Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Dear <<First Name>>

I hope you found the series of reflections where people explored why they were still Christian despite a range of issues.  Feedback has shown a huge interest in this series and I hope to return to a similar theme next year – maybe focused on why we choose to live out our discipleship within the URC.  Now we’re going to turn to some reflections, over the next two weeks, looking at our ecumenical dreams and our ecumenical realities.

51 years ago the URC was formed as two of the smaller traditions in English and Welsh Christianity united.  It was an age of Church unions with the Church of North India, the Church of Pakistan, the Church of Bangladesh,  the Uniting Church in Australia all coming into being a generation after the Church of South India, the United Church of Canada and the United Church of Christ.  The dreams of our forebears was of a united church in Great Britain and it was hoped that we wouldn’t last very long and we’d be incorporated into further unions with Methodists and Anglicans.  Sadly these unions came to nothing.  Later unions with the Churches of Christ and the Congregational Union of Scotland ended this particular outworking of Jesus’ call to be one.  Plans for greater union in Wales and Scotland all came to nothing.  Yet the URC is still committed to ecumenism, around a third of our congregations are partnerships with other denominations and we like to think that ecumenism is in our DNA. 

Over the next two weeks we hear a variety of writers from a range of denominations muse on our ecumenical dreams and realities.  Lindsey Brown, our Mission Support Officer, muses on how social action is a fruitful ecumenical venture.  Susan Durber, President from Europe of the World Council of Churches reflects on the trickiness of the ecumenical adventure.  Jeremy Morris, National Advisor for ecumenical relations in the Church of England writes of hope in seemingly hopeless realities.  I reflect on my own journey of ecumenism through various expressions of Church before landing in the URC.  Verena Hammes, General Secretary of the German Council of Churches muses on the interrelatedness of Christians in Germany and how we all need each other.  Former Moderator of the United Church of Canada, Jordan Cantwell muses on the ecumenical journey in Canada in ways which we recognise all too well.  Ruth Browning remembers when she married, Catholic, Kingsley Fulbrook the chaplains at their university assumed there’d be one united Church in Britain soon and they’d not need to choose a denomination for their children.  Kingsely, now a deacon in the Catholic Church,  reflects on the divine and human nature of the Church.  Sarah Moore, a member of the World Council of Church’s Central Committee, reflects on the giving and receiving of gifts in ecumenism.  His Eminence, Archbishop Angealos the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, reflects on Jesus’ prayer that we may all be one.  Matthew Ross a Church of Scotland minister who worked for many years in ecumenical relations reflects on a dispute in the church in Philipi and the ecumenical winter.  Finally, Odair Pedroso Mateus, former deputy General Secretary of the World Council of Churches reflects on the world’s need for Jesus’ compassion. 

I hope you find these varied reflections on ecumenism fruitful as we ponder where we go on our journey to respond to Jesus’ call for union.

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
 

Esther 4:14

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 
 
Reflection

The Church’s record at covering abuse up, turning a blind eye to it, treating abuse victims badly, and creating environments where abuse is allowed to continue, is appalling.  We are a community which has been given the job of showing the world what God is like, and we have allowed, encouraged, and caused people to be abused.
 
It’s a grim start to a reflection, but it needs to be acknowledged and I fully understand why the Church’s record on abuse has caused many people to leave or, much worse, lose their faith.  It’s not just churches. It’s media corporations, sports organisations, police forces, charities and educational establishments. But churches should be different, shouldn’t they?
 
I don’t believe that “The Church” is the problem, anymore than any other organisation is the problem. The problem always is people. God’s story was going really well until people turned up on page 2. The Bible is filled with stories of people messing it up. Try making a list… I’ll give you David, Paul, Moses, Jonah, and Samson for starters.  However, the Bible is also full of people who sometimes got things right (the names on your previous list, will probably be on this list too). People that God used to heal, solve, and save. Even God’s master plan of salvation for the whole of creation relied on a person. 
 
One of my favourite examples is Esther. She was probably a teenager when she was placed into King Xerxes’ harem and eventually went on to save her people. It is the powerful words of her uncle, Mordecai, that grab me every time I hear them.

God will carry out his will, one way or another.  We have the opportunity to be part of God’s plan of salvation. I am still a Christian because the Church (including me) has messed things up so badly I want God to use me as part of the solution.
 
