Sunday service for 19 March 2023, fourth Sunday in Lent
Sunday 19 March 2023, NL1-34, 4th Sunday in Lent
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
One: Keep alert for Christ coming among us.
All: We come with eyes open to see.
One: Looking for ways to love our neighbour,
All: We come with hearts open to receive.
One: Ready to let your light shine,
All: We come with hands open to serve.
Sanctuary Hymn 543: Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness
Prayer
Sovereign God, all time is in your hand,
and yet we confess that we want you to work to our timetable.
We recognise that the world is not as it should be
and we long for your coming to make things right,
yet we delay and slow down because justice is not profitable or comfortable.
We pray for you to change things now, when we want them fixed,
yet we make excuses about how we are not ready to change.
Forgive us, Lord, for our lamps are going out,
and we have stumbled in the shadows as we sought our own way.
Forgive us, and let your forgiveness fill us to overflowing that we may have light to share,
and so include others in the work you set before us each day.
Re-ignite our passion for your kingdom,
and guide us to faithfully walk with you whenever, and wherever, you lead,
for however long it takes to see your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Awaken us to your presence,
and enliven us with your possibility.
Give us even a glimpse of your foolishness that is wiser than human wisdom,
for we hear your coming and we want to be ready
to be part of the next chapter of your story.
We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ,
who comes to fulfil your kingdom among us.
Amen.
Online Hymn: Shine Jesus Shine
Sanctuary Children’s Time
Reading: Matthew 25:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version)
‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” 9But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
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: community lamps
This week I heard a shocking statistic that approximately 1/3 of Church of Scotland ministers are off sick just now, and a large proportion of those are off with stress or burnout. Last week a Church of England minister just two years older than I am took her own life, and her story is being shared all over clergy social media groups. It’s the same in other professions too — nurses and doctors and teachers and charity workers and hospitality staff and even political leaders like Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand stepping down because she felt she was too depleted to continue giving her all to leading the country. There’s a lot of exhaustion, frustration, a sense of being undervalued or taken for granted while also facing unreasonable expectations…and there’s no time or resources to re-fill those empty lamps.
These stories of Jesus are so provocative because they invite us to find ourselves inside them.
Some of us may well recognise ourselves in the bridesmaids who trusted that the day was going to run to schedule, and so when they had to actually go on for longer than expected, didn’t have the resources. It happens to most of us at some point — when expectations change midway through a task, it can be hard to adapt. For some, that might mean that a job changes, we need to learn to do things differently or to take on new responsibilities within our role, and the thought of learning new skills or retraining ourselves for a different way of working is just too much. For some it’s a death of a family member changing our roles and relationships and sense of ourselves. We see it in the church, too, as the culture and world change and the church keeps trying to be the same, but we look into the lamp and see there’s not much left and the light is flickering. Change can be scary and threatening and it feels like we’re running on empty. What do we do if it isn’t immediately obvious how to replenish, or if the resources we need aren’t available and no one seems willing to offer support?
Some of us may recognise ourselves in the bridesmaids who packed extra oil, and probably snacks and a change of clothes too. They were ready for anything, even if it meant the groom was unconscionably late. And when they were asked to share, their first reaction was “but then there might not be enough for us!” Most of us know that scarcity mindset well. We have been taught to take care of ourselves, and only if we have something leftover do we share it. For generations we have learned to save for a rainy day, to be self-sufficient and to insist that others are self-sufficient as well, to do everything we can to avoid having to ask for help and to respond to others asking for help with a little bit of help and maybe also a little bit of patronising. Like if they had just been as careful as we were, they wouldn’t need that help, but for now here’s a little something we can spare…or not, as these bridesmaids decided. I have seen this in institutions and churches and individuals and nations — the idea that we just have to take care of ourselves and everyone else should do that too, and if they can’t then that’s their own problem, not our problem. That is the wisdom of this world but God calls it foolishness, in his kingdom where the last will be first and where Jesus came that we might have abundant life. This same mindset is the one that keeps churches from growing, because we plan our mission around the resources we currently have, which means always doing the same or less…which is the wisdom of this world’s budgeting strategy… rather than saying we have a new vision or want to do additional ministry and now we need to ask for support for it, however foolish it may appear to ask in the midst of everything else.
Even as I read those five bridesmaids that way, though, I can hear and feel another side too. I recognise myself in those bridesmaids who did their best and then found it still wasn’t enough. The demands are endless and the reserves are not, no matter how hard we try to do the good works that Jesus says are the light we shine. There’s always someone else needing or wanting something, and for all the effort we put in to being adaptable to any potential situation and resilient in the face of change or challenge, sometimes we also reach the point when we have to protect ourselves a little bit, like putting on your own oxygen mask first in the airplane safety instructions.
Of course, there’s no story here at all if not for the groom who was ridiculously late for his own wedding! His lateness creates a rift among the community of bridesmaids, so that ultimately only half of them are able to come to the celebration…which probably also creates a rift with the bride! While of course we aren’t responsible for other people’s feelings and relationships, we can at least spare a thought for how our behaviour impacts on the community as a whole. How often have we acted in ways that dismiss the people who aren’t right in front of us at the moment we decide to look? Or that harm people with fewer resources than we have, simply because they couldn’t keep up with our expectations? Or how often have we assumed uncharitable things about the people who weren’t there, when really they just needed a minute to replenish themselves so they could shine all the brighter for us?
And then there’s also the reality that often things just take longer than we think they should. We want a quick fix. We want to make a decision and have the solution instantly. And the truth is that the transformation of the world into the kingdom of God is just taking a lot longer than we want it to. Our glimpses of the kingdom seem few and far between, and the glimpses we do get sometimes actually scare us off so we close our eyes. Our hopes and dreams for the church often feel as far off today as they did when we first had them, but now we have fewer resources to try to put them into action. We keep waiting, but sometimes it seems we are too depleted to respond when the call finally comes, and sometimes it feels like all we have to offer is the same old way we’ve always done it even though now the time is different than when we originally started… and sometimes we’re the ones shouting “it’s coming!” only for people to scatter in a million directions instead of focusing!
This parable gives us a lot of places to find ourselves, and our church, in the story. The characters are all relatable in one way or another, and I’m pretty sure I’ve been all of them, or encountered all of them, at one point or another! I suspect that’s true for most of us, and it’s definitely true for the church. (I wonder — what character do you think the church is most like right now?)
