Sermon, Sun 12 May - Christian Aid Sunday

Christian Aid Week begins today and our service picked up the CA focus on Sierra Leone, and of encouraging and supporting girls to gain equal access to education... and also, of supporting mums to be in gaining access to better care - especially when in labour.
We heard the stories - and dreams - of schoolgirls Kadiatu and Patricia. Thereafter, we heard Tennah's story about the loss of her first child, and the subsequent safe delivery of her second, due to having access to a properly trained nurse - Judith....

READINGS/ John 10.22-30; Acts 9.36-43; Revelation 7.9-17

SERMON
Let’s pray:
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts,
be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

‘We believe in life before death.’
It’s the great tag-line or motto of Christian Aid –
and it’s an excellent reminder that our faith is a living faith:
Christianity is not just about ‘pie in the sky when you die’;
it’s not like some great golden ticket you get
and tuck away out of sight in a safe place,
until the day you hand over to St Peter at the pearly gates;
it’s not just eternal life insurance for the future.
Christianity is about the now
as well as the not yet.

Jesus’ first recorded sermon, in Luke, chapter 4,
is to the people of his home town of Nazareth.
He first reads a passage from the prophet Isaiah about the coming of God’s kingdom –
which, incidentally, bears an uncanny resemblance to our reading from Revelation.
Having done so, he looks at the gathered company in the synagogue and says:
‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
Basically, he’s explaining to them that, the kingdom is here
because he is here among them.
In the act of God becoming human and living among us,
so the beginning of the kingdom begins:
the kingdom is now...
and, it’s also not yet fulfilled:
it’s a process –
one that’s crossed the starting line
and hasn’t yet reached the finish line.

If you like, ever since Jesus walked the dusty roads of the Holy Land,
ever since God took upon God's self what it was to be fully human,
those who have followed in faith have been working within
two different time zones at the very same time:
There’s the heavenly time zone, and focusing upon what’s to come –
the fulfilment of all things when the kingdom is fully established...
And then, there’s the earthly, or human, time zone, looking at the now –
and seeing the good things, delighting in them...
but also seeing the hard things such as the many kinds of injustice at work in the world.
Seeing things like poverty, and the way it stops people from living life fully.
In seeing the now, we see how far we are from the vision of God’s kingdom.
We see how people’s lives are stunted;
we see how poverty prevents people from blossoming and flourishing,
prevents them from daring to dream,
prevents them from being able to reach their full potential –
and benefit not just themselves but the lives of others.
By seeing injustice, by seeing poverty and its effects in the present,
it’s the promise of what will be
that inspires us to find ways of working to see signs of the kingdom now
and not just at the end of all things.
The future glory, as seen in our passage from Revelation,
inspires us to find a little of that glory within our present reality.
How can we be builders of God’s kingdom
in our homes, in our communities, in our world?

So often in his encounters with people, Jesus spoke of life in all its abundance:
living life to its fullness rather than seeing life as just merely existing.
Having spoken of a life lived fully,
so he assured those who believed that, no matter what they endured,
God would be with them –
holding them through all the storms of life, not letting them go –
as Jesus says in John chapter 10:
nothing would be able to snatch them away from the Father’s hand.
With that assurance, so followers are given the strength
not just to sit back and wait for the not yet
but to move out from the places of comfort and explore
what life in all its fullness looks like:
life before death,
not just life in the kingdom to come.

It’s a balancing act.
For as much as we’re called to prayer and reflection,
so Jesus calls us to live out our faith in action on behalf of, and in service to, others.
Not just ‘sending thoughts and prayers’ but perhaps being the answer to prayer
through the work of our hands or the way we make use of
our money, our gifts, our time, and our skills.
As Teresa of Avila once said:
our hands are God’s hands in the world...
We are Christ’s body.

We see something of this in our passage from the Book of Acts:
let’s think of the people mentioned.
There’s Tabitha – also known as Dorcas.
She is well known in Joppa for doing good – she helps the poor.
Clearly, she is well-loved, for when she dies,
her friends and neighbours gather round, and mourn her passing with tears.
So, the practical outworking of Tabitha’s faith
to help others -
to love her neighbours –
has impacted positively upon their lives.

Also in the story, there’s the two fellow-believers:
they know that Peter is in the area,
and so, their faith draws them to act –
they go off to find him, and, bring him back, if possible.

We also have Simon – we see him living out his faith – his love for God –
through his act of offering hospitality.

Then there’s Peter.
When asked to come, he does so immediately.
He goes to Tabitha’s room, and prays –
and, extraordinarily, miraculously,
she, like Lazarus, is brought back from death.
Each person in the story enabling an astonishing ending to it – or rather, new beginning:
new life, to God’s praise and glory.

Loving God, following in the way of Jesus,
is a little like watching ripples in a pond.
We love God, and from that love, we act –
by loving one another...
love rippling from family,
to friends,
to neighbours,
to the world –
love reaching like hands across the world;
love in words,
and love in practical hands-on care and kindness.
Many of us can’t go to places like Sierra Leone – don’t have the skill sets required to be of help.
But others do – and we can help them with what we do have:
using our voices to raise awareness,
using our money to help fund projects.
So, we can help projects that enable young girls to get an education:
to have an equal chance at dreaming of the future,
of opening up their horizons,
of fulfilling their potential.
We can help projects that help women deliver their children safely –
that train midwives,
that bring in community workers to teach basic, life-saving hygiene;
that create essential basic buildings that are sanitary and safe
for mums-to-be and their babies.

Every year, organisations like Christian Aid
help with the wider vision of bringing in God’s kingdom in the present –
a vision born out of love and compassion,
a vision inspired by that great vision of the future –
when God’s kingdom has reached the goal, the finish line, and the kingdom has been brought in.
It's a vision we get a wee glimpse of when we read the Book of Revelation,
where we see a scene of what worship looks like:
endless praise of God arising from a full understanding of who God is and
what God has done, is doing...
a vision where we see those who have undergone suffering being lifted up by God,
being honoured, by God.
Those who, having undergone much, have not been snatched from God’s hands.
We see a vision in which there is:
no more suffering,
no more hunger...
of not being beaten down or burnt by ‘the elements’/ sun or heat,
but rather, of being led to springs of living water where there will be no more thirst.
And in the end, we also see that every tear will be wiped away.

The kingdom of heaven is the place where humanity finds life in abundance:
no longer broken,
no longer suffering,
but life in all its wholeness.
The vision we see in Revelation is the work that Jesus
set about to do as he brought in the kingdom –
and which he asks his followers to continue to do:
for we believe in the now and the not yet;
we believe in eternal life,
and, we believe in life before death. Amen.

News, info. and events wk beg. 22 April to 12 May

The Minister will be on annual leave as of Mon 22 April thru to and including Tues 7 May.

Rev. George Shand

Funeral cover during this time will be provided by the Rev George Shand,
on 01899 309400.
For general parish queries, please contact Heather Watt, our Session Clerk,
on 01899 850211

Morning worship over the two Sundays:

Rev. Bill Buchan

Sun 28 April, 10.30 - a warm welcome back to the Rev. Bill Buchan, who will conduct worship this morning.
Bill previously served as parish minister at Kilwinning Abbey
Church of Scotland, before retiring. He and his wife now live in Biggar.

