27th. November. 2022. Service.
Service of Worship
27th November 2022
First Sunday in Advent
Prelude: – “O Come, O come, Emmanuel”
Bible 791 “Open your eyes, see the glory of the King”
Collect
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
277 “Hark, the glad sound the Saviour comes”
Call to Prayer
Advent is a time to wait.
We wait for God to appear like a tender shoot growing from the stem of Jesse.
Advent is a time of hope.
We wait for God to with justice and righteousness.
Advent is a time to worship.
We wait for God who comes to fulfil His promises.
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
God of light and love, our praises and prayers overflow with hope as we enter the season of Advent when we are reminded that you have come to your people to live with us.
You come with power—not to dominate, but to transform.
You come with promises—not to give us what we want, but to make all things new.
You come with signs of your deep love for the world.
You come, and your truth breaks into our lives destroying sin,
shattering lies and half-truths, setting your people free.
Your coming is our hope which is renewed in every generation.
Today we wait with gratitude for you in our worship and in anticipation of your blessing, your grace and your love
Come into our lives again, O God, and revive our hope in the face of so much that is discouraging, for we are in the name of Hope made flesh, Jesus Christ, your promise and our desire.
O God, you search us and know us, and all that we are is open to you, and we cannot but confess that we are entangled in sin.
When we scoff at those who await your return, and live as though you were never here: When we long for your coming to change the world, whilst we are unwilling to change even our own hearts:
When we do not make straight paths for justice, nor offer a welcome when you come as a stranger:
When we dismiss prophets and angels and refuse to nourish the seed of the gospel within us.
When we reduce our preparation for your coming to unnecessary expense and trivialities:
We turn to you, God of infinite mercy; We renounce evil; We claim your love; We choose to be made whole.
The One who comes with justice also comes with mercy. The God of Judgment is truly the Christ of compassion. God offers us forgiveness today; in the hope we will receive it gladly. Do not be afraid but rejoice in the God who comes to us.
Spirit of God, move within us and among us today, and open your holy Word that it may shine a clear light to guide us into all truth.
Just as we read the signs of the seasons, help us to see and understand the signs that are in your Word, pointing us to Christ, the Living One. Amen.
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever. Amen.
Intimations
This year’s Christmas Lunch in Inverkeithing will be on Wednesday December 14th from 12 noon. Tickets £10.00 each. Please reserve your place soon with Joan More.
Inverkeithing Community Council are holding a Christmas Fayre at which the congregation will have a stall on Friday December 2nd from 3-8pm in the Queen Street carpark.
Coffee mornings this week, Tuesday 22nd Inverkeithing 10:00-noon
We have a willing band of volunteers in Inverkeithing who keep our lovely building clean & tidy each week, however we are looking for help since Moira has been in hospital. If anyone can help & be part of our rota, please speak to Joan.
Christmas Choir Practice Inverkeithing Saturday 27th at 10:30 in the Church.
The Children’s Church Nativity Play this year includes a few non-traditional songs to familiar tunes. While the children and leaders will be doing the play themselves, it would be good to have some other adults to also help sing the songs. If you’d like a sneak preview of the play in return for helping us in this way, stick around after the service, and join us for the singing practice. Music and/or words will be provided. We also have spare copies of the music if anyone can’t join us for the practice but would still like to help with the singing. See Morag Wilkinson if you’re interested.
North Queensferry Scottish Social Evening for Ukrainian Refugees will be held on Tuesday 29th November from 6.30-8.30. in the church and host families are welcome too.
Morag Wilkinson will be making ginger wine again this year, both for the sale of work and available in the entryway to the church. If you have any screw-top glass bottles (e.g., wine bottles) that she could use, she would be grateful for any contributions.
The Christmas Services
Sunday 18th December the Children’s Nativity and Family Services at the usual times in both congregations. There will be a Joint Carol Service at 6:30 pm in North Queensferry.
Christmas Eve: A Carol Service for both congregations will be held in Inverkeithing at 6:30pm.
Christmas Day: There will be a joint service on Christmas Day at 10:30 am in Inverkeithing.
Invitation to the Offering
We make our offering today with hopeful hearts, trusting that the Holy One who comes to us will bless our gifts and our lives, to make us signs of hope in the world God loves.
Prayer of Dedication
Holy and Righteous God, we offer our gifts with humble hearts, knowing the need in your world is great and our gifts alone will never fill that need. We offer our gifts in hope that you will bless them and use them to help fulfil your purpose revealed in Jesus Christ, Saviour of us all. Amen.
