Sunday service for 28 July 2024

Sunday 28 July 2024
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143 
Email Teri: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

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
Teri: Come, people of God—make a joyful noise and lift up your offering of praise!
1: We gather in the presence of mystery,
grace known and unknown,
promises fulfilled and still awaited.
2: We have received beyond measure,
building our hope on a foundation of love.
1: The Spirit of truth fills this place,
empowering us to lead lives
worthy of Christ’s calling.
2: The Spirit of truth fills this place,
revealing the Way:
to love as we have been loved.
1: In the triune God we live and move
and have our being,
and so we come to worship, one by one,
to be remade as the Body of Christ,
2: together and whole,
making God’s justice and peace visible
even in our days.
Teri: Come, Body of Christ—see what God has done
All: and see what God will do!

Sanctuary Hymn 202: Stand Up and Bless the Lord

Prayer
Loving God,
you are before and behind us, around us and within.
We give you thanks for your constant presence,
even as we admit that we don’t always recognise you.
We pray for your path to be clear, to show us your way,
but we confess that sometimes we see but we are afraid
and so we stand back and hope for a different answer.
We long for comfort, stability, familiarity.
We admit to you that we prefer the easier way of what we have always done,
even if it is not where you currently call,
and so we stand still, hoping things can stay the same forever.
We pray for the world to look more like your kingdom,
and we also confess that more often than not,
we stand by and do nothing when you show us how to put our prayer into action.
Forgive us, O God.
Forgive us for our selective memory,
our tendency to nostalgia,
our hearts set on self-preservation,
our feet turned to stone while your way leads on.
Remind us that you are our God, and will never leave us.
Give us faith to see your way, and courage to go with you.
Focus our minds, hearts, and strength on your love,
that we may know you fully…
for to know you is to love you, and to love you is to serve you,
whom to serve is perfect freedom.
It is with faith and hope that we ask these things
through the power of your Holy Spirit
and in the name of your Son, Jesus the Christ,
whose love casts out all fear and leads us into new life with you.
Amen.

Online Hymn 202: Stand Up and Bless the Lord

Sanctuary Children’s Time

*Sanctuary Hymn: The Lorica (praise band) (setting of St Patrick’s Breastplate by Steve Bell)

I bind unto myself today
The gift to call on the Trinity
The saving faith where I can say
Come three in one, oh one in three

Be above me, as high as the noonday sun
Be below me, the rock I set my feet upon
Be beside me, the wind on my left and right
Be behind me, oh circle me with Your truth and light

La da da da da da….

I bind unto myself today
The love of angels and seraphim
The prayers and prophesies of saints
The words and deeds of righteous ones

Be above me, as high as the noonday sun
Be below me, the rock I set my feet upon
Be beside me, the wind on my left and right
Be behind me, oh circle me with Your truth and light

La da da da da da…

I bind unto myself today
The hope to rise from the dust of earth
The songs of nature giving praise
To Father, Spirit, Living Word

Be above me, as high as the noonday sun
Be below me, the rock I set my feet upon
Be beside me, the wind on my left and right
Be behind me, oh circle me with Your truth and light

La da da da da da…

I bind unto myself today
The gift to call on the Trinity.

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5.8b-17, 6.10-18, 23-24
Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Sleeper, awake!
   Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’
Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

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: Stand (v3)
Be careful. Be strong. Stand firm. Take a stand. Stand up. Keep alert. Persevere. Pray.

I confess that I am usually one of those people firmly against using war metaphors for faith. Military clothing and tactics, battle imagery…it doesn’t seem to jive with following the Prince of Peace, the one who defeats death. Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek and to pray for our enemies. The letters of Paul tell us to clothe ourselves in compassion and kindness, to bear one another’s burdens, to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, to work together the way a body works together, to turn swords into plows and rely on the power of love.

And yet in this stirring speech to end the letter, the writer of Ephesians calls us to battle.

Or, more accurately, calls us to stand firm. To hold the line against those powers and principalities that would dearly love to claim every inch of culture and creation for their own purposes. To stand up and let light shine, so that all may see.

The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the sword of God’s word…these are the uniform of the Body of Christ, and not a single one of them is a weapon for attacking. None of them give us even a smidgen of power over another person on earth. The battle the letter is exhorting us about is not against human beings anyway. There’s nothing here, not one word, about fighting each other—it’s all about standing fast in the face of powers larger than any one of us, the systems of the world that want us to serve them rather than serving God’s kingdom.

