Intimations

BE STRONG AND TAKE HEART, ALL YOU WHO HOPE IN THE LORD.                                    (Psalm 31: 24)

WELCOME TO OUR SUNDAY WEB-WORSHIP.

OLD TESTAMENT READING: – ISAIAH 59: 10.

LIKE THE BLIND WE GROPE ALONG THE WALL, FEELING OUR WAY LIKE MEN WITHOUT EYES. AT MIDDAY WE STUMBLE AS IF IT WERE TWILIGHT; AMONG THE STRONG, WE ARE LIKE THE DEAD.

NEW TESTAMENT READING: – 1 JOHN 5: 9 – 13.

WE ACCEPT MAN’S TESTIMONY, BUT GOD’S TESTIMONY IS GREATER BECAUSE IT IS THE TESTIMONY OF GOD, WHICH HE HAS GIVEN ABOUT HIS SON. ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE SON OF GOD HAS THIS TESTIMONY IN HIS HEART. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE GOD HAS MADE HIM OUT TO BE A LIAR, BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED THE TESTIMONY GOD HAS GIVEN ABOUT HIS SON. AND THIS IS THE TESTIMONY: GOD HAS GIVEN US ETERNAL LIFE, AND THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON. HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS LIFE; HE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE SON OF GOD DOES NOT HAVE LIFE. I WRITE THESE THINGS TO YOU WHO BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF THE SON OF GOD SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

The Babylonian Exile was a dark and testing period in the history of ancient Israel. It started with a two-stage deportation – 597 and 587 BC – by the victorious army of King Nebuchadnezzar II, and presumably ended with the conquest of Babylon by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 538 BC. There is archaeological evidence of large Jewish settlements and a so-called assignment list of prisoner-slaves from those times, receiving portions of food to be kept alive for hard labour. The return from exile was a long process of waves of returnees, back into their devastated homeland and homes. They came out of these places singing “lament psalms,” expressing very raw emotions, bringing before God what was ugly, unjust, and painful and asking the Lord to do something about it.  Psalm 137 is probably the most representative description of their situation, but our verse from the contemporary Prophet Isaiah – 59: 10 – goes down to the very root of their question: – How to be certain in an uncertain world?

We live in an uncertain world today, and in it, as Christians, we do our best to live with certainty. But change is always around us, and each change brings its own uncertainty, testing our faith and hope in God. In the little letter of 1 John, the word know or to know is used  forty-three times to describe our experience with God, in order to gain certainty for our faith. This we know: God loves us. Jesus died for us. We have eternal life in His Name. These we can count on always. When defined as mystery, uncertainty is next to holiness. Moses stood before the burning bush, not knowing what was happening, wanting to know WHO was challenging him. And GOD HAD REVEALED HIMSELF to Moses, turning him to be the man of God. We cannot know it all. All our questions are not always answered. But we are given the Word of God, the source of all the Revelations of God’s love for us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, and the eternal life offered in His Name for all those who believe in Him. It is that touch of mystery that feels so good when our worship is real.

CHANGING WORLD. Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher, spoke of change as being the only constant in the universe. We understand that. – “No man can step into the same river twice,” – he wrote. In an instant of time the river changes. Upstream somewhere a leaf or a tree has fallen in and from that moment the river is not the same. The waters that pass by travel on, never to pass by this way again, and the river is not the same. As one who had passed many rivers,  I am often reminded that I myself  am constantly changing, because of the impacts I am exposed to all the time, in this life. Is change the only constant reality in this earthly life? Perhaps so, except God and His Love that never changes! There is a kind of uncertainty that is really lack of faith, and this uncertainty yields utter confusion; it can be deadly for hope in God.  Within the church to which John wrote, there was a complicated and confusing deviation of the Christian faith, a heresy that had to be strongly condemned in the early Church, called GNOSTICISM. It taught that God is good but separated from the world, that in each person there exists a “spark” of God that can find its way back to God if we have the “right knowledge”, and only a few special people will discover it. Because the world was evil, Jesus wasn’t human, and because He wasn’t human, He didn’t really die. Sound confusing? It is, because it’s man’s testimony. God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son (1 John 5: 9). Earlier in the letter John says there are three witnesses (instead of two, required by the Hebrew Law), and these are: Spirit, Blood, and Water. Here is the witness of John’s Gospel: Jesus was real person, born of water – witness of baptism. He was God’s atonement – witness of blood; and the Spirit reveals both. After all, God is the witness, and God is the testimony, the true Revelation we all need. Jesus always said that he knew where He came from and He knows where He is going. That’s the kind of certainty that matters. When things like that are settled, we can relax – and perhaps not until then. Infallible human knowledge is always suspect to me.

OUR UNCHANGEABLE GOD. What we are promised is that, here and now, there can be given to each one of us a share in the very life of God – says William Barclay. In God, there is peace; and, therefore, eternal life means serenity. It means a life liberated from fears which haunt the human situation. In God, there is power; and, therefore, eternal life means the defeat of frustration. It means a life filled with the power of God and, therefore, victorious over circumstance. In God, there is holiness; and, therefore, eternal life means the defeat of sin. It means a life clothed with the purity of God and armed against contamination from a wicked world. In God, there is love; and, therefore, eternal life means the end of bitterness and hatred. It means a life which has the love of God in its heart and the undefeatable love of men and women in all its feelings and in all its actions. In God, there is life; and, therefore, eternal life means the defeat of death. It means a life which is indestructible because it has in it the indestructibility of God Himself. (William Barclay: – The Letters of John, – New Daily Study Bible, – page: 128).

Do we know God? Yes, but at best only superficially. God is greater than our knowledge and experience. Therefore, real certainty requires faith, as a gift of God, to make our biblical knowledge useful. Christian certainty declares, in proper humility, that God is in control, that God is our authority, our Creator, Saviour, and Judge – and that in His care we find peace for our souls. God is Love, Jesus is our Saviour, and so, heaven is our home. Those things we must certainly be sure of. Between here and there, between earth and heaven, we may discover much we will be unable to understand. But the sure knowledge and heartfelt confidence in Christ is enough, because this is in fact the proper definition of the Christian Faith.

1 John 5: 13, – I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. It seems that the Covid-19 Pandemic rules life on Earth these days. But not my life, my faith, my hope. God’s Love is still above all in Christ!

LET US PRAY: – LIVING AND LOVING GOD, we thank You that in this restless, shifting world, You remain the same; that though so much around us is changing, Your love continues unaltered, Your mercy uninterrupted, and Your purpose and grace unaffected. Though in these Pandemic-stressed times societies and lifestyles may evolve beyond recognition, You remain constant, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We thank You for that knowledge, and for the assurance that You are with us both now and forevermore. Teach us, Lord, that committing our lives to You is not enough; that there is always more to be explored, experienced, and learned of Your love. Lead us to an ever-deeper understanding of who and what You are. Show us where we need to change, where our faith is lacking, and help us each day to move a little further from what we’ve been to what You would have us be. Where our faith is shallow, deepen it; where it is weak, strengthen it; where it is lacking, supply it; where it is stunted, help it truly to grow. Give us, Lord, a faith that is old yet young: childlike but not childish, youthful yet mature, innocent yet wise, simple yet profound. Help us to be Your children, now and always. Help us to see Christ, through Your Holy Spirit, in the world around us, in one another, in the life and witness of Your Church, in the experience of prayer, and in so much more, Your light shining in our darkness, Your love illuminating our lives. Give us insight to discern You, wisdom to know You, and a heart to love You. Reach out to all who are troubled today and bring them true and lasting inner contentment, healing, comfort, support. Bless Your Christian Church Universal in all its branches, our Church of Scotland in all its Presbyteries and Congregations. Be with all Your children here in our Parish as we plan to re-open our church for Sunday-worship and help us to make and keep it safe from infections. Be with those who won’t be able to join us there and hear our individual prayers for all those whom we name now … through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

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

SUGGESTED HYMN: – TELL OUT, MY SOUL, the greatness of the Lord! Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice; tender to me the promise of His word; In God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His Name! Make known His might, the deeds His arm has done; His mercy sure, from age to age the same; His holy Name – the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of His might! Powers and dominions lay their glory by. Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight, the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of His Word! Firm is His promise, and His mercy sure. Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord to children’s children and for evermore!

