Sunday service for 15 October 2023

Sunday 15 October 2023 — NL2-6, Conversations With God 6, Harvest Communion / elder ordination / long 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

Prelude Music

*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.

Welcome & Announcements

Call to Worship (Rob)
1: God has called us together in community,
2: God has given us to each other to be family,
All: to support one another in times of trouble and rejoice in times of happiness.
1: With or without a strategic plan,
2: With or without a shiny, flashy campaign,
All: We will love one another as we have been loved by God.

*Sanctuary Hymn 231: For the Fruits of All Creation

Prayer (Rob)
Loving Lord,
your gifts overwhelm us,
your creation and its abundance,
your community and its possibility,
your love and its power.
We thank you for
calling us together, setting us in this place,
and inviting us into your kingdom’s purpose.
In our worship and our work, in the everyday and the extraordinary,
we offer you our praise.

And yet how easy it is, O God,
to overlook the very people whose labour makes our lives and comfort possible.
How easy it is, O God,
to change the focus to the big names who take all the credit.
How easy it is, O God,
simply tell the story from an angle that never shows those behind the scenes.
Forgive us when we think only the spectacular stories are worth telling,
and we erase the beauty and love of those
whose day to day commitment is the foundation of our life together.

How easy it is, O God,
to speak words of commitment…
and how hard it is to follow through.
How easy it is, O God,
to judge the motivations and responsibilities of others,
to assume the worst when we don’t know their full story.
How easy it is, O God,
to talk about love without ever acting on it.
Forgive us when we withhold the grace we want for ourselves,
and when we fail to live up to your call.

You are always all-in with us, O God.
You commit yourself,
even taking on flesh and becoming one of us
that we might grow ever closer to you.
And you invite us to be all-in with you, too,
bringing our whole selves into the journey, wherever it may lead.
May we choose to join in moving toward your future.
May the things important to you become important to us.
Give us courage to commit ourselves today: where you go, we will go.

Amen.

Online Hymn: As We Gather (Resound)

*Sanctuary Sung Prayer: Hymn 233, vv. 2 & 4

Sanctuary Children’s Time
(Build a harvest display)

Sanctuary Offering

*Sanctuary Offering Response: God Our Creator, vv. 1 & 4 (tune: Bunessan; words: John L Bell & Graham Maule)

Scripture Reading: Ruth 1.1-17 (Robert Alter translation)
And it happened in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land, and a man went from Bethlehem to sojourn in the plains of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And the man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Bethlehem of Judah. And they came to the plains of Moab, and they were there. And Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she, together with her two sons, was left. And they took for themselves Moabite wives. The name of one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there some ten years. And the two of them, Mahlon and Chilion, died as well, and the woman was left of her two children and her husband. And she rose, she and her daughters in law, and turned back from the plains of Moab, for she had heard in the plains of Moab that the Lord had singled out his people to give them bread. And she went out from the place where she had been, with her two daughters in law, and they went on the way to go back to the land of Judah. And Naomi said to her two daughters in law: “Go back, each of you to her mothers house. May the LORD do kindness with you as you have done with the dead and with me. May the LORD grant that you find a settled place, each of you in the house of her husband.” And she kissed them, and they raised their voice and wept. And they said to her, “But with you we will go back to your people.” And Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters, why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb who could be husbands to you? Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband. Even had I thought ‘I have hope. This very night I shall have a husband and bear sons,’ would you wait for them until they grew up? For them would you be deprived of husbands? No, my daughters, for it is far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has come out against me.” And they raised their voice and wept once more, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people. Go back after your sister-in-law.” And Ruth said, “Do not entreat me to forsake you, to turn back from you. For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people is my people, and your God is my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. So may the Lord do to me or even more, for only death will part you and me.”

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.

Reflection

Celebrating Long Serving Elders
50 years – Hamish Macleod
40 years – Alan Aitken MBE, Hamish Ramsay
30 years – Helen Aitken, Elsie Arthur, John Boyle, Elizabeth McLellan, Elizabeth Murdoch*, Clive Service

Let us pray.
We give you thanks O God, for your unfailing love to us, which enables our life and service and love in return. We are grateful today especially for the dedication of these elders, faithfully serving your church for so many years. For Hamish, Alan, Hamish, Helen, Elsie, John, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, and Clive, we give you thanks. Their commitment, hard work, care for your people, hours spent in prayer and deliberation and in practical, tangible work are a demonstration of your calling. As they have shown chesed, steadfast love and kindness, may they also see your grace spilling over in this community to which you call us all. In faith, hope, and love we ask for your continued blessing to work in their lives, and through their lives, that together we may be found faithful. We ask these and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and through the power of the Holy Spirit who sustains us all our days. Amen.