Rev. Sandy Strachan

Sun 5 May, 10.30 - after a bout of illness, the Rev. Sandy Strachan makes a welcome return to conduct worship for us. Prior to retirement, Sandy served as a Chaplain for the NHS in Dumfries.

WHAT'S ON:

Thurs 25 April, 7pm: The Kirk Session will meet in the Church Hall. The Minister will be return briefly from leave to attend this meeting.

Thurs 9 May, 7pm: 'Wordworks' writing group meets by the fireside at the Colebrooke Arms, Crawfordjohn. All welcome.
Bring along, and share, something you're working on, or, a piece from a favourite writer.

11 May, 7 for 7.30pm: Ceilidh hosted by The Big Squeeze Ceilidh Band
at Crawfordjohn Hall. Bar, supper, prize draw.
Tickets £10 adult, £2.50 children, or £25 for a family ticket.
Tickets available from 01864 504265/ 01864 502270/ 07851041468
Monies raised will be donated to the church.

 Sun 12 May - Sat 18 May

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK

Sun 12 May, 9-9.45am:
Prayer group meets in the church
and then
10.30am Morning worship - Christian Aid Service
There will be an extra offering made this week which will be donated
to Christian Aid to help with their work.

Easter Sunday, 2019

Christ is risen, alleluia!
Alleluia! He is risen, indeed.

A busy service this morning as we journeyed with the women
to the garden tomb, saw the stone rolled away, and no body inside.
We found the 'resurrected' alleluias - individually placed in small eggs, and buried since the beginning of Lent - inside a giant Easter egg, and discovered that while the alleluias had escaped, something had taken their place, something that everyone in the congregation received as we sang a joyful 'halle, halle, halle...lujah'

Thanks to those who helped in various ways this morning -
and we particularly enjoyed the spectacular bounty of daffodils found in every possible nook and cranny of the church and hall!

 *all photos courtesy of Ursula B - with thanks

Good Friday and Easter Sunday services

GOOD FRIDAY AND EASTER SERVICES:
location for both is the Parish Church, in Abington...



Fri 19 April, 6.30pm: 
Good Friday Music and Meditations from the Cross.
Join us as we recount through scripture
the events of Good Friday nearly 2 000 years ago.
A quiet, reflective time of worship
based on the traditional Tenebrae service.
The music we will be using comes from the Taize Community.





Sun 21 April, 10.30am: EASTER SUNDAY celebration service. 
Come and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the joy of new life in this all-age friendly service.
We'll be 'resurrecting' the Alleluia's buried at the beginning of Lent and seeing just how they've transformed.

Food for the journey: bite-sized mid-week nourishment

John 3:16-17...

16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish 

but may have eternal life. 

17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son 

into the world to condemn the world, 

but in order that the world might be saved through him.

This week, you might like to spend time thinking about John 3:16-17 and of God loving the world...
Take a newspaper as a symbol of the world and write across each story,
“God so loved the world...” *
Use each story as part of your own devotions/prayers
holding each situation, place, person in love.

*the 'so' in the text isn't about quantity - not how much God loved -
but about the manner in which God loved...
Another way of phrasing the passage would be:
'For God loved the world in this way...

News, info, events, as at Wk beg 8 April

What's on:

Parish magazine – Easter edition: The magazine has now arrived and
Dee is looking for volunteers to help with the distribution of our Easter magazine.
If you [or even some energetic grandchildren!] are able to help, please let her know.
And thank you!

Wed. 10 April, 2pm: the Guild AGM will be held in the Church Hall.
During the meeting there will be a discussion on the syllabus for next year,
and arrangements for the visit to St Giles.

Thus. 11 April, 7pm: ‘Wordworks’ writing group meets in the
Colebrooke Arms, Crawfordjohn. All welcome to come and sit by the fire
and share your own work, or pieces from favourite writers.

Sat. 13 April, 2.30: The Guild daffodil tea – Roberton Village Hall.
Entertainment by Lanarkshire Rural Choir; prize draw £5. 
All go towards Guild projects. Please do tell friends and neighbours

Holy Week:
Sun. 14 April: Palm Sunday -
9–9.45am Prayer group meets in the church
and
10.30am: ‘From Palms to the Passion’ – Our annual Palm Sunday service
retelling the events of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and up to the Crucifixion.

Thurs 18 April, 6.30pm: Maundy Thursday Communion.
A simple and short service remembering the night of the Last Supper.
All welcome as we share bread and wine together around Christ’s table.

Fri 19 April, 6.30pm: Good Friday Music and Meditations from the Cross.
Join us as we recount through scripture the events of Good Friday nearly 2 000 years ago.
A quiet, reflective service.

Sun 21 April, 10.30am: EASTER SUNDAY celebration service. 
Come and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the joy of new life in this all-age friendly service.
We'll be 'resurrecting' the Alleluia's buried at the beginning of Lent

Further ahead - A date for your diary:
11 May, 7 for 7.30pm: Ceilidh hosted by The Big Squeeze Ceilidh Band at Crawfordjohn Hall.
Bar, supper, prize draw. Tickets £10 adult, £2.50 children, or £25 for a family ticket.
Monies raised will be donated to the church.
Tickets available from 01864 504265/ 01864 502270/ 07851041468

Worship, 7 April: 'a pile of stardust'

The last in our series on 'The Four Loves.'
This week, we think of 'agape' - unconditional love. The sermon was broken up into 2 short 'dialogue' reflections and later, a summing up.

Our readings were: John 3:16-17; 1 John 4:7-21

SERMON
Let’s pray:
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son….” John 3:16

‘Gather round,
I have a story to tell
of one who reached inside himself
and took a handful of love
like a pile of stardust
and said: this is for you
it is all you need
it is all you will ever need
there is enough here
to change the whole world
...take it. 

Many laughed at him
mocked him
and ignored the invitation
but some ...dared to take it
and those who did
noticed something about this love –
they found they could do 
what the gift-giver could do:
they could stand with the lost,
welcome the traveller,
eat with the hungry...
they found themselves doing 
what the man first did to them –
give something of themselves to others.
They became like the man,
offering themselves,
and, as they offered themselves,
others took the invitation,
...and many still do,
and many still trust it is enough 
to change the whole world.’ *

Love:
different kinds,
different ways,
of loving.
Over the weeks of Lent we’ve discovered the limits of ‘love’ –
well, of our English word for love...
We’ve discovered love is bigger, broader, deeper...
and in the process, we’ve also discovered at least
four different words for love within the New Testament –
Greek words:
Eros – the word describing desire and romantic love;
Philia – the word describing love of, and love for, friends;
Storge – the word describing the love of, and love for, family;
and today, our fourth word for love is:
Agape – the word for unconditional love.
It’s the love found in God loving us and not expecting anything in return...
perhaps hoping that we might respond to his love by beginning to love and to trust,
and to place our lives in his hands...
but not expecting it,
not demanding it.
Instead, God, offering his love freely,
no strings attached,
calling us ‘beloved’ even while we might blithely carry on
not responding to that invitation to love.
And, it is always an invitation –
love is not love when you’re forced to submit:
that’s oppression,
bullying,
that’s about power and control and self-seeking...
God’s love is the giving of God's self to us.