Sometimes it seems that those who take a stand for truth and peace are indeed embattled in our world of spin and justification. Grace is often in short supply, and even two thousand years after Christ defeated death we still face death-dealing powers every day: powers of sexism and racism, of nationalism and greed, of fear and power-mongering and self-interest. These cosmic forces are so much bigger than any one of us, and even when we try individually not to give in to them, we can’t help it—it’s the water we swim in and the air we breathe. It’s “just the way things are.”

These are not enemies of flesh and blood—there’s no one person or nation or religion or ethnicity we can fight. Nor should we—that is the opposite of our call.

Our call is to stand firm. To hold the line. To refuse to cede another centimetre to hate and fear, to violence and greed, to racism and sexism.

Our call is to be salt and light—to be the agents that reveal God’s goodness in and around all things, despite the bitter shadows that so often seem to win the day. To help people taste and see that God is good, all the time. To live as children of light: exposing the truth about the things that masquerade as good-enough, just-how-it-is, nothing-we-can-do, no-one-will-know, what-else-could-we-do, not-my-problem. Exposing the truth that these are unfruitful works of darkness, and also to expose the path that leads into more light, the truth that there is a more excellent way and it leads to abundant life and that path is available even now in this life. When the children of light shine, God’s kingdom becomes visible amidst all the other stuff that clamours for our attention.

Easier said than done, I know. But here is some good news: this letter, remember, is addressed not to individuals, but to the whole community, the whole body of Christ—the church that is already doing this work and needs some encouragement to keep going. This is not about individuals tying each other up and beating each other over the head with the truth as we see it—it is about the whole body of Christ being held together by the truth of God’s love. It is about the whole body of Christ lacing up shoes that will carry us near and far with a message of peace. This is about the whole body of Christ wearing these gifts together, standing together.

The shield of faith is the perfect visual. The shields of the Roman army were one-and-a-half people wide. So when the army stood together there was no break in the line, because each person was holding a shield that covered themselves and their neighbour. As long as the whole body stands fast and holds the line together, everyone is shielded by the faith of others. And, as John Bunyan noted in the Pilgrim’s Progress, there is no armour for the back or sides. There is no option to turn back, only to stand together. It is the big picture version of turning the other cheek, which was a nonviolent way of resisting the powers that be, by forcing them to back down or to acknowledge your equality and treat you accordingly.

And stand we must. When the powers call for violence as the way to solve a problem, we must stand together for peace. When the powers call for silence because they refuse to listen, we must stand together and speak up. When the powers call for ignoring the plight of the poor, the orphan, the widow, the immigrant and the refugee and the asylum seeker, turning our back on those who suffer, we must stand firm for justice. When the powers call for going along to get along, for endless expansion at the expense of creation, for using people for our own profits, we must stand firm against them and insist on Christ’s more excellent way.

The Body of Christ is clothed in the armour of God…in compassion and kindness, in willingness to bear one another’s burdens and to rejoice with those who rejoice, in the belief that every member of the body is equally important.

Will we hold the line of justice when big companies avoid taxes while people sleep on the streets and children go hungry and the NHS is understaffed, and we can’t find the political will or the money to help, let alone pay a living wage…Will the Body of Christ stand in the gap between wealth and poverty by insisting on God’s economy of compassion and dignity?
Will we hold the line of hope when our culture is fractured into political parties and football allegiances and accents and skin colours, focused on those who belong here and those who don’t deserve to belong, those we believe are good enough to associate with and those who aren’t…Will the Body of Christ withstand the onslaught of those who would divide and conquer with greed and self-interest by insisting on God’s desire for right relationship and wholeness?
Will we plant our feet on peace when world leaders call for fear and violence as a means to achieve their ends, or as a way to amuse themselves or feed their egos at the expense of millions of lives, or as a way to assuage one guilt while causing another…Will the Body of Christ stand up for those in danger by insisting that violence can never drive out violence—only love can do that?

It feels like an impossible task. And it is—but nothing is impossible for God. Remember when the Israelites left Egypt, and the Egyptian army pursued them to the banks of the sea—the people were terrified, and God spoke: “Stand firm, and see what the Lord will do.” Remember that Jesus is the light of the world, and when he calls us to be salt and light, he does so as the head of the Body, not as if he expects us to do it alone.

The end of the letter to the Ephesians is like the big speech the king gives as the army stands arrayed before him, to give them courage and hope as they make their stand. It even has a name, this part of a speech: the peroration, the bit at the end that is supposed to stir us to action.

