A quick random search online reveals that there are numerous books seeking to assist people with the most basic skills in particular subjects; for example, Diane Selkirk wrote The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Sailing (2013); there were so many books on computing in the For Dummies series I couldn’t decide which one to choose by way of illustration in this message!
The idea behind all these kinds of books is to make their subject accessible to ordinary people who were struggling to find a way to get started.
The first disciples of Jesus found praying difficult and asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke11:1). But as with everything else there are ways not to pray which Jesus highlighted in the famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:5-8:
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
What possible features of prayer should we avoid?
1.You must pray in busy public places (Matthew 6:5-6) And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Holding a placard on the street corner near a busy junction highlighting the fact you are praying is not likely to get you high approval ratings with passers-by in twenty-first century Britain.
You might make someone laugh, but at you not with you. However, having your prayer time in a prominent public place where plenty of people passed by was the way 2,000 years ago in Israel to gain the approval of the masses and to be seen as a holy person. But that was the point Jesus said!
Praying like that to impress other people might achieve its goal, but God might leave you to get on with it as it was of no interest to Him. By contrast, Jesus emphasised, for your regular pattern of prayer find a private place where it is a matter between you and God.
When God sees we are deadly serious about engaging with Him in prayer, then He is present and listening to the cries of our heart. There is a place for corporate prayer when God’s people gather together on-line or in more conventional times in one physical space, but in our personal prayer life try and find that place where no-one or no things gets in the way of you spending time alone with God in prayer.
2. You must pray for as long as possible (Matthew 6:7-8)7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Paul wrote: Pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17).
Is it about the survival of the spiritually fittest praying till we drop? Or prayer marathons for Jesus – how many times have you lasted twenty-four hours without a break! There are times for persistent prayer and issues over which we will keep praying until we see God’s answer. However, under normal circumstances in our daily prayers Jesus advocated precise clear shorter prayers from our hearts. Let Him know precisely what you need like a young child bringing a request to their parent and trusting Him to answer. What are you going to ask for specifically today?
Our song for reflection today is: What a friend we have in Jesus
At this unique and challenging time in the United Kingdom over 65 churches and movements, representing hundreds of others, have come together online to sing a blessing over our land.
Many of the churches included in this song have assisted with supplying over 400,000 meals to the most vulnerable and isolated in our nation since COVID-19 lockdown began.
This alongside phone calls to the isolated, pharmacy delivery drops and hot meals to the NHS frontline hospital staff. Our buildings may be closed but the church is very much alive!
Original Song “The Blessing” by Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and Elevation Worship. Written by Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and Steven Furtick Audio produced by Trevor Michael Video edited by Level Creative
Sunday Evening Prayer Livestream – We will be continuing the Prayer Livestream at 7.00pm, celebrating the theme of Resurrection Hope with live prayer and news from churches around the country. This will be another significant time of national prayer for us. Click here to access.
Jam Kids Focus – Join us every Sunday from 9.30am for the next 5 five weeks for our Navigate Family series. This series will give you an opportunity to explore the Bible together as a family and find out about what it means to be a follower of Jesus today.
Join Park Ranger Chris, Field Instructor Phil and Head Ranger Bill as they take you on a journey through Blue Rock National Park, learning some cool survival skills, doing some fun challenges and discovering truths in Bible. Plus lots more.
There is also an activity sheet to download and print after watching the video.
JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:15am on the Zoom platform –parents of teenagers can get a link code by contacting Gary Torbet on garytorbet@btinternet.com
Call to Worship
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100
We are grateful to Helen Rice for selecting the songs for worship for this service
Our opening song of praise and worship is: Light of the world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI302Av7vSI
Our second song of praise and worship is a new version of a familiar song: Great is thy Faithfulness (Beginning to end)
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, once more at the start of another week we come with joy into Your holy presence conscious of the honour that is ours of being able to call the Creator and Sustainer of the universe our Father. Yet that privilege is ours because of the Lord Jesus who died in our place on the cross so that we might have eternal life in its fullness both by faith here on earth and then beyond this life by sight
Thank you for all the blessing you give to us of family and friends. Thank you for the provision of our daily needs and for the physical, mental and emotional strength to come through another week at this difficult time. We come to ask for Your forgiveness of our sins and the fresh enabling power of the Holy Spirit to help us live in a way that pleases You in the coming week. Speak we pray to us as we sing Your praises, read Your Word and reflect upon it later. We bring all our prayers in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.
All Age Talk – Helen Rice
I wondered if you have or if you ever had a special Teddy, security blanket or comforter? No need to be embarrassed (I cuddled my beautiful pink teddy, Marie, every night until I was 14 years old!)
Apparently scientific studies have shown that more than half of all children become attached to a Teddy Bear, a favourite blanket, or some other object that helps to comfort them whenever they are worried, afraid, unwell or upset. A Teddy Bear or a security blanket can give great comfort especially at bedtime or when unwell, and it can give security and confidence when a child is separated from their parents or when they feel unsure.