The sticking point remains, though: what are we to do, having seen ourselves in this story Jesus told?
As we read from the end of Matthew’s gospel today, it would behoove us to remember the beginning, in Jesus’ very first teachings, because the two make bookends for the gospel. Back in the sermon on the mount, 20 chapters ago, Jesus said: let your light shine before others. No one lights a lamp and hides it or hoards it — the purpose of a lamp is to give light to all in the house, the purpose of the city on a hill is to be a beacon that shines out for all to see.
Often, we are tired from waiting for God to do something…or from doing the same old same old until we just can’t anymore. Sometimes, our lamps may be going out. Sometimes, we may want to keep our light to ourselves. Sometimes, we need a break from serving past our capacity so we can be refreshed and renewed, and sometimes we need help adapting to changed circumstances we just did not foresee. In those moments, there is someone else in the community who has plenty of light to shine on the path so we can take the next step, there is someone else in our community who calls us out of that isolation back into relationship, and leaning on our community means we can rest or be resilient. Perhaps a strong sense of belonging together and caring for each other…and a willingness to be cared for, too… is one way of keeping our lamps filled.
If we follow the wisdom of the world and send others away to fend for themselves so we can just focus on ourselves, we will ultimately find the half-attended party bittersweet and the light thin and weak.
If we foolishly decide to leave the community to try to fill ourselves up in the marketplace, we’ll miss the opportunity to join God’s kingdom together.
We may not always be able to share oil. But if we will not share our light, then what is that oil for, anyway?
If we face the challenge together instead of putting the whole burden on a few,
if we support each other through those dark valleys rather than just demanding people do more and more with less and less,
if we look for creative ways to share the light even when it feels like God is taking forever in coming,
we’ll be prepared and strong for whatever lies ahead.
May it be so. Amen.
Online Hymn 694: Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You
Sanctuary Hymn: O God, prepare your children (Words: Michael Morgan (1948 – 2023))
Offering
Sometimes standing here and inviting us all into a spiritual practice of generous giving feels a little bit like asking to share the oil in your lamps. The reality is that we have budgeted only for what we currently do, not even everything we actually feel God is calling us to do to serve our community, and that just what we currently do costs more than our regular offering income, let alone what we think God is asking us to do. Is there oil enough to share the light of Christ with more people and in more ways? We trust that our generous God who gives abundantly will also inspire us to be like him, and give us what we need to be like him, so that the kingdom of heaven may flourish here in this place. If you give by standing order, thank you so much for that consistent generosity that allows us to make plans. If you haven’t reviewed your standing order in a while, this is a good time to do so — I revised mine last week to account for the increase we have heard we need. If you give with envelopes, thank you so much for your generosity that keeps us going week by week. If you give online, thank you so much for those special gifts that give a boost to our ministry! If you give regularly but also feel moved to give a special gift in response to God’s goodness or God’s call, thank you for digging deep and being willing to share what you have with those in our community whose reserves feel depleted. We trust that when we stick together as a community, and when we let our light shine as a beacon of blessing to all, there will be enough for everyone.
Your morning offering will now be received.
Sanctuary Offering Response 680 v. 4 (tune: Picardy)
May the One whose love is broader
than the measure of all space
give us words to sing the story,
move among us in this place.
Christ be known in all our living,
filling all with gifts of love.
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Your wisdom is beyond us, O God, but we still try to understand.
Your timing is different than we would prefer, but we still try to be both patient and prepared.
Your justice turns our sense of fairness upside down, but we still try to carry out your will.
We thank you for the reminder that you are God and we are not,
and we pray you would help us to be faithful in what you give us, Lord, to do.
We hold in your light today those who have waited long for justice,
whose hope wanes and spirits faint.
May your day come, and soon, when they hear good news.
We hold in your light today those who must navigate the world on their own,
who have no one to advise or nurture or challenge them.
May your beloved community enfold them in grace and growth.
We hold in your light today those who have been shut out,
and those who have closed doors, for safety reasons and for selfish ones.
May your healing welcome expand and transform their lives.
We hold in your light today those people and places
where violence, hunger, and climate change make it impossible to look forward or plan,
those whose lives must be lived moment by moment
with fear and grief seeming to have the upper hand.
May your peace fill each corner of the earth and each heart.
We hold in your light today those who have followed you faithfully
and yet grow weary as the day and years go on and progress seems far off.
May your day come, and soon, when your will is done on earth.
Loving God,
you are the perfect parent,
guiding and nurturing, calling and challenging,
teaching and caring.
We give you thanks for the love that has passed from generation to generation,
love received from you and shown to others,
and we celebrate those who have nurtured us with your mothering spirit.
We give you thanks for the way you call us all your children,
making us sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles,
parents and grandparents, cousins and neighbours
with the whole world.
When we use the phrase “our children” or “our mothers” too narrowly,
open our hearts and minds to see as you see.
We pray today for the mothers who weep for their children,
lost to violence, to fear, to hate, to indifference;
living with homelessness, going hungry,
lost to broken systems and selfish blindness.
Remind us that if one part of the body suffers, all suffer together with it. …
We pray today for the many people who find days like today hard,
even as we celebrate the many blessings you have given to us
through people who have helped us grow in your love over the years.
May all your children be comforted, supported, nourished, challenged, healed, and renewed.
Reveal yourself, loving God,
as the One who creates a new thing,
starting from today and moving us forward into the future you intend.
We ask these and all things in the name of Christ, in whom your fullness dwells,
and 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 694: Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You
Benediction
Friends, go to live each day ready for Christ’s call, letting your light shine that all may see God’s love in and 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.
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.
Sanctuary 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.
* The choir rehearses in the sanctuary immediately after the service, and finishes before 1pm. All who enjoy singing are welcome!
* St John’s is hosting the Easter Code for Primary school pupils on Monday, 20th March and Tuesday, 21st March and we are looking for volunteers to assist. If you can help, please see Teri after the service.
*We are looking for a new Property Convenor — the role mainly involves keeping track of contracts (ie utilities/works) and contacting and following up with contractors to get works done in accordance with the Kirk Session’s instructions, plans, and budget. The administrative/reporting duties have thus far been done entirely using Microsoft Word, so no particular technological skills required. If you might be interested in volunteering for this role, please speak to Cameron, Donald (the current convenor), or Teri to learn more.
