The service for 01 January 2023 is led by Elders from the two Churches in our linkage: St. Gerardine’s High Church and St. James’ Church.

Below, you will find the main Scripture reading for today, the order of service, the video of the service and the text of the Talk (with some hyperlinks to other material).

We hope this year brings you peace, joy, and love. Happy New Year!

Main Scripture for this week

Hebrews 2:10-18 (New International Version)
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Order of service

Elder-led Service – Sunday January 1st 2023

Welcome and intimations: Susan McSheffrey
Call to Worship
Hymn: MP 539 Once in Royal David’s City
Prayer: Iona Kielhorn
Children’s address: Margaret Burns
Hymn: JP Girls and boys leave your toys
Readings: Joyce Stewart Isaiah 63, v7 -79, Matthew 2, v13-23
Hymn: CH4 316 Love came down at Christmas
Reading: Jean Symon Hebrews 2, v10 -18
Talk: Peter Brash
Hymn: MP 714 Unto us a boy is born
Prayer of thanksgiving and Intercession: Rosemary Anderson
Hymn: MP 428 Lord for the years
Closing prayer: Susan McSheffrey

Video of the service on 01.01.23

Talk: Why it is important to tell your story about your Christian Faith

“People aren’t looking for local churches online or on social media anymore – they’re searching for answers.”

That’s a quote from a book I’ve been reading recently called “Metachurch” by an Australian pastor called Dave Adamson. The sub-title of Metachurch is: “How to use digital ministry to reach people and make disciples.”

Let’s rephrase that quote slightly: People are not primarily looking for local churches on the internet or in places like Facebook – they’re looking for answers to their questions about spirituality.

Questions such as:

• Is there a God?
• What happens when I die?
• Why is there suffering in the world?

This talk is heavily based on a talk by Professor Alister McGrath, given a few years ago. He’s a well-known Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis expert and, like Lewis and our own minister, Geoff, a native of Northern Ireland.

This talk could be entitled “Why it is important to tell your story about your Christian Faith.” The Lectionary reading for today which this is pointing towards is Hebrews 2:10-18, which Jean read for us.

In The Message translation of the Hebrews passage it says the following:

“Since (we) the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Saviour took on flesh and blood in order to rescue us by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. ”

In the New Testament it is made clear that the Christian faith and Jesus Christ is something that is difficult to understand.

It’s a stumbling block.

For some, for example, the Jewish people, it’s a scandal, offensive even – Jesus as a messianic pretender.

For others, for example non-Jews or “Gentiles”, it was seen as folly. Stupid. A crucified saviour seems to be a contradiction in terms.

St. Paul talks about the Gospel being folly. Stupidity. Something seen as out of line – out of synch – with the contemporary culture of his time. Nothing has really changed that way. The Gospel often seems out of synch with our culture because we need to challenge our culture to rethink.

When people say they don’t understand something it can mean one of two things. It doesn’t make sense. Or I can’t get my head around it. It’s too big for me. I’m having real trouble in taking this in.

One of things about the Gospel is that it is so amazing and wonderful that we find it very difficult to take in.

We need to find ways to open our culture up to Jesus and why he matters so much.

In trying to explain Jesus, we are in danger of reducing him.

That’s why C.S. Lewis’s Aslan is so important in the Narnia stories – he’s magnificent, noble and really challenges people. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you see a constant refrain: Aslan is not a tame lion. He’s not someone we can manage – reduce to our level. We’ve got to take him as he is. It’s the same with Jesus.

How best can we present Jesus Christ to enable us to connect up with our culture?

How best can we explain Jesus in ways that will connect up with a non-Christian audience? What are different ways we can talk about Jesus that will resonate with people and the important issues they face in their lives?

Here’s an analogy: you shine a beam of white light through a prism and the light is broken up into its constituent colours. It’s like a rainbow: ROYGBIV. The prism does not invent the colours: they are already there in the white light. The prism separates them out so we can see each of the colours individually and appreciate them.

The Gospel is rich and complex. We need to separate the many elements out so we can appreciate them individually. The reason this is important in terms of explaining Jesus is that different elements connect best with different groups of people.

In online marketing terms, at any one time, ONE reason will connect best with a particular person. It’s called the Rule of One.

What is the meaning of the Cross? What is its significance?

There are a number of possible answers and we’ll look at 4 of them.

Here are 4 themes you will see in the New Testament preaching about the Cross.

Firstly, The Cross and Resurrection are about victory over sin and death. E.g. From today: Hebrews 2:14-15. Jesus died for our sins.

