North Queensferry Church

27th June. 2021.Service.

Service of Worship 27th  June 2021

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Prelude: Take and eat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSJAVb9rmk4

 Introit: O send Thy light forth and thy truth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw30c_UF3Ak

 Collect
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

 Call to Worship

 Out of the depths we cry to the Lord.
We wait for the Lord and hope in God’s Word.
Hope in the Lord!
For with God there is steadfast love.
With God there is great power to redeem.
We come to offer our prayers and praise to God in whom we trust.

 Gracious God, thrice holy source of all life we worship your infinite
Mercy and your ineffable glory as in Jesus’ Name we meet at your table this morning.
You are the wellspring of our life and the fountain of love and grace to all your creatures. We rejoice in your love which is beyond all measure and claim our place in your kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ.
With gratitude we join our voices with all your people in heaven and earth to offer you our praise and affirm our faith because you have come to close to us in Christ Jesus. Receive our love and loyalty, now and always, through the Spirit who prays within us.

Good and merciful God, our judge and our hope, we confess we have sinned against you and one another, in the ways we think, the things we say and the things we do. We have been quick to judge others, while excusing our own faults
We focus on what we lack rather than recognizing how blessed we are. We ignore the needs of others and fail to see how we could make a difference.
In your tender mercy, O God, forgive what we have been, amend what we are, and direct who we shall become, by the grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
Father, we remember today that Christ died for us; Christ rose for us; Christ reigns in power for us; Christ prays for us. In Him we are forgiven and set free by God’s generous grace. Give us grace to deal similarly with each other that we may be one in love and peace.

 Prayer for Understanding
 God of every generation, reveal yourself to us in the words of scripture and in the breaking of bread this morning that our souls may be fed, and our minds and bodies made holy by the sacrament of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

 The Lord’s Prayer in the version most familiar to you.

 Invitation to the Offering

 The stories of the scriptures remind us how much we need God’s healing love and mercy in times of loss and loneliness. Our gifts to God support ministries of care and compassion through our congregation and in the mission of the Church of Scotland. Consider your gift as an outreach to those in deepest need.

Prayer of Dedication

Compassionate God, we offer you our gifts with grateful hearts, glad to know you keep reaching out to us and the world you love. Bless what we bring to you and use us and our gifts to touch the world with your healing grace through Christ, our Saviour and friend.

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.

3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.

Lamentations 3:22-23

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Glorious things of thee are spoken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNQOcpECk4A

Mark 5: 21-43

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered round him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed round him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned round in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’

31 ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?”’

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher anymore?’

36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’

37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.’ 40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this and told them to give her something to eat. Amen.

 

Here in this place, new light is streaming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmo922h1Pgo

 Sermon

Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies. This is a very ancient proverb going back to a Latin original:  extremis malis extrema remedia. Sometimes it is rendered, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”  And it is often in hopeless situations that we call upon an outside agency to help us. Today we turn to the story of Jairus daughter and the woman with the chronic haemorrhage in Mark’s Gospel

These stories are extraordinarily rich in their depiction of the power of God at work in Jesus Christ. But the real interest is not so much in the power of God here as in the actions and reactions of the other people involved. These are stories of human courage and fear, despair and hope and how these elicited power and generosity and joy in the healings that we witness.  And there is, as always, our wonderment at all of its meaning for us.

Both these stories have a lot in common and elements which we may all identify with today.

These are the determination and hope which compelled a father for the sake of his daughter and a woman for her own sake, and by extension for the sake of all whom she loved, all who loved her, to approach the One who could bring wholeness.

We see here the courage and faith it took for each of them to step out of their prescribed roles in that time and place and reach for life itself.

Jesus is, of course, at the centre of it all. Jesus, the very ‘fullness of God’ who is always moving toward us bringing healing, even before we think to move towards him. As he did for that little girl and her desperate father. As he was for a woman whose touch would have remained anonymous had he not been so clearly in tune with the ‘suffering ones’ for whom he was always present, always moving towards.

Something that is often overlooked here is the fact that the story is full of symbolism. Scholars suggest that is possible that Mark combined these two incidents deliberately because he noted the synchronous symbolism contained within them, though it is just as likely that the events happened exactly as the gospel records. Often in the life of faith seeming coincidences confirm to us that God is at work. Often these bring a note of hope and encouragement in a dark or difficult situation or confirm the validity of our faith.

