Sunday service for 16 April 2023, second Sunday of Easter

Sunday 16 April 2023, NL1-40, Second Sunday of Easter
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143 
Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

Prelude Music

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship
Leader: Jesus calls us to come and meet him,
1: however many or few we are at the moment,
2: however ready, or unready, we feel.
Leader: Jesus calls us to go out and live his Way,
1: telling the others that another life is possible,
2: showing the world God’s kingdom is here.
Leader: Jesus promises to be with us always,
All: present in our work and worship,
empowering us to pursue his purpose.

Hymn: Come People of the Risen King

Prayer
Meet us here today, Lord Jesus Christ,
and reveal yourself to us.
We have come to worship,
trusting your promise even as we hesitate to act on it.
As we offer ourselves today,
bless us with faith that serves, not only speaks.
All authority in heaven and earth is yours, Risen One!
Not power to force, taken by force,
but the power of life, rooted in giving your life away.
We confess that we don’t understand your authority,
and we can’t imagine how it works
without the threat of violence and the manipulation of fear,
so we assume that must be what you mean.
We admit we have bought the lies of this world’s systems,
which claim they are the only way to organise society, economy, politics, relationships.
We hear your word offering another way,
we proclaim your truth with our lips,
but our lives tell a different story.
Forgive us for hearts and minds too constrained by what is
to take seriously your promise of what could be.
Forgive us for keeping quiet when you have commanded us to teach others your way.
Forgive us for claiming your presence without pursuing your purpose.
Make us ready to obey all you have commanded us,
and make our lives an invitation that draws others to your way.
Trusting in your resurrection power, we pray. Amen.

Sanctuary Children’s Time

*Sanctuary Hymn: Hallelujah, Christ is Risen (Praise Band – Resound)

Reading: Matthew 28.16-20 (New Revised Standard Version)

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

For the word of God in scripture,
for the word of God among us,
for the word of God within us,
thanks be to God.

Sermon: Step By Step Instructions
This reading today is so short, and yet so important — it’s one that has been quoted maybe more than anything else when churches are making mission statements or when we are setting up a new mission. Jesus’ instructions to his disciples after his resurrection set the church on the road to transforming from a small group within the Jewish people, in a backwater province of the Roman Empire, into a global movement and community that would change the world.

Because it’s so short, I thought we might do something a little different today and look at it one verse at a time, and then consider what the whole is saying to us today.

In verse 16: “the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.” It’s pretty pointed that the group that was once twelve is now a man down, as Judas betrayed Jesus and then, when remorse overtook him, he died by suicide. He couldn’t see any other ending to his story, where he had made such a huge mistake with horrific consequences. The rest of the disciples had to go on without him — knowing that they were in some sense incomplete, that maybe they didn’t feel whole and ready. But they went anyway — to the mountain. Perhaps the mountain where Jesus had delivered the sermon on the mount, back at the beginning of his ministry. Perhaps the mount of transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John had seen his glory shining. Whichever place it was, it’s yet another reminder of how Matthew’s gospel shows us Jesus as a new Moses. He has delivered God’s word from mountaintops, he’s come down from speaking with God with a shining face, and now he stands on the mountaintop with his disciples, looking toward the future. The light is on the lamp stand, the city is on the hill, shining out for all to see.

In verse 17: “When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.” Was there ever a more true sentence? They worshipped him…and some of them still hesitated. It is, it seems, entirely possible to both worship and be uncertain. Though we presbyterians may want everything to be an intellectual pursuit, worship is more than that. Yes, God gave us brains and expects us to use them. And yes, we are a people seeking understanding. We want to know God, and God’s ways, and God’s world. And being on the journey does not mean we don’t worship along that path. We don’t need to reach the destination before we can offer our attention, our praise, our selves. In fact, by turning our attention to God, and offering ourselves in worship, we may well find that further understanding comes. And that our trust in God grows as we nurture our relationship through worship and prayer and study. We don’t only worship because we believe, we also worship on our way to believing.

In verse 18: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Remember back when Jesus was in the wilderness after his baptism, and one of the things the Tempter offered him was to rule over all the nations — to have power over everything? Jesus knew that he couldn’t shortcut the journey ahead of him, and that to get power over the earth by giving away his own identity and purpose would be a hollow victory. Now, Jesus has lived his full abundant life, he has been with people, taught and healed, demonstrated the closeness of God’s kingdom, and poured himself out to reveal the fullness of God’s love. It’s only now, after his whole life of faithfulness, that he can say truly “all authority in heaven and on earth” — not power to rule like some sort of mighty overlord, but authority. That word “authority” literally means “out of the self” — authority, by definition, is rooted in the deepest truest part of ourselves. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has lived fully his true self, the living Word of God, and out of the Truth of who he is comes authority — not coercive power over the world, but authority that draws all people to him, the kind of deep true reality that you can sense and you want to follow. This authority isn’t about giving commands and being obeyed like a master and slave, this authority is rooted in the fullness of Jesus’ life and is an invitation to all heaven and earth to join in.

