dreaming and loving.
As it was in the beginning,
so even now,
and on into the future you have in mind —
life everlasting.
At this table as we take bread that you have given,
as we bless your holy name and ask for your blessing
to turn these ordinary things and ordinary people from common to sacred use,
as we break bread and pour the cup,
as we give and receive, sharing your promise and your presence,
we give you praise,
and pray for eyes to see your glory, even for a moment,
and strength to run and tell the others.
In the name of the Living 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 Offering and Response (PRAISE BAND): Draw Near the Tomb v 3/choruses (Resound Worship)
Fall at his feet, pour out your love and praise,
and see the world through brand new eyes.
Hear Jesus say, “There’s no need to be afraid.”
As resurrection people, rise.
“He is not here. He is risen from the dead!
Come see the stone is rolled away.
He is alive, he is risen like he said.
Go tell the world it’s resurrection day.”
Jesus is here. He is risen from the dead,
and worthy of eternal praise.
He is alive, he is risen like he said.
Now every day is resurrection day.
Now every day is resurrection day.
Every Day is Resurrection Day
Pope Francis’s final sermon for Easter included these words: “This is the message of Easter: we must look for him elsewhere. Christ is risen, he is alive! He is no longer a prisoner of death, he is no longer wrapped in the shroud, and therefore we cannot confine him to a fairy tale, we cannot make him a hero of the ancient world, or think of him as a statue in a museum! On the contrary, we must look for him and this is why we cannot remain stationary. We must take action, set out to look for him: look for him in life, look for him in the faces of our brothers and sisters, look for him in everyday business, look for him everywhere except in the tomb.
We must look for him without ceasing. Because if he has risen from the dead, then he is present everywhere, he dwells among us, he hides himself and reveals himself even today in the sisters and brothers we meet along the way, in the most ordinary and unpredictable situations of our lives.”
Every time we share the story, every time we share a table, we become companions along the way, and who knows what pieces might fall into place and what new understanding might warm our hearts…who knows where we might see Jesus? We must look for him everywhere.
Sanctuary Hymn 429: Alleluia! Jesus is Risen!
Sending
Having heard the word and seen the Lord, go now to share the good news: Christ is risen indeed!
And 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
* 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 a break for Lent so that we can focus on the Monday evening book group (more info below). The Sunday evenings will re-launch after Easter.
* 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.
* Starter Packs are in need of bathroom/kitchen cleaner, handwash, shampoo, deodorant, soap, teabags, as well as Easter Eggs.
The FoodBank are in need of toothpaste, diluting juice and tinned tomatoes.
You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!
* The Lent book group didn’t quite finish the book during Lent, so we have one week left: Tomorrow evening in the Spinnaker at 7pm. The book is Jesus For Everyone, Not Just Christians. All are welcome — come along and have your dinner, or a drink, or just come for the discussion!
* We are having a Smarties fundraiser this season — it’s time to bring back your tubes!
* 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 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.
* Bowl & Blether is NEXT Monday the 5th of May, doors open at 11:30 – 1:30, and soup/toasties are served from noon. All are welcome!
* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.
Sunday service for 7 April 2024, Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday 7 April 2024, Second Sunday of Easter (NL2-40)
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Mr Rob Thomson, student minister
Manse: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Rob, student minister: RThomson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Prelude Music (praise band)
Welcome & 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.
Call to Worship (Written by Beth Merrill Neel, used with permission)
One: We gather as God’s beloved children –
All: However glad we are, however out of sorts we are.
One: We come together as a people who Jesus calls into community –
All: So this becomes a place where all are welcome.
One: We have come to give thanks, to pray and sing, to be with one another
All: Let us worship God.
Sanctuary Hymn MP52: God Sent His Son (Because He Lives)
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
In this sacred moment of gathering, we come before You with hearts laid bare, acknowledging our human frailty and the depths of Your divine mercy. We stand in awe of Your majesty, Creator of all, sustainer of life, and the source of all salvation.
We confess, Lord, the times when we have faltered, when our actions have fallen short of our convictions. Forgive us for the moments of doubt when we have questioned Your wisdom and even doubted Your presence in our lives. Forgive us for the times we chosen our own selfish desires over your commands, seeking solace in worldly pursuits rather than in the embrace of your grace.
We have nothing to bring you in return for the gifts you have bestowed upon us but honesty, and so we bring our sins before you, openly and without deception. For you know our hearts and yet you breathe new life into our dry bones.
For You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning, and the end. Your love knows no borders, your mercy endures forever. You are the steadfast rock upon which we build our faith, the guiding light that leads us through the darkest of nights.
You are the provider of all your Church needs, you gather us together, we hear your voice in the darkness. It is your Spirit that gives clarity to your word, grants understanding and gives us courage to go on.