All Age Talk
Who can tell me what the first picture represents? That’s right! It’s the scout emblem. Do we have any scouts here today? Can anyone tell me the scout motto? You are right again. The scout motto is, “be prepared.” As in the second picture
The scout motto means that a good scout must always “be prepared.” that is also the subject for our bible lesson today.
Today is a very special day. Today is the first Sunday of advent and we have started the countdown to Christmas. There are many things that people do to get ready for Christmas, aren’t there? Let’s see, what are some of the things that we do to prepare for Christmas?
We must put up our Christmas tree, lights, and decorations. We must get our Christmas cards addressed and mailed. We have a lot of shopping to do to buy gifts for our family and friends. There is a lot of cooking that must be done — Christmas cookies and candy and, of course, we must buy all the food for Christmas dinner. Can you think of any things I have forgotten?
While we’re getting ready for Christmas, there’s something else that we must be prepared for as well. Jesus promised that he would come again, and the bible tells us that we must be watching and be prepared for his return. We all know when Christmas is coming, but when will Jesus come again? The bible says no one knows the hour of his return. Not even the angels who announced his birth know when he will come again. (Matthew 24:36-44)
If we don’t know when he is coming, how can we be prepared? If we want to be prepared for Jesus’ coming, we must always be busy doing the things that he told us to do. We must be loving god and loving one another. What are some things we can do?
It is fun and exciting to prepare for Christmas, and we must also be prepared for the day when Jesus comes again.
Dear father, we love this season of the year. We love the preparation for the celebration of the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ. Help us also remember that he is coming again and that you have told us to be prepared. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Hymn 282 “Christmas is coming” (chorus & verse 1)
Reading Isaiah 2:1-5
2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.’
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war any more.
5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord. Amen.
Hymn 241 “Isaiah the prophet has written of old”
Reading Matthew 24:36-44
‘36 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Amen, this is the Word of the Lord, to Him be all glory and praise.
Psalm 122 “I joyed when to the house of God”
Sermon
I remember very well my very first piano lesson with my teacher at the RSAMD in 1968. She said, “The first thing you are going to do is to forget everything that you have learned so far and we will go back and start again with a different technique. The new technique was in fact quite old dating to the time of Clara Schumann the wife of the composer Robert Schumann. However, it is not generally taught by country town music teachers or in schools. I spent the first-year unlearning and relearning basic piano technique.
Perhaps you will remember a book called “Future Shock” by the American futurist, Alvin Toffler. In 1970 he predicted things like the internet, cable television, genetic engineering, cloning, consumerism like Amazon and invented the term “information overload” in a future with too many choices. Look for something on Amazon or Netflix and you will know what that means! Toffler once predicted, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” The problem of the future would be “too much change in too short a time.” A symptom of this is that most of the older generation struggle with new technology because they cannot unlearn and relearn the new ways. Here is a quote from yesterday’s Guardian: “The charity Age UK estimates that 40% of the over-75s don’t use the internet at all and are struggling to access basic services as a result.”
Not many people can learn, unlearn and then relearn life lessons, but those who can, are the ones who can adapt and succeed in the fast pace of modern life.
The ancient Israelites, it could be said, were life-long learners. From the hour they fled in the middle of the night from the land of Goshen, running toward the Red Sea, they were learning something new. They learned new things about the one true God, the “I Am That I Am,” they had never known. They received new laws and commandments, and they accepted new leadership, even if they complained and grumbled. They learned about their future destiny and about a land they would someday occupy.
In this promised land, the Lord God continued to teach them. And in the opening words of today’s text, the prophet Isaiah invites the people of God to convene for instruction: “‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
But these same people, led by clouds and fire, by the great prophet Moses and those who followed him, frequently went off the rails. They were lifelong learners of the wrong curriculum. Read the book of Judges for the tale of a nation that sinned against God, were punished for their rebellion, repented of their sins, were rewarded with prosperity, but returned to their sinful ways. The cycle then repeated with little variation.
How would we describe our learning experience? What have we learned about God, who we are, our relationship with God or our purpose in life?
We come into the world as a beautiful tabula rasa a fancy name for a clean slate, but by the time we’re young adults so much has happened. The innocence of childhood has degraded into something almost unrecognizable. Somewhere, we have learned the wrong things.
