Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

This week (09 August 2020), the tenth Sunday after Pentecost, finds us further on in the Book of Genesis and reaching the story of Joseph, son of Jacob. We hear of Joseph’s dreams and of Joseph being sold by his brothers – a very well-known story.

The trials endured by Joseph shaped him to become the mature man who would lead the greatest nation on earth.

Genesis 37:1-4 (New International Version)
Joseph’s Dreams
37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost is 02 August 2020.

In our journey through the Book of Genesis, we reach…

…the story of Jacob wrestling with God.

And getting a new name from God as a result.

Rev. Geoff McKee considers the trials and tribulations of various other people throughout history. He discusses different attitudes to ‘testing times’, including that of the Apostle, James:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,”

James 1:2

How should we face up to – and what should we take from – testing times?

You’ll find below the four Lectionary scriptures for this week, including the passage from Genesis. There’s also prayers and Geoff’s audio sermon and Kath’s musical selection.

26th July 2020 is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and this week continues our journey through the Book of Genesis.

Today’s it’s the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. As we’ve already seen, Jacob is a self-seeking schemer. Nevertheless, he seems to be favoured by God.

But things do not work out as he hopes here – in his quest to win the hand in marriage of Rachel. Instead, he gets his comeuppance. Is it retribution for deceiving his elder brother, Esau, out of his inheritance?

Schadenfreude – joy in someone else’s misfortune. It’s a German word. Some have said there is no equivalent word in English because there is no such feeling in the English-speaking world. Oh, really?

Read Genesis 29:15-28 (a wee bit further down this page) and see if you can avoid smiling at Jacob’s difficulties.

Below you will find today’s prayers, scripture readings, musical selection and Rev. Geoff McKee’s audio sermon.

19 July 2020 is the 7th Sunday after Pentecost and Rev. Geoff McKee continues his series of sermons from the Book of Genesis.

Today it’s the story of Jacob’s Dream.

Geoff draws our attention to some aspects of this story which might inform our understanding of significant places in relation to our worship of God. It also has relevance to God’s attitude towards the displaced – whether physically or spiritually – as compared to those in more comfortable or apparently powerful circumstances.

Below, you’ll find the Lectionary Scriptures for this week including Genesis 28:10-19. Also, prayers, Geoff’s audio sermon and a musical selection from Kath Robertson, Musical Director at St James’ Church.

Here is the virtual service for 12 July 2020 – the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost.

The main reading comes from Genesis 25:19-34. Rev. Geoff McKee continues his series of studies from the Book of Genesis.

This week it’s the story of Jacob and Esau.

Esau gives up his inheritance rights as first-born to his brother, Jacob, in return for a bowl of stew.

Did Jacob act on the spur of the moment to gain this advantage or did he – or God – have a plan all along? The story raises questions about freewill as against predestination.

It also provides a stark contrast to Jesus’ example to us as someone who himself had a birthright but chose not to give it up in the face of temptation.

Below, you will find the 4 Lectionary scriptures for this week, prayers, Geoff’s audio sermon and a musical selection from Katherine Robertson, musical director at St James’.