Lossiemouth Church of Scotland

Sunday 26 February 2023 is the First Sunday of Lent and we welcome Rev. Jenny Adams to lead our service today.

The main scripture for today is Matthew 4:1-11 – Jesus tempted by the devil in the Wilderness – the forty days and forty nights of Lent.

So early in his ministry, Jesus must have been vulnerable to all manner of self-doubt. The devil was the supreme tempter with plausible, apparently scripture-based arguments why Jesus should follow his suggestions or take up his offers. How did Jesus make his choices? – what criteria did he apply? – so as to avoid yielding to temptation. And what can we learn from it?

Scripture for today – Psalms and Matthew

Psalm 32

Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

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Relationships are difficult. Relationships can cause anger and frustration. Negative feelings as well as positive ones. These are feelings we find difficult to deal with.

The temptation can be to avoid other people as much as possible and keep ourselves to ourselves.

Jesus knows this but he still requires Christians to be in fellowship with each other. To be a church of interpersonal relationships; not a bunch of individuals practising a lone religion.

The main text for today (12 February 2023; The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany) is Matthew 5:21-37, in which Jesus talks about relationships between people. Rev. Geoff McKee explains how it is in the daily working out of our relationships that we find the demands of the Kingdom of God to be most directly upon us. That’s one of the reasons that Christians are called to be together. So that we are “challenged” – by anger and frustration at others, for example – every day that we live. 🙂

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05 February 2023 is the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany and the main Scripture is Matthew 5:13-20 from the New Testament. The words of Jesus about Christians having to be “Salt and Light” – don’t lost your “saltiness” and “don’t hide your light under a bushel” (as my Granny used to say).

See below for the Matthew text, the order of service and the link to the YouTube video of today’s service.

Main Scripture for today

Matthew 5:13-20 (from The Message Translation of the Bible)
Salt and Light
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Completing God’s Law
17-18 “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
19-20 “Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

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Today, our main Scripture is Psalm 15 – from the Old Testament. Sunday 29 January 2023 is the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany.

This psalm asks searching questions (‘A’) and provides immediate answers (‘B’) but we cannot immediately or easily see how to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’.

Who is blameless? Who speaks the truth from their heart all the time? Whose tongue is pure all the time? Who speaks out against evil all the time? And on it goes… How do we supply the working out from the questions to answers like those provided in the
psalm?

There is a straightforward solution. Find out more below.

The main Scripture for this week (two versions)

Psalm 15 (from The Message Bible Translation)
15 God, who gets invited
to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

2 “Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.

3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend,
don’t blame your neighbour;
despise the despicable.

5 “Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living,
never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

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Here is the Sunday morning service at St. James’ Church, Lossiemouth on 22 January 2023, for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany.

All-age talk by Rev. Christine McWhirter, preaching on Luke 2: 41 – 52. This is the story of Jesus, aged 12, getting “lost” in Jerusalem, separated from his family – and of how he came to found and where he was found. Found after his family searched for him for 3 days.

“What is our dedication to ourselves? What is our dedication to each other? What is our dedication to our faith and our God?”

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