Welcome to the online service of worship for the Fifth Sunday of Easter - 10 May 2020.
Today's order of service can be download here in PDF format.
The YouTube playlist can be found here.
MAYFIELD SALISBURY PARISH CHURCH
EDINBURGH
Online Worship Material Available 8.00am Every Sunday
Sunday 10 May 2020
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Psalm 146: 5 – 10
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD!
NRSV
AS A DIVERSE PEOPLE, THE CHURCH GATHERS TO WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD
Welcome and Introduction
The two beautiful pictures of Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church within the video were drawn by Sophie (5) and Sam Buchanan (7). More art work very welcome!
Welcome this online material for worship from Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church on the 5th Sunday of Easter.
Today marks the beginning of Christian Aid Week, a well-established annual event in the life of many branches of the Church. In many ways, this week will be very different to those in past years, for gone are special Sunday collections in church and door-to-door collection of gift envelopes in local neighbourhoods. However, there are online opportunities for giving, and for joining in activities and special worship. We have links for these on our website and intimation 5.
This year much of our energy is directed towards coping with the Coronavirus and its effect on our own selves, our families and our nation. Christian Aid helps focus minds on people and concerns far beyond our own, and this is surely no bad thing. There’s a big world out there, much of which endures far greater need and suffering than we do, even in these distressing times. This week invites us to remember this.
I invite you now to join me in a short period of silence in preparation for worship…..
Scripture Sentences
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?....
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Jesus said: I am come that they may have life,
and have it abundantly.
Let us pray
For the times we turn from life in distress, despair, abandonment and fear we pray for reminders of lively, hopeful, times when we opened our arms to the world in delight and trust; and we ask to be helped to the rediscovery of these blessings once again.
For times that feel autumnal even in spring; for clouds that descend on our spirits even as the sun shines from the sky we pray for reminders of beauty and grace through a flower in the garden, a bird singing its heart out on the top of a tree, a smile from a neighbour, a call from a friend.
For the times we are tempted to put ourselves at the centre of things and to dismiss from our minds people who need us – from the person next door to suffering millions in lands far away, we pray for help to recover our sense of our place in the world, and from that place to serve it with cheerfulness and generosity.
Father of all, grant us hope and faith in life, in mercy, in courage and in the promise of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Collect
Living God, so teach us to know you through your Son Jesus Christ that we may walk in harmony with his will, and share the power of his eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Children’s Reflection By Hillary Leslie
Good morning everyone! Hasn’t the sunshine been beautiful this week? It’s been a joy getting my daily exercise with the sun warming my face.
When I’m on my daily walk, I’m always passing by flats and houses with artwork in the windows and on the pavements. Can anyone think what’s been the most popular picture since the lockdown started? Rainbows! Whether it’s a rainbow drawn in chalk on the pavement, or a painting in the window, it’s been bringing me real joy to see so many beautiful rainbows outside of homes.
The rainbows started as a message of hope for families and children, and have transformed into a message of encouragement for our NHS workers looking after those who are ill, as well as all other key workers who are continuing to make sure that we have food, our bins collected, mail delivered, and electricity running among lots of other jobs! There are so many people continuing to work outside of their homes so that those of us who are able to stay home can do so safely.
We hear about rainbows in the Bible as a sign of hope, as God promises to care for and look after all creation. We also know from having seen a real rainbow, that they often come after there’s been a storm. Rainbows encourage us, give us hope and bring us joy, particularly during a difficult time. The first song that we are going to sing today is called ‘Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You’ and it’s a beautiful song that talks about how we care for and look after one another, just as Jesus cares for and looks after us.
When we see all of the rainbows in our neighbourhoods, it makes me think of this beautiful song. Each of us is like a different colour, and when we come together, serving, loving, caring for and looking after one another, we create a beautiful rainbow! We each have to play our part in order for us all to keep safe and well. For some of us that is as simple as writing an email or calling up a loved one or maybe drawing a rainbow on the pavement!