Agape – unconditional love – is not a box-ticking exercise:
do this, do that,
and you win the golden ticket.
It’s not a formula:
this action, plus this thought
equals God’s love;
nor is it a contract to sign up to in order to receive it.
God’s love just... is...
and always has been.
God’s love for the world,
for each one of us,
was already there at the beginning of time –
and will last for all eternity –
the hand always outstretched waiting to welcome us...
and, even in the waiting, still loving us.
God saying:
‘I know you, I love you, let’s spend some time with each other,
once you get to know me, I think you’ll like me –
maybe... even love me.’

God’s love is good news –
a gift best experienced when opened,
rather than left sitting in a corner gathering dust,
and yet, even if we should let that box sit unopened, still the love is offered –
God’s invitation to be loved is always there for us.

Agape –
unconditional love.
There has been, over the centuries, way too much emphasis on -
way too many depictions of -
God as the one with the big stick,
just waiting to beat us back into our place should we step out of line.
The furious Father.
The fierce and ferocious God –
who, no matter how hard we try,
no matter what we do –
is never satisfied.
The God who narrows his eyes and tells us harshly that we will never measure up:
who puts all sorts of hoops in our way
and who almost rubs his hands in glee
while waiting for us to stumble and fail.
We get a sense of this, sure, at times when we read certain Old Testament passages.
But remember, the bible is better read, not in bits, but more broadly.
It’s a collection of books put together to show
the relationship between God and human beings over millennia.
From a wee tribal God caring only for one small group of people –
the greater arc of the Bible shows us a widening of understanding
about the nature of God’s love:
it’s not just for a couple of people,
a clan,
a small nation...
By the Book of Revelation, we come to understand that God
is invested in the whole of the universe and certainly, the world.
What we get is a view of God who loves in such a way
that he will wipe every tear from every eye...
who will even become one of us –
to save us from ourselves:
to show us what unconditional love looks like when in human form.

God’s unconditional love is about restoration –
healing that broken relationship with God...
learning of God’s love, and in doing so,
actively seeking to heal the broken relationships we have with one another –
family, friends, neighbours, and with the whole great multitude of humankind.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son 
that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life...’
Wait:
‘that whoever believes in him...’
That sounds a bit conditional though, doesn’t it?
Well, that depends on how you understand the world ‘believes’ is being used here.
This is not about needing to sign up to a specific statement of theology.
A better way of understanding this is to think more along the lines of trust and acceptance.
‘For God loved the world in this way: 
he gave his one and only Son that whoever trusts that love, accepts that love, 
bonds themselves in love to him... shall not perish but have eternal life.’

It’s not a business contract, it’s a loving relationship.
Those who bond with, who trust, Jesus, are restored to the family...
while always beloved, now... ‘home’.
It’s a relationship that inspires us to learn to love unconditionally –
to love without expecting a reward of some kind.
To just get on, and love anyway.
It is a giving of oneself for another:
for God,
for our neighbour.
Just as God, in Jesus,
gave of himself
for us...
to save us,
to show us life,
to free us from the fear of never feeling we’ve measured up –
because 'perfect love casts out all fear.'
To love, is to live
and to live is to love:
John says in his first letter that:
‘no-one has ever seen God;
but if we love each other,
God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.’
Without us... God’s love is not complete –
the relationship remains broken.
Accepting, trusting, bonding with God in love restores the circle of being
and belonging with one another.

...‘For God so loved the world...’
Not a measure,
but the manner in which God loves:
unconditionally.
And the manner in which God loves is
transforming,
life-giving,
worth having,
and can restore, and heal a broken world in need of a love without limits.

‘Gather round,
I have a story to tell
of one who reached inside himself
and took a handful of love
like a pile of stardust
and said: this is for you
it is all you need
it is all you will ever need
there is enough here
to change the whole world
...take it.'

Some dared to take it –
Do we?
Amen.

*from Roddy Hamilton

Food for the journey: bite-sized mid-week nourishment

Re-read the Romans reading...
Romans 12:9-21
9   Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 
10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. 
11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 
12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; 
   do not claim to be wiser than you are.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written,
   Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’
20 No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
   for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Think of Paul’s instructions to
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” 
or “Live in harmony with one another” 
or “Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.” 
As you read the list Paul gives, reflect on what the church community, and wider community,
might be like if these instructions were followed.
Try and picture what this might look like.
As you do so, pray that this might come about.
As you go about your week, and see folk you know or don’t know
in your local community/ church, pray for them –
asking for God’s blessing on their lives, even as they go about their business.

Sermon 31 March: 'We are family'

We continue with our series exploring the four 'loves' of the New Testament.
This week, it's familial love - love of, and for, family [Gk. 'storge']
Prayers wove Mothering Sunday themes throughout,
while our readings reflected a fatherly love...
The sermon itself was split into three mini-reflections today.

1st READING: John 4:46-54

REFLECTION/ The father
The miles dragged.
Heat, dust, stones –
pebbles that caused him to stop,
take off his shoes,
shake them,
then try and put them on
his swollen feet once more.
The wind seemed to whisper –
telling stories of miracles
and God knew, he was in need of one.
He’d overheard the chatter of servants,
felt the ruffled feathers of the religious elite
as they spat his name out in conversation;
knew the king and court officials
were watching and wondering
if there was cause to worry.
But he was desperate,
and any hint of disapproval
or social embarrassment
in seeking out a subversive rabbi
was nothing...
if that rabbi could heal
his beautiful boy.
Each mile told a story:
looking into his wife’s eyes with wonder
as she held their new-born son;
watching with pride as his sturdy wee boy
took his first steps, fell down, and laughed,
not cried.
A strong one,
a fighter.
Fiery and funny,
blood of his blood
and mother’s joy.
They adored him.
Loved his curiosity,
saw the good in him,
washed an occasional scraped knee,
wondered about the man
he would one day become.
So much hope,
so many possibilities,
such potential.
But the hope turned to fear;
the possibilities took on a sinister turn,
and potential was fast becoming
like the taste of ashes.
As the miles drew on,
he saw a ruddy, healthy boy change;
grow pale,
waste away.
He’d called upon every physician,
and they came –
prodding and poking the boy
like a piece of meat,
tut-tutting and shaking their heads,
and offering no constructive advice
or practical solution.
One of the more kindly physicians
had gently tried to prepare him
and his wife for the worst.
The boy slept fitfully,
whimpering occasionally.
He and his wife watched and waited.
And wept.
Until news had come that the strange rabbi
was in the area once more –
across in Cana.
He remembered the stories of a wedding
and wine that seemed to flow forever.
He remembered other stories as well –
of those who were sick
being made well.
A last, desperate chance then.
He set off in the early hours of the morning,
the desperation propelling him along
the twenty miles from Capernaum,
a tiny flicker of hope,
not yet put out...

