1st. August. 2021. Service.
Service of Worship 1st August 2021
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
For Children
Prelude: Father Eternal, Ruler of Creation
Introit Hymn 772 In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful
Collect for today
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn 110 Glory be to God the Father
Call to Prayer
Blessed be the Lord of Hosts, who cleanses and heals our lives.
Praise be to God!
Blessed be the Holy One, who brings us from despair to hope.
Praise be to God!
Blessed be the Giver of Life, who nurtures and comforts us.
Let us praise God with all our hearts and souls! Amen.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession
Eternal God, it was your Spirit, hovering over the waters at the dawning of that first day. It was your voice echoing through the darkness, that brought forth light.
God of all ages accept our sacrifice of praise
Eternal God, it was your love that brought humankind to birth, and placed them in a garden.
It was your hand that helped them to their feet, each time they fell. God of all ages accept our sacrifice of praise.
Eternal God, it was your prophets who spoke forth your word, to a rebellious generation.
It was your Son who showed the depth of love that will not let us go.
God of all ages accept our sacrifice of praise
God of life, whose love enfolds us, and spirit fills us, we praise your holy name.
God of joy, whose sunrise wakes us, and sunset amazes us, we praise your holy name.
God of hope, whose promise sustains us, and power upholds us, we praise your holy name.
God of love, whose patience humbles us, and whose touch can heal us, we praise your holy name.
God of peace, who break down barriers, and walls that divide us, we praise your holy name.
God of eternity, who has always loved us, and by grace has saved us, we praise your holy name
Let us spend a moment thinking about all that God is and has done for us and consider our individual response to his grace.
God of all ages, who from generation to generation has heard the cries of your children humbly seeking forgiveness, and has welcomed sinners back into your embrace, hear the thoughts of our hearts, examine our motives, forgive us our faults, of word and action.
Challenge our prejudices, show us your truth and strengthen our faith and commitment today as we read and hear your holy Word.
We ask all our prayers through Jesus us our Lord who taught us to pray:
The Lord’s Prayer
(in the words most familiar to you)
Intimations
The North Queensferry Board followed by the Kirk Session will meet on Tuesdy 17th August at 7 pm in the Sanctuary observing social distancing.
The Inverkeithing Kirk Session will meet on Wednesday August 18th at 7:00pm in the sanctuary with social distancing.
Invitation to the Offering
In Ephesians Paul challenges us to lead a life worthy of the calling we have in Christ Jesus, to practice humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. We offer these gifts to God along with the support for the ministry we undertake in Jesus’ name. Know that all your gifts contribute to building up the body of Christ.
Prayer of Dedication
God of power and possibility, bless the gifts we offer to you this day, and all our efforts to serve you and our neighbours in Jesus’ name. Use what we have and what we do to build up the ministry of Christ’s body, the church, in our congregation, our community and throughout the world you love. Amen.
512 To God be the glory
Reading
Psalm 51
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Amen.
Hymn 544 When I needed a neighbour
Ephesians 4:1-16
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
‘When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.’
9 (What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Amen,
Hymn 551 In heavenly love abiding
Sermon
I came across this devotion reading on Monday entitled: Perfect as My Father in Heaven is perfect.
That means a life-struggle, and unending growth. Always as you progress, a greater perception of My Father. More struggles and growth. Above all a growing need of Me and My sustaining help.
I came to found a Kingdom of Progressive growth. Alas, how many of My followers think that all they have to do is to accept Me as Saviour. That is a first step only.
Heaven itself is no place for stagnation. It is indeed a place of progress. You will need Eternity to understand Eternal Mind.
Here is how one minister said the something similar
For God sake, fellow Christian, grow up! There is no blasphemy here because these words sum up everything St Paul is saying in Ephesians 4.
There are two notes which sound constantly in the verses we read in our scripture today, notes which belong together: the growth and unity of the church and the growth and maturity of its members.
In the acoustics of music, harmony consists of frequencies which resonate together in synchrony. Their oscillations merge and strengthen each other, creating harmony.
Dissonance occurs when two frequencies fight each other. They clash, they interrupt each other and cause a jagged sound pattern.. Dissonances are useful in music because they set up tension, but for music to be satisfying, the dissonances must be resolved, especially when the tension is greatest. However, in the past century, music has tended to use resolution less and less which can make much modern music difficult to listen to. This may be because complete harmony all the time becomes boring, like too much sweetness.
The rules for harmony in churches revolve around the fact that all members are to be honoured, respected, and nurtured. With no exceptions, each is integral to the whole. One of the challenges of the Church’s mission is to blend the diversity of souls and personalities who often may clash into such harmony.
