Third Sunday of Easter

Third Sunday of Easter

Please download today's order of service in PDF format HERE or view below in plain text.

The YouTube playlist can be found HERE.

MAYFIELD SALISBURY PARISH CHURCH

EDINBURGH

Online Worship Material Available 8.00am Every Sunday

Sunday 26 April 2020

Third Sunday of Easter

An Easter Triolet

We won’t give up on love, it is a given

And given things can always live again.

The stone is rolled away, the rocks are riven

We won’t give up on love, it is a given

The grave is made the very gate of heaven

We sowed in tears, but here’s the golden grain:

We won’t give up on love, it is a given

And here’s a given thing that lives again.

Malcolm Guite

Printed by permission from

The Singing Bowl; Canterbury Press

Books for the Journey

My Sour-Sweet Days: George Herbert and the Journey of the Soul by Mark Oakley.

Luminaries: Twenty lives that illuminate the Christian Way by Rowan Williams.

www.mayfieldsalisbury.org

AS A DIVERSE PEOPLE, THE CHURCH GATHERS TO WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD

Welcome and Introduction Click to listen

Good morning to the members and friends of the congregation of Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, as well as to those who may just happen in on us; and welcome to this online material for worship on the 3rd Sunday of Easter.

A friend tells me that what he looks for in a service of worship is ‘something to take home to think about.’ Well most, if not all of us are at home already; but his words are no less pertinent. For the ‘something’ to be at home with may be the line of a hymn, a melody, a passage of Scripture, a picture, a phrase in a prayer, as much as any minister’s reflection or sermon. I’ve always taken great comfort in this! The point is to listen, and perhaps look; and to be open to the possibility of finding something that might be taken to heart.

I now invite you to join me in a short period of silence in preparation for worship…..

Scripture Sentences

Ho, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and you that have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

Jesus said:

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

for righteousness , for they will be filled.

Let us pray

We seek your blessing, Almighty God, conscious that while we may be rich in means we may be poor in spirit; though we may appear to be in control of our lives, we can sometimes find our sense of security slipping away; though we may lift our faces in thanksgiving to the warmth of the sun, at the same time we may be heavy with sadness or worry and distress.

Help us to know, good Lord that no feeling is final; and that we are held by your love in good times and in bad. Teach us life’s lessons that can sometimes catch us unawares in gratitude and joy, if we are but open to your music and the quiet touch of your grace.

Open our minds to the paths of peace even when we are sitting in a chair; show us the wideness of your mercy even as we feel restricted in body and in spirit; and guide us into truth that is eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Collect

God of life and love, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread, open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Children’s Reflection Revd Helen Alexander Click to listen

Welcome to all the children listening in. It’s Helen talking to you this morning. Most of you have seen me in church wearing a robe like a long dress.

I’m sitting at home today, and looking at something rather yummy and special. It’s a chocolate Easter egg. It’s two weeks after Easter Day and can you imagine! I haven’t eaten it yet. I hope you can see a photo of it as I speak. I like the red jelly sweet on the front.

Who knows why we give and receive eggs at Easter time?

I wonder what you’re saying or thinking now? If anyone thinks it’s because it’s Springtime when little chicks break out of their eggs, well done! You’re absolutely right.

There’s often more than one right answer to a question though, and I wonder if anyone has thought of another reason that we have Easter eggs? Here’s a hint: sometimes we roll eggs on Easter Day. Maybe this has been difficult this year because many people can’t get outside the way we usually do, not to hills anyway.

So, do you know why we roll the eggs (usually hard boiled ones?)

Well, we’re thinking of the story in the Bible that tells that after Jesus died they laid his body in a tomb like a cave carved into a big rock, and then they rolled a stone over the entrance because it didn’t have a door. When Jesus’ friends came back to the tomb – what do you know! – the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So, that’s another reason we have eggs, and especially why we often roll them on Easter Day, remembering the stone that was rolled away.

We know that Jesus often enjoyed eating meals with his family and friends, sometimes in people’s homes or picnics in the open air. He was even willing to sit down to lunch or tea with people who weren’t very nice to him. He was quite a special person in that way. He liked to share food and also kindness and love. We remember this too at Eastertime.