In Your infinite wisdom, You have called us to be Your hands and feet in a broken world. Strengthen us, O Lord, to answer that call with humble obedience and unwavering devotion. And may our lives be a living testament to Your glory, now and forevermore.
As we prepare to read and consider your word, grant us wisdom and understanding. Help the preacher to step aside, let your word be proclaimed, your will be understood.
In the name of our Lord, Jesus the Christ we pray, amen.
Hymn: Christ Was Raised (Praise Band) by Resound Worship
Sanctuary Children’s Time
Scripture Reading: Acts 1.1-14 (English Standard Version)
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
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: Famous Last Words
A person’s last words can express faith, show courage, defiance, or love. They can be a reflection of who that person was and what their deepest convictions were.
Blues singer Bessie Smith died saying, “I’m going, but I’m going in the name of the Lord.” True faith.
Che Guevara reportedly said “I know you have come to kill me, so shoot” when US trained soldiers captured and executed the revolutionary. Courageous and defiant until the end.
When William Henry Seward, U.S. secretary of state and architect of the Alaska Purchase, was asked if he had any final words. He replied, “Nothing, only ‘love one another.’”. Last words of love and kindness.
The words someone chooses to say, especially when aware that the end of their life is approaching, that they won’t have a chance to say anything else, can be incredibly revealing. In today’s reading we hear the last words Jesus chose to say to His friends, before He departed for heaven. Which I think tell us a lot about what He wanted His Church to do. So what did Jesus say?
In the verses we read today, 40 days of the risen Christ interacting with, speaking to, eating with and doubtless answering questions – is compacted down to some very short dialogue. We are told that He spoke about the Kingdom of God.
Other than that, nothing of note, apparently. I think it is safe to assume that Jesus must have been saying pretty much the same things He had been saying throughout the Gospel accounts. Acts is credited to the same author who wrote Luke’s Gospel, perhaps they felt they had covered this stuff in their account. I imagine this is where those passages from the four Gospels that say things like “later the disciples would understand” come from, these conversations. I can’t help but wonder if Jesus explained to them “when I spoke about this temple being destroyed and rebuilt in three days, this is what I was talking about”. Or what other insights He shared in this time that made it in to their Gospel books.
But for all that insight, and all that Jesus had taught them in His time with them, they still don’t really understand, how big a deal what Jesus has done truly is. A few weeks ago, I talked to you about the brothers James and John who wanted places of honour in the Kingdom. Then on Palm Sunday about the crowds of Judeans, jubilantly but incorrectly expecting that Christ would seize power and restore the golden age of Israel. For many first century Jews, the idea of the Kingdom of God as separate from or bigger than the Kingdom of Israel was unthinkable.
Even though God had promised Abraham that “through (his) descendants all the nations of the Earth (would) be blessed”. Even though Daniel prophesied that eventually Gods Kingdom would be spread across all of the world. Under the oppressive rule of the foreign and brutal Roman Empire, it’s no wonder they would assume their Kingdom would have to be restored first, after that they could sort the details our for everyone else.
They want what they know returned to its former glory and ask “will you at this time return the Kingdom to Israel?”
Some Christians to this day put a lot of stock in the restoration of Israel as a prerequisite to bringing about a future, complete and finalised version of the Kingdom, and are willing to help establish that worldly kingdom no matter the cost. Others claim that all the promises God made to the Jewish people have now been cancelled and passed on to the Christian Church. This is a dark erroneous theology, which claims that the Jewish people have somehow uniquely failed God, that He has completely abandoned them. Both of these trains of thought miss the mark completely.
Let’s consider the actual response Jesus gives when He is asked about the renewal of the Kingdom of Israel. “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority”. Jesus neither confirms or denies anything about the future of Israel as they know it. He tells them and by extension us, that it is useless to try to predict these things. God will do what God wants, in God’s time. Empires will rise and fall, they are but a side show, a distraction. They are not and will never be, the Kingdom of God.
The second part of our Lord’s response is the part that really excites me, it’s a call to action, He reiterates the mission of the Church. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. Then He ascends into the heavens, as if to leave no doubt – should any remain, about who He is. Talk about a mic drop moment!
The disciples understandably asked Him the question, as they looked around at the oppressive state they lived in, full of brutal executions and maintained by the full force of Roman military might “when will you make Israel great again”. Our Lords response “God will equip you with the power of the Holy Spirit and you will spread a message that will make the world great”.
How exciting a concept that is, God does not have a regional vision, God is not Israel centric, or Euro centric, God’s love is for all the world. Far from excluding the Jewish people, God fulfils in them the promise made through the prophet Isaiah “You – Israel- shall be my witnesses” and we know that is true, because we are privileged to hear the word of God every week. Privileged to have access to the scriptures, the love story of the one true and living God. We have been given the right to call ourselves sons, daughters, and children of the maker of all things.
