Ardoch Parish Church
Sunday 18th October 2020
Welcome to our Service of Worship and First Hymn
Hymn: “Morning has broken”
Morning has broken,
Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird;
Praise for the singing,
Praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the Word.
Sweet the rain’s new fall,
Sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass;
Praise for the sweetness,
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where his feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight,
Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light
Eden saw play;
Praise with elation,
Praise every morning,
God’s re-creation
Of the new day.
Let us all join in the Lord’s prayer
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
Our reader this morning is Peter Scott. He is reading from Genesis Chapter 1: Verse 1-25
Peter introduces the Hymn “Waymaker”
Signed again this week in Makaton by Becky George
Mairi’s reflection on An invitation to the feast
Just think for a moment of the last time you were invited out to a grand meal or had that celebration meal at home. It would have been a time of great enjoyment, a time of sharing, a time of fellowship with friends old and new, a time of contentment, a time you felt you belonged.
One of the recurring images of the Kingdom of God is a banquet – a lavish feast thrown by a generous host. The finest food and wine is laid on, and everyone is welcome. Unlikely guests are brought in from the backstreets and the country lanes. Rich and poor, powerful and powerless, the hungry and the full, all sit together at the same table.
It’s a powerful image, all the more so in a world where so many don’t have enough to eat. It emphasises God’s welcome, and shows that generous provision is one of God’s defining characteristics. This is not a feast of selfish indulgence, but a celebration in the joy of God’s presence, to which all creation is invited. In God’s economy, nobody goes without. “Give thanks to the Lord for his love”, says Psalm 107:8-9. “He satisfies the thirsty and fills up the hungry.” In Jesus’ parables about feasts and wedding banquets, the guests are always human. Other parts of the Bible celebrate how God provides for wildlife too, giving the birds the food they need, or sending the rain for the trees and the wildflowers. God “provides food for the cattle,” says Psalm 147, “and for the young ravens when they call.”
As communities of worship, we can reflect the character of God to the world around us by extending generosity and hospitality to those that need it. That includes wildlife – especially in winter. How can we make our gardens and church grounds a places of plenty? Do animals, birds and insects experience the church as places of abundance or scarcity? Whether we have a churchyard, a back garden, a window box or a pot plant, how could we lay on a feast for local wildlife? One of the best ways to provide a feast for wildlife is to plant fruit trees or shrubs with berries but we can use these trees and bushes.
Remember last week we spoke of refuge and safe places for animals in our church garden and my challenge to you last week was to build bird boxes, hedgehog homes and bug hotels and bring them along to be put up in the church grounds.
Well this week we have been talking about being invited to a grand feast for all. So my challenge to you this week is to make bird feeders, fat ball or perhaps we could start our own wild life foodbank so that every living creature can share in the feast that our saviour provides.
Our closing hymn is : “Let us build a house”
Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Words: Marty Haugen, © 1994 GIA Publications, Inc.