21st. March. 2021. Service.

March 21^st 2021

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Prelude: “Open our eyes Lord”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eerjElgk4Dg

Let us Worship God

Hymn “Be still and know that I am God”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyDr9-Mpc_s

 The Collect for today
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 Hymn “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcHXOnKZ3ME

 Call to Prayer

Come, all who desire to know God.
Come, all who yearn to see Jesus.
Come, all who thirst for the Spirit.
God is among us today.
Let us praise God’s holy name.
We will worship God with heart, mind, strength, and soul, and declare God’s goodness towards us.

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

 Creating God,
Loving Son,
Guiding Spirit,
With springtime sun and the promise of new life,
you wake us from our winter sleep.
We glorify your name because you are faithful to us
through every season of the year and in every season of life.
We are grateful for your patience and persistence with us,
coming closer to us in these times when we cannot be near each other.
Your promise of hope for in Jesus Christ,
releasing life from the grip of death, means so much to us.
Even as his cross looms before as the season of Lent moves toward Holy Week,
we praise you for Jesus’ courage and compassion.
His faithfulness and obedience inspire us as we face our life’s challenges.
We praise you, O God, for the love that never lets us go.

Jesus, our friend, and Saviour,
As we consider your life and your sacrifice,
we recognize the self-centred ways in which we live our lives.
You entrust us with the task of sharing your love in this world,
yet we often we fall short even as we see and hear the struggles and trials of many in this world.
We get caught up with our own plans and worries and often fail to show love,
even to those who are right beside us.
We find some people too difficult to care for.
We think some people unworthy of your love and ours. There are times when our own needs seem overwhelming, and we cannot reach out to someone else.
Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for every failure to love and care, to bless and encourage, to give and forgive
Renew a right spirit within us, that we may find courage to go on and compassion to reach out in your name. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Jesus said, come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Friends, trust that peace and forgiveness are God’s gifts to you this day. Be renewed by the power of the Spirit that moves with you into each new day.

Prayer for Understanding

Loving God, by the power of your Spirit, open our hearts to receive and understand your Word, speaking through the scriptures. Teach us your wisdom and reveal your truth for our lives and our times, through Jesus Christ, the Living Word. Amen.

The Lords Prayer (in the words familiar to you)

 Hymn: “As the deer pants for the water”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

 The Readings

Psalm 51:1-12 
 For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely, I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

 ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,
‘when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,’
declares the Lord.
³³ ‘This is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,’ declares the Lord.
‘I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbour,
or say to one another, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,’
declares the Lord.
‘For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.’ Amen.

John 12:20-33

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ ²² Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

²³ Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.

²⁷ ‘Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!’

Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ ²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰ Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. Amen

This is the Word of the Lord, to Him be all praise and glory. Amen.

Invitation to the Offering

When Jesus grew angry at the money changers in the temple, he reminded God’s people that our offerings are intended to express our commitment to God’s ways. They are not just a financial transaction. As you present your offering to God this day, consider what commitment to God’s purposes your gift expresses.

Prayer of Dedication

Lord Jesus, you challenge your followers to give to God with commitment and thanksgiving. Receive our gifts as an expression of our commitment to you and your ministry. Bless them and us and use all that we can give to offer hope and healing in the world you love. Amen.

Hymn: “Take up thy cross the Saviour said”  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS3q4uTEAik

 Sermon

Once again, I am indebted to Dr Janet Hunt for her thoughts on today’s gospel whilst I am unwell:

Truth be told, I am just standing still in the mystery this week.

Wondering how it is that some see Jesus and others simply can’t yet. And about this tenuous chain of witnesses from Philip to Andrew and finally to Jesus.

Wondering how it is that a seed actually works… and why it is that some take root and grow and others never do.

Trying to get my head around the invitation to eternal life we receive today, and what it actually means to ‘hate one’s life’ for the sake of something more, something else.

And that is in just the first few verses of today’s Gospel from John.

I am standing still in the mystery this week.

And maybe this is because I have stood so close to death in these last days: a place of such mystery I have never been able to fully wrap my mind around. (For how is it, really, that breath and heartbeat can be present one moment and just gone the next? Oh, I understand something of the biology of it, of course.  But that does not fully take away the mystery, does it?)

First with a couple of beloved ones, praying at bedsides within hours of their breathing their last.

