Our nation once more has stepped into a place it has never been before in its history in terms of the restrictions imposed by the British Government and the devolved administrations in the United Kingdom on Monday 23 March this year.
Although we were aware of the very real possibility of much stricter regulations concerning our conduct, I am sure we were all hoping that it would not have been necessary to have imposed them, changing our way of life so significantly for the foreseeable future.
In a medical crisis, as this undoubtedly is, it is our duty as citizens to give our full support to those seeking to lead us through it as citizens. We hope and pray that they make the right choices on our behalf. The pressures they must be under to get it right are immense. It is most appropriate that we are praying for them at this time.
The events mentioned in this passage took place more than three thousand years ago. We can read a fuller account of what happened in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament.Here are a few verses telling part of the story: Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: ‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.5 Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’ (Joshua 3:1-5) You have never been this way before (Joshua 3:4);
It was a step into the unknown for this community of people. They were to face challenges outside their comfort zone in obeying what God had commanded them. They were urged to trust God to go with them into an uncertain future. What particular things do we note here?
1. They prepared as well as they could for what lay ahead(Joshua 3 v1). They made an early start eager to be in the place where God wanted them to be. Then and now the people of God rarely choose the social context in which we live, but may each of us be eager to seek to live for God in the right way at this time in history. This means that our heart as well as our head is committed to it. Living in disturbing and deeply challenging times may we stand firm through the difficulties but also embrace the new opportunities that may open up as we go into the future.
2. They waited on God to direct their pathway There can be impatience about the speed at which God answers our prayers. We can pray something for years and still lack any evidence sometimes that God is going to answer it in the way we have desired. There can be many reasons – good ones – why our prayers are not always answered in the way we would have liked. The Israelites here were a good example of trusting God in the timing of their lives. Despite it being so hard just now may we be willing to follow in their footsteps of waiting for God to direct their pathway.
3.The blessing promised to God’s people as we trust Him with our futures Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’(Joshua 3:5) It was a monumental step of faith crossing over the river Jordan without the option of going back. God would honour their choice. We too cannot go back into a former era to live in a place more comfortable than it is just now. We must go forward with a resolute trust in God to provide for us. Many of us feel deeply anxious about what is happening in the world just now, but like those ancient Israelites may we trust God’s Word to guide and direct us through the challenges we face in the coming days.
There are people who love change and innovation. Some of our country’s most successful entrepreneurs and business people have been excellent practitioners of this process. They can see what people might need years ahead of the rest of us and what they accomplish can be of great benefit for us all.
Sometimes, though, these pioneers were not recognised for what they were worth to society at the time. What did Jonathan Fletcher a lecturer at the University of Stirling invent in 1993? The internet search engine! Here is the link to the detailed story on the BBC News website. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23945326 If you search the internet for details of his work it is far less prominent than later innovators in this field.
Yet in 1993, in a computer lab at the University of Stirling in Scotland, Mr Fletcher invented the world’s first web-crawling search engine – the very technology that powers Google, Bing, Yahoo and all the major search tools on the web today. Google’s founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are household names in this field yet their pioneering work appeared a full five years later in 1998. Sadly what Jonathan Fletcher was doing at the University of Stirling was not recognised for the remarkable achievement it was that changed all our lives for good.
Our verses for today come from Isaiah 43:16-19: This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:18 ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
It was a time of crisis and had the appearance of being an absolute disaster for the Jewish people. They could not see any hope for the future. So how did Isaiah the prophet convince them in this message from God to have confidence in God to give them hope in the months and years to come?
Look back first to past blessings (Isaiah 43:16-17) This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
This is a reference to the Israelites under Moses coming to freedom from enslavement in Egypt and God’s miraculous provision of a pathway through the Red Sea to enable their escape. The mighty Egyptian army cavalry regiment sent to slaughter them was destroyed (See Exodus 14). God found a way through the crisis and delivered them. God has not changed, says Isaiah, God is a Way-maker through the most unlikely situations.
What past answered prayers so encouraged you? Take a few moments today to thank God for these blessings. Declare your conviction that God is still the same today and can be a Way-maker at this time in history as well.
