17th. July. 2022. Service.
Inverkeithing Parish Church linked with North Queensferry Church
Worship 17th July 2022
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude
“And can it be that I should gain”
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before the Eternal One with thanksgiving and extol God with music and song. Let us worship God.
Bible Introit 189 “Be still for the presence of the Lord”
Collect: Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
175 “Praise, I will praise you Lord”
The Lord is our light and our salvation! Whom shall we fear?
The Lord is our stronghold. Of whom shall we be afraid?
As we wait on the Lord, let us be strong and of good courage.
God has called us together, and we have come.
Let us thank God forever, because of what God has done.
We will proclaim God’s holy name, for God is good.
Prayer
Eternal God, we have created a space for you in this place at this time. We have this opportunity in the rhythm of our days
to worship you, to thank you, for the presence of your Spirit in our lives. But when we stop, we realise that you have always been making the space for us, making time for us, opening a place of love for us.
You made space for creation to explode, expand, and explore the experience of life in all its fulness You loved each of us as we formed and grew and as we continue to mature our souls in your all-enveloping care You call us and gather us a to yourself and lead into the ever-new horizons of your boundless creation.
Prayer of Confession:
Lord, we confess that we have not always followed your words. There have been moments when we have choses other options. When we chose to join in the gossip and not to speak out on behalf of the misunderstood. When we chose to take sides with the strong, because we feared the consequences of being found alongside the weak. When we spoke a harsh word of judgement regretting what has been said that can’t be taken back. When we allowed pride to get the better of us. Forgive us when we are distracted by our own busyness and need. Forgive us when we treat the earth and its resources as ours to exploit for short term gain. Forgive us when we use other people to our own ends. Forgive us when we lose our focus on you, your will, and your way.
Though we have received your forgiveness today, Lord, the memory continues to linger. We thank you that you do not treat us as our sins deserve, and Your love and your word permit a renewed relationship. As you forgive us may we surprise others with our own gift of forgiveness.
A Prayer of Illumination
Living God, you still speak to us through circumstances and other people and in our prayers.
We pray that your Word will be alive for us today as we hear and reflect on readings from the Bible with the help of your Spirit. Help us to picture the scenes, to be curious about what they mean, and to hear their message as we seek to follow Jesus, your living Word, in Whom we pray.
North Queensferry
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on 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.
Inverkeithing
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen
The Intimations
Coffee mornings will be held this week on Tuesday at 10:30 am in Inverkeithing and on Wednesday at 10:00 in North Queensferry.
Highland Games
This year the Inverkeithing Highland Games will be held on Saturday 6th August. We are having a tent at the games park for the sale of rolls/ cakes/ teas & coffee & the Church will also be open from 10am to 2 pm for the sale of rolls/ hot pies/ cakes/ teas/coffee. We are looking for donations of cakes (which should be wrapped if possible), tablet, fillings for the rolls (there will be a list of suggestions in the Church), monetary donations towards the cost of the rolls & pies.
We are also looking for help on the Friday to fill the rolls, at the games park & in the Church on the Saturday & lists will be in the Church to add names, alternatively you can give your name or donation to Moira or Joan.
The Offering
The stories of Scripture remind us there are many ways to give in gratitude for God’s goodness to us. Whatever we give, let us give joyfully and generously, trusting God to do more than we can ask or imagine, in the name of Christ, our Living Lord.
Prayer of Dedication
Living, Loving God, Martha offered the work of her hands to Jesus and Mary offered her close attention. We bring the gifts we have to offer to you. Bless and multiply them. Show us how they can best serve your purposes in our church and in your world. Amen.
All Age Talk
Today, we’re going to be talking a lot about distractions and paying attention to what’s important. Have you ever been trying to talk to a friend who was right in front of you, but that friend was too busy looking at their phone to pay attention to you?
How did it make you feel when someone else was too distracted to listen to you?
It can be disappointing and frustrating when that happens. But let’s be honest…Have any of you been so distracted that you forgot to pay attention to a friend? Or that you lost sight of what was happening right in front of you? I know I have!
Being distracted isn’t anything new and phones aren’t the only reasons we get distracted. When Jesus walked the Earth, people didn’t have cell phones like we do. But that didn’t keep people from becoming distracted. Our Bible lesson today tells a story about a woman who became distracted – even when Jesus was a guest in her home!