Jesus understood that we all need help. When he was here on earth, he was a source of help and comfort to his disciples. When he was preparing to return to heaven, he knew that there would be times when disciples would need help and comfort and that he would not be there to give it to them.
In John 14 verse 16 He tells the disciples that he would ask his Father to send them another helper who would stay with them forever. That is exactly what he did. Jesus asked God the Father, and he sent the Holy Spirit. When we ask Jesus to come into our heart and we accept Him as our Saviour God’s Holy Spirit is with us ALWAYS. He is there to help us, comfort us and to guide us to step out and live for God.
I don’t know about you, but I am glad that Jesus asked God to send His Holy Spirit to be with us always. Your Teddy like mine might become old and worn out or you might lose it, or you might outgrow the need for it…. But Jesus gave his promise that the Holy Spirit would be with us forever and however old we are we Never outgrow the need for the comfort, help and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.
So whatever challenges we face, if we are fearful or scared, if we are worried and finding life difficult, if we lack confidence or we are in need of strength, if we are unsure of how to handle a situation, uncertain of what to say or do or what to pray, if we are struggling during lockdown …if we need comfort, guidance or wisdom God’s Holy Spirit is there to help us.
Father God, we thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be our comfort, our help and our guide. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Our next song is another song that may be new to some participants in this service ‘Confidence’ by Sanctus-real
Prayers for others
As the current Covid-19 crisis continues to unfold before our eyes and shakes the world, we pray for those on the frontline of this situation. We are deeply conscious of the debt we owe to so many who daily risk their health and their lives to provide medical and social care and ensure that essential services are maintained across our land.
We thank God for the consistent dedicated work that has ensured that our NHS has not been overwhelmed with demand during this crisis to date and sincerely pray this may continue to be the case. We pray for those whose medical procedures or surgeries have been delayed in recent weeks that soon they may be able to receive the assistance they require.
We pray for strength, wisdom and resilience. We give thanks that our God is unshakeable and ‘an ever-present help in time of need’.
We pray for children and young people who may be getting frustrated at the restrictions and fed up in the current situation. We pray for patience for parents, wisdom and creativity in finding things to do! We pray for our teachers and other educators as they seek to support their students continue their education through various forms of on-line learning.
We pray for our family of churches in the Baptist Union of Scotland:
We pray for the pastoral ministry Accreditation Conference taking place tomorrow, as candidates finish their three year accreditation journey in various forms of church and chaplaincy ministries with a final interview as they reflect on what they have experienced and learned as they prepare for Christian service in the years to come. We pray that despite being online, that these meetings will result in wise discernment and be helpful to both the candidates and panel of experienced church leaders.
We remember:
Rebekah Sharp-Bastekin (Chaplain, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow) – with increasing pressures on NHS staff to do more with less, spiritual care is being drawn on more and more as we seek to support staff under a great deal of pressure. It’s a great privilege but please pray for NHS staff in all disciplines. Please pray for team dynamics after a number of years of staff shortages and lack of leadership. Pray for our new Lead Chaplain as she leads our team into a new chapter. I continue to feel filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit in the care that I offer to staff, patients and their families or visitors.
Dalbeattie Baptist Church: We thank God for helping them to continue as a small but united, caring and inclusive fellowship with a desire to impact their town for Jesus. We pray for Christians in the area to feel led to join them to strengthen their witness and enable them to reach out in a way that is not possible with their limited resources.
Dalkeith BC – At Dalkeith Baptist Church, we praise God for new folks joining with them in worship, and for the steady increase in the number of children they see regularly, which is greatly encouraging. We pray that the Lord would bless them as they seek to reach out to their local community, and as they continue to develop a culture of invitation among their fellowship.
Dedridge BC – We give thanks for Dedridge Baptist Church in Livingston as they worship God and serve their community at the heart of Livingston. We pray for good opportunities for them to share hope in Jesus during this time of national crisis.
We also pray for BMS World Mission at this time as they seek to continue to minister across the world during the current pandemic. We thank you for Helen and Wit in Thailand and Christine in Paris our link missionaries as they serve God in the locations He has placed them. We give thanks for the safe repatriation to the UK for some mission personnel in virus hot-spots and pray for those who continue to serve abroad at this time. We pray for protection and peace as well as opportunities to share Jesus with others.
We pray in our local context
For other churches in our local area that God will help each one continue their work and witness at this time. We thank you to for the ongoing work of the food banks in our city and the stability of numbers needing assistance in the past week in our local area.
We especially remember those who live and work in the Care Homes that our church led services in – Ferry House, Orchar, Elder Lea Manor, Ballumbie Court, Moyness and Balcarres. We pray also for our neighbour, Lochleven Care Home. We are very thankful that Hannah was able to lead a small Sunday church service for those who wished to join in at her workplace, where their spirits were lifted through singing, praying and counting their blessings together.
We come now to pray for particular people on our hearts at this time. These include: Jan and Jim F with Jim’s ongoing health challenges; Jean, John H’s mother in Orchar, who has contracted the covid virus; also for Shona H as she adjusts to retirement from paid employment later this week.