And again with a family whose child, whose brother, whose grandson, whose cousin, whose nephew, whose friend, lost his life tragically, inexplicably.

I am standing still in the mystery this week and found myself taken even deeper there as I walked after sundown having sat with the grieving more than once in a day. For as I walked past the cemetery, which is in view of my back yard, I looked up to see a shooting star flame out right in front of me.

• And I wondered where it came from and how far away it really was and whether pieces of its ash landed in someone else’s back yard.
• I wondered how long it had shone in the sky and how long its journey was to here.
• I wondered if anyone else had seen it, here in this neighbourhood and perhaps miles and miles away as well.
• And yes, I wondered why it was that I lifted my eyes at just that moment to see that flash of light and I remembered then the other times I have seen such as this and how, if nothing else, they served as reminders to pick up my head, to look beyond where I then stood, to remember there are promises bigger and bolder still being kept, still to be kept.

At least that’s what I tried to say to a family broken by grief this afternoon.

In a few minutes time span I could not begin to speak words to heal a hurt which they will likely always carry to one degree or another.  So instead, I tried to point them to the mystery — to the truth that there is a great deal we cannot understand about living and about dying, about grief and about healing, but that in the middle of all that we cannot comprehend, God’s promise still holds.  Jesus still is. Love does not end or let go. Especially not the love God held for their loved one, nor for each one of them.

For I cannot know how it is that some can see Jesus and some cannot yet, even when in his very presence. I do not understand the mystery of faith.

I do not really know how it is that seeds take root and grow. No, I expect not even the most experienced farmer or the greatest expert in biology can fully explain the mystery of the source of life sheltered by the shell of a seed, can they?

And I surely cannot explain how death leads to life. I only know that it does. That again and again it does.

So, for now, I am just standing still in the mystery. And maybe that is enough. For while mystery may mean that something is entirely or at least somewhat inexplicable to you or to me, it doesn’t make it untrue or unreal or even entirely inaccessible.

Indeed, if I can do nothing other this week than get out of the way enough to invite others into the mystery that is before us in Jesus, perhaps that is enough.

As eyes are opened.

And seeds are planted.

And life again finds its origin.

Because we don’t have to be able to explain it for it to be true.

We don’t have to define it for its meaning to capture those for whom the gift is intended now.

All we have to do, it seems to me, is step aside, and let God do what God will do.

In living and in dying and in bearing witness to both.

In seeds planted and bearing fruit.

In invitations extended and received to come into the presence of Jesus.

That is all we are asked to do today; it seems to me.

To just stand still in the mystery of all that God is and all that God has done and all that God will do next.

Especially in Jesus.

• Perhaps my thoughts today contain more questions than answers, for how does one ‘understand’ or begin to explain what is so hard to fully comprehend?  What do you think?  Is it enough to simply try to get out of the way so that others can, in fact, ‘see’ Jesus?
• I do like to be able to understand things, but having walked where I have this week, I find myself shaking my head and yet, still somehow trusting.  Have you ever found yourself there?
• How do you find yourself thinking about that which is difficult to understand or explain in today’s Gospel? How have you found meaning in it even so?  Indeed, where have you seen, where do you see Jesus?  And what does it mean for you to help others to see him, too?

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Steadfast God during these times of change and challenge,
we thank you  for your presence with us each to keep us goings.
While we find it hard to understand why things happen, but we are grateful that you are with us.
You understand our fears; you support and guide us.
and you give us courage to face the unknown.
We thank you for the assurance that you intend only our good and not evil and
that your gift of faith is a solid rock on which we may depend.
We thank you for the gift of prayer gives us hope that you are working for goodness to prevail in ways both seen and unseen to us. As we look back on our lives we bless you for every answered prayer, every grace and every providence we have received from you.

Loving God,
in this time of uncertainty when there is much to be anxious about,
we pray for the world you love.
Send your healing Spirit to guide countries and communities
as they respond to COVID-19.
Bless the work of medical researchers and frontline health care workers enduring tiring and stressful days and nights.
Bless all who are working to supply vaccines to people everywhere, and dispel fear
and give patience and common sense as people wait for their opportunity to receiver vaccination.

Send your healing Spirit to bring peace with justice to the troubled places, we think of severe flooding in South Sudan as the poorest lose their livelihood, we think of floods in Eastern Australia, we think of refugees gathering at borders in Europe and the United States and we think of people suffering under repressive regimes around the globe.

