Online service for Sunday, 27th September 2020

Revelation 12 Michaelmas - fight and feast

I want to suggest that you use the comments section for prayer requests so that members of our congregation can pray for one another, family, friends and neighbours. Please do place your prayers of intercession there too.

May God bless you and keep you. Stay safe, Wayne

Virtual Service 27 09 20

Praise:

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;

1 A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevaling.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

2 Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

3 And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

4 That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours,
Thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever.

picture by Jenny Turnbull

Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in 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 and ever. Amen.

Reflection: Michaelmas!

Here in Scotland’s calendrical past,
The fine folk celebrated Michaelmas.
Bannocks prepared for special day,
Accompanied chants, daughter to say.

Health and wealth were duly sought.
Safety, Mystery of Michael wrought.
Producing mixed fruits of flock and field.
Providence thanked for gracious yield.

Twenty-ninth September
Victory, remember
Saint Michael, Angels All
Feast in hope, despite the fall.

End of summer, crops gathered in.
Autumn’s start, days growing dim.
Contracts agreed, rents were paid.
Differences settled, promises made.

Twenty-ninth September
Victory, remember
Saint Michael, Angels All
Feast in hope, despite the fall.

Praise and prayer, worship and work.
Rhythmical trend in home and kirk.
Largely forgotten in secular times.
Traditions lost to new paradigms.

Twenty-ninth September
Victory, remember
Saint Michael, Angels All
Feast in hope, despite the fall. [WP]

Reading: Revelation 12

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule[a] all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,

6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,

8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[b] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.

16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.

17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Praise

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is Thee
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven's mercy seat

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven's mercy seat

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows of living colour
Flashes of lighting rolls of thunder
Blessing and honour strength and glory and power be
To You the only one who's King

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You

Filled with wonder awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your name
Jesus Your name is power, breath and living water
Such a marvellous mystery

Oh, You're worthy, mystery
You are worthy

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You, I will adore You

Sermon: Psalm 8 – Wonder and Work

Prayer of Intercession

by Esther McGregor

In the time of WW2 a victim of the Holocaust wrote ... “I believe in the sun even though it is not shining ... and ... I believe in love even though there is no one there ...and ... I believe in God even when he is silent.”

Let us pray. ... Just as we are, we come.

We praise and bless you Lord and lift your name on high.

Thank you, Lord, for our lives. Help us to live and be thankful for every good gift which comes from you. We give thanks for our congregation here today and pray for those unable to attend. Give to us Lord the words to encourage new people into our church.

Please Father give us an understanding of your word. Help us to read our bibles regularly so that the word goes deep into our hearts and the joy that follows when it does that is unsurpassable.

All of us would be dismayed by the government’s new restrictions on the freedom we have always enjoyed before Covid19. Help us to comply, and for our own sake be uncomplaining and glad we still have our lives despite Covid19.

We pray Lord for the family of the policeman who was gunned down on Friday. Put your loving arms around his family and friends and by your grace help them through their grief.

Let us endeavour to always pray from our hearts.

As we pray for ourselves, let us pray for others and in the silence. Let us remember those dear to us who need your loving care.........

We ask your blessing on our Prayer Group. May we always remember and believe in the power of prayer. We pray for members of our church and community who have been ill and are now recovering. Bless them Lord.

For all of the lovely children in our village we give thanks and pray them into our church.

Lord, graciously hear our prayers spoken in Jesus name. Amen.

Praise:

Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart

Be Thou my vision, oh 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, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty gain,
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, oh, bright heaven's sun
Heart of my own heart whatever befall
Still be my vision, oh Ruler of all

Benediction: And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. AMEN.

Virtual Service PDF for Sun 20th Sept