Intimations
- Morning worship online has moved to start at 10am and JAM at 11:15am on the Zoom platform.
- You may want to use some of the Engage Worship resources for daily worship during this week.
- The Messy Church At Home information will be available from next Saturday.
- 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.
Psalm 100
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.
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
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.’
Luke 12: 13-21
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.’
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
Remember tonight the national online prayer service at 7pm.