Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

Order of Service for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost – 07 November 2021

Welcome and Intimations
Call to Worship
Praise: MP1040 Come, now is the time to worship
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
Children’s Address
Praise: KP29 Clap your hands, stamp your feet
JP169 My God is so big
Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-16 & Psalm 146
Praise: MP25 All to Jesus I surrender
Readings: Hebrews 9:24-28 & Mark 12:38-44
Sermon
Praise: MP624 Take my life, and let it be
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Praise: MP486 Now thank we all our God
Benediction & Threefold Amen

Main Scripture for this week

Mark 12:38-44 (New International Version)
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Video Service

It’s Halloween!

Today is also the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost.

Tomorrow is All Saints’ Day.

In today’s sermon, Rev. Geoff McKee discusses some of the shackles the Church has traditonally placed on Halloween celebrations. He explains Halloween’s historical context in the Celtic tradition. Drawing on today’s main Sermon text (Revelation 21:1-8), why dwell on the effects of pain, suffering, death and decay, Geoff asks, when you have something wonderful to celebrate?

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We have set Sunday 24 October 2021 aside as a special ‘Creation Sunday’ service in the lead up to the COP26 Conference in Glasgow.

We focus our attention on God’s Creation and our role as its guardians.

Below, you will find the main Bible text for today – Psalm 24 – together with the Order of Service, the Video of the Service, led by Rev. Geoff McKee. and a musical selection by Katherine Robertson, our Musical Director.

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Sunday 17 October 2021 is the 21st Sunday after Pentecost. Mark 10:35-45 is the main Lectionary reading.

Jesus’ disciples, James and John, make a request of him which we could criticise. But, in reality, as a request born out of fear and a desire for self-preservation, it’s perhaps a request we could also see ourselves making if we were in the same position. Why is that the case?

Below, you will find the main reading in full, together with the Video Service, led by Rev. Geoff McKee.

A previous version of today’s sermon can be found here.

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Sunday 10 October 2021 is Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, as well as the 20th Sunday after Pentecost.

The main reading is from the New Testament Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter 5 and Verses 17-25 in which Jesus heals a paraplegic on a stretcher – a man whose friends have fought through the crowds surrounding Jesus, climbed up onto the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered the man down, right in front of Jesus – to be healed.

Rev. Geoff McKee follows a wonderful thread in the poetic works of Seamus Heaney, revealing how this Biblical event clearly left a huge impression on one of Ireland’s most famous writers.

Below, you will find The Message translation of the Luke passage, the Order of Service, the video of the service from St James and a concluding ‘Musical Selection’ chosen by Katherine Robertson, our organist and director of music.

Main reading for today

Luke 5:17-26 (The Message)
17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.

18-20 Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, “Friend, I forgive your sins.”

21 That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins.”

22-26 Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, “Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say ‘I forgive your sins,’ or to say ‘Get up and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorised to do either, or both. . . .” He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: “Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, stunned—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, “We’ve never seen anything like that!”

Order of Service

Welcome and Intimations
Call to Worship
Praise: Now we sing a harvest song
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
Children’s Address
Praise: Lord of the Harvest & Harvest Time
Readings: Joel 2:21-27 & Psalm 126
Praise: MP185 God is good & MP353 Jehovah Jireh
Readings: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 & Luke 5:17-25
Sermon
Praise: MP153 For the fruits of His creation
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Praise: Praise the Lord for His creation
Benediction & Threefold Amen

Video Service

The Gospel story is notable for the way in which the helpers, those who have known him all along, are to the fore, and the paralysed man, is in the background.

Rev. Geoff McKee

Musical Selection