2nd READING: Romans 12:9-21

REFLECTION/ The followers
He’d lost track of the miles.
A man on a mission,
he’d been walking, for over twenty years now –
ever since he’d stopped persecuting the followers
of the man he’d once thought of
as a heretic and blasphemer.
He’d been wrong.
And, while travelling on the Damascus road
to arrest the followers of the radical rabbi,
he’d been struck blind by a bright light,
found himself on all fours,
on the ground,
heard a voice from heaven call his name –
Jesus.
He’d followed that voice ever since,
and in the years of following,
he’d travelled over dusty roads
shucking pebbles from his shoes
countless times.
He never minded.
Once a persecutor, he in turn had faced
his share of troubles for following the rabbi.
Somehow, he always managed to find a way
out of trouble –
God’s grace.
God watching over him,
protecting him
as a father to a son.
Over the miles,
so many stories gathered:
so many men and women,
boys and girls,
all told about Jesus –
so many added to the growing band of followers.
There were growing pains,
but so often, he was pleased with them:
like a proud father...
he’d seen them take their first steps in the faith,
heard through letters
of the good they were doing
in the communities where they lived.
His travels had taken him to Corinth,
to spend time with his brothers
and sisters in the faith –
his spiritual family.
Like any family, there were fallings out,
and he’d found his niche as a mediator
and community builder –
reconciling the family of followers in the
only way he knew:
showing the way of love.
And while he knew he wasn’t perfect,
while he knew that he, too, was perfectly
capable of falling out with brothers and sisters,
he also knew the wideness
of God’s mercy and love,
which helped him keep putting
one foot in front of the other
and following in faith.
And now, even while he was about to
head back cross to Jerusalem,
he was planning his next big trip:
a journey to Spain to share the message of Jesus.
Wanted to be the first to tell them the story
of the man he’d only met after Jesus had
died and risen and gone to glory.
The trip meant a chance to travel to Rome
and to spend time in the company of old and new members of this gathered family.
Time to write a letter.
Time to prepare the way
by cooking up a recipe for living in community.
He’d write them a shopping list of ingredients
which, when mixed together,
would create a feast:
a love feast to show how a family should
live together...
would show not only the kingdom of heaven
but the kin-dom of heaven.
Straightening the parchment,
taking the quill in hand,
he began:
‘Let love be real...’
He sprinkled in a little humility,
added some patience and prayer,
seasoned it with joy,
and tossed in a little spice –
flavouring it with forgiveness
and a great dollop of goodness.
Yes, that’d do nicely –
a recipe for love indeed.

REFLECTION/ 'It's fam'ly, innit'
An ongoing joke about the soap, ‘Eastenders’
is the fairly dire behaviour most folk indulge in on Albert Square –
and in among all the horrible words and actions,
when something really kicks off between neighbours,
you’re nearly always bound to hear the phrase often in Barbara Windsor's accent:
‘It’s about fam’ly, innit?’
Well, our readings today are indeed about family – ‘storge’ -
the word used to indicate the love of and for family.
We’ve got two types of family on display:
blood kin, and spiritual kin.
Let’s think about the first for a moment ...

In our gospel passage, you can almost smell
the sweat of the father’s exertion as he travels from Capernaum
to get to Jesus, 20 miles along the road in Cana.
He’s one of the palace officials –
one not supposed to be predisposed
to put his trust in one who was fast becoming seen as
some kind of subversive, religious radical.
Questions might be asked.
Answers that might not please the king....
but the father was desperate –
his faith that Jesus could just do something,
and his love for his poorly son,
propelled him along.

After a pretty impressive show of faith
by actually being prepared to travel twenty miles to get to Jesus,
the response of Jesus is interesting, well, odd –
it feels a bit... stand-offish.
But let’s think about what we know of the Gospel of John.
Time and time again, people are interested in Jesus,
or more to the point, in his signs and wonders.
They believe only after they’ve seen.
And for some of them, I suspect that Jesus becomes, in their minds,
a little like a spiritual vending machine –
insert prayer in this slot,
choose type of answer,
collect result.
In the exchange of words, however, Jesus realises the official may be a little different:
having told him to ‘go, your son will live,’
the man does exactly that – he goes off, taking Jesus at his word.
After Jesus has spoken, the official doesn’t ask Jesus
to come along back to Capernaum with him – just ‘in case’.
He doesn’t insist on seeing the miracle.
He believes, and goes.
As we heard, at the exact time Jesus tells the official his child will live,
across in Capernaum, his son recovers.
The love of the father for his son, and the faith he has put in Jesus wins the day –
this family has a happy ending.

In our reading from Romans, we find a different understanding of family:
family as a spiritual kind of kinship...
Here, we see Paul, in an almost parental mode, writing to fellow followers,
giving advice to a Christian community –
who he considered to be his spiritual children.
And we have a bit of a diverse family of followers:
some had been Jewish,
some had followed the Roman gods...
there were squabbles as to who got preference:
could the Gentile followers have the same rights as their brothers and sisters in the faith?
While some in that community were saying a very firm ‘no’,
Paul says ‘yes’
and his letter to this family of falling out followers
is to help them be a more harmonious family –
working together to work out God’s purposes in the world, not engaging in squabbles.
How to do this?
By giving some practical tips for living and loving together,
by providing a long list of examples that show
how to demonstrate love for a fellow faith family member.
Here is the love that cares for one another,
a love of compassionate care,
a love demonstrating the deep connection –
the bond between fellow family members.
Paul emphasises kinship.
Here love is not just an individual matter –
this is about the Body of Christ,
it’s about community,
it’s about brothers and sisters who are God’s children
and who work not for their own reward, but the reward for all.
‘This is about common good, an intuitive way of living towards each other,
closely bound together in the love we have for friends and family 
which shapes the structure of our daily lives.’  [David Lose]

Paul’s little love list – the list that, if followed, would help the family of followers
in Rome thrive in their faith –
is a great corrective to our modern world’s fixation on the mantra that
only the strongest, leanest, fittest, hottest, wealthiest survive.
Rather than creating a dog-eat-dog society where the most vulnerable,
or the ones who don’t quite conform, are left behind,
Paul’s list, urging each part of the body of Christ to love in these different ways
is a hallmark leading us right back to the radical rabbi, Jesus,
the One who command that we love one another, just as he loved us.
Paul’s list points right back to Jesus’s own love:
Be authentic? Jesus showed us what it was to be real.
Never be lacking in zeal? Well, Jesus had that figured as well –
showing though his words and energy during his ministry his love for the Father.
Humility – Jesus again modelled that.
As to not repaying evil with evil, Jesus went to the Cross uncomplaining –
and, even as his enemies tried to break him,
he broke the cycle of violence and destroyed death – through love itself.
He calls us his brothers and sisters and shows us what real family looks like:
welcoming,
hospitable,
looking out for the stranger,
connected...
outward looking.

Paul’s love list is a handy check list.
This week, why not re-read each item on the list and actively work on each one?
After all, ‘these words about familial love are not meant to be just aspirational, 
but are to be the bottom line in being the Body of Christ.’  [Spill the Beans]
It's about fam'ly, innit - God’s family.
Amen.

Food for the journey: bite-sized mid-week nourishment

On Sundays through Lent we're exploring the different words for love found in the New Testament.

