Sunday Service for 30 August 2020, fourteenth Sunday of Pentecost
30 August 2020: 14th Sunday of Pentecost
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri C Peterson,
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Contact: tpeterson@churchofscotland.org.uk
* NEXT SUNDAY: weather permitting, we plan to join with all the Connect churches to have an open air service in the Battery Park. It’ll be at 11am — bring your own rug or chair, and plan to stay appropriately distanced from other households so that we can safely gather and worship together!
* At this time the St John’s Kirk Session has decided, for a variety of reasons, not to open the building yet. We will continue to worship online and via the telephone recording ministry, with mid-week offerings on video and by email, and through phone calls and zoom gatherings. If you have questions about this, please do contact Teri, or Cameron, or your elder. However, the building works that were suspended during lockdown are again underway. If you see people around the church building, they are likely contractors, and we would ask that you go ahead and say hello but keep a safe distance, and do not enter the building at this time. It’s important that we do everything we can to ensure they have a safe worksite, so that they can continue the work both on the tower and inside the sanctuary as quickly and safely as possible.
Though we cannot be together in person, we can be together in spirit! Please note the following announcements:
* Coffee Fellowship Time will happen today on Zoom! The room will be open from 11:45 – 12:45 for you to drop in for however long you wish, so grab a cup of tea or coffee (or juice or whatever you prefer!) and maybe a biscuit, and come have a chat! We look forward to seeing you!
* 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 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 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!
* We also now have an audio recording of the service available on the phone! Simply dial 01475 270 037 to listen to the most recent service. Please share this number with your neighbours, friends, family, and fellow church goers who don’t have the internet, so they can listen in!
* The theme for worship this summer is “Postcards of Faith” — we’ll be getting some postcards from God’s people throughout scripture, following their journeys with God and each other.
* This summer we are taking a Church Family summer trip! We’ll be journeying together from Shore to Shore — the shores of the Clyde to the shores of the sea of Galilee, to the hometown of St. John the Evangelist. Keep track of how much time you spend in prayer, reading the Bible, serving others, or going for a walk. For every 10 minutes, you move us 1km along the journey! Then each week send Teri a note, text, or phone call saying how far you “traveled” this week. On our return journey, we have now reached Calais! Only 800km to get home, and one week to go. Keep praying and walking! Perhaps as we virtually pass through Calais, we can pray especially for refugees and asylum seekers, people who have had to leave all they knew and all they had, and risk everything seeking a safer and more prosperous life for themselves and their families.
* Children’s Time happens each Sunday morning at 11am on Zoom. If you would like the login details, please contact Teri.
* The Young Adult Bible Study (BYOPizza) meets via Zoom at 1pm next Sunday, reading chapter 2 of the Book of Revelation! If you’re aged 15-25 and would like the login details, please contact Teri.
* Churches across Scotland are calling people to join together in prayer on Sunday evenings at 7pm, placing a lit candle in the window and spending time in prayer for others. Our Sunday evening prayer services will be shared across our “Fuzzy Parish” (now called CONNECT). Tonight’s service will be a special one led by all three Connect Clergy, from an undisclosed location, and will begin at 6:57pm on the Connect Facebook page, and be sure to like / follow it while you’re there!
* Feel free to share this 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.
* Sign up to our YouTube Channel so you never miss a video. Don’t miss “wine and the word” — an occasional series during the 5pm hour that helps us transition from one part of the day to the next, via reflections similar to those that would normally have been in the “God’s Story, Our Story” take home inserts given out each week.
* Mid-week there is a devotional email, which is also printed and included with the following Sunday’s sermon distribution to those without internet access. You can sign up for the email here.
* 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.
* Rab Gowans shared an update on the school in Venda, you can view the video here!
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Call to Worship and Prayer
The peace of Christ be with you!
Whoever you are, wherever you are,
whatever else you have to do today,
whenever you have made time to worship,
you are welcome here.
Scripture tells us we are to practice paying attention
to things that are good, true, holy, just, and lovely.
Today we take some time for this practice,
because often we find what we are looking for —
so let us, together, look
for God’s goodness, Christ’s peace, and the Spirit’s power.
Let us pray.
Holy God, you call us your own people,
and give us reason to rejoice!
You lay out the path before us,
and you take us by the hand and bring us along the journey to your kingdom.
We give you thanks for drawing us into your presence,
and for continually choosing us,
even when we do not always choose you.
