Sunday Service for 2 November 2025

Sunday 2 November 2025 — NL4-9, all age service
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

Sanctuary Prelude Music (praise band)

Welcome and Announcements

We Gather as God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.

Online Call to Worship
One: Come, see the power of God!
All: We see and hear God’s power in creation.
One: Come, taste and see the goodness of God!
All: We sense God’s goodness in providing for us, body and soul.
One: Come, know the presence of God with us!
All: We know God’s presence in stillness that speaks to our hearts.

Online Prayer

Your voice reverberates through us, O God —
not only through the whole world,
but through us, our bodies and minds and hearts and spirits.
Your word echoes
calling to mind your faithful people through the ages
calling to mind your faithfulness to us through our lives
calling to mind whispers of grace that take our breath away.
All-encompassing God,
we come to this holy place
trying to find a moment of peace in this chaotic world.
We are trying our hardest but even our small successes seem to fall apart
and nothing feels like enough.
We would like to withdraw, to pull back, to hide out,
until it’s all over one way or another.
We confess that we’re on the edge of giving up,
because everything feels too big and we are tired.
Forgive us for taking it all on our own shoulders.
Forgive us for thinking we have to handle it ourselves.
Forgive us when we try to play your part instead of our own.
Pierce our arrogance with your power,
relieve our exhaustion and fear with your grace,
nourish our calling with your faithfulness.
In the quiet,
re-set our spirits
and remind us of your purpose,
then draw us out to follow.
Speak again today, Lord,
for your servants are listening.
Amen.

Online Hymn: Come and Rest (Mission House)

Sanctuary Hymn 716: Come and Find the Quiet Centre (tune: Beach Spring) (organ)

Reflection / Conversation
when you’ve had enough / you’re fed up / just want to hide…where do you go and what do you do?

Sanctuary Prayer Song GWA62: Bring It All To Me (Fischy music video)

Sanctuary Silent Prayer

Bible Story: 1 Kings 19.1-16 (NRSVUE)
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

For the word of God in Scripture
For the word of God among us
For the word of God within us
Thanks be to God

Sanctuary Hymn 606: Lord You Sometimes Speak in Wonders (organ) — (Offering to be uplifted during this hymn)

Sanctuary: Hearing Things

Reflection / Conversation
why do you think God spoke in the silence / still small voice / whisper instead of in the big loud flashy things?

Online Hymn 606: Lord You Sometimes Speak in Wonders

Online Reflection / Conversation
when was a time you felt God was with you or helping you or taking care of you?

Online: Reflection on 3 ways God helps Elijah

Hymn: It Is Well 

Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

Holy God,
your presence overwhelms our senses
your wonders defy our imaginations
your power is undeniable.
We thank you for revealing yourself.
You provide when we are faltering,
you listen when we are despairing,
and you are still when we are flailing.
With gratitude, we seek that quiet centre,
that space where we can find your peace,
and so return to the tasks of your kingdom
rested and nourished for the long journey ahead.
…
Into this holy moment we bring our prayers
for those whose lives are marked by fear,
those who feel they have no choice but to flee for their lives,
those who see no options remaining.
We lift up those who live in the midst of war or violence,
those who don’t know whether they will have a next meal,
those who wonder if there is any future for them.
We pray for those who worry about what is to come,
those facing medical treatments,
uncertain job security,
loved ones struggling.
For all the fears that run through us,
for all the fears that set us on edge,
for all the fears that try to control us,
we ask for your help, O God.
Give your people deep breaths and quiet moments,
calm nerves and clear minds,
peace that passes all understanding,
that we might recognise you holding us all in the palm of your hand.
…
Into this holy moment we bring our prayers
for those who have faithfully worked toward your will,
for those who have given their all,
for those who have showed us the way and taught us your love.
We remember those who have gone on ahead,
the cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
and those among us who are still an example of your grace and persistence.
We pray for courage and strength in the face of all the challenges of today,
and for imagination to seek new ways to touch hearts.
We lift up today those who are being called,
those whom you are preparing for your purpose,
those who will play a new part in your vision.
May they learn well, and be encouraged,
and may we recognise their leadership
and be willing to allow them to do what you call them to do.
…
On the 2nd day of the month we join our hearts as your church family to pray
*For your Church at Gourock St John’s. For the congregation’s members and friends and visitors and young people, for worship and ministry and mission outreach and fellowship. For all who worship with St John’s online or support St John’s from afar. For our faithfulness and our capacity for growing as Your Body on earth.
*For the Contact Group and other fellowship groups at St John’s, that they may learn and deepen friendships together in your presence.
*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.
…
When everything feels only like struggle,
give us a moment of rest, O God,
and strengthen us for what lies ahead.
Then knit us together in one community,
to face the challenge as your Body
called and gifted in your name,
for your purpose and your glory.
We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.

Sanctuary Conversation
when was a time you felt God was with you or helping you or taking care of you?

Sanctuary Hymn GWA24: Your Labour is Not in Vain (praise band)

Sending

May the still small voice of God reverberate through you today, echoing out into the world with a blessing that sustains us all. And as you go out into the world, 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 if you thought you were 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 (organ)

Announcements

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

*****Please note that next Sunday for Remembrance Day the service starts at the slightly earlier time of 10:45am, and then is followed by a brief service at the anchor before we join the parade to the war memorial for a 12:15 service there with the rest of the town.

* The first Sunday of the month at 11am is an all-age service, with different ways of encountering God’s word without a traditional sermon. All people — young and old, different personalities and learning styles, are welcome! You’ll find a more informal service with a variety of music, a Bible story, prayer, and some more interactive elements. The online service for the first Sunday will therefore also be different — there will still be a reading, prayers, and music, but usually not a sermon.

* Starter Packs are in need of Shaving Foam, Shampoo, Soap, Hand Wash.
 Also in preparation for Christmas they are collecting hats, scarves and gloves for children and adults, selection boxes, chocolates and biscuits.
The FoodBank are short of everything except pasta, so anything you can donate will be gratefully received!
You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

* Bowl & Blether is on the first and third Mondays through the winter, with doors open from 11:30-1:30, and lunch served from noon. All are welcome for a bowl of soup, a toastie, a friendly chat in our warm hall! See you tomorrow, Monday the 3rd!

* The Contact Group has a great array of interesting talks arranged for alternate Tuesdays at 2pm. The next meeting is Tuesday the 4th at 2pm, when we will hear from Nicholas Wilks about Young Musicians. Our syllabus of events is available from Fiona Webster or Anne Armour. The syllabus donation of £5 will go towards our charity fundraising.

* St Andrew’s Day weekend, Saturday 29 November, will be busy at St John’s! Join us for a coffee morning from 10:30-12:30 in the large hall, and for a family ceilidh in the sanctuary afterward, doors at 12:30 and dancing starts at 1pm. We are excited to have the band Canned Haggis back leading the music and dancing! All are welcome.

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week and we are currently running about £500 short? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. 
It is also possible to donate to the work of the parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that item in the budget.

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

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study is at 7:30pm in the Manse and we are reading Luke!

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