Weekly Worship for 11 October

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – 11 October 2020

The Faith Nurture Forum would like to thank the Ministry Team of Govan and Linthouse Parish Church for their thoughts on the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

Our new online music resource is now live: here you can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4). The search function allows you to bring up a list of songs by keyword, tune, theme, author, composer and metre, covering all of the indexes in the hymnbook. The site features Weekly Worship and thematic/seasonal playlists, alternative settings and background information on the hymns.

Introduction ...... 2 Exodus 32:1-14 ...... 3 Philippians 4:1-9 ...... 3 Matthew 22:1-14 ...... 3 Sermon ideas ...... 4 Prayers ...... 6 Alternative Material ...... 7 Musical suggestions ...... 14

October is a month with a particular focus on tackling poverty. Thursday 17 October is the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and 5-11 October is Challenge Poverty Week. Throughout the whole of October the Weekly Worship resources have been written by Priority Area congregations. You will also find videos with stories from these congregations and others on the Priority Areas Facebook page and we would encourage you to share these during worship as a way of highlighting how the church is engaging in anti-poverty work at a local level.

Since the early 1990s the Church of Scotland has placed a priority on putting resources into the most deprived communities. However, while there is great work happening in Priority Area congregations (those in the 5% most deprived parishes), it is important to recognise that the priority for the poorest and the most marginalised is the gospel imperative facing the whole church.

During this month we are asking every congregation in the country to look at poverty in their own community. Every parish will contain people who are in poverty, even if some of it is hidden. “Deprivation Stats” have been produced to show this for every parish. These can be found via the Church Finder on the Church of Scotland website and we would encourage you to use these as a conversation starter with your congregation or Kirk Session.

Introduction

Planning for this worship was undertaken during lockdown. While many congregations may now have moved back into their buildings, they may also be working in some form of hybrid model of worship to ensure that those who are yet not able to attend in person can still have a space in which to worship God.

Within the Govan and Linthouse Ministry Team we tried like many, to find new ways of sharing the gospel message. Not everything worked! We had to learn on the go! Yet there was an understanding and appreciative community who received with grace and worshipped with us.

It is the overarching theme of grace that filters through our worship this week. There is a continuation of the Moses story, when we find him meeting with God. The children of Israel become impatient for his return, and it is Aaron who unites them in deceit, with the formation of the golden calf, leaving Moses to appeal to God for their salvation. Meanwhile, Paul is imprisoned, facing the deeper side of human experience. In calling the Philippians to unity, he asks them to be bold in their tolerance of each other. In the parable that Jesus

tells in our gospel reading, the theme of grace is less apparent. On first reading it seems quite brutal, but judgment will make way for wholeness.

Exodus 32:1-14

This reading comes immediately after Moses receives the Ten Commandments from God, when the foundations of community are laid. The law has been clearly set out, with its boundaries, not to restrict but to enhance relationship with the ever-living God. There is an echo here of the Genesis story, when Adam and Eve are given management of the Garden of Eden. While temptation was their downfall, for the children of Israel it would be impatience. It was to be a festival of failure, as Aaron – like the gold he collected – shows leadership that is soft and malleable. In the making of the golden calf, as in the biting of the apple in the Garden of Eden, there is dissension, disobedience and confusion as the first two commandments are broken, provoking divine displeasure.

Yet the mediator of this story is not God. It is Moses who appeals to God’s grace. “The Lord changed his mind” (v.14) is a remarkable phrase, and again humanity is released from condemnation, to live in grace.

Philippians 4:1-9

As our focus turns to spiritual formation, it is the disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche that threatens the unity of the community. Yet Paul manages to commend both apostles, despite the dispute. How can relationships be healed? Difficulties are not to be ignored, for God will have the final word; while the world will polarise, scare, and highlight negativity, God will supply all needs, with all things done through Christ. Being “right” will not protect us, only grace can dissipate anger, despair, outrage and frustration. Surely, from stepping back, listening deeply through our prayer, and allowing the peace of God to guard our hearts. Paul may be imprisoned, but his heart is free in faith.

Matthew 22:1-14

There is a similar parable in Luke 14:15ff, which is slightly more agreeable in its telling. After some modification of the guest list, the message becomes that we are all invited, but it would be important to consider which audience Jesus was seeking to reach, as the murder and mayhem is somewhat unpalatable for us today.

