24th May 2020 Service.

Seventh Sunday in Easter

Call to Worship

Let us be joyful before God! Let us be jubilant this day.
We will sing praises to God’s holy name.

Let us lift up a song to the One who rides upon the clouds,
For God also protects orphans and widows and gives the desolate a home.

Sing to God, O nations of the earth.
We will sing praises to the Lord, our God!

The Collect for today

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Saviour Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

God of history and eternity, you came to live among us in Jesus,
that we might come to know you and love you, as he did.
In Jesus’ life and example, you have given us a pattern for living,
And have taught us to love one another and forgive as we have been forgiven.
By his death and resurrection, and your invitation to live trusting him,
you have promised that nothing can separate us from your love.
In ascending to be united with you,
he is now present to every creature in every corner of your creation.
Because of this we wait with hopeful anticipation for the fullness of your redemption to be realised in us and we live by the
the power of your Holy Spirit, now and always.

God of our days and of all the days to come,
we confess that we feel lost, waiting for your promised redemption in such uncertain times.
You have made us for unity in community and especially now we miss that sense of being together. But is also true that have held on to grievances and allowed unresolved tensions to remain, spoiling fellowship and dulling our love.
You have commissioned us to be witnesses to Christ’s ministry,
yet we find it hard to share our experience of your love and grace with others.
Forgive us for accepting disunity, instead of working through differences.
Forgive us for failing to share the good news of Christ’s love,
even with those closest to us. We confess the faults and failures of which we are aware and know that there may be some that we don’t recognise in ourselves. Give us grace and humility to know ourselves in the light of your love and to change with your help as:

Assurance of Pardon

We hear the good news! Jesus Christ is our High Priest and Advocate, interceding before God the Father on our behalf. We know now that his love for us is undying. We trust that we are forgiven through his grace, and with his courage, forgive one another.

Prayer for Understanding

Loving God, as we prepare to hear the words of Scripture, send your Holy Spirit to give us attentive minds and open hearts, humility and willingness to take to heart all that you reveal to us in Jesus Name. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer (in the words most familiar to you)

The Readings

Psalm 68:1-10; 32-35

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke –
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him – his name is the Lord.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

7 When you, God, went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,
8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord,
33 to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
who thunders with mighty voice.
34 Proclaim the power of God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the heavens.
35 You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

John 17:1-11

‘After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed:

‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6 ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me, and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

Acts 1:6-14

6 Then they gathered round him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’
7 He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Amen.

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

Sermon

Today is the seventh and final Sunday in Easter, the Sunday before Pentecost. We all know the significance of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church on earth. But let us imagine that we are with Jesus’ followers on that seventh Sunday, and that we do not know what is about to happen. Let us go with Luke in his record in the book of the Acts of the Apostles as the eleven disciples and Jesus’ brothers and sisters and mother retired to an upstairs room following their witness of the ascension of Jesus from the earth on the Mount of Olives.

They were not many, perhaps no more than twenty people.

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

The resurrection of Jesus had brought the eleven remaining disciples together and they had enfolded Jesus’ family in their midst. It is highly likely that they had all gone into lockdown. They knew how ruthless the Roman and Jewish authorities could be, and they were not able to do much other than survive.

Before we look at the significance of this final week of Easter, let us think about Jesus’ brothers. The last time we met them in the Gospel story, they believed their brother Jesus to be out of his mind and arrived to take him safely home. Things have changed. Now they are believers. Despite the public disgrace of their older brother’s arrest and trial, in spite of the horror and public shame of execution on a cross, they were now believers. The resurrection of Jesus had caught up with them and gathered them up in the new dynamic of Christian faith.

Wouldn’t we like to know how their conversion happened? Did Jesus make a special appearance to them? Or did they simply believe on the testimony of the other followers, who had gone from despair to overflowing joy. We can only guess. The main fact is that in the interlude between the ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost, we discover his brothers are members of the small church that gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.

And what about the upper room? Now here’s another question for us: What upper room?

Does Luke mean us to understand it was the same upper room where the last supper had been held? Where Jesus served them bread and wine, asking them to do this in remembrance of me? If so, it had become a most precious place to those few Christians at the beginning of the church’s story. What better place could there be for them to wait for the next instalment in the great acts of God?

This reminds us of the special joy certain places have for us. There is of course a temptation that seduces some Christians, by which they begin to worship their lovely, or homely, building rather than God (edifice idolatry). But we also recognise the importance of a sense of place. We treasure the special places which God has used to make his presence known in comfort or challenge, in times of joy and times of deep sorrow.