There’s a historical event: Jesus died – and then there is its deeper significance. He died for our sins. History and theology came together.

Secondly, It’s all about salvation – forgiveness.

Thirdly, it’s about a demonstration of the love of God for each of us. God so loved the world that he gave his only son for us.

Fourthly, it’s about healing. It’s about putting us back together again. It’s about renewal and restoration.

There are many other interpretations of the meaning of the Cross.

Victory, forgiveness, love and healing. How would those connect with different audiences?

Let’s take the first of these.

1. Hope and victory

The Cross of Jesus is about hope – victory.

It’s about a realisation that death is not the end.

It’s one thing to die with dignity but Jesus enables us to die in hope.

This theme of victory over death will speak powerfully to a lot of people.

People who have never begun to live properly because they are so frightened of dying. There is a deep-seated human fear of death. Embracing Jesus is sharing in the hope of resurrection and eternal life. It means we do not need to be afraid of death any more.

A world view that does not deal with death is going nowhere because death is the ultimate reality for many people.

Christianity can speak into a culture that won’t talk about death because it is so frightening.

What does Jesus’ victory over sin and death part mean to you in your life?

So, firstly, it’s about victory over death.

Secondly?

2. The Cross is about Forgiveness.

Many people in our culture are under a burden of guilt because of something that they did or something that was done to them.

There are people who feel they will not be able to live until their burden of guilt is taken away.

Christ can forgive sins to enable us to walk tall, free and forgiven.

The point is that, depending on the person, the door which leads to faith may be victory over death (number one of four) ; or about removal of a burden of guilt (number two of four); what’s next?

Thirdly, it’s a demonstration of –

3. Love.

In Christ’s death on the Cross we see his absolute commitment to us – his love for us.

There was nothing more that he could give; it was all given for us on the Cross.

The crowds taunted him to come down from the Cross and save himself but he stayed there to save us. He died so that we might live.

This “love” element may speak powerfully to people who think they are nothing.

People who are convinced they don’t matter to anyone. People who think there’s no point in going on.

This aspect of the Cross speaks powerfully of a God who loves us. Telliingly, a God who loves those who have yet to discover Him. A God who loves us so much that Jesus came here to die in order to bring us back to Him. This is something enormously important that we need to explain to people.

“You think nobody cares about you? The guy who really matters – God – did this for you. Are you going to respond by embracing Him as He longs to embrace you?”

So we’ve got victory over death, forgiveness of sins and demonstration of love. What’s the fourth part?

4. The fourth part is Healing.

We live in a broken world.

People very often feel that they are falling to bits.

Very often, we look at society and wonder: what on earth is going on? What can be done to put it back together?

This same is true for us, individually (as broken), as well.

The theme that Christ is The Great Healer has resonated with people down the ages. It’s about binding wounds; putting things back together; enabling people to overcome their limitations and do good things.

Some people need to hear that Jesus is the one who can bind their wounds and help them walk again.

That’s 4 themes from the Gospels. You could add many others.

How best can we use these themes to explain what Christianity is and the difference it makes to people?

What is the “cash value”? What is the way in which the rubber hits the road of life with this aspect of the Gospel message?

By God’s grace, we have been entrusted with a wonderful message which is able to speak to people powerfully.

And this is where each of us come in.

It’s up to us to tell our stories and by doing so – no doubt with different emphasis in each individual case – themes such as victory, salvation, love, of binding up wounds – will be part of each narrative.

Every time you tell your story, in effect, you are saying “this could be your story as well.” It’s an invitation to say to others – look, what I’ve found about Jesus Christ, it’s changed my life and it could change yours as well.

You might say: “But my story isn’t very interesting!”

And I could say that about my own story.

I grew up in the Church. I did not have a decisive “St. Paul” moment of conversion. For me, it’s been about Jesus as a person I have encountered and responded to (often quite “slowly”) – and about the significance of the community in Church, and of learning to live and grow in faith through that support network.

Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 has ended, but I would encourage you to share your story about Jesus and you.

One way to do this is to write it down and we can publish it on the Church’s website.

If you wish to remain anonymous, that’s fine.

Because “someone has to start”, I’ve put my own story up on the website.

These stories can be an important record of the faith journeys of people of these two churches but, more importantly, an encouragement to others in the Church – as well as for the many people outwith the church who are asking these fundamental questions.

We need them to know that they can find the answers they seek.

Here.

In their local churches.

So, please, tell your story.

For someone out there, it could be a factor in their story of getting to know Jesus.