Here Jesus directly confronts the religious leaders of the day who are challenging His authority. Remember that Jesus had already cleansed the temple on Monday, and the cross is looming on Friday. During this in-between time, religious chiefs continue to work in the context of Roman rule. Protection of the priestly economy and the temple system is balanced against the sanctity of sacrifice. Herod, the puppet king of Judea, is certainly under Roman patronage. Yet the two groups, while mostly at odds with each other, are mutually dependent in order to maintain the status quo. No wonder the banquet descends into such chaos.

The challenge to the king in the parable comes from the solitary man who is passively defiant by not wearing the usual wedding clothing. This singles him out for abusive treatment, and as the violence escalates, the king’s world falls into disorder. Is it possible that this man is the suffering servant of Isaiah? Wearing not his wedding clothes, but his shroud, prepared for the tomb? Just how different should the realm of human living be?

Sermon ideas

Reflection In Govan and Linthouse there has been a coming together of community that has helped support people through the lockdown period. (Your congregation and community will have your own examples). Yet, this time also highlighted the unfairness that still exists in many Priority Areas communities. Many were made redundant or placed on furlough and the financial gap increased between those with and those without. The misery of debt is a daily drain on energy, adding to health and relationship issues. While essential work was done to extend digital inclusion, the elderly felt cut off and many children without Wi-Fi at home, or access to a tablet or laptop could not keep up with home schooling. Those gaps in learning may never be restored. When society places so much emphasis on connectedness, then how do we tackle the inequalities that hinder achievement?

Of today’s readings, it is the parable that challenges the lack of fairness that continues to exist within our own communities. We, the religious, still need to be challenged, not simply to provide for others what is within our comfort zone, but to tackle the opaque and incomprehensible inequalities that still exist today. Invitations to the banquet come at a cost. Are we some of those who risk the kingdom being taken from us? Certainly, it is not for us to judge who will be tossed out.

Thus far, we have focused on the material elements of life. Surely the parable goes deeper than that. Here we go back to Moses, for following the commandments does not simply

require an adherence to the rule book. Salvation is more than a feel-good factor within or the completion of some heavenly tick-list.

What stirs us to adopt kingdom values? Paul gives us an insight. Even amid challenging times – for him imprisonment, for the Philippians dysfunction within their community – there is the call to a greater purpose. Life is to be affirming. Faith is to awaken us to God’s leading. In being loved by God, we move away from the worldly way, to be inspired that we can do all things through Christ, that our needs will be supplied, not merely as individuals, but with an inspiration that extends to our communities. As the people of faith, and not merely the religious, grace is displayed in who we are, and whom we serve.

Other ideas • The focus on Aaron’s leadership may be a refreshing angle to take. Equating his malleability with that of the gold he gathered opens an exploration of the nature of church leadership, not just by the minister, but by the congregation within a community. It can be all too easy to take a rigid stance against something, how can we affirm the presence of God in the ordinariness of every day. How can we awaken our congregations to meeting the needs of our communities, facing down the apathy and negativity that churches often face, to show the life, joy and gratitude that emerge when lives are lived with and for God.

• The parable initially presents as a brutal tale that seemingly lacks grace and inclusion. The king is vindictive, and acts like some despot throwing out the improperly dressed. It challenges our assumed right that we can be judgmental of others. Do our works of faith reflect the values of God’s kingdom? How far are we prepared to examine our motivation behind those works? How far do we need to be aware of our own continual need of grace whilst undertaking our church work?

• A focus on conflict is not always palatable. Yet Moses is placed into the role of mediator, a role we are sometimes required to assume. Encouragement comes from Paul in striving for the victory wreath: these wreaths were not individual rewards for the athlete, they brought glory to the whole community. It may help to use the illustration of the gold-painted post boxes in the home communities of gold medal winners at the London 2012 Olympics, e.g. Andy Murray in Dunblane, but the conflict of the golden calf refocuses our thoughts on the spiritual unity needed within a church community.

Prayers

Call to worship Come – because you are invited Come – because you hunger Come – because you will be fed Come – for healing Come – for forgiveness Come – to this place, to this space Come – to me, says Jesus – Just come!

Intercession – this prayer evolved when we had a candidate for ministry with us for a summer placement and Fiona, our student, helped craft the prayer. It was built up through the summer, exploring each of the statements in bold, and affirmed by the congregation, ensuring we all had our say, and the words were changed accordingly. While the words are carefully expressed, at the end of the day, we simply acknowledged that our core purpose was “loving God, loving Govan”, a statement that suits us just fine!