On the theme of friendship...
this week, find a comfortable space, and spend a little time re-reading our passage from Luke 5: 17-26...

What a group of quite literally, 'get up and go' friends.
Think about your friendships this week and what they mean to you.
Go and phone, text or write to a friend.
Suggest a coffee or a meeting place or simply have a conversation.
Think together about how long you have been friends and why you made friends.
Later, in prayer, think again of this friendship and give thanks to God for it, and pray for your friend and those in her/ his life.

News, info, what's on: wk beg. 25 March

CHURCH NEWS

Sat 30 March, 3pm: Faith and film - ‘Les Miserables’ discussion group
cancelled this week...
we'll be doing a bumper session instead on:
Sat 6 April instead, where we meet our two protagonists Javert and Valjean
Hopetoun Arms Hotel, Leadhills...

Church quiz: the deadline for entries was on Sunday 24 March.
Winner to be announced soon.

Sundays in March - Food Bank Donations Box:
One week left to donate items to the Food Bank before the box is taken to Clydesdale Food Bank.

Further ahead - A date for your diary:
13 April, 2.30: The Guild daffodil tea –
Roberton Village Hall. Entertainment by Lanarkshire Rural Choir; prize draw.
Entry £5 – with proceeds going towards Guild projects.
Please do tell friends and neighbours

Minister’s day off this week: Tuesday

Sermon 24 March: The four loves - 'eros' and 'philia'

Due to the snow on the first Sunday of Lent, we're playing 'catch-up' in our series 'The four loves'.
Last week we introduced the overall theme, reflecting on Jesus' new command to love one another.
This week, we look at two of our four loves - 'eros' [or romantic love], and 'philia' [or friendship]...
Each deserves a sermon on its own, but what's a minister to do in the face of snow?

Early on in the service, we thought about different songs which had the word 'love' in the title,
and reminded ourselves of the old 'love is...' cartoons of the 70's/80's, writing our 'love is...'
definition on heart post-its and then posting them on the large heart-shape standing by
our wooden cross.

READINGS: Song of songs 8:5-7; 1 Cor 13; 1 Peter 3:8-12; Luke 5:17-26

SERMON
Let’s pray: may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts,
be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

A friend has a running joke with me – his nick-name for me is ‘Dibley’:
like the Vicar of Dibley, I serve a very rural area,
like the Vicar of Dibley, well, I’m what Precious Mwbostwe from the
‘Number One Ladies Detective Agency’ would describe as ‘a traditionally built woman.’
Unlike the Vicar of Dibley, I don’t have a freezer stacked with a variety of Haagen Daz ice cream -
I’m a little sad about that last one.
Anyway, in an episode of The Vicar of Dibley, Geraldine, the Vicar,
was in the midst of a dream about a possible marriage.
There were several nightmarish elements to her dream:
the minister conducting the service was an embittered ex-boyfriend
throwing in snarky comments between what he was supposed to be saying;
her first name, which she never uses, and which she has never told to anyone
has to be used for the legalities of the ceremony:
so we find out that Geraldine is actually Boadicea Geraldine, much to her embarrassment.
As to her groom: to her horror, she finds she’s standing next to David,
her sometimes arch nemesis and also the equivalent of the Session Clerk –
a man she definitely doesn’t want to marry.
Having just been asked if she will take him for her husband, Geraldine pauses,
um’s and arrr’s, and looks a tad panicky.
She turns around looking at the congregation helplessly.
Just then, the man she’s had a crush on for years, walks through the church doors –
the irresistibly lovely Sean Bean.
Their eyes meet, and he cries out in his glorious northern English accent:
‘No! Don’t do it Geraldine. It’s me you love!’
A smile of rapture – and relief – fills Geraldine’s face.
He beckons to her:
‘Come away, lass...’
And she runs up the aisle blissfully to meet him.
It’s a truly beautiful moment

The Song of Songs –
the one book in the bible that exists to celebrate the joys of ‘eros’ –
of romantic love, of human desire,
is a call to come away:
a call to love at the most intimate level,
to join your life with that of another and to share the journey together.
This call to love is as old as humanity itself,
a natural and normal part of what it is to be human.
If there was a list of things needed in order to do more than just merely survive,
then finding and sharing love would feature high up on the list.

As we were thinking about earlier, love is a prime ingredient for many songs;
love inspires poets to wax lyrical,
artists to paint, or sculpt, or create works expressing their desire for a loved one –
or disappointment at love lost.
From the slightly quicker than normal beating of our heart,
to getting a little flustered,
to being inspired to create masterpieces,
or, inspired by love, to discover, and share love’s generous spirt with others through
kindness...
love moves us, transforms us.
And, when done well, can make us better people.
So, it’s interesting to me that the one book in the Bible that does talk about
this particular expression of love, is a book that has historically,
with a wee blush, been quietly left to gather dust,
or, explained away as a poem about God’s relationship with the nation of Israel.
Sure, you can read it that way if you like, but, to do so would be a disservice to the text itself.
Along with the story of creation,
along with the books that give us a potted history of Israel,
or information about Jewish law,
or proclaim the words of the prophets,
or the poetry of the psalms –
with the whole range of human emotions on display within them –
along with the New Testament books
telling us of the life of Jesus
and the creation of the church,
in the Song of Songs, we see the celebration of human love –
and what a healthy, good, fully-rounded human relationship might look like:
an aspirational human relationship, if you like.
And, at some point, when those who compiled the various books into what
we now have as the bible as a whole, this small book – this text for lovers –
was deemed fit to be included.
This expression of love is one of God’s gifts to humanity –
to be used wisely and well.

A movie many years ago, ‘Love Story', had as its tag-line:
‘love means never having to say your sorry.’
I suspect the couple within the Song of Songs would disagree.
The model of human desire and love we find in our text is not the fluffy stuff of Hollywood.
While there’s the falling in love bit,
the couple in this poem appear to have been together for a while.
When the initial rosy glow of that first love begins to fade,
it’s then that the work of love really begins:
seeing each other warts and all,
making room for each other,
making time for each other, too.
Working at not taking each other for granted.
Working at communicating so that irritations don’t fester into a resentment
that undermines the relationship.
Each listening,
each putting the other first,
in what is the mutual, shared work of love.
Of course, sometimes, no matter how hard you might both work at it,
sometimes, even with the best will in the world,
sometimes... it breaks.
And in the midst of that brokenness, it’s finding love enough to forgive
and work out what the best, least destructive course of action might be for both.
Love, in whatever form, is beautiful
and also one of the hardest things we get to do as humans.
And yet, here, in the Song of Songs, the book which the church has been
rather coy about discussing over the centuries,
...here we have a model of love that shows the joys, the ups, the downs, the nitty gritty
of a healthy, happy, human relationship –
of being completely known and loved by another human being.
True love.
True, because it's real.

In a world which so frequently exploits human bodies –
uses people as commodities,
devalues people,
treats women and men as ‘hunks’ of meat – objectifying them in advertising;
in a world of #metoo and the abuse of women by those in powerful positions;
in a world where we are now so much more aware of sex trafficking...
we need to turn from the twisting of love
and hear again what truly loving human relationships can be like:
we need to hear again the words of the Song of Songs as a counter-balance,
and as a way to create healthy relationship goals.

