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RECORD
MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND AUGUST 2022 • £2.00
Editor • Sarah Robinson The Editor, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS editor@freechurch.org
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Cover: Photo by Andrea Zignin on Unsplash
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CONTENTS
WELCOME TO THE AUGUST RECORD
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04 HEALTHY WORSHIP IN HEALTHY CHURCHES? Iver Martin
he trials and tribulations we face in life can often feel overwhelming.
We face difficult situations, grief, and weariness, in our personal lives and collectively as part of a community. In this edition we address those tough times and look towards the one who gives us the strength and grace to face each day. God, who is merciful and gracious, is with us in all circumstances. May you be encouraged by the piece by Will Lind who writes about how a healthy gospel church feels its weakness. He reflects that ‘So often, it is the struggles we have that God seems to use to point people to a suffering Saviour. It is in lives and churches that are cracked that the light of Jesus shines most brightly. Apart from him we can do nothing, and, as Paul learned, it is then, when we are weak, that we are strong.’ A moving poem called For one who is tired by Grace Noel Crowell reflects these sentiments and points us towards God, the one who gives us rest. Do look out for the column by Catriona Murray, who has penned a beautiful piece, and there is a thought-provoking article about worship by Free Church Moderator, Rev Iver Martin. Thanks goes to all the contributors in this month’s edition. If you would like to send in your church news or letters for the next edition, please do so by emailing editor@freechurch.org.
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FREE CHURCH NEWS
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ETS NEWS
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PARLIMENTARY PRAYER BREAKFAST Ian M. Watson
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A HEALTHY GOSPEL CHURCH...FEELS ITS WEAKNESS Will Lind
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WORLD NEWS U.K., U.S., Egypt, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Vietnam
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PAUL'S TRAVELS Donald Mackay
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REFLECTIONS Sean Ankers
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FOOD FOR FELLOWSHIP
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WfM UPDATE Fiona Macaskill
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BOOK REVIEWS
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OBITUARIES: REV NEIL MACDONALD, ALEXANDER JOHN MACAULAY
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MISSION MATTERS David Meredith
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POETRY PAGE Grace Noel Crowell
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PAGES FROM ADAM'S DIARY: CHRIST VISITS A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE
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PRAYER DIARY
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DEAGH CHOMHAIRLE Janet MacPhail
Yours in Christ Sarah Robinson
40 POST TENEBRAS LUX Catriona Murray
That in all things he might have the pre-eminence Colossians 1:18 2022
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Healthy Worship in Healthy Churches? REV IVER MARTIN, Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, writes about what it means to have healthy worship in healthy churches.
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‘There is no end to what we “could have” in a service but we need to remember that worship is God originated, God centred and God focused.’
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ne of the side benefits of covid was to force the church to re-examine what worship is.
This conversation is no bad thing, and indeed should take place extensively within our current mission goals. As a people called to proclaim the “excellencies of him who called us out of darkness” (1 Peter 2:9), a healthy church will have worship at its core. It is not enough to have an attractive building, a large congregation or even a strong focus on evangelism. The church that doesn’t worship is not a church and the church that doesn’t place a strong emphasis on worship is not a healthy church. That means that worship must lie at the heart of what we mean by healthy church. So how do we ensure that the worship in our churches is healthy? What even is healthy worship and how can it be measured? And how can we benefit more from our services each Sunday? It’s important, first of all, to be guided by the Bible rather than our own imaginative and creative ideas. There is no end to what we “could have” in a service but we need to remember that worship is God originated, God centred and God focused. Our question is therefore, not, what do we want, but what does God want? The marvellously simple pattern in New Testament worship appears to be composed of prayer, Bible reading, singing praise, preaching and the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Of course, within that simple biblical framework lie many sub-components like confession of sin, thanksgiving, intercession, the giving of finances and teaching, but nonetheless there is a sense in which true, authentic worship can take place anywhere with few, if any, external pre-requisites. There are two levels at which healthy worship operates. Firstly, the level of the leadership. In our Presbyterian tradition the minister is the worship leader. It is his responsibility, not simply to preach a sermon, but to make sure that each component of the service takes place in such an orderly and reverent manner that it reflects the awesomeness of what we’re doing. Furthermore, as a fellow worshipper himself, his job is not to stand back and tell the congregation what to do. Rather, he is to lead from the front, by inviting the congregation to join him in prayer, singing and hearing God’s word. This is a huge responsibility because it involves the mood as much as the “doing” of the service. The way we speak to God ought to express not only a sense of who he is, but the reality of God’s actual presence. If we believe in the God who is there our worship needs to reflect that. But, as worshippers, we too have a responsibility. Our first mistake is to imagine that we are passive because we don’t appear to “do” anything. This is a serious