Look forward by faith to future blessings (Isaiah 43:18-19)‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Is this a prophetic word for our generation? Does this time of crisis in 2020 seem like a wilderness or a wasteland? What hope do we have of things turning out well? If the church leaders I have spoken to are representative of what happened yesterday in our land then more people engaged with acts of worship in faith communities than in the previous week.
There are serious challenges to come in our land –we must not minimise it. However, it is not the whole story. I believe God is saying to His Church to rise up by faith with confidence in Him to serve their communities with genuine expectancy of the transforming power of God at work in this land and other countries in the coming days.
I think this is something that can give us a quiet confidence – Our God reigns! Amen
Welcome to Sunday worship in a format no previous generation of Christians has experienced in this land when no physically gathered congregations are meeting. However, in homes around the land, small or larger groups will meet on-line to participate in a shared experience of worship.
On Sunday evening there is a National Prayer service at 7pm that churches across the country are welcome to attend on-line. National leaders of different networks of churches are sharingin this event. Please check on the Baptist Union Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/157011591021372/ for the link to join the service on Sunday.
As we gather on a Sunday morning we do so mindful that we meet in the presence of the Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit who is here to bless and encourage and equip us for the week to come.
Let us read together in our own contexts aloud the words from Psalm 67:
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us – 2 so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. 5 May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You.
6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. 7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
It is good to praise the Lord in song. In future weeks we hope to have a more polished order of service, but I am grateful to Kevin for choosing some songs that you can use to sing God’s praises. Please click the videos to access the songs. Apologies that you may need to click tabs to avoid adverts coming up
Opening Prayer:
Father we thank You and praise You for the privilege of gathering together in Your name to worship You. We recognise around the globe around two billion people in their own way will typically gather to worship You.
In our small gatherings today we rejoice that nothing can prevent us joining with others in honouring Your holy and majestic name. We come in the wonderful name of Your Son our Saviour who died in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to give us new life in its fullness. Thank You for the wonderful gift of salvation.
We come confessing our sins of the past week, asking afresh for Your forgiveness, knowing that the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for us purifies us from everything we said and did that was wrong. Fill us afresh we pray by the power of Your Holy Spirit to equip us for the new week that lies ahead of us, for Jesus sake, 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.
Let us sing:
Please listen to this declaration – Who is Jesus?
Special links for children and young adult activities
JAM Kids’ focus: There is the first of a series of Bible based activities for children on the Out of the Box website. This series looks at the Armour of God from Ephesians 6
JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programmeon the Zoom platform –parents of teenagers can get a link code by contacting Gary Torbet on garytorbet@btinternet.com
Our Bible passage for reflection is Lamentations 3:1-33:Please take time to read through these heartfelt words from the prophet Jeremiah.
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. 2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; 3 indeed, He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.6 He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. 7 He has walled me in so that I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. 8
Even when I call out or cry for help, He shuts out my prayer. 9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone; He has made my paths crooked. 10 Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, 11 He dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. 12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver.
14 I became the laughing-stock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. 16 He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has trampled me in the dust.17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, ‘My splendour is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.’
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.’
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust – there may yet be hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31 For no one is cast off by the Lord for ever. 32 Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. 33 For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. [Amen]
Prayers for Others:
1. Pray for our Governments in Edinburgh and London for wisdom in all their decisions
2. Our National Health Service staff as they serve our communities so effectively especially at these critical times
3. Pray for Christian Churches across our land, and across the world, that we may effectively adapt to the new digital environment for our worship and witness, but also that we may serve our communities appropriately at a time of great practical and spiritual needs.
4. Pray for specific people and families in need of our prayers
5. Pray for ourselves as we seek to live through these difficult times
Message
There is the option of a filmed short message on this theme. Please click this link to access:
Disorientated! Confused! Stunned! Submit your own adjectives to describe your feeling after what we have been through last week as a country, and unusually, what we have been through together as a world family in country after country.
One of the remarkable things I have found encouraging this week –there have been a few things! – was the solidarity with Christians friends on different continents who got in touch to share their experiences of restricted living due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. What is more Christian friends in a variety of locations are sharing this service with us today. Instead of our regular-sized congregation, the numbers participating virtually today will be substantially higher than that and I would expect both here and around the world the numbers participating would be higher than might normally gather in church buildings.