By the by, we heard the words of 1st Corinthians 13,
along with our reading from Song of Songs.
This reading is one that’s very popular at weddings and while the sentiments are lovely,
it’s not ‘eros’ that this particular text is describing,
but another Greek word for love ‘agape’ –
not romantic love,
but total, selfless, unconditional love,
the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity,
a love passionately committed to the well-being of others
with no expectation of it being reciprocated...
There may be some ideals within it that cross over –
a certain selflessness, but... it’s different.
So next time you’re at a wedding and hear it read,
you can nod wisely and go ‘ah, yes, but...’
And we’ll be exploring this particular word in a couple of weeks.

Very quickly, we move to another of our four words for love this morning – ‘philia’ –
brotherly or sisterly love – neighbourly love if you like.
This is about friendship.
And in our passage from Luke – well, aren’t these the kinds of friends you’d like to have?
These are the sorts of friend who have your back in a crisis:
they’ll do anything they can to help you out,
even if it means picking you up on your bed,
carrying you off, digging through a roof,
and getting you to someone who might just have an answer for your illness.
As we were thinking of songs earlier on the theme of romantic love,
so there’s songs about friendship;
there’s the classic Carol King/ James Taylor song ‘You’ve got a friend’, with the words:
‘winter, spring, summer, or fall,
all you’ve got to do is call,
and I’ll be there, yes I will,
you’ve got a friend.’
The friends in our gospel passage are just these kinds of friends:
they are there for their friend in need.

Helen Keller once said:
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the night.”
We need companionship –
God noticed this having created human beings and said:
‘it’s not good for humans to be alone.’
Whether romantic love, or companionable friendship,
we are at our best when we have others
to spend time with –
to share the load,
to listen,
and be listened to in return;
to help one another,
laugh with one another,
at times, cry with one another...
to just be still, in silence together,
or, to stand together – and face the world –
support, solidarity.
Some say that 'you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends,'
and friendship makes life bearable.

The extraordinary act of friendship shown by the paralysed man’s friends
is such that even Jesus is astonished by it – he’s impressed.
He restores the man to full health –
and, having been healed,
the man picks up his mat and heads off with his friends, presumably all of them rejoicing together.
Friendship: shared sorrows and shared joys.

‘Philia’
This model of love is used by Jesus when talking about those who follow him.
‘I call you my friends,’ he says to the disciples.
Jesus, Son of God, Messiah, Prince of Peace,
rather than pulling rank... calls us his friends.
God, in sending Jesus,
shows us the relationship he wants to have with us:
not one of being beaten down,
cajoled into toeing the line –
not slaves, nor servants,
...but friends.
For far too long there’s been the notion of God as the One with the big stick ready to pounce,
ready to punish us if we step out of line:
controlling, angry, One to be feared.
It is good to remind ourselves that, no matter how we mess up, God, through Jesus,
calls us his friends –
calls us to spend our lives walking alongside him, not cowering, but companionably.
There’s a sense of restoration –
of being back in the Garden when God and Adam walked and talked together.
We are God’s beloved,
and we are God’s friends.
Thanks be to God for his love. Amen.

Food for the journey: mid-week, bite-sized nourishment

Spiritual nourishment for the week ahead:

As we think about our Lenten theme of Love, each night this week take five minutes to think about, give thanks for, and write down an example of a moment during that day where you experienced the opportunity to show love to someone else or had the experience of being loved.
If words don’t come easily, you may want to draw a picture, or make a symbol to represent this moment.

news, info, events: wk beg. 18 March

CHURCH NEWS

Sat 23 March, 3pm: Faith and film - ‘Les Miserables’ discussion group
meets at the Hopetoun Arms Hotel over consecutive Saturdays.
Join us as and when you’re able for what promises to be some good conversation
as we reflect on themes from the film and matters of faith.
[N.B. so as not to clash with the Daffodil Tea on Sat 13 April, the last meeting 
will be on Sunday 14th at 3pm, at the same venue]

Church quiz: the deadline for entries is Sunday 24 March.
Copies of the quiz are £1 and can be bought from members of the Committee.
All proceeds go to church funds. Prize £10
[in case of several correct entries, a ‘blind’ draw will take place to produce a winner]

Sundays in March - Food Bank Donations Box:
Over the Sundays of March, we will have a box in which to leave
dry/ tinned goods/ basic hygiene products for the Clydesdale Food Bank.
If you have items to donate, that would be excellent:
we shall make sure they get to their destination!

Further ahead - A date for your diary:
13 April, 2.30: The Guild daffodil tea –
Roberton Village Hall. Entertainment by Lanarkshire Rural Choir; prize draw.
Entry £5 – with proceeds going towards Guild projects. Please do tell friends and neighbours

Minister’s day off this week: Monday

Sermon, Sun 17 March: Love one another

A blending today of Lent 1 and 2, burying more 'alleluias' and thinking of Jesus' new commandment to love one another, as we begin a series on 'the four loves' during Lent.
We also remembered Christchurch during our time of worship.

READINGS: Proverbs 3:3-4; John 13: 31-38

SERMON
Let’s pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

Our gospel passage finds us in an odd place so early into the time of Lent:
normally, we’d find ourselves in the wilderness with Jesus, just after his baptism – there to stay and pray for 40 days.
Then, bit by bit over the weeks, we’d steadily head toward Jerusalem.
Instead, this morning we find ourselves peeking
in on Jesus and the disciples already in Jerusalem,
and, on the night when he was betrayed.
It’s the Last Supper.

Just before our passage Jesus has washed his disciples’ feet
taking on the role of a servant to them, much to their confusion.
It’s an act of service, and an act of self-giving love.
It’s a demonstration of love in action –
of love for others,
of being prepared to let go of any advantage:
in this case, Jesus has authority over the disciples as their teacher, their Rabbi.
When called by him,
they had placed their lives in his hands,
had agreed to follow him,
to be taught by him,
to serve him as needed,
and, in washing their feet, Jesus has done an odd, a new thing:
overturned an understanding of power.
It’s not about lording it over people:
it’s about care, concern,
of responsibility shown through service.
It’s about love.
And, having washed their feet, he instructs them to ‘do as I have done.’

Now, remember, one popular understanding of the Messiah was that
he would come in power – would come as a mighty warrior
to destroy the Romans and restore the greatness of Israel.
And here is one, who some think just might be the Messiah
washing dusty feet;
waiting on them as a servant.
A new way.
A way, as we’ve seen elsewhere with some responses to Jesus,
that’s not always well received:
Jesus, the Living Bread who’s not necessarily seen as easily palatable.

It’s on this last night together,
as they eat –
as Jesus creates a new meal with them so that they will remember him
every time they eat and drink together when he’s no longer physically present...
it’s on this last night,
when Judas slinks out into the night and into the darkness of betrayal,
that Jesus distils his teaching right down to the marrow:
‘A new commandment I give you:
love one another.
As I have loved you, 
so you must love one another.
Love is what will mark you out as my followers.’
All, in the end, is about love.
Simple.