Jesus was in the village of Bethany where His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Jesus went to their home to visit. Martha invited Him in and began to prepare dinner. While she was busy working away, her sister Mary just sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to the words He had to say. The Bible says Martha was too distracted by all the preparation that had to be done to listen to Jesus. She got upset with her sister and went to Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” Jesus said, “you are worried and upset about many things. But there is one thing that is the most important and Mary has discovered it.” Martha was doing her best to make Jesus feel welcome in her home, but Mary had discovered something even more important. That was sitting at the feet of Jesus and receiving His words into her heart.
It is important for us to be careful that we don’t get so busy doing activities – even good ones – that we forget to listen to Jesus’ words and take them into our heart. If we become too distracted, we just might miss the most important thing.
Dear Jesus, help us to remember that You are the most important thing in our lives. Don’t let us get so busy with other things that we forget to spend time with You. Amen.
Hymn 600 “Spirit of God unseen as the wind.
Reading:
Amos 8:1-12
1 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. 2 ‘What do you see, Amos?’ he asked. ‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I answered. Then the Lord said to me, ‘The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. 3 ‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies – flung everywhere! Silence!’ 4 Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land,5 saying,
‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’– skimping on the measure, boosting the price, and cheating with dishonest scales,
6 buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. 7 The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: ‘I will never forget anything they have done.8 ‘Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt.
9 ‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. 10 I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. 11 ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. Amen.
601 “Look upon us, blessèd Lord”
Reading:
Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’
41 ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’ Amen, this is the Word of the Lord, to Him be all glory and praise.
604 “Holy Wisdom, Lamp of learning”
Sermon
Our short gospel story about Martha grumbling to Jesus that Mary was leaving her to do all the work is as familiar to us as the parable of the Good Samaritan was last week. We know that it calls us to set aside the business and worry of life to take time to sit, as it were at the feet of Jesus, to take the better part and hear what Jesus has to say. The key to the passage is in the final sentence: you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’
We live in a time when most people are worried and upset about many things! I don’t need to, but I will list pandemic, war in Europe, global warming, inflation, cost of living and political chaos. And these are just the external things which worry and upset people and don’t include personal, family and health issues.
As last week, you may be wondering why this gospel is linked to the passage in Amos about God bringing terrible judgment upon Israel and famine on the land. Well, the current Revised Common Lectionary was adopted by most of the major world churches in 1994. A lot of the Old Testament is missed out for reasons of length and the chosen passages often reflect the theme of the Gospel readings which over three year cover all four gospels. Looking closely at Amos you will see that there is a connection between the two passages.
Amos is one of twelve minor prophets and the first of the prophetic books to be written. (The sayings of the earlier prophets were recorded in the histories not as separate collections). He was a contemporary of Isaiah living in Judah in the 8th Century BCE around 75o. He prophesied against the heretic king Jeroboam of Israel and condemned Israel’s worldly refusal of God’s word and law.
The picture which Amos paints of life in Israel, is one of greed, exploitation of the poor, commodity speculation and fraud all of which benefitted only the rich, combined with a hypocritical observance of religion. God puts his people on the same sinful level as the surrounding nations – God expects the same purity of them all. As it is with all nations that revolt against the kingdom of God, even Israel and Judah will not be exempt from the judgment of God because of their idolatry and unjust ways. The nation that represents God must be made pure of anything or anyone that profanes the name of God; his name must be exalted. Having said that, Amos also includes Jerusalem and Judah in his indictment, but the situation was worse in Israel and its capital city, Samaria where king Jeroboam II reigned.
What we need to note is that the direst of the judgment will be a deepening of confusion fear and lostness, what Amos describes as a blight on the religious festivals I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. He does not say what the cause of the grief and mourning will be, it could be a breakdown of society which is due to natural calamity, illness, drought, invasion, or crop failure. There will be a famine, not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.
For many people today such an idea would evoke little more than an incredulous laugh. Who cares? Who listens to God anyway? If we were to say that in our society today it would make no impact on most of the population. Yet it is possible that therefore why there is such chaos and confusion today. People live with no sense of responsibility for how humanity is affecting the planet, the climate, the economic situation.