Also Ali T’s mum Norah who was taken to hospital after a fall and for her dad Frank at home. And we also bring our own requests to you now. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers as we bring them in the wonderful name of Your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen
Our next song of worship is: ‘Beauty for brokenness’
Bible Reading
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’
14 Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ 15 Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’
16 And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.”
18 ‘Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”
20 ‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
21 ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.’
Luke 12: 13-21
Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing: ‘May the mind of Christ my Saviour’
The Message
Introduction
On the day I was writing this message, one of the stories on the BBC News website was of a Royal Navy submarine commander relieved of his command and assigned to other duties (BBC News Website Coronavirus: Royal Navy submarine lockdown party captain sacked 28April 2020). The reason given was that he had gone ahead with a lockdown party at the submarine base after it had returned for repairs to the base, contrary to the advice of senior officers on shore and other officers on board the submarine.
All of us make mistakes and regret choices that we make so pointing the finger at others when they get things wrong is unwise, because the day comes for us all when we need to apologise for our own mistakes. It is bad enough when a friend or family members questions our decision-making on a subject of some importance, but where do we even begin to reflect when God is the one making that call? This was the issue in this story told by Jesus.
The context of this passage was a dispute between two adult children of a man who had died. The standard accepted model of a shared inheritance of that day saw the eldest brother gaining the largest share of the assets, but he also had the responsibility of caring for his mother if still alive and any other siblings who were children and therefore in need of support. Any other adult children of the deceased man shared equally a lesser share of the total estate.
Culturally it is very different to anything we would do here in the United Kingdom, but the motivation behind it is to ensure the most vulnerable family members were provided for in a social context where there was no state assistance for people in need. The contrast is absolute when compared to our current situation with the covid-19 virus.
Our governments in the United Kingdom are providing grants and support to seek to ensure everyone has a roof over their heads and food on the table for the duration of this crisis, and unprecedented support for some businesses with financial aid and other forms of assistance to ensure that as many jobs as possible are still there for people to return to when the worst of this crisis is over.
Sadly in many countries in the two-thirds world there is very little practical assistance provided, in part because their governments have far less resources to use to alleviate the hardship caused by this virus. At the heart of this story, and the teaching of Jesus in response to this occasion, there is a concern to address the financial and other security fears many people have concerning how they will provide for their needs in the future.
For us today the Covid-19 virus crisis is a deep concern to many people as we have no idea how this situation will turn out in the near future and beyond. Jesus, in this passage of Luke chapter twelve, provides a parable for their and our consideration in our own social contexts.
Let us turn to Luke’s account of the context in which Jesus told this powerful story, recorded in Luke 12:13-21:
Someone in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ 14Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ 15 Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’ 16 And He told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
17 He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.”18 ‘Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” 20 ‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” 21 ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.’
(a)Living for self (Luke 12:17-19) ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all’ are the famous words of the wicked stepmother of Snow White in the early nineteenth century story written by the Brothers Grimm. The wicked stepmother in the story apparently was obsessed with being the most beautiful woman in the land and her talking mirror told her that this was true.
However, a crisis begins when one day the mirror gives a different answer and suggested to her that her now grown-up stepdaughter Snow White is the most beautiful woman in the land. Many children in European countries will have grown up hearing or reading a version of the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is almost certainly based on some real historical circumstances with two possible candidates for Snow White.
One possibility is that it is Margarete von Waldeck, a German countess born to Philip IV in 1533. Her father owned copper mines that used child labour. The unhealthy working conditions seriously affected their health and resulted for many in severely stunted growth which combined with serious malnutrition would have raised serious human rights ‘alarm bells’ today.
The alternative and I think stronger candidate is Maria Sophia von Erthal, born on 15 June, 1729 in Lohr am Main, Bavaria. She was the daughter of eighteenth-century landowner, Prince Philipp Christoph von Erthal and his wife, Baroness von Bettendorff. After the death of the Baroness, Prince Philipp went onto marry Claudia Elisabeth Maria von Venningen, Countess of Reichenstein, who was said to dislike her stepchildren. The castle where they lived, now a museum, was home to a ‘talking mirror’, an acoustical toy that could speak (now housed in the Spessart Museum).
The mirror, constructed in 1720 by the Mirror Manufacturer of the Electorate of Mainz in Lohr, had been in the house during the time that Maria’s stepmother lived there. The dwarfs in Maria’s story are also linked to a mining town, Bieber, located just west of Lohr and set among seven mountains. The smallest tunnels could only be accessed by very short miners, who often wore bright hoods, as the dwarfs have frequently been depicted over the years. The point of this illustration is that the step-mother was exclusively thinking of herself and not of others, certainly not her step-daughter. This was the big problem with the man in Jesus’ story.
In this story the central character was a rich man whose perspective on life was largely centred on himself. He would have been delighted with the opinions of the famous Scottish economist from Kirkcaldy, Fife, Adam Smith (1723-1790) who argued that a businessman who does what is best for himself and gets rich, the benefits of his success will filter down to others who will gain from his prosperity.