MAY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF AND GOD OUR FATHER, WHO LOVED US AND BY HIS GRACE GAVE US ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND GOOD HOPE, ENCOURAGE YOUR HEARTS AND STRENGTHEN YOU IN EVERY GOOD DEED AND WORD… THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU ALL.     AMEN.         (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 3:18)

Sandor, your Minister.

GRACE AND PEACE TO YOU FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.  (1 Corinthians 1: 3)

WELCOME TO OUR SUNDAY WEB-WORSHIP!

OLD TESTAMENT READING: – PSALM 91: 1

HE WHO DWELLS IN THE SHELTER OF THE MOST HIGH WILL REST IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY.

NEW TESTAMENT READING: – JOHN 14: 27; 20: 19-20.

(JESUS SAID) – PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU; MY PEACE I GIVE YOU. I DO NOT GIVE TO YOU AS THE WORLD GIVES. DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED AND DO NOT BE AFRAID.   ON THE EVENING OF THAT FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, WHEN THE DISCIPLES WERE TOGETHER, WITH THE DOORS LOCKED FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS, JESUS CAME AND STOOD AMONG THEM AND SAID, “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” AFTER HE SAID THIS, HE SHOWED THEM HIS HANDS AND SIDE. THE DISCIPLES WERE OVERJOYED WHEN THEY SAW THE LORD. 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair” (Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities). Unsurprisingly, these lyrical words could easily be a description of our own situation today.

The world, as we knew it, has been changed – perhaps forever. As new infection-clusters appear all over the country, including here in Skye, and people still don’t know exactly how to respond to the new challenges of Covid-19 Pandemic, anxiety and fear grows. In an age characterised by self-centred behaviour, the demand to follow rules for avoiding exposure to infection, as lockdowns, school-closures, holiday-cancellations, self-isolations, and quarantines – make life even more different and difficult will the world be ever the same again?

Practising church as we did before this crisis may not be possible for quite a while, although we are planning to soon re-open our church for Sunday-morning worships; but this current panic can serve as a reminder that the church is not brick, stone and mortar; rather, is the people whom God has gathered to enjoy fellowship with Him and one another despite the circumstances (New-normal?!). We can endlessly receive the much-needed Peace of God, which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4: 7) through the work of the same Spirit of the Risen Christ, as it was given to the disciples at the first Easter. Earlier, as Jesus prepared His disciples for His Passion and for the fact that He would soon be leaving this world, he encouraged them by giving a comforting promise: – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you … not … as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. And then … as the Risen Lord returned, found them together, with the doors locked for fear.

THE WORLD’S PEACE. – Earth dwellers do seek peace, but somehow never find what they are looking for: – They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6: 14). Uncertainty does cause people to react in an attempt to protect themselves. They anticipate some evil action falling upon them and they either want to flee for safety or prepare to protect themselves for what they think will become a crisis. The world does want peace, but it has defined peace in a way that is unattainable. Those living in this world want stability of their conditions in which they live; but the world has always been a very unstable place. People want to be left undisturbed, privacy being paramount, so that they can properly enjoy life. People want to be assured that all will be always calm, prosperous, and well, with no danger of anything ever changing, but such conditions are unattainable as long as lives are unsatisfied, and hearts unsettled. The endless pursuit of something to always satisfy the restless heart, will bring unexpected failures, disappointments and angry reactions. John D. Rockefeller was at one time the world’s richest man. On one occasion a reporter asked him how much money would be enough for him. Rockefeller’s response was: – “Just a little bit more.” The Wise Man of the Book of Ecclesiastes was aware that there is a restlessness that marks the life of people. They want what they say is PEACE, but the definition of that pursued peace is quite different from the peace that actually satisfies. Many years after Solomon wrote his assessment of mankind, Apostle John said this: – For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever (1 John 2: 16-17).

THE PEACE OF GOD. –My peace I give you – said Jesus – Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Well, what does Jesus give to not have troubled hearts and to not be afraid, not even of the spread and deadliness of the Coronavirus? Jesus does not promise us conditions ensuring that we will be undisturbed. What He has promised is that whoever follows Him, will have something quite different from mere existence. We possess a new quality of life in the Risen Christ, identified as ETERNAL LIFE, enabling us to realistically assess this present existence, weighing it in the light of what is permanent for us through the grace of God. The one who follows the Saviour will be secure in the knowledge that they will be eternally safe with the Lord beside. For in this HOPE we were saved– says Apostle Paul – But hope that is seen is not hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us… (Romans 8: 24-26). Paul is not denying that the children of God suffer. If our focus is fixed solely on our present situation, anxiety and despair can overtake our faith. And yet, the one who follows the Lord has received a promise that what is now is not even worthy of comparison with what is soon to be revealed. In a world where everyone of us is increasingly exposed to this present crisis, we should not be insensible to the panic that surrounds us; but as Christians we must not surrender to the panic. Christ has promised PEACE, and each follower of the Lord can know and have that peaceful heart, even now.

The disciples were locked up inside their house because of fear, and as the day went on their anxiety grew and grew. Two thousand years later the same is true for us. We are fearful of the things that might harm us. We are concerned over the Coronavirus, and if we would become ill, we fear we might end up dying from it. We are afraid of what this pandemic means for us socially as well as economically. Stress is on the rise. Then … Jesus enters the anxiety-filled room and says, – Peace be with you!  Into the disciples’ fears – into our fears – the Risen Christ brings His PEACE, because His very presence is the source of all PEACEFULNESS. In fact, He is the Prince of Peace.

On the evening of April 3^rd, 1968, one day before his assassination, in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King said at a church-meeting: -We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it does not matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop, and I don’t mind. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. May the Peace of God fill you with hope both for the present and the future!     AMEN.