Ordination of an Elder
One: There are different gifts,
All: but it is the same Spirit who gives them.
One: There are different ways of seeing God,
All: but it is the same Lord who is served.
One: God works through different people in different ways,
All: but it is the same God who achieves his purpose through them all.
One: Each one is given a gift by the Spirit,
All: to use it for the common good.

We have the joy of using our gifts as members of the Church of Christ,
which is his body continuing his ministry in the world today.
Those who are chosen for the office of eldership
have the particular responsibility of
caring for God’s people and exercising oversight and leadership.
Today the Kirk Session is met to ordain Joseph Heffernan
to the office of eldership and to admit him as an elder in this congregation.
Due notice has been given,
no objection has been made,
and therefore we proceed.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the king and head of the church,
who, being ascended on high,
has given gifts for the building up of the body of Christ,
we are met to ordain into the office of eldership
and admit to that office in this congregation Joe.

In this act, the Church Of Scotland, as part of the holy catholic or universal church,
worshipping one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
affirms anew its belief in the gospel of the sovereign grace and love of God,
wherein through Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
incarnate, crucified, and risen,
he freely offers to all, upon repentance and faith,
the forgiveness of sins, renewal by the Holy Spirit, and eternal life,
and calls them to labour in the fellowship of faith
for the advancement of the kingdom of God throughout the world.
The Church Of Scotland acknowledges the word of God,
contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament,
to be the supreme rule of faith and life.
The Church Of Scotland holds as its subordinate standard
the Westminster Confession of Faith,
recognising liberty of opinion on such points of doctrine
as do not enter into the substance of the faith,
and claiming the right, in dependence on the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit,
to formulate, interpret, or modify its subordinate standards:
always in agreement with the word of God
and the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith contained in the confession,
of which agreement the church itself shall be the sole judge.

In view of this declaration you are now required to answer this question:
do you believe the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith;
do you promise to seek the unity and peace of this church;
to uphold its doctrine, worship, government and discipline;
and to take your due part in the administration of its affairs?

(I do)

The Lord bless you and enable you to faithfully keep this promise.

sign the formula.

Prayer of Ordination
Loving God,
you have chosen for yourself a church
in which your Holy Spirit inspires men and women
to serve your purposes of love.
We give you thanks that by your grace
you have called Joe
to lead and care for your people as an elder in your church.
We commend him to you now
as we ordain and admit him to
the office of eldership within the Church of your dear Son.
Grant him the gift of your Holy Spirit,
that his heart may be set on fire with love for you
and for those committed to his care.
Make him pure in heart as those who have the mind of Christ.
Give him vision to discern your purpose
for the church and for the world you so love.
Keep him faithful to the end in all his service,
that when the chief Shepherd appears,
he may receive glory, a crown that never fades.
Blessed be God for all his goodness,
and blessed be his son Jesus Christ,
and blessed be his Holy Spirit,
endowing the church with the fullness of grace
and making her words the word of life,
her bread the bread of heaven,
her shepherding of the flock of God his own Shepherd work.
And to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be all glory forever. Amen.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the king and head of the church,
I declare you to have been ordained to the office of eldership
and I admit you to office as an elder in this congregation and parish.
As a sign of our welcome we give you the right hand of fellowship.
The grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Christ calls us all to share in his ministry. Let us, then, dedicate ourselves anew to his service. If you are comfortable doing so will you please stand.

Members and elders of this congregation: putting your whole trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, do you commit yourselves to love and serve his Church and Kingdom? (We do)

As members of this congregation, will you encourage and support your elders, surround them with your love, and remember them in your prayers?

In your service as elders, will you promise to carry out all your duties faithfully and cheerful, God being your helper? (We will)

You may be seated.
Common Order says I am meant to now give some “wise counsel”…I want to do that by way of sharing with you a description of the ministry of an elder from the early days of the Church of Scotland. When our system of being church together, with elders and ministers both being ordained offices, was first begun, the elder was described as person whose “distinctive ministry is not the service of the Word and Sacrament but the service of response to Word and Sacrament…Whilst ministers are ordained to open the Word and Sacraments to the people, elders are ordained to help the people in their reception of the Word and in their participation in the Sacraments, and to seek the fruit of the Gospel in the faith and life of the community. Elders are meant to guide the people to fulfil their ministry toward God. Thus their specific calling is to help the faithful from within their midst. Drawn from within the local church, elders are a reminder to the church that the call to service is addressed primarily to it, to the whole people of God.”

