Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

On the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the Sunday closest to Ascension Day, Christians celebrate Jesus being taken up into Heaven.

Ascension is traditionally commemorated on the sixth Thursday after Easter Sunday, the fortieth day from Easter day.

The main Bible reading for today comes from the beginning of the Book of Acts, where Luke continues his Gospel (“my former book”) account and Verses 1-11 of Chapter 1 are titled as per the title of today’s web page.

Below, you will find also the video recording of the service conducted by Rev. Geoff McKee at St James’ Church on 16 May 2021, including other Bible readings, prayers and the Ascension-themed sermon.

By way of further reading, if you wish, Geoff refers in his sermon to a 2016 article by Alan Seale – The Liminal Space – Embracing the Mystery and Power of Transition from What Has Been to What Will Be.

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It is the Sixth Sunday of Easter – 09 May 2021 – and our reading from the New Testament Book of Acts this week is from Chapter 10, verses 44-48.

This passage – and the background to it – demonstrates how generous hospitality and the graces it cultivates create the potential to change lives.

Below, you will find the main scripture for this week, the Video recording of the service from St James’ Church, Lossiemouth (conducted by our minister, Rev. Geoff McKee), recorded on 09 May 2021 and a Musical Selection.

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25 April 2021 is the Fourth Sunday of the season of Easter.

The main scripture comes from the New Testament book of Acts (of the Apostles). There is always a Lectionary reading from Acts throughout the Sundays of Easter in the Church of Scotland. Here’s the background to today’s Bible story…

Easter has seen the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Two of Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John, have healed a man who had been lame since birth and can now suddenly walk.

The Jewish authorities, afraid of the threat this amazing miracle may pose to their enduring power over the people, have Peter and John put in jail overnight. On the following day, the two disciples face questioning from the religious leaders, no doubt fearing that some form of force will be used against them. And this is the point where today’s reading begins.

In his speech to the rulers and elders of the people, aided by the Holy Spirit, Peter quotes famous words from the Old Testament book of Psalms (Psalm 118:22), referring to Jesus as follows:

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”

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It’s the Third Sunday of Easter – 18 April 2021.

This is the time in the Christian calendar when the main scriptural readings all come from Acts (of the Apostles – i.e. the actions of the followers of Jesus in the immediate aftermath of his death and resurrection).

Ths week it’s Acts 3:12-19. The other Lectionary readings for this week are: Psalm 4;
1 John 3:1-7; and Luke 24:36b-48.

With the resumption of face-to-face services at St James from 04 April 2021, we are in a period of ‘hybrid’ services with an in-person element and a video/remote element via this website. For the video service, which you will find below, we post the main reading from Acts, the service of readings, prayers and the sermon (led by Rev. Geoff McKee), and a Musical Selection from our director of music, Katherine Robertson.

The main reading from Acts.

Acts 3:12-19 (New International Version)
12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

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