Intimations

TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD; BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO TAKES REFUGE IN HIM.                    (Psalm 34: 8)

WECOME TO OUR SUNDAY MORNING WEB-WORSHIP!

THE OLD TESTAMENT READING: – 1 KINGS 17: 8 – 24

… THE LORD HEARD ELIJAH’S CRY, AND THE BOY’S LIFE RETURNED TO HIM, AND HE LIVED. ELIJAH PICKED UP THE CHILD AND CARRIED HIM DOWN FROM THE ROOM INTO THE HOUSE. HE GAVE HIM TO HIS MOTHER AND SAID, “LOOK, YOUR SON IS ALIVE!”  THEN THE WOMAN SAID TO ELIJAH, “NOW I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A MAN OF GOD AND THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD FROM YOUR MOUTH IS THE TRUTH”.                                                           (1 Kings 17: 22 – 24)

THE NEW TESTAMENT READING: – LUKE 7: 11 – 17.

…THEN HE (JESUS) WENT UP AND TOUCHED THE COFFIN, AND THOSE CARRYING IT STOOD STILL. HE SAID, “YOUNG MAN, I SAY TO YOU, GET UP!” THE DEAD MAN SAT UP AND BEGAN TO TALK, AND JESUS GAVE HIM BACK TO HIS MOTHER.                                                                (Luke 7: 14 – 15)

We all know that in human life, from birth, there is a cycle of dependent relationships. In our Old Testament story Elijah was dependent on the woman who provided him with shelter, the woman was dependent on Elijah, who provided her with food during the famine, and they both were dependent on God, who brought them together and who offered ongoing provision. But suddenly, the woman’s son became ill and died, and the cycle of dependence entered into crisis.

The woman’s newfound stability turned into misfortune, her previous gain into loss, and her sense of favour into despair. When threats come into lives, they always bring accusations. The woman angrily said to Elijah: – Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son? Accusing even God: – What do you have against me, man of God? (verse 18). She did associate the presence of Elijah –the man of God – with God Himself, and – as it is a human habit – she started blaming God for the things that went wrong, blaming also Elijah and herself as well.

We can clearly see that the woman had a selective memory. She interpreted the death of her son as a judgment upon her by God for things she had done in the past, forgetting at the same time all the positive events that she had previously experienced. This is an appalling human practice: – quick to blame God for the bad and slow to thank God for the good. There is also a practicing human art of “taking for granted”. It is possible that the woman associated the presence of Elijah and God with good times of abundance and blessing so that when things changed, she suddenly saw no good in their presence. There is absolutely no indication in the text that the woman and her son deserved the “special treatment” they had received before, so what really had happened through Elijah, was nothing else but the operation of God’s Grace in their lives. In our lives, since birth, we are dependent on a mutually beneficial cycle of relationships, and we are blessed and helped by God, through each other, in the wonderful way of the unconditional love and grace of our Heavenly Father. Therefore – as a Catechism from the 16^th century says,- “We can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from His love; for all creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they cannot so much as move” (The Heidelberg Catechism,- 1563, – on the Providence of God). In these testing times of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, an uplifting confession on God’s Providence helps us to RETHINK not only our social and economic, but also spiritual attitude towards the NEW NORMAL that lies ahead.

This story is about the power of God, and it is a matter of life and death that we know the unlimited presence of God and His unconditional love towards those whom He wants to save. We sympathize, and most of us empathize, with the woman’s pain. She had lost her only son, the only family she had. But the accusations that emerged from her pain threatened to cut her off from the only source of help she had: the presence of God through His prophet. Elijah felt that pain too, praying for the reviving of the child. And God answered the prayer. You see, being open to the sustaining, healing, helping Providence of God in our lives requires being open to the fact that God often sustains, heals, and helps us not only in His mysterious ways, but also through the presence and through the touch and prayers of the people who are around us. We dare not cut ourselves off from the help that God wants to give through other people’s faith and love. The fact that God’s providence came through the touch and prayer of Elijah shows how vital is our openness to the support and prayers of those fellow Christians in our cycle of dependence who are interceding for us at God’s throne of grace.

The noblest faith in antiquity was Stoicism. The Stoics believed that the primary characteristic of God was apathy, His incapacity of feeling. This was their argument, conviction and practice. If someone can make another sad or sorry, glad or joyful, it means that he is greater than the other person. Now, no one can be greater than God; therefore, no one can influence God; therefore, God must be incapable of feeling. There still are many Stoics in the world today.

In our New Testament reading we have the story of how Jesus raised a widow’s son in the town of Nain, very close to Zarephath of Sidon, the place of the miracle through Elijah, hundreds of years before. Here, we are presented with the amazing grace of one who was the Son of God. As Jesus approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow…When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother (Luke 7: 12-15). Almost similar miracles, but this time we can see the godly attitude of the compassion of Christ, the incapacity of the Lord to not have feelings. Jesus being moved to the depth of His heart, presents to us the most precious thing about His Father, our Heavenly Father: God’s eternal and unconditional love and grace. 

