Devotions 21 January 2021

Aberdeen, St Mark’s Church of Scotland Rosemount Viaduct ‘St Mark’s, sharing God’s love in the City Centre’

Dear friends and members of St Mark’s, As a way of maintaining a sense of fellowship and community, please accept this offering of worship from the St Mark’s Church of Scotland. Please also be assured of our continued support and prayers at this time, and if for any reason it would be helpful to speak with myself, the Interim Minister working with you at present, please do not hesitate to phone me on 07977 473231.

10th January First Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 60:2-3 On you the Lord shines and over you his glory will appear; nations will journey to your light and kings to your radiance.

Hymn 326 – As with gladness, men of old…

Dix – From a chorale by Conrad Kocher, arr by Henry Monk (1823-1889) Author William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898)

As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold, as with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright; so, most gracious God, may we evermore be led to thee.

As with joyful steps they sped, Saviour, to thy lowly bed, there to bend the knee before thee whom heav’n and earth adore; so may we with willing feet ever seek thy mercy seat.

As they offered gifts most rare at thy cradle rude and bare, so may we with holy joy, pure and free from sin’s alloy, all our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to thee, our heav’nly king.

Holy Jesus, ev’ry day keep us in the narrow way, and, when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last where they need no star to guide, where no clouds thy glory hide.

Opening Prayer Eternal God, by a star you led wise men to the worship of your Son. Guide by your light the nations fo the earth, that the whole world may know your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives, and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Lord of Hope we give You thanks for a new day.

We arise today to a horizon guiding our eye beyond the everyday; to a dawn gently lighting up the wonders of Your creation; to a whispered dew rooting us firmly to this precious earth.

For this and more we thank You. Lord of Hope we give You thanks for a new year.

We arise today to the knowledge that Your Son, our Lord, goes before us; to the hope that through His presence all people will be transformed; to the promise of salvation for all. For this and more we thank You. Lord of Hope we give You thanks for a new start.

We arise today turning our backs on the ways of judgement and criticism; sloughing off narrow-minded assumptions; reaching out to enemy and friend with generous compassionate hearts. For the promise of a new start, a new year, a new day, for these gifts and for so much more we thank You. In the light of all that is good, we turn to you God, confessing our faults and seeking forgiveness.

God of life, You commanded us to be the caretakers of Your creation. Instead, because of our self-centredness, we have exploited and destroyed it.

Lord, forgive us.

Gpdf justice, You commanded us to care for the life of Your creatures. Instead, because of our greed, we accumulate resources for our own benefits and perpetuate the ecological debts in the world.

Lord, forgive us.

God, the bread of life, You commanded us to feed the hungry and gave us sufficient food for every creature. Instead, because of our gluttony we forget the needs of others, take more than we need and waste the food.

Lord, forgive us.

God of compassion, You commanded us to love each other as You love us. Instead, because of our love of profits, we foster unsustainable consumption and deny others the means to live in fullness of life.

Lord, forgive us.

God of love, You commanded us to forgive. Instead, because of our iniquities, we fail to forgive our enemies and redeem the debts of others.

Lord, forgive us.

God of peace, You commanded us to live in peace. Instead, because of our love of power we control others, spread hatred, choose war.

Lord, forgive us.

Gracious God, hear our confessions, forgive, and have mercy on us.

Amen Bible Reading – Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Reflection…

Over Christmas time I caught up (via Zoom) with 3 old school friends. We all reached the grand old age of 50 last year and to my astonishment, two of them are now retired. One was self-employed and sold his kitchen manufacturing company for an eight-figure sum last year.

He and his family now own a vineyard in Bordeaux, and I’m not in the least bit envious – well maybe, just a wee bit…

Another friend recently retired from the Armed Forces following 34 years-service. He and his family are living “the good life” on a small croft in Perthshire.

Like myself, my other friend has a long way to go before retirement, and something he said has stuck with me since we met. “I don’t want to work until I’m too old to live.”