The world has changed for ever. We will never go back in three, six or twelve months’ time to the world we left behind. There will of course be many similarities when this crisis is finally over, but other things like our relationships with other people will be different. We will treasure the freedom to associate in the same physical location once more with family and friends and church families, but we will also retain new ties of friendship with newer friends across the world. The global family of people who have gone through this time together in our respective countries will to some degree acknowledge our common human solidarity better than they did even a few weeks ago.
I have already used Lamentations chapter three for our reflections last week, but I felt it right to remain here for our first Sunday as a virtual congregation. To a degree greater than before we can sit with Jeremiah in his confused and emotional state, wondering what does the future hold for me? What might happen in coming days to my family and friends?
Asking questions is good, but sometimes there is no-one who is going to give us the answer. Sometimes we have to live in that uncomfortable place between the past and the future, a borderland that seems to lack promise and certainly doesn’t fill us with joy and confidence for the journey we must now take. Let us sit with Jeremiah in his shoes as well as our own and very briefly reflect on his heart cries as well as his wonderful testimony of faith.
1. God where are you when I need You?(Lamentations 3:1-18)
(a)God is against me (Lamentations 3:1-6) I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. 2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;3 indeed, He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6 He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
Jeremiah is articulating here not only his own feelings but those of his fellow citizens in a similar situation, that included people of faith and those who had not had space for God in their daily experiences; had they been abandoned by God in their time of need? The list we could give of people struggling today is lengthy: to name but a few – those wondering will I still have a job or career at the end of this crisis, or even sooner? What about my university options when I couldn’t sit my examinations? What about even my survival if I catch the virus given that I have underlying health conditions that make me vulnerable to serious struggles with covid-19 should I contract it?
How does Jeremiah express his current feelings or those of many of his fellow Jews all those centuries ago? He made me walk in darkness rather than light(Lamentations 3:2b); is that how you are feeling today? In his large book, Jeremiah expressed his feelings this way: Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn and horror grips me (Jeremiah 8:21).
You cannot read these words in verses 1-6 of Lamentations 3 without grasping a window into his anguish of heart. It is okay to be honest with God about how you are feeling today. He knows exactly what is going on in your inner being so there is no point in not being honest with him with our struggles as well as with our joys. Life has both – this week in our congregation I rejoiced with someone who has got more work when they feared not being able to continue.
On the other hand I was saddened to listen to others who had to stop work or lost employment as a result of covid-19. Today as every Sunday as God’s people gather together, our experiences of the past week are decidedly mixed, although at a time like this far more of us will be struggling to make sense of what is going on
(b) God has taken away my sense of hope (Lamentations 3:7-18)He has walled me in so that I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. 8 Even when I call out or cry for help, He shuts out my prayer. 9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone; He has made my paths crooked. 10 Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, 11 He dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. 12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. 14 I became the laughing-stock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. 16 He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has trampled me in the dust. 17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, ‘My splendour is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.’
No exit! If that is the road sign visible on the highway where you are driving your car, it is time to take some drastic action and make a U-Turn and go in a different direction.
For Jeremiah it seemed like every way he turned to go there were ‘no exit’ signs popping up time after time. But most seriously of all, what happened when he tried to pray? Even when I call out or cry for help, He shuts out my prayer. 9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone; He has made my paths crooked(Lamentations 3:8-9). Here is a God-honouring person experiencing a ‘dark night of the soul’ when it appeared even God has gone silent on him.
It gets worse further on in this passage: He dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. 12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver.(Lamentations 3:11-12). And then to make matters worse, he declares: He has trampled me in the dust. 17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, ‘My splendour is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord (Lamentations 3: 16b-18).
Do you feel hopeless today? Do you despair of any resolution of what you are going through? Then you are sitting with Jeremiah and his fellow citizens of Jerusalem in need of assistance. Is our situation hopeless or are there some blue skies of hope hidden behind the dark clouds that hang so heavy over us?
2. Experiencing the wonderful love of God (Lamentations 3:19-33)
(a)Compare and contrast (Lamentations 3:19-21) 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: When you go through really difficult times you will never forget that experience. It is real. At the moment for many of us the current restrictions feel a bit unreal but our television screens displaying scenes in Italy at the present time show just how serious is this health crisis.
