23rd. August. 2020 Service
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Call to Worship
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
We belong to God.
When we feel overwhelmed,
God is on our side.
When we are afraid,
God will keep us safe.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the Lord!
The Collect for today
Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession
God our Father it is our joy to worship you this morning in fellowship with all your people in this world. You have blessed us with physical life, which you sustain every moment, and with eternal life which you have given us in Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. We bless you for this greatest gift which brings deepest peace and joy to each of us.
We thank you, O Lord, that we are not alone. You watch over us, guide us, and lead us in your righteous pathways. When we stumble and fall, you lift us up and gently place us on that pathway again. When we doubt, you surround us with your mercy and peace, reassuring us of your presence through the love of others and of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Keep our hearts and minds open and ready to serve you, for we pray these things in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer of Confession
Caring God, you call us to be the body of Christ:
to live in community,
to care for one another,
to use our different gifts.
Instead of working to sustain community,
we follow our own desires.
Instead of trusting in your care,
we think we can do it alone.
Forgive our neglect of others.
Give us obedient spirits,
that we may care for one another,
depend on your love,
and use our gifts for your gospel. Amen.
Words of Assurance
The Lord is on our side,
offering words of forgiveness,
protecting us from danger.
We are a forgiven people,
bound together in God’s love.
We are the body of Christ, forgiven and free.
Jesus is the Messiah, the hope of the world, the one who brings us the gift of peace. Look into the eyes of your neighbour and see the light of Christ reflected there. Recognize each other as the body of Christ. Share Christ’s peace with one another.
Source of all wisdom and understanding, in the face of everything which distracts us from you, still our hearts and minds. We wait with quiet faith to hear your word for our times. By your Holy Spirit, help us discern your will and follow your path.
In the name of Jesus Christ, your Living Word, we pray, Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (in the words most familiar to you)
The Readings
Isaiah 51 1; 6-8
‘Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness
and who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath.
the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation will last for ever,
my righteousness will never fail.
7 ‘Hear me, you who know what is right,
you people who have taken my instruction to heart,
do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
or be terrified by their insults.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last for ever,
my salvation through all generations.’
Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
14 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
15 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
17 Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah
Romans 12:1-8
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
This is the Word of the Lord, to Him be all praise and glory.
Sermon
There is a lot of soul searching going on at the moment about the future of the Church. Within a few weeks we will be holding discussions assisted by Place for Hope to help us to determine a way forward within the Presbytery of Dunfermline following the report of the Special Commission. In some respects, these will be about our definition of the Church, our identity as congregations of faith. This identity is like that of a family, comprised of its members as well as the place we call home.
Home for some is an immutable place which has remained the same for decades or even a lifetime. For others it is where a parent or two hold a scattered family together acting as a central point where news is exchanged, and contact is maintained. It is the focus of family gatherings, even though there may be many satellite homes elsewhere.
The Church is also a place of significance to families and to the communities they live within. It is both a building and a community and, as with a family home, the two elements are inextricably intertwined.
But the church has a third element in that it is within us and is universal in its nature. I was reading a biography of the Queen’s grand aunt, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, whose husband was Governor General of South Africa and Canada and she was Chancellor of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. Whether living in Rideau Hall in Ottawa, one of the grand homes in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria or Kingston, Princess Alice never missed worship, in grand cathedrals yes, but just as often visiting tiny shack churches unannounced. She was once asked to “move over, Missus,” by a late arrival and did so with a smile. Until she retired in her nineties, she rarely had a home church. Her faith was such that she was at home in any church. Like me, many ministers also learn to make a home in lots of places and our faith memories are linked to many buildings and many communities.