Jesus claimed for the life of a young man who had been marked for death. Jesus is not only the Lord of Life; He is the Lord of death, who Himself triumphed over the grave and who has promised that, because I live, you also will live (John 14: 19). Within all the threat, suffering and grief caused by the present Pandemic all over the world today, by true Christian faith and prayers we will be able to come through these testing times alive and well – because of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

LET US PRAY:

Gracious Lord God, hear our prayer for those who suddenly find themselves caught up in the storms of life: despair, fear, sorrow or suffering. Reach out to all who are overwhelmed by trouble, and assure them that, though the clouds hang heavy, the world seems dark, and the wind of dangers beats relentlessly upon them, the Light of Your Love is still shining and will eventually break through once more into their lives. In that promise may we likewise trust when, as they surely will, storms break also upon us. However distant You may sometimes seem, however hopeless life may feel, teach us to trust You, confident that the clouds will break, and Your Light will shine again on us. Gracious God reach out into our bruised and infected world. Where lives are broken, mend them. Where they are ravaged by sickness and disease, heal them. Where they are troubled, calm them. Where they are hurting, relieve them. Where they are sorrowful, comfort them. Pick up the pieces, and through Your healing touch, bring renewal and wholeness, real life deep within. We believe You are a God of love and compassion, yet as we look at the world today, we find it hard to keep faith, for so many find their lives shattered by this tragic Coronavirus Pandemic. Teach us, Lord, that though we can never lift every burden, we can help some to carry theirs more easily. Strengthen our faith, increase our hope and develop our love to be able to live and bring You to others, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

AMEN.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: – OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN…

SUGGESTED HYMN:

– GOD SENT HIS SON, they called Him Jesus; He came to love, heal, and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives.

CHORUS: – Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because He lives all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a new-born baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives; but greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because He lives.                 +CHORUS.

And then one day I’ll cross the river; I’ll fight life’s final war with pain; and then as death gives way to victory, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.                               +CHORUS.

MAY YOUR UNFAILING LOVE REST UPON US, O LORD, EVEN AS WE PUT OUR HOPE IN YOU.                              (Psalm 33: 22)

Sandor, your Minister.

JESUS SAID: – ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND; KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU.                            (Matthew 7: 7)

Welcome to our Sunday morning web-worship!

AND HEZEKIAH PRAYED TO THE LORD: – “… O LORD…YOU ALONE ARE GOD OVER ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH…HEAR…SEE…LISTEN…O LORD OUR GOD, DELIVER US…SO THAT ALL KINGDOMS ON EARTH MAY KNOW THAT YOU ALONE, O LORD, ARE GOD”.                              (2 KINGS 19: 14 – 19)

TO SOME WHO WERE CONFIDENT OF THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND LOOKED DOWN ON EVERYBODY ELSE, JESUS TOLD THIS PARABLE: “TWO MEN WENT UP TO THE TEMPLE TO PRAY, ONE A PHARISEE AND THE OTHER A TAX COLLECTOR. THE PHARISEE STOOD UP AND PRAYED ABOUT HIMSELF: “GOD, I THANK YOU THAT I AM NOT LIKE OTHER MEN – ROBBERS, EVILDOERS, ADULTERERS – OR EVEN LIKE THIS TAX COLLECTOR. I FAST TWICE A WEEK AND GIVE A TENTH OF ALL I GET. “BUT THE TAX COLLECTOR STOOD AT A DISTANCE. HE WOULD NOT EVEN LOOK UP TO HEAVEN, BUT BEAT HIS BREAST AND SAID,  “GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER”. I TELL YOU THAT THIS MAN, RATHER THAN THE OTHER, WENT HOME JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD. FOR EVERYONE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, AND HE WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED.” (LUKE 18: 9 – 14)

If we are not careful, fear can become more than just a passing emotion. It can grip our lives and take control of our thoughts and even cause us to not trust God. In this prolonged Pandemic period we continually need to be reminded to bring our prayers in the right way to the Lord, so He can calm our hearts, reveal His will and be glorified as He works in our lives.

Besides King David, King Hezekiah was the most godly and righteous king of Judah (See: 2 Kings, Chapters 16 -20). But he did not have an easy life by any means. Instead, he was the target of an attack by Sennacherib king of Assyria. Assyria was a much more powerful nation, but it was Hezekiah’s prayer – 2 Kings 19: 14-19 – that saved them from their enemies. Helplessness became prayer the moment he turned to the Lord and spoke confidently about his need (Disclosure, v.14). Hezekiah turned to a God of intense presence, sovereign sway, and enormous power, one Who is accessible, almighty, and able (Invocation, v.15).  Hezekiah confessed the truth and so edged close to hope (Complaint, verses 16-18). His plea is focused on his trouble and God’s Glory, and when we are concerned with God’s Glory, we are to be heard (Supplication, v.19). Since those ancient times, formal prayers mostly follow this pattern of composition, with Praise and Glorification added later. It is so easy to get caught up in just giving God an itemized list of requests but as we see, Hezekiah’s ultimate goal was that everyone would see the hand of God at work and that God alone would be always glorified.