When we feel overwhelmed we imagine our trials lasting ‘for ever’. This perception is too much for anyone to bear for any length of time. However, there is an incredible contrast that floods his consciousness that transforms his understanding of the bigger picture. The problems are still there. The consequences of what happened in Jerusalem, in terms of the death and destruction was very real. But, something prompted him to see in afresh way that God was there with him in this situation. In effect, that Emmanuel (which means ‘God with us’) really was with him. God had not left him to cope on his own. Are you feeling alone and struggling to cope with what you are facing just now- please turn and ask the Lord to uphold and support you and walk with you through this time.
(b) The faithfulness of God (Lamentations 3:22-26) 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion;therefore I will wait for Him.’ 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Jeremiah experienced what the Psalmist in Psalm 103:11-13 stated: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
God is entirely trustworthy. He stands alongside us through the hard times of life whether we can sense His presence or not. This does not mean we have instant answers miraculously to all our prayers. By contrast, it means we trust that God will do the right thing for His people because of His great love for us. There are a lot of things we can do without if we know someone unconditionally loves us. God’s children on earth who have put their faith and trust in Him can have that wonderful assurance of His amazing love to us – even in the midst of the storms of life. Do you need to hear that today?
(c) The humble submission of His people (Lamentations 3:27-33) 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust – there may yet be hope.30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31 For no one is cast off by the Lord for ever. 32 Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. 33 For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
Years ago I sat with a wonderful Christian who told me of the earth shattering news they had recently received of a terminal medical diagnosis. It was what they said next that stands out: ‘Why not me; I have no right to be exempt from what others go through because of my Christian faith!’
When we refuse to give in to our trials, but instead endeavour to stand firm in the storms of our lives –God is glorified and His people are enabled by His supernatural power to bear witness to the wonderful grace of God. Jeremiah’s closing words here are inspirational: Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. 33 For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone (Lamentations 3:32-33).
Some people have been asking –why did God permit Covid-19 to appear? I and we will never know answers to so many ‘why’ questions. What we do know of God and His attitude towards us at this time is given here in Lamentations 3:32: Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. God wants to work for good in this and every situation- so be encouraged that God knows what you are going through and will walk with us each step of the way, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Closing Praise:
Here are some inspiring songs to sing declaring the greatness of God and our calling to go forward as people who have faith in our amazing God.
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
Remember tonight the national online prayer service at 7pm in Scotland
Broughty Ferry Baptist Church will no longer be holding public worship services and week day activities until further notice. All lets on church premises will also be cancelled for the time being.
All activities will be online. Each day a Christian message will be sent to subscribers by email and published online at Church at Home.
If you would like to receive this message please send a request through this website with your name and email address. Anyone wanting further details of our online programme please send a message to the church through the website.
In what or whom do your find your security? This is, at such a time as this, a most important question. Anyone who tells you at the present time that they are completely calm and not at all worried or concerned about what might happen in the next few months is either living in secluded isolation or genuinely out of touch with what is going on. As a country we are facing the biggest challenge of recent generations and no-one, absolutely no-one, can tell you for definite how things will look in six months’ time.
Even those of us trying our best to stay calm and measured in our responses to what is going on will have our moments of panic. You may have gone into a supermarket this week with a list of items. Prior to entering that venue you may have been convinced that you only needed one of a particular item, but if others rushed past you taking substantially more of that product then it would take a determined act of will not to join in.
We are social creatures and the actions of others around us do deeply influence our attitudes and our actions. When the collective mood is anxiety and increasingly negative perceptions of something it can cause incredible stress to all concerned.
How can I be different? What resources do I have when completely exhausted for keeping standing firm? Psalm 121 was written for such a time as this. It states: I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.
What does the author do in his time of crisis? I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? There is a good start. His mind is not exclusively on the crisis events. He recognises he needs help –and quickly!
Our author possibly in the Jerusalem area has plenty of mountains to look at. But how might that help? Pagan religious shrines in that day, ‘High Places’, were literally on elevated sites. They were believed to be closer to the home of the gods and prayers from such a place were more effective than from other locations. He does find it convincing. Or more likely the setting is explained in II Kings 18:17-37. The armies of the superpower of the day Assyria are visible on the skyline of the hills around Jerusalem.