In an age of the phenomenon of billionaires dominating world wealth and access to power, it certainly looks like Adam Smith’s model of free market economics was too optimistic in its assessment of human nature. There are too many people like this man who used his great profits to extend his business increasingly which must have meant taking over the strips of land of others in order to accommodate the greater yields of grain his land produced.
He was stockpiling food at such a rate there was no space left. How did he see this problem? As an excuse to stop stockpiling? No! he planned an extension of his premises to enable him to stockpile more! I know it is a story, but there are plenty of people who in the real world never have enough money or things of some kinds, no matter how wealthy they are. How tragic that he didn’t have a good accountability partner or friend who could challenge his choices.
But this happens for real as we have seen in the earlier stages of the Covid-19 virus crisis. It seems crazy just a few weeks ago that some people were purchasing vast quantities of toilet paper causing shortages for others. Once restrictions were put in place things calmed down and supplies steadily reappeared on supermarket shelves once again.
It raises the question of motivation why we react in the way we do to such times as these. Why sometimes we may be tempted as Christians to join in the stockpiling and why on other occasions we are not. However, Jesus’ point is clear contradicting Adam Smith; thinking primarily of self instead of others is quite likely to be bad for everyone. How good are you at thinking about the needs of others as well as yourself? Ask yourself this question: Has there been a time when you had to challenge yourself because of faulty thinking about my wants rather than prioritising my needs?
(b) The appraisal of Jesus(Luke 12:15, 20-21) Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’…20 ‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” 21 ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.’
In our culture people can be rated by the fashionable clothes they are wearing (or not!); by the type of car they drive or size of home they live in; at school pupils may see their status depending on the possession of the latest style mobile phone, their expensive footwear or whatever is the ‘must have’ thing at that time. It can also happen to us all subconsciously in that we assess the worth of other people by the ‘things’ they possess.
Jesus offers a strong challenge to that way of thinking. Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’… (Luke 12:15) it must be a tough time in the fashion industry just now –not many people will dress up to work from home or to stay at home! Party wear or accessories are not going to be needed for some time. More seriously, if this crisis continues it will potentially reshape quite significantly many aspects of our lives. We have all been forced to stop and think about the way we have been living. What has stood out most for you? This is a good question to reflect on later.
What did God say to this man in the story here? ‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20).
For him his stockpiling was the equivalent of a large pension and food security in later years of his life. It was a much more considered strategy than panic buying of good in a shop. But no matter how big his stockpile it was never enough. He always needed to have more. Was he in charge over these ‘things’ or were they in some emotional way in charge of him?
In what or whom do you find your security? If it is our good looks then the mirror on the wall will eventually disappoint us –unless our eyesight starts to dim before the wrinkles and grey hairs become too many to bother about! If it is wealth or possessions then one day we will leave it all behind.
We are familiar with these words from attending funeral services: We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (I Timothy 6:7; Job 1:21). The man in the story had never considered that he was not in ultimate control of his life – His life was in God’s hands.
What did Jesus then say by way of application to His first hearers and to us today? Luke 12:21 states: This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.’ What place does God have in your thinking and priorities? Where does He figure in your hopes and aspirations? To what extent do His values influence and shape yours and mine? These are deep questions with no easy answers. However, we must give them serious thought if we intend to be wise women and men in the sight of God, Amen
Our closing song is ‘Build Your kingdom Here’
Closing Prayer
Thank you Lord Jesus for the privilege of serving in Your name in the communities in which You have placed us. Help us to practise the values that shaped Your life and ministry so that others may seem something of Your amazing love and grace through us this week. For Jesus’ sake, Amen
Benediction: The Grace
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore, Amen
It is good to ask questions because they can open up opportunities to find answers on topics that can be of great importance to us. The teaching methods of rabbis in Jesus’ day with their disciples included a significant proportion of discussions on key subjects by way of asking questions and seeking to discern an appropriate biblical answer.
In this passage today the unexpected question put to Jesus is recorded in Luke 17:20: Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come… The standard teaching on this subject in Jewish synagogues at that time focussed on a military strongman who would lead the nation to evict the occupying Roman forces and establish a godly Jewish nation under his rule. This figure was viewed as the Messiah sent in God’s name. The questioners wanted a checklist of things to tick off to indicate how close they might be to that event. It is similar to Christians seeking to try to work out how close we are to Jesus’ second coming. What did Jesus say in response to their question?
1.Beware of false predictions (Luke 17:20-24) 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’ 22 Then He said to His disciples, ‘The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
23 People will tell you, “There He is!” or “Here He is!” Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in His day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.
There have been a number of scientists with their different models claiming to suggest how the Covid-19 virus pandemic will go in our country. Some of them may be right and accurate in their predictions, but no-one knows for certain.
Yet it doesn’t stop some of the headlines in newspapers and other on-line sources that offer a level of clarity in interpretation of the data that goes beyond the evidence. Of course we want certainty of what will happen in coming months, but no-one knows for certain.
