URC Daily Devotion 30 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 30 October 2024
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Wednesday 30 October 2024
James 2: 14 - 17
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Reflection
“Many have mightily laboured to reconcile James with Paul…” grumbled Martin Luther, “but with no real success.
These are at odds: faith justifies, faith does not justify…”
Rather than promise to eat his hat, Luther instead offered to hand over his doctoral cap to whomever could reconcile these competing biblical perspectives, and let them ‘scold me as a fool.’ So far as I know, nobody ever claimed the prize.
Perhaps the real problem here is the determination to reconcile these two contrasting views on what Sallie McFague described as ‘the unprecedented task’ of having to ‘think about “everything that is.”’
Christianity has been, from the very outset, a community of people with different perspectives. A place of plurality. Here we find James’ perspective coming to the fore – elsewhere we find Paul’s, we shouldn’t be surprised to find them different.
The Samoan theologian Upolu Vaai laments the effects of what he calls a colonial ‘one truth ideology’ – a way of seeing the world which insists that there can only be one correct perspective, one ‘right’ or ‘true’ way of understanding things. This ideology, Vaai insists, doesn’t mesh well with an indigenous Pacific way of understanding the world and instead “promotes top-down hierarchical frameworks…”
Perhaps we want the Bible to do all the work for us, to tell us exactly how to think and act – maybe we turn to it as if it were an inexhaustive book of rules, complete in and to itself. Instead James urges us to look beyond the page to the world around us: Look! Here are people with no clothes, no food, we must reckon with this reality. Barth seemed to agree, urging that we preach ‘with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.’
We live in a busy, messy, complex world where our answers generate ever more questions, and where people lead, as Thoreau put it, ‘lives of quiet desperation,’ faced with that reality we must learn to take responsibility for how we live – that we may come to different conclusions is no great surprise.
Prayer
God save us from the false hope of easy answers.
Forgive our tendency to demand simple solutions to complex problems.
Free us from prisons of perfection
Help us to see the frail beauty of difference.
Light our path as we try to respond to the challenges we encounter,
And teach us to listen when others speak.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dr Simon Cross, Minister of the Hull team of churches Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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James 2: 14 - 17
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Reflection
“Many have mightily laboured to reconcile James with Paul…” grumbled Martin Luther, “but with no real success.
These are at odds: faith justifies, faith does not justify…”
Rather than promise to eat his hat, Luther instead offered to hand over his doctoral cap to whomever could reconcile these competing biblical perspectives, and let them ‘scold me as a fool.’ So far as I know, nobody ever claimed the prize.
Perhaps the real problem here is the determination to reconcile these two contrasting views on what Sallie McFague described as ‘the unprecedented task’ of having to ‘think about “everything that is.”’
Christianity has been, from the very outset, a community of people with different perspectives. A place of plurality. Here we find James’ perspective coming to the fore – elsewhere we find Paul’s, we shouldn’t be surprised to find them different.
The Samoan theologian Upolu Vaai laments the effects of what he calls a colonial ‘one truth ideology’ – a way of seeing the world which insists that there can only be one correct perspective, one ‘right’ or ‘true’ way of understanding things. This ideology, Vaai insists, doesn’t mesh well with an indigenous Pacific way of understanding the world and instead “promotes top-down hierarchical frameworks…”
Perhaps we want the Bible to do all the work for us, to tell us exactly how to think and act – maybe we turn to it as if it were an inexhaustive book of rules, complete in and to itself. Instead James urges us to look beyond the page to the world around us: Look! Here are people with no clothes, no food, we must reckon with this reality. Barth seemed to agree, urging that we preach ‘with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.’
We live in a busy, messy, complex world where our answers generate ever more questions, and where people lead, as Thoreau put it, ‘lives of quiet desperation,’ faced with that reality we must learn to take responsibility for how we live – that we may come to different conclusions is no great surprise.
Prayer
God save us from the false hope of easy answers.
Forgive our tendency to demand simple solutions to complex problems.
Free us from prisons of perfection
Help us to see the frail beauty of difference.
Light our path as we try to respond to the challenges we encounter,
And teach us to listen when others speak.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dr Simon Cross, Minister of the Hull team of churches Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can
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URC Daily Devotion 29 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 29 October 2024
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Tuesday 29 October 2024
James 2: 8 - 13
You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.
Reflection
The writer has been challenging readers about showing favouritism, about our preference for those nicely turned out rather than the scruffy and dirty, for making distinctions between people. Now we are challenged about the distinctions we make between parts of our moral code. For the writer of this letter, the ‘royal law’ the law by which all others should be judged is ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’, and that’s every neighbour, every one and in all ways.
We shouldn’t think that we can get away with breaking some commandments more than others. This might seem counter-intuitive since we all accept that some crimes are worse and deserve a stiffer sentence. But perhaps we need to consider how we sometimes allow ourselves latitude in our lives by saying ‘Well, at least I don’t..’ or “at least I haven’t…’… as though somehow that makes us better than other people. Among some prisoners, for example, some crimes have honour and even glamour, whereas others attract the most vicious and violent retribution, meaning that certain prisoners need to be kept separate from others.
Like it or not, there is a hierarchy of transgression that we can easily take comfort in. I may drink a little too much sometimes, but I never drink and drive. I may buy cheap clothes, but I don’t have investments in multi-national companies that make them. I may have committed adultery, but I haven’t murdered anyone. These verses challenge us to recognise that we are all, all, part of a world that is not as it should be, that we all participate in a fallen world. We all deserve judgement. We can’t take pride in the commandments we keep, without recognising that there are also some we don’t. And the one law by which all are judged is the law of love. At least, I suppose, that makes it easy to remember. Love your neighbour – every one, in every way. And remember too that, thankfully, mercy triumphs over judgement.
Prayer
God of all mercy,
teach me how to love,
in every situation I face,
and every person I meet,
in appropriate and helpful ways.
And when I fail in love,
slightly or deeply,
show me your judgement,
and your mercy,
that I may be shaped by love
always. Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dr Susan Durber, retired minister and WCC president from Europe Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.
Reflection
The writer has been challenging readers about showing favouritism, about our preference for those nicely turned out rather than the scruffy and dirty, for making distinctions between people. Now we are challenged about the distinctions we make between parts of our moral code. For the writer of this letter, the ‘royal law’ the law by which all others should be judged is ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’, and that’s every neighbour, every one and in all ways.
We shouldn’t think that we can get away with breaking some commandments more than others. This might seem counter-intuitive since we all accept that some crimes are worse and deserve a stiffer sentence. But perhaps we need to consider how we sometimes allow ourselves latitude in our lives by saying ‘Well, at least I don’t..’ or “at least I haven’t…’… as though somehow that makes us better than other people. Among some prisoners, for example, some crimes have honour and even glamour, whereas others attract the most vicious and violent retribution, meaning that certain prisoners need to be kept separate from others.
Like it or not, there is a hierarchy of transgression that we can easily take comfort in. I may drink a little too much sometimes, but I never drink and drive. I may buy cheap clothes, but I don’t have investments in multi-national companies that make them. I may have committed adultery, but I haven’t murdered anyone. These verses challenge us to recognise that we are all, all, part of a world that is not as it should be, that we all participate in a fallen world. We all deserve judgement. We can’t take pride in the commandments we keep, without recognising that there are also some we don’t. And the one law by which all are judged is the law of love. At least, I suppose, that makes it easy to remember. Love your neighbour – every one, in every way. And remember too that, thankfully, mercy triumphs over judgement.
Prayer
God of all mercy,
teach me how to love,
in every situation I face,
and every person I meet,
in appropriate and helpful ways.
And when I fail in love,
slightly or deeply,
show me your judgement,
and your mercy,
that I may be shaped by love
always. Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dr Susan Durber, retired minister and WCC president from Europe Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can
Change Your Email Address
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URC Daily Devotion 28 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 28 October 2024
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28 October 2024
James 2: 1 - 7
My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?
Reflection
Perhaps, in an odd way, the economic difficulties of the past few years have had positive effects on many local churches. Not, of course,that it is in any way good that people have been struggling with the cost of living and finding it hard to get by, but that responding to the situation has challenged many churches to find new and creative ways of reaching into and serving their local communities. Warm hubs and warm spaces, community pantries, cupboards and cafes, school uniform banks, food banks; churches have hosted these and many more ways of living out Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbour. In doing so, some may have rediscovered what churches can and should be about, and found their fellowships widened and enriched as a result. Perhaps James (or whoever wrote the letter which bears that name) would approve.
However, I suspect winning that approval wouldn’t be easy, because James is often a very challenging read. It’s a book that has been controversial throughout Christian history and some theologians have argued it should be removed from the canon altogether. Its uncompromising messages can challenge our theology and how we understand the relationship between faith, action and salvation, and it can also challenge us to think about how we practically live as Christians. In this passage it challenges us to ask whether our churches are truly egalitarian spaces where everyone is welcomed and valued, regardless of their financial status. Do we welcome rich and poor alike, or do we act with favouritism and make distinctions between ourselves? Plus, we are challenged to ask wider, structural questions. Do the rich, as James says, oppress us? Why are food banks necessary in one of the richest countries in the world? Asking these questions, even if they are uncomfortable, is a part of what it should mean to be Church.
Prayer
God of generosity and plenty,
we give thanks for churches,
and other community groups,
working to help people in need,
bringing food to the hungry
and companionship to the lonely.
Help us too, God of radical inclusion,
to build church fellowships
where people of all backgrounds are not judged,
but welcomed, celebrated and loved.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dr Nick Jones, Heswall URC & Chester Road URC, Ellesmere Port Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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James 2: 1 - 7
My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?
Reflection
Perhaps, in an odd way, the economic difficulties of the past few years have had positive effects on many local churches. Not, of course,that it is in any way good that people have been struggling with the cost of living and finding it hard to get by, but that responding to the situation has challenged many churches to find new and creative ways of reaching into and serving their local communities. Warm hubs and warm spaces, community pantries, cupboards and cafes, school uniform banks, food banks; churches have hosted these and many more ways of living out Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbour. In doing so, some may have rediscovered what churches can and should be about, and found their fellowships widened and enriched as a result. Perhaps James (or whoever wrote the letter which bears that name) would approve.
However, I suspect winning that approval wouldn’t be easy, because James is often a very challenging read. It’s a book that has been controversial throughout Christian history and some theologians have argued it should be removed from the canon altogether. Its uncompromising messages can challenge our theology and how we understand the relationship between faith, action and salvation, and it can also challenge us to think about how we practically live as Christians. In this passage it challenges us to ask whether our churches are truly egalitarian spaces where everyone is welcomed and valued, regardless of their financial status. Do we welcome rich and poor alike, or do we act with favouritism and make distinctions between ourselves? Plus, we are challenged to ask wider, structural questions. Do the rich, as James says, oppress us? Why are food banks necessary in one of the richest countries in the world? Asking these questions, even if they are uncomfortable, is a part of what it should mean to be Church.
Prayer
God of generosity and plenty,
we give thanks for churches,
and other community groups,
working to help people in need,
bringing food to the hungry
and companionship to the lonely.
Help us too, God of radical inclusion,
to build church fellowships
where people of all backgrounds are not judged,
but welcomed, celebrated and loved.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dr Nick Jones, Heswall URC & Chester Road URC, Ellesmere Port Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can
Change Your Email Address
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Sunday Worship 27 October 2024
96
Sunday Worship 27 October 2024
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Worship Services from the URC
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Order of Service
Below you will find the Order of Service, prayers, hymns and sermon for today's service. You can either simply read this or you can
click here
to listen to the service and sing along with the hymns. This will open up a new screen, at the bottom of the screen you will see a play symbol. Press that, then come back to this window so you can follow along with the service. Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Church
for Sunday 27 October 2024
Today’s service is led by the Revd Mark Rodgers
Welcome
Welcome to Sunday worship on this, the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost. I’m the Revd Mark Rodgers and I’m one of two stipendiary ministers in the URC Shropshire pastorate. It is good to welcome you all here today, as all of you are welcome in the name of Christ. Let us start worship with some words from Psalm 126. The words in normal type can be said by those of you on one side of your church and the words in bold can be said by those on the other side, if you choose. Or you can simply listen to me.
Call to Worship
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Hymn Come, Now is the Time to Worship
Brian Doerksen © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) OneLicence # A-734713
sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
Come now is the time to worship.
Come now is the time to give your heart.
Come just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God. Come
One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.
Come now is the time to worship.
Come now is the time to give your heart.
Come just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God. Come
One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.
Prayers of Adoration and Confession & Assurance of pardon
Wonderful Abba You do so much for your people,
for the lame and the blind, for the lost and the found,
for the young and the old,
and we want to praise you with our shouts of joy.
Where there are barren lands you supply the streams of water,
where there are rocks to stumble you flatten the path.
And as we gather from all over
we make our praises heard in adoration of you.
But, Forgiving Mother, look upon us this day
and bless us with your forgiveness
as we have not looked at the world and its people
in the same way you do.
We have made life more difficult for some rather than easier,
We have taken away food, drink, and resources
from others where you give.
We have shepherded people away from us and from you,
rather than gathering them in.
In your love and grace, please forgive us,
as sometimes, we do not know what we are doing.
And we ask this through your Son,
the one who opens our eyes to you and a new way of being. Amen
Shout, sing, dance, praise the Lord our God,
for Jesus came to this earth and spoke the words –
“your sins are forgiven”. Amen
Prayer for Illumination
God of all knowledge and understanding give us now just a glimmer of what you know. Help us to hear your word, understand its meaning, and see what it means for you, us and the rest of your people. Amen
Reading Jeremiah 31:7-9
For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas O. Chisholm (1923) Public Domain sung by a 250 Mass Voice Choir at St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Reading St Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Sermon
I'm sure most of us worshipping today come from generations where we had more freedom. Young people in particular could come and go as they wished. The world was their playground and many would get up early, spend the whole day outside having adventures and then come home for an evening meal with bumps, scrapes and bruises all over them. Even dogs seemed to roam the street more, dog licence or no.