In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector, it was the spirituality of prayer that caused problems for the audience. The Pharisees were some of the most respected and devout men. They prayed at set times several times a day, fasted not just occasionally but twice a week, were devoted to their families, and because of their generous donations well respected in the community. The Pharisee is a tragic figure in Jesus’ parable because he thought he could make God indebted to him and force God to do more for him in return. In his prayer, he talks about himself and what he has done to pile up good works before God. Instead of looking through a window that opens onto God, he looks into a mirror and sees only a reflection of himself. He was not guilty of any gross sin, but he was guilty of the most basic sin, which is pride. He says, he was not like the Tax-collector or other sinners, but he was also not much like God. He probably went up to the temple on a special day, maybe the Day of Atonement, but he remained true to his name, Pharisee meaning “the separated one”. As he put such distance between himself and the Tax-collector, he separated himself from God as well. To be religiously “clean” for him meant far more than to be forgiven by God. We all need to open ourselves to God to be cleansed by God’s forgiving grace.

Look at the Tax-collector’s prayer. The tax collectors were not well-liked people. They were considered by many Jews as the chief sinners. They were working for the Roman government by collecting taxes from their own people and skimmed off the top whatever they could for themselves. To the Jewish people they were traitors and seen as unclean because of their dealings with the Romans. No Jew would ever enter into their home. But the Tax-collector lifted his prayer to God and confessed his sin. He was deeply convicted of his sin. He realized that he had hurt people, robbed them, and taken advantage of them. Probably as the Atoning Sacrifice was being made, he followed the liturgical prescription of the Temple, and “beating his breast” he cried out the Atonement-formula: “God have mercy on me, a sinner!” In fact, this is what the Tax-collector said: “Lord, let this act of atonement apply to me. Let me be forgiven”.

Jesus said that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. The Tax-collector was aware that he was a sinner, and he pleaded for God’s mercy. His broken heart acknowledged his absolute dependence on God and not on his own works. He depended utterly – like King Hezekiah – on God’s atonement and grace. The Tax-collector was a sinner who found forgiveness from God. He humbled himself and became fully dependent on God’s mercy. And all he was asking, seeking and knocking for, was awarded to him.

The Church was founded not for the upright or the holy; it is a place for sinners and the needy. A living community of those who are ready to acknowledge their unworthiness as well as their spiritual and physical dependence on a merciful and loving Almighty. Then the Spirit will help us to be found by God’s Grace as we meet Jesus Christ, the Anointed Saviour.  The Pharisee probably went home feeling that he was close to God. But he was wrong. The Tax-collector may have gone home feeling that he was a long way from God. Yet he was the one who was forgiven and justified. Faith is not just a matter of pious feelings and acts, but deep and humble prayers, relying upon God’s grace and salvation in Christ rather than on human emotions. We must believe that God will work things out for our good and His Glory and let Him remove all our sin and fear, making room for His love and grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

LET US PRAY:

Living and loving God, teach us that staying in touch with You is all about a living relationship, making time to share every aspect of our lives, from triumphs to tribulations, agony to ecstasy, each shared simply, but faithfully and humbled, in the knowledge that they matter to you, because we matter. Teach us that not everything comes gift-wrapped, that some things in life must be worked for. Remind us then, when prayers seem unanswered and hopes are unrealised, that instead of being Your fault it might be ours, the fulfilment of our requests lying not in the boasting about our achievements but coming to You in humility. We don’t know how prayer works, how You hear or speak, how our messages can possibly get through, yet, like generations before us, we have heard Your voice and sensed Your presence, discovering for ourselves that You listen and respond. Lord of all, when we call to You, yet nothing seems to happen, give us patience and wisdom to trust in Your timing rather than our own. You have given us prayer so that we can share our needs, seek Your help and hear your voice. We pray, as we have prayed so very often in the past months, for all people struggling with Covid-19. We ask You to heal the sick, comfort those who mourn, and be with the lonely. We bring before You our loved ones, close to us or far away, our friends and neighbours and the community we live in. Bless Your Christian Church Universal in all its branches, our Church of Scotland in all its Presbyteries and congregations. We pray for all members of our congregation, our Christian sisters and brothers in Portree, in the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Britain and in the whole world. Bless, Lord, all people of other faiths or none, and especially black people, and also those of all other colours.   Be and remain for all of us our Almighty Provider and Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER:  Our Father, who art in heaven..

SUGGESTED HYMN:

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!  O, what peace we often forfeit, O, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer! 

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged: take it to the Lord in prayer! Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness – take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer! Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.

THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF HIS PEOPLE, A FORTRESS OF SALVATION FOR HIS ANOINTED ONE. SAVE YOUR PEOPLE AND BLESS YOUR INHERITANCE; BE THEIR SHEPHERD AND CARRY THEM FOR EVER.                                           (Psalm 28: 8-9)

AMEN.

Sandor, your Minister.

My read, meditate and pray message for this week will be available on Monday morning in Minister’s Messages

LET THE NAME OF THE LORD BE PRAISED, BOTH NOW AND FOREVERMORE. FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN TO THE PLACE WHERE IT SETS, THE NAME OF THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED.             (Psalm 113: 2 – 3)

Welcome to our Sunday web-worship!

Old Testament Reading: JOSHUA 1: 6 – 9.