People are always the problem, but people are the solution too.
 
Prayer
 
Dear Father,
We have distorted Your image,
created a caricature of You,
and failed to protect the most vulnerable –
allowing your Church to become dangerous. 

We pray that abuse victims – 
especially those abused by the Church –
will know true love and healing.
Knowing we are the problem help us to be the solution,
that the Church might be safe,
and encourage all to speak up and be heard.
Amen.

inspiration in your inbox Friday, 27 October 2023   I’m Still a Christian Despite…the Church’s Racism   Biblical Passages Romans 12:4-5  For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function,  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.   Galatians 3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.   Reflection  Despite often having good intentions, racialised injustices and inequalities still occur within churches. It is clear from Scripture that this aspect of Church life is indefensible.  The Church, which originates from God’s own love revealed in Christ, is to reach out in love to all people.  Today’s passages remind us of the inter-dependence of all followers of Christ.  Though many and varied, we are one body in Christ and, individually, we are members one of another.  Put simply:  whether we like it or not, we’re all in this together.  White racism, the belief that people have certain predetermined behaviours, and that white people are somehow superior to black and ethnic minority people, does fundamental harm to this call for oneness.  By opting to become anti-racist, the URC has commenced a long and painful journey due to racism’s insidious complexity.  The power of cultural norms and practices that make whiteness appear natural, normal, and right (which sociologists call ‘white normativity’), internalised positive associations with whiteness, and reductive and negative associations with blackness, are the invisible forces that makes the fight against racism so difficult.  To become an anti-racist, the URC will need to seek an understanding of white normativity, and how it shapes certain values, attitudes, and behaviour within church life.  Understanding the intersectionality of racism with other factors, including structural privilege dictated by class and geographical location will also assist.  It will help to frame injustices and inequality in terms of systems, instead of simply individual privilege, and so help promote the engagement of the wider Church in the fight against racism.    The key issues facing humanity, including the environmental crisis, are dependent on how we deal with society’s destructive systems and operations, including systems of racial and social injustice.  I remain committed to the Church, and all my fellow Christians, as I believe that as one body in Christ, we have access to the means and tools to overcome the life-draining tyranny of racism and other injustices.    Prayer  God of infinite love and grace, help the Church and its people  challenge and overcome the sin of racism in all its forms, both individual and systemic. Help us to see the interconnectedness of all people  and to understand that the functionality of the Church  requires an acceptance of oneness,  and the extension of love, respect and equality to all people at all times. We pray for healing and reconciliation between all people. Amen.

Today’s writer Muna Levan-Harris is the Legal and Trust Officer for URC Thames North. New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Worship Notes and Weekly Intercessions

Dear Friends,

Millennia ago the prophet Habakkuk, when faced with war, environmental disaster and consequent famine, sung:
 

Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.
 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.

Words which resonate as we face the consequences of human greed wreaking havoc on the fragile earth.  As the climate changes, the ice melts, and sea waters rise we will have to adapt and learn to mitigate the dreadful climate changes which are already upon us.  What I find fascinating is that Habakkuk didn’t turn away from God when faced with his traumas and, in these times of change and danger I hope we won’t either.

Habakkuk’s response was to turn to God and, in worship found the strength to make sense of his world and to adapt to his realities.  Week after week we gather to worship in church and chapel, in grand buildings and around computer screens.  As we sing, pray, listen and share in the simple things of bread and wine, we encounter the Risen Lord who strengthens and enables us to be His disciples.

In order to help local churches produce good worship the URC produces weekly Worship Notes.   I have written this week’s Notes to help us anticipate All Saints’ Day which falls on Wednesday next week.  I offer an all age activity based on the idea of friends and people we know – suggesting the saints are surround us like a great crowd of people we know, even if only vaguely.  In the notes on the readings I suggests the saints were the ones who were subversive – the martyrs in Revelation undermined the Roman social order by their radical proclamation that Jesus is Lord – as do those Christians today who meet in secret for fear of the state.  I offer all the prayers you need, a suggested Affirmation of Faith, a Communion rite and a range of hymns – with suggestions about alternate tunes.  I also suggest a Brian Wren hymn not in any of our hymnbooks and set to a new tune which can be found online.

As I produced these notes some time ago we also ensure that Weekly Intercessions are produced for people to use or adapt to their own local contexts.  The Rev’d Neil Thorogood has produced some very moving prayers this week with the situation in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel in mind.   They can be found here.