misunderstanding. Worship is no more passive than drinking a glass of water. Our gathering, singing, praying, reading the Bible and indeed, listening involves our active participation in what is taking place. A healthy church will also have a high view of the sacraments, which means that Baptism and (more regularly) communion will be a central feature. Despite the fact that Covid has done away with the common cup, we can nonetheless authentically remember the Lord’s death by eating and drinking the bread and wine that represent his broken body and shed blood. We must never allow communion to become a “routine” such that we lose sight of the particular blessing that Jesus promises, and we must never allow regularity to obscure the poignancy of the moment. So healthy worship must never be assumed. The services should be the main event on a Sunday at which preaching should take the centre stage, the leaders prepared and worshippers prayerfully and eagerly expectant. Lastly, while order, simplicity and biblical faithfulness are important, these components, important as they are, do not, by themselves, make for true worship. There is something additional and mysterious, in which somehow God responds. When God’s people gather on a Sunday, he is active, feeding and encouraging his own family with his word — sometimes in ways in which the indescribable happens. When this happens; when the church is lifted up to heaven and God comes down to fill his people, the church is healthy. •
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MISSION MATTERS A monthly take on some of the mission work the Free Church is involved in by our Mission Director, DAVID MEREDITH
Photo ©Fin Macrae
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Jesus is utterly beautiful and good; his people can be less than that. Many of our readers can identify with deeply damaged and dysfunctional parents who bruised us. The picture of a mother (or father) who sucked all the energy, joy and oxygen from our spirits is an all-too common picture. Our mission is to tell a better story, to point to Jesus who re-energises and breathes oxygen into our suffocating soul. Where the air is toxic and the pool stagnant, the Spirit of Jesus is not present. Let us remember also that our bruising parent is also a damaged person and there are reasons for that. If we knew and understood the reasons perhaps we would understand more. The gospel is not about a decision brought about by a process of guilt manipulation and crass socialisation. It is the good news that the kingdom of God is here and that eternal life is a gift from God. At the centre of the gospel is the cross which speaks of sacrifice, love and grace. The payment was made by Jesus. Our identity is found in his unconditional love for us. Too much of our faith seems to be reduced to some cheap deal to save us from hell and propel us to heaven. That gospel is all about us; the gospel is all about Jesus. We dine at a feast with a King, we do not eat bread and water in a prison cell with a tyrant. The gospel is not a religious ‘Get out of jail free’ card. The call of Christ and the task of the Church is to ‘make disciples of all nations.’ In the two books we have pictures of failed discipleship. Why was space not given to answer difficult questions? Why were doubts not respectfully listened to? Discipleship involves getting beside people and walking with them in the steps of Jesus. The reviews suggest that the books are life affirming and joyous in their own way. I read them and was sad. •
y reading this month has included two books from the post - evangelical stable .
Both books are well written and a joy to read from the perspective of style and language. Please note that they also give ‘too much information’ in areas which really ought not to be spoken about. Modesty is still a virtue. The ultimate trajectory of the authors is different. One ended up in the traditional liberal camp espoused by Steve Chalke and Brian McLaren, the other in bitter atheism. Interestingly, both authors share at least three striking similarities. Both were profoundly affected by damaged mothers who in turn passed on that damage to their sons. This damage is compounded by, they allege, hyper-pietism and legalism. Whilst I am not an expert in psychology, these two men present great case studies for wannabe Freudian-inspired psychotherapists. In fact, the philosophy of Jung plays a central part in the authors’ self-discovery. The second commonality is a profound but common misunderstanding of the gospel. They come from different stables: Lanarkshire Brethrenism and Welsh Reformed Baptist. It is a reductionist view of the gospel which is all too common. The script is that you decide for Christ and then work your way up the ladder of written and unwritten regulations until you get there. Both admit to being pulled into a degree of group-speak when they refused to ask the big questions. The third issue which I noted was a lack of discipleship. The two men were baptised as young adults. Interestingly, they had the same experience of doubt surrounding their baptism and really did not want to go through with it. The two went through the waters, but reluctantly, because the social pressure was too much and the hassle in pulling out was a challenge too far. In terms of the mission of the church, what can we learn?
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POETRY PAGE FOR ONE WHO IS TIRED BY GRACE NOEL CROWELL
Dear heart, God does not say today, ‘Be strong’; He knows your strength is spent, He knows how long The road has been, how weary you have grown; For He walked the earthly roads alone, Each bogging lowland and each long, steep hill, He understands, and so He says, ‘Be still, And know that I am God.’ The hour is late, And you must rest awhile, and you must wait Until life’s empty reservoirs fill up, As slow rain fills an empty upturned cup. Hold up your cup, dear child, for God to fill. He only asks today that you be still.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Grace Noel Crowell (1877-1969) started writing poetry when she became ill following the birth of her first child. Her long convalescence led her to write verses of hope, patience, and inspiration. She said, ‘The thought kept coming to me, ‘I would like to write poetry that will help others who are suffering as I am.’’ Following her recovery she continued to write, becoming Poet Laureate for Texas from 1935-1938. Crowell published 36 books of verse, stories for children, and Christian devotionals. •
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