In verse 19 and the first half of verse 20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” — literally while I was working on this sermon, when I took a little break to check social media for a minute, I came across a scholar in a clergy Facebook group writing about this very verse and how the English has smoothed out the Greek that just says “disciple all nations” — the verb isn’t actually go, like leave home and go on a mission, but “disciple as you go.” Remember that when a rabbi called a disciple, he was saying to that student “I think you can do what I do, so come and learn from me. Take my yoke upon you — my way of interpreting the scripture, my way of being faithful — and you can be like me.” Jesus called his disciples to learn from him so they could be like him. Throughout his ministry, the followers of Jesus have been discipled, they have been taught and empowered, they’ve had chances to learn and to practice, and now it’s time for them to put into action all they have learned, time for them to live like Jesus, and to disciple others in turn. It’s time for them to invite others into the learning and the practicing, the particular Jesus way of knowing and serving God. And now as they go about their lives, they are to disciple all nations — not be confined to their own Jewish nation, which already has the Torah, so already has a way of relationship with God and has already experienced Jesus’ ministry, but to broaden their vision, their scope, their reach, to disciple people regardless of their background, teaching them the Jesus way. And one part of their journey of discipling others will be to baptise them — not the usual water bath that might be part of ritual cleanliness at the Temple, but a symbol of choosing to follow this particular rabbi, to take up Jesus’ yoke, to walk in his way rather than any of the other ways of knowing God. This symbolic water bath won’t be accompanied by any of the prayers for cleanliness, but instead by the name of God in three persons — so that the person arising from the water bears that name as part of their own identity and authority, too.

I wonder if we paused for a moment to think about that instruction: as we go through the world discipling other people, we are to teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded us…what do we think those things are? What did Jesus teach that is most important to pass on as we disciple others – as we invite them into Christian life and empower them to do what he did, to live like he lived? ………

And the rest of verse 20: ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
When Moses stood on the mountain to look into God’s promised future, he was looking into a promised land he would never enter. He led the people there, and he saw God’s promise, but he didn’t get to experience its fulness for himself. Jesus and his disciples stood on the mountain and Jesus pointed them to God’s promised future, he gave them instructions for how to continue the journey of living in the kingdom of heaven here and now…and he promises that, unlike Moses, Jesus will be with them, with us, always. In the next chapter and the next, as his followers pursue God’s vision and live into God’s future, we won’t be alone. This may be Jesus’ last earthly mountaintop, but he is with us all the way. We do not have to figure out our own path into the promised land, we don’t have to face whatever challenges or obstacles arise under our own power…we are headed toward God’s kingdom with a guide who not only knows the way but is the Way. Remember: in the present, and the future, not only in the past, when we pursue his purpose, Christ is present with us.

So as followers of Jesus today, on this mountaintop where Jesus has sent us, where he has promised to meet us, where he has called us together to shine out like a beacon of light into the world — what are we to do if we’re going to follow these instructions?

Followers of Jesus worship — even when they don’t feel like they have it all together, even when they don’t know where this is all going or what’s going to happen, even when they’re not 100% certain of everything, even when something is missing and they remember when things were different, they worship. It’s not the final step, it’s a first, and second, and repeated, step. Whether we feel faithful or not, worship helps us come to faith.

Followers of Jesus live from his authority, and find it within our deepest truest selves too. We don’t lord it over others, we don’t force or coerce, we live the Jesus truth that is at the centre of everything. And when we live from that core, it’s magnetic, it draws people, it invites and empowers, without needing to impose. This authority isn’t hidden away though, or kept private just because it comes from deep within where God’s goodness is planted at the centre of our being. The authority of Jesus comes from his living his entire life, every single moment, in obedience to God’s way. That’s true for us too. Every moment of our entire life.