When I was thinking about those present in that room, I had a picture of Mary later in life living in her house in the woods above Ephesus which I visited last year. The tradition is that John took her there and that she died there. It is a beautiful, serene spot which is venerated by many.

There can be something almost sacramental about special places. The aborigines in Australia know this as they cross the landscape of their forebears. They have their sacred sites. We also experience it in certain cathedrals or chapels, or special places among the mountains or by the ocean.
God has a sense of place and he uses special places to enrich us. But we need to be careful in case we turn such places into idols.

The upper room in Jerusalem was such a place for that small church community. Because our lives are temporary, it is good to know both that there is a foretaste on earth of our place in the home of many mansions, but also that it goes with us wherever we may be in the world. For the disciples, as special as their upper room was, they knew how to move on when the time came. They were never tied to temples or upper rooms. They knew that the Lord who served them bread and wine in the upper room, could serve them still in faraway places, even to the end of the world.

That time was, however, some way off. In the meantime, the disciples were under instruction to wait.

Before he ascended, Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem: You must wait for the promise of my Father……… You will be baptised with the Holy Spirit within the next few days. Acts 1: 4a & 5

The period between the ascension of their Lord and Pentecost, may well have been an awkward period for the small church community. It was almost as if things were “on hold”. The Jewish festival of Pentecost was in fact only a week away. But they did not know it would be the time for the next big Christian happening. They had no precise idea of what was to come (what did “baptized with the Holy Spirit mean?} or when it would take place. But they did what Jesus asked and they waited. That was sufficient. We are in such a time. Our regular places of worship are out-of-bounds until the lockdown is eased. We could take a worldly view and think of the loss, the damage, worry about the changes that may need to take place. But as Christians we recognise that our lives and our times are in God’s hands, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. This should encourage us to wait with patience the unfolding of the future for our congregations and denomination. You may recognise John Milton’s poem When I consider how my light is spent

When I consider how my light is spent

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodg’d with me useless, though my soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning, chide;

“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”

I fondly ask. But Patience to prevent

That murmur, soon replies: “God doth not need

 

Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed

And post o’er land and ocean without rest:

They also serve who only stand and wait.”

The words, “who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best” and “They also serve who only stand and wait,” sum up what Jesus expected of his disciples in the upper room between Easter and Pentecost.

It is certainly the truth in many situations for every follower of Christ. To stand and wait, to wait and pray, to let go and wait for God to lead us, can be a difficult challenge for impatient folks like us.

We are indeed impatient. Well, most of us! We want to bring on events. To get to grips with the future. The idea of waiting does not rate highly in our nature, and certainly not in our Western culture.

The Psalm for today, 68, is from those delightfully frank outpourings where the very human poet tells God to get on with it. Words like the following can seem inimitable to the gospel of love, however, if we interpret them as impatience with the evil that is found in the world, they take on a different character. And God best defeats his enemies by converting them in his love.

1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke –
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

We find a similar sentiment in a little-known hymn by Charles Wesley in which he displays a similar impatience. Perhaps you know the hymn My heart is full of Christ and longs its glorious matter to declare.” Someone commented that he always imagined that hymn being written when Wesley was on horseback. It seems to have an equestrian rhythm to it!. You may recall a later verse:

Stir up Thy strength, almighty Lord,
All power and majesty are Thine.
Assert thy worship and renown,
O all-redeeming God come down!

The impatience in those words of Charles Wesley is not a flaw. It is permissible for us to be impatient, even though it must be tempered. Don’t you think that it is a healthy faith that can openly express our impatience directly to God. It is okay to pour out our frustration in prayer. God surely understands that.

However, sometimes our Lord says “Wait.” The time is not yet. New things will happen when the time is ripe. Do not try to force the issue. Attend to whatever practical matters lie before you.

As we know, seven weeks feels like a long time to be out of routine, to be cooped up, not feeling safe, and being uncertain how the way forward will open. The disciples and Jesus family managed. They dealt with practical issues; such a task was finding a replacement for Judas who was now dead. One essential qualification was that such a person must have witnessed the risen Lord Jesus. We need to look forward in our chapter to read about how this was done.