I hope that your experience and discipline of worship delights, strengthens and empowers you as we adapt to the realities of our world.

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship
 

Wednesday, 25 October 2023  
I am a Christian…despite myself

Matthew 14: 27-31

Jesus spoke to them at once.  “Don’t be afraid, he said, Take courage, I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come, “Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. You have so little faith, ”Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Reflection   Stepping Out the Boat!

Always a feartie, these words from Matthew, give me courage and hope! Fear robs you of joy in living, darkening horizons with foreboding clouds of gloom. Nelson Mandela  said: “We can choose to live in the shadows of our fears and insecurities, or, dare to trust the light of God shines on us, in, and through us!”  Nelson Mandela trusted God’s love was greater than his fear.

Being a Christian today is challenging, and for many, in Eritrea, North Korea, Afghanistan and other places, professing your faith brings imprisonment and suffering. In the stormy Sea of Galilee, disciples despair, but Jesus does not hang back, he comes reassuring them in the unlikeliest of ways, walking on water! We may wonder what possessed Peter to brave swirling waves to reach Jesus. Stepping from the boat, Peter panics, shouting to Jesus. 

Immediately, Jesus grabs him, saying “ Why did you doubt me?”

And in our journey, as followers of Jesus, perhaps we are like Peter, relying on our own strength not realising Jesus is already here, in the very midst of our fear, waiting to carry us through darkness into warmth of welcoming light. “Come, says Jesus, Don’t be afraid! Despite all that is fearful within you, trust I am with you. In this journey of faith, you are not alone”

God asks us to speak for those who are silenced, and through His love, bring freedom and peace for all living in fear. He asks us to shine bright like stars, moon, and sun, loving one another. And never more has this world needed people (even savvy introverts like myself) despite our fears, to let our faith live and reach out in God’s love.

“Here I am!” Jesus says.  Right by your side.”

Not only in Church, certain times, but always and forever!

Prayer

“Do not be afraid!” Your words Jesus, bring calm but sometimes we doubt ourselves, our ability to witness in your love, and we are afraid. Give us courage, like Peter, to trust you will still the storms in our heart. Comfort our brothers and sisters persecuted for their faith, may they never feel forgotten but held in your deepest love. For all who fear, for whatever reason, give the gift of peace, rest, and safety. Amen.

Tuesday, 24 October 2023
  I am still a Christian despite sexism.

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.)  So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’  He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.’

The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’  Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.  As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptised?’  He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptised him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Reflection

Pentecost, sometimes described as the birth of the Church, began with God’s great expression of inclusivity as a disparate bunch of people were able to understand each other due to the actions of the Holy Spirit.  Acts proceeds to describe a series of watershed moments where the Good News of Jesus Christ spreads outward from Jerusalem.  In one of those moments an Ethiopian eunuch, who by any measure sat outside the gender norms of their society and was excluded from Temple worship due to laws pronounced in the book of Deuteronomy, is nonetheless baptised and included into the kingdom of God.

For most of my adult life I have worked as a biologist, a research scientist, and for the last decade or so, I’ve served as a URC minister. So, it dismays me to see the complex and wonderfully diverse biological reality of human sex reduced to a simple either/or for the benefit of a conflated ‘culture war’. It equally dismays me that a section of the Church has bought into this culture war and has even claimed it to be ‘Biblical’ or ‘Christian’. 

I do not believe it is either of these things, and I am still a Christian despite Christian attacks on trans and non-binary people. Why? Because the God I see revealed in the life of Jesus is one of love, humility, and service; not bitterness and hatred. I simply cannot imagine Jesus attacking a persecuted and vilified minority when his life was spent reaching out with love to similar marginalised people in his own society. Furthermore, I am greatly encouraged by the recent vote by General Assembly to affirm the human dignity of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people.

Prayer

Loving God, who created the great diversity of human life in your image,
help us to see others as you see them.
Give us understanding,
as you did on that day of Pentecost,
to understand each other, appreciate each other,
value the uniqueness of each other,
and help us to develop our full potential in you. Amen

 

(Image: Thomas K | Pexels)

Today’s service is led by the Revd Fiona Bennett

 
Welcome & Call to Worship
 
Hello I am Fiona Bennett. I am the minister of Augustine United Church in Edinburgh and the Immediate Past Moderator of the URC GA. I am delighted to offer you worship this morning.  