As we continue to see rainbows in the neighbourhood, may we remember all of the different people caring for and looking after one another, and may we continue to spread joy, hope and encouragement with our neighbours, friends and family during this difficult time.
Let’s now join together for our repeated prayer. Please pray with me:
Dear God, we thank you for the sunshine,
And for colourful rainbows that give us hope.
Please be with those who are sick or sad today,
And help us remember to share your love.
Amen.
HYMN 694 Brother, sister, let me serve you want
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we've seen this journey through.
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
Richard A. M. Gillard (b.1953)
Reproduced from CH4 number 694
Words: (c) 1977 Scripture in Song (a division of Integrity Inc.) Administered by CopyCare Ltd, PO Box 77, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3EF, United Kingdom.
WE LISTEN FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD
First Reading 1 Peter 2: 2 - 10 Click to read
Second Reading St John 14: 1 - 14 Click to read
Readers: Wendy Mathison and Kay McIntosh DCS
Reflection By Revd Helen Alexander Click to listen
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; so that where I am there you may be also.’
Those of us raised on the King James Authorised Version of the Bible may have a yearning for ‘mansions’ rather than ‘dwelling places’ despite the latter’s being a more accurate translation of the Greek. Sometimes Biblical accuracy isn’t necessarily the most important thing: at funerals, for example, when these verses are often read, perhaps more than usual in these times as hearses make their solitary ways to gravesides and crematoria, accompanied by only a handful of mourners.
At a time of death, what’s often needed most is the comfort of familiarity and phrases that ring with a certain melodic cadence. At times when we are most reminded of the fragility of life, sometimes we crave words that have been heard over and over again for centuries and will be heard long after we have departed this life.
Death isn’t a time to subject the poetry of the Bible to rigorous analysis. Death is a time to let words wash over the soul; to let them catch and match the mood of those who mourn.
I remember forty years or so ago as a Probationer minister discussing biblical readings for the first funeral I was to take with Gilleasbuig Macmillan, then Minister of St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
On the verse in John’s Gospel ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ he suggested I might consider missing out the phrase that follows: ‘no-one cometh to the Father but by me’, since one never knows who might be at a funeral for whom these words might sound unhelpfully exclusive; and that pastoral sensitivity is the most important consideration in such a context. It was advice I’ve never forgotten, and frequently followed.
‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.’ From earliest times, this phrase attributed to Jesus has been foundational to the church; a ‘corner stone’ to use the metaphor of stones and buildings beloved by the writer of the First Letter of Peter.
But as I realised long ago, it can be a stumbling stone when heard as favouring those who hold certain doctrinal beliefs about Jesus over those who do not, or are somewhat hazy about them; thus apparently confining some to the second class carriage on the journey to the Kingdom of Heaven.
More forcefully, the full verse can be heard as a declaration that tracks to the divine mystery other than that of the Christian Church are false, and that other religious traditions are misleading sidings to no-where.
Of course, St John’s words were originally addressed to a fledgling church struggling to assert itself in relation to its Jewish roots. The centrality of Jesus Christ was fundamental to this endeavour and led to bitter divisions between Christian and Jew.
2000 years later, we are more likely to seek common ground with other faiths than to erect barriers.
And anyway, I’m not convinced that an adversarial approach goes to the heart of the faith built on the generous openheartedness of the crucified carpenter of Nazareth, and on the great Jewish tradition that gave it birth.
It’s not personal enough.
‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’ It’s easy to overlook the impact of the first two words ‘I am.’ St John’s Jesus is pointing to his person first, his way of being.
In the same way, in the Book of Exodus (well known to Jesus and to St John) it is the being of God in its complete freedom that’s declared from the Burning Bush: ‘I am that I am’; or ‘I will be who I will be’ or ‘I will be whoever I will be.’
Like Father, like Son; this divine mystery will not be encapsulated or reduced by our all too human tendency to draw boundaries round it.