Followers of Jesus take every opportunity as they go through life to disciple others — to teach what Jesus taught, and to do what he did. To live the Jesus Way of Life so that others can see…not just thinking about him, or intellectually believing, or even just talking about him now and then. The way of life Jesus gives us is not just about surviving and getting by, it’s about thriving in the kingdom of heaven because we live like him on earth, and we invite people into that way of life for themselves. We don’t have to make people into something, or be pushy. The Holy Spirit will do the making…our task is the training. We have been trained in the Jesus way and part of that is then to take up the training of others.

Followers of Jesus do these things in community. We are never alone, for Christ is with us always…and also, Jesus has given us into community so that we, the Church, can reflect what God is like. God is three in one — a community in God’s self — and we, who are in the image of God, are supposed to be a community that reflects God…by demonstrating and modelling how to be together in love and service. We can’t do it on our own, we need to be together. We still may not understand everything but we definitely have a better chance of discerning what’s the Holy Spirit and what’s silliness when we’re together.

We’ve been given our instructions, the way we are to shine our light so all may see — like a beacon, shining to both point the way and to call people in. And Jesus gave these instructions anticipating that his followers would…well…follow them. Do them. Put them into action, build the kingdom here. So now it’s our turn, from this mountain, to let the light shine.

May it be so. Amen.

Online Hymn: Build Your Kingdom Here
Sanctuary Hymn: Thrive

Offering (Sanctuary only) – song: Lord (I Don’t Know)

Sanctuary Offering Response 420 verse 4 (tune: Lasst uns erfreuen)
Praise we the Father, Spirit, Son;
Praise we the victory God has won:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise we the Lamb who reigns above;
Praise we the King whose rule is love:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
You are with us always, Risen Christ,
and we are grateful for your presence,
walking alongside us as we seek your way.
As we celebrate your resurrection,
we give thanks for your life among us and within us,
and pray it would be revealed through us.
We bless you for power made perfect in weakness,
for authority rooted in self-giving,
for love that conquers death.
We offer our praise,
and our prayers, too,
for sometimes the state of the world makes it difficult to see your kingdom.
And so we ask for your healing presence to be tangible among us,
bringing wholeness and comfort and hope to those suffering.
We ask for your peaceful presence to be real,
bringing and end to violence and hate.
We ask for your gracious presence to overcome our divisions,
teaching us to treat one another with dignity and compassion.
We ask for your joyful presence to be visible,
shining light into the shadows.
We ask for your challenging presence to be recognised,
calling for justice and insisting on leaving the ways of empire behind.
We ask for your hopeful presence to fill every place,
empowering those who have been oppressed.
And we ask for your Church to be so filled with your promised presence
that we become a beacon of your blessing,
drawing all people to you as we go about your business,
fulfilling your purpose:
loving, serving, and caring for the world.
Trusting your word, and praying for obedient hearts and lives,
we ask these and all things in the power of your name, our Risen Lord Jesus the Christ,
who taught us to pray together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Sanctuary Hymn: Build Your Kingdom Here

Benediction
Christ is alive, Alleluia! Under his authority, we too can live, Alleluia!
Go, therefore, and tell the others!
Go, therefore, and let your life reflect God’s love, Christ’s call, and the Spirit’s power.
Go, therefore, and know that Christ is with you always, to the end of the age.
And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Alleluia! Amen

Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.

Postlude Music

Announcements

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print). If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £2700 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. 

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

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study meets in the manse at 7:30pm. All are welcome as we continue reading through the Bible in somewhat more than a year! Our next meeting is the 26th of April.

* The Kirk Session will meet on Monday 17 April at 7:30pm.

* Teri will be away from 18 – 22 April. If you have a pastoral need, please contact Cameron or your elder in the first instance.

* You are all invited to a lunch celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, on Sunday 7 May at 12:30pm. All are welcome, so why not invite a friend or neighbour? There will also be sign up sheets for those who would like to help by decorating, making sandwiches or home baking. Please contact Cameron Melville, Ann Stephenson, or Fiona Mackenzie for more information.

* Young Adult Bible Study meets in the manse on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 7pm for a meal and discussion of the gospel according to John. Everyone in their 20s is welcome! Our next meeting is 23 April.

* 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the 2nd Gourock Boys’ Brigade. Our anniversary Grand Charity Ball will be Saturday 9th September 6.00 for 6.30pm in Greenock Town Hall. Tickets priced £50 or £500 for a table of 10 will be available soon. The benefitting Charities have been selected and will be announced shortly. We are delighted to announce that every penny raised from ticket sales and our charity auction on the evening will go directly to our chosen charities. This event is open to all so please spread the word, book your table, put the date in your diary and look forward to what we are sure will be a Second To None evening of enjoyment and celebration.

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