30th. May 2021.Service.

Service of Worship 30^th  May 2021

Trinity Sunday

 Prelude – Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5MEoJZo38M

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

 Collect for today
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father, who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 Hymn: Glory be to God the Father
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikH8DfDADxc

 Call to Prayer

The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness!
Worship the Lord in holy splendour.
The Lord sits enthroned as sovereign forever.
In God’s congregation, all say, “Glory!”
May God give us strength.
Let us seek his blessing of peace
 

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

 Holy God, God of Mystery and Mercy, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we meet you in wonder as the Blessed Trinity.
You are the Ancient of Days, eternal and unchanging,
yet you are the Source of life that is new each day for you make all things new.
In Christ Jesus you Son, you come to with grace and mercy with a heart that beats in love for us.
By your Spirit, you breathe life into us refreshing our souls, you heal us and energise us that we may serve you in the beauty of holiness
In the great mystery of the Trinity, you are always with us and it is fitting that we bring you our worship and praise
to join in your dance of life and love,
Holy One and Holy Three, now and ever more.

God of health and holiness, your word assures us that you are slow to anger and swift to forgive, you show us your love and deal with us mercifully day by day, loving us and forgiving us yet we are reluctant to love others even a little.
You have shown us compassion and forgiveness,
yet we turn away from one another for even small slights.
We save our concern for those who are most like us. As we remember the many ways in which we fall short of our calling to be your children we ask for your forgiveness
Remind us that you remove our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
Cleanse our consciences and awaken in us a desire to begin again
with you and with one another.
Give us the courage to forgive each other and discover again your healing grace.

Assurance of Pardon

We remember these words spoken by St Paul:
From now on we regard no one from a human point of view.
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.
Everything old has passed away. See, everything has become new!
Thank you, Lord, that we can all make a new start because of your gift of forgiveness and peace!
Prayer for Understanding

God of wisdom, by the power of your Spirit, impart your life-giving Word through the agency of the scriptures today. Encourage us to follow Christ, your Living Word, wherever the Spirit moves us that we may live to the praise of your glory in Jesus Christ our Lord in whom we pray:

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

Our Offering
Trinity Sunday proclaims the outpouring of love within God’s own being, for God’s very nature is love. May our gifts be an outpouring of our love for God and our willingness to put that love into action in God’s world.

Prayer of Dedication

God of overflowing love, receive our gifts as signs of our love and commitment to live for you. Bless what we give you and our lives, that they may accomplish much beyond our imagining as we follow Jesus, fitted by the Spirit to serve you wisely and well. Amen.

Hymn: Lord of Light whose Name outshineth all the stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySf7DN8Bdx0

 The Readings

 Isaiah 6:1-8

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’

And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’

Hymn: Sent by the Lord am I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGy2XNJDnQ

John 3:1-18

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’

³ Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again’

⁴ ‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’

⁵ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

⁹ ‘How can this be?’ Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ ‘You are Israel’s teacher,’ said Jesus, ‘and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still, you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Amen, this is the Word of the Lord, to him be all glory and praise.

Hymn: There’s a Spirit in the air
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qrwSa8tEfU

Sermon  
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” That is the song of the cherubim before the throne of God in the Temple of heaven as Isaiah heard it when he was a young man.

It was common among the people who composed the Bible to emphasise an important idea by repeating it. Jesus, for example, always drew attention to important ideas by saying, Amen, amen, I say to you. In the King James Version this was translated, “verily, verily I say unto you.” The word “amen,”, originally meant it is firm, true, reliable, faithful, or dependable and was used to express agreement.  When we say “amen” at the end of a prayer, we are affirming that we agree to the petition of the prayer.

“Holy” though is of another order here in Isaiah where it is not a double agreement; it is a triple agreement. It is a superlative, the best of the best. The Lord Almighty is as holy as holy can be. None can be holier.

But what does holy mean? A dictionary might tell us that our English word comes from the Anglo-Saxon word halig which means to be well or whole, hale or holy. But of course, these words can apply to physical well-being, and need not necessarily have a spiritual significance. God is holy because he is wholly who he is. His Name is “I am” meaning that He is the source of being, the perfect being.

Here we have introduced another word, “perfect.” A definition of perfect is something being as it should be. God is as He is and is therefore perfect. He cannot be better or more than He is, and He cannot be less. This leads us into the idea of God’s holiness.

But there is another level of meaning to the word holy, and that is separateness, difference, uniqueness. God is unlike anyone or anything, he is completely other than we are.

We live in a world that is far from perfect. We can imagine a perfect world, one that is pristine, beautiful, free from defect, working in perfect unity and harmony, a world in which we might know only joy and peace. But seeing the world as it is we say that it is fallen, that it has become less, and we attribute that to the fact that in this world we are aware that we are less than we could be, or even should be. Indeed, we say that we have sinned, which in its original Hebrew and Greek words means that we have missed the mark, fallen short or failed.

When we compare ourselves with God who is holy, holy, holy, then like Isaiah all we can conclude is, “Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”  By finding himself in the presence of God, Isaiah realises his utter lack of what he should be and condemns himself.