Today we are looking at Jesus’ words to Peter after he had responded to Jesus question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter’s reply, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,’ elicited Jesus response, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Arguments have long raged over the meaning of this. Is the “Rock” Peter’s declaration of faith, or is it Peter himself, commissioned to be a vice-regent on earth? Personally, I prefer the former, based on Paul’s interpretation of Moses striking the rock of living water in the desert in Exodus. In 1 Corinthians 10 he says, “They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
Jesus spoke of a house built upon a rock withstanding flood and storm, and the scriptures refer to God as a rock fifty-five times. That Christ is the rock and foundation of our faith rather than one redeemed sinner is preferable to me. Yes, Jesus built his church upon Peter’s affirmation of faith, but he also builds it on your and my stance of faith. Peter was the first to declare and lay the foundation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The important thing in this affirmation of faith is that the church has a solid foundation. This it what the church in its spiritual dimension stands upon, the reality that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God whom we trust. Because of this we are the church and against it the gates of hades shall not prevail
Here are some thoughts on this:
Hades was a Greek word. To the Greeks it described a gloomy, cavernous underworld where the dead languished, apart from a few blessed ones in the Elysian Fields. Jews had their “Sheol” which was even more gloomy. Sheol was a state of desolation a shadowy half-existence; the word became a metaphor for the ultimate separation from goodness, light and joy.
When Hades was used in today’s text, it stands for the whole dark kingdom of evil, opposed to the kingdom of God. Hades/Hell is the realm of darkness, where the evil reigns, and souls are in ruin. Evil is not always extreme. Negativity, criticism, hatred, division, selfishness, lack of respect, lovelessness, denial of another’s right to be are all manifestations of evil.
A minister I knew was an ardent cricketer and he used a metaphor from cricket to illustrate how the church should face evil:
When coaching young players in the art of batting, I found there was natural tendency to “play off the back foot.” That is, when the bowler hurls the ball, the first inclination seemed to be to take a step back, giving oneself a fraction more time before hitting the ball. It took time to convince some youngsters that it was sometimes better to go forward to meet the ball and “play off the front foot” The back-foot technique is essential at times. If a fast bowler is pitching the ball short and making it rear up towards your fragile ribs or your precious skull, getting on the front foot is a like awarding yourself a ticket to the hospital. On the other hand, if you play on the back foot all the time, you make it easier for the bowler to get the upper hand and dictate the terms. Using the front foot as well, you have much more opportunity to take control. There are many runs to be made on the front foot.
I see this as being similar to life. Certainly, it is similar to the Christian faith. There are times when we should be cautious, stand our ground and defy all the things that are hurled at us by “outrageous fortune.” As a church, we must at times play off the back foot.
In our text, it is the church that is on the front foot! The “gates of hell” stand for the defences of Satan that are trying to hold off Christ and his church.
The trouble is it can become a trap. We can get set in a cautious mode, defensive most of the time. We can allow the opposition to get the upper hand and dictate the terms.
Jesus never allowed that to happen. He kept the initiative. He played off the front foot. What is more, Jesus had a remarkable faith in the church as an agent of change. He put the continuing existence of his whole cause, for which he would give his life, in the hands of that motley team who had been gathered around the gospel.
I now say to you that you are indeed Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not be able to stand against it.
The point here is that where the church exists it is not meant to be on the defensive. It is evil that is on the defensive, for ultimately it cannot win. Sadly though, the church often sees itself as being a refuge from the onslaught of evil rather than a force undermining it.
Matthew says that Jesus used the word church. He calls it “my church”. Not “your church’”, not the disciple’s Church but the Lord’s own church.
The Greek word behind the English word church (ecclesia) denoted a gathering of people. Especially a crowd gathered in response to a king’s herald, a town crier.
Jesus was the herald of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Later the apostles were the heralds of that same Gospel. The ecclesia was and is always the gathered people. Not a building, not an institution, but people sharing good news. It is an event, a movement flowing on through history.
However, some early Christians (like us) also used “church” as a building. They were familiar with worship in synagogues and temples. It was natural for them to employ images drawn from that experience.
This paved the way for some later, defensive thinking. The church became likened to the city of Jerusalem, the fortress built on Mt Zion which was throughout the centuries under siege. It was the new city of God.
As the Roman Empire disintegrated the church saw itself as the “city of God” standing against the forces of paganism. The church pictured itself on the back foot.
A siege mentality became widespread. Sadly, this picture of fortress church became a most common one down through the centuries. Listen to the words from three different hymns: `
From Isaac Watts: How glorious Sion’s courts appear, the city of our God. Its walls and bulwarks firmly set. Its walls, defended by his grace, no power shall e’er overthrow, salvation is its bulwark sure against the’ assailing foe.