LET US PRAY:

GRACIOUS LORD GOD, thank You for wanting us to enjoy a meaningful relationship with You. Not one of master and slave, lord and servant, but as part of Your family, Your care, Your peacefulness. Keep our faith real, fresh and alive. May it never become a matter of habit or duty. Nurture and nourish our relationship with You, so that our love for You may remain natural, deep and sincere. Teach us that there is nothing needed on our part other than to believe, worship and celebrate what You have done for us, and to accept the relationship You have made possible. You have offered the way to life; help us to take it. Deep in our souls we long for You, our hearts being restless without Your Peace. Help us to know the peace that comes through knowing Christ; to experience the tranquillity of spirit, calm within, that You promise to all who follow Him. We have tasted it on occasions, enough to know how special it is, but our spirit is all too often restless and our mind troubled by fears and worries that invade us in these long and hard times of pandemic. Teach us to entrust ourselves solely into Your hands so that we may find rest for our souls, a quietness of body, mind and spirit that nothing will ever be able to shake. Reveal Yourself afresh to us in Christ, fill us again with Your Spirit. Enfold us once more in Your love and help us to recognise Your presence beside and within us. Thank You for the peace You promise, not removed from this world, but found amid the troubles, the stresses and strains of the daily routine. Open our hearts to that special gift beyond understanding, and may it touch each moment of every day. Reach out to all who are troubled, who crave peace yet cannot find it, and answer their fears, their hurts, their emptiness.  Bring help and healing to all who need You in these times of trouble, anxiety and fear. Give us Your Word of Peace that we may find quietness for our mind and rest for our souls. Hear our quiet, personal prayers . . . through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord.                    AMEN.

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

SUGGESTED HYMN:

BE STILL, MY SOUL: the Lord is on thy side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to thy God to order and provide; in every change He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake to guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be for ever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD. AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS. (Philippians 4: 6-7)             AMEN.

Sandor, your Minister.

TEACH ME YOUR WAY, O LORD, AND I WILL WALK IN YOUR TRUTH; GIVE ME AN UNDIVIDED HEART, THAT I MAY FEAR YOUR NAME.                                                           (Psalm 86: 11)

WELCOME TO OUR SUNDAY WEB-WORSHIP!

Old Testament Reading: – EXODUS 13: 21 – 22.

BY DAY THE LORD WENT AHEAD OF THEM IN A PILLAR OF CLOUD TO GUIDE THEM ON THEIR WAY AND BY NIGHT IN A PILLAR OF FIRE TO GIVE THEM LIGHT, SO THAT THEY COULD TRAVEL BY DAY OR BY NIGHT. NEITHER THE PILLAR OF CLOUD BY DAY NOR THE PILLAR OF FIRE BY NIGHT LEFT ITS PLACE IN FRONT OF THE PEOPLE.

New Testament Reading: JOHN 14: 1 – 7.

“DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. TRUST IN GOD; TRUST ALSO IN ME. IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE ARE MANY ROOMS; IF IT WERE NOT SO, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU. I AM GOING THERE TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. AND IF I GO AND PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU, I WILL COME BACK AND TAKE YOU TO BE WITH ME THAT YOU ALSO MAY BE WHERE I AM. YOU KNOW THE WAY TO THE PLACE WHERE I AM GOING.” THOMAS SAID TO HIM, “LORD, WE DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, SO HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY?” JESUS ANSWERED, “I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO-ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME, YOU WOULD KNOW MY FATHER AS WELL. FROM NOW ON, YOU DO KNOW HIM AND HAVE SEEN HIM.”

Exodus from Egypt took forty years of wandering in the wilderness for God’s people. This was a time of hardship and miracles, but also a period of faithful experience of God’s loving presence in their midst, leading, protecting and feeding them all the way to the Promised Land. Gradually they realized that the Lord never gives up on His people; salvation is not a promise, but the reality of God’s Peace.

Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic life in the world is been turned upside down and troubled hearts are so common today. Confusion, uncertainty, unpredictability surrounds the news every day. Our hearts are becoming more and more troubled, indeed. What can a Christian do? Is it enough to hear Jesus saying again, as He said to His disciples long ago: – Do not let your hearts be troubled?!

It was the final night of Jesus’ life. By this time next day Jesus will have been executed on the cross and placed in a tomb. Judas has already been identified as the betrayer and Jesus is left with the other eleven disciples. After telling them to love one another as Jesus has loved them, He tells that He is going to lay down His life for them and that Peter will disown Him three times before the rooster crows. Then, these verses mark the beginning of Jesus’ farewell talk. He seeks to bring comfort to His disciples, but they were simply unable to understand it. What Jesus meant was that everything in this world is temporary. One day all of it will be gone, including ourselves, so we need to learn to trust even, when we do not see the substance of our faith. This is why Jesus said, – do not let your hearts be troubled. Telling His disciples that He knows that they trust in God, Jesus reminds them of His Resurrection, often told already, and therefore was this demand to believe in Him also. He needs to leave them – He said – going to His Father in Heaven, to prepare a place for them there, and then, coming back, will take them to be with Him in the Father’s house, together. It will be a continual abiding, dwelling with God as we relate to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – all at once.

There is no mention of prayer here. The disciples were so busy asking and listening rather than praying. Whenever I wake up during a night and my mind starts spinning and I suddenly find myself contemplating things, – including the Covid-19 Pandemic, – my heart becomes troubled and falling back to sleep is really difficult. Believing in the power of prayer, I cross my fingers in the Christian way and concentrate on the beautiful words of the Lord’s Prayer; gradually my peacefulness is restored, my troubled heart calms down and sleep returns. I learned this from my father, who practiced it during his time spent in a Soviet concentration camp, and afterwards. Try, and you will find it more helpful than the anxious thoughts of the day. That is the message Jesus was trying to get across to the disciples, to calm their spirits, to bring them confidence and comfort in the hard and testing times ahead of them: – do not let your hearts be troubled!

Thomas was cleverer than we think. In fact, he quoted Jesus in his question about not knowing where he is going, from John 13: 36 , – where Jesus replied: – Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later. Jesus’ response is powerful. This is the sixth statement made with “I AM”: – I am the way and the truth and the life. The emphasis of the declaration is on “THE WAY”. Jesus is the WAY to the Father because He is the TRUTH OF GOD and the LIFE OF GOD. Jesus is the TRUTH because He embodies the supreme revelation of God. He is the disclosure of God. Jesus does not simply say that He is blazing a trail and commanding others to take the way He takes. Rather, that He is the way. The reality and truth of God are bound in Jesus. This is the heart of Christian Dogmatic: – “True saving faith requires continuing belief in Jesus”, and: “Apart from Jesus, there is no salvation”. The TRUTH is that Jesus is the only WAY to a restored, eternal LIFE.

Verse 7 elaborates. If you know Jesus, then you know the Father. If you believe in Jesus, then you believe in God the Father. If you have a relationship with Jesus, then you have a relationship with the Father. Imagine what the first century followers of Jesus were called by the world, and even how they called themselves. They were called: – THE WAY (Book of Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22: 4; 24:14, 22). This is how we must interpret Jesus’ descriptions and promises here in the Gospel of John. Jesus is light and we are to be the light. Jesus is the way and we are to be the way that leads others to God. The TRUTH is that the Promised Land could been reached by God’s people only through the guidance and saving presence of the Lord.

The challenge for these disciples would was to not believe in what their eyes would see in less than 24 hours. Jesus will be arrested and killed. But their faith was not based on what their eyes would witness over the next 24 hours, because Jesus already promised that He would be Raised on the third day, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16), and this is the answer for our troubled hearts. Do not believe in what is going on in this world. Believe in God and believe in Jesus. God is not dead. God is ruling. God is at work in His Creation. God is accomplishing His purposes. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Here, Jesus gives the prescription for troubled hearts. Have faith in Jesus. He prepared a place for you through the cross. He promised to come back and bring to Himself all those who believe in Him. We know the way to our Father’s House: Jesus. Follow Jesus. Jesus is the WAY, because if you know Him, then you have the access to God the Father, and Jesus reveals the TRUTH in order to offer us the highest quality of LIFE, found only in God.