The Holy One is here amongst us; Source of all being, Guide of all hope, Spirit of all inspiration, Holy One we worship and adore you and raise our voices in praise.

Hymn     All People That On Earth Do Dwell
William Keeth’s version of Psalm 100 sung on BBC’s Songs of Praise
 
All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with fear, His praise forth-tell,
come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord ye know is God indeed:
without our aid He did us make;
we are His folk, He doth us feed,
and for His sheep He doth us take.

For why? The Lord our God is good,
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.

4 To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
the God whom heaven and earth adore,
from earth and from the angel-host,
be praise and glory evermore.
 
Opening Prayer

God our Creator, Source of all being, 
we celebrate this Life you have made, 
in all its wonder and interdependence,
and we praise you.

Guide of all hope, 
we celebrate the Way you show us, 
in Jesus – our Saviour and Exemplar,
and we praise you.

Spirit of all inspiration,
we celebrate the goodness you grow 
and nurture in our lives and world,
and we praise you.

Holy One, 
awed by your goodness we recognise our own smallness…
We acknowledge the times 
when our selfishness has damaged this earth.
We acknowledge the times 
when our prejudice or apathy has injured others.
We acknowledge the times 
when our fear, isolation or self-loathing has injured ourselves.

With humility, grace and courage, 
we turn to you knowing your faithfulness and love have no limits, 
and ask you to transform our despair into new opportunity.
Help us to turn away from our destructiveness 
and work with your Spirit to create new life.

We unite our prayers together in the Lord’s Prayer using the form or words which are most worshipful for us…

Our Father…

All Age Activity     Family Resemblance

Often you can tell people belong to the same family because they look like each other. A similar nose, colour of hair… We call it a family resemblance. Can you think of any family members who resemble each other? Christian believe we can celebrate that we are all part of God’s family. The resemblance which shows we are part of God’s family is not how we look but how we act, more specifically how we love and allow love to shape everything we do and say and think.  Being loving is our family resemblance to God and shows we are part of God’s family.

Given everyone a sticker and colouring pen.  Invite everyone to draw and colour in a heart on their sticker. (The hearts do not have to be the same but each should be recognisable as a heart shape.) Invite everyone to stick the sticker in a visible place on their clothing. Now look around – everyone you see is part of God’s family, and the family resemblance is love.

Hymn     We are one in the Spirit 
Fr Peter Scholtes (1938-2009)  Words last verse by Royleane Otteson Sung by the Beyond the Walls Choir from Centre Place Community of Christ Congregation, Toronto and used with their kind permission.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
and we pray that all unity may one day be restored:
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; 
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. 

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
we will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
& together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land:
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; 
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. 

We will work with each other, we will work side by side;
we will work with each other, we will work side by side;
and we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride: 
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; 
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. 

4 We are called to make choices, we respond with our Love.
We are called to make choices, we respond with our Love. 
And together with Wisdom, she’ll connect us all as one.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; 
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. 
 
Reading     Exodus 33:12-23

Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favour in my sight.’ Now if I have found favour in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”  He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Reading     St Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.  Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Hymn     There’s A Spirit in the Air
The Revd Brian Wren, © 1979 Hope Publishing Company sung and played by Gareth Moore from the Isle of Man Methodist Church and used with his kind permission.

There’s a spirit in the air,
telling Christians everywhere:
“Praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world!”

Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

When believers break the bread,
when a hungry child is fed,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world.

Still the Spirit gives us light,
seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

When a stranger’s not alone,
where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world.

May the Spirit fill our praise,
guide our thoughts and change our ways.
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!
 
There’s a Spirit in the air,
calling people everywhere:
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world.

Reflection

In the 7th Century when Oswald was king in Northumbria, he requested a bishop be sent from Iona to help him establish Christianity in its Celtic form in his kingdom. Corman was sent from Iona who found the people of Northumbria to be intractable, obstinate and uncivilized. Back on Iona, Aiden suggested that a more nurturing approach be taken, resulting in Aiden being consecrated as a bishop and sent to establish a monastic centre on Lindisfarne.
The nurturing approach Aiden took had a memorable impact on the people he met. He became known as a leader who was committed to abstinence and care for others. Riches or luxuries which came into his possession were often gifted away to those in need. He used gifts of money to free people from slavery, many of whom he then brought to the monastery to work, offering them education and opportunity. There is a famous story of Aiden being gifted a fine horse with royal trappings by king Oswine, which he gave away (trappings and all) to a beggar he met on the road.