Someone described this experience like being invited to a garden party and finding yourself among perfectly dressed people in your old and dirty gardening clothes. Oh, the embarrassment, the shame, the humiliation. Your only desire would be to get out of there quickly. Magnify that a hundred times, and add the threat of loss, annihilation even, that Isaiah felt and see that it is no wonder that Isaiah cried, “I am ruined.”

The vision of God is overwhelming, it must be, because that vision is of the One whose thought and word brought everything into being, who created perfection, the perfection which we can visualise but cannot, in this incarnation, achieve. In fact, if we think about it all our efforts to improve our life and our lot actually make the situation in this world worse. Most of our so-called progress has come at the expense of other aspects of the life of the planet, habitat destruction, climate change, desertification, pollution of land and sea. We may have comfort and ease and what we call progress, but it will be at the expense of the future.

And in our efforts, we are also in conflict with other humans, as well as the animal and vegetable populations such that everything is out of balance in this world. We want unity, we want peace, we want harmony, in short, we want a Garden of Eden, but because of the disease of self, singly and collectively, the balance of progress tips towards loss and destruction.

At the moment of Isaiah’s conviction that he was ruined, the God who terrified Isaiah reached out to him. A holy angel carried a purifying coal from the altar of God’s temple and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”’ The holiness of God also contains God’s compassion, understanding and mercy. It was not the coal itself that took away guilt and atoned for sin. It was merely a symbol of the atoning holiness eternally accomplished by God.

We cannot create a formula, as some people insist, by which a person is convicted of sin and is pardoned. For everyone it is different. No two sinners are the same, except in their need to be convicted by the holiness of God. We see this in the Gospel reading today, in the story of Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, was clearly a seeker of the truth. But he seems to have been caught up in the politics and power games of the ruling elite in Jerusalem. Perhaps he was uncomfortable with the party line, knowing of the hostility to Jesus, but feeling drawn to the revelation of God which Jesus brought. Drawn by God, but still fearful, he reached out to Jesus after dark. Who are the “we” whom he says know that Jesus was from God? Was there a group among the council who were open to the message? Did Nicodemus represent them?

Nicodemus’s conviction was different from Isaiah’s in that he came to the Son, drawn by grace, a grace that responded to his attraction to the truth. Jesus did not ask him why he came, rather, he told him straight that he, a student of the Law of God had missed an important lesson in his studies.  He did not know that the way to God was possible only by a total transformation, a fresh start, a rebirth. In every discipline there are fundamental concepts that have to be learned from the start. Miss them, and whilst there may be an appearance of progress, it will be illusory.

I recall my first piano lesson at the RSAMD. My teacher said, “Right, you play well enough to pass the entrance exams, but now the real work begins. We go back to absolute basics and start again because there are things your small town teacher failed to teach you.” It is the same with singing, and other instruments. There are many ways, but only one right way that will produce the optimum result.

Nicodemus had to learn that the way of holiness begins with God not with us. If we are going to be perfect as God is perfect, or holy as God is holy, then God must do it for us and through us. How does he do it? Through the agency of His Holy Spirit. He effects a radical change that is as drastic as starting over again from the beginning, and since this is about life, eternal life even, then it can be nothing less than a rebirth.

This revelation floored and flustered Nicodemus, as much as his ignorance of it astonished Jesus who was speaking to a spiritual leader and teacher of Israel. Nicodemus was trying by his own effort to understand God, Jesus on the other hand was God giving understanding to a sinner.

Do you see how these two stories illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity which we celebrate today about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Isaiah saw a vision of God on his throne, God manifesting as the Fatherly authority whose holiness overwhelms his creature. Nicodemus comes to the Son at night drawn by his attractive message and ministry. And Jesus reveals that the Spirit, who is the unseen presence of God, both Father and Son. The Spirit is the one who inspires holiness and brings new birth into holiness to his fallen and struggling creatures.

In these famous words, Jesus reveals that the Son is to be the focus of God’s salvation for us:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

The Spirit inspires belief that is saving faith and completes the picture for us. It is all of God, One God, who relates as Father, Son and Holy Spirit according to our need of conviction, grace or help. Through this saving process we are drawn into the holiness of God. The holiness of God is implanted in us and must grow a process that continues through life and into eternity.

To help us understand what it involves, here are some quotations about holiness:

“Holiness, as taught in the Scriptures, is not based upon knowledge on our part. Rather, it is based upon the resurrected Christ in-dwelling us and changing us into His likeness.”  “All things as they move toward God are beautiful, and they are ugly as they move away from Him.” A.W. Tozer.