We should thank God daily that the kingdom is not something that is incoming, something we are waiting for, but that it is outgoing – not least because it has come here amongst us. These last worldly words of Jesus are indeed worth considering. We are, hopefully, a Church built on the strong foundation of Jesus and His Apostles. Our Lords last words to His gathered people, His Church, were words of mission. If we want to be a Church founded upon Christ, we must listen.
I have a table at home that I put my coffee on every single day. I call it my tripod table because it has three legs. With those three legs it is stable and sturdy enough to have a hot drink on, even in the vicinity of a 6-month-old. But take even one of those legs away, whilst the table will still stand, it cannot truly fulfil its purpose.
We as a worldwide Church, particularly Church of Scotland in my opinion. Are excellent at fulfilling our role as a worshipping community, gathering to listen to the Word, pray and sing songs of praise. We also do well, particularly here at St John’s – which is a beautiful thing to see, at being pastoral communities, caring for and looking after each other. But where I think we struggle as a Church nationwide, is the sharing of the good news to others. One of the legs of our table is shorter than the others. We might be guilty, like the disciples of being unable to see beyond our Jerusalem.
Of course, Jesus does not just throw the Apostles down a seemingly impossible challenge of world evangelism and leave them to their own devices. There are two more powerful concepts within today’s passages, Jesus promises the power of the Holy Spirit and His disciples respond by uniting together in prayer. Through the power of the Holy Spirit the outlook of the early Apostolic Church shifted from looking only upwards to God and inwards to their own community, to become confidently outward looking. Tradition has it that through the power of the Holy Spirit disciples like John, would transform from being a ‘son of thunder’ – brash and interested in positions of power, into the ‘disciple of love’. Whilst Jesus had said His last worldly words to His disciples, God had not finished communicating with them, or transforming them. Similarly, God is not done communicating with us, or transforming us. But I think we need to make more time to listen.
With that in mind, I invite you to join me, in a time of silence. We come before God to listen, as we do let us be aware of one of the key concepts in today’s reading. That we are not baptised only with water, but with the power of the Holy Spirit. So, get comfortable, close your eyes if you wish and let’s listen for God together.
[About 60 seconds of listening and reflection]
May we, like the Apostles, be empowered by the Holy Spirit and keen to listen for the word of God, may it take us far from our Jerusalem. May it be so. Amen.
Online Hymn 683: Go to the World! (Tune: sine nomine)
Sanctuary Hymn 444: Out of Sight, the Lord has Gone (tune: Nottingham)
Offering: Praise Band (I Will Rise)
*Sanctuary Offering Response 410 v. 4
Sing we to our God above: Alleluia!
Praise eternal as his love: Alleluia!
Praise him, all you heavenly host: Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia!
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Gracious and Merciful God,
Having heard Your word proclaimed and reflected upon its message, we come before You with hearts overflowing with gratitude. We thank You for the gift of Your holy Scriptures. We thank You for the faithful witnesses who have gone before us, inspiring us with their courage and dedication to Your kingdom. We thank you for those who raised us up in the faith, or who witnessed to us. For the privilege it is to be grafted in to your family. A family in which there is room enough for all, where no newcomer takes the place of anyone else.
We thank You, O Lord, for the promise of Your presence among us, guiding us through the ups and downs of life’s journey. Thank You for the hope we find in Your steadfast love, a love that never wavers and never fades. Thank You for the assurance that nothing can separate us from Your boundless grace. We thank you for the indwelling of your Holy Spirit, may we turn to You for solace, may we turn to you for courage, may we turn to you for guidance.
We lift up our voices for the needs of the world and the concerns of Your people. We pray for those who are suffering, that they may find comfort in Your embrace. We pray for the leaders of nations, that they may govern with wisdom and compassion, seeking the common good above all else.
We pray for the Church, Your body here on earth, that we may be united in purpose and filled with Your Holy Spirit. Grant us the courage to boldly proclaim Your truth and the humility to serve others with love and grace.
Lord, hear our prayers for those who are sick, lonely, or in despair. May Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, fill their hearts and minds.
We join our voices together as a congregation, wherever we physically are on this the 7th Day of April. As we pray:
For your Church worldwide, that your people may be the Body of Christ in every place; and especially for those places where Christians live in fear or under oppression or persecution.
For those who use the building at St John’s — may they encounter your grace in our hospitality — and for the volunteers who keep the building clean and in good repair.
For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, and Kosovo.
As we offer these prayers, we are reminded of Your promise to always hear the cries of Your people. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and may Your kingdom come in all its fullness.
We pray 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.
Sanctuary Hymn 683: Go to the World! (Tune: sine nomine)
Benediction
Go forth as faithful witnesses of the Gospel, shining brightly in a world that often finds itself in darkness. Be ambassadors of reconciliation, agents of hope, and vessels of His mercy and grace.
And, as you leave this place, may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, go forth in peace to serve the Lord and all His people. 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
* Teri will be off from 9-18 April. If you have a pastoral need please contact Charlene or Cameron.
* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am and at 5pm, 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.
* Starter Packs are in need of Shaving Foam, Soap Powder, Soap and Men’s Shower Gel.
The FoodBank are in need of Diluting juice, Long life juice, Rice pudding, Tinned Ham & Tinned Tuna. You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!
* There’s no Wednesday Bible study for the next two Wednesdays — we resume on 24 April at 7:30pm in the manse.
* 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.
*** Our new evening service is happening at 5pm!
Graham Gardiner is doing a placement with us this spring, focused on a project, and we hope everyone will support it!
Excited to explore faith in a new way?
Inspired by Teri’s recent sermon on New Wineskins, we’re launching a new Sunday Evening service starting March 10th at 5 pm.
What’s different?
No traditional sermon! Instead, we’ll dive deeper into the morning message through an engaging interview with the preacher.
Guitar-based music, Bible readings, and prayer will create a relaxed atmosphere for reflection and worship.
Did you miss the morning service? No worries! We’ll get you caught up before the discussion.
Imagine:
Gaining fresh insights from the morning message in a conversational format.
Discovering practical ways to apply the message to your life.
Enjoying a chilled vibe that fosters connection and reflection.
Join us for this exciting new experience!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Graham
Ps. Spread the word and invite your friends!
Sunday service for 16 April 2023, second Sunday of Easter
Sunday 16 April 2023, NL1-40, Second Sunday of Easter
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Prelude Music
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship
Leader: Jesus calls us to come and meet him,
1: however many or few we are at the moment,
2: however ready, or unready, we feel.
Leader: Jesus calls us to go out and live his Way,
1: telling the others that another life is possible,
2: showing the world God’s kingdom is here.
Leader: Jesus promises to be with us always,
All: present in our work and worship,
empowering us to pursue his purpose.
Hymn: Come People of the Risen King
Prayer
Meet us here today, Lord Jesus Christ,
and reveal yourself to us.
We have come to worship,
trusting your promise even as we hesitate to act on it.
As we offer ourselves today,
bless us with faith that serves, not only speaks.
All authority in heaven and earth is yours, Risen One!
Not power to force, taken by force,
but the power of life, rooted in giving your life away.
We confess that we don’t understand your authority,
and we can’t imagine how it works
without the threat of violence and the manipulation of fear,
so we assume that must be what you mean.
We admit we have bought the lies of this world’s systems,
which claim they are the only way to organise society, economy, politics, relationships.
We hear your word offering another way,
we proclaim your truth with our lips,
but our lives tell a different story.
Forgive us for hearts and minds too constrained by what is
to take seriously your promise of what could be.
Forgive us for keeping quiet when you have commanded us to teach others your way.
Forgive us for claiming your presence without pursuing your purpose.
Make us ready to obey all you have commanded us,
and make our lives an invitation that draws others to your way.
Trusting in your resurrection power, we pray. Amen.
Sanctuary Children’s Time
*Sanctuary Hymn: Hallelujah, Christ is Risen (Praise Band – Resound)
Reading: Matthew 28.16-20 (New Revised Standard Version)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
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: Step By Step Instructions
This reading today is so short, and yet so important — it’s one that has been quoted maybe more than anything else when churches are making mission statements or when we are setting up a new mission. Jesus’ instructions to his disciples after his resurrection set the church on the road to transforming from a small group within the Jewish people, in a backwater province of the Roman Empire, into a global movement and community that would change the world.
Because it’s so short, I thought we might do something a little different today and look at it one verse at a time, and then consider what the whole is saying to us today.
In verse 16: “the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.” It’s pretty pointed that the group that was once twelve is now a man down, as Judas betrayed Jesus and then, when remorse overtook him, he died by suicide. He couldn’t see any other ending to his story, where he had made such a huge mistake with horrific consequences. The rest of the disciples had to go on without him — knowing that they were in some sense incomplete, that maybe they didn’t feel whole and ready. But they went anyway — to the mountain. Perhaps the mountain where Jesus had delivered the sermon on the mount, back at the beginning of his ministry. Perhaps the mount of transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John had seen his glory shining. Whichever place it was, it’s yet another reminder of how Matthew’s gospel shows us Jesus as a new Moses. He has delivered God’s word from mountaintops, he’s come down from speaking with God with a shining face, and now he stands on the mountaintop with his disciples, looking toward the future. The light is on the lamp stand, the city is on the hill, shining out for all to see.
In verse 17: “When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.” Was there ever a more true sentence? They worshipped him…and some of them still hesitated. It is, it seems, entirely possible to both worship and be uncertain. Though we presbyterians may want everything to be an intellectual pursuit, worship is more than that. Yes, God gave us brains and expects us to use them. And yes, we are a people seeking understanding. We want to know God, and God’s ways, and God’s world. And being on the journey does not mean we don’t worship along that path. We don’t need to reach the destination before we can offer our attention, our praise, our selves. In fact, by turning our attention to God, and offering ourselves in worship, we may well find that further understanding comes. And that our trust in God grows as we nurture our relationship through worship and prayer and study. We don’t only worship because we believe, we also worship on our way to believing.