Perhaps if you still have an Easter egg, or sweets or anything good to eat, you might like to share them with people around you, not forgetting to have some yourself too of course!

If I’d been speaking to you in church I’d have broken my Easter egg and shared it with you. Instead, I’ve broken my egg at home. Sadly I can’t offer you all a piece now, but I’ll see if the children who live next door would like some instead.

We’ll say a prayer now with your saying a line after me, just like in church:

Thank you, God, for food to eat, and sunny days and love.

Bless our family and friends and all who make us happy.

Be near to people who are frightened or very ill.

And help us all to care for one another. Amen

‘Bye for now. Next week, you’ll see and hear Hillary talking to you.

HYMN 147 All creatures of our God and King Click to listen

All creatures of our God and King,

lift up your voice and with us sing

alleluia, alleluia!

Bright brother sun with golden beam,

clear sister moon with softer gleam:

O praise him, O praise him,

alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Dear mother earth, who day by day

unfolds God's blessings on our way,

O praise him, alleluia!

All flowers and fruits that in you grow,

let them his glory also show:

And all who are of tender heart,

forgiving others, take your part,

O praise him, alleluia!

All who long pain and sorrow bear,

praise God and cast on him your care:

Let all things their Creator bless,

and worship God in humbleness,

O praise him, alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

and praise the Spirit, Three in One:

St Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

WE LISTEN FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD

First Reading Isaiah 51: 1 - 6 Click to read Click to listen

Second Reading St Luke 24: 13 - 35 Click to read Click to listen

Readers: Christine De Luca and Kay McIntosh DCS

Reflection By Revd Helen Alexander Click to listen

I invite you to take yourself in your imagination back in time to the closing years of 1st Century CE. You live in one of the cities of the Roman Empire, most likely Antioch in the Eastern Mediterranean, or just possibly in the great city of Rome itself.

Very probably you’re a Gentile, that is, you’re not a Jew. Nonetheless, in your earlier life you developed a great regard for the Jewish faith and became well-versed in its Scriptures. In turn you were acknowledged as a ‘Godfearer.’

Lately, however, your life has been transformed by faith in Jesus Christ, the itinerant preacher from Galilee, who died ignominiously in Jerusalem getting on for fifty years ago.

You’ve immersed yourself in the stories about his life, death and resurrection, many of which circulated by word of mouth long before they were written down. You’ve found written material too, including the Gospel of Mark which perhaps first gave you the idea of writing your own Gospel.

And so you’re writing it now. You long to help spread the word especially among the seekers after truth in the Gentile world, as you’ve come to realise with great delight that your new found faith in Jesus Christ is open to all nationalities and all levels of society without restriction or discrimination. This gladdens your heart, for you’re a sympathetic soul with an ever-open ear and a lively social conscience. You’re also a bit of a wordsmith with considerable literary flair. You’ve great faith and great imagination which you know are by no means incompatible. You know the power of story to express great truth.

As community of ‘Christians’ as you and your fellow believers have come to be called, you join together on the first day of the week – Resurrection day.

Then the ancient Jewish Scriptures that you know so well are read, but – and this is the new thing which makes everything fall into place for you – they are expounded in the belief that they point to Jesus Christ as the long promised Saviour of Jew and Gentile alike.

This church to which you belong also shares in a distinctive act of devotion that decisively marks it out as ‘Christian’: the breaking and sharing of bread and the pouring and sharing of wine whereby the participants identify with the death and life of Jesus. This act of worship has developed from the time that believers first gathered together after he was no longer with them. The great Apostle Paul wrote about it in a letter to the Church in Corinth thirty years or so ago, quoting words he believed he’d been given from the Lord himself:

‘This is my body that is for

you. Do this in remembrance of me.’

‘This cup is the new covenant in my

blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in

remembrance of me…..’

This combination of words and action makes profound sense to you. In the fragments of broken bread you see the brokenness of Jesus on the cross and of the humanity you share, and in the wine the self-giving love of Christ poured out for you and all people.