Bede (who wrote of Aiden’s life) noted that Aiden was respected even by those of the Roman Catholic persuasion (with whom the Celtic church was in conflict) and that Aiden ‘taught no other ways of life than that which he practiced himself.’

For Aiden the purpose of his life and the opportunities which fell his way, were to glorify God by living Jesus’ way of love. People who encountered Aiden saw his resemblance to Jesus and the God of Jesus, in the love which he showed; love which set aside his own status and ease, for the care and concern of people in greater need, and in doing so to brought glory to the God of Jesus. Even Aiden’s opponents recognised God’s family resemblance in him.

In the reading from Matthew today we heard a story of the pharisees trying to catch Jesus out, which he turned into a much bigger question, which catches us all out.

Jesus asked whose image was on the coin. The image on the coin was that of Caesar Augustus (originally named Gaius Octavius), with the inscriptions ‘Caesar Augustus’ and on the reverse ‘Divine Julius’. To give a bit of context, in 42 BCE the Roman Senate posthumously recognized Julius Caesar (Gaius’s adopted father) as a divinity of the Roman state. Gaius was able to further his cause by emphasizing that he was Son of the Divine. So, the image on the Roman coin was not just that of the ruler, but a ruler who was understood by the Roman system to be divine. This was blasphemy in the monotheistic eyes of Judaism. To use the coins and pay taxes was a way of joining in and bolstering the Roman system, and yet how could people have functioned in Jesus’ world without using Roman coins? 

The pharisees were trying to catch Jesus out by getting him to express views which were anti-Rome, but Jesus drew their question from a petty somewhat pedantic trap to a much wider reality; Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s…

What is God’s? Perhaps easier to ask, what is not God’s? 

As the coins were tools of a system which brought power and honour to the Roman Empire, do we today perceive our lives, our bodies, our resources, this world as tools to bring glory and honour to ourselves, or tools to bring glory to the One whose image we reflect and to whom we belong?

Aiden certainly did not perceive his life or material wealth as tools for his own glory but gifts to share the love of God in the world. Through Aiden’s loving actions, God was recognised and glorified by friends, strangers and opponents alike.

However, does that imply that so long as we are loving, we should simply ignore and collude with systems and empires which do not reflect God’s Kingdom? I think Jesus’ answer here reflects both a pragmatic and complex response to that question.

Throughout his life Jesus challenged the injustice of prejudice, exploitation and greed, but it seems he did so by pragmatically changing attitudes more than directly campaigning to change systems. I do not think this means as Jesus followers we are not to engage with building systems which are just and protect the vulnerable, but we need to recognise that systems will always be contextual and temporary, while the shaping values of love and justice come from the heart of God and are eternal.

Which takes me back to Moses, surrounded by miracles, seeking reassurance. Moses had walked through a parted ocean, had been fed on manna and quails in the desert, had followed a cloud of fire and smoke, but in light of the incident of the golden calf, he was now seeking reassurance that God would not abandon him and the people.

Empires, institutions, dreams, systems will come and go.

However good we have it, humanity will at some point collectively and individually mess up.

But the story told and re-told in Scripture is that God’s love never falters and God’s hope never fails. The heart of God is eternal. God never gives up on us and with astounding grace (undeserved love and mercy) works with us and around the messy situations we create to reach out to us, rescue us and set us back on the path of God’s Kingdom again.

Aiden reflects a time in the story of in Britain where there was much tension between Celtic and roman Christianity. He advised kings and build a monastic community which offered social transformation in his locality. He was a person who played his part in the political systems of his day. He was an imperfect human, but he is remembered not for the glory he built for himself, but for the grace and love he showed in his dealing with all people. He recognised that he and all things did not belong to him, but belonged to God; tools gifted to share God’s love and bring God’s glory. In living this out, Aiden showed us not a transitory fix of a situation, but the eternal truth of what it is to live out the family resemblance of God.

Hymn     Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love
Tom Colvin, © 1969, 1997 Hope Publishing Company  Performed at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Ventura, used with their kind permission

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbours we have from you.

Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbours we have from you.

These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love,
all these are neighbours to us and you.
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbours we have from you.
 
Prayers of Intercession

Holy One you are the Source and Creator of all life and you have made humanity in your image. We are awed by the wonder and intricacy of the planet you have woven. We rejoice in the beauty and interdependence you have wrought. We pray for the places where your earth is scarred with global warming and your carefully crafted species are becoming extinct. We pray for your creatures who are abused or misused.  We seek to remember at all times that all that is, is yours.

Faithful One, help us to live out your love and hope,
That through our lives and by our prayers, your kingdom may come.

Holy One, you are Christ our crucified and resurrected Saviour. You have shown us the truth of love and the way of faith. We pray for all who feel trapped by prejudice and poverty and for all who seek to build just systems in our world. We pray for all who live with the challenges of mental and physical ill health And for all who care for them professionally and personally. We seek to remember that every life is yours and beloved.

Loving One, help us to live out your love and hope,
That through our lives and by our prayers, your kingdom may come.

Holy One, you are the Spirit of transformation and new life. You are the breathe of life in each body, mind and heart. We pray for all who hold leadership in faith communities, government, institutions, businesses, across the world. We pray for teachers and nurses, artists and inventors, managers and carers. May all who shape our lives and world be guided by your love and justice.

Gracious One, help us to live out your love and hope,
That through our lives and by our prayers, your kingdom may come. Amen.

Offering & Dedication

Gracious God, 
all the we are and all that we have are gifts of love from yourself.
We offer ourselves, our lives and our resources to you,
praying that you would take and use us 
for the building of your Realm on earth.
In the name of Jesus’ we pray.  Amen.

Hymn     Be Thou My Vision
Irish Traditional sung by the group Celtic Worship: Steph Macleod – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Naomi Stirrat – Vocals, Mhairi Marwick – Fiddle, Rhodes, Scott Wood – Whistles, Bagpipes, Chris Amer – Electric Guitar, Gus Stirrat – Bass, Ifedade Thomas – Drums
 
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart.
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night.
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word.
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true child.
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight.
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight.
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise.
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won.
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun.
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall.
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
 
Blessing

May the blessing of God,
Creator, Christ and Comforter,
Be with you this day and always.
Amen
 
 

This material is only for use in local churches not for posting to websites or any other use.  Local churches must have copyright licences to allow the printing and projection of words for hymns.

 

 

Galatians 3:27-29

“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
 
Reflection

I’m still a Christian despite homophobia.
 
I think of the URC as a liberal denomination, so it saddens me to acknowledge that in England and Wales, relatively few of our churches are registered to conduct same-sex marriages, very few are registered as Inclusive (Poverty, Gender, Disability, Mental Health, Ethnicity AND Sexuality), only a handful (5 – that’s 0.4% for people who like stats – you are loved by God too) host Open Table, and many would not consider calling a minister in a same-sex marriage.  We don’t have an Assembly policy on accepting LGBT people or ministers.  We decided to hold the many different views on human sexuality which means ‘traditional’ or ‘evangelical’ people feel the church is too liberal and not following what the Bible says, and LGBT people are still discriminated against, made to not feel welcome, and sometimes (as ministers at least) refused entry.
 
Open Table was established precisely because faith groups and churches can so often be cold or hostile towards the LGBT community, and this can leave us feeling isolated; when through the love of Christ, we should be affirmed as worthy of love, welcome and belonging.

We generally, do not read every verse of the Bible literally anymore (unless you wish to stone adulterers, keep slaves, and bash babies’ heads against rocks), so why do some take the verses about homosexuality literally and out of context? To my mind, there is only one interpretation, the commandment given by Jesus: “love your neighbour as yourself.”
 
There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, there is no longer straight and gay, there is no longer, cis and trans, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 

(And, for avoidance of any doubt, at the two churches where I minister, neither has any issue with my sexuality or marital status. One is registered as an Inclusive Church. Neither currently hosts Open Table)

Prayer

We pray for the day when we will lose all the labels 
and love and accept everyone as made in Your image O God. 
The diversity You created, makes life wonderful. 
Help us to see that diversity as a gift, differences as glorious, 
that we can all hold our own views without hurting others. 
May we, like Jesus, share our meals with the sinners and outcasts, 
those despised by society and religious leaders, Amen