In the classic allegory of the battle between good and evil, the Lord of the Rings series by JRR Tolkien, the day comes when the men who stand for justice and peace are lined up outside the gates of Mordor, the land of shadows and terror and despair. They are surrounded and outnumbered by all the monsters of greed and hatred and violence and fear. The king rides up and down the line and speaks to them as they try to hold the line to give Frodo a chance to accomplish the task of destroying death, and he says:

Hold your ground!
My brothers,
I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
A day may come when the courage of men fails,
when we forsake our friends
and break all bonds of fellowship,
but it is not this day.
An hour of wolves and shattered shields,
when the age of men comes crashing down,
but it is not this day!
I bid you stand!

Here in this place and time, in the bonds of fellowship and friendship, we make our stand, with prayer and action that reveal God’s vision of the kingdom of justice, peace, truth, and grace.
Here in this place and time, we stand, children of light, the Body of Christ, clothed in truth, righteousness, peace, carrying God’s word dwelling in us richly, that we may be instruments of God’s kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.
Stand firm.

May it be so. Amen.

Hymn: Make Me An Instrument (Praise Band) (setting of the prayer of St Francis by Ken Stewart)

Sanctuary Offering

Sanctuary Offering Response: We Are An Offering
We lift our voices; we lift our hands;
we lift our lives up to you:
we are an offering.
Lord, use our voices; Lord, use our hands;
Lord, use our lives; they are yours:
we are an offering.
All that we have, all that we are,
all that we hope to be,
we give to you, we give to you.
We lift our voices; we lift our hands;
we lift our lives up to you:
we are an offering;
we are an offering.

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
God of grace and glory, we give you thanks this day
for your presence surrounds us with hope and peace,
and with challenge too.
We are grateful for all the ways you reveal yourself to us,
through words from friends and strangers,
in stories and in silence,
around every table,
in the changing of seasons and the rhythms of life.
You, Lord, are in this place, and in every place,
calling your world to wholeness,
offering a more excellent way to live together and make your kingdom come.
You clothe us with your love, your compassion,
your justice, your righteousness, your peace.
Strengthen us as we try to stand firm in your way,
for the world is in need of your good news.
Here as the Body of Christ,
we call to mind those who are alone,
who feel isolated or abandoned or rejected,
with no place to go, no friends to laugh with or to break bread with.
May they know the companionship of your Spirit,
and may we have the courage to reach out even when we aren’t sure what to say.
Here as the Body of Christ,
we lift up those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit…
Those who are ill or in hospital,
recovering from surgery,
longing for comfort.
May they be filled with your healing Spirit,
strengthened and held in your hand.
Here as the Body of Christ,
we pray for those who live with violence and fear,
those who seek justice day after day,
those who wait for help and those who begin to lose hope.
We ask for peace and justice for those who suffer in the midst of war,
especially in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Yemen, in South Sudan.
And we remember the people struggling through natural disasters,
especially where fire rages in Canada and California,
where wind and water bring destruction in the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and Ethiopia.
May they experience hope and peace,
and may we be strengthened to stand up for them,
speaking out and giving of ourselves until all know the fullness of life.
As the world turns its eyes to the Olympics,
we pray for athletes and coaches and spectators to be safe and healthy,
to know the joy of sport and camaraderie,
and to celebrate their achievements together.
And we pray too that our eyes may be open to all,
not only the spectacular but also the mundane,
not only the feats of glory in Paris
but also the reality playing out in other parts of the world
that so rarely get seen on the world stage.
And, O God, we ask your blessing on the Exploratorium,
gathering children and leaders and families together around your table.
May all who come through the doors of St John’s this week
find themselves fed by your grace,
welcomed by your love, and surrounded by your light.
May the leaders have the energy to serve,
may the children have hearts open to learn,
and together may we become your family,
sharing the hope of your kingdom.
Re-member us, O God,
gathering us from all our individual lives
into your one spirit, one body, one church.
Arm us with your righteousness, your truth,
with faith and the gospel of peace
so that we can move forward with courage to change what we can,
to defend the defenceless, to empower the powerless,
to heal the sick, the sad, the grieving.
Surround us with your presence and lead us in your way,
for we pray in the name of 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: Together We Serve (words & tune by Dan Damon, tune: San Anselmo)

Benediction
Body of Christ, put on your uniform of love, truth, righteousness, and peace, and stand firm. Live in the Light, and see what God will do.
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

* The summer Exploratorium begins tomorrow morning. We have 38 children registered and we hope you will be praying for them and for the leaders throughout the week.

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

* Starter Packs are in need of Shampoo, Soap, Shaving Foam, Cleaning Cloths and Soap Powder

The FoodBank are in need of diluting juice, cereal (but not porridge), tinned potatoes, pasta sauce & tinned meat. You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. 
It is also possible to donate to the work of the parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that new item in the budget.

* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study has a very sporadic summer schedule….our next meeting is likely to be this Wednesday 31 July, but check with Teri about possible dates!

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