It’s been a long time, perhaps, since we have asked God to “teach us his ways … that we might walk in his paths.” There’s some learning to do, some instruction to receive and a word from the Lord to embrace.
Like the children of Israel, the nations of the world face the problematic nature learning political lessons at which nation after nation fails time and again. You would think that after the wars of the twentieth century, that some world leader would know that aggression only weakens a country and ultimately leads to loss.
It’s not for a lack of trying. We have the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, peace treaties galore, economic pacts, global commerce and a complicated web of international business agreements. But still, countries mobilize tanks, arm their missiles and drop bombs — and the innocent suffer, for reasons that are often not clear but are usually based on greed or hunger for power.
You may be wondering about the picture above the sermon. It is called the Peaceable Kingdom by and American Quaker minister Edward Hicks (1780-1849). The Peaceable Kingdom is the name given to Isaiah’s vision in today’s reading in which the prophet foresaw a time when “nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Instead, the people “shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks”, and “the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.”
In other words, in this new vision, people will turn to gardening, not guns. The peaceable kingdom will be a sword-free, spear-free, gun-free world. Turning from weapons, people and nations will tend their gardens instead.
Yet, it’s difficult to unlearn bad habits or patterns of history, whether those habits, patterns and behaviours are individual and deeply personal, or coated with national colours and hubris and etched in blood. Often, there doesn’t seem to be a will to unlearn war. When World War Two was winding down, as the countries involved r, nations were tired and fed up. At Dumbarton Oaks in the autumn of 1944, talks began about how the world might unlearn war. These talks led to further discussions in Yalta and then in San Francisco in April of 1945 where the United Nations charter was adopted, and a new world order was established — or so it seemed.
The United Nations were determined to “study war no more.” Enough is enough, they said. But of course, it wasn’t and isn’t. We only need to count the regional wars that have raged since 1945. It’s depressing to think that the cost of war is so quickly forgotten
On a more personal level, think of our own personal wars and destructive behaviours that we can’t seem to unlearn. If we cannot hold back an unkind or ill-spoken word, a thoughtless gesture or a stupid complaint, how can we expect nations that hold longstanding grudges to resolve their differences? Think of the people who hold on to resentments for decades, often they cannot escape conflict because it has taken root in the core of their beings.
It’s hard to imagine, but John Lennon tried: “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for … Imagine all the people / Living life in peace … / Imagine all the people / Sharing all the world …”
You can see then that unlearning is necessary for successful life-long re-learning
Isaiah said, “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!” A child doesn’t consciously learn to walk; it happens instinctively as an infant develops the muscle strength and motor skills to do what comes naturally. It is the same with learning to speak. They are not conscious of the fact that information is being stored in their brains and organised in a way that enables these abilities.
I watched a video by a man who learned twenty-eight languages and was giving advice on how to pick up a new one. Patience and persistence were his advice. Immerse yourself in the language as a child is surrounded by it. It is not just about learning grammar, but it is by noticing how words are used that a language is absorbed which is why the best way is to go and live among native speakers.
When it comes to walking in the light of the Lord people humans must learn to do so as well as to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.”
History shows that this is not natural. Some of the habits of life, like selfishness and aggression are often absorbed more quickly than those of kindness, grace and love and the former need to be unlearned before they can be replaced by the latter. The language of love and grace, the skill of walking in the light of God are both acquired by unlearning followed by relearning.
People pride themselves on being “life-long learners,” for Christians it would be more accurate to think of ourselves as “life-long re-learners.”
Without relearning, walking “in the light of the LORD” is difficult if not impossible. Fortunately, as Jesus himself said when peaking of a rich young man who evidently could not unlearn his addiction to wealth, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
In his teaching, Jesus urged us to go yet another step. For Jesus, it is not enough to learn, unlearn and relearn. To be a true child of the kingdom, we must outlearn.