On Friday we experienced such a synchronicity. My eldest brother spent many years working in Malawi and his children were born in Zomba, the former capital. Our family parish church, St Andrew’s in Moffat, only recently acquired a new minister. My nephew, on meeting her, was astonished to discover that she is from Malawi and that her family are also from Zomba. Thus, my brother’s funeral will be conducted by someone with a strong connection with his life story. God works in mysterious ways.

St Paul describes Jesus as the fulness of God: 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. Colossians 2:9 In fact, that ‘fullness of God,’ given, received and experienced, is more than hinted at when we hear that the woman who pushed her way through the crowd had been haemorrhaging for twelve years.  That ‘fullness of God’ was more than hinted at when we hear that the child who was ‘not dead but sleeping’ was twelve years old. Even you and I, most of whom may not be deeply familiar with Jewish tradition, recognize that something more is going on here, for twelve is one of those numbers which shows up often enough that we know that something powerful is being revealed.

We remember, for instance:

 

It seems that in Jewish tradition, the number twelve means something. Indeed, in all these cases (and many more), it points to ‘the fullness God:’ “totality, wholeness, and the completion of God’s purpose.”

And while surely that ‘fullness of God,’ the ‘totality, wholeness and completion of God’s purpose’ are powerfully experienced in a woman’s suffering when it is ended and she was restored to the larger community, and in a little girl who has died now alive again, we cannot help but wonder if that ‘fullness of God’ isn’t already being revealed, or at least pointed to even before the wonderful  healings we witness now have been received and celebrated.

For isn’t there already something about the ‘fullness of God’ reflected in a father who places the love of a daughter first, pursuing every last hope to bring life to her once more?

Isn’t there already something about the ‘fullness of God’ in a woman who has lost everything trying to regain her life, pushing through the crowd in order to get just close enough to Jesus to reach for one last chance at a life restored?

And isn’t that precisely where we begin to witness the ‘fullness of God’ in our lives today? In our healing, possibly, but also in the very human love and sacrifice which impel us toward the possibility of healing itself?

Often in the course of ministry the fulness of God is revealed pastoral situations

Here are two illustrations of this:

“As is often the case, I did not know the one who had died and so, as I always do, I sat down with his son and daughter-in-law a few days before their beloved one’s memorial service.  Amidst the joyful distraction of their two small daughters running around between us, they offered what they knew of him: who he was, what and who he loved, what he gave his life to. In their sharing, they told me he was a veteran and that the cancer which took his life likely was a result of Agent Orange, to which he had been exposed as a young Marine in VietNam. They knew only this awful end result of that time at the end of his life though.  He had said little else of that pivotal time in his life as a young man.

It was agreed that some who knew him well would speak at his funeral. As is often the case, I entered that hour not really knowing what would be shared.

And so it was that one who spoke was a long-time friend: a fellow Marine.

It turns out he had promised his friend that at his funeral he would speak the truth about those horrors which had so shaped him.

And he did, offering us all a glimpse of debilitating sacrifice which while it left his body intact, left gaping wounds even so.

And I saw it, too, as I often do, in one caring for another in the face of serious illness. In this case it is a spouse, whose every other priority has now been set aside in order to give her beloved what he needs to have a chance at health again.  When I arrived the other day she had been chopping garlic, trying to make him something tasty to eat even though his tumour impedes his swallowing, hoping to build nutrition back into his diet so that he might have all he needs to face what is before him now.

“Magda a young mother of four had overcome a couple of close encounters with cancer. With therapy, changed diet, and extensive meditation, she seemed to be in remission. Then suddenly the cancer flared up again. Her husband and children were of course hit badly by the news. But Magda was, as always, defiant and positive. There was no denial at work in her. But she was determined to joke (her own special brand of quirky humour) into the face of the disease.

I confess I was flattened.  I felt panic in my stomach. The morning after the news jolted me, I was engaged in my morning devotions, and I happened to read this very passage from Mark. The words of the messenger to Jairus, strike me: “Don’t trouble the Lord any more. Your daughter is dead.”