For we confess that sometimes
we are busy looking back at where we’ve been,
rather than following where you are leading now.
And sometimes we are busy looking inward at what we desire,
rather than following your vision.
We admit that we find it hard to focus on what is excellent and worthy of praise,
because there is so much else that clamours for our attention,
and then we blame you when we cannot recognise you in our midst.
Forgive us, Lord.
Turn us around again, and face us forward on your way.
Fix our eyes and our hearts on you,
and teach us again to rejoice in your calling.
We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ,
whose grace transforms us,
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,
and 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 #159
(words: Timothy Dudley-Smith, tune: Lord of the Years by Michael Baughen)
Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us,
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us, for the future take us,
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.
Friends, hear and believe this good news: if anyone is in Christ the whole creation is made new, the old has gone and the new has come. So know that you are forgiven, believe that you are forgiven, live as if you are forgiven, and be at peace. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Philippians 3.12-4.9 (Common English Bible)
It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. So all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. Only let’s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached.
Brothers and sisters, become imitators of me and watch those who live this way—you can use us as models. As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many people live as enemies of the cross. Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in their disgrace because their thoughts focus on earthly things. Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a saviour that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform our humble bodies so that they are like his glorious body, by the power that also makes him able to subject all things to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters whom I love and miss, who are my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord.
Loved ones, I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to come to an agreement in the Lord. Yes, and I’m also asking you, loyal friend, to help these women who have struggled together with me in the ministry of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the scroll of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, rejoice! Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you.
Sermon: Looking for the Good (postcards of faith 11)
A few months ago I learned a new word that perfectly summed up what I often found myself doing during the height of pandemic lockdown: “doomscrolling.” It seems I was not the only one who was caught in the trap of constantly refreshing and scrolling through news stories and social media feeds trying to find the latest live updates on the statistics, horror stories, scientific advances or lack thereof, and political responses — there were enough people doing it that a new word was invented! Doom-scrolling: when you can’t stop yourself from constantly reading the next update, and the next, and the next, even when it’s only bad news. It’s almost an addiction to the bad news, actually.
Now, let me be clear: it’s important for us to be informed. We need to know what our leaders are doing in our name, we need to know how the science works so that we can make smart choices, and we need to know what’s happening in our communities so we know how to take care of ourselves and others.
But that’s not what doomscrolling does. It isn’t about being informed, it’s about addictively and automatically consuming every drop of bad news as it rolls past on your screen, without the time or energy put in to critical thinking or reflection. Experts say it can cause an increase in stress hormones, and it’s linked to a decline in mental and physical health during lockdown.
I’ve been thinking a lot about doomscrolling ever since I learned the word that described how I’d spent more hours than I care to admit. But this week’s reading from Philippians threw it into sharp relief, as I heard the words “if anything is excellent, if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. Practice these things.”
Basically, Paul writes that we are to do the exact opposite of doomscrolling! He even flat out says not to be anxious but to bring our worries to God alongside our thanksgivings — not just one or the other, but everything we have on our minds and hearts, good and bad — and doing so will help us experience peace that passes all understanding.
Rather than looking for the bad news, Paul says to look for the good news. Rather than focusing on our own self-centred desires, he says to focus on what Christ wants. And rather than looking behind us at what has happened before, he says to look ahead, to pursue the goal of God’s kingdom with all our attention.
He even tells us this is a hallmark of spiritual maturity — to leave behind the past and reach forward, not just seeking good news but practicing it.
We all know the adage that practice makes perfect. In this case, Paul says that we haven’t already reached the goal of perfection, and honestly we might not ever reach that in this life, but since Christ has already taken our hand to guide us along the journey, we can continue in confidence that our practice matters. Practice looking for the good. Practice rejoicing in God’s presence always. Practice focusing our thoughts on what is true, holy, just, and lovely.
And as if that wasn’t hard enough in this world where truth is elusive and justice feels far off and we downplay excellence, he tells us to practice letting our gentleness show in our treatment of all people.
Gentleness…toward all people.
Even those people.
Even the ones who don’t deserve it.
Even the ones who irritate and provoke us.
Even the people we disagree with.
Even the person whose choices make us cringe.
And the one that I can hardly bring myself to say: even the politicians. Which is not to say we should let them off the hook for anything, but it is to say that the manner in which we hold them to account, and the things we choose to advocate for, are a sign of our own spiritual well-being.