This is not a competition with other followers of Jesus. Rather, it is a call to go above and beyond, to work harder, to learn more and to outdo ourselves in personal faith and acts of kindness and generosity. To do so we must immerse ourselves in the things of God, be among people who are doing the same thing to learn from each other. That is the purpose of the Church. When I was learning to insert intravenous cannulas in the RAAF hospital, we practised on each other. One of the doctors stuck out her arm and said, here, practise on my arm, and we did so to each other. We put up with each other’s lack of skill for the sake of the learning. Last week a man told me about his spiritual experience of God but who claimed not to need the church. It struck me that learning to be Christlike is much more difficult without being part of a community of people with the same purpose. As Paul says, Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” That is how we learn, unlearn and relearn the way of love.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus warns that we are to be ready for his coming. Advent is a reminder of the fact that he has come to be with us and that he will come again for us to take us to be with him. The coming of the Lord, whether it be in the apocalyptic sense or in that moment when he comes for us in death, means that we need to be found walking in the light of the Lord. As Jesus reminds us, at the time of the flood, people were getting on with life, doing all the human things, but the judgment came upon them it was without warning. So, he says, some will be taken into the kingdom, and some will be left outside it. Immersed in Christ and learning to walk in the light is the only safe way. It is a matter of working while there is still light, of going the extra mile, of bearing one’s cross, of approaching one’s task with a determination to unlearn the wrong ways and relearn the ways of God.
It was the way Jesus himself lived. Jesus learned the scriptures, then unlearned them and then relearned or redefined them, “You have heard it said … but I say unto you.”. And then Jesus outlearned everyone, showing the world what it meant to out-serve, outlast, out-love and out-sacrifice.
We may be at various stages of this journey — some of us still learning, others unlearning, still others relearning. The goal, however, might be to outlearn — to go beyond to a place where we put the well-being of others ahead of ourselves, and strain forward to cross the finish line of life completely spent, having given everything we had to give.
On this first Sunday of Advent, may God bless us in this journey of discovery. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Spirit of Hope, when the world is confusing and bleak, when darkness threatens, you pierce the despair with the light of your Word and renew our faith that you are God who holds the future in your hands.
Thank you for the lessons we have learned in this life, for the times when we have experienced your grace and wondered at your goodness as our fears and the weakness of our faith have melted into hope and praise. Help us to unlearn fear, lovelessness, hardness of heart, doubt and faithlessness.
As the days darken us and new economic and political challenges and energy shortages face us all, remind us of the hope of your coming that in the confusion and difficulty you are still Emmanuel are discovered, there is still hope as medicine can recognize them quickly and find measures to counteract them. Give us compassion wisdom to take care of each other as people walking in the light of the Lord.
As the world around us prepares for the long, cold sleep of winter, we pray for those who feel the burden of loneliness and isolation. We remember families without homes to shelter in, who through conflict, natural disaster or political upheaval are forced to leave their homes and are facing the cold in camps in fields and woods or risk crossing dangerous seas.
(Keep a brief time of silence) Spirit of Hope, shelter all these under your wings. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
O God of Peace, we hear about conflict and disagreement almost every day, sometimes in our own lives and relationships, and in in the news about many nations and countries and communities. We pray for places where violence and cruelty are endemic especially in Ukraine where many are homeless bereft and cold through the destruction of energy supplies. We pray that you will quell the evil that is behind this war.
(Keep a brief time of silence)
God of Peace, work among us for just and peaceful resolutions to every conflict.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Creator of Joy, we thank you for moments of joy and celebration in our lives, for pleasures which we share with family or friends, for quiet times of reflection and conversation, and for the many ways that allow us to keep in contact with those whom we love.
As the days grow colder and the Christmas season approaches, we remember people who feel bitter while others rejoice, those who grieve the loss of loved ones or face a bleak winter for any reason. Today we think about those who are still suffering from the Aids pandemic and thank you for the advances in treatment and care which lengthen and improve lives. We pray for similar advances in the care, treatment, and prevention of Covid 19
(Keep a brief time of silence)
Creator of Joy, bring them light and warmth in the season ahead, and help us to be compassionate companions and bearers of love and joy. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Love divine made flesh in Christ, you call us into communion with you and community with one another.
We pray for your church and our congregation, that love may guide all your people as we plan for our life and mission.
We pray for our families and friends whether we are close or far and ask that your will unite us in love and harmony this Christmas. (Keep a brief time of silence)
Love divine, bless each one with your love and help us to express our gratitude and concern for each other in word and action.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
Hymn 273 “O come, O come, Emmanuel”
Sending out and Benediction
As you leave the house of the Lord,
look for the signs of God’s presence
all around you.
Stay awake and be always ready
to welcome the Prince of Peace.
Clothe yourself with Jesus Christ
and walk with the Spirit on the path of light.
And in the Name of the Father, Go in peace. Amen.
“May God’s blessing surround you each day”
Postlude: “People look East”