“The Christian does not avoid sin to achieve salvation, but rather salvation brings him to a desire not to sin. The closer that one’s spirit is synchronized with the holy knowledge of God, the more he comprehends how and why sin is destructive to himself and others in each and every circumstance. The dwindling desire for sin is a premature gift of Heaven – where there will be no sin, where all will, too, possess that full and complete wisdom; all will have perfect reasons not to sin. In this way, free will might still exist, but the shared wisdom of God will simply outwit all desires, impulses, and needs to sin.” ~ Criss Jami, 

Holiness is not something that belongs only to individuals, it is shared with everyone in God which is why we meet to worship and to learn together:

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” ~ A.W. Tozer

“Holy solitaries’ is a phrase no more consistent with the Gospel than holy adulterers. The Gospel of Christ knows no religion but social; no holiness, but social holiness.” ~ John Wesley.

“Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God.” ~ Mother Teresa, 

“Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will and being just what God wants us to be.” ~ St. Thérèse de Lisieux

In essence we are called to be like God in his holiness, to let His life flow through us, to be separate from the world that refuses him, but one with all who would see the restoration of the creation through the power Jesus Christ. We are called to live in the power of the Trinity, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit within us. Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

(Based on ancient liturgies of the church that mark celebrations of the Trinity)

Lord, our God, whose power is beyond compare
And whose glory beyond our understanding,
whose mercy is boundless, and whose love for us is without end,
look upon us in your compassion.
For peace that calms our hearts and saves our souls,
and for peace in the whole world and throughout creation,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the stability of the church and the unity of this congregation,
for all who desire to follow you with faith and reverence,
and for the ministries of your church around the world
in these challenging times,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our country, our leaders, and all those in public service
for town and city, and for every city and nation around the globe
and for all who offer themselves with diligence and compassion to the service of others during the duration of this pandemic let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the people in every land who are striving to live alongside each other,
for the nurturing of relationships between cultures and communities,
for the healing of old hurts and for repentance and reconciliation,
for new and better ways to walk with one another with respect and care,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the safety of those who must travel by land, sea, and air,
for those who long to travel but cannot,
and for all those who are separated from those they love,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the sick, the suffering, and the isolated, the grief-stricken,
for victims of violence, refugees, and captives,
and for our protection against all affliction, danger, and distress,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

To you, Holy God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
belong all glory, honour, and worship,
now and forever, and to the ages of ages.  Amen.

Hymn: Love Divine all loves excelling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPbD2G3i-7Y

 Sending out and Benediction

May God’s grace always enfold you.
May Jesus’ compassion always nourish you.
May the Spirit’s imagination always find a home in you.

And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Love of God, and the Commonwealth of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all, evermore.

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

 Postlude:  Mothering God, you gave me birth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTFRqctPYP8

 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

Many people enjoy boating, fishing, sailing, and canoeing. Whether on lakes, rivers, or an ocean, it’s important to have a flotation device. A flotation device can be a life jacket or what some people call a lifesaver. They’re important even for good swimmers because if an accident happens, a flotation device like a life jacket can save your life.

 

 

 

I once heard a story about some people who went fishing on a big lake. Before they left, everyone got their life jackets and were ready to go…that is, except one man who didn’t want to wear one. Well, after they went out onto that big lake, a storm came. The wind blew.  And the waves came up into the boat. They became so high that they turned the boat over. The people who were wearing life jackets made it to shore and were saved. But the man who didn’t want to wear his life jacket drowned.

• What do you think about what happened in this story?

The man could’ve been saved had he chosen to take that life jacket he so needed. This story reminds me of something the Bible tells us. It says, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus is our life jacket. God sent Him to earth to save us. Through His death and resurrection, we can be forgiven and have eternal life with God. All we have to do is believe and accept Jesus as our saviour. We’ll still face storms, but when we do, we’ll have our life jacket–Jesus is our lifesaver.
It’s foolish to go out onto the water without a life jacket, but it’s even more foolish to try to sail the sea of life without Jesus!
Dear God, I know You sent Jesus to die on the cross to save us. I pray that each and every one here today will take hold of the one thing that can save–Jesus, our Saviour. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Here is a video: You are my best friend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JFjruVrrag

Intimations

Children’s church worship resumes next Sunday in the sanctuary space 2pm-3pm. Children/families will have to “book in” like they do for just now for Sunday morning worship. We can only have a total of 30 people in the space including children. This is from the COS guidelines.

I am delighted to say we have a core group of four leaders returning: Margaret, Sharon, Nathalie and myself and three young helpers as and when they can: Ross, Iona and Eleanor.

Our gift day service on June 27^th  is instead of prize giving when all 24 of our children/young people will receive a Christian age appropriate colouring book.

Please continue to pray for CC we can only run if we remain in level 2 of Covid guidance. Our excitement as a team is building at returning!  Angela

A new project is starting soon.  It’s part of the Regeneration Project.  An artist called Nikkita Morgan is leading the project to make a wall hanging about Inverkeithing’s history to be displayed upstairs in the Town House after the improvements work is finished in about a year’s time.   You don’t have to have any sewing skills, everyone is welcome.   If you are interested, please speak to Liz Hunter.

Good news is that it is proposed  that we should  be able to sing in church, albeit while still wearing masks, on Sunday 13^th June after most of the country moves to level 1 on Monday 7^th June.