As the American Presbyterian preacher and writer Frederick Buechner puts it in his book ‘Listening To Your Life’:
‘Jesus said ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.’… He didn’t say that any particular ethic, doctrine, or religion was the way, the truth, and the life. He said that he was. He didn’t say that it was by believing or doing anything in particular that you could ‘come to the Father.’ He said that it was only by him – by living, participating in, being caught up by the way of life that he embodied, that was his way.’
The embodied Christ-shaped life: this is what we’re being encouraged towards, to the best of our ability. This is the way, St John tells us, to the Father whom we cannot see.
The Bible presents us with a Christ who taught his disciples patiently, and sometimes not so patiently – ‘Have I been with you all this time Philip, and you still do not know me?’ by parable and story, in conversation, and by example what a Spirit-filled life was like, and who invited them to join him in that life.
And so it is in any age. The church exists to encourage engagement in this sort of life. It’s one that involves suffering, inevitably - and also appreciation of goodness and grace. It’s a life lived as truthfully as possible, and shaped by as much generosity as we can manage: that opens the hand rather than closes in a fist. It’s a life that responds to the call to look outwards to the world in hope and faith even in difficult times – especially perhaps in difficult times. It’s a life that’s more to be characterised by the way it’s lived than any religious labels we might be tempted to hang on it.
RESPONSE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN
Allemande from Suite No. 4 in E flat, BWV 815 J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
‘No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main…..’
We think of people in countries far away:
in drought-stricken Kenya and other parts of Africa, people amazingly able to laugh and sing even as they trudge for miles to collect water, and harvest meagre crops from dry and dusty soil.
We remember people in parts of Central Asia suffering from devastating floods, where homes and livestock have been lost; people throughout the Americas where spiralling coronavirus infection threatens life and livelihood; all those across the world where struggling economies face untold hardship as stock markets plunge and vital aid is reduced and could dry up altogether.
And today we pray for the work of Christian Aid in these complex and desperate times: its tireless work to help those countries in need of water, food, decent sanitation and shelter; its care for refugees; its projects for education and development; its call for justice, equity and peace; and for its clear voice of warning in the face of global climate threat.
We give thanks for Christian Aid’s capacity to focus minds, to galvanise action, to prompt generous giving, and to enable practical as well as prayerful responses to the world’s greatest need. And we pray for all who support and help its work, from those who spread the word in local neighbourhoods here at home to those who risk their own health and sometimes their lives to bring practical relief in countries far away.
We pray for all who suffer in war-torn places throughout the world: for the people of Syria; for all who are threatened by terrorism and factions that resort to guns rather than diplomacy to resolve difference and division within and between nations.
And we remember wars of the past, and the millions who have perished in them, thinking especially at this time of those who fought on both sides in the 2nd World War; soldiers and the civilians alike whose lives and fortunes were changed forever; the displacement of countless numbers of our European neighbours; the horror of the holocaust. And seeking never to forget the evils of the past, we give thanks for the eventual victory of goodness, decency and right, and pray that each generation may continually rediscover the vital importance of these values and pledge to follow them.
We remember those we love, those whose predicaments and joys we pray for today, seeking their continual good; even as we remember with thanksgiving all whom we have loved, lost and love still who are held forever in the life and grace of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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 416 Christ is alive! Let Christians sing
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching every place and time.
In every insult, rift, and war,
where colour, scorn, or wealth divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, where even hope has died.
Women and men, in age and youth,
can feel the Spirit, hear the call,
and find the way, the life, the truth,
revealed in Jesus, freed for all.
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise.
Brian Wren (b.1936)
Reproduced from CH4 CD-ROM edition, number 416
Words: (c) 1969, 1995, Stainer & Bell Ltd, PO Box 110, Victoria House, 23 Gruneisen Road, London N3 1DZ
BENEDICTION
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 17: 22 – 31 & St John 14. 15 – 21.