As you look around at the community of believers eating and drinking with you, you believe that the offering, receiving and sharing of the broken bread and flowing wine together somehow mirrors – albeit imperfectly - the unity of the life and love of God that connects all together.

How to write of this experience in your own distinctive way?

You have your stock of sayings and stories, many featuring meals. No life of Christ would be complete without including these, and you’ve already written some of them into your Gospel.

And now you’ve found another story. Who knows how it began. It involves two travellers walking to Emmaus who meet but do not recognise Jesus. The wonder of it is that this stranger is able to give an exposition of the Jewish Scriptures from a profoundly Christian perspective, like the best and most inspiring you could ever imagine hearing in your Lord’s Day gathering.

At the end of the journey the three of them sit at table for a meal. The stranger takes the bread, blesses and breaks it and gives it to his companions. Instantly they know Jesus’ identity.Thinking about this, you see a burning truth buried in the story. In it, you see the central aspects of the worship of your Christian community and of all the others taking seed across the known world week by week. For as in the story of the Road to Emmaus Jesus opens up his interpretation of the Scriptures so that the hearts of his companions ‘burned’ within them, so in your worship the ancient Scriptures have been opened up to you and others with you in new and wonderful ways.

And in the worship of your community, as at the dinner table in Emmaus, Jesus is made known ‘in the breaking of the bread.’

The story can be quarried for other important insights, of course, for you know that great stories often contain multiple truths.

But you hope that others will see what you see in it: what will later become known as the ministry of Word and Sacrament.

And your name, of course, is Luke.

Back in the 21st Century, and in these days of lockdown, it’s a shame that we can’t gather together in worship on the first day of the week, with or without Communion. But we will again.

In the meantime, we are connected in other valuable ways: through gathering for a meal at home with family; or raising a glass with friends over the internet. We’re connected by a card through the door or a bag of food left at the gate; by the practice of prayer – in all the ways we give and receive and share, and thus are ever the church.

RESPONSE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN

Voluntary Click to listen

Praeludium No. 1 from the Well-Tempered Clavier J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession Click to listen

In these difficult days we give thanks for all that comes to us as goodness: the lengthening of the days; the growth that increases day by day in woodlands and gardens; birdsong and the sound of laughter; the wonder of a child; the wisdom of age; kindly gestures of support and care.

We give thanks for those we name silently and gratefully…..: those upon whom we can always depend; those who have emerged in recent weeks to encourage and help us; people of courage, faith and humour who give us much, and allow us to give something of ourselves to them.

We give thanks for the dedication, imagination, co-operation and skill of all those tirelessly working throughout the world to find a vaccine for the scourge of a disease that is afflicting us now; and we offer up profound admiration and gratitude for all who risk their lives to bring hope and healing, and comfort and care to those at the point of death, as well as those who quietly continue to keep this nation fed and supported and as safe as possible.

We give thanks for the church of Jesus Christ throughout the world with her long tradition of worship and service. We pray for this congregation of Mayfield Salisbury and the service offered in its name. We remember with gratitude the pastoral care that continues with Kay the Deacon and her team and we pray for them as they work to encourage all those with whom they are in touch. We remember all of our number who are sick, bereaved, lonely or afraid and commit them to God in faith and trust.

We pray for all Christian congregations that may be represented by those who connect with us today or any other day, even as we remember all those of other faith traditions, and those who profess no particular religious affiliation and who join with us in seeking comfort and courage, and the welfare of all.

For all in deep difficulty and distress anywhere in the world we make our prayer. For those whose situations of need are close to our hearts, we make our prayer. For those who come into our minds now without our quite knowing why, we make our prayer; committing ourselves and all for whom we pray to the grace, mercy and peace of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.

Lighten our darkness, gracious God; shed the beams of your grace upon us even as your perpetual light keeps all those we have loved lost and love still; and bring us at the last to the unity of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, which 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. For ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN 425 The Saviour died, but rose again Click to listen

The Saviour died, but rose again

triumphant from the grave;

and pleads our cause at God's right hand,

omnipotent to save.

Who then can e'er divide us more

from Jesus and his love,

or break the sacred chain that binds

the earth to heaven above?