From Samuel Johnson: In vain the surge’s angry shock. In vain the drifting sands. Unharmed upon the eternal rock the eternal city stands.
From John Newton: On the rock of ages founded Who can shake our sure repose. With salvation’s walls surrounded, you may smile at all your foes.
As you can see, this is the opposite of what Jesus actually says: The gates of hell shall not be able to stand against it. It is hell and evil that are under siege here, not the church. A siege mentality had taken over. It was a back-foot game. The church was seen as bloody but unbowed as its walls and gates were assaulted by the onslaught of evil.
Now it is good to know that there is a place of defence for God’s people in his church. When you are feeling that life is too much, go to the rock that is higher, or rest in the green pastures beside the still waters. But don’t forget that the place of the church is in the world like an occupying force. In it but not of it, as St Paul says. The children of Israel did not hang around the rock in the desert. Spiritually they believed it went with them as they kept travelling. God was with them. The early church got out there and kept the pilgrimage of faith in the world. They didn’t hide in the Upper Room after Pentecost. And always remember that God lays a table for us in the presence of our foes, not hidden away behind walls.
With Jesus, it is the gates of hell that are under siege. Besieged by a loving people who are on the move, a body of people who have been gathered around the living word of Jesus Christ. Here the church is not on the back foot but on the front foot. Offensive not defensive. It is proactive, not reactive, full of creative heralds of Jesus, not curators of a precious museum.
I suspect that today we are even more in the negative mode. The widespread secularisation of Western society has fostered anxiety so that much of our current thinking is too defensive. We have taken up positions behind walls which we try to defend.
It is true that there is a time for being on the back foot. Defence is on occasions the smartest move. But it should not be our chief modus operandi. Overall, we should be going forward in faith, resilient and filled with bright expectation.
We can do this daringly because Christ himself has terminally weakened the gates of hell. In the fortress cities of the old world, the gates were always seen as the most vulnerable point. Defenders could build their stone walls two metres thick, against which no battering ram could be effective. But the gates had to be thinner and lighter, made of thick timbers, often covered with metal.
That is the metaphor Christ presents to us. Those gates of the kingdom of evil, the weakest points, cannot withstand his love. In fact, his death and resurrection have already unhinged them. They cannot, they shall not, prevail against the onslaughts of love, mercy and peace.
The kingdom of evil is on the way down. It may not seem like it. It may not feel like it. The city of evil will fight back. It will cause some mayhem, take some prisoners, and make them its slaves.
But its final fate is sealed. It has been sealed since that day when Jesus cried out: “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. It has been sealed since that Sunday morning outside an empty tomb when Mary heard her name called by the voice of the risen Christ.
Wherever one woman, man or child, anywhere in this world, throws in their lot with Jesus and says with utter sincerity: “You are my Christ, the son of the living God ”then the gates of hell shake and even the old enemy within the citadel begins to tremble.
In the present climate we are still on the back foot. We need to see the church not as a place to go to for shelter, but a home from which we venture out daily in the knowledge that the rock who is Christ goes with us. It is the home where we reconnect with the family of God. Our buildings and community are equally important, they are the focus of our faith. As was noted to me this week, our church buildings are also important to many people in the wider community. Their presence is a reassurance and an outward symbol of the kingdom of God. However, they may need to change and evolve, and that can be hard. Janet Hunt tells of a woman who refused to go back to a refurbished church because the old plyboard altar she had known all her life, and which symbolised all her faith experiences, had been removed. Wisely, the elders repurposed it into individual crosses, one of which she received. This enabled her to return with an enduring token of what had been. We may have to find ways to do something similar ourselves one day.
To hell with pious pessimism, with head shaking and mutterings of doom and gloom. To hell with negativity because that is where it really belongs.
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and we are His church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against us!
Finally, we will close with a hymn which is not in favour nowadays because of its apparent militarism, but its theology is clearly in accord with Jesus’ words, the gates of hell shall not be able to stand against the Church of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Invitation to the Offering
Your word reminds us that we all have gifts to share. When we give, may we give generously. When we feel compassion for those in need, may we give cheerfully. Let us share what we have to offer to God generously and cheerfully, so that God’s good work may continue.
