Laich of Moray Parish Church (formerly Lossiemouth Church of Scotland)

We look at what Jesus taught about Prayer in this latest in Rev. Geoff McKee’s series on stories from Luke’s Gospel.  The scripture (Luke 11:1-13) – The Lord’s Prayer – is followed by Geoff’s sermon from 24 July 2016. If you would like to download the text of the sermon as a pdf document, you can do so by clicking here.

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Attendance at the weekly prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings was expected of all keen Christians. That was the way it was in one church I attended a good number of years ago.

There were plenty of other things that were more attractive than the prayer meeting but other enjoyments tended to be spoiled a bit by the knowledge that one really should be with the faithful in the church hall on a Wednesday evening. [Read more…]

Continuing our look at stories from Luke’s Gospel, here is Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon from 17 July 2016. The relevant scripture (Luke 10:38-42 – NIV) is at the beginning – the story of Martha and Mary – and the sermon follows. You can download a pdf version of the text of the sermon, by clicking here (download begins immediately; 86kB). [Read more…]

This is the text of Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon of 10 July 2016 – on the Parable of the Good Samaritan – with the relevant scripture (Luke 10: 25-37 – NIV) at the beginning. If you would like to download a pdf version of the text of the sermon, you can do so by clicking here (download begins immediately; 78kB).

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Bob Holman, the Christian academic and community activist, who died on 15 June 2016 was one of the most unsettling people I have ever met.

He came to lecture at a college I was attending in the 1990s.

Here was a man who gave up a very good job as Professor of Social Administration at the University of Bath to move to the Southdown council estate in Bath, to live among and to
serve the poor. Later, he moved to Easterhouse, outside Glasgow, one of the most deprived housing schemes in Britain, and gave the remainder of his life to helping the poor and disadvantaged.

One day he came to give a lecture to a very middle class bunch of students who would have been good at ‘saying the right things’ but would have struggled to really understand the
radical call of the Christian life. And, from the moment he began to speak, I can remember feeling very uncomfortable. He was telling stories that made sense, but he was telling them in a way that challenged my sensitivities.

How Jesus unsettles us

Likewise, Jesus seemed to have had a profoundly unsettling impact on those who saw him and heard him. Even among those people who would come to see him as their friend, Jesus had the uncanny knack of making them feel distinctly uncomfortable. In the familiar surroundings of Israel, where so much was predictable, Jesus had a habit of making people feel uncomfortable. [Read more…]

This is text of the sermon by Margaret King (Bellie and Speymouth Parish Church, Fochabers / Mosstodloch) at St James’ on Sunday 24 January 2016.

The scriptural references are: Psalm 19: 1-4, 7-9; Nehemiah 8: 1-10; Luke 4: 14-21 (New International Version (NIV)).

Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.

Nehemiah 8: 1-10

8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Holy Word, Hungry People: Heartfelt Response

Nehemiah is a wonderful and unusual book because it is the memoire/ diary of one of the last leaders of Judaea before the 400 year silence, when we hear nothing official from God until the New Testament. [Read more…]

Rev. Mary Whittaker (with Scott, her hearing dog) preached the following sermon on Epiphany Sunday – 03 January 2016 – at St James’  Church:

The carol ‘We Three Kings’ and today’s bible reading (Matthew 2: 1 – 12) mark the key theme for the New Year. [Read more…]