REQUEST FROM BETHANY CARE SHELTER Homeless folks are being housed in the Old Waverley Hotel. The Support Team have requested donations of the following food items;
- Boxes of cereals (not cornflakes)
- Jam (not marmalade)
- Fruit
- Diluting Juice
- Coffee
- Tea
- Sugar
- Crisps
- Individually wrapped biscuits
Also, you might like to donate but not get back:
- Novels in a foreign language (got plenty in English)
- A guitar
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Puzzle books
- Art supplies
- MALE clothing
Financial support also welcome.
If you would like to contribute please contact Jean and Alastair at
YOUTH UPDATES
Virtual Youth Programming: The *virtual* youth schedule for the month of May 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.
Youth Group: There will be no Youth Group on 10 May. We will meet at our regular times on Zoom on 17 May for a *virtual* escape room.
ANNUAL LEAVE Hillary Leslie, Youth Worker, will be on annual leave from Sunday 10 to Thursday 14 May inclusive.
CHRISTIAN AID 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.
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. 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.
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.
Christian Aid reminds us that in the current situation it’s more important than ever to join together as a community to worship, share fun and fellowship, and support our sisters and brothers living in poverty. They are offering a range of opportunities for involvement, including a live-streamed service with Dr Rowan Williams, at 1 pm on 10th May, and daily prayers and reflections throughout CA week from their staff and partners overseas. And from Sunday 10 - Saturday 16 May, at 7.30pm, there are daily fun quizzes for the whole family to enjoy. You can find out more via the website at www.christianaid.org.uk/christian-aid-week/virtual-fundraisers We’re sure you’ll agree that it’s vital we support Christian Aid at this particularly difficult time, as it continues to work alongside its overseas partners in their humanitarian programmes. Thank you!
The Christian Aid Team
ONGOING HELP FROM THE GIFT SERVICES 2019 I thought I would share with you what we are doing with the surplus gifts from last year.
There are no visits taking place at the prison due to Covid-19. Mothers and Fathers in prison are having less contact with their children.
The staff in the visitors centre are still working, but distributing food parcels to the families of those in the prison. We have been giving gifts to the children as part of this process. You can appreciate that these children fall in to the category of the most vulnerable and at risk.
Because of your kindness and generosity. We are in a position to continue to help these children.
HMP Edinburgh
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
Forthcoming Deadlines
Order of service for next week: Thursday at 8.00pm.
Next Grapevine: Friday 26 June at 6.00pm.
Please send submissions to the Church Manager, William Mearns.
Phone: 0780 801 1234 or email:
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.
WHO’S WHO IN MAYFIELD SALISBURY
Interim Moderator
Revd Neil N. Gardner
Locum Preacher
Revd Helen Alexander
Pastoral Assistant
Kay McIntosh DCS
Youth Worker
Hillary Leslie
Church Manager
William Mearns
Organist
Kate Pearson
Choir Leader
Walter Thomson
Session Clerk
Charles Garland
Treasurer
John Graham
Gift Aid Donations & Roll Keeper
Hugh Somerville
Ecotip: Make a positive decision to avoid commercial greetings cards; use electronic ones or make your own.
Social Media
www.facebook.com/MayfieldSalisbury
www.youtube.com/user/MayfieldSalisbChurch
www.flickr.com/photos/98063709@N06/
www.mayfieldsalisbury.org Scottish Charity Number SC000785
Copyright Notices
BROTHER, SISTER, LET ME SERVE YOU WANT Richard A. M. Gillard (b.1953)
Reproduced from CH4 CD-ROM edition, number 694
Words: (c) 1977 Scripture in Song (a division of Integrity Inc.) Administered by CopyCare Ltd, PO Box 77, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3EF, United Kingdom. <
CHRIST IS ALIVE! LET CHRISTIANS SING Brian Wren (b.1936)
Reproduced from CH4 CD-ROM edition, number 416
Words: (c) 1969, 1995, Stainer & Bell Ltd, PO Box 110, Victoria House, 23 Gruneisen Road, London N3 1DZ
Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church holds a CCLI Streaming License: #88916.
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