… HAVE I NOT COMMANDED YOU? BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. DO NOT BE TERRIFIED; DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL BE WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO.                        (Verse 9)

New Testament Reading: LUKE 5: 36 – 39.

(Jesus) TOLD THEM THIS PARABLE: – NO-ONE TEARS A PATCH FROM A NEW GARMENT AND SEWS IT ON AN OLD ONE. IF HE DOES, HE WILL HAVE TORN THE NEW GARMENT, AND THE PATCH FROM THE NEW WILL NOT MATCH THE OLD. AND NO-ONE POURS NEW WINE INTO OLD WINESKINS. IF HE DOES, THE NEW WINE WILL BURST THE SKINS, THE WINE WILL RUN OUT AND THE WINESKINS WILL BE RUINED. NO, NEW WINE MUST BE POURED INTO NEW WINESKINS. AND NO ONE AFTER DRINKING OLD WINE WANTS THE NEW, FOR HE SAYS, – “THE OLD IS BETTER”.

The Pharisees asked Jesus why he had broken their religion, not respecting the religious traditions drawn up by the Rabbis as equal with the teaching of the Law. Jesus responded to this question, as He often did, with parables. One parable was simply about a patch on a coat. This probably indicates the poor background of the home life of Jesus. He, like many of us, grew up watching his mother putting patches on garments and understood that kind of need. The other parable about the wineskin was also a familiar picture. At that time people used the skins of animals to store wine. Ageing the wine, people could make good money, because the quality of the wine in most of the areas in Israel was – and still is – very high. In the two parables, Jesus describes the nature of religion, which He had come to place in our hearts.

We all often prefer the old, familiar pathways. We prefer the familiar and secure rather than the unknown. The children of Israel believed that they were God’s chosen people, and they wanted to hold on to the past and their traditions. They began to teach that only those who were Jews could be children of God. Jesus challenged the legal system that the Scribes and the Pharisees had built on God’s Law. Here is the point: The New Covenant sealed in His blood, doesn’t fit into the old wineskin (Covenant) of the Law. The old and unfulfilled requirements of the Commandments are to be renewed in the Messiah of Salvation (= Christ Jesus) and as new wine, have to be stored in new wineskins. Jesus says that His Gospel is the new wine. It could not be contained in the old skins of Judaism. Down through the centuries, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has continued to shatter all kinds of old wineskins. It burst the wineskin of slavery and declared that all people before God are free people. It burst the wineskin of segregation and declared that all people before God are one. It burst the old wineskins of provincial religions, coming to us with freshness, newness and vitality of the Divine presence. Above all, Reformation has restored the primacy of the Bible over the liturgical-show of the Church in the Middle Ages. God is always the Creator, and God is still seeking to create us anew as individuals, as human society, as God’s people, and as a Church. God is always calling us to become more than we are. No old wineskin can ever contain the freshness of God’s Spirit as it penetrates our lives. Faith is always dynamic, not static.

Jesus said, – Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them (Matthew 5: 17). And He also said, – I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10: 10), and – I have told you this so that my joy may be in you  and that your joy may be complete (John 15: 11). Jesus has come to keep that which in the Law is worth preserving, the greatest commandment in the Law: – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: – Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

God admonishes us all the time to lift our vision to what we can become as His people. There are always some who want to build fences around our visions and look down or back, but God is calling us to look ahead – to look forward at what we can be. The Gospel (= Good News) we received from Jesus is always fresh, new, and vital. Jesus gives here an opportunity to decide. The newness of being His followers – Christlike people – doesn’t fit being used only like a patch on an old religious garment. Settling only for religious tradition and old stereotypes instead of a real, vital, and joyous faith can be very damaging. We should never be afraid of new methods. That a thing has “always” been done in the same fashion is not a reason why it should be done continually in that way, and if a thing has “never” been tested before, doesn’t mean that it is not worth to be tried or to be done differently. No business could exist – says William Barclay – which had lost as many customers as the Church in the near past, and yet we are still tempted to put the eternally new Message of Salvation into old religious wineskins. And he gives an example: – Once on a world tour Rudyard Kipling saw General William Booth come aboard the ship to the beating of tambourines which the more conventional Kipling resented. Kipling approached the General and told him how he disliked tambourines and all such things. Booth looked at him: – “Young man”,- he said, “if I thought I could win one more soul for Christ by standing on my head and beating a tambourine with my feet I would learn how to do it”. Indeed, there is a wise and unwise conservatism even in our Christian practices.

As the weeks go by and we are getting bored -if not upset -of the repeated phrases in the context of Covid-19, let us be honest, we are becoming desperate to hear some new and encouraging messages about the future. We pray with more intensity, and I believe, our prayer-lives have been radically renewed, both in content and scale of demands. If the old pattern you have been using seems inefficient, put your prayers into new wineskins of the same faith-hope-love and enjoy your renewed contact with Him, Who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever through Jesus Christ our Lord.                                          Amen.