“O God” I cried, “we are going to lose Magda this time.” More panic. Then, gathering myself I read on. I recognised myself among the wailing crowd gathered at the house of Jairus. I heard my Lord Jesus saying: “Why do you panic and make such a noise? She is not dead, just sleeping.”

In that moment I knew, with a conviction which did not stem from my own wisdom or faith, but from the very Spirit of God, that Magda was not going to die at that time. I hope that my quiet confidence from that day on was of some help to this dear woman.

Magda is still with us. She has seen her two sons and two daughters grow up into adulthood. Her husband has deeply cherished every bonus day spent with his beloved wife. I am no longer their pastor. But often in my morning prayers I include Magda and thank God for divine grace at work in her. I also praise God for the Word which came to me through Mark’s Gospel story, that morning some years ago. That blessed word which stilled my panic and enabled me to be a better pastor.”

Jairus the ruler of the synagogue, often an institute hostile to Jesus, humbled himself and put himself in Jesus hands; and the stricken woman, pushing herself forward, breaking the customs and taboos of Jewish life, did the same. They were at the end of themselves, they were desperate, which literally means without hope.

The fulness of God comes to us when we face and own the difficult challenges of our life’s experiences, when we acknowledge our hopelessness, take our courage in our hands and reach out to touch the one whose hand and hem are always near.

May you, too, get glimpses of this ‘fullness of God’ as you move about your days this week.  May it come to you ever-new, meant for you. Look out for those synchronous happenings and know that they are intimations of love  and rightness from God. Indeed, may this ‘fullness of God’ be yours as well. May you know it as you move toward Jesus, recognizing that Jesus is already moving toward you. Amen.

 Prayer of Intercession

God our heavenly Friend, you allow us to share your love for the world, while we are here praying for the world’s healing, others are busy implementing that healing. Later, when we are out there trying to give of our best, may others remember to pray for us.

Give your grace to all peacemakers; those who endeavour to resolve with justice all conflicts between nations, and within communities, commerce and industry, parliaments, families, marriage partners, colleagues, and friends.

Let your grace support those who fight with and for neglected people; those small ethnic groups with no political clout, the little people who are exploited off by the rich and unscrupulous, and the deserted wives or husbands who are raising a family alone.

Endow all merciful folk with your sustaining grace; those who treat diseases, bind up wounds, feed the hungry, re-settle the homeless, care for the orphan, visit the prisoner, encourage the handicapped, watch with the dying and grieve with the sorrowful.

Endorse the work of this church with your enabling grace. Keep it close to the agenda of Christ. Let us be joyful in worship, warm in fellowship, inclusive in outreach, open in decision making, humble and sensitive in evangelism, and gracious in our ecumenical endeavours.

Bless any servant of yours who is keeping the faith against the odds: those without the encouragement of other Christians at hand, or without even a distant congregation that can pray their names with affection. Please let your grace renew them daily, and may they know your Spirit as Friend and Counsellor.

Visit each of us with your grace, loving God. Dismantle our fears, build up our faith, deepen our love, clarify our goals, sharpen our insight, widen our compassion, and open our minds to the new words you wish to speak to our situation.

In the name of the patient, insightful, and healing Christ we offer these prayers.

Amen!

 

Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QkOLQs44yo

The Apostles Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Communion  celebrated at approximately 10:45 am and 12:15 pm BST

The Great Thanksgiving

Invitation to the Lord’s table.

This is the joyful feast of the people of God!
They will come from east and west,
and from north and south,
and sit at table in the kingdom of God. Luke 13:29.

According to Luke,
when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples,
he took bread, blessed,
broke it and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened
and they recognized him. Luke 24:30, 31.

This is the Lord’s table.

Our Saviour invites all those who trust him
to share the feast which he has prepared.
O taste and see that the Lord is good. Ps. 34:8a.

The presentation of gifts
Let us return to God
the offerings of our life
and the gifts of the earth.

Our opening responses are on the screen.

Let us pray 

The Lord be with you.
And also, with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
it is right to give God thanks and praise.

Holy God, Creator of heaven and earth,
with joy we give you thanks and praise.

 

You commanded light to shine out of darkness,
divided the sea and dry land,
created the vast universe and called it good.
You made us in your image
to live with one another in love.
You gave us the breath of life
and freedom to choose your way.
You set forth your purpose
in commandments through Moses,
and called for justice in the cry of prophets.
Through long generations
you have been patient and kind to all your children.

