Ardoch and Blackford Parish Churches
Sunday 30th August 2020
Download a pdf copy of the Order of service:
30th August Order of Service
Welcome to our Service of Worship and First Hymn
Hymn: Will you come and follow me
Mairi leads us in prayer
Let us pray
Redeemer Christ,
We know that we can never thank you
enough for what you have done,
never praise you sufficiently for the
immensity of your grace and the depth of your love.
But save us from using that as an excuse,
for failing to honour you as we should.
Help us to show our gratitude through the people we are,
through hearts open to you, minds seeking you, words proclaiming you
and actions serving you.
Small though it be, help us to do what we can to honour your
Name and to further your kingdom,
truly and lovingly to respond in Jesus Christ’s name.
Amen
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.
Reading
Our reader this morning is Laura Peacock from Blackford Church. She is reading from Matthew Ch 16 v 21-28 and she explains why she has chosen one of her favourite hymns
Hymn: I the Lord of sea and sky
Mairi’s reflection is on the Cross of Christ
If you remember back to last week Peter professed Jesus to be the “Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Now Peter wants Jesus to conform to Peter’s understanding of what that means. Don’t we sometimes do that? We believe, know, confess, pray, and then we expect Jesus to participate in, support, give success and to make us happy. That’s neither who nor how the Messiah, the Son of the living God, is.
Peter correctly named who Jesus is but he misunderstood with what that name entails. To deny the way of the cross is to ask Jesus to leave us and the world unchanged. It means we are willing to settle for moments of happiness. Christ offers us so much more than that.
We can never really understand what it means to believe in, confess, or follow Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” until we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.
We really do need to understand a few things here,
God does not give us crosses to bear.
The burdens, difficulties, losses, and frustrations we encounter every day are not our cross.
They are simply the circumstances of life. Taking up our cross is not the means by which we are made good, acceptable, or lovable in God’s eyes.
They’re not God’s punishment for our sins or his test of our faithfulness. The cross does not justify our sufferings in this world,
So what does the cross do?………the cross transforms them.
To deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ means that we are willing to let go….. not be choosy about what we let go , but to let go of every thing that is holding us back….unconditionally
It means we are willing to exchange our ideas of happiness for abundant life.
That’s what Jesus is teaching Peter and its what Jesus is teaching us.
So what about you? What will you do with the cross
today?
Tomorrow?
Next week?
Do we want to really live or do we just want to try and muddle through to be happy?
I simply leave the choice with you. Amen