In verse 27 of Chapter 14 Jesus said: – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.     AMEN.

LET US PRAY:

Almighty Lord God, thank You that we can place ourselves in Your care, knowing that the same hands have fashioned the universe and brought this world into being through Your love in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Teach us to never underestimate Your strength; never to lose sight of the power of love, the might of truth, or the force of good, which is life in its fullness. Remind us that nothing in heaven or earth, the present or the future, will finally be able to frustrate Your purpose, for You are able to turn sorrow to joy, darkness to light, and death to life – Your love being stronger than all. Living God, thank You that though we are weak, you are strong, always there when we need You, to protect, defend and support. Thank You that in a world of change, You are our rock; that in a world of uncertainty, You are solid ground beneath our feet; that in a world of danger, You are our refuge. Thank You that, wherever life’s journeys take us, You are always there, our strength and salvation in time of need: WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE in Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us, to glimpse Your light even when life is at its darkest. Though the night of sorrow, fear, pain or doubt closes in, may a glimmer of Your love shine through – a glimpse of Your presence, sufficient to sustain faith, nourish hope and impart peace into troubled hearts. When troubles turn life sour, leaving a nasty taste of faithlessness or threatening the goals we have worked for, save us from resentment or self-pity, from growing bitter. Help us to trust in Your transforming touch, able to work in all things for good. Thank You, Lord, for time and again, and in all kinds of ways, You have come to our aid and delivered us. Though danger threatens, and trouble is near, teach us that we have nothing to fear. Be with us and hear our spoken and unspoken prayers … for Your Church… the World… those who struggle with life…for our Congregation … loved ones…and ourselves… through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.         AMEN.

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

SUGGESTED HYMN:

SHOW ME THY WAYS, O Lord; Thy paths, O teach Thou me: and do Thou lead me in Thy truth, therein my teacher be:

Thy tender mercies, Lord, I pray Thee to recall, and loving-kindnesses; for they have been through ages all.

My sins and faults of youth do Thou, O Lord, forget: after Thy mercy think on me, and for Thy goodness great.

God good and upright is; the way He’ll sinners show. The meek in judgement He will guide and make His path to know.

The whole paths of the Lord are truth and mercy sure, to those that do His covenant keep, and testimonies pure.

To Thee be glory, Lord, Whom heaven and earth adore, to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, One God for evermore. Amen.

…IN ALL…THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US… NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE, NEITHER ANGELS NOR DEMONS, NEITHER THE PRESENT NOR THE FUTURE, NOR ANY POWERS, NEITHER HEIGHT NOR DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.  (Romans 8: 37 – 39)            AMEN.

Sandor, your Minister.

MY SOUL FINDS REST IN GOD ALONE; MY SALVATION COMES FROM HIM. HE ALONE IS MY ROCK AND MY SALVATION; HE IS MY FORTRESS, I WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN.

                                                                                   (Psalm 62: 1 -2)

WELCOME TO OUR SUNDAY WEB-WORSHIP!

OLD TESTAMENT READING: – EXODUS 15: 1 – 18

THEN MOSES AND THE ISRAELITES SANG THIS SONG TO THE LORD: “I WILL SING TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS HIGHLY EXALTED. THE HORSE AND ITS RIDER HE HAS HURLED INTO THE SEA. THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG; HE HAS BECOME MY SALVATION. HE IS MY GOD, AND I WILL PRAISE HIM, MY FATHER’S GOD, AND I WILL EXALT HIM … IN YOUR UNFAILING LOVE YOU WILL LEAD THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE REDEEMED. IN YOUR STRENGTH YOU WILL GUIDE THEM TO YOUR HOLY DWELLING.”            (Exodus 15: 1, 2, 13)

NEW TESTAMENT READING: – JOHN 6: 16 – 21

WHEN EVENING CAME, HIS DISCIPLES WENT DOWN TO THE LAKE, WHERE THEY GOT INTO A BOAT AND SET OFF ACROSS THE LAKE FOR CAPERNAUM. BY NOW IT WAS DARK, AND JESUS HAD NOT YET JOINED THEM. A STRONG WIND WAS BLOWING AND THE WATERS GREW ROUGH. WHEN THEY HAD ROWED THREE OR THREE AND A HALF MILES, THEY SAW JESUS APPROACHING THE BOAT, WALKING ON THE WATER; AND THEY WERE TERRIFIED. BUT HE SAID TO THEM, “IT IS I; DON’T BE AFRAID.” THEN THEY WERE WILLING TO TAKE HIM INTO THE BOAT, AND IMMEDIATELY THE BOAT REACHED THE SHORE WHERE THEY WERE HEADING.

Jesus had just finished the miracle of feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, then, he sent the disciples on their way, and went up the mountain to pray. Evening came, and the disciples got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. A strong wind was blowing, and the waters grew rough. Storms on the Lake of Galilee are sudden and dangerous; it must have been terrifying to row in the dark, not knowing where Jesus might be.

We can identify ourselves with these disciples. Like them, who were caught up in that dark, fierce storm and were terrified – we too have to face our fears. We face all kinds of fears today: a fear of cancer, a fear of losing our spouse and becoming a widow, a fear of financial insecurity and unemployment, a fear of not knowing where and how will we spend our last years of our lives, etc. But above all, we are faced with a storm that scares us to death – the storm called Coronavirus. It is scary, it is deadly and highly contagious. It has taken already the lives of almost one million people, infecting more than twenty-two million. It is in practically every country of the world. You can not even know you have it and still give it to others. It just continues to spread. It seems unstoppable! It is all we hear on the news and still wait responsibly to re-open our church for worship. Yes, we too are in a terrible storm and we are terrified!

In that dark night, Jesus appeared walking on the stormy waters, coming to the boat of His disciples, saying: It is I; don’t be afraid.      A comforting message for those who belonged to Him there and then, as well as for us here and now.

– Saw Jesus…walking on the water. Jesus reflects on God the Father, walking on the waters during the Creation in Genesis chapter one, showing us His Deity, power, and care. Moses’ crossing of the Red Sea with Israel is intended to show God’s saving power, protection, and care, so beautifully described in The Song of Moses and Miriam (Exodus 15). In addition, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha all did water miracles. Matthew even adds to John’s story the accounts of Peter walking out to Jesus as He comes to the boat (Matthew 14: 22-36).

– Terrified. Here is a typical, scary scene of a dark, powerful storm in the middle of a large lake, and it does not take much imagination to picture the disciples’ plight. So, when they saw a man walking on the waters, it must have caused considerable fright, especially since Jesus was not with them, or so they thought. But Jesus was there – as He is always near and ever coming – but they had to recognize Him before they could trust Him.

– It is I; don’t be afraid. This sentence refers to a Deity, literally to the self-revelation of God, “I AM WHO I AM”, as the name God used to reveal who He was to Moses (Exodus 3: 14). This is also a promise of God, meaning we have freedom from fear, as our Lord is our partner in life and faith. It also means we must keep the faith, keep it going and never give up, but put our confidence and trust in the Lord. The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea led by Moses remained, for the people of God, an eternal thanksgiving memento for the salvation of the Lord.