I'm sure many of you this morning have tales of adventures that you went on and some of the dangers that you faced. From a very early age I was an extremely inquisitive and curious little boy and this led to many hair raising stories that could have led to serious injury or worse, but thankfully I’m still here and intact. But that is how children are, full of questions, innocence and naivety, the qualities Jesus was probably pointing out to his disciples whenever children were around him.
But some children are not that fortunate. One such child lived in 19th century France. This 3-year-old went into his father’s workshop and decided to help his dad out by making a saddle for a horse. As he climbed up on a stool to grab the sharp tools needed, he slipped and the tool cut open his eye. This became infected and spread to his other eye, so by the time he was 4, he had become blind. As sad as this is, this young boy led a happy life, and in school he was top of his class, as he remembered everything he heard. At twelve, his life was to change as he met a soldier called Charles Barbier, who told him about his system of writing that he had produced to help soldiers read in the dark. The young man, Louis, looked at it, realised that it needed simplifying, and perfected a way of reading for other blind people that is now used all over the world.
Monsieur Braille didn’t need to develop this system, he was clever enough. But he opened up the world to blind people all over the planet, who perhaps didn’t have the listening skills or the memory he had.
Louis Braille was a bit like Bartimaeus in that he had been able to see at one point in his life. In our New Testament reading this morning we hear that Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem and has arrived at Jericho. This was an oasis city, a place where Herod could build his winter palaces close by and a place that attracted the rich and powerful. And wherever the rich and powerful are, the poor and outcast are not far behind. Beggars were a common sight on the roadside, and one of these was Bartimaeus. He had heard of Jesus and recognised him as the Messiah, calling him the “Son of David”. He calls out to him constantly, much to the consternation of everyone around. They tell him to shush, but he continues, until Jesus takes note and beckons him over. “What do you want me to do for you?” asks Jesus. “Let me see again,” is the reply. Let me see again. What a joy it must have been to have sight restored after being in darkness for so long. “Go; your faith has made you well”, says Jesus and Bartimaeus’ sight is restored and he joins the group on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Of course, some people either lose their sight over time due to age or illness, or are born blind and have never been able to see. But some people have excellent eyesight but are also blind for most of their life. Let me explain.
One of my favourite films of all time is The Truman Show. Truman lives with his wife on Seahaven Island and has done everything on Seahaven Island. Photographs at his mother’s house show that they have taken him all over America but the reality is he has never left. And he is too scared to leave as he had a seafaring accident when he was young that meant he nearly drowned and so he won’t leave. His fears are constantly topped up by messages on the radio, TV and even posters in the travel agents saying how dangerous it is to fly. But Truman is in love. Not with his wife, but with another - Sylvia. They met whilst they were in High School and he has missed her ever since. She was taken away by her father and he has never been able to trace her. Everyday, Truman buys a magazine and sneaks into his basement to cut out features of models that are similar to Sylvia and he makes a collage of her face, to help him remember her.
But Truman is living a lie. He is blind to the truth, that his life is one big TV show that he knows nothing about. It is Big Brother for real. As a baby he was chosen from birth to grow up with and surrounded by actors in a giant studio in Hollywood. Everything in his life is artificial from the sun and the moon, to his wife and job. But Truman remains blind to it because he was brought up that way. He is being conditioned. That is until little things happen to open his eyes and he realises his life is a lie and he escapes.
If you took part in the all age activity earlier on you will have heard about scotomas, or blind spots that we all have. It is the way we condition ourselves that stops us from seeing things that are right in front of us. It is how we find it hard to find car keys or the remote control, because we tell ourselves they are gone, or missing, and so our brain stops us from seeing them right in front of us.
We all have blind spots due to who we are. It is due to our upbringing, our parents' views, our neighbourhood, our culture, our church. All these things shape us but also sometimes stop us seeing things. This is similar to what was happening in our Jeremiah reading this morning. The people of Jerusalem are in exile. They are in the doldrums and like Bartimaeus they require a bit of hope in their lives, to keep going. But due to their culture, and their belief in the Torah, they were blind to any hope because they thought that their exile was punishment for their sins or their father’s sins and this punishment is passed down to second, third generation and more. This punishment moving through the generations extinguishes all hope. So God speaks to and through Jeremiah, and tells them there is hope, that he will bring everyone back, and not just the privileged or the powerful, but those who live in the margins. With God, even in the darkest hours, there is hope.
So sisters and brothers. What are our blind spots? Can we see the bigger picture? Are we like Truman? Do we live a true Christian life or something that looks like a Christian life but makes us blind to how we should be living? To find out, we can do three things:
Firstly, listen to Jesus asking us the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” Do we really want help? Bartimaeus could have been happy blind, he could have just wanted a new cloak, or shake the hand of Jesus in a fleeting encounter. But he wanted to see, and more importantly, he wanted to belong, he wanted to be part of something. He went with them to Jerusalem, he became part of the change that was needed in the world. We might already be part of change, and we might already be the best version of us, in terms of living out the Gospel. But it never hurts to hear the question and to search ourselves to see if there is anything we are blind to, that might be impeding us, or the church, or the coming of the kingdom of God. Don’t presume Jesus knows if you desire change, listen to the question.
And then secondly, we can answer his question in any way we want, including “nothing, I’m ok for now thanks.” But as human beings we are all capable of missing something, we can all play our part in taking away somebody else’s hope, without realising, without knowing. So try always answering as Bartimaeus did, “I want to see.” There is so much suffering in the world today and so much exposure due to all the different platforms we can access news on that we become more than numb to it, we become blind.
It is difficult not to become immune or blind to some of the injustice that goes on around the globe but this is where our faith comes in. We can first ask Jesus to help us see what injustice is going on, then we can ask him for help to solve it.
And we are the lucky ones. We have already opened our eyes to faith. We are already believers. But there are many out there, far more than us, that can’t even see God or Jesus. It is our duty as followers of Jesus to continue his good work and spread the word of God throughout the world, but if we have blind spots ourselves, how can we help those who are even more blind?
And lastly, if our sight is restored, whose eyes do we see with? Other than our own, it helps to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, because as the old saying goes, “if you want to be understood, firstly understand.” So from our story in Mark today, who can we relate to? Who’s eyes would we struggle to see through? What if we were Bartimaeus? Would the crowd easily shut us up? Would we be too scared to call out to Jesus? Would we leave our past life behind and follow him?
And what if we were one of the crowd with Jesus? Would we want this beggar around us? He’s risking harm to Jesus from the authorities by shouting out that he’s the “son of David”. Do we want that sort here? How come Jesus gives him attention and never paid me that much time!
Sometimes we see the world differently as we get older. The freedoms I talked about in our generations might actually still exist for many people in the world, but we as we get older remove ourselves from that world, we move into a more comfortable way of living by choice and we become blind to some of the issues and experiences we would have seen in our youth. Perhaps we were the loud one once living on the edge, but now we consider our lives to be more akin with what Jesus wants. Perhaps we need to look again.
And, finally, leave where you are, leave this time of worship, and when you are lost in the week, caught up in the cycle of your everyday duties, stop and then think about this passage from the point of view of Jesus. Look through his eyes, and know blindness no more. Amen
Hymn Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
Henry Francis Lyte (1834) Public Domain. Courtesy of St Andrew's Cathedral & Choir, Sydney, Australia
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!
Praise him for his grace & favour
to our forebears in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness!
Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows!
Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun & moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!
Offertory
Giving Lord, as you give wholeheartedly to us, we bring our gifts and ourselves to you. Bless what we offer you, so that it may be used to help those who need it most, and to open the eyes to the world so that they may see the coming of Your kingdom. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
Loving, caring God, You are a God for everyone,
from the rich man to the man in the gutter.
To the disciples who wanted status,
to the man who wanted the basics.
We now turn our attention to those we can think of.
They are not everyone Lord,
but they are the people we are worried about, near and far.
We pray for those people caught up in conflict.
In warzones, gang violence, petty skirmishes or criminal acts.
We pray for everyone’s safety,
and that peace will ensue, leading to prosperity and growth.
We pray for all those with responsibilities for leading groups of people, whether that be countries, states and councils, or big corporations.
May they make decisions with Christian values,
with the care of the people in mind, rather than power and profit.
We think of those in our own country
where the darker nights bring fear due to living alone,
or the thought of putting on the heating causes stress
as it is not affordable and has become a luxury.
We think of those who can only dream of putting on the heating
as they live on the streets.
We ask that solutions be found so that people do not feel
scared, cold or need to be roofless.
We pray for our churches, and ask that you bless us
with a renewed sense of vigour and passion for your word.
That we can reach out more to those who need to hear it the most,
and can be a place where people feel loved and belong.
And we pray for friends, family and ourselves.
Many are ill or in pain, many fear a diagnosis or do not feel themselves. Be their strength and shield, offer them a healing hand,
and bless them and us with the knowledge
that you love us and are with us at all times.
We pray all of this, in the name of your son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
And let us bring all our prayers together by saying the one prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, saying -
Our Father…
Hymn I Watch the Sunrise Lighting the Sky
John Glynn © 1976, Kevin Mayhew sung by the Clonmore Choir OneLicence # A-734713
I watch the sunrise lighting the sky,
casting its shadows near.
and on this morning bright though it be,
I feel those shadows near me.
But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
I watch the sunlight shine through the clouds,
warming the earth below.
And at the mid-day, life seems to say:
I feel your brightness near me.
But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
I watch the sunset fading away,
lighting the clouds with sleep.
And as the evening closes its eyes,
I feel your presence near me.
But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
I watch the moonlight guarding the night,
waiting till morning comes.
The air is silent, earth is at rest
only your peace is near me.
Yes, you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
Blessing
As Jesus asks “what do you want me to do?” Let us leave her today to ask what we can do for others with the love of God, in the name of Christ, and with the warmth of the Holy Spirit. Amen --> Where words are copyright reproduced and streamed under the terms of ONE LICENSE A-734713
PRS Limited Online Music Licence LE-0019762
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Below you will find the Order of Service, prayers, hymns and sermon for today's service. You can either simply read this or you can
click here
to listen to the service and sing along with the hymns. This will open up a new screen, at the bottom of the screen you will see a play symbol. Press that, then come back to this window so you can follow along with the service. Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Church
for Sunday 27 October 2024
Today’s service is led by the Revd Mark Rodgers
Welcome
Welcome to Sunday worship on this, the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost. I’m the Revd Mark Rodgers and I’m one of two stipendiary ministers in the URC Shropshire pastorate. It is good to welcome you all here today, as all of you are welcome in the name of Christ. Let us start worship with some words from Psalm 126. The words in normal type can be said by those of you on one side of your church and the words in bold can be said by those on the other side, if you choose. Or you can simply listen to me.
Call to Worship
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Hymn Come, Now is the Time to Worship
Brian Doerksen © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) OneLicence # A-734713
sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
Come now is the time to worship.
Come now is the time to give your heart.
Come just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God. Come
One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.
Come now is the time to worship.
Come now is the time to give your heart.
Come just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God. Come
One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.
Prayers of Adoration and Confession & Assurance of pardon
Wonderful Abba You do so much for your people,
for the lame and the blind, for the lost and the found,
for the young and the old,
and we want to praise you with our shouts of joy.
Where there are barren lands you supply the streams of water,
where there are rocks to stumble you flatten the path.
And as we gather from all over
we make our praises heard in adoration of you.
But, Forgiving Mother, look upon us this day
and bless us with your forgiveness
as we have not looked at the world and its people
in the same way you do.
We have made life more difficult for some rather than easier,
We have taken away food, drink, and resources
from others where you give.
We have shepherded people away from us and from you,
rather than gathering them in.
In your love and grace, please forgive us,
as sometimes, we do not know what we are doing.
And we ask this through your Son,
the one who opens our eyes to you and a new way of being. Amen
Shout, sing, dance, praise the Lord our God,
for Jesus came to this earth and spoke the words –
“your sins are forgiven”. Amen
Prayer for Illumination
God of all knowledge and understanding give us now just a glimmer of what you know. Help us to hear your word, understand its meaning, and see what it means for you, us and the rest of your people. Amen
Reading Jeremiah 31:7-9
For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas O. Chisholm (1923) Public Domain sung by a 250 Mass Voice Choir at St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Reading St Mark 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Sermon
I'm sure most of us worshipping today come from generations where we had more freedom. Young people in particular could come and go as they wished. The world was their playground and many would get up early, spend the whole day outside having adventures and then come home for an evening meal with bumps, scrapes and bruises all over them. Even dogs seemed to roam the street more, dog licence or no.
I'm sure many of you this morning have tales of adventures that you went on and some of the dangers that you faced. From a very early age I was an extremely inquisitive and curious little boy and this led to many hair raising stories that could have led to serious injury or worse, but thankfully I’m still here and intact. But that is how children are, full of questions, innocence and naivety, the qualities Jesus was probably pointing out to his disciples whenever children were around him.
But some children are not that fortunate. One such child lived in 19th century France. This 3-year-old went into his father’s workshop and decided to help his dad out by making a saddle for a horse. As he climbed up on a stool to grab the sharp tools needed, he slipped and the tool cut open his eye. This became infected and spread to his other eye, so by the time he was 4, he had become blind. As sad as this is, this young boy led a happy life, and in school he was top of his class, as he remembered everything he heard. At twelve, his life was to change as he met a soldier called Charles Barbier, who told him about his system of writing that he had produced to help soldiers read in the dark. The young man, Louis, looked at it, realised that it needed simplifying, and perfected a way of reading for other blind people that is now used all over the world.
Monsieur Braille didn’t need to develop this system, he was clever enough. But he opened up the world to blind people all over the planet, who perhaps didn’t have the listening skills or the memory he had.