Unlike in the society around us, where people shove and manipulate to get one up on others, the church is one body. There are no social classes fixed in layers of importance. There are no high flyers, high and middle management or the lower tiers of workers. In the church there are not first class and second class members. We are all as one in Christ Jesus. Without exception, except that this is not the everyday reality because people are sinful, egotistical, selfish. The purpose of the gospel is to call people into the kingdom of the peace of God. Salvation means being change and fitted to fit into the atmosphere of heaven.
Paul realised how important this was. He also knew it was unique. We must honour and take care of each other. Treasuring each person. Respecting each gift.
I beg you to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you have been called by Christ.Be unassuming, quietly dignified, and very patient, lovingly making allowances for one another. Stay eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit, bound together in peace.
Any congregation which does not honour the gifts of everyone, which does not seek the unity of Christ in all things, is not fulfilling its purpose!
Any church which sets out to maximise its worldly status by copying the class structures from the world, to lift its public profile, is failing.
I was reminded this week of an encounter with a holiness church called Hillsong which was founded in Sydney. It attracts young people with its style of music, its coffee shop franchise and its merchandise. It holds ecstatic gatherings and promises to “disciple” young people. One of our friends, a talented young singer, joined and paid a large sum of money to enter Hillsong’s music programme. She received minimal tuition and was expected to live under the strict control of mentors, to clean the buildings, act as steward and give up her freedoms. She paid to become a slave but fortunately she was able to leave. Recently in America there have been multiple complaints about the same thing in its branches there. Where preachers become public personalities and these techniques are used, a church may appear to be successful, but is often a cult. Outsiders are considered unsaved, other denominations are deemed not to be preaching the true gospel.
Such churches often grab for themselves in a position above that which Christ has given, and they have damage rather than enhance the unity of the Spirit. And in doing so, they have sorely injured themselves.
We are not called to bulk up and to impress by our superiority to others. We are called to grow up and that is often a struggle.
We are called to be God’s saints, people of high goals while accepting a modest status; people who face our own sin and folly yet who revel in the grace of God which enables us to reach beyond our natural capacity.
Note that word “saints.” This letter to the church at Ephesus uses the word “saints” with its original meaning, not to describe outstanding Christians, but ordinary ones like you and me. We are “the holy ones” not because of our own goodness or our perceived holiness, but because we are loved and embraced by the holiness God. Right now, we in this church are indeed ordinary, but we are ordinary saints with the highest of goals
What is the goal of the church? Paul sees it as the healing of humanity through Jesus Christ, the gathering of people into one body, where the gifts of the highly gifted together with those of the modestly gifted are equally prized and used for the building up of all.
Oneness is central which is why Paul says: There is one Lord, one faith one baptism. One spirit, One God and Father of all, above all and in all and through all.
Beyond the church, there is also a lofty destiny for the world. By the power of God at work in our weakness, we in the church play a valuable part in human destiny. Which is finally the drawing together of dispirit human beings into the peace and love of Christ Jesus.
Near the beginning of the letter Paul declared: God has revealed to us the mystery of his will, in line with the purposes he has established in Christ. A plan that in the fullness of time all things will be united in him, everything in heaven and everything on earth.
There can be no more wonderful purpose than this. However it will not come about overnight.
Paul speaks about growing and maturing. We are to “grow up in every way into him.” He insists the various gifts of different church members are for the good of all, to equip each other for our ongoing service in the cause of the Lord. He does not mention the whole range of gifts; just some of them as examples: Some are missionaries, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers. All these gifts are given in order that the saints may be equipped for the work of serving, for the building up of the body of Christ.
By using our gifts to assist one another, we are enabled to make progress. We are meant to be growing and maturing both as separate souls and as congregations. Unless we do continue to grow and mature, we will be of little use to the world. This requires a commitment to the people among whom we are set. So many Christians go looking for the perfect church with the best music, the most sound preacher, the best entertainment or theology, so you get concentrations in certain congregations, and they are often perceived as the most faithful churches. One of my mentors described them as useful as a big lump of salt in a dish of food. The salt of the earth is meant to be spread, not stuck together in a lump.
For God’s sake, we must grow up!
What is genuine growth and maturity? How do we measure progress?