How can our gentleness show in our treatment of all people? In our words and our actions, of course, both in the way we talk to people and the way we talk about them. And also in the ways we contribute to the public discourse on social media or outside the shops or down the pub. And in the choices we make that may affect people we never meet — people who make our clothes, or grow our food, or tidy our streets, or run scientific tests. And in the expectations we have of ourselves and of each other, especially during this time when stress is high.
It will take practice. And I think Paul writes his letter in this order on purpose, telling us first to Rejoice Always, and then to let our gentleness show, and then to pray about everything good and bad, and then to practice focusing on what is excellent, just, pure, and praise-worthy. Because that last instruction, to discipline our mind and heart to look for the good, may well be the most difficult even as it is the thing that makes the rest possible.
When we practice looking for what is admirable and holy and lovely, we will be more likely to find it. And then we start to see good things in more places. And that changes the way we move through the world. It changes how we interact with people. It changes what we want to pray about. It changes what we value, and what we care about. When we are looking for truth, we are more likely to demand it from our leaders. When we are looking for excellence, we are more likely to create conditions where people can achieve it. When we are looking for what is just, we are more likely to notice conditions that are unjust and want to do something to rectify them. When we are looking for holiness, we are more likely to see God’s face in others as well as ourselves. When we are looking for things that are worthy of praise, we are more likely to express gratitude, wonder, and love.
This is the part of going on a journey where we realise that having traveled this road, we will not be the same when we return home. A pilgrimage like the one we have been on this summer transforms us, because the experiences we have along the way give us new insight into who we are, who God is, and how we and God work together in the world. Part of a pilgrimage is about learning new ways of seeing and being. And that’s what Paul invites us into in this letter — to practice a new way of seeing, because it will change our way of being.
So rather than doomscrolling, and rather than looking back longing for the way things used to be, let’s practice reaching out for the things ahead of us, pursuing God’s goals ahead of our own, by looking for and focusing on what is just, admirable, lovely, excellent, and true. That is when we will at last experience the peace of Christ that exceeds all understanding — for us and for the world.
We’ll start now, by hearing a few stories of good things people have encountered while on their own journeys during this pandemic season. Perhaps they will spark your own reflections on where you have seen God and good news during this time, and how you can practice looking for the good in coming days and weeks.
(videos of church members sharing good things they have seen during lockdown)
Hymn 465: Be Thou My Vision
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Paul wrote to the Philippians that we are to bring up our requests to God along with our thanksgivings. So today’s prayers will include times of silence for you to name your thanks and your petitions.
Let us pray.
Loving God, we offer you our gratitude and praise for your many blessings.
Though the ways you care for us are too numerous to name,
we take this time to try, naming before you some things that we are thankful for today.
…
…
…
Thank you, God, for your generosity, your goodness, and your continual presence with us.
We come with gratitude and also concern, for ourselves, for others, and for the world.
We lift up to you now ourselves and our families and friends, asking for your help.
…
…
…
Take our hands and guide us, O God — into health, into wholeness, into joy.
We lift up before you the needs of this world — for people who are ill, and those who care for them, that they may know healing and compassion; for the leaders of communities and nations, that they may be wise and courageous in their search for the greater good; for places where violence reigns and fear is widespread; for people who suffer at the hands of others; for those who ago hungry even in this world of plenty; for people who have found themselves in the path of natural disasters: hurricane and windstorm, fire and flood. In this space we offer our prayers for others, asking for your help and power.
…
…
…
May your peace and justice be known throughout the world.
Lord of all, we bring our desire to be your people, and pray you would empower us with your grace to follow in your way. Direct our thoughts and actions, that we, your Church, might reveal your love to all. May our lives bear the fruit of your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, generosity, and self-control.
We ask in the name of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Amen.
Benediction
Go into your week looking for the good, and focusing on what is true, just, lovely, and worthy of praise—and let that focus change your attitude and your life. 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.
Benediction Response
Words and tune (Gourock St. John’s): John L Bell
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.
Sunday Service for 23 August 2020, thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost
23 August 2020: 13th Sunday of Pentecost
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri C Peterson,
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Contact: tpeterson@churchofscotland.org.uk
* At this time the St John’s Kirk Session has decided, for a variety of reasons, not to open the building yet. We will continue to worship online and via the telephone recording ministry, with mid-week offerings on video and by email, and through phone calls and zoom gatherings. If you have questions about this, please do contact Teri, or Cameron, or your elder. However, the building works that were suspended during lockdown are again underway. If you see people around the church building, they are likely contractors, and we would ask that you go ahead and say hello but keep a safe distance, and do not enter the building at this time. It’s important that we do everything we can to ensure they have a safe worksite, so that they can continue the work both on the tower and inside the sanctuary as quickly and safely as possible.