Louis Braille was a bit like Bartimaeus in that he had been able to see at one point in his life. In our New Testament reading this morning we hear that Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem and has arrived at Jericho. This was an oasis city, a place where Herod could build his winter palaces close by and a place that attracted the rich and powerful. And wherever the rich and powerful are, the poor and outcast are not far behind. Beggars were a common sight on the roadside, and one of these was Bartimaeus. He had heard of Jesus and recognised him as the Messiah, calling him the “Son of David”. He calls out to him constantly, much to the consternation of everyone around. They tell him to shush, but he continues, until Jesus takes note and beckons him over. “What do you want me to do for you?” asks Jesus. “Let me see again,” is the reply. Let me see again. What a joy it must have been to have sight restored after being in darkness for so long. “Go; your faith has made you well”, says Jesus and Bartimaeus’ sight is restored and he joins the group on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Of course, some people either lose their sight over time due to age or illness, or are born blind and have never been able to see. But some people have excellent eyesight but are also blind for most of their life. Let me explain.
One of my favourite films of all time is The Truman Show. Truman lives with his wife on Seahaven Island and has done everything on Seahaven Island. Photographs at his mother’s house show that they have taken him all over America but the reality is he has never left. And he is too scared to leave as he had a seafaring accident when he was young that meant he nearly drowned and so he won’t leave. His fears are constantly topped up by messages on the radio, TV and even posters in the travel agents saying how dangerous it is to fly. But Truman is in love. Not with his wife, but with another - Sylvia. They met whilst they were in High School and he has missed her ever since. She was taken away by her father and he has never been able to trace her. Everyday, Truman buys a magazine and sneaks into his basement to cut out features of models that are similar to Sylvia and he makes a collage of her face, to help him remember her.
But Truman is living a lie. He is blind to the truth, that his life is one big TV show that he knows nothing about. It is Big Brother for real. As a baby he was chosen from birth to grow up with and surrounded by actors in a giant studio in Hollywood. Everything in his life is artificial from the sun and the moon, to his wife and job. But Truman remains blind to it because he was brought up that way. He is being conditioned. That is until little things happen to open his eyes and he realises his life is a lie and he escapes.
If you took part in the all age activity earlier on you will have heard about scotomas, or blind spots that we all have. It is the way we condition ourselves that stops us from seeing things that are right in front of us. It is how we find it hard to find car keys or the remote control, because we tell ourselves they are gone, or missing, and so our brain stops us from seeing them right in front of us.
We all have blind spots due to who we are. It is due to our upbringing, our parents' views, our neighbourhood, our culture, our church. All these things shape us but also sometimes stop us seeing things. This is similar to what was happening in our Jeremiah reading this morning. The people of Jerusalem are in exile. They are in the doldrums and like Bartimaeus they require a bit of hope in their lives, to keep going. But due to their culture, and their belief in the Torah, they were blind to any hope because they thought that their exile was punishment for their sins or their father’s sins and this punishment is passed down to second, third generation and more. This punishment moving through the generations extinguishes all hope. So God speaks to and through Jeremiah, and tells them there is hope, that he will bring everyone back, and not just the privileged or the powerful, but those who live in the margins. With God, even in the darkest hours, there is hope.
So sisters and brothers. What are our blind spots? Can we see the bigger picture? Are we like Truman? Do we live a true Christian life or something that looks like a Christian life but makes us blind to how we should be living? To find out, we can do three things:
Firstly, listen to Jesus asking us the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” Do we really want help? Bartimaeus could have been happy blind, he could have just wanted a new cloak, or shake the hand of Jesus in a fleeting encounter. But he wanted to see, and more importantly, he wanted to belong, he wanted to be part of something. He went with them to Jerusalem, he became part of the change that was needed in the world. We might already be part of change, and we might already be the best version of us, in terms of living out the Gospel. But it never hurts to hear the question and to search ourselves to see if there is anything we are blind to, that might be impeding us, or the church, or the coming of the kingdom of God. Don’t presume Jesus knows if you desire change, listen to the question.
And then secondly, we can answer his question in any way we want, including “nothing, I’m ok for now thanks.” But as human beings we are all capable of missing something, we can all play our part in taking away somebody else’s hope, without realising, without knowing. So try always answering as Bartimaeus did, “I want to see.” There is so much suffering in the world today and so much exposure due to all the different platforms we can access news on that we become more than numb to it, we become blind.
It is difficult not to become immune or blind to some of the injustice that goes on around the globe but this is where our faith comes in. We can first ask Jesus to help us see what injustice is going on, then we can ask him for help to solve it.
And we are the lucky ones. We have already opened our eyes to faith. We are already believers. But there are many out there, far more than us, that can’t even see God or Jesus. It is our duty as followers of Jesus to continue his good work and spread the word of God throughout the world, but if we have blind spots ourselves, how can we help those who are even more blind?
And lastly, if our sight is restored, whose eyes do we see with? Other than our own, it helps to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, because as the old saying goes, “if you want to be understood, firstly understand.” So from our story in Mark today, who can we relate to? Who’s eyes would we struggle to see through? What if we were Bartimaeus? Would the crowd easily shut us up? Would we be too scared to call out to Jesus? Would we leave our past life behind and follow him?
And what if we were one of the crowd with Jesus? Would we want this beggar around us? He’s risking harm to Jesus from the authorities by shouting out that he’s the “son of David”. Do we want that sort here? How come Jesus gives him attention and never paid me that much time!
Sometimes we see the world differently as we get older. The freedoms I talked about in our generations might actually still exist for many people in the world, but we as we get older remove ourselves from that world, we move into a more comfortable way of living by choice and we become blind to some of the issues and experiences we would have seen in our youth. Perhaps we were the loud one once living on the edge, but now we consider our lives to be more akin with what Jesus wants. Perhaps we need to look again.
And, finally, leave where you are, leave this time of worship, and when you are lost in the week, caught up in the cycle of your everyday duties, stop and then think about this passage from the point of view of Jesus. Look through his eyes, and know blindness no more. Amen
Hymn Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
Henry Francis Lyte (1834) Public Domain. Courtesy of St Andrew's Cathedral & Choir, Sydney, Australia
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!
Praise him for his grace & favour
to our forebears in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness!
Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows!
Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun & moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!
Offertory
Giving Lord, as you give wholeheartedly to us, we bring our gifts and ourselves to you. Bless what we offer you, so that it may be used to help those who need it most, and to open the eyes to the world so that they may see the coming of Your kingdom. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
Loving, caring God, You are a God for everyone,
from the rich man to the man in the gutter.
To the disciples who wanted status,
to the man who wanted the basics.
We now turn our attention to those we can think of.
They are not everyone Lord,
but they are the people we are worried about, near and far.
We pray for those people caught up in conflict.
In warzones, gang violence, petty skirmishes or criminal acts.
We pray for everyone’s safety,
and that peace will ensue, leading to prosperity and growth.
We pray for all those with responsibilities for leading groups of people, whether that be countries, states and councils, or big corporations.
May they make decisions with Christian values,
with the care of the people in mind, rather than power and profit.
We think of those in our own country
where the darker nights bring fear due to living alone,
or the thought of putting on the heating causes stress
as it is not affordable and has become a luxury.
We think of those who can only dream of putting on the heating
as they live on the streets.
We ask that solutions be found so that people do not feel
scared, cold or need to be roofless.
We pray for our churches, and ask that you bless us
with a renewed sense of vigour and passion for your word.
That we can reach out more to those who need to hear it the most,
and can be a place where people feel loved and belong.
And we pray for friends, family and ourselves.
Many are ill or in pain, many fear a diagnosis or do not feel themselves. Be their strength and shield, offer them a healing hand,
and bless them and us with the knowledge
that you love us and are with us at all times.
We pray all of this, in the name of your son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
And let us bring all our prayers together by saying the one prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, saying -
Our Father…
Hymn I Watch the Sunrise Lighting the Sky
John Glynn © 1976, Kevin Mayhew sung by the Clonmore Choir OneLicence # A-734713
I watch the sunrise lighting the sky,
casting its shadows near.
and on this morning bright though it be,
I feel those shadows near me.
But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
I watch the sunlight shine through the clouds,
warming the earth below.
And at the mid-day, life seems to say:
I feel your brightness near me.
But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
I watch the sunset fading away,
lighting the clouds with sleep.
And as the evening closes its eyes,
I feel your presence near me.
But you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
I watch the moonlight guarding the night,
waiting till morning comes.
The air is silent, earth is at rest
only your peace is near me.
Yes, you are always close to me
following all my ways.
May I be always close to you
following all your ways, Lord.
Blessing
As Jesus asks “what do you want me to do?” Let us leave her today to ask what we can do for others with the love of God, in the name of Christ, and with the warmth of the Holy Spirit. Amen --> Where words are copyright reproduced and streamed under the terms of ONE LICENSE A-734713
PRS Limited Online Music Licence LE-0019762
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URC Daily Devotion 27 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 27 October 2024
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27 October 2024
Psalm 54
O God, save me by your name;
by your power, uphold my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.
For the proud have risen against me,
ruthless foes seek my life.
They have no regard for God.
But I have God for my help.
The Lord upholds my life.
Let the evil recoil upon my foes;
you who are faithful, destroy them.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart
and praise your name for it is good:
for you have rescued me from all distress
and my eyes have seen the downfall of my foes.
Reflection
One of the reasons the psalms have such power is their stark and sometimes brutal honesty. I have always loved this part of scripture because it refuses to be neat and is resolute in sharing absolutely everything with the faithful community and the listening God. This is raw faith; unrefined, undiluted.
Psalm 54 manages, in just a few lines, to scale heights and plumb depths. How might it speak to us today?
Perhaps we are being invited into honesty and promised hospitality. The honesty comes as the psalmist pleads for rescue from enemies who are ganging up and threatening even life itself. The writer fears the ruthlessness and godlessness becoming trap and torment. Tradition tells us this psalm is one of David’s, “...when the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘David is in hiding among us.’” This is a psalm of betrayal.
Few of us have ever been betrayed by the Ziphites. But we may well recognise the fear of people and situations ganging up on us. There might be the dreaded meeting with people we deeply disagree with, the power of a situation to undo us, the appalling accident, crime, injury or sickness that leaves us stunned into bitter silence. Into these depths we’re invited to be honest with ourselves and honest with God. Tell it as it is. There’s no need to hide the fear and anger, the desire for retribution or even for revenge. Pretending we don’t feel such things doesn’t prevent them being real.
But don’t stop in the depths, urges this ancient hymn and prayer. Lean into God’s hospitality at the same time. Let God feel the heartbreak even as we choose to trust that, somehow, God will bring us safely through. The attack and the fear are not greater than the goodness of God. We’re invited to trust that the God we share our deepest feelings with, even those that aren’t very shiny, is the one who will never forsake us or let us go.
Prayer
Loving God,
when I am broken, overwhelmed, tormented and flattened
by events or by other people,
hear my prayer,
hold me closer still,
show me the way,
save me!
And, because this is my prayer,
I pray it for everyone else who feels trapped today.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Neil Thorogood, Thornbury URC and Trinity-Henleaze URC (Bristol) Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Psalm 54
O God, save me by your name;
by your power, uphold my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.
For the proud have risen against me,
ruthless foes seek my life.
They have no regard for God.
But I have God for my help.
The Lord upholds my life.
Let the evil recoil upon my foes;
you who are faithful, destroy them.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart
and praise your name for it is good:
for you have rescued me from all distress
and my eyes have seen the downfall of my foes.
Reflection
One of the reasons the psalms have such power is their stark and sometimes brutal honesty. I have always loved this part of scripture because it refuses to be neat and is resolute in sharing absolutely everything with the faithful community and the listening God. This is raw faith; unrefined, undiluted.
Psalm 54 manages, in just a few lines, to scale heights and plumb depths. How might it speak to us today?
Perhaps we are being invited into honesty and promised hospitality. The honesty comes as the psalmist pleads for rescue from enemies who are ganging up and threatening even life itself. The writer fears the ruthlessness and godlessness becoming trap and torment. Tradition tells us this psalm is one of David’s, “...when the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘David is in hiding among us.’” This is a psalm of betrayal.
Few of us have ever been betrayed by the Ziphites. But we may well recognise the fear of people and situations ganging up on us. There might be the dreaded meeting with people we deeply disagree with, the power of a situation to undo us, the appalling accident, crime, injury or sickness that leaves us stunned into bitter silence. Into these depths we’re invited to be honest with ourselves and honest with God. Tell it as it is. There’s no need to hide the fear and anger, the desire for retribution or even for revenge. Pretending we don’t feel such things doesn’t prevent them being real.
But don’t stop in the depths, urges this ancient hymn and prayer. Lean into God’s hospitality at the same time. Let God feel the heartbreak even as we choose to trust that, somehow, God will bring us safely through. The attack and the fear are not greater than the goodness of God. We’re invited to trust that the God we share our deepest feelings with, even those that aren’t very shiny, is the one who will never forsake us or let us go.
Prayer
Loving God,
when I am broken, overwhelmed, tormented and flattened
by events or by other people,
hear my prayer,
hold me closer still,
show me the way,
save me!
And, because this is my prayer,
I pray it for everyone else who feels trapped today.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Neil Thorogood, Thornbury URC and Trinity-Henleaze URC (Bristol) Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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URC Daily Devotion Saturday 26th October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion Saturday 26th October 2024
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Saturday 26th October 2024
James 1: 22 - 27
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Reflection
This passage is not claiming that we gain salvation through our works. Instead, because of the salvation which we have received by grace through Jesus we should be responding by reaching out into our world sharing the love of Jesus through our actions. What this does mean though, is that we have to acknowledge that God’s retirement plan for us only kicks in once we have glorified God. Now, I am aware that we are both an aging and currently declining denomination, but we are all still being called to live out our faith. That means doing what we are able to do, and if we can afford it, also employing folk to help with our mission.
So if you are good at finance, fundraising, book-keeping, offer those skills and maybe consider training with a charity to give debt advice. If you are a prayer warrior, pray for the church, projects, social action that the church is involved with and the community the church is based in. If you are an incredible welcomer and host, do that. If you have a passion for spirituality, share that in your church, area, mission partnership, synod. If you have gifts to work with children, families and young people use them. Doing nothing is not an option - God called us to live out our faith and that means getting up out of the chairs and pews and actually doing.