I should have asked him what he meant by that. It’s one of those statements that says more than the words he spoke, and it might not even have anything to do with his work. Life and work don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

I wonder if he was talking about his longing, desire, and searching for something. And I wonder if he was talking about his fear – the fear of missing out, losing a part of himself, and living less than fully alive. Maybe the fear of never having had the time to live out his own hopes and dreams.

Admittedly, those are my interpretations, but I think the experiences of longing and fear are universal. I recognise both in my life, I’ve seen them in the lives of others, and I come across it in the life of the Church. We live between the two poles of longing and fear, and today’s gospel, Matthew 2:1-12, tells us that’s where Epiphany lies. It lies amidst our longing and fear - the bookends at either side of Epiphany.

At one end you have wise men from the East following the star.

They’ve left their own country – the familiar, the usual, the known – in search of and desiring something new and maybe even unknown.

They don’t know where this journey will take them, only that they have to take this journey.

It’s as if there is a call on their lives that cannot be left unanswered. Who or what is calling is un-known. It’s a journey of faith, full of risks and uncertainties.

And at the other end is Herod, the bookend of fear. “He was frightened,” Matthew tells us, “and all Jerusalem with him.” He is threatened by the possibility of a new king. His power and identity are at risk of being lost. Maybe he fears an impoverished and diminished life. He calls others to himself – chief priests and scribes – but he stays where he is, grasping and clinging to what is familiar and known.

In my capacity as a Place for Hope Practitioner, I convened a meeting on Saturday morning between two very different congregations in a denomination other than the Church of Scotland. Both congregations are struggling by themselves so the Church governing body has insisted that they come together as one and find a new strategy for mission and outreach.

It sounds familiar!

I heard all their hopes and fears.

Hopes for a stronger future, new opportunities, a new priest to work with them. Hopes that new and younger people might want to join them, that the journey ahead will be exciting and possibly risky, knowing full well that if they decide not to embark on this journey, doing nothing will have dire consequences.

And then there were the fears.

The “what ifs” – what if it doesn’t work? What if we can’t fund the cost of a Priest for three years? What if no one joins us and our numbers continue to decline? What if…….

Some were also fearful of losing their identity, their tradition of worship, maybe even the prospect of losing their building.

From my experiences in Interim Ministry (working with congregations through conflict, disagreement, and significant change), I could have been in any denomination, in any church, in any part of the country. From Canonbie & Liddesdale in The Borders where I was for 18 months, to The Shetland Isles where I was for 2 years, with dozens of other congregations in between – all in that place flanked by hope and fear.

It’s where the Wise Men and Herod are, and both are responding to the same thing; the child and the birth of new life.

The Wise Men are open and give themselves to something new and maybe even unknown – there is hope.

And Herod is closed and wants the same old thing – he is fearful.

The Wise Men travel and search.

Herod puts up the barriers, hunkers down and shelters in place.

The Wise Men follow their longing.

Herod wallows in his fear.

Both, however, were about the child. Both were an epiphany.

I think we tend to hear the epiphany story as being an epiphany to the Wise Men only. But what if it’s also an epiphany to Herod too?

I am not talking about epiphany in the usual sense of having a flash of insight or a sudden realisation. I don’t think that’s what today’s gospel is about.

I’ve come to believe that we don’t have epiphanies but that they have us. Epiphanies are not so much those moments when we say, “Aha, I’ve got it!” They are, rather, moments when we say, “Ah, it’s got me!” or “Oh no, it’s got me!” Sometimes that happens in our longings and other times it happens in our fears.

Both situations are offering us something. And both are seeking a response from us. That’s what epiphanies do. They give us a glimpse of ourselves, our life, our church and our world, and then they call for and ask a response. That response is what distinguishes the Wise Men from Herod.

The difference isn’t that epiphany happened for the Wise Men but not Herod. The difference is that the Wise Men observed and followed the star, opened their treasure chest, went home “by another road,” and Herod did not. But what if he had?