Though we cannot be together in person, we can be together in spirit! Please note the following announcements:
* Coffee Fellowship Time will happen today on Zoom! The room will be open from 11:45 – 12:45 for you to drop in for however long you wish, so grab a cup of tea or coffee (or juice or whatever you prefer!) and maybe a biscuit, and come have a chat! We look forward to seeing you!
* 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 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 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!
* We also now have an audio recording of the service available on the phone! Simply dial 01475 270 037 to listen to the most recent service. Please share this number with your neighbours, friends, family, and fellow church goers who don’t have the internet, so they can listen in!
* The theme for worship this summer is “Postcards of Faith” — we’ll be getting some postcards from God’s people throughout scripture, following their journeys with God and each other.
* This summer we are taking a Church Family summer trip! We’ll be journeying together from Shore to Shore — the shores of the Clyde to the shores of the sea of Galilee, to the hometown of St. John the Evangelist. Keep track of how much time you spend in prayer, reading the Bible, serving others, or going for a walk. For every 10 minutes, you move us 1km along the journey! Then each week send Teri a note, text, or phone call saying how far you “traveled” this week. On our return journey, we have now reached Bari, Italy — be sure to check out the Basilica San Nicola (St. Nicholas — better known as Santa Claus!) just near the ferry!
* Children’s Time happens each Sunday morning at 11am on Zoom. If you would like the login details, please contact Teri.
* The Young Adult Bible Study (BYOPizza) resumes via Zoom at 1pm today, when we begin studying the Book of Revelation! If you’re aged 15-25 and would like the login details, please contact Teri.
* Churches across Scotland are calling people to join together in prayer on Sunday evenings at 7pm, placing a lit candle in the window and spending time in prayer for others. Our Sunday evening prayer services will be shared across our “Fuzzy Parish” (now called CONNECT). Tonight’s service will be led by David, and will begin at 6:57pm on the Connect Facebook page, and be sure to like / follow it while you’re there!
* Feel free to share this 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.
* Sign up to our YouTube Channel so you never miss a video. Don’t miss “wine and the word” — an occasional series during the 5pm hour that helps us transition from one part of the day to the next, via reflections similar to those that would normally have been in the “God’s Story, Our Story” take home inserts given out each week.
* Mid-week there is a devotional email, which is also printed and included with the following Sunday’s sermon distribution to those without internet access. You can sign up for the email here.
* 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.
* Rab Gowans shared an update on the school in Venda, you can view the video here!
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Hymn 356: Meekness and Majesty
Prayers, Reading, Sermon
Hymn 536: May the Mind of Christ My Saviour
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Call to Worship and Opening Prayer
Take this time, now,
to turn from all that normally takes up our attention,
and turn toward God.
Orient your body, mind, and heart
together in one direction,
rather than being scattered and multi-tasking.
For this time together, focus on Christ,
who calls us to be like him.
Let us join in the Spirit to worship together.
As we begin with prayer, I invite you to place your hands on your eyes, and to think of a time this past week when you have seen someone in need and looked away. Maybe in person…or maybe on the news or online, and you closed your eyes or scrolled past or changed the channel. Be honest with God about not wanting to see our neighbours in need. Then turn your palms up and offer that confession to God.
Now place your hands on your head, and think of a time this week when your thoughts have not glorified God…perhaps they were selfish thoughts, or rude or unkind, or violent. Be honest with God about your mind being out of alignment with God’s word. Then turn your palms up and offer that confession to God.
Now place your hands together, palm-to-palm, and think of a time this week when you did not use your hands to help. Maybe you had an opportunity to serve and decided not to. Maybe you used your hands to hurt rather than help. Be honest with God about how you have not quite lived up to the call to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world. Then turn your palms up and offer that confession to God.
Now place your hands over your mouth, and think of a time this week when your words, or your silence, have hurt. Perhaps you said nothing when someone told a hurtful joke. Perhaps you said words that came out harsher than you intended. Perhaps you withheld words of love. Whatever happened, be honest with God about how you have used the power of speech. Then turn your palms up and offer that confession to God.