In verse 18: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Remember back when Jesus was in the wilderness after his baptism, and one of the things the Tempter offered him was to rule over all the nations — to have power over everything? Jesus knew that he couldn’t shortcut the journey ahead of him, and that to get power over the earth by giving away his own identity and purpose would be a hollow victory. Now, Jesus has lived his full abundant life, he has been with people, taught and healed, demonstrated the closeness of God’s kingdom, and poured himself out to reveal the fullness of God’s love. It’s only now, after his whole life of faithfulness, that he can say truly “all authority in heaven and on earth” — not power to rule like some sort of mighty overlord, but authority. That word “authority” literally means “out of the self” — authority, by definition, is rooted in the deepest truest part of ourselves. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has lived fully his true self, the living Word of God, and out of the Truth of who he is comes authority — not coercive power over the world, but authority that draws all people to him, the kind of deep true reality that you can sense and you want to follow. This authority isn’t about giving commands and being obeyed like a master and slave, this authority is rooted in the fullness of Jesus’ life and is an invitation to all heaven and earth to join in.
In verse 19 and the first half of verse 20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” — literally while I was working on this sermon, when I took a little break to check social media for a minute, I came across a scholar in a clergy Facebook group writing about this very verse and how the English has smoothed out the Greek that just says “disciple all nations” — the verb isn’t actually go, like leave home and go on a mission, but “disciple as you go.” Remember that when a rabbi called a disciple, he was saying to that student “I think you can do what I do, so come and learn from me. Take my yoke upon you — my way of interpreting the scripture, my way of being faithful — and you can be like me.” Jesus called his disciples to learn from him so they could be like him. Throughout his ministry, the followers of Jesus have been discipled, they have been taught and empowered, they’ve had chances to learn and to practice, and now it’s time for them to put into action all they have learned, time for them to live like Jesus, and to disciple others in turn. It’s time for them to invite others into the learning and the practicing, the particular Jesus way of knowing and serving God. And now as they go about their lives, they are to disciple all nations — not be confined to their own Jewish nation, which already has the Torah, so already has a way of relationship with God and has already experienced Jesus’ ministry, but to broaden their vision, their scope, their reach, to disciple people regardless of their background, teaching them the Jesus way. And one part of their journey of discipling others will be to baptise them — not the usual water bath that might be part of ritual cleanliness at the Temple, but a symbol of choosing to follow this particular rabbi, to take up Jesus’ yoke, to walk in his way rather than any of the other ways of knowing God. This symbolic water bath won’t be accompanied by any of the prayers for cleanliness, but instead by the name of God in three persons — so that the person arising from the water bears that name as part of their own identity and authority, too.
I wonder if we paused for a moment to think about that instruction: as we go through the world discipling other people, we are to teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded us…what do we think those things are? What did Jesus teach that is most important to pass on as we disciple others – as we invite them into Christian life and empower them to do what he did, to live like he lived? ………
And the rest of verse 20: ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
When Moses stood on the mountain to look into God’s promised future, he was looking into a promised land he would never enter. He led the people there, and he saw God’s promise, but he didn’t get to experience its fulness for himself. Jesus and his disciples stood on the mountain and Jesus pointed them to God’s promised future, he gave them instructions for how to continue the journey of living in the kingdom of heaven here and now…and he promises that, unlike Moses, Jesus will be with them, with us, always. In the next chapter and the next, as his followers pursue God’s vision and live into God’s future, we won’t be alone. This may be Jesus’ last earthly mountaintop, but he is with us all the way. We do not have to figure out our own path into the promised land, we don’t have to face whatever challenges or obstacles arise under our own power…we are headed toward God’s kingdom with a guide who not only knows the way but is the Way. Remember: in the present, and the future, not only in the past, when we pursue his purpose, Christ is present with us.
So as followers of Jesus today, on this mountaintop where Jesus has sent us, where he has promised to meet us, where he has called us together to shine out like a beacon of light into the world — what are we to do if we’re going to follow these instructions?
Followers of Jesus worship — even when they don’t feel like they have it all together, even when they don’t know where this is all going or what’s going to happen, even when they’re not 100% certain of everything, even when something is missing and they remember when things were different, they worship. It’s not the final step, it’s a first, and second, and repeated, step. Whether we feel faithful or not, worship helps us come to faith.
Followers of Jesus live from his authority, and find it within our deepest truest selves too. We don’t lord it over others, we don’t force or coerce, we live the Jesus truth that is at the centre of everything. And when we live from that core, it’s magnetic, it draws people, it invites and empowers, without needing to impose. This authority isn’t hidden away though, or kept private just because it comes from deep within where God’s goodness is planted at the centre of our being. The authority of Jesus comes from his living his entire life, every single moment, in obedience to God’s way. That’s true for us too. Every moment of our entire life.
