Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

It’s Palm Sunday: 10 April 2022.

The main scripture this week is from Luke’s Gospel.

Jesus, our Saviour, comes to us humbly, riding a donkey and proclaiming a message of
peace.

On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus approaching Jerusalem. The “camera is on him” and he is fully in character. We are familiar with this story – like a movie, watching it in our mind’s eye. We can see it. But there’s a potential problem. We’ve seen the film before and so we’re no longer watching it very carefully…

Main Scripture this week

Luke 19:28-40 (The Message)
God’s Personal Visit
28-31 After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: “Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says anything, asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say, ‘His Master needs him.’”

32-33 The two left and found it just as he said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said, “What are you doing untying the colt?”

34 They said, “His Master needs him.”

35-36 They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

37-38 Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:

Blessed is he who comes,
the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven!
Glory in the high places!

39 Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!”

40 But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”

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It’s the Fifth Sunday in Lent – 03 April 2022.

God says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!”

But, what does that mean in practice?

Main Scripture Reading for today

Isaiah 43:16-21 (New International Version)
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honour me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

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It’s the Fourth Sunday in Lent – 27 March 2022.

Below, you will find the main scripture for today, the order of service, the video of today’s service led by Rev. Geoff McKee and a Musical Selection by Kath Robertson, our director of music (which is the opening congregational hymn in today’s service too).

Main Bible Reading for today

Joshua 5:9-12 (New International Version)
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

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It’s the Third Sunday in Lent – 20 March 2022.

This week the teaching is about refusing to take the easy way. Why? For the sake of glories to come…

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It’s the Second Sunday in Lent – 13 March 2022. The main reading for today features Abram’s encounter with God in the first book of the Bible – Genesis – at Chapter 15.

Somehow, Abram did not seem worthy of the astonishing promise God made to him – but that’s how God works.

Below, you will find the main reading set out in full, then the Order of Service and, today, also the prayers. Towards the foot of this post is the video of today’s service from St James’.

Main Scripture for today

Genesis 15:1-12 (New International Version)
The Lord’s Covenant With Abram
15 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”

2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”

8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

…

17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—

Note that volunteers from our congregation are currently bell-ringing for Ukraine.

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