You could say that what Amos saw as exploitation of resources by the richest of the population, aided and abetted by the priesthood as they neglected the poorest for the sake of extra profits. Some of the people had so much wealth that they hardly knew what to do with it! These few wealthy Israelites were so rich that they owned not just one house, but two, three, or four! Blinded by their riches, thinking God had prospered them for their righteousness, they ignored the terrible oppressions they were inflicting on the poor and weak. For this, God promises punishment.
I will not turn away its punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. (Made in an Asian sweatshop?) They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble. (Amos 2:6-7)
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring wine, let us drink!’ (Amos 4:1).
Woe to you . . . who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall; who chant to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments (Amos 6:3-6).
Amos describes a tremendously wealthy people. Men sought to make money at any price, no matter what the consequences to the “little guy.” The derogatory term “cows of Bashan” describes the rich women who controlled Israelite families, making demands on their husbands to keep them in their accustomed lifestyle. Spoiled people living ostentatious lives, luxuriating in expensive materialism, satiating their flesh with wine and rich foods, they denied themselves nothing.
But how did they obtain such wealth? Property and legal rackets! Exploiting the poor! Shady business deals! The powerful and rich used the laws and the courts to their advantage against the weak and poor who could not afford legal assistance. The latter always came out on the short end of the deal.
They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. . . For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins. You afflict the just and take bribes; you divert the poor from justice at the gate. (Amos 5:10, 12)
Israelites held their public meetings and court trials at the city gate where everyone could witness the proceedings. When rebuked for the way that they lived, for their social attitudes, for their immorality, for their lack of spirituality, the hedonistic Israelites would typically malign or assault their critic rather than repent. Bribery, obstruction of justice, and attacks on law-abiding citizens were common occurrences. Nowadays instead, the press and reporters in many places are attacked when they raise public awareness of wrongdoing and corruption.
It seems that the whole world is going to be caught up in paying the price as those at the lower end of the scale of wealth become poorer and only the richest prosper. Amos’s message the nation was. God has nothing to say to you because of sin and corruption. Well, as I said, most people today would shrug and say, “So what?
But think for a moment what this might mean. It may be that the Church is declining for this very reason. Until people become desperate, literally without hope, there is no message from God.
Imagine having no guidance from God. No answer to prayer, no encouragement to stand firm in faith, no clear hope that things will soon become better. Humanity is left to its own devices to find health solutions to pandemics, to overcome global warming, when governments and supreme courts overturn protective legislation against exploitation of natural resources, when there is no investment in scientific research to find better ways of sourcing food, when unsustainable sources of energy are depleted. Nowadays, the kind of health care we used to take for granted is delayed or denied to millions because of how things have evolved. Some politicians say” lower taxes.” Well, if they do we’d better save what we would have paid to pay the doctor, the dentist or the surgeon tomorrow, or our fuel bills in winter.
And on a personal level. A newspaper headline about the recent Amazon murders asks, “Who is not afraid of death?” What if there is no word of comfort available for the dying or the mourning because there are not enough ministers and priests or ordinary believers of whatever ilk? How do atheists approach the inevitable? How many start praying when they become ill, fearful because they thought that they had plenty of living still to do? What if there is one day no church to go to because the faithful have not been replaced. What if children and grandchildren are so ignorant of the things of faith that they have no spiritual sensibility or moral guidance? I am not saying that all non-believers do not have these, but there are so many who resist or reject, Jesus’ teaching relying instead on their own thoughts.
All of this adds up to a dire picture like that which Amos portrayed.
And so, we return to Martha, Mary, and Jesus. Mary is caught up in the business of her life. She is doing the housework; she is worried about everything; she is trying to be a good hostess. It is very commendable, and it is an act of love, but one that has been tarnished by resentment and bitterness. As a result, Martha is undoing the benefit of her service and she is missing out on the one thing that would ease her worries and the things that upset her. We don’t know what they were, but we could guess, tables to be set, food to be watched as it is cooked, tidying to be done towels and water to be set out for the guests. Who knows? Might it not be true that the church is full of Marthas who feel that it is all about doing? Arranging and attending meetings, planning outreaches, keeping busy doing something to keep it all going. For all it is declining, nowadays the church at large seems to be busier than ever even as fewer people are willing to be involved.