– Were willing to take Him into the boat. This is a necessary act of faith that is easy to be done when we can see; however, we usually cannot see in a storm. But we cannot wait until it clears up and the storm calms down, so we must trust, obey and believe in Him who comes to save. Do not let doubts and fears adjoin to the storm!

– Immediately the boat reached the shore. Meaning that they arrived at their destination without a problem or that there were no more problems because the Lord is the One who leads, directs, and comforts. But also, this might be another miracle, often overlooked and even greater; the disciples could have passed through space and time, taken to their destination in the blink of an eye like Ezekiel was (Ezekiel 8: 3). Or in Jesus’ words: – What is impossible with men is possible with God (Luke 18: 27).

We, as Christians, need to know that storms will come; storms always come. Either we are in a storm, coming out of a storm, or in the eye of a storm, but not seeing it. We will all experience rough times, either because of our mistakes or from the misdeeds of others that affect us. Since most of humanity is interconnected in one way or another, all our actions and decisions affect others, either for the good or for the bad. The deadly Coronavirus, carried and dispersed by humans to humans through negligence and selfish indifference, has developed into a stressful humanitarian disaster.

The disciples were asking, where is the Lord? Why is He not helping in this storm? The disciples must have wondered what had happened; they had expected a new age to dawn, a great Heavenly Kingdom to come, yet they went from that high hope to such a low point mentally, spiritually, and physically. It seemed that Jesus sent them from the mountain top experience of joy into a major storm, from fame to threat to danger. Then … when all seemed lost, Jesus came. He literally walked on the water in the midst of a storm that had stuck them in the middle of the lake, perhaps even facing death, – to save them, and to take them safely on to the other shore.

We will all face fame and joys; we will also face threats and perils, and when it seems that no one cares or is looking, Jesus will come. Yet did He ever leave? No! We have to know and not forget that Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us. He never leaves. He is there, always there, even when it is hard to see Him, He is just a prayer away! Jesus cuts across life’s obstacles and miraculously intervenes in the storms of lives. He is there, and He says to us, – It is I; do not be afraid! – completing what Isaiah 43: 1 says: – Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  Amen.

LET US PRAY:

LORD OUR GOD, thank You that when the storms of life rage, and when waves of trouble and turmoil threaten to overwhelm us, You find us as You found your disciples, walking to them in the middle of the night through the stormy waters of Lake Galilee. Thank You for being to us a refuge and strength, a calmness deep within, and the peace that passes all understanding. We thank You for Your encircling love and purpose; Your gentle Word and touch that quietens our soul. Help us, whenever we need it, to find a haven in You, so that we may return to the stormy everyday life determined to serve You more effectively as we live out our faith. Teach us, Lord, that as well as ups, life will inevitably bring downs: pain as well as pleasure, tears as well as laughter. Help us to understand that in this life, there are two sides of the same coin, light bringing shadow and happiness heartache, but teach us also that You can use both to draw us closer to You until the time when sorrow and darkness will be no more. Whatever the problems we may face, Lord, in life or in death, teach us that You are greater than them all and that, in Your strength, we are assured of final victory. Help us to stay with You, whatever the journey of faith may bring us. In times of testing, give strength. In times of despair, give hope. In times of sorrow, give comfort. In times of hurt, give healing. Teach us that however demanding the journey may seem, You will be there with us. Lord, still the storm of the Covid-19 Pandemic in our lives – of fear and anxiety, tragedy, trauma, suffering, grief, and trouble. Still the other storms in our world – of injustice and intolerance, conflicts and wars, famine and malnutrition, drought and flood. Calm the waves and bring true and lasting peace for our souls. Bless Christians here and everywhere, people of other faiths or none. Enable Your people to return and worship You anew in our churches and with thankful hearts glorify Your salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, both now and for ever more.        AMEN.

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

SUGGESTED HYMN: –

COME, LET US TO THE LORD OUR GOD with contrite hearts return; our God is gracious, nor will leave the desolate to mourn.

His voice commands the tempest forth, and stills the stormy wave; and though His arm be strong to smite, ‘tis also strong to save.

Long hath the night of sorrow reigned, the dawn shall bring us light: God shall appear, and we shall rise with gladness in His sight.

Our hearts, if God we seek to know, shall know Him, and rejoice; His coming like the morn shall be, like morning songs His voice.

As dew upon the tender herb, diffusing fragrance round; as showers that usher in the spring, and cheer the thirsty ground:

So shall His presence bless our souls, and shed a joyful light; that hallowed morn shall chase away the sorrows of the night.

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.         AMEN.                    (Psalm 28: 8-9)

Sandor, your Minister.

GRACE AND PEACE TO YOU FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.  

(2 Corinthians 1: 2)

WELCOME TO OUR SUNDAY WEB-WORSHIP!

OLD TESTAMENT READING: – PSALM 107: 1

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOR EVER.

NEW TESTAMENT READING: – JOHN 5: 1 – 15

… WHEN JESUS SAW HIM LYING THERE (AN INVALID FOR THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS, AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA TO BE HEALED) AND LEARNED THAT HE HAD BEEN IN THIS CONDITION FOR A LONG TIME, HE ASKED HIM, -“DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?” – “SIR,” THE INVALID REPLIED, – “I HAVE NO ONE TO HELP ME INTO THE POOL WHEN THE WATER IS STIRRED. WHILE I AM TRYING TO GET IN, SOMEONE ELSE GOES DOWN AHEAD OF ME.” THEN JESUS SAID TO HIM, – “GET UP! PICK UP YOUR MAT AND WALK.” AT ONCE THE MAN WAS CURED; HE PICKED UP HIS MAT AND WALKED. … LATER JESUS FOUND HIM AT THE TEMPLE AND SAID TO HIM, – “SEE, YOU ARE WELL AGAIN. STOP SINNING OR SOMETHING WORSE MAY HAPPEN TO YOU.”                (John 5 : 6-9,14)     

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. He was alone; there is no mention of any of His disciples. He found His way to a famous pool, Bethesda, which means House of Mercy. Beneath the pool there was an underground stream which from time to time bubbled up and disturbed the waters. The belief was that the disturbance was caused by an angel, and that the first person to get into the pool after the stirring of the water would be healed from any illness from which he or she suffered. A superstition, we would say, but do not forget that even today many people believe in all kinds of spirits and demons. Jesus encounters this man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, and asks him a very strange question: – Do you want to get well? Honestly, if you see a man visibly starving would you ask him if he needs some food?  No, I would never do that. But Jesus always had a reason for whatever He said or did, and here lies the message of this story across centuries, to you and me, today.

1. WANTING A CHANGE, WE MUST DECIDE IF WE WANT TO BE CHANGED.

Sometimes change happens unexpectedly, at just the right time and with great benefits. Sometimes, as it was with the man in our text, it is both a physical and a spiritual change. This man had been a beggar for thirty-eight years, living from the donations of others. Becoming healed, he would lose these benefits, as well as the pity of others. He would have to be responsible for himself, he would have to find work. It would be a whole new world for him. Is being healed worth this change? Look around. So many souls are sick. Their lives are dysfunctional, but they have never considered that God might have something new for them. They do not know that there is something more to life. They have become accepting of how they are. They might hear the Gospel, even getting excited about it. But there comes a time when they realize they do not really want to be changed. Jesus’ question is much wider than we think. If you need healing in ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE, do you want to get well? If you have an addiction, do you really want to overcome it? If you DO, then just stop complaining about it. Turn to me – says Jesus – and let me have you CHANGED. If people are content to stay as they are, there can be no change from the Lord.