Now place your hands over your heart. Feel it beating. Feel your chest rise and fall with your breath. Know that your breath comes from God’s breath of the Spirit. Know the love of God that fills every corner of your heart. Know the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.
We pray in the name of 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,
and 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 #159
(words: Timothy Dudley-Smith, tune: Lord of the Years by Michael Baughen)
Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us,
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us, for the future take us,
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.
Friends, hear and believe this good news: if anyone is in Christ the whole creation is made new, the old has gone and the new has come. So know that you are forgiven, believe that you are forgiven, live as if you are forgiven, and be at peace. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Reading: Philippians 1.1-11, 2.1-13 (CEB)
From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.
To all those in Philippi who are God’s people in Christ Jesus, along with your supervisors and servants.
May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. I have good reason to think this way about all of you because I keep you in my heart. You are all my partners in God’s grace, both during my time in prison and in the defence and support of the gospel. God is my witness that I feel affection for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.
This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.
…
Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:
Though he was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore, God highly honoured him
and gave him a name above all names,
so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes.
Sermon: Christ-Minded (Postcards of Faith 10)
“Don’t do anything for selfish purposes. Look not to your own interests, but instead to what is better for others” — it isn’t often that we hear that, is it? Or rather, perhaps I should say that it isn’t often that we see that in action. We’ve certainly heard a fair number of pleas from our leaders to consider the health of others and of the NHS in recent months. But when it comes to behaviour that truly values what is best for others rather than our own self-interest, it’s often harder to see, especially the higher up the leadership chain we look. So often leaders take the “do as I say, not as I do” approach — an approach which Paul tells us is the opposite of what God did in Christ.
We know that Jesus reveals who God is and what God is like — he said himself that when we look at him, we see God. And this passage from Philippians shows us that the Son of God, the Word Incarnate, who is God…decided not to use power for his own gain or advancement. Instead he emptied himself. He let go of power and became not just a human being, but a human being on the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder, and he was obedient even to the most horrifying and shameful death we could imagine.
That’s what Christ reveals about God — humble, close, refusing to use power for himself, serving others to the very end. And so he is called Lord, despite the fact that title was reserved for the emperor. And remember, Paul was writing to a city that was full of emperor-worship, where the population was well-off and used to the economic and social benefits that came from being loyal Roman citizens, so calling someone else Lord was risky!
Now think of the words we often use to describe God:
All-powerful
All-knowing
Everywhere present
Holy
Loving
Gracious
Just
Mighty
Those are also words that were often used to describe the emperor.
The way we talk about what God is like matters, because it determines how we will act, since we are the Body of Christ, made in God’s image, and meant to become ever more like him every day. Are we striving to be like the God who is powerful, mighty, honoured, awe-inspiring? Or like the God who empties himself, refuses to seek his own gain, takes up the lowest place in society, and serves others?
It’s quite a contrast, the Roman imperial understanding and this hymn that Paul quotes. And of course we know that both descriptions are true, God is indeed all powerful and holy and just…and yet God decides to leave all that and become human, humble, mixing with outcasts and sinners, washing his disciples’ feet, forgiving the people who nailed him to a cross.
Because this is what Jesus was like, it is also what we, who make up the Body of Christ, are supposed to be like as well — we are to have the same love and the same mind, living the same way.
The word that is translated as mind, or mindset, or attitude, isn’t only about our thinking. It starts there, with God’s love informing our thinking, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s also how we hold our bodies as well as how we hold our minds and hearts — like a posture, or a physical orientation. This is more than thinking the right things, it’s about being in alignment with Jesus — his actions, his values, his way of being, his direction — so that our lives demonstrate the fact that we are IN Christ. This mindset, this attitude, supersedes our own opinions, and our own desires, which is what makes it possible for us then to seek the good of the other rather than only ourselves.
Notice, though, that we aren’t given specific rules here. We are given a description of “the attitude that was in Christ Jesus” — his mindset, his worldview, his approach to the world — and then told to have that same attitude, and to work that out in our daily lives. Jesus demonstrated the attitude, the ethos, the Way, and now trusts us to work out the specifics.
This Way — the way of giving up power, refusing to seek our own gain ahead of others, always looking out for what is best for our neighbour, and recognising what really matters — this Way would be impossible, if not for the fact that it is God at work in us, enabling us to want it and to live it. God started the work, and God will continue to do it in us and through us.