In other words, the purpose of elders as ordained leaders is to help you, the congregation, respond to God’s word that you hear together. They are supposed to be the ones who demonstrate commitment, and enable your commitment; the ones who nurture the seeds that are planted so that together we may bear fruit for God’s kingdom. They are the ones who remind you, the congregation, to live as if we trust God to provide for his church, rather than thinking it’s our church.

The task of an elder is big: to keep our community faithful to God’s way, day in and day out. They are called “ruling elders” not because they are in charge but because they hold up the ruler — like the measuring stick. They measure our faithfulness and draw us back into line with God’s path. And that means they sometimes have to make difficult decisions, about how we are going to live out our calling as a community. That also means that when people in the congregation want to focus more on the ABCs (Attendance, Building, and Cash) as the end in themselves rather than the tools for doing God’s work, or when people want the church to be like it used to be, or when people want the church to serve them without thinking much about the neighbourhood or the outside world, then the task of an elder is to insist on the priorities of God’s kingdom first, even if those other things would be easier in the short term.

The task of every Christian is also big: to bear fruit for God’s kingdom in our everyday lives as well as within these walls. The elders are here to help you put God’s word into action, because every member of the Body of Christ is called to serve. So follow their lead — when they bring ideas for how we might build the kingdom of God here, join in the work. When they invite prayer or volunteers or input, turn up and participate. When they ask for help, support them. Together, we will bear much good fruit.

Let us pray.
God of grace,
you have called us to be servants of Christ Jesus,
and to share in his ministry of love to all people.
Renew our zeal,
give us joy in your service,
direct us by your spirit of wisdom
and fill us with the gift of your grace,
that together we may declare your wonderful deeds
and show your love to the world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Sanctuary Hymn 655: For Your Generous Providing
For your generous providing
which sustain us all our days,
for your Spirit here residing,
we proclaim our heartfelt praise.
Through the depths of joy and sorrow,
though the road be smooth or rough,
fearless, we can face tomorrow
for your grace will be enough.

Hush our world’s seductive noises
tempting us to stand alone;
save us from the siren voices
calling us to trust our own.
For those snared by earthly treasure,
lured by false security,
Jesus, true and only measure,
spring the trap to set folk free.

Round your table, through your giving,
show us how to live and pray
till your kingdom’s way of living
is the bread we share each day:
bread for us and for our neighbour,
bread for body, mind, and soul,
bread of heaven and human labour –
broken bread that makes us whole.

Invitation to the Table

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
One: The Lord be with you,
All: and also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts,
All: we lift them to the Lord.
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,
All: it is right to give our thanks and praise.

Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe,
for you committed yourself to love this world and walk with us as your people.
In the beginning your love was revealed by dust and breath,
and you have never left us ever since.
Though we have wandered near and far,
still you called us home to you,
in the wonders of your creation,
in the voices of your prophets,
in the commitment of community,
in your word written and proclaimed,
and even by coming to walk among us yourself,
your word made flesh in your Son Jesus.
You never leave us without a redeemer, O God,
and we give you thanks for your care for us,
restoring and nourishing life when we have walked in the valley of the shadow of death,
putting people in our paths to bless us when we have been broken-hearted,
sustaining us when we have despaired of justice being done.
We praise you,
for your love is the source of our hope and the power in our community.
And so we join our hearts and voices with all your people in every time and place,
who forever sing their praise and prayers:

Hymn 651
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessèd is he, O blessèd is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed are you, coming among us…
and we shout our hosannas — save us, O God.
In Christ you lived and taught and healed and suffered alongside your people,
and in Christ you reconciled the whole world to yourself.
Through his living and dying and rising you bring your harvest to fruition,
bringing us at last into your kingdom.
And so we are bold to bring our prayers, our longings, our vulnerability, before you,
trusting that with you, all things are possible.
The world is in need of your peace that passes understanding,
and especially the land we call holy is especially desperate.
We lift our prayers for justice and peace for
Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Yemen,
and so many places in the world where your will is obscured
by our human reliance on violence.
We remember, too, that all the land on which we stand is holy,
that the earth is yours and all who live in it,
and we pray for your creation, and that we might all take our part in caring for it.
We ask your comfort for those who grieve,
and your Spirit’s inspiration for those who can’t imagine any other way
than the system we are in now,
enduring the hardship of this moment and uncertain what to hope for.
Surround them with the blessing of your comfort,
your light shining however faintly in the shadows,
and your people who will uphold and support and care.
For those who are doing the best they can, yet always feel they can’t measure up,
for those whose responsibilities weigh heavy and think they can’t ask for help,
for those whose journey always feels like an endless slog.
Infuse them with the blessing of your grace, freely given and un-earnable,
and the knowledge that they are enough,
they are beloved and worthy of rest and community and hope.
For those who care for others, especially those who have lost themselves in the process…
for all who labour for the benefit of others,
giving their time and talents and energy,
pouring their hearts and souls out in compassion and service.
Re-fill them with the blessing of your abundant life,
and the truth that you see and know them even better than they know themselves.
May they be valued and cared for, too.
And for ourselves, O God…
for the hidden hurts of our hearts,
for the longings we have never told anyone,
for the possibilities before us,
for the potential within your Church.
Make your blessing visible among us, within us, to us, and through us
as we go about our daily lives,
loving those you have given us to love.