The preface concludes:

How wonderful are your ways, almighty God!
How marvelous is your name, O Holy One!
You alone are God.
Therefore, with apostles and prophets,
and that great cloud of witnesses
who live for you beyond all time and space,
we lift our hearts in joyful praise in the Sanctus:

 

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

We praise you, most holy God,
for sending your only Son Jesus to live among us,
full of grace and truth.
Sharing our joy and sorrow,
he healed the sick and was a friend of sinners.

Obeying you,
he took up his cross and died that we might live.
We praise you that he overcame death
and is risen to rule the world.
He is still the friend of sinners.
We trust him to overcome every power that can hurt or divide us,
and believe that when he comes in glory
we will celebrate victory with him.

The words of institution may be said here or in relation to the breaking of the bread.

We thank you that on the night before he died,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you,
broke the bread and said
“Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore, in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we take this bread and this cup
and give you praise and thanksgiving
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.

Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us,
and upon this bread and wine,
that we, and all who share this feast,
may be one with Christ and he with us.

Here we offer ourselves to be a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to you.
In your mercy,
accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Fill us with the joy of eternal life,
that we may be your faithful people
until we feast with you in glory.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour are yours, almighty God,
for ever and ever.     Amen.

The breaking of bread

We thank you that on the night before he died,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you,
broke the bread and said
“Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

Because there is one bread,
we who are many are one body,
for we all partake of the one bread. I Cor. 10:17.

When we break the bread,
it is a sharing in the body of Christ. I Cor. 10:16.

Here the minister pours the wine and lifts the cup, saying:

When we bless the cup,
it is a sharing in the blood of Christ. I Cor. 10:16.

The minister then holds out both the bread and the cup to the people.

The communion 

The gifts of God for the people of God.
“Take, eat. This is the body of Christ which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of him ”
This cup is the new covenant sealed in the blood of Christ. Do this in remembrance of him

Prayer after communion

Eternal God, we thank and praise you for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Give us grace to go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others with courage and compassion in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.     Amen.

 

Guide me O Thou great Jehovah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT4n1hGjDDg&t=7s

 Sending out and Benediction

Go out into the world in peace. Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him. Col. 3:17.

And the blessing of God Almighty the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you and all whom you love this day and evermore

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

 

Postlude You raise me up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2esOJcVEhL0

 The Hymns  

In the text are suggestions to check on YouTube if you wish to sing along. Some may not be as familiar as their titles suggest.

For Children

As you may know, we have five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Each of these senses is important to us. This morning we are going to test our sense of touch and discover the power that’s ours in the sense of touch.

Ask someone to put several different objects into a bag. Close your eyes and feel each thing and think about what the object is just by touching it.

Our sense of touch is really important, isn’t it? We can often tell what an object is by its size, shape, and texture — all of which can be learned by using our sense of touch. In the Bible, Jesus showed His power through touch. We’ll hear about two ways He used touch to help people.

One day Jesus was walking through a large crowd. The people were crowding around so that he could hardly move. There was a woman in the crowd who was not well; her body had been bleeding for 12 years. There wasn’t even a doctor who could help her. But she thought Jesus could heal her. She thought, “If I could just get close enough to touch his robe, I would be healed.” So, she pushed through the crowd and did it! And she was immediately better!

When the woman touched Jesus, He felt the power go out of Him. When He found out who touched Him, He said, “Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free from your suffering.”

At this same time, Jesus was actually on His way to help a church leader whose daughter was sick. After the woman had touched Him, He learned the girl had died. Then He told everyone, “Have faith!” and He made His way to the church leader’s home. When Jesus saw the people crying over the girl’s death, He told them she was only sleeping. This made them laugh, but He still went and touched (pause) her hand and said a prayer. And she got up!

The power in Jesus’ touch is amazing!

Dear God, we long to reach out and touch You and to feel Your power in our lives. Please help us see and feel Your power. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Here is a video of this story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK52uVDzuWQ

 Intimations

The Bible Study group will meet on Tuesday 29th at 7:30 pm via Zoom. If you wish to attend for the first time, contact the minister calston@churchofscotland.org.uk for the Zoom codes.