Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

The prophecy of the dry bones from Ezekiel 37:1-14 is Rev. Geoff McKee’s scripture for the 5th Sunday of Lent (02 April 2017).  This Old Testament passage foreshadows Jesus’ resurrection and the great and glorious hope of resurrection for us all. The scripture follows immediately below and, after that, the sermon, which can also be downloaded as a PDF if you wish.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (New International Version)

The Valley of Dry Bones
37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

“De Lawd, He thought He’d make a man
Dese bones gwine rise again
Made ‘im outa mud an’ a han’ful o’ san
Dese bones gwine to rise again

(Chorus)

I knowed it, indeed I knowed it, brother
I knowed it, dese bones gwine to rise again”
So goes the well-known African American spiritual song.

The consequences of God’s creation of humanity and humanity’s decision to disobey God would inevitably lead to the bones of humankind returning to the ground and drying out until only dust is left. [Read more…]

19 March 2017 was the third Sunday in Lent and Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon is based on Exodus 17:1-7 (“Water from the rock”). He considers examples of in-fighting and division within the church (and other relationships) and explains why leadership in the Christian church must always be a team effort. The excerpt from scripture is immediately below and the sermon follows after that.  If you wish, you can download a copy of the sermon as a pdf. [Read more…]

12 March 2017 is the second Sunday in Lent and Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon has The Call of Abram (Genesis 12:1-4) as its scriptural basis. It can be helpful to view our lives as subject to two different types of forces – surface winds (day-to-day life) and deep ocean currents (God’s power). He discusses examples of people who have managed to see God’s bigger picture for their lives – often requiring great personal sacrifice. How do we follow the example of Abram? – How to find freedom in obedience?

The Scripture follows below and then the sermon, which you can also download as a PDF, if you wish.

Genesis 12:1-4 (New International Version)

The Call of Abram
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

During the US civil war, Abraham Lincoln met with a group of ministers for a prayer breakfast.

Lincoln was not a church-goer but was a man of deep, if at times unorthodox, faith.

At one point, one of the ministers said, “Mr President, let us pray that God is on our side”. Lincoln’s response showed far greater insight: “No, gentlemen, let us pray that we are on God’s side.” [Read more…]

05 March 2017 is the first Sunday in Lent and Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon comes from the well-known story of Adam and Eve (“the fall of man”) in the first book of the Bible (Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-7). Geoff discusses how Adam’s disobedience could only be put right through the perfect obedience we have seen in Jesus: how the tree of the fall can only be restored by the tree of the cross.

The scripture is immediately below and the sermon follows after that. You can download the sermon as a PDF, if you wish.

Genesis 2:15-17 (New International Version)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” [Read more…]

Matthew 17:1-9 is the Scripture for 26 February 2017 and Rev. Geoff McKee discusses the Transfiguration of Jesus – an encouragement to us on our journey of faith.

The Scripture is immediately below and then the sermon, which you can also download as a PDF (74kB), if you wish.

Matthew 17:1-9 (New International Version)

The Transfiguration
17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

I have often driven through Glencoe, on my way north from Glasgow over the years.

And, as many of you will know, it’s a spectacular drive; the mountains tower above the road on both sides and the waterfalls cascade right down to the road’s edge.

And I always enjoy driving that Glencoe stretch a wee bit slower than the rest of the journey, so that I can soak it all in.

But I remember one journey through Glencoe that was better than all the rest.

I was by myself in the car and the weather was bad. [Read more…]