In the same way, there are plenty of people who make claims that they know when Jesus is coming back, and a few individuals have even claimed to be Jesus come back to earth! What does He say here? Ignore them! Quite a few cults or new religions began by people making claims about Jesus’ return. God hasnot given us sufficient information to make such a prediction.
In Mark 13:32 Jesus specifically said that only God the Father knows the date of His return. It will be when no-one is expecting it. We must ask God to help us handle the uncertainty of life today. Will this new way of living here make people in richer countries more sensitive to the fact that hundreds of millions of people have only ever lived with this kind of economic uncertainty in the two-thirds world?
2. A clear pointer(Luke 17:25) But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.The events of the first Easter were still in the future when Jesus spoke these worlds. It was a prophetic prediction that came true. There were many Old Testament prophecies referencing the birth, life death and resurrection of Jesus hundreds of years earlier. God keeps His word. He is trustworthy. How trustworthy are you and I when we make promises?
3. Alarming Indifference (Luke 17:26-30‘Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 ‘It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 ‘It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
‘Business as usual’ is what is conveyed here. Even when there were warning signs they were ignored. No matter how strong the challenge to them, they were living life as before, they had no interest in what God was trying to communicate. This pattern was not new, the exact same thing happened in the time of the ‘natural disasters centuries earlier in the times of Noah and Lot.
There are plenty of questions that arise from this observation. These include: How open am I to God speaking into my life? Or if I am not giving God first place in my life, what will it take for me to stop what I am doing and listen to Him and then be willing to take action?
4. Additional Pointers (Luke 17:31-37)31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding corn together; one will be taken and the other left.’ 37 ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked. He replied, ‘Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.’
These verses are a warning and a challenge to complacency. We must not put off committing our life to follow Jesus because we think we have plenty of years ‘to do our own thing’ first. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow let alone a few weeks, months or years.
As Christians these verses are a challenge to avoid drifting through life giving God a place but not ‘the place’ at the centre of our lives. These words from Jesus were far from a timetable for His second coming. Instead they should make us think and question as to what is most important in our lives,most of all if He came back unexpectedly tonight or tomorrow would you be ready? The only way we can be ready is if we have already put our faith and trust in Him. Don’t delay taking that step today if you havn’t done it before. The person who by faith accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour will be welcomed into God’s family for ever, the moment they truly seek it in prayer. I hope that is true today for us all.
Our song for reflection today is: ‘All my days I will sing this song of gladness’
It is sometimes very difficult to maintain a sense of perspective. At times like the present coronavirus pandemic it is much easier to lament the things we cannot do or cannot have rather than appreciate the blessings we enjoy. As we reflect on our own circumstances today there is a short incident recorded in Luke 17:11-18 that not only was applicable to the people of Jesus’ day but is equally fitting for reflection in each subsequent generation.
Luke writes:
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’14 When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ 19 Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’ (Luke 17:11-18)
It is not difficult to see the point Jesus was making, but rather than thinking simply of accepting the truth He states, it might be worth reflecting on why it was so difficult for the majority of people in the story to accept that they needed a reality check on their lack of gratitude to Jesus. What do we see here in this encounter in this unnamed village?
1.The great need (Luke 17:11-12) Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance…
Leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases in the world. It was incurable. The limited medical facilities of that day were powerless to assist those who contracted the disease. What makes matters worse, those who were identified as lepers were forced to live outside the community in isolation or with other lepers. It was a miserable existence waiting to die over a lengthy period of time. It was lock down indefinitely with no hope of a return to normal life. Our period of lock down is temporary- praise God for that!
2. The eloquent appeal (Luke 17:13) 13 and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’The word desperation comes to mind here. They had no other source of hope but Jesus. Maybe like them you didn’t come to Jesus as soon as you should have done? The most important thing is that they then and each one of us now put our faith in Him to help us live our lives today. They needed physical healing – what do you and I need Jesus to help us with today?
3. The immediate response (Luke17:14)14 When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. The people Jesus healed in His ministry obtained their healing in different ways. Why? Because God deals with us personally, not as a number in a system; all ten men followed Jesus’ instruction and were healed. We have to be honest that life is not always so simple. What happened here is extraordinary with each one being healed. The important issue here is that they trusted Jesus implicitly with their lives. Will you do the same?
4. The unexpected reactions (Luke 10:15-19) 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’19 Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’Why did only the Samaritan return to say ‘thank-you’? No-one can say for certain why all nine Jews forgot. The most important question to ask is this: am I thankful to God and other peoplefor the good things I receive? As a practical exercise – to whom can you and me say ‘thank-you’ today for something they did for us?
Our song for reflection today is an older hymn: ‘Like a river glorious’
In life our temperaments do play a significant part in shaping how we view the world. Some of us are natural optimists who look for the best in others and see opportunities opening up in front of them. By contrast, some other people are at the opposite end of the scale and are naturally pessimists and from their perspective there are an alarming number of problems and difficulties lying ahead of us and they struggle to see a way through.