We do not assess personal growth by any of the value systems prized by the world around us. In fact, from the outside, the world can pass judgment and get it badly wrong. It can notice, for example, one particular, high profile congregation or denomination and laud it a flourishing success. They may look on other struggling congregations and rank them as a failure. Yet in the eyes of God it may be the opposite. The small battling churches may be the ones really achieving growth in God’s terms. Maybe this is true of our struggling denomination. As a whole, the Church of Scotland is more caring and harmonious than when I first began my ministry forty-six years ago this weekend, though outwardly it looks much weaker.
When we come up against this tough truth, we may be reminded of the Society of Friends; or the Quakers as they are sometimes known. They have not been a high profile church, never a powerful denomination, never large in numbers. But they have been big in spirit as they go quietly about their mission. But set the model of Jesus beside them and marvel. Often this relatively small network of believers have achieved far more than the more visible and self -assertive denominations.
Jesus is the only valid test. Forget the outward trappings. Our only template for success or failure is the loving person of Jesus Christ. He is the only certified measuring instrument for congregations and for each single member. We set our sights on him. Everything else, even the rest of the Bible, is secondary.
Genesis may have something to tell us, and Ezekiel, Job, Exodus and Isaiah, may provide much spiritual insight, but very sentence in them must be measured carefully with the rule of Christ Jesus before we apply it to the shaping of the church.
Great leaders like Paul, saved from his destructive self-righteousness by the grace of Christ, has much to share with us, as do the letters of John, Peter and James, but every thought in these writers must be measured by nothing less than the rule of Jesus. His teachings in the Gospel are what we call dominical, that is directly from the Lord, and they are more important than the theologies of salvation and sanctification that so many preachers elevate.
Christ is the focus. Christ is both the goal and the rule, the way, the truth and the light. He only has the valid profile, both for the maturity of congregations and for their individual members.
He is what it means to be an authentic human being. His example shows us how be a true saint and a successful congregation. In worldly terms he was not successful. He was a focus of strife, a target of evil his entire life, but he taught and teaches repentance, followed by forgiveness and acceptance, love and service, of neighbour, compassion and humility
Paul encourages each of us within the church to build each other up, Until all attain to mature humanity, measured by the fullness of the character of Christ.
Jesus is the sole representative of true humanity. Humanity as God our Creator planned it to become. Humanity as God our Redeemer has chosen us to one day fully become. Like Jesus. For God’s sake, grow up.
It is okay to have our Christian heroines and heroes; fine souls whom we admire. But admiration must never tilt over into worship.
We dare not take our cue from any other church member. Only from Jesus, the head of the church. All the rest of us are like fractured images, or like “seconds” from the kiln of the potter. Never settle for ‘seconds.”
Paul is a mighty apostle with a brilliant mind, but he is a blurred reflection of the true Son of Man.
Mary and John, Barnabas and Lydia, Timothy and his devout mother Eunice- so admired by Paul, Peter and James the brother of the Lord, all of them are inadequate role models, flawed guides for the authentic character of the church. and the lifestyle of its individual members.
We may admire the notable saints of the past, even your own favourite minister or preacher, whose memory and influence you treasure; yet these are only images, the imperfect “seconds,” to some extent falling short of the fullness of the character of Jesus Christ. Remember that “saints” like Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, all had deep flaws in their personalities despite their achievements.
Jesus is the sole example of true humanity. He is also the door to the treasury of grace where the resources of God’s Spirit are stored; stored and ready to be applied to our need within the church.
We dare not trust anything or anyone less if we really hope to attain our true destiny as children of God.
But we need to stay close together, not just with Jesus. but with one another. There is no such thing as a solo Christian.
If we want to progress in the kingdom of God, we must support each other; we need the challenge and encouragement of our fellow believers.
Speaking the truth lovingly, we are to grow up in every way, into that head, Christ. The whole body, linked and knit together by every given joint, whenever each works properly then it grows and builds itself up in love.,
Growth is not always easy. It can be hard work. It can be painful. But that is the way the Master went. Should not the follower walk the same path?
Perfect as My Father in Heaven is perfect:
That means a life-struggle, and unending growth. Always as you progress, a greater perception of My Father. More struggles and growth. Above all a growing need of Me and My sustaining help.
I came to found a Kingdom of Progressive growth. Alas, how many of My followers think that all they have to do is to accept Me as Saviour. That is a first step only.
Heaven itself is no place for stagnation. It is indeed a place of progress. You will need Eternity to understand Eternal Mind.
For God’s sake, as fellow members of the body of Christ let us grow up! Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Gracious God, Creator and Friend, we thank you for the remarkable experience of life in its fulness. For all of the highs and lows, the sweet and sour, pleasure and pain.
When the sun shines on our days and rain refreshes the land overnight, when there is a bounce in our step and a song on our lips: we thank you, God of all life.