LET US PRAY:

Merciful God, thank you for the knowledge that you are always there, ready to carry us when we cannot continue, to tend our wounds when we lie bruised and broken, to provide healing and renewal in body, mind and soul. Teach us how to be even more effective on all that we believe and do. There is so much evil in our world yet so much good, so much ugliness yet so much beauty. Nurture whatever enriches and builds us, help us believe that You are ever coming and always present even in the newest of situations we face. Give us the power of Your Spirit that what we ask, and how we ask it will reach Your Mercy-Seat. In a divided world, where chasms of fear, infection, hatred and injustice come between many, help us as Your Church, and members in Christ Jesus to bring the newness of Your love and peace, bringing together those previously kept apart. May the spread of Your Good News, both in words and deeds find new ways into the millions of troubled souls, bringing your healing and peace. We pray for all – as we continue to do so week after week – who struggle under the burden of Pandemic. May Your blessing be upon all the efforts that aim to contain the virus and give comfort to those who grieve, healing to those who suffer and real solutions in solving the social and racial problems erupting so vehemently in many parts of the world. Bless Your Christian Church Universal in all its Branches to rise up to Your expectations in ministering your Word. Be with our Church of Scotland in all its Presbyteries and Congregations and help us, as your children in this Parish, to see Your presence and Salvation in our midst, through Jesus Christ our Lord.     Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: – OUR FATHER, who art in heaven…

MAY THE GOD OF PEACE, WHO THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE ETERNAL COVENANT BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD OUR LORD JESUS, THAT GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP, EQUIP YOU WITH EVERYTHING GOOD FOR DOING HIS WILL, AND MAY HE WORK IN US WHAT IS PLEASING TO HIM, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, TO WHOM BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER.    AMEN.                       (Hebrews 13: 20 – 21)

Sandor, your Minister.

WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER THROUGH HIM.                                (Colossians 3: 17)

Welcome to our web-worship!

I GAVE THEM MY DECREES (says the Lord) AND MADE KNOWN TO THEM MY LAWS, FOR THE MAN WHO OBEYS THEM WILL LIVE BY THEM.                                                            (Ezekiel 20: 11)

ON ONE OCCASION AN EXPERT IN THE LAW STOOD UP TO TEST JESUS. “ TEACHER,” HE ASKED, “WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?” “WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW?” HE REPLIED. “HOW DO YOU READ IT?”  …”AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?” … “WHICH OF THESE THREE DO YOU THINK WAS THE NEIGHBOUR TO THE MAN WHO FELL INTO THE HANDS OF ROBBERS?”  THE EXPERT IN THE LAW REPLIED, “THE ONE WHO HAD MERCY ON HIM”. JESUS TOLD HIM, “GO AND DO LIKEWISE.”                                                (Luke 10: 25 – 31)

In response to a lawyer’s question, Jesus told a parable about a man who travelled from Jerusalem down the Jericho Road and was attacked by robbers and left bleeding and dying. Along the road came a priest and a Levite. They passed on the other side. The Good SAMARITAN, came along and gave the man assistance. This story describes at least three attitudes toward life and God’s Law.

1. – “I’ll take from others.” This is the attitude of the robber. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descends thirty-five hundred feet in its twenty-two miles through rough terrain, locally called “The Valley of the Shadow of Death” (see: Psalm 23: 4.). Robbers would often hide behind rocks and in gorges along the way and attacked travellers. We all know the robbers of life. They declare in veiled ways, “I will take whatever I want from you. It doesn’t matter to me how it affects you or how it hurts you.” You are simply a means to an end for them. They manipulate, abuse, and use people; cheat, steal, lie or kill. This is a philosophy we see so often in life and in the news. In the parable, the robbers beat the man and left him to die. Many of those who inflict pain are unconcerned about the outcome of their actions.
2. – “I will ignore others.” This is seen in the response of the priest and the Levite. The priest worked at his official priestly duties in the Temple at Jerusalem (records show that the requirement was only two weeks a year). He represents the noble citizens, the good folk in society, churchgoing people and the preachers. He probably told the man who was lying wounded, how sorry he was that this happened to him. He had noble feeling and good thoughts toward this man but was too busy with his own needs, his safety, his family. He was concerned, but he didn’t do anything. He simply ignored him. The Levite was a holy person by heredity. He thought that religion is all about pious worship and sacrifices, and Levites had so much to do at the Temple, that self- importance stop him from helping. The easiest solution to avoid any unwanted involvement was to turn his head away and pass by on the other side. Accidental ignorance.
3. – “I’ll help others.” Jesus set a very unlikely hero before his listeners. A Samaritan! This was a despised person to the Jewish mind. The attitude of hatred towards Samaritans had existed for more than 450 years. They were considered half-breeds, a defiled people. Seeing a man in need, the Samaritan took pity on him. He didn’t know if the man was really hurt or if he had some kind of disease that he might catch (Covid-19, for instance !?). Simply he went to him and bandaged his wounds… put the man on his donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The Samaritan also made personal sacrifices to assist the wounded man. He sacrificed his time, spent some money on him, changed his schedule, and took the risk of being misunderstood by his Jewish neighbours.

Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? – Jesus asked the expert in the law and… implicitly me and… even you. The one who had mercy on him, – comes the obvious answer. GO AND DO LIKEWISE, – said Jesus.