Loving God,

We are the body of Christ Created in Your image known and loved by You loved for who we are, accepted, forgiven, and restored united to live in Your ways.

We are nourished by faith Helping us in our daily lives to face the challenges of each day to carry us through times of illness, grief and anxiety. Replenishing and restoring us, building us up as Your people.

We are called to serve The lost, the lonely, and the deserted. Through our words and our actions. To be the hands and the feet

of our Church today. Be with us, to feed us with compassion, that we might dine on Your grace, that we might be filled with Your Spirit, as we live our faith in the world today.

We are challenged to love To love our families through times of both joy and trial. To love our friends and neighbours even if they annoy or irritate. To love our enemies, in the face of their anger and malice.

So, Lord nourish our faith that we might have love to show others the love Christ has shown us.

Living God, thank You that You hold us together in love We are the body of Christ You help us to grow and mature We are nurtured by faith You develop our compassion We are called to serve You make us active and strong We are challenged to love. Amen

Alternative Material

This material has been supplied by kind permission of Spill the Beans and allows you to explore the readings or theme of the service in creative ways that include everyone gathering for worship.

New material from Spill the Beans is provided in the latest issues available from their website.

Bible Notes

Broken Promises – Exodus 32:1-14 Promises broken, guarantees made meaningless, warranties with small print exclusions, vows ignored. They crush us. They turn what we thought was the way of things upside down, throwing us into confusion.

From childhood pinky promises to marriage vows, from business partnerships to international conventions, the covenants we make with each other are foundational to how we see ourselves and how community is built and strengthened. To fail to recognise this and therefore to fail to participate in this covenant-making might as well be a definition of being a sociopath.

The Israelite community has accepted the covenant that God has offered, sealed in the Ten Commandments. In a sense they have put on the golden ring that in our wedding ceremonies is used as a symbol of the promises made one to another.

Yet, as soon as the ceremony has ended, we find the Israelites breaking their promise to God. The covenant is tested almost immediately.

Aaron, pathetically, capitulates to the people while Moses is away on Mount Sinai speaking with God. Worn down by their appeals, Aaron gathers their earrings to create a golden calf and builds an altar before it where they can worship their visible gods.

There are strong parallels to Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12, and the use of a bovine creature to represent the gods fits with the Egyptian use of these images and of the Canaanite depictions of Baal as a bull. So it is no surprise that the image chosen is a calf. What is abundantly clear is that the very first commandment is broken at the point the people gather to worship this idol of a god of their making.

What do we do when promises are broken? Do we seek vengeance? Do we seek compensation? Do we bring in the lawyers? Do we try to work it out?

The legalistic response to the Israelites breaking of the covenant was death. God is depicted as being ready to destroy the people but then something wonderful happens.

Where Aaron utterly failed to keep trust with God and with the new community being built on God’s foundation, Moses keeps his trust. When you think about it, up to this point Moses has predominantly been a messenger for God. He has obeyed God’s instructions,

and he has led the people according to that guidance. Here we see something quite different.

Moses, whose whole being has become intimately interlinked with the formation of a new community as they trek to the Promised Land, is also specially attuned to what this community needs, and what God has promised for it.

While the sinfulness of the community puts in jeopardy the covenant, Moses heroically argues with God on behalf of the new community, reminding God of his previous promises. While in verse 14 the authors tell us that Moses’s appeal works and God changes his mind, Moses himself does not know this at this point, which helps to explain the lengthy intercession that follows in the next chapters.

Like Abraham arguing with God over Sodom (Genesis 18), Moses reminds us that the process of building a community is going to have many missteps along the way. There will be times when people trip up and fall, sometimes bringing others down with them. That does not, however, destroy the project of kingdom building that remains founded on mercy, love and forgiveness.

Retelling for young people You might create two spaces close to each other, one to be the bottom of the mountain and one at the top.

At the bottom of a mountain the People of God were worried.

At the top of the mountain God was talking to Moses.

At the bottom of the mountain the People thought Moses was taking a long time.

At the top of the mountain God had lots to say.

Pause

At the bottom of the mountain the People of God thought God had left them and decided to make a statue out of gold that they could see and worship. So Moses’s brother Aaron gathered all the gold and cast a golden calf. At the bottom of the mountain the people made a great feast and celebrated this new god they had, forgetting Moses was still at the top of the mountain.