This is a brutal sadistic force that just loved violence and killing. Nothing could create a greater sense of terror at that time than such a sight. In the world today our ‘enemy’ is an unseen virus that is creating chaos and great fear and in some locations taking many lives.
The question almost everyone is asking: where do I turn at such a time as this? The Psalmist gives us this answer: My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He got it in the right place, nowhere else to turn.
Are you trusting in Him today? What is the benefit of doing so in the midst of such a crisis? The rest of this Psalm explains the benefits of doing so. You can lay your head on the pillow and sleep tonight because He is watching over you.
He concludes: The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore. What words of assurance. He is totally reliable. May each one of us by faith entrust our lives and our futures to Him.
One of my favourite short worship songs is ‘Faithful One, so unchanging’, a beautiful reflective song extolling the faithfulness of God. Take a few moments to go through these inspirational words:
Faithful one, so unchanging Ageless one, you’re my rock of peace Lord of all I depend on you I call out to you, again and again I call out to you, again and again
You are my rock in times of trouble You lift me up when I fall down All through the storm, Your love is The anchor, My hope is in You alone.
It reminds us of the wonderful testimony of
Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never
cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each
morning. 24 I say to myself, “The
Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!”
What is the context here? Jerusalem the city he loved and lived in was in ruins. He would never see it as a functioning city again in his lifetime. The past was a closed chapter with the door slammed shut in his face. Many of the people he knew and loved were dead or taken to be sold as enslaved people. He would never see then again. What had he got left? The work he had done was finished, he thought. Now his perception of the future was wrong, but the dark clouds of trouble and future calamity had swept over him like a tsunami in his mind. Everything appeared to be hopeless.
Our situation is not the same as his, though many people are afraid they might lose their employment income in the coming months. There are others afraid that precious relatives might catch the virus and not survive because they have underlying health conditions. It appears that others fear the supermarkets will run out of food supplies and they will go hungry. I can see no other explanation for the extraordinary spike in sales of many basic items on the shelves.
As Christians we must first acknowledge that the fears are genuine concerns about real possibilities for the future. However, having said that, something causes the gloomy clouds in Jeremiah’s mind to disperse. What was it? The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness. God does not run out of love or have compassion fatigue on a busy day. His consistency is amazing day by day. Is that not worth a ‘Hallelujah’? Jeremiah continues: His mercies begin afresh each morning.
When you wake up each new day begin with thankfulness to God for something He has blessed you with – even if it is ‘only’ an excellent night’s sleep. Then the crucial last line we often overlook in Lamentations 3:24: I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” To inherit something requires a change of circumstances for us, or for another person or people. It requires a step of action to determine what our highest priorities in life are; the very hard time Jeremiah was passing through reordered his priorities – will it bring the same response from any of us?
Most important of all God was acknowledged as Lord of His life. It enabled him to have a fresh hope for the future. I hope each one of us, in our own words can say something similar as we express our commitment to God for all His kindness to us.
It is with deep sadness and shock that we must acknowledge that until this health crisis eases that we can no longer gather together for Sunday worship services and weekday meetings and activities.
The premises will need also to close for lets as other groups will be under the same kind of restrictions. However, it is vitally important that we keep in regular contact with one another through this time.
The updated church directory has more contact details than previously and in future print runs can easily be updated further. It will allow us to maintain regular contacts. As soon as copies are printed they will be available to any person or household listed in it.
We need to remember that a small number of members in residential homes will only be contactable by written communications. Others do not possess computers but can be contacted by telephone. The vast majority of members have email and other social media communication tools at their disposal.
Brian Talbot the pastor is now writing a daily devotional message sent out by email. It is being sent to all who have given their email address in the church, but it is also going to a growing number of others outside the church who are happy to receive it.
On Wednesdays a longer message with points for prayer provides a resource for reflecting on God’s Word and praying for one another.
On Sundays a longer resource will also be produced as we prepare for home based worship for the time being.
Brian is also posting a very short message and Bible verse daily on his Facebook page and a Bible verse will be posted on the church Facebook page in consultation with Brian. In addition, on the Zoom platform a programme for our young adults will be launched this weekend. Parents of those attending Jam and Breakthrough will be contacted about what is being offered in the near future.