“Two nominations were made: Joseph (also known as Barsabbas and bore the second name of Justus) and a man called Matthias. Then they prayed for God to make a choice. They proceeded to draw lots. The lot fell on Matthias, who was then given a place among the twelve apostles. Acts 1: 23 & 26

The selection of that new apostle makes fascinating reading. They used their collective wisdom to narrow down the choice to two candidates: one man called Matthias and another named Joseph Justus. Evidently, they could not distinguish between these two men. They prayed about it but still did not have a clear conviction. So, they did what the Roman soldiers had done at the crucifixion, when deciding who should take possession of Jesus’ clothing. They drew lots to decide the matter. And the lot fell on Matthias. He became one of the twelve apostles.

Let us think for a minute or two on this method of choosing. In some awkward circumstances, reason and prayer can often only take one so far. It is rare indeed that God intervenes and gives a sign. Finally, a risk must be taken, in one form or another. Notice that the young church employed chance.

That’s a teasing thought for us, especially in those strict puritan congregations where all games of chance are forbidden, where even at a church fair the guessing of the number of “smarties” in a jar is verboten. Do some of us think God cannot work through chance?

Drawing lots may not be the method we would employ to try and ascertain the will of God. But does that mean we should say God cannot use that means. Or any other means. Perhaps we should be careful to place any restriction on God at all. There is a sovereign freedom in the way God works that should keep us meek in the matter of what God will or will not do.

It may be so in our churches. New ways of doing may unfold after lockdown ends. In the meantime, practical matters include the selection of a new team member, like Matthias, or the preparing of a meal, or getting our everyday work done, or forgiving an enemy or catching up with old friends, re-establishments. The time may not yet be ripe for a major event from God. So, wait. Wait in hope, not in frustration. Wait in faith, not in despondency. Wait while actively expressing love through your deeds, not in inactive resignation.

There was of course another matter which God was about to reveal and which Jesus had foretold:

You will receive empowerment when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Acts 1: 8a.

The Apostles could not themselves precipitate events. In the upper room, the twelve disciples, the group of women, the Lord’s mother Mary, and the brothers, waited.

Events like the incredible overflowing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost cannot be engineered by us. We cannot push God into action. Our prayers should always be tempered with humility, keenly aware of how clumsy our timing is compared with God’s, and how small our wisdom is compared with the wisdom of God. We could go so far as to say that the process of active waiting may even teach us at least as much as the dramatic events. Maybe it can teach us more. It is when we go faithfully about the Lord’s business without any sign of the heavenly wind and fire, that significant Christian growth can take place.

The disciples did not wait for nothing. Nor do we. In times of God’s choosing we are blessed with special times of divine favour.. Times when the wind of God blows afresh through our lives, and the flame of God warms our hearts and inspires us to make room for others near the fire of God’s love.

Family of God cherish whatever personal “Holy Spirit times” that have enriched you. But do not idolise them or try to manufacture them. They are no more important than those numerous plain days and weeks when we faithfully trust and obey. The ultimate sign of the Spirit is not wind and fire, but faithful love. Amen.

Invitation to the offering

This Sunday brings the season of Easter to a close. Yet we will continue to receive the blessings God pours out for us in Christ and in creation, for God is so good to us. We offer to God our thanks for such goodness in our tithes and offering.

Prayer of Dedication

Eternal and ever-present God, we offer you these gifts in thanksgiving for the work of Christ in our lives. Bless them and us with the power of the Spirit, enlisting all our gifts for the work of reconciliation Christ has given us to do in the world you love. Amen.

Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession

Gracious God, you desire unity for your people in the world, and unity between heaven and earth. We thank you for drawing us together as a community of faith, united in your love particularly in these times when it is hard to gather in our house of worship. Equip and prepare us to witness to your promise of resurrection and new life as we serve you in the world. Hear us as we pray for your world.

God, we worry about the way things are going. Daily life throughout the world has been disrupted by the pandemic, and also by war and environmental devastation. Send your Spirit of healing and reconciliation to lead people to peace with justice. Heal the earth and bring hope for the future that we may renew relationships and reform our lives and the life of our planet. Help us learn from this anxious time your invitation to live in balance with each other and with your whole creation.

God, we are concerned about all the divisions we see around us, many laid bare in responses to the pandemic. Communities are torn apart by suspicion and discrimination. People are judged severely by race and ethnic origin. Send your Spirit of healing and reconciliation to open hearts filled with prejudice and ease the lives of those who are suffering its effects. Heal the hurt and bring hope for lasting unity.

