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Ardoch and Blackford Parish Churches Sunday 7Th February 2021

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Ardoch and Blackford Parish Churches Sunday 7Th February 2021 Ardoch and Blackford Parish Churches Sunday 7th February 2021 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1: 35) We’re still in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel and the pace of Jesus’ public ministry is picking up. However, as we can see from this key verse in today’s reading, Jesus makes good use of time in dark, solitary places and invites us to do the same. We begin with a reflection shared with many churches across Scotland today through the Spill the Beans material. When hugs became fist bumps, when passing the peace became a nod in our places, when bread and wine became virtual, when Sunday worship became web surfing in our jammies it might have reasonably be assumed that we’d find new ways to worship, new ways to be your people in the world, new ways to love and to serve. And yet, here we are, trying to work out how long. How long until we can go back to normal? How long until we can put all this behind us? How long before we can sweep disruption out of the door and get things back to the way they were? Have we learned nothing? For years you have been calling us out of our buildings out of our neatly ordered routines and ritual back to you, God of simplicity. A God who never minds a bit of chaos, who finds a way through the mess, who turns crisis on its head, so here we are, O God, without all our usual props, without all the barriers that turn people away and blind us to the needs of the world. Open our eyes, O God, to see you and our ears to hear you calling us to find new ways to love and serve you as we love and serve your world. Both our hymns this Sunday were written by English writer Graham Kendrick. This first hymn was written for the 25th anniversary of the charity, Tearfund. Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair Lord, in the suffering, this is our prayer Bread for the children, justice, joy, peace Sunrise to sunset, your kingdom increase! Shelter for fragile lives, cures for their ills Work for the craftsman, trade for their skills Land for the dispossessed, rights for the weak Voices to plead the cause, of those who can't speak God of the poor, friend of the weak Give us compassion we pray Melt our cold hearts, let tears fall like rain Come, change our love from a spark to a flame Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear Cities for sanctuary, freedoms to share Peace to the killing-fields, scorched earth to green Christ for the bitterness, His cross for the pain Rest for the ravaged earth, oceans and streams Plundered and poisoned, our future, our dreams Lord, end our madness, carelessness, greed Make us content with the things that we need Lighten our darkness, breathe on this flame Until your justice burns brightly again Until the nations learn of your ways Seek your salvation and bring you their praise Words & Music: Graham Kendrick © 1993 Make Way Music Sue Crorie leads us in prayer. Loving God, Creator of all that we perceive, Mother and Father, Parent and Guardian, our constant in a world of change. we come before you this day, in prayer and adoration. We ask for guidance in a troubled world, where pain and disease are commonplace, help us to love our neighbour, to care for the widows and the sick, help us to live out our faith, and show the compassion of Jesus. Eternal God, we come before you to confess our dedication, and profess our commitment to living as you instruct, we affirm our place in the world, as carriers of your message, and instruments of your mission, followers of Jesus, strengthened through the Spirit, guide us today as we seek to do your work. Living God, we come before you, to give thanks for your grace, to give thanks for your eternal love. we come before you God, so that we may follow you. Though we may not always succeed, we pray that you will guide us ever onwards towards your company, your life, and your kingdom. Amen. We say together the 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 In this episode from Little Pilgrim’s Progress, Jane Roy takes us through the wicket-gate and we visit the house of the Interpreter as we travel along the path. Our Bible reading today is from Mark 1:29-39 where we join Jesus in public ministry one Saturday afternoon then how he quietly starts his Sunday morning with his Father. Jesus Heals Many 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Our Sermon As soon as Jesus starts his ministry, lives are changed and this is true not only for the people of Capernaum in Jesus’ time but also for us here and now. Jesus can be seen coming to our houses just as he went to the house of Simon and Andrew. It happened and it continues to happen today; Jesus is present and active in our lives and the world. What happens, though, when we awaken to find ourselves in the dark night times of life? You know as well as me, that there are times when life is hard. We don’t get what we want or think that we deserve. Things happen that we never expected. It is at these times when faith is difficult. In those times it seems as if there is only darkness and Jesus is nowhere to be seen. Some will assume he has forsaken them. They will abandon their faith. They will give up on Church and Jesus himself. According to today’s gospel reading, that time will come. Jesus will get up in the early morning hours, while it’s still very dark, and go to a deserted place. This is not, however, about Jesus escaping or getting away. It’s about prayer; his prayers and our prayers and something very significant changes. It’s no longer about what is happening around us or to us but what is happening within us. Regardless of how dark it may seem, Jesus never ever leaves us and we must focus on that and remember it. He may withdraw but that does not mean he is absent. His withdrawing is in reality an invitation for us to move to a new place, to the deserted place. He calls us out of the comfort of the house into the vulnerability of the wilderness. It is at times a very deserted and desolate place; a place where there is only prayer. There, we are alone with our Father. We all have deserted places in our lives. For some it is accepting the limitations that age and disease bring. Others deal with broken relationships. Loneliness and grief are desert places for some. The struggle to make ends meet in a drought stricken failing economy is a wilderness many are trying to escape. Every single one of us could each name your own wildernesses and deserts. Most of us don’t like and would rather not find ourselves in the deserted places. They are empty places that can be scary and dangerous. There is nowhere to hide. We have to face up to who we are and who we are not. We are confronted by things done and left undone. Our sorrows and losses are laid bare in the deserted place. We begin to recognise that our successes, possessions, and accomplishments don’t ultimately count for much. In the wilderness we have to admit we are not in control but it is ultimately the place where our deepest healing can happen. Wilderness prayer doesn’t ask so much that circumstances will be changed but that we will Jesus goes to be changed. The wilderness makes that change possible.
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