We have a lot of further work to do to ensure we are providing resources for supporting all age groups in our church family and we are open to suggestions or ideas that can be considered in due course.
We cannot overestimate the difficulties countries around the world are facing at this time, but as Christians we trust in a God who will sustain us through these difficulties and who will bless us in some surprising ways going forward.
There are many precious Bible verses we will rightly be reflecting on at this time. I leave you with these familiar words from Lamentations 3:22-23: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
The strains are already beginning to tell in our community. Conversations in the supermarket as people rush to get what they need and see others stockpiling unusually large quantities of goods have in some instances become unpleasant; and staff that have intervened to restrict the quantities purchased of certain goods have been on the receiving end of unpleasant exchanges from disgruntled would-be purchasers.
Another example comes from our schools this week, where in some cases staff shortages have placed a heavier burden of responsibility on the colleagues that remain and the hectic dash to adjust to providing on-line resources for pupils when the schools close has been extremely difficult for many of those involved due especially to the time pressures upon them.
However, it is not just a few people that may be concerned or struggling with adjusting to the current situation. I suspect most if not all of us are finding it hard to keep up with all the changes we must of necessity make. Therefore, I am confident that if I asked each one of us personally: Do you feel weary already about how long corona virus has impacted our lives? Or are you exhausted at the efforts required to alter the patterns of routine in your workplace or family? The vast majority of us would say ‘yes’.
In this context Jesus has something to say to each person who says: ‘yes that is me”!’ In Matthew 11:28 He said: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’
The imagery from Jesus’ day was an incredibly familiar one and possibly was even visible from where Jesus was teaching His open-air congregation that day. Two oxen were pulling a heavy plough as they ploughed a field. An experienced older stronger animal taking the heavy end of the load that enabled the young and inexperienced one to complete the task assigned to them. Jesus is promising in this imagery to be the one who takes the heavy end of the load to avoid us being crushed by it.
If today you are feeling emotional or even overwhelmed at what lies before you remember these words of Jesus: Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
I would like us as a church to consider setting aside an hour on Wednesday evenings -7:30-8:30pm for prayer and reflection on God’s Word each week. If this is not possible in your schedule maybe another time in the day would work for you. We are facing a new era of worship and witness that will present challenges as we cannot be together in the same physical space. All our services and meetings in public for the time being will need to cease. I will say more about that on Friday.
This blessing is something we will miss for a time as we value our fellowship together. However, obstacles are also opportunities for the church of Jesus Christ. We will be forced by this situation to be more creative in our communications which may in time enable us to reach many more people with the message of God’s amazing love for them. Obstacles and opportunities – let us pray about both as we reflect on where we are at the present time.
Each week I will offer a few short points on a Bible passage before mentioning some points for prayer. I want to highlight in this our first virtual midweek meeting – the power of prayer.
James 5:13-18 states: Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
What do we see in
this passage?
1.An important truth
The earnest prayer of a righteous
person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Notice
(a) The earnest prayer It matters! It is not merely repeating familiar words but
a cry to God from our hearts. That what we are doing really matters; remember
Jacob’s cry to the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) in Genesis 32:26: I will not let you go unless you bless me. We want by faith an encounter with the living God.
(b) The earnest prayerThere are a number of different words in the Bible translated into English as prayer. There is a general word for praying but also other more specific terms. Here the Greek word means ‘specific requests’. It is focussed prayer. It is fine to ask God to bless the world. But here the point refers to prayers that have a much narrower focus. We need ‘x’, whatever that is, for example someone with no food or money to pay for it, pleading for someone to provide for them. Yesterday a vulnerable older person told me how encouraged they were on a day recently when a person unknown took a food parcel and left it on their doorstep. The person has food in the house, but someone known only to God felt prompted to give that gift.
2. The integrity of the
one asking the prayerof a righteous person
(a)How do I become ‘righteous’? After all the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:11 that because of our sinful thoughts, words and actions, There is no-one righteous no not one. It becomes a bigger issue when we read in Psalm 66:18: If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. However, I John 1:9 greatly encourages us with these words: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
It is true when we start to follow Jesus when we admit to God we are sinners in need of forgiveness and by faith believe that Jesus died in our place on the cross, and are welcomed in to God’s family when we do that. But, Christians are imperfect people who need to come to God regularly and ask once more for His forgiveness for our sins. So when we come to God with our requests first remember God is a holy God and ask Him first to purify our hearts before we bring our requests to Him. This should be as natural as washing our hands before we prepare food for dinner.