2. IF WE WANT TO BE CHANGED, WE MUST DECIDE TO STOP MAKING EXCUSES.

There is a saying of Albert Einstein: – The most insane aim is to wait for a change, and still do the same thing over and over again. The man at the pool does not say whether or not he wants to be well. He just complains, telling how unfortunate he is. In today’s language he would say that he is a victim. A victim of society, a victim of his upbringing, convinced that everything that happens to him is somebody else’s fault. It has to be their wife’s fault or their husband’s fault or their parent’s fault or society’s fault. Anybody but himself. Sir, I have no one to help me, – he keeps on saying. In other words, I cannot do anything for myself and God is not doing anything for me either. If we want to be changed, we must decide that we will stop making excuses. You just have to say, yes Lord, I am ready to put these things behind me. Try to imagine what a difference the healing made to this man’s life. The truth is that miracles happen when our will and God’s power co-operate to make them possible.

3. WE MUST DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE READY TO TAKE ACTION.

Obviously, the man now had a choice. He could listen and just ignore, he could listen and wish something would happen, or he could listen and obey. TRUST AND OBEY. When Jesus said, – Pick up your mat and walk, – He is telling those who truly want to change that they must cut off any possibility of going back. The man might well have said that the light stretcher-like frame was for thirty-eight years his bed and there was not much sense in trying to carry it. But he made the effort along with Christ, identifying what he wanted, and then… it was done. We must determine what we really want, faithfully convinced that: – I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4: 13). What this man received from Jesus can be described in one word; and that word is WHOLENESS. This man’s life was transformed by ONE who arrived unexpectedly and who left unexpectedly. The waters of the pool which, for so long, he believed to be the key to his healing, played no part in what happened. God’s ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts …

In John chapter 9 there is a man who was born blind. Jesus healed him but not before His disciples asked Him if this man’s or his parents’ sin was the cause of his blindness. Jesus replied: – Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life (John 9: 3). It is clear that sin was not the cause of our man’s illness. He is a lot like us, or we are like him. He made mistakes. There was sin in his life, no doubt, just as there is in ours. But Jesus did not say that his invalidity was a punishment for his sin, rather that sin in our lives is always worse than the result of any physical illness. This is why, when later he found him at the temple, Jesus said to him: – See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you (verse 14). Jesus came to the Passover through the Sheep Gate to heal the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda. LOOK, THE LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD! (John 1: 29).

The story of the healing at the Pool describes what CHRISTIAN–FAITH-IN-ACTION is really about. William Barclay has a wonderful remark on this: – “Here is the road to achievement. There are so many things in this world which defeat us, but when we turn to Him, hopeless though it may seem, the power of Christ gets its opportunity, and with Him we can conquer the things that for a long time have conquered us.”                               AMEN.

LET US PRAY:

LORD, OUR GOD, Thank You for the spiritual and physical healing You provide for us through Jesus, Your Son. We thank You for His grace and compassion, for His taking the initiative in bringing us to the fullness of Your blessings. Reach out to those who have lost the will to live, all who are broken in body, mind or spirit, seeing no hope, no future, no reason to continue. Lift their despair that they may find in You life that satisfies, now and always. Renewing God, so many find their lives shattered – broken by the loss of a loved one, invalidity through injury, accident or genetical disorders, trapped by addictions, diseases or worry. So many lives are worn to breaking point by Covid-19, broken relationships, unemployment, or advanced age. Reach out to all who feel they cannot carry on, who feel abandoned, neglected or condemned. Reach out into fragmented lives, bringing healing and hope not just to resume their journeys but to embark on it with renewed confidence and anticipation restored by faith in Christ, our Saviour. To all who mourn give the assurance that the close of one chapter is the opening of another, this world being the gateway to all eternity with You, for those who believe in Christ Jesus our Saviour. Gracious Lord of all, in a world where so many cannot fight their own corner; where people are estranged, societies divided, and nations driven to conflict; teach us Your way of love and humility. In Your mercy, heal our wounds, overcome our divisions, and grant us real and lasting peace. We pray for Your Christian Church Universal in all its branches, for people of other faiths or none. We bring before You our Church of Scotland in all its Presbyteries and Congregations. In Your good time enable us to re-open our church without fear of infections and strengthen and support us until we meet again in our fellowship to trust, obey and worship You, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One Eternal God.  AMEN.

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

SUGGESTED HYMN:

WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.

CHORUS: – Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear, can abide while we trust and obey.   + CHORUS

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He doth richly repay; not a grief nor a loss, not a frown nor a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey.   + CHORUS

But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay; for the favour He shows, and the joy He bestows are for them who will trust and obey.   + CHORUS

Then in fellowship sweet, we will sit at His feet, or we’ll walk by His side in the way. What He says we will do, where He sends we will go, never fear, only trust and obey.   + CHORUS

THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU; THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU; THE LORD TURN HIS FACE TOWARDS YOU AND GIVE YOU PEACE. (Numbers 6: 24 – 26)

Sandor, your Minister.

HUMBLE YOURSELVES…UNDER GOD’S MIGHTY HAND, THAT HE MAY LIFT YOU UP IN DUE TIME. CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU.                  (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

WELCOME TO OUR SUNDAY WEB-WORSHIP!

Old Testament Reading: PROVERBS 3: 1 – 10.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.                                                                (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

New Testament Reading: MATTHEW 6: 25 – 34.

(Jesus said) – THEREFORE I TELL YOU, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT YOU WILL EAT OR DRINK; OR ABOUT YOUR BODY, WHAT YOU WILL WEAR. IS NOT LIFE MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOD, AND THE BODY MORE IMPORTANT THAN CLOTHES? LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR; THEY DO NOT SOW OR REAP OR STORE AWAY IN BARNS, AND YET YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDS THEM. ARE YOU NOT MUCH MORE VALUABLE THAN THEY? WHO OF YOU BY WORRYING CAN ADD A SINGLE HOUR TO HIS LIFE? AND WHY DO YOU WORRY ABOUT CLOTHES? SEE HOW THE LILIES OF THE FIELD GROW. THEY DO NOT LABOUR OR SPIN. YET I TELL YOU THAT NOT EVEN SOLOMON IN ALL HIS SPLENDOUR WAS DRESSED LIKE ONE OF THESE. IF THAT IS HOW GOD CLOTHES THE GRASS OF THE FIELD, WHICH IS HERE TODAY AND TOMORROW IS THROWN INTO THE FIRE, WILL HE NOT MUCH MORE CLOTHE YOU, O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH? SO DO NOT WORRY, SAYING, “WHAT SHALL WE EAT?” OR “WHAT SHALL WE DRINK?” OR “WHAT SHALL WE WEAR?” FOR THE PAGANS RUN AFTER ALL THESE THINGS, AND YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM. BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AS WELL. THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, FOR TOMORROW WILL WORRY ABOUT ITSELF. EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE OF ITS OWN.