Prayer of Dedication
O God bless the offerings we make today, as well as the time, talent, and service we will offer you this week. Keep our hearts free from worry that we may give what we have freely, trusting your Spirit to accomplish all things in Christ’s name. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Lord, we have heard the wonderful words in which Simon Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God. He is given the name Peter, the rock upon whom the church will be built. We would like to be the kind of “rock” that Jesus may count on – to be strong in the face of adversity; brave when danger is present; compassionate when sorrow and strife prevail. You have called us to be your church and we ask for your transforming love that we may be better witnesses for you.
Life-giving God, you have equipped your people with gifts to work for your kingdom, bringing justice and peace to every land and community.
Through your Spirit, O God, you give the gift of prophecy. Help us to use this to speak words of justice and truth in situations where people are exploited or treated unfairly. Guide our actions that we may influence change for good in the world and bring hope to the hopeless. We pray for those who are caught up in the migration of refugees in Europe and whose lives are often at risk
You give the gift of service, O God, in the example of your Son Jesus. Help us to use this gift to serve those who have been cast aside by structures of power and privilege. Increase our awareness of injustice and our dedication to work with those who suffer its effects. May the wealth we enjoy in our country spread to and touch every life and community in this land.
God of wisdom, you give the gift of teaching. Help us to use this gift to ensure that every child has access to education and opportunity. Be with every teacher and every student in the coming months as schools and colleges adapt to the challenges of COVID-19. Support creative teaching and diligent learning in every school and centre of learning.
God of hope, you give the gift of encouragement. Help us to use this gift to hearten all who are struggling in these difficult days. Bless us with words and ideas that shall bring comfort to all who morn, to those coping with mental or physical illness, and to any who feel isolated or left behind.
God of purpose and promise, you give the gift of leadership. Help us to use this skill to build up our communities and model respectful ways of living and loving. Show us how our churches can be places of support within our neighbourhoods.
God of love, you give the gift of kindness. Help us be kind to all who cross our paths, even those who anger or upset us. Teach us to be forgiving and reconciling in all our relationships. Help us to honour our commitment to Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord each day that we live, in His Holy Name. Amen.
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Amen.
Hymns
Here are some hymn suggestions to check on YouTube if you wish to sing along. Some may not be as familiar as their titles suggest and the ones marked “listen” do not have the lyrics on the screen:
Now Israel may say
Restore, O Lord, the honour of your Name
Who would true valour see?
Take my life and let it be consecrated
Brother, sister, let me help you
Onward Christian soldiers
For Children
Good parents will do everything they can to keep their baby safe. Our Bible lesson today is about a little boy baby who was born in a dangerous time.
There was a new King in Egypt who saw that the God’s people, the Hebrews were very strong, and they were growing in number. The King in Egypt was afraid that the Hebrews were going to take over his country. So, he issued a command to all of his people: “Take every new-born Hebrew boy and throw him into the Nile River, but let the girls live.” A terrible thing to do!
During this time, a woman had a baby boy When she saw what a fine, handsome baby he was, she hid him for three months.
As the baby got older, she couldn’t hide him any longer, so she made a basket of tall grass and covered it all over with tar to make it watertight. Then she put the baby in the basket and hid it in the tall grass at the edge of the river. The baby’s sister stood some distance away to watch and see what would happen to him.
A little later, the king’s daughter came down to the river to bathe. Suddenly she noticed the basket in the tall grass. The princess looked in the basket and saw a baby and he was crying, so she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
The baby’s sister, whose name was Miriam, asked her, “Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”
“Please do,” she answered. Miriam went and brought the baby’s own mother. The princess told the woman, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So, the mother took him home.
Later, when the child was old enough, the mother took the boy and gave him to the king’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The king’s daughter said to herself, “I pulled him out of the water, and so I name him Moses.”
What an amazing story of two mothers who loved their child and God’s protection and care. Moses grew to be one of the greatest leaders the people of Israel has ever known. And it all started with a little baby hidden in the tall bushes down by the river.
Dear God, just as the mother of Moses watched over her son and protected him, you love and care for Your children. We thank You for Your love and protection. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Here is a video about Moses in the basket