To ask the question, – “Who is my neighbour?” is the wrong question. It attempts to set limits. We are not to restrict who our neighbour is. To know our neighbour is not a concern for an area but with a spirit. We are neighbours to persons of all races, creeds, skin colours, ranks, geographical areas, or educational levels. God expects us to reach out to all human beings with love, help, kindness and compassion. The GOOD SAMARITAN is symbolic of Jesus Christ and His ministry. Jesus spent His ministry reaching out to people in need – to the blind, the deaf, the crippled, the lepers, the outcast, and to the lost. He reached out with compassion to all people in their time of need.

The Jericho Road passes our doors every day, even more so as we move “from brightest days to darkest times,- the way how somebody recently characterized this Coronavirus Age, we are facing.  We encounter the hurting, the lonely, the grieving, the needy of every kind that walk by every day. They reach out to us for help. Do we see them?  Do we hear them?  –Who is my neighbour?  That is not the right question. The right question is: – To whom am I neighbour? 

Anyone, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.                                  (The Epistle of James 4: 17)

LET US PRAY:

Living and loving God, reach out to all for whom the future seems uncertain or unwelcome, and bring the assurance that even in the darkest moments, the most worrying of times, You are there working out Your purpose; able to bring light out of darkness, hope out of despair, joy out of sorrow, and good out of evil. You came to our world through Christ to help, to heal, and to save. We pray for the sick and suffering, the poor and hungry, the oppressed and exploited, the lonely and unloved, the aged and infirm, the frightened and anxious, the sorrowful and the bereaved, the helpless and the hopeless. Reach out to them in Your love. Living and loving God, as we turn from brightest days to darkest times because of this Pandemic, there is so much need around us, in our neighbourhood, our town, our country, our world – so many people crying out for help. Show us where and how we can respond. Give us the means, the will, the commitment and the love to reach out where we can, how we can and when we can; offering in the name of Christ something of ourselves to others, even as He offered His all for us. Reach out to us all in Your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.     Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: – Our Father, who art in heaven…

TO THE ONLY GOD OUR SAVIOUR BE GLORY, MAJESTY, POWER AND AUTHORITY, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, BEFORE ALL AGES, NOW AND FOREVERMORE! AMEN.

(Jude, verse 25.)

Sandor, your Minister.     

GRACE, MERCY AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.         ( 1 Timothy 1: 2)

Welcome to our web-worship!

I WILL SING FOR THE ONE I LOVE A SONG ABOUT HIS VINEYARD: MY LOVED ONE HAD A VINEYARD ON A FERTILE HILLSIDE. HE DUG IT UP AND CLEARED IT OF STONES AND PLANTED IT WITH THE CHOICEST VINES. HE BUILT A WATCHTOWER IN IT AND CUT OUT A WINEPRESS AS WELL. THEN HE LOOKED FOR A CROP OF GOOD GRAPES, BUT IT YIELDED ONLY BAD FRUIT…

                                                                               (Isaiah 5: 1-2)

…TAKE THE TALENT FROM HIM AND GIVE IT TO THE ONE WHO HAS THE TEN TALENTS. FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS WILL BE GIVEN MORE, AND HE WILL HAVE AN ABUNDANCE. WHOEVER DOES NOT HAVE, EVEN WHAT HE HAS WILL BE TAKEN FROM HIM. AND THROW THAT WORTHLESS SERVANT OUTSIDE, INTO THE DARKNESS, WHERE THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.                    (Matthew 25: 28–30)

Please, read: ISAIAH 5: 1–7 and MATTHEW 25: 14–30.

Life is a gift of God. Planting it, God gave it the capability to yield good fruit. Tragically, there is time when life bears only bad fruit: the plant becomes wild by losing its breed and must be grafted or pruned, or… destroyed. Isaiah describes in a song the disappointment of the Owner and His readiness to give up and destroy the vineyard which didn’t produce the expected fruit. The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed: for righteousness, but heard cries of distress (Isaiah 5: 7), – says the Prophet. Eventually, the Owner-Gardener decided to keep the vineyard, going for a selective cultivation, maintaining the good plants and improving their productivity so the good fruit can be harvested. All it happens through Salvation in Christ as He said: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15: 1-2). These are the “whoever believes in him” shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3: 16), and this is how we have to understand Jesus’ parables on God’s Final Judgement, including the present Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25: 14-30.

Talent in ancient times was originally a weight of measurement of 30.2 kilogram / 66lb 9 oz. Its worth depended on the kind of – not perfect sized – coin, whether copper, silver, or gold, weighted for an overall value, and values of this kind needed to be invested to maintain or increase the worthiness. When Jesus told this parable, His listeners were aware of the reality of the message.

The word talent has come into the English language through this parable. Unfortunately, we think of talents primarily as personal abilities, such as singing, playing a musical instrument, or performing in sports. The reference to talent here is focused on whether or not an individual had used wisely the opportunities and spiritual gifts that God had entrusted to him or her. Think of your talent as a godly gift which the Almighty has entrusted you personally. What are you going to do with that trust?