This Sunday, we pray for the work of healing and reconciliation in our country as regional differences are widened and strangers feel unwelcome and insecure. Send your Spirit to guide our leaders and build trust and respect among us all. Heal the lives limited by misunderstanding and bring hope for just resolutions to problems of long-standing. Increase a spirit of generosity as the nation begins to rebuild social structures damaged in the pandemic, that the needs of all who live here will not be overlooked.

God, we feel sadness for those whose lives are marked by isolation and fear, by grief or despair, effects deepened by the times of physical distancing. Send your Spirit of healing and reconciliation to draw the lonely into friendships, and as society begins to reopen, create a true sense of belonging for each one. Heal any burden of grief and bring hope through your eternal friendship. We pray for the families of our bereaved, remembering Ruby Dewar’s family and friends and for Ross Brown’s wife, Julia and their family. We pray for those in our community who are seriously ill, remembering Dominic Gray and his family, and for any whose lives are drawing to a close. We thank you that Moira and Ron Lamont’s grandson, Ryan, is improving after a serious illness and ask that you will give him complete healing.

God, we are hopeful for the church because it belongs to you. Send your Spirit to guide our witness in the world. Teach us how to share our experience of your love and invite others to join the journey toward healing and reconciliation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sending out and Benediction

Go forward in peace, knowing that you are loved by God. Bring hope to this world. Go forward in love; bring joy to this world. Go forward in the knowledge that God goes with you, loving and guiding your steps. 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:

O worship the King, all glorious above

All my days I will sing this song

Before the throne of God above

Lord, the light of your love

Christ triumphant ever reigning (two versions)


The head that once was crowned with thorns

Blest be the tie that binds

For Children

I’m sure you know that when filled with helium, a balloon floats in the air. And it’s also quite enjoyable when it does float away from you. It’s fun to stand and watch as the balloon floats higher and higher into the heavens until it totally disappears. The only way to experience that is to be willing to let it go.

Here is a short video that you might find interesting:

In today’s Bible lesson in the book of Acts, we learn that when Jesus was ready to return to heaven, He took His disciples aside to make sure that they understood everything that had happened to Him. He explained why it was important for Him to be crucified and to be raised from the dead to fulfil what the Scriptures had said about Him. He also told them that he was going to return to His Father in heaven and that the Holy Spirit would come to be with them.

At first, the disciples were sad that Jesus would be leaving them, but then the Bible tells us that Jesus opened their minds so they would understand. Then, an amazing thing happened. The Bible tells us that Jesus lifted his hands and blessed His disciples. While He was blessing them, He lifted up and was taken up into heaven “up, up and away.”

I don’t know how all of this looked, but in my imagination, I can see the disciples standing and watching as Jesus ascended higher and higher until He disappeared from view as the balloons might disappear through the troposphere and stratosphere. Were the disciples sad? No way! The Bible tells us that when Jesus had gone up into heaven, the disciples worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They stayed continually in the temple, praising God.

Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus, your only Son, to die for our sin. We know that He has risen from the dead and has returned to heaven. Bless us today as we worship Him with great joy! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jesus is our King

A Prayer in a Time of Distress

Almighty and everlasting God, you are strength to those who suffer and comfort to those who grieve. Let the prayers of your children who are in trouble rise to you. Hear our prayer. We claim your promises of wholeness as we pray for those who are ill or are suffering loss and long for your healing touch. Hear our prayer. Make the weak strong, the sick healthy, the broken whole, and confirm those who serve them as agents of your love. Hear our prayer. To everyone in distress, grant mercy, grant relief, grant refreshment. Hear our prayer. When we begin to rebuild, we commend our neighbourhoods to your care. Give us strength of purpose and concern for others, that we may create a community where your will may be done. Hear our prayer. God of compassion, you watch our ways, and weave out of terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace. Hear our prayer. Surround those who have been shaken by tragedy with a sense of your present love and hold them in faith. Though they are lost in grief, may they find you and be comforted; Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives and rules this world with you. Amen

Intimations

The funeral of our member, Mrs Roberta (Ruby) Dewar, will take place at Dunfermline Crematorium on Monday 25th May 2020 at 2:45 pm (Family only). Please remember Collin and Yvonne and all Ruby’s family in prayer.

We are greatly saddened to learn of the death on Saturday of the Rev’d Ross Brown, recently retired from Inverkeithing Baptist Church.
Please pray for his wife, Julia, and their family at this difficult time.

Please also continue to pray for Dominic Gray, Rosemary, and their family.