* Did you know that it costs us about £10,500 per month to do the ministry we currently do at St. John’s? That includes heating and lighting the building and keeping it in good repair for church and community groups, programming, events, and pastoral care for people of all ages, our contribution to minister’s stipends, and other ministry costs. 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.
* 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!
* 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!
*The Contact Group meets on Tuesday 21 March at 2pm for their Annual General Meeting.
* Our Lent study is with all of Connect, meeting in the Lyle Kirk on Thursday evenings. We gather at 7pm for tea and coffee and then start at 7:30pm. We are studying “Another Story Must Begin” based on the musical Les Miserables. All are welcome, no experience necessary.
* The Stated Annual Meeting of the congregation will be held immediately after morning worship TODAY. The minute of last year’s meeting is available in the sanctuary. You can download a copy of the Annual Report by clicking here.
* March 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.
* Greenock Philharmonic Choir’s Spring Concert will be on Saturday 25th March in Lyle Kirk, Union Street, Greenock at 7-30pm. They will perform ‘Elijah’ by Mendelssohn. The conductor is Andrew McTaggart, and the choir will be accompanied by the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra. Soloists are Catriona Hewitson, Penelope Cousland, William Searle, and Ross Cumming. Tickets, priced £15, including refreshments, are available from Calum Harbison on 07847 250529, or by emailing info@greenockphilharmonic.co.uk.
Sunday service for 27 March 2022, fourth Sunday in Lent
27 March 2022, fourth Sunday in Lent
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143
Email: tpeterson@churchofscotland.org.uk
In the sermon, there’s a pause to watch a video that I cannot embed in our worship video, for copyright reasons. You can watch that video on YouTube by clicking here!
Prelude Music
Welcome
Call to Worship
1: When the time is right, Jesus calls us to follow.
And sometimes, he calls us to wait.
2: When the time is right, Jesus calls us to speak.
And sometimes, he calls us to listen.
All: In every time, Jesus gives us what we need to be faithful,
to look past our fear toward Life anew.
Prayer with Hymn 776: Ukrainian Kyrie
Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.
Faithful God, you have made us in your image and called us your own.
We confess that we have not lived up to our potential,
and we admit that the gap between your kingdom way and our daily lives
is larger than we can bridge.
We have tried to do it under our own power,
proving our strength and earning our place,
even as you teach us to rely on your grace in our weakness.
Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.
We confess that in our attempts to be worthy,
we have actually lost our way.
Though we know you are near,
we cannot hear you over the voice of fear roaring in our ears and minds,
coursing through our bodies and telling us lies about who we are.
Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.
Forgive us for denying who you made us to be,
in favour of projecting an image that makes it easier to get along in this world.
Forgive us for pretending we do not know you,
in order to pursue our own instant gratification.
Forgive us for meeting your “I am” with our own scared “I am not,”
and bridge the gap between our ability and your vision,
that we may hear you clearly and obey your word.
Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.
Your word is alive, O God,
out in the open,
moving in hearts and minds and lives.
Your good news cannot be contained or controlled,
and there’s no stopping your revolutionary love
rippling out through the world.
Give us ears to hear your voice, calm and sure,
guiding us through fear to resurrection faith.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Music
Online: The Voice of Truth (Casting Crowns)
In person: improvisation on St Columba (by P Norris)
Reading: John 18.12-27 (NRSV)
Last week we heard about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and instructing them to do the same: to demonstrate love by serving one another. After the meal ended, Judas went out and met the authorities, and showed them where to find Jesus and the disciples meeting and praying in the garden. Meanwhile, Jesus spoke to the disciples at great length about his upcoming trials and triumphs, and prayed for his disciples to be faithful in following his way, including teaching them that the world will recognise them as his disciples by their love. When the authorities arrived with their lanterns and torches, Judas stood with the soldiers and police who came to arrest Jesus. When they said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus himself stepped forward and said “I am,” and he instructed his disciples to leave, so that none might be lost. Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave, and Jesus told him to put his sword away, it wasn’t the way. We pick up the story in the gospel according to John, chapter 18, beginning at verse 12. I am reading from the New Revised Standard Version.
~~~
So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the religious leaders that it was better to have one person die for the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.’ When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?’ Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’ One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.
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: The Voice of Fear
Sometimes I wonder about how much pressure Peter felt. He was, after all, the one that Jesus re-named “The Rock” the very first time they met. He was one of Jesus’ inner circle of closest friends. He was the one who felt most free to speak up, and he had some spectacular successes…though John’s gospel says someone else is the “beloved” disciple. Peter was a leader among the disciples, and he had been told that he’d be a leader in the community of Jesus followers in years to come. Not to mention that, narratively in the story, he stands in for us a lot of the time, saying and doing things that we might think! Though of course he wouldn’t have known that at the time. But by this point in John, Peter has been with Jesus for three years, learning, absorbing, watching, and being empowered. But that night in the garden, Peter heard Jesus predict his strength would falter. He heard Jesus say “you cannot follow me now, but later you will.” He heard Jesus send his disciples home.
And then a crack appeared in the Rock. He not only pulled out his sword, he brandished it about and he injured someone, and Jesus told him to stop. He had gotten this spectacularly wrong, misunderstanding who Jesus was and what he had to do, and also what it meant to be a disciple of the Prince of Peace.
Once that crack opened, it’s as if the pressure got greater and greater, because the foundation was compromised, and Peter just fell apart.
I think that’s something we can relate to — in fact it’s a common enough experience that there’s a whole song about it in the recent Disney film Encanto.
Luisa’s Song (Surface Pressure): https://youtu.be/tQwVKr8rCYw
Sometimes the pressure comes from outside expectations, things people need or want from us, the things they ask us to carry or handle or hold. And sometimes it’s on the inside — thoughts like “who am I if I don’t have what it takes?” or “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service.” Those are the things that, when we say them to ourselves, mean that one little crack feels like the end of it all. One crack, and we fall entirely apart, as Peter did. One mistake in the garden — granted it was a big mistake, but still — and it was as if he’d passed some point of no return, and left behind everything he’d learned, all the transformation and experiences of the past three years becoming a disciple of Jesus.