What if Herod had observed and followed the star too? What if he had opened the treasure chest of his life? What if he had returned home “by another road?” How might his life have changed?

What if we did those things? How might our lives change?

When I look at my longings and fears, and work with all the longings and fears of different congregations, I am convinced that both the Wise Men and Herod live within us. They are parts of ourselves. And I am equally convinced that wherever there is longing or fear there is an epiphany awaiting our response.

My role with you at St Mark’s is not simply to be your minister over the next 12 months. Of course, I will be your minister, but my role in the Church is about working with congregations in helping them find a new identity, new opportunities, a new mission and purpose within the community, and then helping make that dream a reality.

It’s about discerning which direction God is calling us, trusting that the journey might be difficult, sometimes risky, and other times unsettling. But having the trust to follow, remembering that this is never a journey we take by ourselves.

There might be doubts which will take a hold of us or fears which tell us to stay where we are. But equally, there might be a star in the sky waiting for us to follow, or a treasure chest in our lives waiting to be opened. These are the experiences which describe an epiphany – the child of new life waiting to be held.

And in all of this, something is being revealed to us. It might be love, forgiveness, healing, hope, gratitude, courage, beauty, compassion, gentleness with ourselves and others; it might be mercy, acceptance, repentance, and new life – the very qualities and values of the child whose life the Wise Men and Herod seek. The very qualities at the heart of our deepest longings and on the other side of our worst fears. They reveal Emmanuel, God with us.

That’s the Epiphany and it’s always before us, calling and waiting for a response.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession.

Loving God, every good and perfect gift comes from you. Keep us in the light of Christ, to shine in your world, that all may believe in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the changing year, your light never fails.

You light the day with the sun’s light, the midnight with shining stars.

You sent forth your Sun of Righteousness to call us out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Fill your church with truth and love, that we may lead all people to a knowledge of your salvation, and be found without fault on the day of Christ’s coming.

Give your light to all nations and peoples, that respect and forbearance may grow among them, and peace enfold the world.

Refresh and strengthen those for whom the dark brings neither rest nor sleep: who guard our shores, defend our homes, and keep the peace; who carry on the unresting business of the world; who through the night, at home, in hospice, or in hospital, watch over others. Make darkness light around them, and grant them peace.

Protect those who are in danger; care for those who suffer; and when the shadow of death is falling, make bright with your presence the path of those who walk in the valley of darkness.

Set free those whom we know who struggle with anxiety and fear, that they may live in joy, in peace, in health.

God of life and glory, you have given us a share in the inheritance of the saints in light. They surround our steps as we journey on towards the splendour of the eternal city. Open our eyes to see the radiance of your glory; and bring us to rejoice with them in your everlasting kingdom, where there is no dark nor dazzling but one equal light; and where in light undimmed, unending, you are worshipped and adored, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Hymn 497 – Almighty Father, of all things that be Author: Ernest Edward Dugmore (1843-1925) Almighty Father of all things that be, our life, our work we consecrate to thee, whose heavens declare thy glory from above, whose earth below is witness to thy love.

For well we know this weary, soiled earth is yet thine own by right of its new birth, since that great cross upreared on Calvary redeemed it from its fault and shame to thee.

Thine still the changeful beauty of the hills, the purple valleys flecked with silver rills, the ocean glistening 'neath the golden rays: they all are thine, and ceaseless speak thy praise.

Thou dost the strength to worker's arms impart; from thee the skilled musician's reasoned art,

the grace of poet's pen or painter's hand, to teach the loveliness of sea and land.

Then grant us, Lord, in all things thee to own, to dwell within the shadow of thy throne, to speak and work, to think and live and move reflecting thine own nature, which is love; That so, by Christ redeemed from sin and shame, and hallowed by thy Spirit's cleansing flame, ourselves, our work, and all our powers may be a sacrifice acceptable to thee.

Benediction May the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ Shine in your hearts, transform your lives, And brighten the world around you.

And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.

Amen.