None of these persons in the parable had equal gifts: to one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability (v.15). We all have different gifts of intelligence, physical ability, opportunities, tastes, advantages, initiative-capabilities. In this parable the challenge given to all the servants was to be faithful. The master did not say that they must be successful, to become famous or rich. What God requires of us regarding our gifts is faithfulness. The two servants who were faithful were thanked by their master and given other opportunities for service: – Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! (v. 21) Faithfulness always opens the door for greater service. God has never promised us wealth, prestige, fame or fortune, but a share in His Happiness, which no one can ever take away from us: – the Fullness of Life.

The parable focuses on the man with one talent. He is the one who receives condemnation from his master, losing his talent because he did not use it. If you do not use your muscles by exercising them, they become weaker. If you don’t use your mind, then your thinking abilities are not developed. The same is true with playing musical instruments or performing sports; continual practice is essential. Use it or lose it. It is a reality of life. The servant did not use his talent but buried it in the ground because he was afraid. There are many things we do not do in life out of fear, so in consequence we rather do nothing. Too often, in the face of evil, suffering, pain or the many needs around us, in fear that it may affect us as well, – we decide to do nothing. Our Lord said that words of praise would be given to those who gave a cup of cold water, visited individuals in prison and loneliness, and helped the sick in His name. His harshest words of rebuke were for those who saw human needs and did nothing. Jesus calls us to use our gifts by taking risks in life to advance in faith, rather than just being passive spectators of the events of life around us.

Most of us are ordinary people with average gifts. Many may feel having lesser gifts than others but remember, we all have some gift. These tragic, Pandemic infested times are harsh, sometimes even unbearable. People are suffering and dying of Covid-19 Coronavirus, families are separated, jobs are lost, incomes are cut short, the future seems bleak, anxiety grows, trust and confidence disappears. If ever, true Christianity is really needed now. Sometimes one person can make a huge difference. Look around and use your talents in the most practical way possible. In this island of tight communities, where our ancestors were so obviously supporting each other during those very difficult times, we are challenged again, – if we want to have God on our side – to be faithful servants, using our talents to share our master’s happiness. Look at the disciples Jesus chose. They were not greatly talented individuals by the world’s standards. He chose His disciples from fishermen and ordinary people and as they became Jesus’ followers – as we all are supposed to be – they gave their talents and even their whole lives to Him … and they’ve been richly blessed.

Amen.

LET US PRAY:

Father God, you tell us not to worry, but it is hard not to, for so much in our times and lives goes wrong. We see news pictures day after day of the Covid-19 Pandemic from across the world, and our hearts go out to those who suffer and die, who mourn and are trying to come to terms with their losses, who work and serve to alleviate this misery, and all who are desperate of the economic and social consequences of this terrible shock on our lives. We know, Lord, that faith offers no exemption from trouble, but help us to remember that you promise strength in time of need, peace in moments of turmoil and comfort in times of grief, and above all, a time when suffering and sorrow will be no more, and your love will be all in all. Loving God, we know that words have their place, but help us to balance them with deeds, putting what we say into practice. To not lose but use our talents in all the ways possible, loving, helping and reaching out to those in need around us. Show us what you would have us do and help us to do it, so that we may be not only pleasing in your sight but also useful in your service. Though we will always fall short, help us, we pray, to be a little more like Jesus, our lives in some way speaking to others of Him. Teach us, that faith in name only is no faith at all – that in order to be real it needs to be living. Hear us Lord, in our quiet prayers, as we bring before you loved ones… neighbours… friends… our Christian sisters and brothers from our fellowship… Church of Scotland… and everywhere… people of other faiths or none… leaders of nations and… whoever is in our heart and mind… Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: – Our Father, who art in heaven. AMEN.

SUGGESTED HYMN:

ALMIGHTY GOD, THY WORD IS CAST Like seed into the ground; Now let the dew of heaven descend and righteous fruits abound. 2.- Let not the foe of Christ and man This holy seed remove, But give it root in every heart To bring forth fruit of love.3- Let not the world’s deceitful cares The rising plant destroy, But let it yield a hundredfold The fruits of peace and joy. 4.- Oft as the precious seed is sown, Thy quickening grace bestow, That all whose souls the truth receive Its saving power may know.  (Church Hymnary 3 – 635)    

THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOUR SPIRIT. AMEN.                               (Philippians 4: 23)

Sandor, your Minister.

THROUGH CHRIST WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE FATHER BY ONE SPIRIT.        (Ephesians 2: 18)

Welcome to our Sunday morning web-worship!

…I WAS FILLED WITH DELIGHT DAY AFTER DAY, REJOICING ALWAYS IN HIS PRESENCE, REJOICING IN HIS WHOLE WORLD AND DELIGHTING IN MANKIND. (Proverbs 8: 22 – 31)

THEREFORE, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHOM WE HAVE GAINED ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE IN WHICH WE NOW STAND. AND WE REJOICE IN THE HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD. NOT ONLY SO, BUT WE ALSO REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SUFFERING PRODUCES PERSEVERENCE; PERSEVERENCE, CHARACTER; AND CHARACTER, HOPE. AND HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT US, BECAUSE GOD HAS POURED OUT HIS LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM HE HAS GIVEN US.