In popular speech in Scotland there is a simple form of words we use to describe these two broad categories of people with reference to a partly-filled glass of water. There are those who see a glass ‘half-full’ and others who see it ‘half-empty’. There is no dispute about the quantity of water in the glass only the significance of it.
At the current time it is mostly likely that the Covid-19 virus crisis may be the biggest challenge to humanity worldwide since World War Two. Therefore, if this statement is correct, the choices we make now as the Christian Church in its local as well as global expression may have a huge bearing on the effectiveness of our collective witness over the coming decades and possibly even longer.
We cannot deny that we may face some even bigger challenges ahead than we are even anticipating at the present time. Yet at the same time there may be some unprecedented opportunities to show the importance and relevance of our faith to a world of people whose ideological foundations have been shaken by all that has taken place.
The Bible passage for today is very brief, covering an unscripted and completely unplanned ministry opportunity for Jesus and His disciples in Luke 18:15-17. What do we see?
(1)An unsought opportunity (Luke 18:15a) People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have Him touch them. I have no idea what Jesus had planned that day for Him and the group of disciples that were accompanying Him.
What we see here clearly is that choices had to be made. How would Jesus respond to the situation before Him? In that cultural context it was not uncommon for rabbis, the Jewish religious leaders, to be asked to perform a blessing on a child around its first birthday. Jesus’ could have said ‘no’ He was too busy to stop and spend time with them.
Churches around the world in locations with good access to the internet have had new opportunities to bear witness to Jesus Christ. How many had prior to this crisis hosted meetings or services on a zoom platform? How many had livestreamed services or activities or even thought seriously about doing it prior to March 2020? How many Christians had considered sharing gospel messages to groups on whatsapp or other people via email or shared something of their faith by more traditional methods of actual conversations in person, by phone or some other means of communication.
I am delighted to hear good examples of some of you taking opportunities to share your faith in recent weeks. Personally, I have had many more opportunities to speak to others about aspects of the Christian faith in the last month than I could ever have anticipated. I want to encourage you to join me in praying to the Lord for spiritual sight to ‘see’ the opportunities that God is providing for us.
(2) An unwanted opportunity (Luke 18:15b When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them… These sincere people had a schedule for the day that had to be followed and so the presence of these parents and young children was a problem to be got rid of not an opportunity for engagement.
Is this our natural response when difficulties come? Or might there be a better way to react? For example, by praying: ‘Lord, I don’t like the situation before me’; Can you please open my eyes to view it from your perspective of looking for new opportunities for witness or service?’ It is not the details of what happened here that matters as we live in a very different cultural context, instead our focus in this Covid-19 crisis is to ask God how we might live effectively for Him in our communities at this time of enormous changes.
(3) A God-given opportunity (Luke 18:16-17) 16But Jesus called the children to Him and said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Jesus’ choice is an active one. He called the children to Him… to model God’s kingdom values to the adults present. Children typically have a sense of wonder about the world and an expectancy of God at work within it.
Do we need to recover even in a time like this a sense of the opportunities God is presenting to us? For prayer, witness and compassion ministries;
Children have a depth of trust in God and in the adults in their lives. In our difficulties will we demonstrate our confidence in God by the choices we make for our future? Children are also willing to play ‘Follow my leader’ games.
How willing are we to follow Jesus in simple trust that He will lead us in the right way in these difficult times? Children are also marked by their amazing ability to forgive when apologies are offered and to offer them when they are at fault. How much we adults have to learn from them! Thank God Jesus took this God-given opportunity to live out His faith amongst people who might not otherwise have seen Him or heard Him preach. Or calling is to follow in His footsteps.
Our song to help us in our reflections today is ‘When we walk with the Lord’
I have encouraged us through this Covid-19 virus crisis to set aside time for prayer and reflection in the middle of the week to reflect on our blessings, the things that have gone well as well as bringing to God the difficulties we are going through or facing in the near future.
In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells the story of a young woman experiencing some incredibly difficult times. Let us look briefly at this account of how she responded after reading through Luke’s record of what Jesus said to His disciples:
Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’
6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’
The purpose of the story: Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1) Why did Jesus need to tell this story? It is quite straightforward because as human beings if we don’t see something happening in a short period of time then our enthusiasm for bringing an issue to God often drains away and before you know it we have stopped expecting anything to happen even if we are still praying for it for a considerable period of time.
Jesus wanted to encourage His first disciples and us today to not only ‘try praying’ but to ‘keep on praying’. It was central to Jesus’ life and His example is a serious challenge to us when we settle for something less. Do you need to be encouraged to set aside some time for prayer on a daily basis?
The problem behind the story: He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. (Luke 18:2) Some problems in life seem too big to overcome. This judge was in charge of that court for years. There was no Court of Appeal. He was a giant roadblock in the way of her quest for justice.
What is your roadblock just now in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis? Is it mental health struggles coping with being confined to your home? Is it a fear of catching the virus in your workplace? Is it anxiety about losing your job or not getting the university place you had worked for? Is it worry about a decline in physical health and strength as you have got older? The list is endless and at all ages!