We are told clearly that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God…is…to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world”. Now that encompasses a whole slew of things, but can be summed up with the Golden Rule. This means not being jealous of what gifts someone else has, or living like those who don’t know Jesus, but to always see every person as a child of God and to see that encounter as an opportunity to reach out.
Prayer
Creator God,
You have given us a world and called us as your followers to live out your example.
Encourage us to discern what gifts we have been given by you.
Inspire us to get up and use those gifts, to help the orphans and widows of our modern world.
Embolden us to open our eyes to the need around us.
Incite in us a passion to spread your word through action.
Amen.
--> Today's writer Kirsty-Ann Mabbott, Church Related Community Worker, United Reformed Church Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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James 1: 22 - 27
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Reflection
This passage is not claiming that we gain salvation through our works. Instead, because of the salvation which we have received by grace through Jesus we should be responding by reaching out into our world sharing the love of Jesus through our actions. What this does mean though, is that we have to acknowledge that God’s retirement plan for us only kicks in once we have glorified God. Now, I am aware that we are both an aging and currently declining denomination, but we are all still being called to live out our faith. That means doing what we are able to do, and if we can afford it, also employing folk to help with our mission.
So if you are good at finance, fundraising, book-keeping, offer those skills and maybe consider training with a charity to give debt advice. If you are a prayer warrior, pray for the church, projects, social action that the church is involved with and the community the church is based in. If you are an incredible welcomer and host, do that. If you have a passion for spirituality, share that in your church, area, mission partnership, synod. If you have gifts to work with children, families and young people use them. Doing nothing is not an option - God called us to live out our faith and that means getting up out of the chairs and pews and actually doing.
We are told clearly that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God…is…to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world”. Now that encompasses a whole slew of things, but can be summed up with the Golden Rule. This means not being jealous of what gifts someone else has, or living like those who don’t know Jesus, but to always see every person as a child of God and to see that encounter as an opportunity to reach out.
Prayer
Creator God,
You have given us a world and called us as your followers to live out your example.
Encourage us to discern what gifts we have been given by you.
Inspire us to get up and use those gifts, to help the orphans and widows of our modern world.
Embolden us to open our eyes to the need around us.
Incite in us a passion to spread your word through action.
Amen.
--> Today's writer Kirsty-Ann Mabbott, Church Related Community Worker, United Reformed Church Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Daily Devotion for Friday 25th October 2024
96
Daily Devotion for Friday 25th October 2024
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Friday 25 October 2024
James 1: 19 - 21
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
Reflection
When I was writing for Families on Faith Adventures at Home for the URC during COVID, we wrote a session on the book of James entitled “A Handbook for Life”, describing it as a letter with advice on how to live a Christian life in society. It is incredible how the advice, given so many centuries ago, remains so valid for us today. James was the brother of Jesus but only came to faith in later years. But obviously something of Jesus’s character and teaching rubbed off on James while they were growing up together. His adult life saw him spending so much time on his knees in prayer that he apparently picked up the nickname Camel-knees!
I once asked my parents how their marriage had lasted so long – mum died just months before their diamond anniversary – and they responded with another James-ism “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”. Even after the harshest disagreement, they deliberately made up before bedtime.
It is natural to want to lash out with our words, get in first, make our feelings known. So often, though. if we just wait, listen and try to understand, our anger can fade away as we begin to discover the reasons behind whatever is annoying us. Maybe the person in question has a different world view affected by culture or upbringing, neurodiversity, life experiences or circumstances which underlie the issue. When we stop and listen, we might begin to grasp the big picture.
That’s not to say that anger is never justified, that we should never express it or act upon it – after all, Jesus himself spoke and acted with anger towards the exploitative or corrupt. But the Fruits of the Spirit include patience and self-control, not short fuses and explosive tempers. As expressed in The Message paraphrase of the Bible: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. It is only in this way that we begin to share God’s grace.
Prayer
Lord, there is so much that makes me angry:
Children’s rights ignored,
Food poverty and homelessness,
The hostile environment for refugees,
Pollution and needless climate change,
My neighbour cutting their grass early Saturday morning,
Children chattering in church.
Slow service in the café.
Teach me, Lord, to know when my anger is justified
And when, instead, I need to stop;
To think, listen, care;
To practise patience and self control;
To share your grace. Amen --> Today's writer Lorraine Webb, Programme Officer for Children’s and Youth Work Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
Reflection
When I was writing for Families on Faith Adventures at Home for the URC during COVID, we wrote a session on the book of James entitled “A Handbook for Life”, describing it as a letter with advice on how to live a Christian life in society. It is incredible how the advice, given so many centuries ago, remains so valid for us today. James was the brother of Jesus but only came to faith in later years. But obviously something of Jesus’s character and teaching rubbed off on James while they were growing up together. His adult life saw him spending so much time on his knees in prayer that he apparently picked up the nickname Camel-knees!
I once asked my parents how their marriage had lasted so long – mum died just months before their diamond anniversary – and they responded with another James-ism “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”. Even after the harshest disagreement, they deliberately made up before bedtime.
It is natural to want to lash out with our words, get in first, make our feelings known. So often, though. if we just wait, listen and try to understand, our anger can fade away as we begin to discover the reasons behind whatever is annoying us. Maybe the person in question has a different world view affected by culture or upbringing, neurodiversity, life experiences or circumstances which underlie the issue. When we stop and listen, we might begin to grasp the big picture.
That’s not to say that anger is never justified, that we should never express it or act upon it – after all, Jesus himself spoke and acted with anger towards the exploitative or corrupt. But the Fruits of the Spirit include patience and self-control, not short fuses and explosive tempers. As expressed in The Message paraphrase of the Bible: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. It is only in this way that we begin to share God’s grace.
Prayer
Lord, there is so much that makes me angry:
Children’s rights ignored,
Food poverty and homelessness,
The hostile environment for refugees,
Pollution and needless climate change,
My neighbour cutting their grass early Saturday morning,
Children chattering in church.
Slow service in the café.
Teach me, Lord, to know when my anger is justified
And when, instead, I need to stop;
To think, listen, care;
To practise patience and self control;
To share your grace. Amen --> Today's writer Lorraine Webb, Programme Officer for Children’s and Youth Work Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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URC Daily Devotion Thursday 24 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion Thursday 24 October 2024
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Thursday 24 October 2024
James 1: 17 - 18
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
Reflection
For generations of Christians, conscious of living in a world that is out of joint, these verses have brought a comforting sense of God’s constancy.
Vivid images from nature make the point. “Father of lights” is scarcely a conventional title of God as Father! Yet this is the creator God who brought the sun and moon into being. We admire the regularity of their movements across the sky. But these are subject to change, they eclipse periodically, whereas God in his steadfast character and purpose, never wavers. Using semi-technical language, James contrasts such changes with the majestic changelessness of God.
Yet God is not remote or unconcerned. His steadfastness is entirely in keeping with his generosity. His gifts are wholly good. And his greatest gift is new life. As we receive it, God regenerates us, re-creates us through the word of truth. Now you’ll note that Jesus is not mentioned here directly but the resemblances to his teaching are obvious. Jesus often speaks to the disciples as if he were giving them a lesson in moral philosophy and James draws creatively on his teaching.
As we turn to God and accept God’s gift of new life, there are consequences for the way we behave. As choice first fruits of the harvest were once offered to God in thankful acknowledgement of his gifts, we who have been redeemed by Jesus offer ourselves as living sacrifices in God’s service. And we do so every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.
Our lives are bound up with God. That raises the startling question. Do the actions we take in faith contribute in some way to God’s steadfast love? If so, everything we do must make a difference to the meaning of the world. It’s quite a thought!
Prayer
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,
You have been the hope and joy of many generations.
Grant me a clearer vision of your truth, a greater faith in your power
And a more confident assurance of your love,
In Jesus Christ, your son, our saviour. Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Fleur Houston, retired minister, member of Macclesfield & Bollington URC read by Graham Handscomb Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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James 1: 17 - 18
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
Reflection
For generations of Christians, conscious of living in a world that is out of joint, these verses have brought a comforting sense of God’s constancy.
Vivid images from nature make the point. “Father of lights” is scarcely a conventional title of God as Father! Yet this is the creator God who brought the sun and moon into being. We admire the regularity of their movements across the sky. But these are subject to change, they eclipse periodically, whereas God in his steadfast character and purpose, never wavers. Using semi-technical language, James contrasts such changes with the majestic changelessness of God.
Yet God is not remote or unconcerned. His steadfastness is entirely in keeping with his generosity. His gifts are wholly good. And his greatest gift is new life. As we receive it, God regenerates us, re-creates us through the word of truth. Now you’ll note that Jesus is not mentioned here directly but the resemblances to his teaching are obvious. Jesus often speaks to the disciples as if he were giving them a lesson in moral philosophy and James draws creatively on his teaching.
As we turn to God and accept God’s gift of new life, there are consequences for the way we behave. As choice first fruits of the harvest were once offered to God in thankful acknowledgement of his gifts, we who have been redeemed by Jesus offer ourselves as living sacrifices in God’s service. And we do so every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.
Our lives are bound up with God. That raises the startling question. Do the actions we take in faith contribute in some way to God’s steadfast love? If so, everything we do must make a difference to the meaning of the world. It’s quite a thought!
Prayer
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,
You have been the hope and joy of many generations.
Grant me a clearer vision of your truth, a greater faith in your power
And a more confident assurance of your love,
In Jesus Christ, your son, our saviour. Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Fleur Houston, retired minister, member of Macclesfield & Bollington URC read by Graham Handscomb Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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URC Daily Devotion Wednesday 23 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion Wednesday 23 October 2024
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Wednesday 23 October 2024
James 1: 12 - 16
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved.
Reflection
I must confess that I don’t feel particularly blessed when I’m faced with a second donut, looking all lonely in the bottom of the box! That, my friends, is a temptation I cannot resist. And then my guilt is felt as my Fitbit records a few more steps, by way of flagellation. I have not stood the test and will therefore not ‘receive the crown of life’. Damn you, tasty, jam-filled donut covered in sprinkles!
I am relieved to discover that this text is less about external temptations like donuts (pick your own!), and more about leaving behind the idea that God tempts or tests us.
We know that there are so many things that might seduce and overwhelm us: drugs, alcohol, sex, possessions, money, food, the dopamine hit – and on; and we know that things can escalate, literally leading to death, for some.
This might be your lived-experience or you may have watched loved-ones spiral out of control, unable to help.
Perhaps the greatest and worst temptation is to believe that God tests us with all kinds of struggles and calamity, so as to prove our faith. It is a lie. God tempts no one. We might, however, discover more of God’s love as we encounter and work through life’s inevitable joys and pains.
But by far the most devastating temptation anyone can present us with, is to believe that God doesn’t like us.
My friends, if or when we hear anything close to this, from others or from church – do not be deceived! This amounts to spiritual abuse, because it is the very opposite of God’s ways and purposes for us and can destroy the lives of those who come to believe it.
I am privileged to be working alongside many who have been led to believe, by the church or society, that they are unloved or unloveable - even by God.
I can share one thing:
‘Do not be deceived’, says God. ‘You are beloved’.
Prayer
Holy God,
may we not be deceived,
by world news,
personal struggles,
injustice or ‘othering’,
to in any way believe that you are testing us
or that your love is limited.
Holy Christ,
may we catch a glimpse today,
of something or someone,
who declares
‘you are beloved’.
Holy Spirit,
you dwell with us
in the fullness of love.
So be it. Amen
--> Today's writer The Revd Martin Knight is Chaplain of the Brighthelm Centre and Pioneer Minister with the LGBTQIA+ community in Brighton & Hove. Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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James 1: 12 - 16
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved.
Reflection
I must confess that I don’t feel particularly blessed when I’m faced with a second donut, looking all lonely in the bottom of the box! That, my friends, is a temptation I cannot resist. And then my guilt is felt as my Fitbit records a few more steps, by way of flagellation. I have not stood the test and will therefore not ‘receive the crown of life’. Damn you, tasty, jam-filled donut covered in sprinkles!
I am relieved to discover that this text is less about external temptations like donuts (pick your own!), and more about leaving behind the idea that God tempts or tests us.
We know that there are so many things that might seduce and overwhelm us: drugs, alcohol, sex, possessions, money, food, the dopamine hit – and on; and we know that things can escalate, literally leading to death, for some.
This might be your lived-experience or you may have watched loved-ones spiral out of control, unable to help.
Perhaps the greatest and worst temptation is to believe that God tests us with all kinds of struggles and calamity, so as to prove our faith. It is a lie. God tempts no one. We might, however, discover more of God’s love as we encounter and work through life’s inevitable joys and pains.
But by far the most devastating temptation anyone can present us with, is to believe that God doesn’t like us.
My friends, if or when we hear anything close to this, from others or from church – do not be deceived! This amounts to spiritual abuse, because it is the very opposite of God’s ways and purposes for us and can destroy the lives of those who come to believe it.
I am privileged to be working alongside many who have been led to believe, by the church or society, that they are unloved or unloveable - even by God.
I can share one thing:
‘Do not be deceived’, says God. ‘You are beloved’.
Prayer
Holy God,
may we not be deceived,
by world news,
personal struggles,
injustice or ‘othering’,
to in any way believe that you are testing us
or that your love is limited.
Holy Christ,
may we catch a glimpse today,
of something or someone,
who declares
‘you are beloved’.
Holy Spirit,
you dwell with us
in the fullness of love.
So be it. Amen
--> Today's writer The Revd Martin Knight is Chaplain of the Brighthelm Centre and Pioneer Minister with the LGBTQIA+ community in Brighton & Hove. Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can
Change Your Email Address
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URC Daily Devotion 22 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 22 October 2024
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22 October 2024
James 1: 9 - 11
Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
Reflection
Turning the world upside down is the great clarion cry of the Christian message. From the words of Mary in the Magnificat, and Jesus’ teaching about the folly of relying on material things of this world, to these reflections in the epistle of James, we have the vision of a new world order where the lowly and poor will be raised up and the rich will wither away.