That doesn’t let us off the hook for trying our best to live as God’s holy people! Indeed, the knowledge that God enables us to want and to work for the kingdom ought to make us desire it even more, and to work even harder, always undergirded by the gratitude that Paul starts off with, as he writes to his partners in the gospel.
I wonder if, when we think of ourselves, we think of ourselves as partners in the gospel? Partners with each other in the Body of Christ, partners with the prophets and apostles of scripture, partners with Jesus himself? If we are indeed aligned with Christ and partners in bringing good news to our neighbours, then what does that mean, for instance, when we see our neighbourhood on the news and recognise that our neighbours live in such deprivation that our area has become known as the Covid Capital of Scotland? We know the causes of deprivation here. We know the problems that so many families are facing. We know the reality that a combination of underinvestment and climate change is going to continue to cause suffering right here in our own towns, as well as around the world. We know that those least able to weather a storm are always the hardest hit.
So what would have been going through Jesus’ mind while he watched that Disclosure programme this week? Or while he listened to our world leaders speak? Or when he saw the images of refugees fleeing devastation, danger, and hardship?
Whatever was in Jesus’ mind when he saw that is what should be in ours.
Whatever his attitude would be in response, that should be our attitude.
Wherever he is facing, that should be where we are looking.
I think he would celebrate the community spirit and the helpers, for sure. People have done amazing things to help each other through difficult times — delivering meals, playing driveway concerts, picking up prescriptions, making friendly phone calls, building community and checking in on neighbours.
And I think he would be appalled that we have allowed a world where people go hungry and where violence is commonplace and where even in the middle of a pandemic, the rich get richer while turning desperate people away. I think he would be concerned about how easily we are seduced by a vision of power and might, rather than a vision of humility and service.
If we are going to align with the attitude of Christ and be partners in the gospel, there’s no time like the present. In the midst of all that is going on in the world, and right here in our own community….even in a world that prefers to worship the empire and its values … may we be so Christ-minded that our lives reflect the true Lord in every action, in every word, in every relationship, in every vote, in every petition, in every phone call to a leader asking them to prioritise better, in every possible way.
May it be so. Amen.
Prayers
For our prayers today, I invite you to first choose a posture that helps you feel aligned with Christ’s attitude — perhaps with an open heart, hands reaching out, or any other position that feels to you like the posture Jesus might have as he looks at us and the world today.
Let us pray.
We come in gratitude, O God, for your grace that surrounds us and infuses every moment.
We give you thanks for revealing yourself through humility and love, even more than in power and might.
We trust your presence, and we pray you would continually turn us to your way, until we are aligned with your mind and heart.
Because you care about the outcast, the poor, the widow, and the immigrant,
we lift our prayers for those who have fled their homeland and are seeking a safer and better life, where they can provide for their families and live without fear. May they find a welcome.
Because you reached out to touch the ill, the injured, the dying, and the grieving,
we lift our prayers for those whose bodies, minds, or spirits are in pain or suffering. May they find healing.
Because you care about those who give of themselves in compassion for others,
we lift our prayers for carers, doctors, nurses, scientists, teachers, and essential workers who continue to serve in trying circumstances. May they be strengthened and encouraged.
Because you fed the multitudes, ate with anyone who would come, and met people beside the well,
we lift our prayers for those who are hungry and thirsty, who long for even a morsel of bread or a sip of clean water. May they be filled and satisfied, and may systems that keep them poor be changed so that all experience you abundance.
Because you renounced violence,
we lift our prayers for those who suffer at the hands of others — whether through war, domestic violence, abuse, or indifference and apathy. May they know peace and joy.
Because you welcomed children,
we lift our prayers for young people getting used to new ways at school, for their safety and their learning, and for their teachers and staff and parents. May they be transformed by the renewing of their minds.
Because you spoke truth to the powers of the king and the emperor,
we lift our prayers for those in positions of power and influence in this world — for those in government and community who have responsibilities for seeking the common good. May they know your wisdom and courage to do what is right for all.
Because you gave your disciples instructions to be your witnesses to the ends of the earth,
we lift our prayers for your church, here and around the world, as we seek to discern your will for us and to be faithful to your calling, to teach your word and to live according to your way. May we be filled with your Spirit.
We ask all these things of you, O God, in the name of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Benediction
May you have the same attitude as Christ, and may that attitude inform your every word, every choice, every action, every behaviour. 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.
Benediction Response
Words and tune (Gourock St. John’s): John L Bell
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.