If you are facing your roadblock just now remember these words of Jesus in Matthew 19:26: Jesus looked at them [His disciples] and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ There is no situation too big for God to handle. Bring your concerns to Him.
The person in the story: And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” 4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’ (Luke 18:3-5)
The young widow in that culture was incredibly vulnerable. Her chances of getting justice from such a court as this were minimal. Yet because she was convinced that nothing is impossible with God combined with the strength of her case she was determined to keep coming back with her requests for justice. Jesus’ point to His followers was very simple. If she could do it so can you and me. Never give up in prayer; never give up in evangelistic witness to family and friends who need to find Jesus for themselves; never give up hope that we will receive the answers to our prayers – for as long as it takes!
The points to remember from the story: 6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:6-8).
God loves and cares for His children so if there is no totally hopeless situation on earth we can come before Him with a quiet confidence of God answering our prayers, although we must never forget His answers to our request may be ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘not yet’. The last point Jesus highlights in Luke 18:8concerns our perseverance in prayer and expectancy of God working in people’s lives until the day He returns. Can Jesus count on you and me continuing as a praying people?
Our song for reflection today ‘Never once did we ever walk alone’
I am thankful to Claire for planning some pointers for our prayer time
Prayer Time for Wednesday 29th April
• Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;his love endures forever. Psalm 106v1. Take some time to praise God for who He is and then thank Him for the things we can be grateful for in our lives.
• Pray for the many vulnerable countries, that they would receive the financial and humanitarian aid they need to prevent virus spread and meet people’s basic needs.
• Continue to pray for the Government in Scotland and in the wider UK and for their clinical and scientific advisers, may they have the wisdom they need to make the right decisions at the right time.
• Pray for the physical, emotional and mental health of the staff and residents in Care Homes. Pray that supplies of the right equipment would get through to meet theirneeds. Pray for residents as they may struggle with theneed to stay in their rooms and not having visitors. Please especially remember those who live and work in the Care Homes that our church led services in – Ferry House, Orchar, Elder Lea Manor, Ballumbie Court, Moyness and Balcarres. Pray also for our neighbour, Lochleven Care Home.
Give thanks that Hannah was able to lead a small Sunday church service for those who wished to join in at her workplace, where their spirits were lifted through singing, praying and counting their blessings together.
• Please continue to remember the NHS workers, whatever their role, as each one plays their part to ensure that we can access care when it’s needed. Pray for those who you know by name and ask God to sustain them.
• Pray for teachers, especially those known to you. Ask for God’s help for them as they adapt to new ways of teaching and for help with the frustrations that can bring. Pray that those working in school hubs would be able to work in safe ways and wouldn’t be put at unnecessary risk.
• Pray for parents who are trying to support their children with school work at home, particularly while trying to do their own work too. Pray for patience and understanding. Remember children and young people who have additional support needs and are now struggling with a big change to their routines and a reduction in their usual support services.
• Remember those with ongoing health issues in our church family just now, pray for the NHS to resume its usual services as soon as possible to attend to those waiting for operations, treatment plans, tests and check-ups.
• Pray that Messy Church At Home (on our website) and Zoom Boogie Babies (this Saturday morning) might help us to keep connected with families and be of benefit to them.
• Pray for ourselves, ask God to help us to seek Him first in everything that we do and to always make time each day to read His word and spend time in His presence.
If you could ask God one question when we get to heaven and be guaranteed that it would be answered what would that question be? I suspect under the pressure of the moment that some of us would be reduced to silence. Others, who prior to that moment could quickly have stated their question, might have declined to speak because it seemed no longer to be that important.
It is just possible that the questions we would most like to be answered then are not currently of particular importance to us.
Two thousand years ago Jesus was approached by a wealthy young man who held an important office in his country. Outwardly his life and career would have been viewed by his contemporaries as a great success. But there was a burning question in his mind to which he sought an answer.
It is possible he had asked other Jewish religious leaders the same question in the recent past, but it appears that he was not satisfied with any answers he had received prior to that time. What was the question he wanted to ask?
Luke18:18 states: A certain ruler asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? All credit to this man for being honest enough to admit that he needed to make changes in his life in order for God to save him. Do you need to take some steps of faith in order to be the person God wants you to be?
However, what this young man had yet to learn was that entering God’s family comes about not through us becoming good enough, but through God the Father accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in our place. Salvation is all of God’s grace not where our good deeds outweigh our bad ones.
Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 2:8-10, verses that illuminate what Jesus was explaining to this man. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no-one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Have you grasped the extraordinary nature of the gospel? It is good news to the undeserving.
The focus of some people who want to follow Jesus is what can I do to be good enough for heaven? However, this is to misunderstand the nature of the good news. Jesus died in our place to take the punishment in advance for our sins so that when we simply place our trust in Him as Lord and Saviour we are welcomed into His family. This is the most incredible good news in human history.
The great Methodist hymn-writer Charles Wesley, in the hymn he wrote to describe his own conversion to follow Jesus expressed something of the wonder of what happened that first Easter: ‘Died Him for me who caused His pain; for me who Him to death pursued, amazing love, how can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me? (Charles Wesley hymn, ‘And can it be’ verse one, CMP 33).