In its collection of bon mot aphorisms, the Book of James has something of the flavour of the Book of Proverbs and other Old Testament Wisdom literature. In its style of language what can come over is a rather simplistic notion that the poor need not worry; they should be patient and endure the trials of this world; the treasures of the rich will pass away and the lowly will get their deferred reward in the life to come. This mantra formed the bedrock of the unjust world of mediaeval feudal Christianity, and of many oppressive regimes since.
But the power of James’ message, and indeed of the whole gospel story, is that when it talks about the rich and poor its focus is on the quality of one’s spiritual life rather than on the material world and how much one has or has not of it. The richness of the kingdom of God is not just something to be attained in some distant future and realm … it is a state of being and flourishing that is to be entered into and enjoyed now!
Prayer
Lord,
Open my eyes and my heart
to your good news revelation.
Help me
to see
to embrace
to live now
the rich liberating
life of the Spirit;
made possible through the sacrificial love
of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
--> Today's writer Professor Graham Handscomb, Member of Christ Church URC Chelmsford Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can
Change Your Email Address
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James 1: 9 - 11
Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
Reflection
Turning the world upside down is the great clarion cry of the Christian message. From the words of Mary in the Magnificat, and Jesus’ teaching about the folly of relying on material things of this world, to these reflections in the epistle of James, we have the vision of a new world order where the lowly and poor will be raised up and the rich will wither away.
In its collection of bon mot aphorisms, the Book of James has something of the flavour of the Book of Proverbs and other Old Testament Wisdom literature. In its style of language what can come over is a rather simplistic notion that the poor need not worry; they should be patient and endure the trials of this world; the treasures of the rich will pass away and the lowly will get their deferred reward in the life to come. This mantra formed the bedrock of the unjust world of mediaeval feudal Christianity, and of many oppressive regimes since.
But the power of James’ message, and indeed of the whole gospel story, is that when it talks about the rich and poor its focus is on the quality of one’s spiritual life rather than on the material world and how much one has or has not of it. The richness of the kingdom of God is not just something to be attained in some distant future and realm … it is a state of being and flourishing that is to be entered into and enjoyed now!
Prayer
Lord,
Open my eyes and my heart
to your good news revelation.
Help me
to see
to embrace
to live now
the rich liberating
life of the Spirit;
made possible through the sacrificial love
of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
--> Today's writer Professor Graham Handscomb, Member of Christ Church URC Chelmsford Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can
Change Your Email Address
or
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URC Daily Devotion 21 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 21 October 2024
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table{
border-collapse:collapse;
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padding:0;
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Monday 21 October 2024
James 1: 1 - 8
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Reflection
What a way to start a letter! Right after he greets his reader, James tells them that, as Christians, they will endure all sorts of challenges and trials. When they do so, they should embrace them with joy. What sorts of trials might these be, and why should anyone undergoing them respond in such a way when most sensible people avoid such testing and difficulty as much as possible?
James writes to people who already have a faith in Christ, possibly of Jewish heritage, and who understand the fundamentals of Christianity. But they are having problems putting it into practice. James spends little time on things like Christology or ecclesiology or polices and processes. Rather, this is a letter about putting faith into action. It speaks to what Christian living looks like in practice. It’s about owning our faith and making it a part of who we are.
These challenges are precisely because of the faith which the Diaspora profess, in this case most likely persecution. The Jews had a tradition in times of difficulty of looking to those who had tested and who had either endured successfully, like Abraham or Job, or failed dreadfully like the Israelites in the wilderness. Their stories of endurance tell how strong their faith really was who have the strength to endure what is still to come.
As Christians we must allow this endurance to perfect its work in us. One way to do this is to ask God for wisdom with confidence because lacking wisdom is a serious matter. Wisdom is a gift from God and those who lack wisdom, lack the ability to conduct their lives in the way God requires, to walk in the way we are now being shown through Christ. So, ask and you shall receive. Don’t doubt. Be complete. Let your persistence have its full effect, that you might become perfect and grow in full Christian maturity.
Prayer
O God
May your grace sustain me,
and your power support me.
May I persist in the hope
that I may grow to full maturity in Christ.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Nicola Furley-Smith, Secretary for Ministries, Purley URC Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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James 1: 1 - 8
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Reflection
What a way to start a letter! Right after he greets his reader, James tells them that, as Christians, they will endure all sorts of challenges and trials. When they do so, they should embrace them with joy. What sorts of trials might these be, and why should anyone undergoing them respond in such a way when most sensible people avoid such testing and difficulty as much as possible?
James writes to people who already have a faith in Christ, possibly of Jewish heritage, and who understand the fundamentals of Christianity. But they are having problems putting it into practice. James spends little time on things like Christology or ecclesiology or polices and processes. Rather, this is a letter about putting faith into action. It speaks to what Christian living looks like in practice. It’s about owning our faith and making it a part of who we are.
These challenges are precisely because of the faith which the Diaspora profess, in this case most likely persecution. The Jews had a tradition in times of difficulty of looking to those who had tested and who had either endured successfully, like Abraham or Job, or failed dreadfully like the Israelites in the wilderness. Their stories of endurance tell how strong their faith really was who have the strength to endure what is still to come.
As Christians we must allow this endurance to perfect its work in us. One way to do this is to ask God for wisdom with confidence because lacking wisdom is a serious matter. Wisdom is a gift from God and those who lack wisdom, lack the ability to conduct their lives in the way God requires, to walk in the way we are now being shown through Christ. So, ask and you shall receive. Don’t doubt. Be complete. Let your persistence have its full effect, that you might become perfect and grow in full Christian maturity.
Prayer
O God
May your grace sustain me,
and your power support me.
May I persist in the hope
that I may grow to full maturity in Christ.
Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Nicola Furley-Smith, Secretary for Ministries, Purley URC Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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The Epistle of James
96
The Epistle of James
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The Epistle of James
Dear Friends,
I hope the reflections on difficult times I put together over the last two weeks have stimulated thought as we ponder how to navigate the times in which we live. It's been good to hear so many responses from you.
We now turn to the Epistle of James. James is known as a general epistle - ie not sent to a particular congregation - and one of the 21 epistles in the New Testament. It was written originally in Greek. James 1:1 identifies the author as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad". Traditionally, the epistle is attributed to James the brother of Jesus, and the audience is considered generally to be Jewish Christians, who were dispersed outside Israel.
Framing his letter within an overall theme of patient perseverance during trials and temptations, James writes in order to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favouritism, and slander. He encourages and implores believers to live humbly by godly, rather than worldly, wisdom; he encourages prayer in all situations.
Martin Luther considered the epistle to be among the disputed books because his teaching of salvation only by faith is somewhat undermined by James’ theology. Luther sidelined it to an appendix, although he cited it in his Large Catechism. Of course, Luther's views were a propaganda gift to Catholics who felt it rather undermined his views on the supremacy of Scripture!
The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience. Many find James a gripping read and a powerful corrective to theologies which underplay the importance of how we live and behave in our Christian discipleship.
Happy reading!
With every good wish
Andy
The Rev'd Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
-->
Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Dear Friends,
I hope the reflections on difficult times I put together over the last two weeks have stimulated thought as we ponder how to navigate the times in which we live. It's been good to hear so many responses from you.
We now turn to the Epistle of James. James is known as a general epistle - ie not sent to a particular congregation - and one of the 21 epistles in the New Testament. It was written originally in Greek. James 1:1 identifies the author as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad". Traditionally, the epistle is attributed to James the brother of Jesus, and the audience is considered generally to be Jewish Christians, who were dispersed outside Israel.
Framing his letter within an overall theme of patient perseverance during trials and temptations, James writes in order to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favouritism, and slander. He encourages and implores believers to live humbly by godly, rather than worldly, wisdom; he encourages prayer in all situations.
Martin Luther considered the epistle to be among the disputed books because his teaching of salvation only by faith is somewhat undermined by James’ theology. Luther sidelined it to an appendix, although he cited it in his Large Catechism. Of course, Luther's views were a propaganda gift to Catholics who felt it rather undermined his views on the supremacy of Scripture!
The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience. Many find James a gripping read and a powerful corrective to theologies which underplay the importance of how we live and behave in our Christian discipleship.
Happy reading!
With every good wish
Andy
The Rev'd Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
-->
Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Sunday Worship 20 October 2024
96
Sunday Worship 20 October 2024
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Worship Services from the URC
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Order of Service
Below you will find the Order of Service, prayers, hymns and sermon for today's service. You can either simply read this or you can
click here
to listen to the service and sing along with the hymns. This will open up a new screen, at the bottom of the screen you will see a play symbol. Press that, then come back to this window so you can follow along with the service. Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Church
for Sunday 20 October 2024
Today’s service is led by the Revd Jonnie Hill
Welcome
Hello and welcome to this service of worship from the United Reformed Church for today, 20th October. I’m the Revd Jonnie Hill; I serve the East Cheshire and Derbyshire Missional Partnership in the North Western Synod. It’s a privilege to be leading worship today when we will be looking at the story of Job, so join me as we seek to worship our loving God.
Call to Worship
The God of the universe, the one who laid the earth’s foundations and set the stars in their course, cares for you, for me, and for every living creature and invites us now to divine encounter. So let us come, full of expectant hope, that we will encounter the living God in the worship we now offer together, in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Hymn I Bind Unto Myself Today
St Patrick’s Breastplate (Public Domain) arranged by Rod Lewis sung and performed by Five O’Silver and used with their kind permission
I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity:
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever
by power of faith, Christ's incarnation:
His baptism in the Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicéd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today!
I bind unto myself
the power of the great cherubim,
the sweet "well done" in judgment hour,
the service of the seraphim;
Confessors' faith, apostles' word,
the Patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray;
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead:
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the Word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard!
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend & stranger.
I bind unto myself today,
the strong name of the Trinity:
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation –
Salvation is of Christ the Lord!
Prayers of Approach, Confession & Assurance of Forgiveness
Loving Creator, in the whirlwind of life, where chaos and order entwine,
we turn to you, who spoke to Job from the eye of a storm.
We hear your voice, O God, speaking to us in the storms of our own lives,
urging us to grow into mature faith and wisdom, calling us to give up – over-simplistic ideas of sin and punishment, of cause and effect, and to embrace the wonder and complexity of this life you have created, equal measures beauty and joy, sorrow and pain.
When the flood waters inevitably rise, and the light of the sun and stars seems dim, give us the courage to ask the tough questions, as Job did, that our quest for insight and meaning, will bring us closer to you, trusting that even in our doubts and questioning, we are held close in your infinite love and grace.
And may we come to acceptance and peace, that when life is unpredictable and feels threatening, it is also full of possibility and newness of life. Help us to live into this life – of faith and co-creation, which is your invitation and gift, full of promise and adventure, alive in the creative power of the Spirit.
pause
God of all wisdom and grace, help us to admit the things we get wrong, the times we have clung to certainty, or held to outdated beliefs, even when your Spirit has been beckoning us on.
Not so we can beat ourselves up or play the all too familiar blame-game –
but so that we can learn, that we can repent – make an about turn, and grow ever greater into human fullness, the picture of true humanity we see in Christ.
pause
Friends, our God is a God of love and new beginnings, let us accept the new beginning offered to us now, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
As we listen now to ancient words read from Scripture, may they be made alive and vital, by the power of the Holy Spirit, offering insight and wisdom for life, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Reading Job 38:1-7, 34-41
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling together?
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their covert? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?
Hymn I Sing the Almighty Power of God
Isaac Watts based on Psalm 8, public domain, sung by St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.
I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
the moon shines full at his command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food;
he formed the creatures with his word and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how your wonders are displayed, where'er I turn my eyes,
if I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the skies.
There's not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known,
and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne;
while all that borrows life from you is ever in your care,
and everywhere that I can be, you, God, are present there.
Sermon
Ask anyone who doesn’t believe in God for their reasons why, and you will undoubtedly get a range of responses. But I bet many will centre on the age-old question of how an all-powerful and loving God could allow the untold suffering that we see in our world. It’s a conundrum that’s not easy to solve – indeed philosophers and theologians of all kinds have struggled to offer a once and for all answer.
And let’s be honest, it’s not just atheists and agnostics that struggle with the conundrum, don’t we people of faith struggle with it too? There’s a whole branch of theology dedicated to its study known as theodicy. And it’s been asking what is surely a question of universal human experience – why do bad things happen to good people?
One such person was Job, a righteous man – blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. He was good, and yet some terrible things happened to him – he loses his children, his servants, his animals and even his health. Job’s friends come to him and endeavour to offer comfort, but their counsel only serves to deepen his anguish and grief.
They peddle the old adage that his suffering must be the result of his sin – or in effect, bad things only happen to bad people. Job is resolute in protesting his innocence and his retorts become increasingly bitter as he stands by his belief that his punishment is undeserved.
Ultimately, Job demands an audience with God, and in effect puts God on trial to answer the charge of injustice concerning Job’s suffering. And Job does receive an answer of sorts, in two speeches which are the essence of today’s reading. God speaks from the midst of a storm, from the whirlwind but the meaning of God’s response is something that has been the result of much theological speculation. So much in fact, I can hardly attempt to offer anything of true scholarly value in this short time.
But something I have found compelling, both as a Christian minister and as a counsellor and psychotherapist is a Jewish reading of the story of Job. It suggests the story is less about God’s justice than it is about the transformation of a man whose faith and worldview, which initially were forged in the context of blessing and prosperity, are in effect obliterated when a host of calamities arise. The question the story raises is – how can faith, which has only known prosperity and blessing, ever be truly deep-rooted?
God’s speeches, revelation more than explanation, are confronting in both their content and tone. As Job faces down the storm, he is suddenly made aware of God’s power and presence even in the midst of senseless suffering. Job, who to this point has been seeking reasons for his personal suffering is moved on from pursuing simplistic answers to questions of cause and effect to the reality of life’s deep complexities. It seems that Job’s faith has matured, not because of having all the answers, but as a result of trusting God and recognising that even in the chaos and uncertainty of life, God is.