Bring care and comfort to those who have been hurt in conflict,
wisdom to those who offer leadership in their communities,
and courage to those who advocate for the most vulnerable.

Send your healing Spirit to mend relationships
among religious groups and cultural groups
wherever people find themselves in tension or turmoil.
We pray for respect to develop
between people who look at each other with suspicion
and among people who have had painful histories with each other.
Open our minds to those whose situations and concerns we don’t understand
and send your gift of reconciliation among us all.

Send your healing Spirit across this broken world and to people we know who are suffering
We remember before you:
Friends in grief, including the family and friends of our member, Mrs Anne Dey
(Hold a brief pause)
Relationships marked by tension…
(Hold a brief pause)
those facing difficulty at work or finding work…
(Hold a brief pause)
disagreements in our church or community…
(Hold a brief pause)
concerns about the environment we depend on…
(Hold a brief pause)

 We pray for the continuing ministry of the church
in our neighbourhood our Presbytery and around the world.
As we prepare to celebrate Easter and Christ’s resurrection,
help us plan safely and creatively.
Send your healing Spirit to refresh our hearts and our hopes
with the promise of new life in Christ.
Restore to us the joy of our salvation and sustain in us all a willing spirit.
We pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord, whom we worship you, our Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end, Amen.

Hymn “Christ for the world we sing”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG7iSIMANCI

Benediction
Go into the world with assurance, hope and promise:
The grace of the Word of life rest upon you.
The love of the Source of life embrace you.
and the transforming power of the Breath of life
help, strengthen and surprise you,
this day and all your days. Amen.

May God’s blessing surround you each day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_3O_N49GiU  

 Postlude: “Show me the way of the cross”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGGeeDPJFnc

 For Children

Can you guess what this is?  It is a magnet. I have one that looks like a pen, but extends like an aerial. I use it to pick up things like small screws or nails or paperclips if they drop on the floor or my desk. It is especially useful when I open up my computer case. Usually a magnet looks like this:

The magnet has great power and will draw many metallic objects to itself. It reminds me of something that Jesus taught about Himself. The people who were following Jesus thought Jesus had come to set up an earthly kingdom. But Jesus came to earth to die for our sins so that we could join Him in His heavenly kingdom. Even so, because Jesus knew He would soon be crucified, He said to his followers, “I am very troubled…What should I do? Should I pray to the Father and ask Him to save me?”

How do you think you’d answer Him?

Jesus told the people, “No, this is the very reason that I came, and when I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to Myself.” The Bible tells us that He told them that so they would know how He was going to die.

The drawing power of this magnet is very strong, but it’s nothing compared to the drawing power of Jesus. When we see His great love, we’re drawn to Him. He willingly died on the cross to pay the price for our sin, and when we trust in Him, we receive the right to become the children of God.

Even after we become God’s children, we will still sin, and that’s not pleasing to Him. But that doesn’t mean He will stop loving us. He has the power to draw us back to Himself. There is no power stronger than the love of Jesus.

Dear God, we thank You that Jesus was willing to be lifted up on the cross so we can have eternal life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Intimations

The minister is unwell with a Covid related illness but hopes to be completely better by Easter Sunday at which we will celebrate Holy Communion. Given the extensive paperwork required by the Presbytery of Fife for reopening the building, we regret that churches will not be open on Palm Sunday. Depending on the First Minister’s announcement on Tuesday March 23^rd and Presbytery’s response, we hope to open by Easter Sunday.

The minister asks you to note that, despite receiving a first Pfizer vaccination in early February and continuing to use masks and precautions, he still acquired the infection, possibly during a supermarket visit. Please do not relax your hygiene and distancing vigilance after receiving your first dose of vaccine.

CHRISTIAN AID

The Forth Bridge Cross obviously won’t take place again this year.   Here is an alternative!

Christian Aid Kilt Walk 23-25th April 2021.

Every pound raised will be topped by 50% from the Hunter Foundation.

Register on Kiltwalk website.  Choose a local walk, run or cycle and ask family and friends to sponsor you.   On the day wear your CA t-shirt if you have one and get going.  Once you register a Just giving Page will automatically be set up for you.  Events Officer Lauren will give support where required and answer any questions you may have.   Don’t hesitate to get in touch – lmcfarland@christian-Aid.org Or contact Liz Hunter 416820