Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

For the Second Sunday of Easter 2020 – 19 April – our virtual service with Rev. Geoff McKee again has text and audio elements.

You’ll find below the Readings and Prayers as text. Geoff’s sermon is presented as audio, which you can listen to via the player below or download (mp3 format) for listening “on the go” if you wish.

Today’s main Bible reading concentrates on one of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas, and the story of how he was only convinced of Jesus’ resurrection by meeting the risen Jesus and examining the wounds in Jesus’ hands and in his side from the crucifixion.

At the time of the story, the disciples were living under lockdown, for fear of reprisals from the authorities now that their leader was apparently dead. The similarities to our current experience in that respect are obvious.

Geoff considers a variety of matters, including:

• Statistics about the effect the social distancing measures are having on personal welfare in the UK and how our closeness to nature in Lossiemouth can be a real blessing just now;
• Why Thomas was not a ‘bad’ disciple;
• Why it’s natural and acceptable for Christians to have doubts about their faith;
• Why doubt and faith are not opposites of each other; and
• How confronting our doubts and bringing them along with us on life’s journey can lead us to a deeper faith.

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Under the continuing social distancing conditions, we cannot meet together to rejoice and greet the Risen Christ on Sunday, 12 April 2020 – Easter Sunday.

Easter reminds us how God has been good to us. He gave His own precious son to save us from our sins.

For us in Lossiemouth, there is a double (or triple?) reason we cannot have our usual East Beach sunrise service for all Lossiemouth churches. The gathering’s not permitted due to the lockdown situation but we could not have got there (easily) anyway because of the bridge closure for structural safety reasons – but then it would have been closed anyway for social-distancing reasons due to its narrowness? (The ‘silver lining’ is that that would probably have been a 6:00am start time for a 6:08am sunrise). We’ve included some sunrise service pictures to add a congregational experience to this webpage.

The resources here for your virtual Easter Sunday Service are:

• Rev. Geoff McKee’s audio sermon, based on John 20: 1-18
• The scripture readings and prayers

For the sick and those in distress, that they may find healing for their pain and be restored to fullness of life. Draw near to those suffering under the Coronavirus. Strengthen our NHS workers as they labour night and day. Protect those who choose to be vulnerable that we may be safe.
God of Resurrection, hear our prayer.

Let your hearts be glad, shout with joy and celebrate this great day. Easter is here and so is new life and hope. Have a blessed Easter.

In this brief audio sermon, Rev. Geoff McKee reflects on the various meetings Christians would ordinarily have during Holy Week and how these cannot happen this year.

On a visit to Milan in 2019 Geoff viewed Leonardo da Vinci’s late 15th-century mural of The Last Supper, one of the world’s best-known paintings.

He considers a cleverly-manipulated and topical version of that artwork (an image of Jesus alone – socially isolated – at The Last Supper) and the parallels this has for us with other aspects of the Easter story.

Welcome to Rev. Geoff McKee’s Virtual Sunday Service for 05 April 2020 – Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, when Christians celebrate Christ’s triumphant entry (on a donkey) into Jerusalem. In many Christian traditions, though not in the Church of Scotland, this involves processions in which branches of palms are carried.

This week’s service has an audio version of the sermon, which you can access below. Further down, you’ll find the prayers and readings from the service.

First of all, let’s look at the Bible story for today, taken from Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 21:1-11 (New International Version)
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

This is the ‘virtual’ service for 29 March 2020, with there being no actual service due to the social distancing restrictions currently in force.

The resources here comprise prayers, Scripture and Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon.

You can download these materials in PDF format, if you wish, by clicking HERE.

In future weeks, we hope to provide audio – as well as written – content, as part of these posts.

A Prayer for these Times

For all that is good in life, thank you,
For the love of family and friends, thank you,
For the kindness of good neighbour and Samaritan stranger, thank you.
May those who are vulnerable, hungry or homeless, experience support.
May those who are sick know healing.
May those who are anxious or bereaved sense comfort.
Bless and guide political leaders and decision-makers with wisdom.
Bless and guide health workers and key workers, with strength and well-being.
Bless and guide each one of us as we adapt to a new way of living.
And may the light shining from our windows across road and wynd, glen and ben, kyle and isle be reflected in our hearts and hands and hopes.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.