Job has his perspective increased as he contemplates the expansiveness of the natural world, realising that God’s intentions and actions lie far beyond just human consciousness. Perhaps this is something helpful for us to dwell on and contemplate today – consider how our human-centred social order has negated and neglected creaturely suffering and the suffering of the earth itself. Can we too be confronted by the vastness of God in nature to be reminded of God’s good intentions and desire for wholeness (shalom) for all that God has created?
Like all people of faith, Job’s faith is truly tested in the furnace of suffering. By the end of the book, Job’s worldview and his faith are transformed. He is moved from a transactional view of faith, where goodness equals blessing to a relational experience of faith, where trust in God prevails, even in and through suffering.
For those of us who like Job have lost much and experienced all sorts of hell, this is perhaps a bitter pill to swallow – that mature faith should be wrought through pain and suffering. But life is complex and filled with all kinds of adversity as well as joy… and I suspect we all know deep down that those things that test us, are very often then things that most help us to grow.
Job’s journey reveals a certain wisdom and insight into the life of faith, one that is paradoxical and, on the surface, sometimes counter intuitive. In and through the suffering he experiences, Job learns an invaluable lesson that faith tested through suffering can be made stronger and more robust, it is not a brittle, fair-weather faith of prosperity and blessing, but one which is steadfast in trust of God. This is not the kind of faith that says God will make it all okay in the end or one that offers an immediate release from whatever we’re going through, but rather, a faith that offers a deeper, more profound sense of God’s presence and strength even through the toughest of trials.
At times in my own life, when I have experienced personal crisis or devastating loss, I have had an almost inexplicable need to make my way to the sea. Something about the vastness of the expanse before me has helped to put into perspective my losses and in some way has offered solace and comfort. Undoubtedly, I met God – not in words or even images, but in the vastness of what was before me and a profound readjusting of my individual perspective within the grand order of all things.
So how are we to speak our faith into a suffering world that questions the existence of God – because how could an all-powerful and all-loving God allow the untold pain and trauma that is so ubiquitous.
I think the story of Job tells us that such questions about and objections to God’s existence will not be resolved with simple answers – because there simply aren’t any. I don’t think this is a cop out. It’s not that we should be saying don’t ask the difficult questions, but rather ask the questions but don’t expect neat, easy answers.
Job’s story teaches us that mature faith requires us to move beyond a transactional understanding of the divine economy, where blessings equal reward for goodness, to a relational faith where we trust in God’s loving intentions whatever may befall us.
As followers of Christ crucified, we are called to minister to one another as we each seek to carry our own crosses. Let’s not fall into the misguided attempts of Job’s friends to offer comfort through religious platitudes which serve only to perpetuate an overly simplistic and transactional attitude to suffering. And if we’re honest, we know that this kind of an approach is often off-putting to the lived experience of others as they navigate the reality and complexity of life.
Let’s be ready to enter into the places of pain and suffering of our world with empathy and modelling the kind of persistent loving presence we experience from God in our own suffering. We can witness to the kind of mature faith that weathers the storms of life, one that does not shirk or minimise the reality of suffering but affirms a hope in the mysterious, loving and persistent presence of God in all that we go through.
God is with us. Amen.
Hymn Give to Me Lord a Thankful Heart
© 1975 Caryl Micklem sung by members of Park Central Presbyterian Church
Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart
and a discerning mind;
give, as I play the Christian’s part,
the strength to finish what I start
and act on what I find.
When, in the rush of days, my will
is habit bound and slow,
help me to keep in vision, still,
what love & power & peace can fill;
a life that trusts in you.
By your divine and urgent claim,
and by your human face,
kindle our sinking hearts to flame,
& as you teach the world your name,
let it become your place.
Jesus, with all your Church I long
to see your kingdom come:
show me your way of righting wrong
and turning sorrow into song
until you bring me home.
Affirmation of Faith
We love a God who reigns over us
not with force and manipulation
but with the power of love,
to lift us up and set us free.
We follow Jesus, God’s Anointed,
who shared the power of healing and forgiveness.
He was crucified by the powers of domination,
but he was raised by the power of love.
We live by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
who empowers us to serve humbly,
to bless and not to threaten,
to create and not destroy.
By that Spirit we seek to serve, to forgive, to heal,
and to lift up those who are oppressed.
By that Spirit alone,
and not by any power of this world,
we receive life that is eternal
and joy that sustains us always. Alleluia!
Prayers of Intercession
What fresh hell is this, we cry, as we awaken once more
to a new day filled with images of violence and war.
The tragedies that befell Job seem but the tip of the iceberg,
compared to the vast ocean of human suffering in our world today.
In our bewilderment and sorrow, we lift our voices to you, O God,
seeking your presence and peace in the midst of chaos.
We pray for the healing of creation,
for a world system that is fair for all creatures.
Grant us maturity O God, to give up the myth
that infinite economic growth is possible or desirable.
May we relinquish all notions of dominion, and embrace
our true calling as stewards of this great, green earth.
We pray for all caught up in the crossfire of war,
for ordinary people in Gaza and Israel, in Ukraine and Russia.
Inspire leaders to seek justice and reconciliation, O God,
so that war-torn regions might have the chance of peace.
May we too play our part, in the cause of justice and reconciliation,
guided always by the example of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
We pray for all who are ill in body, mind or spirit,
for all experiencing grief or loss.
Bring healing to broken bodies, peace to anxious minds,
and comfort to troubled spirits, O God.
May each hurting person know the warmth of Your embrace
and the support of a loving community.
We pray for ourselves, for all people of faith who struggle
to make sense of why a loving God could allow such suffering.
Help us, O God, to hold onto faith in your loving nature
even in the darkest of times.
Give us courage to believe in your goodness,
and your promise never to leave us or forsake us, no matter what.
As we bring these prayers to you, O God,
give us strength to not feel helpless,
but empowered by your Spirit, to be agents of hope and love
in places of suffering, as in places of possibility and new beginnings.
May we be your hands and feet,
co-creators of the world you long to see. Amen.
Offertory
Anyone who claims to be a ‘self-made person’ is quite simply deluded. Because there is no such thing! Nothing we can achieve is ever solely on our own merit. Think of the countless people who have offered time and teaching to make us who we are. The opportunities we’ve been given, the talents and skills nurtured by others… the innate gifts we have been given by God. We live in a truly interconnected world where all our successes and failures are dependent on a complex web of gifting and receiving. Let us remember this as we come to offer our gifts of money and our lives back to God.
God,
as we offer these gifts,
help us to remember all we have received
and to give generously from that abundance.
May our gifts bring blessings –
to one another, and to the world,
in Christ’s name, Amen.
Hymn Have You Heard God’s voice Has Your Heart Been Stirred?
© 2008 Jaqueline Jones sung by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission
Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred?
Are you still prepared to follow?
Have you made a choice to remain and serve,
though the way be rough and narrow?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
Will you use your voice; will you not sit down
when the multitudes are silent?
Will you make a choice to stand your ground
when the crowds are turning violent?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
In your city streets will you be God’s heart?
Will you listen to the voiceless?
Will you stop and eat, and when friendships start,
will you share your faith with the faithless?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
Will you watch the news with the eyes of faith
and believe it could be different?
Will you share your views using words of grace?
Will you leave a thoughtful imprint?
We will walk the path that will cost us much
and embrace the pain and sorrow.
We will trust in One who entrusts to us
the disciples of tomorrow.
Blessing
May the God spoke to Job and who is still speaking today,
guide us with wisdom and grace.
As we seek to go onward in faith, co-creators with the Divine,
let us embrace the beauty and complexity of creation,
trusting in God's unfailing presence and love.
May we walk in peace, bringing hope to a world in need,
and find joy in the journey ahead.
And the blessing of God,
loving Creator,
redeeming Christ,
enlivening Spirit,
be with you today and always,
Amen.
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Below you will find the Order of Service, prayers, hymns and sermon for today's service. You can either simply read this or you can
click here
to listen to the service and sing along with the hymns. This will open up a new screen, at the bottom of the screen you will see a play symbol. Press that, then come back to this window so you can follow along with the service. Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Church
for Sunday 20 October 2024
Today’s service is led by the Revd Jonnie Hill
Welcome
Hello and welcome to this service of worship from the United Reformed Church for today, 20th October. I’m the Revd Jonnie Hill; I serve the East Cheshire and Derbyshire Missional Partnership in the North Western Synod. It’s a privilege to be leading worship today when we will be looking at the story of Job, so join me as we seek to worship our loving God.
Call to Worship
The God of the universe, the one who laid the earth’s foundations and set the stars in their course, cares for you, for me, and for every living creature and invites us now to divine encounter. So let us come, full of expectant hope, that we will encounter the living God in the worship we now offer together, in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Hymn I Bind Unto Myself Today
St Patrick’s Breastplate (Public Domain) arranged by Rod Lewis sung and performed by Five O’Silver and used with their kind permission
I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity:
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever
by power of faith, Christ's incarnation:
His baptism in the Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicéd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today!
I bind unto myself
the power of the great cherubim,
the sweet "well done" in judgment hour,
the service of the seraphim;
Confessors' faith, apostles' word,
the Patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray;
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead:
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the Word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard!
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend & stranger.
I bind unto myself today,
the strong name of the Trinity:
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation –
Salvation is of Christ the Lord!
Prayers of Approach, Confession & Assurance of Forgiveness
Loving Creator, in the whirlwind of life, where chaos and order entwine,
we turn to you, who spoke to Job from the eye of a storm.
We hear your voice, O God, speaking to us in the storms of our own lives,
urging us to grow into mature faith and wisdom, calling us to give up – over-simplistic ideas of sin and punishment, of cause and effect, and to embrace the wonder and complexity of this life you have created, equal measures beauty and joy, sorrow and pain.
When the flood waters inevitably rise, and the light of the sun and stars seems dim, give us the courage to ask the tough questions, as Job did, that our quest for insight and meaning, will bring us closer to you, trusting that even in our doubts and questioning, we are held close in your infinite love and grace.
And may we come to acceptance and peace, that when life is unpredictable and feels threatening, it is also full of possibility and newness of life. Help us to live into this life – of faith and co-creation, which is your invitation and gift, full of promise and adventure, alive in the creative power of the Spirit.
pause
God of all wisdom and grace, help us to admit the things we get wrong, the times we have clung to certainty, or held to outdated beliefs, even when your Spirit has been beckoning us on.
Not so we can beat ourselves up or play the all too familiar blame-game –
but so that we can learn, that we can repent – make an about turn, and grow ever greater into human fullness, the picture of true humanity we see in Christ.
pause
Friends, our God is a God of love and new beginnings, let us accept the new beginning offered to us now, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
As we listen now to ancient words read from Scripture, may they be made alive and vital, by the power of the Holy Spirit, offering insight and wisdom for life, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Reading Job 38:1-7, 34-41
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling together?
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their covert? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?
Hymn I Sing the Almighty Power of God
Isaac Watts based on Psalm 8, public domain, sung by St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.
I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
the moon shines full at his command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food;
he formed the creatures with his word and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how your wonders are displayed, where'er I turn my eyes,
if I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the skies.
There's not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known,
and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne;
while all that borrows life from you is ever in your care,
and everywhere that I can be, you, God, are present there.
Sermon
Ask anyone who doesn’t believe in God for their reasons why, and you will undoubtedly get a range of responses. But I bet many will centre on the age-old question of how an all-powerful and loving God could allow the untold suffering that we see in our world. It’s a conundrum that’s not easy to solve – indeed philosophers and theologians of all kinds have struggled to offer a once and for all answer.
And let’s be honest, it’s not just atheists and agnostics that struggle with the conundrum, don’t we people of faith struggle with it too? There’s a whole branch of theology dedicated to its study known as theodicy. And it’s been asking what is surely a question of universal human experience – why do bad things happen to good people?
One such person was Job, a righteous man – blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. He was good, and yet some terrible things happened to him – he loses his children, his servants, his animals and even his health. Job’s friends come to him and endeavour to offer comfort, but their counsel only serves to deepen his anguish and grief.
They peddle the old adage that his suffering must be the result of his sin – or in effect, bad things only happen to bad people. Job is resolute in protesting his innocence and his retorts become increasingly bitter as he stands by his belief that his punishment is undeserved.
Ultimately, Job demands an audience with God, and in effect puts God on trial to answer the charge of injustice concerning Job’s suffering. And Job does receive an answer of sorts, in two speeches which are the essence of today’s reading. God speaks from the midst of a storm, from the whirlwind but the meaning of God’s response is something that has been the result of much theological speculation. So much in fact, I can hardly attempt to offer anything of true scholarly value in this short time.
But something I have found compelling, both as a Christian minister and as a counsellor and psychotherapist is a Jewish reading of the story of Job. It suggests the story is less about God’s justice than it is about the transformation of a man whose faith and worldview, which initially were forged in the context of blessing and prosperity, are in effect obliterated when a host of calamities arise. The question the story raises is – how can faith, which has only known prosperity and blessing, ever be truly deep-rooted?
God’s speeches, revelation more than explanation, are confronting in both their content and tone. As Job faces down the storm, he is suddenly made aware of God’s power and presence even in the midst of senseless suffering. Job, who to this point has been seeking reasons for his personal suffering is moved on from pursuing simplistic answers to questions of cause and effect to the reality of life’s deep complexities. It seems that Job’s faith has matured, not because of having all the answers, but as a result of trusting God and recognising that even in the chaos and uncertainty of life, God is.
Job has his perspective increased as he contemplates the expansiveness of the natural world, realising that God’s intentions and actions lie far beyond just human consciousness. Perhaps this is something helpful for us to dwell on and contemplate today – consider how our human-centred social order has negated and neglected creaturely suffering and the suffering of the earth itself. Can we too be confronted by the vastness of God in nature to be reminded of God’s good intentions and desire for wholeness (shalom) for all that God has created?