Followers of Jesus take every opportunity as they go through life to disciple others — to teach what Jesus taught, and to do what he did. To live the Jesus Way of Life so that others can see…not just thinking about him, or intellectually believing, or even just talking about him now and then. The way of life Jesus gives us is not just about surviving and getting by, it’s about thriving in the kingdom of heaven because we live like him on earth, and we invite people into that way of life for themselves. We don’t have to make people into something, or be pushy. The Holy Spirit will do the making…our task is the training. We have been trained in the Jesus way and part of that is then to take up the training of others.
Followers of Jesus do these things in community. We are never alone, for Christ is with us always…and also, Jesus has given us into community so that we, the Church, can reflect what God is like. God is three in one — a community in God’s self — and we, who are in the image of God, are supposed to be a community that reflects God…by demonstrating and modelling how to be together in love and service. We can’t do it on our own, we need to be together. We still may not understand everything but we definitely have a better chance of discerning what’s the Holy Spirit and what’s silliness when we’re together.
We’ve been given our instructions, the way we are to shine our light so all may see — like a beacon, shining to both point the way and to call people in. And Jesus gave these instructions anticipating that his followers would…well…follow them. Do them. Put them into action, build the kingdom here. So now it’s our turn, from this mountain, to let the light shine.
May it be so. Amen.
Online Hymn: Build Your Kingdom Here
Sanctuary Hymn: Thrive
Offering (Sanctuary only) – song: Lord (I Don’t Know)
Sanctuary Offering Response 420 verse 4 (tune: Lasst uns erfreuen)
Praise we the Father, Spirit, Son;
Praise we the victory God has won:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise we the Lamb who reigns above;
Praise we the King whose rule is love:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
You are with us always, Risen Christ,
and we are grateful for your presence,
walking alongside us as we seek your way.
As we celebrate your resurrection,
we give thanks for your life among us and within us,
and pray it would be revealed through us.
We bless you for power made perfect in weakness,
for authority rooted in self-giving,
for love that conquers death.
We offer our praise,
and our prayers, too,
for sometimes the state of the world makes it difficult to see your kingdom.
And so we ask for your healing presence to be tangible among us,
bringing wholeness and comfort and hope to those suffering.
We ask for your peaceful presence to be real,
bringing and end to violence and hate.
We ask for your gracious presence to overcome our divisions,
teaching us to treat one another with dignity and compassion.
We ask for your joyful presence to be visible,
shining light into the shadows.
We ask for your challenging presence to be recognised,
calling for justice and insisting on leaving the ways of empire behind.
We ask for your hopeful presence to fill every place,
empowering those who have been oppressed.
And we ask for your Church to be so filled with your promised presence
that we become a beacon of your blessing,
drawing all people to you as we go about your business,
fulfilling your purpose:
loving, serving, and caring for the world.
Trusting your word, and praying for obedient hearts and lives,
we ask these and all things in the power of your name, our Risen Lord 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: Build Your Kingdom Here
Benediction
Christ is alive, Alleluia! Under his authority, we too can live, Alleluia!
Go, therefore, and tell the others!
Go, therefore, and let your life reflect God’s love, Christ’s call, and the Spirit’s power.
Go, therefore, and know that Christ is with you always, to the end of the age.
And 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. Alleluia! 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
* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print). 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.
* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £2700 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.
* 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!
* Wednesday Evening Bible Study meets in the manse at 7:30pm. All are welcome as we continue reading through the Bible in somewhat more than a year! Our next meeting is the 26th of April.
* The Kirk Session will meet on Monday 17 April at 7:30pm.
* Teri will be away from 18 – 22 April. If you have a pastoral need, please contact Cameron or your elder in the first instance.
* You are all invited to a lunch celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, on Sunday 7 May at 12:30pm. All are welcome, so why not invite a friend or neighbour? There will also be sign up sheets for those who would like to help by decorating, making sandwiches or home baking. Please contact Cameron Melville, Ann Stephenson, or Fiona Mackenzie for more information.
* Young Adult Bible Study meets in the manse on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 7pm for a meal and discussion of the gospel according to John. Everyone in their 20s is welcome! Our next meeting is 23 April.
* 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the 2nd Gourock Boys’ Brigade. Our anniversary Grand Charity Ball will be Saturday 9th September 6.00 for 6.30pm in Greenock Town Hall. Tickets priced £50 or £500 for a table of 10 will be available soon. The benefitting Charities have been selected and will be announced shortly. We are delighted to announce that every penny raised from ticket sales and our charity auction on the evening will go directly to our chosen charities. This event is open to all so please spread the word, book your table, put the date in your diary and look forward to what we are sure will be a Second To None evening of enjoyment and celebration.
* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.
Sunday Service for 11 April 2021, Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday Service for 11 April 2021, Second Sunday of Easter
Prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson, Gourock St. John’s
Manse phone: 632143
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
To hear an audio recording of this service, including music but without communion, phone 01475 270037. Minutes should be included in your phone package.
~~~~~~
Call to Worship
There’s more to the story.
Whatever part we have played so far,
whoever we are and wherever we’ve been,
whether we’re certain of all the facts
or still trying to figure things out —
there’s more to God’s story.
So come to hear the others,
the perspectives and pieces, past and present.
We come to remember, and be re-membered,
that we may recognise Christ among us,
for Christ is risen, he is risen indeed!
Let us worship together.
Let us pray.
Set our hearts aflame and open our eyes,
O Risen One.
We want to hear you again,
from in the beginning to why do you look for the living among the dead?
Unfold the mysteries of scripture to us,
that when we welcome the stranger, break bread together,
care for others, or proclaim your good news,
we might find ourselves in your story,
remembering things we didn’t realise were within us all along.
Amen.
Music
Online: Hymn 414, Come you faithful raise the strain
In-person: ‘Alma Virgo’ by Hummel (organ arrangement)
Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (from the Moderator of the General Assembly)
Almighty and everlasting God, the life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field — the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But you are forever, from everlasting to everlasting, and we put our trust in you, for you have promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Loving Lord, in this last year, through the worst of a global pandemic, we’ve been face to face with our fragility and vulnerability, perhaps for some of us as never before. Against that backdrop of hurt and loss, we give you thanks for the life and service of Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh. Some are called to the front of the stage, others to supporting roles. We rejoice in the way he supported Her Majesty the Queen through all the years of her reign. We remember, too, his work supporting charities, and perhaps most memorably for young people, for over 60 years his patronage of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. In this hour of loss we offer our heartfelt prayers for Her Majesty, and her family. Comfort them in their loss, bind up their wounds, and grant them the consolation of a store of treasured memories. Grant Her Majesty the peace that comes from knowing you, and which passes all understanding. These and all our prayers we ask in the name of Jesus, who through his life, death, and resurrection offers us hope instead of despair, life instead of death. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Reading: Luke 24.13-35, NRSV
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognising him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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: Making Sense of It All
Have you ever had the experience of trying to figure something out, but you just can’t get everything to make sense? Like you have multiple pieces of information, but they don’t seem to fit together, and no matter how much you obsess about it — or what I call “thinking about things” — it just doesn’t come together into a complete picture. So you keep thinking it over, trying to see if you’re missing a piece, or if there’s something that you thought was right but isn’t, or maybe if you just think in a different order, it’ll all work out.
Now add in grief and crushed hopes, and that’s where these disciples were, on Easter afternoon. They had a lot of information, but it didn’t make sense. And when someone joined them along their walk and invited them to talk it through out loud, they started their story with past-tense hope. They used to hope. Once they had hoped. Their hopes were dashed, left behind, and all they had was a bunch of disjointed bits that they could not for the life of them figure out.
The stranger on the road listened to them as they wrestled with their confusion — with their “besides all this” and “moreover” and “but” — and then he started the story from the beginning. He talked of God’s work through people and places and events, from the shores of the Red Sea to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and showed how all these seemingly disparate bits fit together as pieces of the larger picture. He invited them to see themselves as part of God’s story — in a way that only the living word made flesh could do.
Before they knew it, both their journey and the story were at an end — or at least, so it seemed. The two disciples were perhaps feeling a bit less scattered than they had been before. When their companion waved goodbye at their door and stepped off into the twilight, they did what any follower of Jesus would do: they invited him in for an evening meal. They had learned well the lesson of hospitality, as they traveled the countryside two by two, visiting villages with the good news. So they insisted he come in, and together they sat down at the table.
There, around their own kitchen table, with a simple evening meal, their companion picked up the bread and did what the host usually did: he took the bread and said the blessing: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, for you have brought forth bread from the earth.” And he broke it in pieces, and gave it to them, serving them as if it were his own table.
In that moment of broken bread, they remembered. I mean, they re – membered. They put it all back together, and they themselves became whole again as everything fell into place. Their eyes were opened and they recognised him — recognised: to understand something they had known before. They saw Jesus, right there at their own table, being the host. And though they couldn’t understand it all, that moment drew them into a deeper reality that was there all along. They remembered all the other times he had taken bread, blessed and broken it, and given it to them — with the crowd on the hillside and at home after synagogue and in the borrowed upper room. They remembered the story he had told them on the road, and with the pieces of bread in their hands, it all just…clicked. Their eyes were opened, and they recognised him.
And before they could do or say anything, he vanished from their sight.