Well, we’d like it to be, wouldn’t we?
Jesus’ teaching seems to be less about rules and more about healthy relationships:
with God
and with each other –
immediate neighbours such as family,
or the folk next door,
or around about you and even broader –
to all human beings:
each is neighbour to the other.
‘Love one another’ –
not just fellow followers of the Way,
but finding ways to love the whole of humanity.

Remember the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law  who Jesus had run-in’s with?
The ones who really didn’t take to the content of his teaching:
who didn’t like his particular innovations?
Well, let’s be frank, it’s easy to have some sympathy with them:
Following rules, no matter how many,
no matter how seemingly pernickety,
no matter how seemingly tiresome,
is, at least, straightforward.
Love is in a different category altogether: 
it’s not about rules but about relationship. 
It’s an orientation of the heart 
and not merely an act of will. 
Jesus, in other words, quite deliberately sets 
out as his supreme commandment 
...something which cannot be commanded, 
but only given freely with no guarantee of return.’
                                                       [from Spill the Beans]
‘Freely given’.
Given.
Letting go.
Letting love be the goal.
When you’ve got a rule book,
you’ve got something to measure life and behaviour by.
When the rules in the book end up being boiled down to one word ‘love’
how do you measure that?
How do you ever know you’ve done enough?
Well, I think the thing is to stop getting caught up in the act of actually measuring:
just... love.
Love without measure.
But again, love freely given?
Letting go -
of your need for such things such as self-importance;
power; even holding grudges...
well, that's hard; we like to feel important.
And, actually, we are:
we’re God’s beloved – that’s more than enough.
It's what we ground ourselves in.
When our feathers get ruffled over some imagined slight that we
feel has been designed to knock us down a peg or two, we’ve a few options –
we can knock the other person down to size,
or, knowing ourselves beloved of God,
we can rest in that, and laugh the other off.
As people who are loved, so in turn, that love allows us to let go of anger, of unforgiveness,
and to move on and live.
Love one another – even the ones who annoy you.
Love ... and let go.
Love... and let God.

Over the next four weeks, we’ll be learning God’s language of love.
Exploring four words for love that are found in the New Testament.
We have:
‘Eros’ – romantic love;
‘Philia’ – love for your fellow human beings;
‘Storge’ – love for family and friends
and ‘Agape’ – unconditional, self-giving love.
This last, the kind that Jesus demonstrates when turning his face
to Jerusalem, and certain death, but doing it anyway.
Regardless of the different ways to love – to express love –
in the end, Jesus’ command to us is still the same.
In whichever mode, we are to ‘love one another’.
I like how the writer of Proverbs thinks about love:
‘Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.’

Love: written on the heart –
love... one another...
what does it look like, this kind of love?
In the course of this past week alone,
it’s found in a story told of the old workshed,
where a dad quietly and practically got on with the business of
mending his daughter’s favourite toy, or broken table,
without making any kind of fuss;
it’s found in conversations between different groups of people,
seeking to really listen and to learn, and to work alongside one another –
putting privileges and power aside, along with assumptions...for the common good:
the committee meeting I was at in Inverness between
the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church;
it’s found in an ordinary Friday lunch time,
on an ordinary road in Christchurch when,
suddenly caught up in the midst of bullets flying,
a 66 year old woman gets out of her car to pull a wounded man out of the line of fire,
and, with another ordinary Christchurch man,
uses her hands to keep pressure on a bleeding wound and so save a life;
it’s found outside a mosque in Manchester,
where a grandpa called Andrew, a practising Christian,
stands by the gate with a poster proclaiming:
"You are my friends. I will keep watch while you pray" as a response
of solidarity to his known and unknown Muslim neighbours
stunned by the events so far away in Christchurch....

We don’t need to treat the Bible as some kind of rule book,
where, if we get it wrong, we’re doomed.
Boiled down to the marrow,
the Bible is the story of God’s desire for a relationship with human beings
and they with him;
and the story of humans relating to one another.
The story of love.
To find God’s favour,
don’t just read the rules:
write love on your heart.
Let love be as natural to you as breathing.

Jesus’ reminds us, with this ‘new’ commandment
that the rules were never meant to be a rigid straitjacket, pinning us down –
they were meant to help.
So, he goes back to basics:
the rule to love.
It’s blurry, sometimes messy, not easily measured.
We’ll get it wrong time and time again...
but if we keep at it,
and keep loving,
and remember that we are loving because we ourselves
already have God’s favour,
that we are God’s beloved,
then, even amid the mistakes we’ll make,
there will also be goodness and beauty,
kindness and compassion –
because they are the fruit of love.

Let’s pray:
Can it be that easy, Jesus?
Can it be that hard?
That what You want for us 
is just to love
and be loved?
Is it possible that even those 
who have tried the hardest,
signed on the dotted line,
sat for years in classes
and strained their eyes from reading,
dressed in all the most appropriate garments,
and spoken with only the most measured words…
that these can miss You?

How can it be when those who have hardly 
tried at all,
who have damaged themselves 
and others so much,
that,... in the end they have no where else to turn
but to throw themselves on Your grace…
how can it be that these 
are the ones You search out?

How do we make sense of this, Jesus?
How do we love so scandalously, so inclusively?
How do we allow ourselves to be loved enough,
that all our hard and sharp edges
grow soft and round?

Help us to find the humility and courage,
the boldness and grace,
that in our loving and being loved,
we may somehow ignite our world with 
a compassion so fierce
that violence and abuse,
rejection and condemnation,
neglect and greed
become unthinkable. 
Lord Jesus, teach us anew 
the new commandment.
Teach us to love. Amen.
               [prayer from Spill the Beans]

Sun 10 March: white and fluffy

Notes on worship this morning/

When I woke up at 6.30 this morning, the fields and hills were green. Then at 8ish, the snow came fast: a great big flurry and dump. By 8.30, the phone began ringing... 

'I'll be toiling to get down the road/track to get out of the village/farm' was a common theme. 

Too late to officially cancel church, I cleared the drive and slithered over to Abington: the minister mobile always surprises me with its get up and go. It's the little car that, apparently, can.

Managing up the hill to church, our duty elder was there preparing. We wondered if we might be the only two.

Another joined us at 10.20.

We decided that, if we three were to be it [and, on the principle that where two or three are gathered], then we'd stay until 10.45ish, during which we'd read the gospel passage, bury our 'alleluias', say a prayer and, after a blessing, lock up and go have a cuppa and a blether in the village store.

And that's pretty much what happened due to the white and fluffy stuff. The snow has been off and on during the rest of the day, and at the moment, the fields and hills are once again green, while the sun shines from a blue sky. 

There's more snow to come.

Stay safe, stay warm. 

It's weird March weather out there...

Food for the journey: mid-week, bite-sized spiritual nourishment

Today - Ash Wednesday -
marks the official beginning of the season of Lent -
a time for spiritual 'decluttering',
a time for reorienting ourselves toward God,
a time for journeying with Jesus
on the road to Jerusalem -
to cheers and 'hosanna's!',
to jeers and 'crucify him!',
through to fear and wonder and 'He is risen!'

A short service to mark Ash Wednesday will be held this evening 

in the church at Abington, at 6.30pm...