(b) The importance of right living God notices! In I John 3:7
John writes: The
one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous.We seek to display right attitudes; we seek to speak to others
graciously; we seek to act with integrity in our choices –because our heavenly
Father takes delight in seeing His children living the right way.
3. The impact of our prayers The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
(a)An illustration of
what can happen In James 5:17-18 there is the incredible example of the
effectiveness of the prayers of the prophet Elijah. Elijah was a human being, even as
we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on
the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he
prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. The key words here which we can easily miss are: even as we are… It could be you or me
–ordinary people who pray and see God answer!
(b) What if I don’t know
how to pray or what to pray? When we don’t know what to pray, or are so
overwhelmed with the troubles we are going through or so weak with ill health
we are unable to use words something amazing happens. The Holy Spirit prays on
our behalf bring our concerns to our Father in heaven. Paul explains it this way in Romans 8:26: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our
weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Personal Reflection: What encourages me in this passage? What challenges me to action in this passage?
General Prayer Points
1.Pray for the Governments in Edinburgh and Westminster seeking to
lead us through this health crisis.
2. Pray for the health-workers in our country seeking to provide medical care for those in need, especially those under greatest pressure as the number of cases increases.
Claire our Children and Families worker has helpfully suggested some other prayer points for us in our prayer times:
Please pray
for all of the families known to us from our different groups. Some are already
self-isolating with possible symptoms and this will likely be a stressful time,
with everyone stuck at home for 2 weeks. Pray for health, strength and peace
amongst the chaos. Pray for families as they navigate through the challenges
and implications brought about by social distancing and the need to protect
grandparents etc.
Pray for
those who are anxious about family members with underlying health conditions.
Pray for
those who struggle with mental health issues as life could feel more difficult
during these times of isolation and restricted movements.
Pray for
those who have limited finances and are therefore being adversely affected by
the panic bulk buying.
Pray for our
church families and those who already follow Jesus in their lives, that despite
the likely disruption to being able to meet together on a Sunday, we would all
still grow in our faith during these challenging times.
Pray for me
to find the best ways to offer support or help to families during this time and
to know how I can best offer support to our church family in general.
You could finish your prayer time with our church Bible verse for the year 2020 from Ephesians 3:20-21: Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
The news at 5pm yesterday in our country was a profound shock. I had expected another week or two before we reached this stage. We all rehearse in our minds scenarios about the future –what if X happened? I would do…
Normally such things are mere speculation as many of these fears are never realised. Yesterday at 5pm the news from our Governments in the United Kingdom confirmed that we would now enter an unknown future where family life, work life, social life and church life, together with anything else not covered in those categories would be very different to anything we had experienced before. It has been barely possible in the last few days in most settings to draw up adequate contingency plans before the official guidance changes again. This will be our experience now for at least a significant chunk of 2020.
However, nothing takes God by surprise. There are some words from the Bible from Isaiah 43:1-3 that came to mind as I thought about what lies ahead. They are words very precious to me and I am sure to some of you as well. Isaiah wrote: But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
The recipients of these words had endured some awful life changing circumstances and were in danger of giving up hope for the future. The words God gave through Isaiah to them were so encouraging. They were honest words about the reality being faced. The problems would not magically disappear. They would have to live through those difficult times. But they would not do so alone. God would go with them. Together they trusted God and supported one another and came through in time to a better future. With God’s help as we seek to support each other we too can come through the things that lies ahead for us in the coming days
I am deeply
grateful to a number of people in our congregation who have offered to help
others at this time if required. I think as we begin to adjust to this new
situation it would be good to make contact with our older members that we know
to check that they are okay; also as the numbers of people self-isolating grows
across the age ranges, to make a point of contacting others by phone, email or
through the range of other communication forms we use to help us keep in
touch. Remember, nothing takes God by
surprise and He has declared? When you go through deep waters,I will be with you.