I love watching the birds in our garden, and the flowers, so much looked after by my wife. They fly and sing and bloom not only in those few nice, sunny days we enjoy in a year, but also in the cold rain, and gale, and hail, and snow. The seagull and the crow I feed are always around, as is the robin and the starlings. Even around Christmas I can find some flowers in the garden – please, don’t ask me their names!  Neither the birds nor the flowers seem worried about anything; not even the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Make no mistake, and do not regard Jesus’ remark about birds and flowers as light-hearted. He wants to lead people out of the confinement of trouble into the spaciousness of God’s caring love. Most of His listeners were poor people who did not always know where their food and clothes WOULD come from. These are symbols of our day-to-day struggle for survival that include all the things we worry about. Jesus is concerned about the Father’s place in His children’s lives. Indeed, what is your relationship with the Father? How much and how far do you trust Him? Do you take Him at His Word? Faith is the sure knowledge that God holds our hand even in the most difficult of times.

Isn’t it true that in crisis situations, we often see exactly how much faith people have in God. They suddenly become more pious and attend church more regularly, require urgent prayers. And when they are not helped quickly enough, they suspect God of punishing them unfairly or not hearing them because He does not care at all. Remember Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: – Do not call on God only in crisis. Learn to depend on Him every day of your life. Receive your daily bread from Him every day. Praise Him for every gift. Thank Him for THE clothes you put on every morning and for the food you eat day by day. Learn to put your life entirely in God’s hands so that you can be free of worry and anxiety about the future. Everything revolves around FAITH. Not faith as the opposite of responsibility, but faith as a way of life, a way of being responsible.

Anxiety or faith – what is your response when you are in trouble? Are you so overwhelmed by your troubles that it affects your whole way of life, or have you learned to leave it to God, to rely on Him and to believe that He provides? In the end, it is always a matter of faith. Those of little faith profess that they have a Heavenly Father, but they live like orphans. Their worries about food and clothing displace their faith. Those of little faith included the disciples who were nearly overcome by fear in the stormy sea, while Jesus slept peacefully in the boat. Those of little faith think that God is sleeping while they try hard to meet the impossible demands of life. Those of little faith included Peter trying to walk on the water until the first gust of wind reminded him of the force of gravity, the weakness of his humanity. Briefly, little faith is when we are overwhelmed by our own inability and shortcomings during difficult times. Nobody has the right to tell another person to not worry, because none of us can feel that in this regard we are the perfect disciples of Jesus.

Then, what should we do? Nothing? Accept everything with a helpless sigh, saying the well-known phrase: “- What will be will be”? Jesus does not advise us to sit back and do nothing. Faith is action, – He says. Faith implies an active searching and doing. So often, my birds must fight the elements to get to the birds-feeder and even beaten to the ground, our flowers amazingly survive the storms.

A Christian psychologist once said: – According to the Bible, there is nothing wrong with realistically acknowledging and trying to deal with the identifiable problems of life. To ignore danger is foolish and wrong. But it is also wrong, as well as unhealthy, to be immobilized by excessive worry. Such worry must be committed in prayer to God, who can release us from paralyzing fear or anxiety, and free us to deal realistically with the needs and welfare both of others and of ourselves. (Dr. Gary R. Collins, Christian Counseling, page 66.) Dr Collins also gives some general, common sense suggestions for those weighed down by fear, anxiety or worry, useful – I think – in our present Pandemic-driven situations. Here is some of his advice: – PROFESSIONAL HELP – consult your local minister or physician. – EXERCISE – regular walks, gardening or running can reduce stress. – WATCH LESS TELEVISION – and be more active, weather permitting. – TALK – to someone. Don’t hold all the anxiety inside. Share your worries with someone else – a friend, relative, pastor or counsellor – If fear and anxiety is an ongoing problem in your life, schedule a regular time to talk to someone. – BE MORE REALISTIC – Many people are worried and anxious about events that will never actually happen to them. Relax. Take life one day at a time. – LISTEN – to relaxing, soothing music, focus on God. – READ THE BIBLE – and – PRAY – Nobody can pray and worry at the same time – BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD, – says the Lord.                           (Psalm 46: 10)

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.       (2 Thessalonians 3: 16)

LET US PRAY:

GRACIOUS LORD GOD! You tell us not to worry, but it is hard not to, for so much in our lives can and does go wrong. As we look at the state of the world, at the prolonged Covid-19 Pandemic, the still rising death-toll, the real danger of local infection-clusters, the delay of a proper vaccine, Lord we feel more and more fearful, anxious and devastated. Beyond our concern for loved ones, the prospect of becoming infected as growing older, the safety of reopening  our church for worship, we are terrified of the catastrophic explosion in Beirut, the loss of lives and livelihood there. In times of darkness, Lord, remind us that You will always be there with us, a refuge and strength in times of trouble. Help us to keep a sense of realism that faith offers no exemption from trouble, but also to never forget that You promise strength in times of need, peace in moments of turmoil and comfort in times of grief. We know that not every problem is resolved as we would wish, that healing is not always granted, that catastrophe can strike at any time and that death comes finally to us all. Teach us – we pray – that though commitment to You brings no immunity from life’s ills, no guarantee of a trouble-free path, You will be there to help, come what may, ready to strengthen, comfort, support and sustain. Lord, still the storms in our lives – of fear and anxiety, of sudden crises, of tragedy, trauma and trouble. Still the storms in our world – of threat of viral infection, of racial intolerance, of man-made and natural disaster, of hatred, bloodshed, and war. Through Your divine power, reach out wherever life brings turmoil and calm the waves, bring true and lasting peace, rest for our souls. We pray for the Christian Church Universal in all its branches, for our Church of Scotland in all its Presbyteries and Congregations. Be with all our members and adherents and bless our sisters and brothers from other Churches here in Portree, the Isle of Skye, Scotland and in the world. Bless those of other faiths or none and for everything – Gracious Lord God – You have done, You are doing or You will be doing, Your name be always glorified, and our lives blessed, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  AMEN.

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

SUGGESTED HYMN:

 GOD, WHO MADE THE EARTH, the air, the sky, the sea, who gave the light its birth, careth for me.

God, who made the grass, the flower, the fruit, the tree, the day and night to pass, careth for me.

God, who made the sun, the moon, the stars, is He who, when life’s clouds come on, careth for me.

God, who made all things, on earth, in air, in sea, who changing seasons brings, careth for me.

God, who sent His Son to die on Calvary, He, if I lean on Him, will care for me.

DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD. AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS… THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOUR SPIRIT.  AMEN    (Philippians 4: 6-7, 23)

Sandor, your Minister.

GRACE, MERCY AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM JESUS CHRIST, THE FATHER’S SON, WILL BE WITH US IN TRUTH AND LOVE.                                                   (2 John : 3)

Welcome to our Sunday web-worship!

Old Testament reading: PSALM 25

…SHOW ME YOUR WAYS, O LORD, TEACH ME YOUR PATHS; GUIDE ME IN YOUR TRUTH AND TEACH ME, FOR YOU ARE GOD MY SAVIOUR, AND MY HOPE IS IN YOU ALL DAY LONG. REMEMBER, O LORD, YOUR GREAT MERCY AND LOVE, FOR THEY ARE FROM OF OLD…                                 (Psalm 25: 4 – 6)

New Testament reading: MATTHEW 7: 7 – 12

ASK AND WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND; KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU. FOR EVERYONE WHO ASKS RECEIVES; HE WHO SEEKS FINDS; AND TO HIM WHO KNOCKS, THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED. WHICH OF YOU, IF HIS SON ASKS FOR BREAD, WILL GIVE HIM A STONE? OR IF HE ASKS FOR A FISH, WILL GIVE HIM A SNAKE? IF YOU, THEN, THOUGH YOU ARE EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO YOUR CHILDREN, HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM! SO, IN EVERYTHING, DO TO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO YOU, FOR THIS SUMS UP THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS.