(Romans 5: 1 – 5)

Peace and Joy: this is what we are really missing in these tragic times of theCovid-19 Pandemic, and I hope and pray that we may regain them soon. Nevertheless, during the terrible Christian persecutions of the first century, Peace and Joy had to become the heart of God’s comforting message to the believers in Rome. In these verses from Chapter 5 of his Epistle to the Romans, Paul confesses how God remains present even in tragic circumstances of our lives.

I will always remember that once, during a “bumpy” flight somewhere above Asia, an old missionary friend of mine quietly said: – God never promises calm passages but safe landings. It was the most practical explanation I’ve ever heard on the theology of the RealPresence of God. The word TRINITY is never mentioned in the Bible, but it became unavoidable for the Church to define somehow God’s ever-present NATURE.  In His last words before Ascension, Jesus said to His disciples: …surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28: 20). Here lies the importance of Trinity Sunday. It is a reminder of the three-fold way of God’s presence in our lives, that despite the worst of situations we might face, the godly Peace and Joy can always remain ours.

John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the finest pieces of Christian literature ever composed. The allegory tells of Christian, who is on the journey of a lifetime, on his way from this world to the Celestial City. Along the way, he stumbles into the “slough of despondency”, and is almost overcome by the troubles that bog him down. But by God’s hand, he is lifted and set back on the road. He comes to a city named “Vanity Fair” and is almost captured in the superficiality and frivolity of that town. But again, God took him onward and set him on the road. Time and time again hardship arose, but God saw him always through. Finally, he comes to face the greatest test of all – the frightening “River of Death”. Across the dark and murky waters, he could see the Celestial City.  But in order to get there, he had to cross the river. Fearfully he looked for other ways to cross, but there were no other ways. Finally, his companion traveller, Hopeful, gets into the water, first ankle deep, then knees deep, then waist deep. From midway of the river, he turns and shouts back to Christian on the shore: – Be of good hope, brother Christian, I have found the bottom – and it is good.

Tragedy in some form comes to all people. Sooner or later, in some way, we all taste some tragic moments. Some great sacrifice, even as with Christ, will be required of us. There will be a lonely road, a steep mountain, a dream unfulfilled, physical or spiritual hurt, an unavoidable human experience. The question is: when they come, how do we respond? The option is always there, the way of faith or the way of no-faith. The Gospel of John tells us (Chapter 6), that after feeding the five thousand, Jesus taught them about being saved through faith in Him and at that point many walked away, until finally Jesus was left alone with the Twelve. To them He asked, – You do not want to leave too, do you? There was the option. And Simon Peter responded: – Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6: 68).

We live in an uncertain world, full of life-threatening dangers and tragedies, as God’s people always have. If nothing else, then even a tiny invisible virus can bring us to this reality. We do not choose tragedy, but we can learn to live with a healthy attitude toward tragic events whenever they come. Look again to our New Testament text: we are justified through faith, made right with God. There is Peace. There is Grace. There is Perseverance. There is Character. There is Hope. There is Love.

Here we have it: the Christian way of life that makes all the difference because God never disappoints us. God the Creator became our Saviour, Whose Holy Power poured out into our lives testifies with us to whom we belong : THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT, ONE ETERNAL GOD, – for ever.

AMEN.

Suggested Hymns:

 ALL PRAISE AND THANKS TO GOD The Father now be given, The Son, and Him who reigns With them in highest heaven, – The One, eternal God, Whom earth and heaven adore; For thus it was, is now, And shall be ever more. Amen.  (Church Hymnary, 659.)

UNTO GOD BE PRAISE AND HONOUR; To the Father, to the Son, To the mighty Spirit, glory – Ever Three and ever One: Power and glory in the highest While eternal ages run. Amen.    (Church Hymnary, 660.)

LET US PRAY:

God, the Father, who has delivered us from darkness and transferred us to be saved by Your beloved Son, we worship You. God, the Son, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, who makes us new creatures, we worship You. God, the Holy Spirit, who leads us so that we are sons of God, fellow-heirs with Christ, we worship you. God, most holy, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, eternally One God in Three Persons, and Three Persons in One God, we worship and adore You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless us Lord God with the vision of Your Glory: that we may know You as the Father who created us, rejoice in You as the Son who redeemed us, and gain peace in You, the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies us to worship and  glorify You, Holy Trinity, One, Eternal God. (part of a 5^th Century prayer).  Loving God, we recognize our need of You; help us to acknowledge everything You have given us as demonstrations of the wonder of Your love, the constancy of Your care and the greatness of Your grace. Teach us to trust in You, and so fill us again with peace, joy and hope.

We bring before You, O God, the particular problems of our age: poverty, hunger, insecurity, greed, complacency, faithlessness. We continue to pray for everyone affected in any way by this Covid-19 virus here in Skye, Scotland, Britain and the world; for those who work, heal, serve, lead in these difficult times, or just simply make life a little bit easier for others. Bless us Lord God with all our loved ones, and reveal to us Your RealPresence in our lives, Holy Trinity, One Eternal God.

AMEN.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: – OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN…

MAY THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THE LOVE OF GOD AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BE WITH US ALL, NOW AND FOR EVER MORE.   AMEN.

Sandor, your Minister.