Like all people of faith, Job’s faith is truly tested in the furnace of suffering. By the end of the book, Job’s worldview and his faith are transformed. He is moved from a transactional view of faith, where goodness equals blessing to a relational experience of faith, where trust in God prevails, even in and through suffering.
For those of us who like Job have lost much and experienced all sorts of hell, this is perhaps a bitter pill to swallow – that mature faith should be wrought through pain and suffering. But life is complex and filled with all kinds of adversity as well as joy… and I suspect we all know deep down that those things that test us, are very often then things that most help us to grow.
Job’s journey reveals a certain wisdom and insight into the life of faith, one that is paradoxical and, on the surface, sometimes counter intuitive. In and through the suffering he experiences, Job learns an invaluable lesson that faith tested through suffering can be made stronger and more robust, it is not a brittle, fair-weather faith of prosperity and blessing, but one which is steadfast in trust of God. This is not the kind of faith that says God will make it all okay in the end or one that offers an immediate release from whatever we’re going through, but rather, a faith that offers a deeper, more profound sense of God’s presence and strength even through the toughest of trials.
At times in my own life, when I have experienced personal crisis or devastating loss, I have had an almost inexplicable need to make my way to the sea. Something about the vastness of the expanse before me has helped to put into perspective my losses and in some way has offered solace and comfort. Undoubtedly, I met God – not in words or even images, but in the vastness of what was before me and a profound readjusting of my individual perspective within the grand order of all things.
So how are we to speak our faith into a suffering world that questions the existence of God – because how could an all-powerful and all-loving God allow the untold pain and trauma that is so ubiquitous.
I think the story of Job tells us that such questions about and objections to God’s existence will not be resolved with simple answers – because there simply aren’t any. I don’t think this is a cop out. It’s not that we should be saying don’t ask the difficult questions, but rather ask the questions but don’t expect neat, easy answers.
Job’s story teaches us that mature faith requires us to move beyond a transactional understanding of the divine economy, where blessings equal reward for goodness, to a relational faith where we trust in God’s loving intentions whatever may befall us.
As followers of Christ crucified, we are called to minister to one another as we each seek to carry our own crosses. Let’s not fall into the misguided attempts of Job’s friends to offer comfort through religious platitudes which serve only to perpetuate an overly simplistic and transactional attitude to suffering. And if we’re honest, we know that this kind of an approach is often off-putting to the lived experience of others as they navigate the reality and complexity of life.
Let’s be ready to enter into the places of pain and suffering of our world with empathy and modelling the kind of persistent loving presence we experience from God in our own suffering. We can witness to the kind of mature faith that weathers the storms of life, one that does not shirk or minimise the reality of suffering but affirms a hope in the mysterious, loving and persistent presence of God in all that we go through.
God is with us. Amen.
Hymn Give to Me Lord a Thankful Heart
© 1975 Caryl Micklem sung by members of Park Central Presbyterian Church
Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart
and a discerning mind;
give, as I play the Christian’s part,
the strength to finish what I start
and act on what I find.
When, in the rush of days, my will
is habit bound and slow,
help me to keep in vision, still,
what love & power & peace can fill;
a life that trusts in you.
By your divine and urgent claim,
and by your human face,
kindle our sinking hearts to flame,
& as you teach the world your name,
let it become your place.
Jesus, with all your Church I long
to see your kingdom come:
show me your way of righting wrong
and turning sorrow into song
until you bring me home.
Affirmation of Faith
We love a God who reigns over us
not with force and manipulation
but with the power of love,
to lift us up and set us free.
We follow Jesus, God’s Anointed,
who shared the power of healing and forgiveness.
He was crucified by the powers of domination,
but he was raised by the power of love.
We live by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
who empowers us to serve humbly,
to bless and not to threaten,
to create and not destroy.
By that Spirit we seek to serve, to forgive, to heal,
and to lift up those who are oppressed.
By that Spirit alone,
and not by any power of this world,
we receive life that is eternal
and joy that sustains us always. Alleluia!
Prayers of Intercession
What fresh hell is this, we cry, as we awaken once more
to a new day filled with images of violence and war.
The tragedies that befell Job seem but the tip of the iceberg,
compared to the vast ocean of human suffering in our world today.
In our bewilderment and sorrow, we lift our voices to you, O God,
seeking your presence and peace in the midst of chaos.
We pray for the healing of creation,
for a world system that is fair for all creatures.
Grant us maturity O God, to give up the myth
that infinite economic growth is possible or desirable.
May we relinquish all notions of dominion, and embrace
our true calling as stewards of this great, green earth.
We pray for all caught up in the crossfire of war,
for ordinary people in Gaza and Israel, in Ukraine and Russia.
Inspire leaders to seek justice and reconciliation, O God,
so that war-torn regions might have the chance of peace.
May we too play our part, in the cause of justice and reconciliation,
guided always by the example of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
We pray for all who are ill in body, mind or spirit,
for all experiencing grief or loss.
Bring healing to broken bodies, peace to anxious minds,
and comfort to troubled spirits, O God.
May each hurting person know the warmth of Your embrace
and the support of a loving community.
We pray for ourselves, for all people of faith who struggle
to make sense of why a loving God could allow such suffering.
Help us, O God, to hold onto faith in your loving nature
even in the darkest of times.
Give us courage to believe in your goodness,
and your promise never to leave us or forsake us, no matter what.
As we bring these prayers to you, O God,
give us strength to not feel helpless,
but empowered by your Spirit, to be agents of hope and love
in places of suffering, as in places of possibility and new beginnings.
May we be your hands and feet,
co-creators of the world you long to see. Amen.
Offertory
Anyone who claims to be a ‘self-made person’ is quite simply deluded. Because there is no such thing! Nothing we can achieve is ever solely on our own merit. Think of the countless people who have offered time and teaching to make us who we are. The opportunities we’ve been given, the talents and skills nurtured by others… the innate gifts we have been given by God. We live in a truly interconnected world where all our successes and failures are dependent on a complex web of gifting and receiving. Let us remember this as we come to offer our gifts of money and our lives back to God.
God,
as we offer these gifts,
help us to remember all we have received
and to give generously from that abundance.
May our gifts bring blessings –
to one another, and to the world,
in Christ’s name, Amen.
Hymn Have You Heard God’s voice Has Your Heart Been Stirred?
© 2008 Jaqueline Jones sung by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission
Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred?
Are you still prepared to follow?
Have you made a choice to remain and serve,
though the way be rough and narrow?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
Will you use your voice; will you not sit down
when the multitudes are silent?
Will you make a choice to stand your ground
when the crowds are turning violent?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
In your city streets will you be God’s heart?
Will you listen to the voiceless?
Will you stop and eat, and when friendships start,
will you share your faith with the faithless?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
Will you watch the news with the eyes of faith
and believe it could be different?
Will you share your views using words of grace?
Will you leave a thoughtful imprint?
We will walk the path that will cost us much
and embrace the pain and sorrow.
We will trust in One who entrusts to us
the disciples of tomorrow.
Blessing
May the God spoke to Job and who is still speaking today,
guide us with wisdom and grace.
As we seek to go onward in faith, co-creators with the Divine,
let us embrace the beauty and complexity of creation,
trusting in God's unfailing presence and love.
May we walk in peace, bringing hope to a world in need,
and find joy in the journey ahead.
And the blessing of God,
loving Creator,
redeeming Christ,
enlivening Spirit,
be with you today and always,
Amen.
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URC Daily Devotion 20 October 2024
96
URC Daily Devotion 20 October 2024
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Daily Devotions from the URC
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Fools have said in their heart:
"There is no God above."
Their deeds are corrupt, depraved;
there is no good person left.
God looks down from heaven
on the peoples of the earth
to see if any are wise,
if any seek God.
All have left the right path;
depraved, every one;
There is not a good person left,
no, not even one.
Will the evil-doers not understand?
They eat up my people
as though they were eating bread;
they never pray to God.
See how they tremble with fear
without cause for fear,
for God scatters the bones of the wicked.
They are shamed, God rejects them.
O that Israel's salvation might come from Zion!
When God delivers his people from bondage,
then Jacob will be glad and Israel rejoice.
Reflection
This Psalm pulls no punches - and it’s the opening salvo which might seem to set the parameters: the inward avowal of the fool, denying God's being. Thus the great 19th century preacher and pastor C.H. Spurgeon declared in his exposition on Psalm 53: “The atheist is, morally as well as mentally, a fool, a fool in the heart as well as in the head... With the denial of God as a starting point, we may well conclude that the fool's progress is a rapid, riotous, raving, ruinous one.”
However, there's a problem with that interpretation: it takes the wrong starting-point. Atheism, as encountered in Spurgeon's day and ours, is understood as an intellectual disbelief in the existence of any god or gods – and as we know, it's become markedly more common in recent generations. But in the Psalmist's day and context, it's doubtful that such a viewpoint would have been recognisable, let alone widespread.
No, it would be a mistake to think of Psalm 53 as a claim that “atheists are idiots”. Indeed, the Hebrew word used for “fool” here has more to do with ethics than intelligence. So the real meaning of verse 1 is something more like: “The wanton deeds of fools amount to a scandalous testimony: the denial of God's truth.”
And what are these “wanton deeds of fools”? The fourth stanza reveals the heart of God's concern: the mistreatment (“eat[ing] up”) of those who are precious to God.
Those who first recited Psalm 53 perhaps had in mind the foreign powers ranged against God's people or taking them captive. But the principle surely extends in every age and context, to warn of judgement upon those who misuse their power to oppress the powerless.
Which means that Christians and other faith-communities can legitimately find common cause, together with folk who may be lacking in faith but are rich in compassion, in calling out toxic misuses of institutional or individual power. For this, too, is deliverance.
Prayer
Sovereign God, as you look down from heaven,
what is it that you find in me?
In my words is the declaration of faith, and hope, and love;
but if it is true that actions speak louder than words,
then let my deeds not be found wanting.
Guide me by your Spirit
to act justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with Jesus,
in whom is revealed your truth, and our salvation. Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dominic Grant, Minister at Barnet URC and St Andrew’s Chesterfield Road URC. Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Sunday 20 October 2024
Psalm 53Fools have said in their heart:
"There is no God above."
Their deeds are corrupt, depraved;
there is no good person left.
God looks down from heaven
on the peoples of the earth
to see if any are wise,
if any seek God.
All have left the right path;
depraved, every one;
There is not a good person left,
no, not even one.
Will the evil-doers not understand?
They eat up my people
as though they were eating bread;
they never pray to God.
See how they tremble with fear
without cause for fear,
for God scatters the bones of the wicked.
They are shamed, God rejects them.
O that Israel's salvation might come from Zion!
When God delivers his people from bondage,
then Jacob will be glad and Israel rejoice.
Reflection
This Psalm pulls no punches - and it’s the opening salvo which might seem to set the parameters: the inward avowal of the fool, denying God's being. Thus the great 19th century preacher and pastor C.H. Spurgeon declared in his exposition on Psalm 53: “The atheist is, morally as well as mentally, a fool, a fool in the heart as well as in the head... With the denial of God as a starting point, we may well conclude that the fool's progress is a rapid, riotous, raving, ruinous one.”
However, there's a problem with that interpretation: it takes the wrong starting-point. Atheism, as encountered in Spurgeon's day and ours, is understood as an intellectual disbelief in the existence of any god or gods – and as we know, it's become markedly more common in recent generations. But in the Psalmist's day and context, it's doubtful that such a viewpoint would have been recognisable, let alone widespread.
No, it would be a mistake to think of Psalm 53 as a claim that “atheists are idiots”. Indeed, the Hebrew word used for “fool” here has more to do with ethics than intelligence. So the real meaning of verse 1 is something more like: “The wanton deeds of fools amount to a scandalous testimony: the denial of God's truth.”
And what are these “wanton deeds of fools”? The fourth stanza reveals the heart of God's concern: the mistreatment (“eat[ing] up”) of those who are precious to God.
Those who first recited Psalm 53 perhaps had in mind the foreign powers ranged against God's people or taking them captive. But the principle surely extends in every age and context, to warn of judgement upon those who misuse their power to oppress the powerless.
Which means that Christians and other faith-communities can legitimately find common cause, together with folk who may be lacking in faith but are rich in compassion, in calling out toxic misuses of institutional or individual power. For this, too, is deliverance.
Prayer
Sovereign God, as you look down from heaven,
what is it that you find in me?
In my words is the declaration of faith, and hope, and love;
but if it is true that actions speak louder than words,
then let my deeds not be found wanting.
Guide me by your Spirit
to act justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with Jesus,
in whom is revealed your truth, and our salvation. Amen.
--> Today's writer The Revd Dominic Grant, Minister at Barnet URC and St Andrew’s Chesterfield Road URC. Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Daily Devotion for Saturday 19th October 2024
96
Daily Devotion for Saturday 19th October 2024
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Saturday 19 October 2024
Reflections on Difficult Times12 - Trust in God alone
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
Over the last two weeks we’ve thought about the various facets of our fast changing contemporary society with mass movements of people, untrustworthy sources of news, financial upheaval coupled with increasing job insecurity. No wonder that people turn to politicians with easy answers which pit us against each other as a distraction from those who cause the problems in the first place! People vote in all sorts of ways for all sorts of reasons; and the Church has, over the centuries, had to cope with all sorts of governments of all sorts of ideologies.
Our distinctive contribution as Christians, however, is rather more basic. Our Psalmist today warns us not to put our trust in mortal rulers who will, like us, one day head for the grave. Instead, we are told to trust in God. I think this is the basis behind Jesus’ admonition to Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world; not that we should divorce ourselves from a world heading to Hell but that, as Paul VI once wrote, every political ideology no matter how close it might be portrayed to Christian values, has within itself the seeds of its own destruction unless it is an articulation of Jesus’ good news.
As the Psalmist notes God sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts the oppressed, loves the righteous watches over strangers, and upholds the rights of those on the edge. These other worldly values are ones we might wish to see in our politicians and we can rejoice when their policies seem to come close to these things. We always remember, however, not to place our trust in mortals “in whom there is no help” but instead trust only in God, our rock and redeemer.