As we gather at your table,
celebrating the abundance of your creation and the beauty of your community,
as we do what you once did in an upstairs room,
as we look round at the people you call us to love
and the resources you provide for the journey,
we ask your Holy Spirit to be tangible once again in this place,
to bind us together as grain and grape come together in bread and wine.
In these ordinary things, with these ordinary people, in this ordinary moment,
we pray, O God, that you would do something extraordinary.
Set not only these gifts apart from common to sacred use, but us as well.
Make us once again into your Body,
that we who come as many may indeed go forth united,
committed to your purpose and revealing your kingdom in the world.

We ask these and all things through the power of your ever-present Holy Spirit
and in the name of your living word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord
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.

Words of Institution

One: Jesus, Lamb of God,
All: have mercy on us,
One: Jesus, bearer of our sins,
All: have mercy on us,
One: Jesus, redeemer of the world,
All: grant us your peace.

Communion of the People

Prayer After Communion

*Sanctuary Hymn 622: We Sing A Love
We sing a love that sets all people free,
that blows like wind, that burns like scorching flame,
enfolds like earth, springs up like water clear:
come, living love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a love that seeks another’s good,
that longs to serve and not to count the cost,
a love that, yielding, finds itself made new:
come, caring love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a love, unflinching, unafraid
to be itself, despite another’s wrath,
a love that stands alone and undismayed:
come, strengthening love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a love that, wandering, will not rest
until it finds its way, its home, its source,
through joy and sadness pressing on refreshed:
come, pilgrim love, live in our hearts today.

We sing a burning, fiery, Holy Ghost
that seeks out scars of ancient bitterness,
transfiguring these, as Christ in every heart:
come, joyful love, live in our hearts today.

Benediction
Go from this place to live out your commitment to love those God has placed in your path, trusting that God has the rest of the story in God’s own hand.
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. 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

* TONIGHT at 7pm we will have a special Songs of Praise, with Philip, the praise band, and the Connect+ singing group leading us. See you there!

* The next Bowl & Blether is tomorrow, 16 October, with doors open from 11:30-1:30. We are in need of volunteers to help make soup in the morning (from 10am), and serving (tea and coffee, soup, sandwiches) from 11:15 onwards, and clean up (from 1:15 onwards). You’re also welcome to just come for soup and a chat with neighbours — tt’s a great opportunity to get out and meet some people and have a meal and some social time!

* The Contact Group next meeting is on Tuesday 17th October at 2pm in the large hall.  The speaker will be Lorna Veal, talking about her experience volunteering in Ghana.  All are welcome at this and any of the meetings held fortnightly.  The group’s syllabus is now available from Fiona Webster for a donation of £5.

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all 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.

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study does not meet the rest of October, and will resume on Wednesday the 1st of November at 7:30pm at the manse.

* Starter Packs are short of Shaving Foam, Shampoo and Cleaning cloths. 
The FoodBank are short of biscuits, UHT milk, tinned soup, tinned custard, tinned tomatoes. You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

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

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

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

* The Church of Scotland has a new online learning platform called Church of Scotland Learning (more info here). The first set of modules is now available, and are designed with members of local congregations in mind and will help to grow faith, stretch minds and explore possibilities. They are set at an introductory level and accessible for all. We hope this will ignite people’s interest in learning more. Currently available topics include Vows for Elders; Vows for Ministers; Conversations in Discipleship, Exploring Discipleship, Talking About Your Faith; New Ways of Being Church; Knowing You Knowing Me (Learning to understand more fully where God is and what God is calling us to do); Theological Reflection for Everyone; Equality Diversity and Inclusion; and Unconscious Bias and Me. More modules will be added periodically, so sign up today by clicking here!

* Would you be able to host two university students from the USA from 8-11 June, 2024? They will each need their own bed, though they can share a room, and you would be providing them breakfast and dinner, bringing them to church on Sunday, and being a welcoming and engaging host as they get a cultural exchange experience. There would be some financial help to cover the food expenses. If you might be interested, please be in touch with Teri or Seonaid Knox, so we have a sense of how many students we can host.