It turned out that neither the journey nor the story had ended. Jesus was alive, but not back, if that makes sense. They wouldn’t be able to grasp onto Jesus and hold him in place and just pick up where they left off before the trauma of losing him. Just a few verses after the end of our reading today, Jesus blesses his disciples and then ascends to heaven, leaving them to do all that he taught them — to teach his word, to heal, to welcome, to challenge injustice, and to take bread, bless and break it, and share it, so that others might also see him. Jesus is alive, and leading us forward into life too — and he left us with the power of the word and the bread together, and that was enough for the disciples. They still didn’t get him back to the way things used to be, but he gave us something we can do anytime to remember and be re-membered: to hear the word and break the bread, and see. Wherever they were, at any table, they could see him. Wherever we are, at any table, we can see him.
We are inundated with more information than we can really make sense of, but the story of God’s love and providing and leading is still there for us to enter into, and it can tie together things we never thought would be part of the same big picture. There are still unexpected companions on our journeys, and there are still people who need inviting in to share a meal. And we still need to share our experiences of seeing God. Because it is in telling the story of God’s saving grace to others that the Body of Christ is able to see the fullness of God’s goodness. It took the women’s story, and Peter’s, and the two disciples who went to Emmaus, all seen together in light of the others for the truth to become clear: that Christ is alive, and brings us into new life with him. Not into our old lives, but new life. Jesus may have vanished from their sight, but he is still visible when we make him known.
When we break bread together, we are re-made, re-membered into the Body of Christ. We are the ones who live as his hands and feet in our community, we are the ones whose voices speak his word. We remember all that he did and said, and by pulling that past story into the present, we help others experience God today. If we will not act like Christ and share his word, where will people see him?
The first step into new life with Christ is that we must see him — not just a jumble of facts and moments, but a whole story God has been telling from the beginning of time and continuing on today. And we see best in the breaking of bread.
Look at your table.
Its familiar contours, that scratch on the leg, that one spot you shouldn’t lean too hard on.
Look at your table.
Everyone has a place at Christ’s table —
whether we sit at the same spot every time or have never sat at the table before.
Despite all appearances and expectations,
Christ is the host at this table — even your table.
He is the One who tells the stories,
the One who takes, blesses, breaks, and shares,
the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.
Christ is the host at your table,
at every table,
and in him all our broken pieces are re-membered into his Body.
So take your place at Christ’s table,
listen,
be fed,
and your eyes will be opened to recognise him.
Music
Online: “Let us stay together for a time” by Brian Woodcock
In person: Ave Verum by Mozart (organ arrangement)
Prayer & Lord’s Prayer
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe,
for your story that makes sense of all our lives.
In the beginning, you called for yourself
a people and promised life abundant.
When we turned away from you,
you spoke through prophets and priests,
foreign kings and servant girls,
and then you sent your Word become flesh,
living and real and for us.
We give you thanks for the many ways
Jesus showed us how to follow you,
eating with sinners, touching the outcast,
loving all.
After you raised him from the dead,
making everything different by the power of your love,
he promised your Spirit to go with us as we proclaim the good news
that you have triumphed over death,
that life and love have the last word.
And now we wait to feel again the movement of your Holy Spirit,
giving gifts and expecting us to use them.
We look around at your world,
praying for eyes to see and ears to hear you—
in the face of the stranger,
the tears of the refugee,
the love of our pets,
the fear of our neighbours,
the pain of our friends,
the laughter of children.
And when we have seen, give us courage to speak and act
as witnesses to your presence, your love, your good news.
Where there is despair, make us beacons of hope.
Where there is suffering, make us your healing hands.
Where there is violence, make us creators of justice and peace.
We give you thanks for your unending love for us,
and for your gift of broken bread, for you are host even at our own tables.
We pray you would make yourself known to us, and through us.
Make us again into your Body, witnesses to your good news,
loving, serving, and caring for your world.
We pray in the name of our Risen Lord 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.
Music (online only): Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord
Benediction
Go into your week to make Christ visible through your actions and words, sharing your story of encountering God so that all may see the love of God through you. And 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.
Announcements
* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we have also begun to meet in person, subject to the usual protocols for distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing, and no singing yet. We can welcome 33 people for worship, so if you would like to come in person, please phone Cameron (630879) on a MONDAY afternoon between 1-3pm (note this change!), or Anne Love (07904 617283) on a Saturday morning between 10-12 to book a place.
* Young Adult Bible Study is on Zoom at 1pm, we are reading through the Gospel According to Mark. Contact Teri for login details.
* 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!
* The theme for worship during the season of Easter is “Re-membering” — being put back together as a community, perhaps in new ways! Easter is a season that lasts 50 days, from Easter Day until Pentecost.
* 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!
The coffee money that we normally send on to the school in Venda has been exhausted. If you would like to contribute to keep our donations to the school going, please contact Rab & Eileen for bank details for donations, phone 634159.