So there Peter stood in the high priest’s courtyard — not with Jesus, whom he followed there in spite of being told it wasn’t time for him to come yet, but rather with the guards and police, around a fire. The light of the world was a few metres away, but Peter chose the lesser light, almost as if he felt he no longer belonged with Jesus. In Peter’s mind, he’s failed in such a big way that he is no longer able to call himself a disciple of Jesus. One crack and his entire identity fell apart, so when he was asked: are you not also one of this man’s disciples? — which tells us that the other person Peter went there with was already known to be a disciple, and was presumably standing with Jesus during this interrogation — but when Peter was asked, having had this crack open up, he could not say yes. Who was he, if his courage faltered? Well, he certainly couldn’t be a disciple, could he? He was a disciple before, sure…but now?
That’s the voice of fear talking, not the voice of the Shepherd. The voice of fear calls us to forget who we are. It talks round and round in circles until we are trapped by it and all we can imagine is this wee cage that holds us stuck in place.
That’s what the voice of fear wants — for us to forget, or at least hide and deny, who we really are. And even better, to drown out or ignore any other voices that might remind us. That way we will behave entirely in self-serving ways, seeking our own safety without thought for others or for the common good or the bigger picture.
Fear makes us forget ourselves. It takes the truth to set us free.
Perhaps Peter could not see the truth, that he was still a disciple, even though his courage had faltered. He made one mistake and then the voice of fear told him that was it, he was finished, he could never live up to his name. If you don’t keep it together all the time, then there’s no point in trying again. And turning to the other disciple for support was of course out of the question, because the voice of fear and the voice of self-sufficiency are best friends…a friendship made possible by the fact that they are both liars.
The voice of truth says “do not be afraid” — which is easier said than done, of course! With so much pressure both from the outside and the inside, and so many competing voices, it can feel impossible. So perhaps we might listen instead for the voice of truth reminding us who we are.
Fear wants us to forget who we are, or if that’s not quite possible, to at least pretend to be something else. Peter was not the first nor the last to hide his true self out of fear of how others would react to him. We have neighbours, brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren, who are hiding themselves because they are afraid of what others will think of them, or afraid for their safety if they’re honest, or afraid of being alone in the world. Whether they have to hide because of who they love or because of what faith they practice or because of some past trauma or because of some illness that they’re ashamed of, that fear is real and it traps us in that tiny cage that obscures our view of ourselves and the world.
But what if the voice of truth reminds us who we are?
The voice of truth says: you are my beloved.
The voice of truth says: I made you in my image, for my glory.
The voice of truth says: I believe in you.
The voice of truth says: you were never meant to carry this all alone.
The voice of truth says: I know you make mistakes, and I still love you.
The voice of truth might even quote Leonard Cohen and say: it’s okay if you crack now and then — there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
The voice of truth says: the worst thing is never the last thing.
The voice of truth says: come, follow me.
Though the voice of fear wants you to forget or deny yourself, remember who you are. When the pressure is overwhelming, remember who you are. When the world is out of control, remember who you are. When everything feels dangers, remember who you are. Even if you can’t manage to let go of fear, instead focus on who you are: you are a child of God, and you belong to God who loves you. Hone in on that truth, and though the other voices will still be there, they won’t be quite so loud. Because the truth will set you free.
May it be so. Amen.
Online hymn 533: Will You Come and Follow Me
(In person Hymn: The Truth That Sets Us Free (words: John L Bell; tune: Courage Brother))
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer: Fiona Webster
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
In person Hymn 533: Will You Come and Follow Me (John L Bell, tune Kelvingrove)
Benediction
Go into your week to hear and obey the voice of truth which says you are a beloved child of God, and let that love that is the foundation of all things give you courage to stand firm in who God has made you to be.
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.
Announcements
* We are now about halfway through the season of Lent, a season of preparing for Easter. During Lent we are invited to be particularly attentive to our spiritual practices, to remove things from our lives that are hindering our relationship with God, and to be diligent in pursuing faithful ways. This season is meant to get us ready to meet the risen Christ on the other side of the tomb, and to follow him wherever he will lead. The theme for worship during this Lenten season will be “Who’s Calling?” — thinking about how we incline our ear to the voice of Jesus through the cacophony of the world around us.
*You are invited to join in reading the Bible in a year for 2022 — immersing ourselves in God’s word throughout the year. Click here to find a reading plan that’s five days a week (leaving a couple of days for catch up each week!). Watch this space for information about a Bible study as we go through the scriptures together!
* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we also meet in person, subject to the usual protocols for distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing. We can now welcome up to 85-100 people for worship with one-chair-between-households distancing. No booking is required. Masks are required at all times inside the building, including while singing. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door.
* Tonight we will gather for evening prayer on the Connect Facebook Page, led tonight by David. Log on at 6:58pm to join in.
* The Kirk now has online giving! If you have not already set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Peter Bennett, our treasurer, or Teri and she can give you his details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. Remember: no one is coming to your door to collect your envelopes, so please stay safe!
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* The Spring Church Notes are now available! You can read them by clicking here.
* The Lower Clyde Mission Group (of which St. John’s is a part) is hosting an Easter Trail on Saturday 16 April, on Tower Hill, from 2-3pm. All are welcome!
*Young Adults Bible Study is on Zoom most Sunday afternoons. Contact Teri for the link to join and for a copy of the book they are using.
*Mark your calendars for Holy Week and Easter worship:
10 April:
11am, Passion Sunday service in St. John’s
4pm, CONNECT Palm Sunday event at OGA, with a light dinner served
14 and 15 April:
7:30pm, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services
16 April:
2-3pm, Easter Trail on Tower Hill
8:30pm, Easter Eve service in St. John’s
17 April:
7am, Easter service on Tower Hill
8am, Easter breakfast with communion in St. John’s large hall
11am, Easter service in St John’s sanctuary
Sunday Service for 14 March 2021, the fourth Sunday in Lent
Sunday Service for 14 March 2021, fourth Sunday in Lent
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, call 01475 270037. Minutes should be included in your phone plan for landline numbers.
Coffee hour is on Zoom between 11:45 – 1. Grab a cuppa and come for a chat!
Children’s Time is on Zoom at 11. If you or someone you know would like login details, please contact Teri.
Our Lent Study this year is online as well. Each day throughout the week we are learning about various people of faith through the ages on Lent Madness, and then on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 we will gather on Zoom to go more in depth about them and what we can learn from their faithfulness to help us on our own journeys with Christ. If you’d like to join the Zoom study, click here on Wednesday at 7:30. If you know someone who needs the details to join by audio only (by phone) please contact Teri for the details.