Let’s be clear: the church needs Marthas. The church has much work in front of it. Being the church means getting our hands dirty. Yet, Jesus praises Mary for listening. Jesus praises Mary for attending to teaching. Teaching matters. As much as we need Marthas, as much as Marthas accomplish, the most diligent Marthas need to feed their souls, and grow through Christian formation. That is the point.
Jesus was there with them, right in their living room. There was no famine of the word in Bethany. Jesus was there to be heard and Mary was too busy to take time to listen. She was like those who will come along to a meeting or volunteer to do something, but don’t like to come to hear the sermon because it is too long or there is something more important to do.
One minister complains thus:
A pastor friend of mine confided in me that he once had to move the time of a Sunday evening Bible study because the local NFL team had made the playoffs. The Bible study couldn’t compete against the football game. Did the people at the church assume that nothing important would happen at the Bible study? Was nothing much at stake? Does studying the Bible not generate suspense or excitement?
And then asks this question:
Why is the part that Mary chose the better one? I will make the bold statement that listening, studying, Sunday School, Bible studies, lectures prepare us for everything else we do in the church.
Do we want to get out there and make a difference? Study and formation teach us how to work effectively and faithfully. What strategies have worked before? How have people kept up their morale in the face of obstacles? How do we understand the causes of poverty and hunger? Study helps us with all of that. Study and prayer help those who work in the need of the world from burning out. Study and prayer keep us from self-righteousness.
We might ask how much of Jesus’ teaching might Martha have missed that eventually helped her to cope with the death and resurrection of Lazarus and then of Jesus himself had she failed to heed Jesus’ rebuke that day?
The Word of God will always be available to those who truly look for it. The message of both our passages is echoed by Isaiah when he declares: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
God’s judgment does not last forever, but it is true that it is less available than it once was, and the lesson today is that we need to conserve and protect the most important element of the life of the Church, and this is listening to the Word of God and waiting before him in worship. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
God our father we ask that you give us faith like Martha and Mary who knew that Jesus was the true God and for their willingness to hear His Word They received Jesus’ teaching which became their complete assurance of faith. They met God in power through their joint belief but did so in different ways. How do we meet Jesus today, like Martha or like Mary? We all approach Jesus in our different ways but do so through faith. And in that faith today, we pray for our church, the world and for those we love.
We pray for everyone who brings us the Gospel message. We pray for all in our church who offer their gifts of service in the coffee morning, messy church, for our Children’s church leaders, we thank you and rejoice in the work that is done to build the body of Christ in this place. And we pray especially for all who offer prayer and comfort when needed. May those who confess your name be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory to the world. Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer
We ask for courage to take time away from our busyness to wait for a while each day in your holy presence, that we may absorb your word and find ourselves fitted and prepared to live and serve in your kingdom
We pray for your world. O Lord and ask that you will inspire a new hunger to hear your word and to live the life of faith. We pray for peace and justice in areas of the world in war or conflict and we pray for all people who are in trouble and in fear today: For those who are sad because it is another day of memories of the death of a loved one. For those who are anxious because someone is ill or in pain. For those who are lonely because someone they love is not there for them. We pray especially for those experiencing mental illness and for those who witness the extremes that can arise. Bring them your peace, Lord. Bless those who struggle to earn a living wage to earn the cost of food for their children. Those who are dealing with finances and facing impossible inflationary pressure. Those who have experienced unkind words or actions from the stress of living in this world. Lord, surround those in need with your wisdom, your spirit, your healing and life-giving restoration.
Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer as we acknowledge the supremacy of Christ, that we are reconciled through his body, by his death and resurrection. We will proclaim him in our lives, through action and word. Merciful Father accept these prayers for His dear sake, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Merciful Father
Hymn 286 “Tell out, my soul, the glory of the Lord”
The Benediction
We leave the house of God, but not the presence of God.
Let us place ourselves deeply in God’s holy presence
and live out God’s love for all.
Trust in the Living Word of God forever and ever. Amen.
May God’s blessing surround you each day
Postlude:
Ukrainian Choir: “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”