When the clouds are low and a chilly wind blows, when the day’s tasks seem onerous, and it takes an effort to smile, we still thank you God of all life.
When a full moon shines and the night seems like a dear friend, when we go to bed content and sleep is deep and satisfying we thank you God of all life.
When the night is pitch black and our fears leave their hiding places, when we go to bed very weary yet toss and turn all night: we still thank you, God of all life.
When blossom covers the fruit trees and rainbows are in the skies, when our world seems full of promise, and our bodies glow with good health: we will thank you, God of all life.
When hail destroys the harvest and floods sweep a bridge away, when ills afflict our bodies and each day is struggle against pain: we still thank you, God of all life.
When the ocean waves are gentle and bays are like a mirror, when it’s easy to have faith, and our love flows without effort or cost: we thank you, God of all life.
When the seas are mountainous and ships are in distress, when our faith seems a flimsy vessel and loving takes a determined commitment: we still thank you, God of all life.
When new creatures are being born and fresh growth seems everywhere, when children’s laugher rings and young people fall in love: we will thank you, God of all life.
When age and decay seem all around and dear friends suffer and die, we when grow frail and simple tasks take much time and effort: we still ill thank you God of all life.
Sometimes words are not enough to express the language of our hearts, sometimes minds are filled with prayers without expression.
Sometimes there are not enough spare moments in each day, sometimes regret is all we have as our confession. Sometimes faith is not enough but in the presence of your peace, sometimes prayer can be a quiet conversation. Sometimes words are not enough to express the anguish on our hearts, sometimes prayers are answered that remain unspoken.
Healing God bring your wholeness into relationships that are hurting. Not a dressing that will peel away or a restoration of what once was, but a process of transformation where over time wounds can heal, pain decrease, and lives once more embrace within your love and grace.
For all whose image of your creation is marred by pain and suffering For those who wake each morning to shellfire and destruction. For children dispossessed of childhood and transformed into soldiers.
For orphans wandering lonely roads to uncertain futures For each persecuted family carrying your Cross.
For all who struggle to cope with change in the shifting scenes of life – childhood, education, families, identity, relationships, employment, faith, growing older, dying -bring hope, a sense of your love for them, a glimpse of eternity.
Prayers for our world.
Creator God, only you see the big picture, this earth that, spinning through space can sustain the life we see and hear, warmed by sun, refreshed by rain, fed by seed sown and harvested, if we will only play our part.
Forgive our complacency, our arrogance and greed, and raise up leaders who, with wisdom, can work together for the good of all, and save this precious gift for future generations.
God bless our conversations, wherever they take place.
May our words bring wisdom, compassion, comfort, peace, encouragement, change into someone’s life today. And in that blessing given may our lives also be blessed. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Hymn 532 Lord, you have come to the seashore
Sending out and Benediction
Go into the world with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love, in the unity of the Spirit, the bond of peace, and the name of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life.
The grace of the Redeemer, the love of the Creator, the friendship of the Counsellor be with you this week and always. Amen.
May God’s blessing surround you each day
Postlude: Down in the River
For Children
We see signs all around us every day. As we walk down the halls at school, we may see signs that tell the different rooms in the school such as the assembly office, library, computer lab, or music room. Each classroom probably has a sign by the door with the teacher’s name on it so students will be able to find their classrooms.
When we travel around our town, we see signs that tell us what we should or should not do. Above are signs that you probably see every day. How many of them you know?
Our lesson today is about signs of a different kind–not a sign you can touch, but something that would prove to people that Jesus really was sent by God. Like when Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. That was a sign that Jesus was from God, but the people totally missed it. They wanted even more signs, more proof.
The Bible says when people realized Jesus had left that place and gone somewhere else, they went looking for Him. They found Him way over on the other side of the lake.
Jesus said to them, “You came looking for me not because you saw God in my actions, but because I fed you. You shouldn’t be so concerned about things like food. Instead, you should be seeking the eternal life that I can give you.”
Here’s how the people responded: “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, Moses gave our ancestors bread from heaven to eat when they were in the wilderness. Can you do that?”
Jesus answered them, “The true bread of God is the One who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Give us that bread! Give it to us every day,” the people said.
Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Some people today are still asking for some special sign that will prove that Jesus was sent from God. But God has given us all the signs we need right here in the Bible. All God wants is for us to believe in the one He sent.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Son Jesus, who is the Bread of Life. We don’t need a sign. We believe in Him, which means He gives us life forever with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Here are some signs in the church: Ask a grownup to tell you what they are if you don’t know.