Palm Sunday is in two weeks. If you are out for a walk between now and then, be on the lookout for a smooth stone that fits in the palm of your hand — not too small or too big, just right. Bring it home and wash it and let it dry — we will be using them in our Palm Sunday worship.
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Call to Recognition
God has been telling the story for generations,
calling us to faithfulness.
The prophets and apostles proclaim
the covenant written on our hearts.
The Holy Spirit gifts us with all we need
to live in the kingdom of God here and now.
So come, let us worship together, to recognise the word of life.
Recognise —
To see or understand something we have known before
A place we have been
A person we have met
A word we have heard
Sometimes we forget, sometimes we’ve been away for a while,
sometimes it was crowded out, sometimes we didn’t want to recall
but when the moment of recognition comes, it is just that:
Re – cognition. Knowing again.
In the beginning, God made humankind in God’s image.
In the beginning, God breathed into dust and ashes, and we came to life.
Along the way, God spoke, filling our ears with promise.
Along the way, God wrote the word on our hearts.
Yet we have forgotten, we’ve turned away for a while, we got busy, we didn’t want to recall.
We went our own way —
the way of the to-do list that can’t be set aside
the way of easy judgmental answers that put some out while we’re in
the way of accepting that wholeness, shalom, is an impossible, naive dream
the way of overlooking things that make us uncomfortable
The whole time, You have been here.
The whole time, You have been speaking, calling to us.
In the word, in the flesh, in our neighbour, in the stranger, in our hearts, in our communities,
you have been here all along,
and we have not recognised you.
Show us your way again, Lord.
Remind us of what we have forgotten, turned away from, crowded out, ignored.
Give us hearts and minds to recognise you,
wherever you reveal yourself today.
Amen.
Hymn 360: Jesus Christ is Waiting
Reading: Luke 16.19-30 (Common English Bible)
Last week we heard Jesus teaching in parables about looking for the lost and restoring the wholeness of community. He proceeded straight after the story of the Lost Son to tell some very confusing parables related to how we use our resources, especially wealth, ending with the statement “you cannot serve God and wealth.” Some Pharisees and other leaders heard him teaching and they mocked and criticised him, and Luke describes them as “Pharisees who were lovers of money.” Jesus then says to them, “you justify yourselves before others but God knows your heart.” That’s where we pick up the story today, in Luke chapter 16, at verse 19. I am reading from the Common English Bible.
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Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted luxuriously every day. At his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs would come and lick his sores.
“The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, whereas Lazarus received terrible things. Now Lazarus is being comforted and you are in great pain. Moreover, a great crevasse has been fixed between us and you. Those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot. Neither can anyone cross from there to us.’
“The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’ The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’ Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
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: What More Do We Need?
Lent is a season when we are meant to prepare for Easter by first noticing and then detaching ourselves from the things that separate us from God — things that take our attention and energy when we ought to be focused on God’s kingdom. We fast from things that distract us, so that we can be ready — or at least as ready as possible in our limited human reality — to receive the incredible grace of resurrection. Lent is about honest self-reflection, letting go, and clearing ourselves, body, mind, and spirit, so that we can repent and return to God’s way.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that readings like this come up in Lent. It isn’t exactly the cheeriest of seasons, when we confront our brokenness with honesty, sorrow, and hope. And this reading is not cheery. It’s one we’d probably rather skip over…but that discipline of truth-telling that we practice in Lent so that we can do it all year long requires us to confront the hard words Jesus has for us today.
The contrasts in this story couldn’t be more startling — between a nameless rich man who has the best clothes, and a poor man called Lazarus whose broken skin doesn’t even cover him, between the man who feasted luxuriously every day and the man who saw those feasts and wished for a crumb but starved just outside, between the one who died and was simply carried off, and the one who died and was given a proper and dignified burial.
There was clearly a chasm between these two men and their experience of the world. They existed in the same sphere, living in the same space, looking at each other through windows, through the gate, or whenever the rich man left his house and had to step over poor Lazarus. They knew each other, but their lives were so different, they might as well have lived on different planets. One had more than he knew what to do with, and so had access to anything he could ever want or dream. The other had less than nothing, and could only look longingly and hope for mercy from those in his community — mercy that was never forthcoming. Not even a crumb.
Once they had both died, the tables turned but the chasm remained. They could still see each other, and speak to one another…and the rich man did. He was used to getting what he wanted, and saw no reason this time should be any different. So he begged for the same thing that he had denied Lazarus in life — just a drop of cool water. Just a drop, just a crumb.
But in asking, he betrayed himself: he called for Lazarus by name.
It’s easy to imagine that having lived such incredibly different lives, that the rich man might never have even noticed the poor man — just always studiously avoided looking. It’s something many of us who have spent time in cities are practiced at, the looking away, never making eye contact with people in need sitting on the side of the street. We stay safely on our side of the chasm, imagining we have little in common with “those people.”
But the rich man said “send Lazarus.”
He knew him. He recognised his face and knew his name.
He knew that man who sat at his gate, starving and wounded. Which means he chose to ignore his suffering. These two people lived in the same space and were in the same community and one of them simply decided that the other was not valuable enough to help. He preferred his sumptuous meals and beautiful clothes and didn’t care about anyone else, not even his closest neighbour, who lay at his very gate.
We might put it like this: he loved himself far more than his neighbour.
When the chasm he had created was brought to his attention, he was undeterred in his sense of entitlement to control Lazarus, asking for him to be sent away from the comfort he’d never had in life, back to the very place where he had suffered, for the benefit of the rich brothers. Who, for the record, appear to have never cared for Lazarus in life, so it’s not at all clear they would pay attention to him coming back from the dead either.
Abraham’s response should give us all pause. He said “they have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.”
In other words: we already know what we’re supposed to do. The commandment to Love God and Love Neighbour are not news, they’ve been there this whole time. That’s supposed to be the core of who we are and what we do. What more do we need before we act on the word of God? What will it take for us to recognise the truth of God’s call, and respond to it?
Remember that Jesus told this story to “Pharisees who were lovers of money” — as Pharisees, they knew the Torah. They knew perfectly well the commandments and the words of the prophets through the ages, calling people to live God’s way. And yet their love was out of order. Rather than loving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving their neighbour as themselves, they loved money first.
I think Jesus told this story to show them what kind of world that out-of-order love would create.