Let troubles rise, and terrors frown,

and days of darkness fall;

through him all dangers we'll defy,

and more than conquer all.

Nor death nor life, nor earth nor hell,

nor time's destroying sway,

can e'er efface us from his heart,

or make his love decay.

Each future period that will bless,

as it has blessed the past:

he loved us from the first of time,

he loves us to the last.

Scottish Paraphrases,1781

Romans 8: 34-end

BENEDICTION Click to listen

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

********

INTIMATIONS

NEXT SUNDAY’S READINGS: Acts 2: 42 – 47 & St John 10: 1 – 10

ZOOM YOUTH WORSHIP Tonight we will meet on Zoom for a Youth Worship service at 7.00pm. Bring some colouring and writing supplies as we gather together with music, prayer and time for reflection. For log-in information, please contact Hillary.

YOUTH UPDATES

Virtual Youth Programming: The *virtual* youth schedule for the month of April can be accessed on the church website under the 'Young People' tab. Please note the time and age group changes for various activities. All youth programming will be held over Zoom. New virtual youth consent forms must be sent to Hillary before attending a session. For log-in access to the Zoom sessions, or to get a copy of the consent forms, please contact Hillary!

Children & Youth Resource List: A resource page on the church website will be updated weekly with links to resources which our families can use with their children and youth at home while we are unable to meet as a church community and in our Sunday School groups. The resource list can be found under the 'Young People' tab.

PASTORAL CARE May I wish you all a happy Easter and can I say a big thank you to those who are involved in the various phone chain groups which are operating within our congregation. It is now that I am beginning to see a few cracks beginning to appear in our system and so may I ask everyone to be vigilant and not to stop being in touch with those in your respective groups. Looks like we will be continuing this for a while, but isn’t it so lovely to hear a familiar voice and it can make all the difference to those who are self-isolating or those who are living on their own. I am keeping in touch with our nursing homes and thankfully at present all is well. If you would like to be to be part of a phone chain or there is someone that you would like us to hold in our prayers then please do be in touch with me. Kay Mcintosh DCS

CHRISTIAN AID – TWO APPEALS

RESPONDING TO THE CORONAVIRUS. Christian Aid has launched an emergency appeal, requesting urgent support for its work among the world’s poorest, most vulnerable people who are at greatest risk – such as the 850,000-plus Rohingya refugees who live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK (10TH-16TH MAY) will look very different this year, as we are unable to gather together in church and donate in the usual way. However, the need is greater than ever, and it’s important that we continue to keep it in our minds. The focus for 2020 is the climate crisis, and its effect on communities like those in Kenya where devastating droughts make it difficult for millions of people to access sufficient food and water. (And of course, the problems associated with walking long distances to collect water are even more worrying when combined with the spread of the coronavirus.)

Cash and cheques cannot currently be accepted, so we would encourage everyone who can, to support both appeals by making online donations anytime between now and 16th May – and beyond! Please go to the Christian Aid website, www.christianaid.org.uk, choose ‘Appeals’, and follow the links to Christian Aid Week and Coronavirus Emergency Appeal.

On behalf of members of the congregation without internet access, we hope to hold a further collection in support of CA Week using the familiar red envelopes and buckets, in the Autumn to coincide with Creation Covenant Sunday. It is particularly important that we support CA at this time, as it continues to work alongside its overseas Partners in their humanitarian programmes, in an increasingly challenging economic climate. Thank you! – The Christian Aid Team

EMAIL DISTRIBUTION LISTS
Mayfield Salisbury maintains several email lists to help distribute information throughout the congregation. The lists are as follows:

0930 Service list Information pertaining to the Sunday 0930am All-Age Worship and related events.

Youth Newsletter Hillary Leslie, our Youth Worker, sends out a Youth Newsletter to parents of P6 - S6 youth. This keeps the parents and their kids in the loop about important youth-related events and activities
Congregational list General information relevant to the entire congregation. This includes general news, notices of lectures & special events and importantly details on the forthcoming ministerial vacancy.

Grapevine Magazine list The latest magazine in PDF format.

If you would like to be added to any of these lists, please contact the Church Manager, William Mearns on: 0780 801 1234 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.