Eternity will be insufficient to wonder how God could go to the lengths He did to save undeserving sinners such as you and me –but He did! The difference between risking eternal ruin and receiving an eternal reward is only two letters of the alphabet: ‘done vs do’. Either it is finished(Psalm 22:31; John 19:30) and we accept Jesus did all that was required on our behalf, or we are still working on it, with no certainty of the outcome. I know which kind of salvation I want to have!
Our song for reflection today is Charles Wesley’s well known hymn ‘And can it be’
Moraig will lead us with some of our favourite Boogie Babies action songs for you to sing and dance along to.
Bookings can be taken by EMAIL ONLY as this is how we will share the Zoom session details with you. If you would like to join in on Saturday, please email familyworker@outlook.com with your full name and your child’s name to book a place.
We will use this information to confirm that you are known to us from previous sessions. Please don’t be offended if we reply back to ask a couple of further questions that you will only know the answers to, if you have previously attended Boogie Babies, to confirm that you are known to us.
As most of you usually book on Facebook, please let me know if your Facebook name is different from your real name, to avoid any confusion! More details about the session will be sent by email. We can only accept a booking from someone who isn’t already known to us, if you are recommended to us by someone we do know. I hope you understand our reasons for doing this, while Zoom is a great platform, we must keep it safe and secure for everyone. Hope to see you Saturday 🙂
There is something in our psyche in Scotland that causes us to naturally favour the underdog in many contexts, especially sporting ones. But it is almost a principle that we want people to have a fair and balanced view of themselves in whatever sphere of life they lead. When someone is looking down on their peers and viewing them as second class citizens we know that something is wrong, or I hope we do!
Jesus wanted to address this issue of humility and wisdom and told a simple story to illustrate His point. It is found in Luke’s Gospel chapter eighteen verses nine to fourteen:
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” 13 ‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” 14 ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ (Luke 18:9-14)
It is important to understand the religious and cultural background of this story. The first hearers of the story would have been very confident of the point Jesus was making that God has no time for wretched sinners like the tax-collector who exploited his fellow Jews while collecting taxes for the Roman Army, an army of occupation in Israel.
By contrast, the Pharisees were very popular with the vast majority ofordinary people. They were local tradesmen who were based in ordinary communities alongside their peers, but who had also had a theological education prior to serving as lay-pastors or elders of the local Jewish synagogues. Apparently there were about six thousand of them in Jesus’ day. The majority of them were excellent God-honouring individuals, but not all. Some were so obsessed on keeping their own rules and regulations that they forgot what was most important of all in our relationship with God. Let us look very briefly at these two people in this story:
1.The Pharisee 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayedabout himself [or literally to himself]: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
The context was a time of prayer in the most holy place of worship for Jews, the Jerusalem Temple. The wording of what he was doing praying about himself could equally be translated to himself.
He was speaking the truth he had been a conscientious individual seeking to lead a good life. There was no doubt that he was correct that he hadn’t robbed people in the street or carried out evil acts against fellow citizens and equally likely that he had been faithful to his wife. What is more he had not been engaged in fiddling his taxes after all this man was so careful like many other Pharisees that he gave away not only a tenth of his income to charity, but did the same with the herbs in his garden (Matthew 23:23).
He even gave up some meals to engage in extra times of prayer twice a week. This is all highly commendable conduct except that prayer is not about telling God how wonderful we are, or boasting about our achievements in His holy presence.
Just imagine walking uninvited into Buckingham Palace when Queen Elizabeth II is giving out medals or certificates to citizens who have been nominated successfully. Instead of waiting your turn you walked past others in the line and stopped at the front demanding to be honoured first! In every respect such an action would be wrong. Jesus was suggesting that God would equally view such arrogance in prayer as out of place.
It is unlikely that we would pray out loud in a church service declaring ourselves better than other people present. However, human nature being what it is we can have strong temptations at times to see ourselves as better than some other people. I understand various police forces around the UK have had an alarming number of calls in recent weeks from people reporting their neighbours for violations of the lock down restrictions, for example, for taking an extra walk per day or some other similar matter!
2. The Tax Collector (Luke 18:13-14)‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner[literally the sinner ].”
This person has a different focus. He simply focusses on himself in his prayer that day asking God to forgive him for some wrong thing he has done. There are no excuses or self-justification. He admits it was him who had failed.
God knows us better than we know ourselves so we cannot hide things from Him. So it is both humbling and wise to be completely open with God when we pray. The Bible is clear that God is willing to forgive the sins of anyone who is genuinely sorry for their misconduct. How did Jesus indicate God viewed these two prayers?
14 ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
In this new week let us talk honestly and humbly with God about how we are getting on knowing that God wants to honour those that honour Him. God knows all our hearts so we cannot mislead Him. Therefore, the wisest step to take is to please Him in the choices we make and in the attitudes we display for our good and for His glory.
Our song to help us reflect on this subject is ‘Search me O God and know my heart’