This passage is about the power and wonder of prayer, the faithfulness of the Father, and the acknowledgement of our own helplessness and absolute dependence. It is significant that Jesus discusses prayer twice in His Sermon on the Mount. It seems that he wanted to make very sure that His disciples understood that discipleship and a life of perseverance in prayer go hand to hand. The very first step towards a life according to Jesus’ counsel was a period of meditation and prayer. He tells His disciples that they cannot do it in their own strength: – first, reflect quietly in God’s presence, and then pray, pray, pray! Without prayer no-one can walk the road of discipleship.

Prayer is not simply a pious gesture of respect, a desperate request for help in a crisis situation, or an escape from reality. Prayer is an acknowledgement of our dependence on God. It is part of our indispensable communication with God. Prayer helps us to gain perspective of the greatness and glory of God and of our own abilities and inabilities. It is like standing in a control tower to get a clear view of the airport around us with all the landings and departures, – a view the Great Navigator wants us to have.

A disciples’ communication with his Heavenly Father is not as simple and straightforward as one may think. It can be quite stormy in the inner chamber. The three communication channels Jesus mentions here – pray, seek and knock – demand perseverance and effort. Prayer is not an emergency service. Prayer is persevering action. It is an attitude of life. We remain seekers all our lives, constantly standing at the door; we are beggars knocking at the door. Disciples are always dependent on God’ grace. Obviously, this does not mean that prayer should be regarded as some kind of magic formula. For instance, Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane did not change the circumstances of His atoning sacrifice- in fact, things remained exactly the same – but in struggling with His Father in prayer, His attitude towards the forthcoming events changed. I believe, this was the way how He was equipped in God’s strength to face the circumstances of the Cross. Pray, seek and knock is an open invitation to everybody seeking access to the Father, but to devoted Christians it is more than that, it is a command. Jesus states the fulfilment of the promise as a fact: prayers are heard, seekers find and to those who knock it is opened. But this causes us problems. Can anybody qualify for the fulfilment of the promise? What about the long list of prayers each of us has seemingly not had answered? There is a very important rule regarding the Word of God: always read the Bible within its context. Do not use Bible verses out of context, because a verse usually is part of a larger message. This passage about prayer is part of Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God, part of a required attitude of devotion and sacrifice from His disciples.

But this command and invitation to pray is not unconditional. The promise of answered prayer is not a cheap kind of bait to draw people into churches. The key to understand the answering of prayers is found in verses 9, 10 and 11, in the words bread and stones, evil people and Good God. If ever we felt that we have received a stone instead of the bread we asked for, or even worse, a snake instead of a fish – then we are wrong. Our prayers are usually selfish and short-sighted. God knows better than we do what it is that we really need. A prayer for bread in time of famine; a prayer for healing of those infected with the new Coronavirus; a prayer for the restoration of a marriage – these things sound like prayers a loving Father could never refuse. Yet such prayers are not always answered. People still die of starvation; hundreds of thousands are dying of Covid-19, and the number of divorces is running high. How do we come to terms with this? Faith in prayer means total dependence on God who knows and provides. Even when we do not understand His way of answering our prayers – or of remaining silent – we must continue praying and believing. Paul Tillich, a Swiss theologian once said: – “The western world is not characterized by prayer. Our environment loves hustle and bustle, smooth organizations and powerful institutions, human self-confidence and political achievements…” To be really encouraged, this is what the Bible says: – …you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29: 12-14), because often: – When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get…(James 4: 3).

…In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. The Golden Rule that Jesus presents here is also known in its negative form: – Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. But Jesus gives a new meaning to these words. He loads it with action and makes it a challenge. If you like being treated with respect, be respectful; if you like people to listen when you talk, listen when others talk to you. If you value your property, respect other people’s property. If you believe you are entitled to certain rights in society, recognize and give to others those rights too. If you like eating a good meal every day, try as hard as you can to allow hungry people to have the same. Jesus’ motivation with this “golden rule” is the Law and the Prophets. This is how God wants us to live: – living by the WILL OF GOD, as it has been revealed in Christ.

If we are not willing to accept this teaching, we will remain nothing, but onlookers and spectators of what CHRISTIANITY is all about. What Jesus wants us to be is God’s fellow workers … God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3: 9), His own Body, THE CHURCH.

AMEN.

LET US PRAY:

LORD, OUR GOD, we call to You, but You do not seem to answer. We cry out for help, but often it feels in vain. Teach us at such times that You have not forgotten us; that You do hear our prayer and always seek to respond. Give us sufficient faith to keep on asking even when it seems pointless; to keep on trusting even though we feel abandoned. When we are tempted to lose heart, assure us that Your love continues, that You are still at work, and that, whatever Your answer may be, a response and aid will finally come. Help us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking even when we struggle in prayer, finding ourselves lost for words or endlessly repeating ourselves. Teach us to persevere, seeking Your answer until it becomes clear – not necessarily the response we hope for, but always the reply we need. Teach us to speak, Lord, knowing that You listen; and teach us to listen, knowing that You speak. Help us honestly, regularly and simply to express what lies on our heart, and show us, in turn, what lies on Yours. Minister to all who are broken: the sick and the suffering, – especially in the blast devastated Beirut – the terminally ill; victims of Covid-19, the homeless and dispossessed, the oppressed and exploited, the vulnerable and poor. Lord, bring blessing and healing to us and to all. Open our eyes to all the good things that surround us, all the reasons we have to give thank and praise. Awaken in us the joys and riches of the present that we receive each day as Your gift. Bless Your Church in this land and everywhere with all people that on earth do dwell… and may Your name be always glorified, and our lives blessed through Jesus Christ our Lord, in Whose Words we pray together and say: – 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, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.                                                                 Amen

SUGGESTED HYMN:

O FOR A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD, a calm and heavenly frame, a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and His Word?

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void, the world can never fill.

Return, O Holy Dove! return, sweet messenger of rest! I hate the sins that made Thee mourn and drove Thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be, help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God, calm and serene my frame; so purer light shall mark the road that leads me to the Lamb.

MAY THE LORD OUR GOD BE WITH US AS HE WAS WITH OUR FATHERS; MAY HE NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US. MAY HE TURN OUR HEARTS TO HIM, TO WALK IN ALL HIS WAYS AND TO KEEP THE COMMANDS, DECREES AND REGULATIONS HE GAVE OUR FATHERS. AND MAY THESE WORDS OF MINE, WHICH I HAVE PRAYED BEFORE THE LORD, BE NEAR TO THE LORD OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT, THAT HE MAY UPHOLD THE CAUSE OF HIS SERVANT AND THE CAUSE OF HIS PEOPLE…ACCORDING TO EACH DAY’S NEED (1 Kings 8: 57 – 59.) … THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR.

AMEN.

Sandor, your Minister.