The thing is, we know all this, and yet we choose not to know it. We know that we have created that chasm between us and them, coming up with all sorts of reasons why we can’t cross it to love our neighbour. And so we look away, and congratulate ourselves, jockeying for our return to normal while developing nations continue to die of covid with no access to vaccines. We look away as we place our stockpiling grocery orders, while people fleeing from violence or environmental disaster or abject poverty die, either trying to get here or in substandard accommodations in our cities. We look away as we justify ourselves as not knowing anyone who would do those things while women are abducted and killed for walking home after dark. We look away as we repeat rumours and jokes about others, while they hear us and wish they weren’t alive anymore. And the chasm grows, and grows, and becomes more and more fixed, and it feels impossible to cross.
The rich man knew Lazarus’s name. He recognised his face. But he did not recognise the image of God in his neighbour. Or, to be more honest about it, he chose not to see the image of God in his neighbour, because he loved himself more.
Lent is a time for honesty, for the kind of self-reflection that brings us closer to the truth that sets us free. Choosing to live in ways that create that chasm, while the kingdom of God beckons from the other side, may feel like freedom but actually we end up trapped too, unable to get out of a system we can’t even see, and it can be terrifying to admit it. But perfect love casts out fear, and the Way of Jesus leads to life — not just surviving, but abundant life, eternal life that starts now. Jesus says, in this story and in plenty of others: you know the way. I am the way.
May we recognise our part in creating the chasms of this world, and choose to live by Christ’s command to love. Amen.
Hymn 253: Inspired by Love and Anger
Prayer
God who crosses chasms,
reach out today to your people.
May your healing power surround those who are ill.
May your compassion guide the hearts of those who care for others.
May your abundant life fill those who are barely getting by.
May your mothering love be known to all.
God who crosses chasms,
reach out today to your people.
May your truth open the eyes of those who walk past need.
May your generosity flow through the hands of those with plenty.
May your grace change the lives of those whose worldview is narrow.
May your mothering love be known to all.
God who crosses chasms,
reach out today to your people.
May your wisdom empower those who lead.
May your justice flow to every corner of the earth.
May your persistence give us courage to seek peace and pursue it.
May your mothering love be known to all.
God who crosses chasms,
reach out today to your people.
We ask these and all things 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.
Benediction
Friends, however difficult the self-examination of this season, may you see and act on the truth of God’s call to love. 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
* If you are out for a walk during the next two weeks, be on the lookout for a smooth stone that fits in the palm of your hand — not too small or too big, just right. Bring it home and wash it and let it dry — we will be using them in our Palm Sunday worship.
* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) until further notice — the building is closed during the government’s lockdown and during level 4 restrictions. We will let you know when in-person worship begins, and whether any new procedures will be in place at that time.
* 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 Lent is “Recognition” — a word which means “understanding something we previously knew/have seen before.” God has written the covenant in our hearts, and we have heard Jesus’ teaching before…where do we recognise him in our daily lives, what lessons is he reminding us about when he tells his parables, and how do we return our way to the way he has faithfully laid out for us, time and again?
* Our Lent Study this year is online as well. Each day throughout the week we are learning about various people of faith through the ages on Lent Madness, and then on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 we will gather on Zoom to go more in depth about them and what we can learn from their faithfulness to help us on our own journeys with Christ. If you’d like to join the Zoom study, click here on Wednesday at 7:30. If you know someone who needs the details to join by audio only (by phone) please contact Teri for the details.
* Each day of Lent — 40 days not including Sundays — I will be posting a video on our Facebook page about “Faith in 40 Objects” — household things that can inform our faith journey, depending on how we look at them!
* 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!
* Evening Prayer with Connect will be led by all three Connect clergy this evening. Join us on the Connect Facebook Page at 6:58pm.
***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.
Update from Venda, 1st of March:
“In Venda we are having huge rainfalls and all our roads are broken, the road to school we can’t get in with the car. for 3 days without electricity and network, all we had was rain and cold. but today the rain is better and hopefully tomorrow there will be no rain. The good news is that there is a vaccine and the number of new cases is going down every day.
In 2020, we were approved as a COVID-19 complaint school by the Department of Education and Social Development. Our Outreach program have been at its best this year since the outbreak of COVID-19 ensuring that the community gets help they need and that our children are safe and have food during the pandemic. Even though the school had a long holiday, because our children are vulnerable the school was providing monthly food parcel to all our need family. I am very grateful to you all for your ongoing support.”
Sunday Service for 22 March 2020, Fourth Sunday in Lent
22 March 2020: 4th Sunday in Lent
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri C Peterson,
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Contact: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland (dot) org (dot) uk
Welcome and Announcements
Though we cannot be together in person, we can be together in spirit! Feel free to sing the responses, even if you are alone, and to pray aloud or in silence throughout this service, and know that others are doing the same.
Please note the following announcements:
1. There will be church services broadcast on BBC1, including an ecumenical service for Mothering Sunday at 12:15 led by a former Moderator of the General Assembly and a Roman Catholic Priest.
2. Tonight at 7pm all are invited to join the National Day of Prayer, placing a lit candle in the window and spending time in prayer for others. A prayer to get you started can be found at this link. Also, Teri will be leading a brief time of prayer via Facebook Live on the church Facebook page.
In addition, the moderator of our Presbytery has asked us to pause each day at 11am to pray for healing, health care workers, and our community.
3. Feel free to share this service with others, with the attribution information at the top! If you know someone who does not have access to the internet and who also does not receive the tape ministry, you can either print this service out and share it with them, or let Teri know via email or phone call and we will be sure they receive a printed copy.
4. Mid-week there is a devotional email that goes out, you can see last week’s and subscribe to future mailings at this link.
5. Also mid-week there is a facebook live video devotional on the St. John’s Gourock Facebook page.
6. If you or a church member you know is in need of friendly phone calls or help with anything while they self-isolate, please contact Teri. Elders are already in contact with people in their districts as well, and you can pass information to them! We are hoping to continue and even deepen our connections to one another, building up the Body of Christ even when we can’t be in the building.
Call to Worship
One: Let us, together and individually, observe a holy Lent:
turning away from all that does not glorify God,
and turning toward the cross,
obediently following Christ’s way of love and justice.
All: We come to seek God’s help in discerning
what we must lay down and what we must take up,
what we must end and what we must begin.
For the way is narrow that leads to life,
but with God all things are possible.
One: Let us worship God together.
Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer
Loving God, we come today with such a mix of emotions…we are anxious and afraid, we are grateful, we are wondering, we are frustrated, we are hopeful. We are meant to be keeping our distance, and we admit that sometimes it feels as if you have kept your distance as well, though we know you are never far away. We don’t know where to turn, when the news is constant and the advice is conflicting, when we have put so much on hold, and it feels like loss after loss. We confess that we are tempted to fend for ourselves, and leave others to do the same. We confess that it can be hard to keep sight of you and your call to be gracious and compassionate. We confess that it’s easy to let fear rule. Lord God, we are sorry for the ways we have withheld love from you and from our neighbours and from ourselves. We ask your forgiveness. We long for your peace, your comfort, your safety…or even for things to “return to normal.” But you turn us around from the way we have been and lead us in the way you want us to go….so we pray you would turn us around to your way, and lead us onward. Give us courage to live as your people, to know we are forgiven and loved, and to share that grace with others. 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.
Sung prayer 382, verses 2-3
(tune: Passion Chorale, O Sacred Head Now Wounded)
O Lord of life and glory,
what bliss till now was thine!
I read the wondrous story;
I joy to call thee mine.
Thy grief and bitter Passion
were all for sinners’ gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
What language shall I borrow
to praise thee, heavenly Friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine for ever,
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never,
never outlive my love to thee.
Scripture Reading: Mark chapter 12 verses 28-44 (NIV)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’
‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’
‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
‘“The Lord said to my Lord:
‘Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.’”
David himself calls him “Lord”. How then can he be his son?’
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
As he taught, Jesus said, ‘Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the market-places, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.’
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few pence.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.’
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: Core Muscles
It was a few months ago now that I first looked at the readings for the Narrative Lectionary for the season of Lent, and about a month since I started planning just how this would fit with the Boys Brigade Battalion service we were meant to have today. The first part of this story, where Jesus gives us the most important commandments to love God and love our neighbour, are the verses I have been using each time I visit the various sections of the BB throughout the year. We have been working on Strengthening Our Core — both our physical and our spiritual core muscles. So in every section, no matter their age, we have had some exercise challenges, trying to see how long we can hold a plank position or a v-sit position. I will admit that when I started the session I was feeling pretty strong, but the first night I visited the Company Section, two boys held the plank for 4 minutes when I had fallen before the stopwatch got to the 2 minute mark — though to be fair, someone kicked my feet as we were all crammed up on the chancel! Each month we start the timer and see who can hold the position the longest, and we talk about why it matters that we have strong core muscles: because they hold our body together and make all movement possible. Without a strong core, we would have trouble with balance, with walking, turning, sitting down and standing up, picking things up, and of course all the more strenuous activities children do!
Once we have our physical core exercises done, we talk about our spiritual core, and this verse is it. Jesus says that our spiritual core, the muscles that allow us to do everything else, are this: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself. If we strengthen these muscles, then we’ll be able to do everything else life throws at us. So each month we have talked about how we love God with our heart, or our mind, or how we love our neighbour.
So this seemed perfect for the service when all the local BB companies would be here.
Little did we know how much things would change, and how important this story would be for completely different reasons.
Over the past two weeks we have seen incredible kindness all around us. Groups of people wanting to help, offers to drop off shopping or to help set up technology. There seems to be a rebirth of community spirit and pulling together.
And we have also seen an incredible lack of kindness, too. We have seen people buying far more than they can use, and leaving others with nothing. We have seen people continuing to congregate in ways that seem to imply they’re willing to sacrifice other people’s lives in order to maintain their own convenience or fun. We have seen racist attacks against Asian people, because the virus is thought to have originated in China.
Yesterday during the government briefings we were begged repeatedly to “think of others”….when we’re shopping, when we’re planning to go out with friends, when we’re on public transport. Nearly every sentence, it felt like, asked us to consider the needs of someone else, whether it was NHS workers, elderly family and friends and neighbours, or supermarket clerks.
They stopped just short of saying “love your neighbour as yourself” but I wondered if it might not be the best way to get the point across. The golden rule seems to apply more than ever: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you would want there to still be supplies on the shelf at Tesco when you get off a long shift at work, then take only what you need right now and leave the rest for others. If you would want someone to respect a safe distance from your parents, your grandparents, your neighbours, or yourself…then do that to others. If you would want there to be a nurse and a doctor available when you become ill or get injured, then do what you can to keep them safe. And in the same way, if you would want someone to check in just to chat when you’re feeling lonely, then go ahead and make a phone call to someone else who might be wishing someone would phone them! If you would want someone to offer to deliver your medicine or a pint of milk if you were poorly, then offer that help to your neighbours.
Loving God and loving our neighbour are inextricably linked, like all our core muscles are. If one muscle is weakened or sprained or torn, the others struggle to keep you going…and that’s true for our spiritual core too.
Jesus and the teacher discuss what commandment is the most important, and Jesus offers two, and each of them has sub-threads as well.
Love God: not just the feeling of love, but love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. So with every aspect of your being — your feelings, your intellect, your body, and your spirit. Nothing is excluded from God’s love, and nothing is excluded from the command to love. Using our spirits and our emotions to love God seem relatively easy and familiar, but using our bodies and our minds to love God might seem more unusual. But nonetheless they are important. God gave us brains, and expects us to use them for the building up of the kingdom, for discovering more about God’s world, for finding ways to encourage and teach and heal. God gave us bodies, and expects us to use them, to take care of them and to use them to take care of others. There is no aspect of our lives that God doesn’t care about — God made it all, gave us it all, loves it all.
And then we’re taught to love our neighbour as ourselves….which also means loving ourselves well. No one can fill another’s cup from their own empty jug. Before you say something to yourself, ask yourself if you’d say it to someone else. And, as we’ve already said, think about how even in everyday actions like buying just enough, or washing your hands, or offering some help, you can love your neighbour the way you have experienced being loved by God.
I think it is so fascinating that the conversation between Jesus and the teacher expands into conversations with the crowds. Jesus was teaching in the Temple courts, surrounded by pious people who had come from all over the country to worship at this holiest of places, plus local people popping in to see what was happening in the courtyard today, plus religious leaders and scribes, and probably political spies as well. In the midst of that place, surrounded by that particular crowd of people, he took the opportunity to say that we should watch out for the people who make a show of their love for God. Not only are they likely failing at loving their neighbour, they may actually be harming their neighbours—not leaving them anything on the shelves, as it were. Their preoccupation with being noticed, with gaining recognition for their greatness or their preparedness or their piety, meant they had no energy or attention left to do justice or love kindness, and they had missed the point of “walk humbly with God.”