Such trust is the only sure way to navigate the difficult times in which we live and reject the siren voices that tempt us to despair.
Prayer
God, our guide,
calm our anxieties,
strengthen our resolve,
and increase our trust in You,
that we may no longer put our trust in mortals,
who offer nothing but division and discord,
that we may proclaim and welcome
Your coming Kingdom,
Amen. --> Today's writer The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk URC in Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Reflections on Difficult Times12 - Trust in God alone
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
Over the last two weeks we’ve thought about the various facets of our fast changing contemporary society with mass movements of people, untrustworthy sources of news, financial upheaval coupled with increasing job insecurity. No wonder that people turn to politicians with easy answers which pit us against each other as a distraction from those who cause the problems in the first place! People vote in all sorts of ways for all sorts of reasons; and the Church has, over the centuries, had to cope with all sorts of governments of all sorts of ideologies.
Our distinctive contribution as Christians, however, is rather more basic. Our Psalmist today warns us not to put our trust in mortal rulers who will, like us, one day head for the grave. Instead, we are told to trust in God. I think this is the basis behind Jesus’ admonition to Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world; not that we should divorce ourselves from a world heading to Hell but that, as Paul VI once wrote, every political ideology no matter how close it might be portrayed to Christian values, has within itself the seeds of its own destruction unless it is an articulation of Jesus’ good news.
As the Psalmist notes God sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts the oppressed, loves the righteous watches over strangers, and upholds the rights of those on the edge. These other worldly values are ones we might wish to see in our politicians and we can rejoice when their policies seem to come close to these things. We always remember, however, not to place our trust in mortals “in whom there is no help” but instead trust only in God, our rock and redeemer.
Such trust is the only sure way to navigate the difficult times in which we live and reject the siren voices that tempt us to despair.
Prayer
God, our guide,
calm our anxieties,
strengthen our resolve,
and increase our trust in You,
that we may no longer put our trust in mortals,
who offer nothing but division and discord,
that we may proclaim and welcome
Your coming Kingdom,
Amen. --> Today's writer The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk URC in Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Daily Devotion for Friday 18th October 2024
96
Daily Devotion for Friday 18th October 2024
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Friday 18 October 2024
Reflections on Difficult Times 11 - Citizens of Heaven
Philippians 3:17 - 21
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
Reflection
When the Church becomes too close to the realms and regimes, ideas and ideologies of the State, corruption sets in.
In Henry VIII’s England, Parliament declared him “Head of the Church” and went on to regulate worship and seize Church land against resistance that ultimately came to little. In 1930s Germany the “German Christians” won power in church elections and sought to accommodate Christianity with Nazism. Those who tried to stay faithful to the Gospel adopted the Barmann Declaration which proclaimed the Church’s freedom in Jesus Christ who is Lord of every area of life. As God’s Word, Jesus determines the Church’s order, ministry, and relationship to the state; the Church was not to be a mere State agency. It was heady stuff but allowed faithful Christians to organise and avoid Nazi corruption. This declaration inspired contemporary Orthodox theologians to condemn the “Russian World” teaching prevalent in some sections of Russian Orthodoxy. This teaching includes ideas such as the nations of Ukraine and Belarus are not legitimate (and should be seen as extensions of Russia), that the Church is the soul of the nation and so intimately bound up with it, and subordinates Christian faith to national interests.
Attempts to blur the boundaries between our earthly and heavenly citizenship always end badly - whether that’s the upheaval of the Reformation era, Nazi attempts to subjugate the Church, or Russian attempts to baptise imperial ideology. Paul reminds us, in an age where Roman citizenship was prized and valuable, that the only citizenship we should care about is that of Heaven.
Henry Tudor is mere dust in his grand grave, the German Christians did not succeed in their demonic despotism and, one day, Kirill and his perversion of Orthodoxy will stand condemned as will all attempts to make the Church a useful idiot. Above it all stands Christ, the Lord who calls us to follow him rejecting all that corrupts the Gospel and offering us hope and guidance in difficult times.
Prayer
God our Guide,
remind us always of our true heavenly citizenship,
that the values of Your coming Kingdom,
will help us be better citizens of our earthly realms,
and more faithful disciples. Amen. --> Today's writer The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk URC in Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Reflections on Difficult Times 11 - Citizens of Heaven
Philippians 3:17 - 21
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
Reflection
When the Church becomes too close to the realms and regimes, ideas and ideologies of the State, corruption sets in.
In Henry VIII’s England, Parliament declared him “Head of the Church” and went on to regulate worship and seize Church land against resistance that ultimately came to little. In 1930s Germany the “German Christians” won power in church elections and sought to accommodate Christianity with Nazism. Those who tried to stay faithful to the Gospel adopted the Barmann Declaration which proclaimed the Church’s freedom in Jesus Christ who is Lord of every area of life. As God’s Word, Jesus determines the Church’s order, ministry, and relationship to the state; the Church was not to be a mere State agency. It was heady stuff but allowed faithful Christians to organise and avoid Nazi corruption. This declaration inspired contemporary Orthodox theologians to condemn the “Russian World” teaching prevalent in some sections of Russian Orthodoxy. This teaching includes ideas such as the nations of Ukraine and Belarus are not legitimate (and should be seen as extensions of Russia), that the Church is the soul of the nation and so intimately bound up with it, and subordinates Christian faith to national interests.
Attempts to blur the boundaries between our earthly and heavenly citizenship always end badly - whether that’s the upheaval of the Reformation era, Nazi attempts to subjugate the Church, or Russian attempts to baptise imperial ideology. Paul reminds us, in an age where Roman citizenship was prized and valuable, that the only citizenship we should care about is that of Heaven.
Henry Tudor is mere dust in his grand grave, the German Christians did not succeed in their demonic despotism and, one day, Kirill and his perversion of Orthodoxy will stand condemned as will all attempts to make the Church a useful idiot. Above it all stands Christ, the Lord who calls us to follow him rejecting all that corrupts the Gospel and offering us hope and guidance in difficult times.
Prayer
God our Guide,
remind us always of our true heavenly citizenship,
that the values of Your coming Kingdom,
will help us be better citizens of our earthly realms,
and more faithful disciples. Amen. --> Today's writer The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk URC in Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Daily Devotion for Thursday 17th October 2024
96
Daily Devotion for Thursday 17th October 2024
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Thursday 17 October 2024
Reflections on Difficult Times 10 - My Kingdom is Not of This World
St John 18: 28-37
Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this man?’ They answered, ‘If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.’ The Jews replied, ‘We are not permitted to put anyone to death.’ (This was to fulfil what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’
Reflection
The temptation to power, explored yesterday, means that the Church has, for most of its history, put aside Jesus’ Kingdom values. There’s a tension here - of course we want to work for a better world, where the homeless are housed, the sick healed, the poor enriched, the outsiders and strangers welcomed. These are all political imperatives which concern God’s Kingdom and the State. There’s a difference, however, between taking the values and priorities of the Kingdom and yearning for political power.
Mediaeval popes proclaimed themselves with ever more grand titles and held land known as the papal states. Late 19th and early 20th century popes sulked when these states were incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. Luther needed Protestant princes to safeguard the freedom of his followers (and the suppression of those who continued as Catholics). Zwingli died in battle - an odd way for a pastor to end his days showing a questionable allegiance to values of God’s Kingdom!
A growing critique of American evangelicalism - from within that movement* - is about how political power has become the prime goal. The offer of policies, and judges, which appeal to some Christians around abortion, immigration, and lgbt issues has trumped the moral failings of those who offer these inducements. Instead of seeing proclamation, service, and persuasion as the Church’s mission, sections of the Church have become corrupt seeking to win a culture war. These folk are useful to the political leaders who feed them their red meat but there’s no happy marriage in the pursuit of political power.
At the supreme moment of crisis and temptation Jesus offers Pilate hard words. With some defiant self confidence Jesus told Pilate what’s what. If He had been interested in political power a mob could have been raised, angels dragooned, and the Romans defeated.
Yet, for Jesus, power is seen in weakness, strength in service, faithfulness in care. Can it be those things for the Church too?
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Reflections on Difficult Times 10 - My Kingdom is Not of This World
St John 18: 28-37
Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this man?’ They answered, ‘If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.’ The Jews replied, ‘We are not permitted to put anyone to death.’ (This was to fulfil what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’
Reflection
The temptation to power, explored yesterday, means that the Church has, for most of its history, put aside Jesus’ Kingdom values. There’s a tension here - of course we want to work for a better world, where the homeless are housed, the sick healed, the poor enriched, the outsiders and strangers welcomed. These are all political imperatives which concern God’s Kingdom and the State. There’s a difference, however, between taking the values and priorities of the Kingdom and yearning for political power.
Mediaeval popes proclaimed themselves with ever more grand titles and held land known as the papal states. Late 19th and early 20th century popes sulked when these states were incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. Luther needed Protestant princes to safeguard the freedom of his followers (and the suppression of those who continued as Catholics). Zwingli died in battle - an odd way for a pastor to end his days showing a questionable allegiance to values of God’s Kingdom!
A growing critique of American evangelicalism - from within that movement* - is about how political power has become the prime goal. The offer of policies, and judges, which appeal to some Christians around abortion, immigration, and lgbt issues has trumped the moral failings of those who offer these inducements. Instead of seeing proclamation, service, and persuasion as the Church’s mission, sections of the Church have become corrupt seeking to win a culture war. These folk are useful to the political leaders who feed them their red meat but there’s no happy marriage in the pursuit of political power.
At the supreme moment of crisis and temptation Jesus offers Pilate hard words. With some defiant self confidence Jesus told Pilate what’s what. If He had been interested in political power a mob could have been raised, angels dragooned, and the Romans defeated.
Yet, for Jesus, power is seen in weakness, strength in service, faithfulness in care. Can it be those things for the Church too?
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
crowned not with gold but thorns,
enthroned not in glorious state but on a shameful cross,
inspire Your people to use power wisely;
enable Your Church to see power in weakness
and give up the desire to rule.
Amen.
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Daily Devotion for Wednesday 16th October 2024
96
Daily Devotion for Wednesday 16th October 2024
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Wednesday 16 October 2024
Reflections on Difficult Times 9 - Temptations St Luke 4: 1 - 13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,and serve only him.”’
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”,
and
“On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Reflection
Sadly the Church, unlike Jesus, hasn’t resisted temptation. It’s understandable really. An emperor came along winning a battle through, he bizarrely believed, Christ’s help and suddenly Christianity was decriminalised. People came in droves seeking baptism to curry favour with the new regime. The emperor cast his lot with this new religion to replace Rome’s old tired gods. But there was a heavy price for this partnership; the emperor meddled in Church affairs; the Church found it had to guard its tongue.
Some may look back at Constantine’s patronage of the Church as a good thing, ensuring our survival down the centuries. Our privileged place at the heart of European civilisation means that, at least, our culture is influenced by the Gospel. Others may look at the compromises which blunted our message as ecclesiastical mouths were stuffed with gold, prophets silenced, and power concentrated in the families who ended up running both Church and state.
Even now we seek to try to cling on to the trappings of power and influence. The Church continues to be tempted to support politicians who use us; Mr Trump in America, Mde Le Pen in France, Mr Orbán in Hungary. One suspects the Jesus revealed in the Gospels would have harsh things to say about both our political leaders and the compromises we make with them.
What, I wonder, would our history have been if we’d declined Constantine’s offer? What if we’d wished him well but kept on with the simple task of proclaiming the Gospel. What if we’d founded small communities which sought nothing more than to worship God through working for the greater good? What if we’d rejected power? Of course this is where we are now - or if not quite there approaching it at speed.
The Faustian pact with the State has not given us what was dreamt of; only from the edge can we see, critique, and tend the world as Jesus does.
Prayer
Table-turning God,
guard us when we are tempted to accept power and glory in Your name,
remind us that the devil’s tools will not build the Kingdom,
You do not bless battles,
and the last and least need Your love, protection, and care,
Amen. --> Today's writer The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk URC in Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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Reflections on Difficult Times 9 - Temptations St Luke 4: 1 - 13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,and serve only him.”’
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”,
and
“On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Reflection
Sadly the Church, unlike Jesus, hasn’t resisted temptation. It’s understandable really. An emperor came along winning a battle through, he bizarrely believed, Christ’s help and suddenly Christianity was decriminalised. People came in droves seeking baptism to curry favour with the new regime. The emperor cast his lot with this new religion to replace Rome’s old tired gods. But there was a heavy price for this partnership; the emperor meddled in Church affairs; the Church found it had to guard its tongue.
Some may look back at Constantine’s patronage of the Church as a good thing, ensuring our survival down the centuries. Our privileged place at the heart of European civilisation means that, at least, our culture is influenced by the Gospel. Others may look at the compromises which blunted our message as ecclesiastical mouths were stuffed with gold, prophets silenced, and power concentrated in the families who ended up running both Church and state.
Even now we seek to try to cling on to the trappings of power and influence. The Church continues to be tempted to support politicians who use us; Mr Trump in America, Mde Le Pen in France, Mr Orbán in Hungary. One suspects the Jesus revealed in the Gospels would have harsh things to say about both our political leaders and the compromises we make with them.
What, I wonder, would our history have been if we’d declined Constantine’s offer? What if we’d wished him well but kept on with the simple task of proclaiming the Gospel. What if we’d founded small communities which sought nothing more than to worship God through working for the greater good? What if we’d rejected power? Of course this is where we are now - or if not quite there approaching it at speed.
The Faustian pact with the State has not given us what was dreamt of; only from the edge can we see, critique, and tend the world as Jesus does.
Prayer
Table-turning God,
guard us when we are tempted to accept power and glory in Your name,
remind us that the devil’s tools will not build the Kingdom,
You do not bless battles,
and the last and least need Your love, protection, and care,
Amen. --> Today's writer The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk URC in Orkney Copyright New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright © 2024 United Reformed Church, All rights reserved.
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