Pause

At the top of the mountain God was very upset. God noticed what the people were doing at the bottom of the mountain and was getting angry. “Can they not remember all the things I have done for them? Why do they want to hurt me like that?”

Pause

At the bottom of the mountain the people had forgotten God and were enjoying worshipping their new statue.

At the top of the mountain Moses said to God, “Remember what you promised Abraham a long time ago, that you would lead him to a new land and a great nation would grow. Please don’t go back on that promise.

Pause

At the bottom of the mountain the people thought their new god was wonderful.

At the top of the mountain God was thinking again about what Moses had said.

At the bottom of the mountain the people were about to learn a lesson.

At the top of the mountain God made a decision.

Pause

At the bottom of the mountain Moses arrived back and told them what they had done wrong.

At the top of the mountain God’s love was far greater and stronger than anything else and God forgave the people for forgetting God.

At the bottom of the mountain the people learned that God would never leave them and they destroyed the calf.

At the top of the mountain God smiled.

At the bottom of the mountain the people smiled back.

Activities

Gathering Place a large wooden cross loosely covered in gold paper and material in a central space. It ought to look very grand.

As people gather, every few minutes invite someone to remove some of the paper or material slowly revealing the wooden cross. With the removal of the final piece, the service begins.

Keepsake Boxes You will need: box templates or small gift boxes, stickers, colouring pens and pencils, glue pens, etc.

Use either a box template or provide small boxes, and invite each child to make and decorate the box, and to use it to keep real treasures in—reminders of things that are really important to them and their relationship with God.

Balloon debate You will need: a large outline drawing on paper/card of a balloon, colouring pencils, , magazine images.

Ask people to imagine they are going on a long trip in a hot-air balloon. Ask them together to draw or choose 6 pictures from the magazines that are important to them that they ought to take. Put them onto the outline of the balloon.

Once they have chosen, let them imagine they are now flying in their balloon but suddenly the balloon descends and some ballast has to be dropped. Between them they have to choose/debate one item they will discard.

Then the balloon rises a little, only to descend yet again, thus debate which will be the next item to be thrown over the side. Ultimately the exercise whittles everything down to the most important item they need. It relates to the idea of what we worship and hold valuable: a golden calf or God…

It might be a verse from the Bible, a leaf to remind them of creation, a candle etc. This links with the story by offering an alternative to graven images, asking people to think about things that bring them back to God.

Worship reflection Golden calves are things of the past not things that affect us now.

We would never be so ensnared by outward trappings, by gimmicks, by things that look the part.

We would never be distracted from the heart of the gospel, by things that are shallow and short lived.

We recognise that image isn’t everything.

Although... it is important that we keep up with the world; folk won’t join us if we’re drab and grey. Appearance matters, attractiveness is important, so we’ll haul out the best, put on a show, and hope that folk won’t look too closely and see that it’s all a sham.

Prayers

Call to Worship All that glitters, all that tempts, the latest fad, the lure of fame, the promise of wealth, the idols of many forms and names; we lay them aside now

as we come to worship the one God, the true light of life, and bringer of love.

Prayer of confession May we find our way back to you, O God. May we walk the path, talk the story, believe the truth, know the moment, find the purpose, trust the word, hold the bread, share the wine, open the table, forgive the sinner, forgive ourselves, call to you, follow your footsteps, and love your people.

May we find our way back to you, O God, leaving all that hurts behind, all that makes us less than you have called us to be, all that dulls our living, lies to us, trips us up. May we find our way back to you, O God.

You can hear samples of these suggestions in the ‘Weekly Worship’ section of https://music.churchofscotland.org.uk/. This new online music resource will allow you to listen to and search the breadth of music available in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4).

You will find hidden gems and alternative arrangements to familiar songs that will inspire creativity and spark fresh curiosity about how we best use music in worship.

• CH4 70 – “Give praise and thanks unto the Lord” (Psalm 106)

• CH4 163 – “Grace is when God gives us”

• CH4 396 – “And can it be that I should gain”

• CH4 565 – “My life flows on in endless song”

• CH4 641 – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”

• CH4 685 – “For everyone born a place at the table”

• Chorus – “He welcomes me to his banqueting table, and his banner over me is love” (available online, e.g. https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1157 )

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, parish magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.