And our core muscles are inextricably linked: If we aren’t loving our neighbours, we aren’t loving God….indeed, we cannot love God if we are not also showing love to our neighbours. And vice versa.
Right on cue, a parade of people putting their offerings in came by. The Temple treasury was meant to be used to support people in need, especially immigrants, orphans, and widows. Giving was — and still is — an important spiritual discipline, a part of the way we show our gratitude for all God has given us, and participate in the ministry God calls us all to do together. (I would be remiss if I didn’t say that this is still true even when we cannot worship together in person…as Peter said before, if you don’t already give by standing order, please consider it! But in the meantime, you can hold on to your envelopes until we are together again! And, of course, it is never a bad time to think about a legacy, to enable ministry to continue long into the future!)
But that day, people who had plenty to spare were ostentatiously giving out of their plenty, so everyone would know they had plenty more, not because they wished to help people in poverty, and not out of gratitude for God’s providing. They wanted people to know how generous they were, and how well-off they were.
Then came a widow, the very person the treasury was meant to serve. She didn’t have much, and obviously all those people with more than enough hadn’t seen her or thought to help, but she did have a lot of gratitude for God’s grace. She gave her offering, and it was an act of worship. Not an act desiring recognition, but instead an act recognising the Giver of every good gift.
Jesus saw her, when no one else did. We know he made a habit of seeing people that no one else saw. But this time, she didn’t want to be seen. She didn’t make her offering hoping someone would notice her. And thankfully, Jesus didn’t call her over and make a big deal about it. Instead, he called his disciples, his small group, to come into a private conversation, and he taught them to see as he saw — a woman who gave everything, who loved God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength, and showed it by giving to help her neighbour even though she was the one who ought to have been given help.
That woman had a strong core. She didn’t need to show off her spiritual six pack, but it helped her live according to God’s way, even in difficult circumstances.
Each week of Lent we have been considering different things we might “give up” not just for Lent, but forever. We’ve talked about how often we are over full and owned by our possessions. We’ve talked about fasting from being first, and fasting from being right. This story, I think, leads us to try the practice of fasting from being recognised. What if we loved God and loved our neighbour, NOT so that people would see us and thank us for our service, but because it’s the core of who we are? What if we fasted from recognition, and just put love into action, every day, in whatever small or large ways we can, and let go of the need to be thanked or seen or noticed?
Now…I’m not saying we should give up thanking people, or recognising people’s contributions. Gratitude is a practice we should NEVER fast from. I am saying that perhaps we could try out fasting from our own personal need or desire for recognition, and simply show love because it’s what God asked us to do, it’s what God equips us to do, it’s what God created us to do.
Remember: God is love. And we are made in the image of God, which means we are made for love. Not only the feeling, but the action: love with heart, yes, but also soul, and mind, and strength. Love for our neighbour that is equal to our love for ourselves. Love that remembers that if one member of the Body suffers, all suffer together with it…our health and wholeness is bound up in the health and wholeness of our neighbours. Love that plays out in action — in the supermarket, and the doctor’s office, and the park. Though we have a lot of physical barriers right now (barriers that are currently another way of showing our love for our neighbour, because we value their safety and health!), love can reach across them, through phone calls and prayers and cards, bread and milk and paper goods, even as we keep our hands to ourselves.
Love God and love your neighbour. These are the core muscles we’re meant to strengthen so that everything else is possible — not so we can be seen as strong or good or pious, but so that everyone might know the truth: that God’s love is stronger than our fear, and even stronger than death. And it’s through us that people will know God’s love, so let us love one another, in word and in deed.
May it be so. Amen.
Offering Prayer
Lord, you call us to match our giving to our gratitude. It feels impossible, for all we have is a gift from you, and we cannot hope to fully express our thanks. But with you, all things are possible. Teach us again that in giving, we are able to receive, and in practicing generosity, we become more like you. Bless these gifts, the fruits of our labour, that they may in turn bless others, bringing glory to you and a glimpse of your kingdom on earth. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
You are invited to either place your offering envelope in a safe place until we can gather again, or to take a moment to think about how you might offer something to God today.
Offering Hymn 392, verse 4
(tune: Rockingham, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Gracious God, You loved us first,
before there was a world,
before we took our first breath,
before we had the chance to deserve it.
You loved us first,
and like a mother hen, you gather us under your wings.
And we are grateful—or grace-full, even—
for you continue to love,
with every divine breath
living and active, creating and redeeming and sustaining,
bringing healing, bringing new life, bringing hope.
Now turn our hearts, and our minds, and our strength,
to love as you love,
creating and healing and active.
Where there is despair,
send your hope,
and make us into lights that shine in the darkness.
Give us courage to speak up and speak out,
to offer compassion even when we do not know what to say.
Where there is violence,
emotional or spiritual or physical,
in derisive words or hurtful actions,
fill the world with your peace,
and give us courage to be peacemakers,
to insist that it is not okay to cause pain,
that your way is a way of compassion and reconciliation,
a way of picking each other up and looking out for each other’s welfare,
not a way of putting down or pulling ahead.
Where there is brokenness,
bodies battered by illness,
minds racing the dark,
relationships gone awry,
may your comfort and healing flow,
and make us agents of your healing grace.
Give us courage to reach out,
to offer a call, a look, a prayer for wholeness,
a token of our care,
which is small compared to your power,
but still you call us to this ministry together.
In this world where scarcity seems to reign,
and where words are beamed instantly around the world,
where some give their whole life while others benefit
and where we reach first for weapons,
we need to know your love and your call yet again.
You are everywhere present,
Your spirit still flows free, O God,
in and among and between and through us,
bringing light and life, healing and hope.
May we recognise your image in every face,
and may we act as if we know what it is to be loved,
may we speak words of kindness and act on what we say we believe,
loving you by loving our neighbours
until all come together in your kingdom.
We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ, your loving Word in action. Amen.
Benediction
Even at home, you can strengthen your core! Not just with plank exercises or V-Sits, but by practicing loving God with your whole heart, and your whole soul, and your whole mind, and your whole strength, and loving your neighbour as yourself.
And as you do, 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 Response (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.