As we begin this time of reflecting, refocusing, and journeying, a blessing for the road ahead:

Remember that you are dust 

and to dust you shall return.

Let the memory of your incomplete humanity awaken you 

to the wonders, joys, sorrows, and pain of life.

Let the ashes you wear be the ashes of transformation;

of awakening to the beauty and love of seizing the moment and living it to the fullest.

Let it be said of you that here in this little part of eternity 

you lived fully, loved extravagantly,

and helped humanity evolve into all that God dreamed we can be.

Remember that you are dust 

and to dust you shall return -

made of the stuff of the stars;

fearfully and wonderfully made 

in the image of the One who is was and ever more shall be: 

Creator, Christ and Spirit. 

Amen.

News, info, events: wk beg 3 March

CHURCH NEWS/ What's on:

Beginning 3rd March - Food Bank Donations Box:
Over the Sundays of March, we will have a box in which to leave
dry/ tinned goods/ basic hygiene products for the Clydesdale Food Bank.
If you have items to donate, that would be excellent:
we shall make sure they get to their destination!
For further information, here's a link to their site: Clydesdale Food Bank

Minister’s time off this week will be: Thursday

Sun 10 March, 9-9.45am: Prayer group meets in the church

Saturdays from 16 March, 3pm - 13 April: 
Faith and film - ‘Les Miserables’: 5 week discussion group -
this year’s Lent study features ‘Les Miserables’ as our discussion starter. Each week through Lent, we'll explore themes from the film that tie in with faith.
We'll be using the book ‘Another story must begin’ by Jonathan Meyer [£5.99].
The group will meet at the Hopetoun Arms Hotel in Leadhills.

Church quiz: our Social Committee has produced a fiendish fun/fund-raiser.
Test your brain cells on the not as simple as you might think
nursery rhymes and games quiz devised by Isobel T.
Copies of the quiz are £1 and can be bought from members of the Committee.
All proceeds go to church funds. Prize £10
[in case of multiple correct entries, a ‘blind’ draw will take place to produce the winning entry]
Deadline is 24 March.

Sermon: Sun 3 March, Communion...'Come, eat, drink, and live'

READINGS: Isaiah 55:1-5; John 7:31-44;  John 7:45-52

SERMON
Let’s pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts
be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer, amen.

It’s early morning.
A maid enters a room quietly, opens the French windows,
and stops briefly at the bed in which a young boy sleeps soundly.
Nodding to herself, she leaves, closing the door behind her.
Birdsong fills the room.
A lone, rather plaintive, voice drifts up from the street below
competing with the birds:
‘Who will buy my sweet red roses...?’
The boy stirs, gets up, goes to the window steps out on to the balcony:
we see a beautiful Georgian crescent with rows of white-painted houses
encircling a lush green, tree-filled park,
and, in-between, a road with a single figure,
carrying a basket filled with red, red roses – the singer.
As she continues to sing, others arrive on the street:
milk vendors,
fruit sellers,
knife grinders...
all singing,
all asking:
‘who will buy?’
‘who will buy?’

The boy responds to the sight –
his whole life has just changed:
rescued from the streets,
he finds himself living with kindly folk in comfortable surroundings.
As he looks at the various street vendors
he wants something that none of them are selling –
something money can’t buy,
and, wondering at his change of fortune,
longing not to lose this moment, he sings:
‘who will buy...
this wonderful morning –
such a sight, I never did see:
who will tie 
it up with a ribbon
and put it in a box for me?’

And, can anyone recognise the story and the film – that I’m talking about?
...'Oliver’
Here’s a story of a young boy who, right from his birth discovers life is hard,
that people can be cruel –
and yet, for all that is thrown at him, he somehow manages to retain a sweet nature.
Very early on, in the movie version, we find Oliver in the orphanage:
it’s meal-time and the children barely subsist on a meagre bowl of gruel.
In daring to come to the table and ask for more, he’s punished,
and later sold into an apprenticeship – child slavery.
For Oliver, the pangs of hunger bite deep –
he wants more –
more bread, for sure –
but, more from life, as we see later when he sings:
‘who will buy this wonderful morning.’
He’s found a small moment of grace and peace in his life and he’d like it to last forever.

Over the last several weeks, our readings from John
have focused in upon who Jesus is,
and, how people have responded to him.
We’ve seen him feed a multitude with bread and fish –
we’ve heard him tell his followers that he, himself, is the bread of life.
Only he will truly satisfy the hunger of heart and soul.
He invites us to come:
to feast upon the bread of life –
and here in our passage from John,
to drink of the living water.

It’s also an invitation that God extends to the people of Israel in our passage from Isaiah:
‘Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters...
Come, buy wine and milk without money,
and without cost.’
Here we also find the language of that which does, and does not satisfy:
don’t waste time, money, your life...on the things that don’t satisfy –
God urges his people.
Choose the good stuff – it’s the stuff that will delight the soul.
And we find that it’s listening to God that gives life.

The prophet is giving a message to a broken and battered people –
who have lived through war,
who have lived as captives,
who have lived in the shadows...
better, almost, to say:
people who have half-lived.
These are folk in need of a good word,
in need of good news,
in need... of rescue;
people worn down by hard circumstances
longing for –
hungering and thirsting for –
even just a small moment of grace and peace.
And the God who calls them his people,
calls to them:
‘Come, eat, drink, and live.’
This is the God who will make a new covenant with them:
a new way of living,
a new way forward in the relationship between God and human:
a covenant, a promise, of unfailing kindness.
God has seen their suffering,
God has heard their cries,
God has continued loving them even when they turned their eyes away from him...
‘Listen to me, and eat what is good,’ says God.
God invites his people to the feast
and to feast on life.
God also invites us, his people, to look beyond the immediate:
from those things promoted to provide instant gratification,
to that which may take longer –
because we may need to dig a little deeper,
ask the harder questions of God and ourselves...
we may be tempted to go for the quick fix,
but to do so will only find us dissatisfied a little further on.

Real listening – deep listening – is hard.
So often, in conversation, how many of us are only half listening,
because we’re thinking about what we’re going to say when the other has stopped?
In the invitation to listen to God, we can find ourselves encountering hard work:
so many distractions,
so many shiny things...
but in the work of deep listening,
we also find the other part of the invitation:
the good things to eat that do last, that do satisfy,
that give us not just glimpses of grace,
but a life filled with God’s grace and peace.

God invites his people to come.
Jesus continues that invitation:
to come to the table,
to come and feast upon life,
to come and be truly satisfied
to sate your hunger and slate your thirst.
But it doesn’t end there:
as God’s people,
as Jesus’ followers,
we’re called to extend the invitation to others -
to come, to be welcome, to feast on things that money just can’t buy;
to discover moments of grace and peace that can’t be bought because they’re freely given.
The gift that God offers to us
becomes the gift we can offer to others.

Shortly, we’ll be sharing in the feast:
the bread and wine of communion.
In this meal, with this food and drink,
we’re given a foretaste of heaven,
a foretaste of the new creation,
a reminder of who we are,
and whose we are,
and that in God, we have all we need...
So: ‘Come, eat, drink, and live.’ Amen.