Welcome to the online service of worship for The Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity 2020   

The YouTube playlist may be found here     Or view below.....

  

MAYFIELD SALISBURY PARISH CHURCH

EDINBURGH

Sunday Services of Public Worship: 10.00am
Worship Online from 8.00am Every Sunday

Sunday 18 October 2020

 

Nineteenth after Trinity

 

Without this—there is nought—
All other Riches be
As is the Twitter of a Bird—
Heard opposite the Sea—

I could not care—to gain
A lesser than the Whole—
For did not this include themself—
As Seams—include the Ball?

I wished a way might be
My Heart to subdivide—
'Twould magnify—the Gratitude—
And not reduce—the Gold—

Emily Dickinson

 

         

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

 

 Welcome  The Revd Helen Alexander 

Good morning to the members and friends of the congregation of Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church and welcome to all who are joining in this worship online for the 19^th Sunday after Trinity.

Last Sunday in church I invited the congregation to remember all the members and associates who would be listening to the service online and today I’m doing the reverse: inviting you who are tuning in now to remember friends who will be in church this morning – either in Mayfield Salisbury, or any other church at home or abroad. We are part of a great and diverse company: something to celebrate in the difficult and sometimes lonely days of the current pandemic.

So in a spirit of solidarity with our brothers and sisters all over the world, I invite you to join me now in a short period of silence in preparation for worship.

Scripture Sentences

Jesus said: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength…. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth.

 

Let us pray

We seek to join our spirits to the Holy Spirit of God in offering our praise, our gratitude, our sense of belonging in the belief that however fragile our faith, the fragments of it will be caught up in that great web of worship and thanksgiving that connects our prayers to the source of all being and blessing.

In the power of the Spirit  of truth we make our confession: of things gone wrong; of all we regret and desire to leave behind; the good we have failed to do and the wrong we may have committed, trusting in the kindness and forgiveness of divine love.

Through the agency and grace of the Holy Spirit, we seek assurance of that love, the will to make amends as and when we can, and courage to face the future with renewed confidence and hope.

In the strength of the Spirit that is our comfort and our stay, we seek the grace of that comfort now for all that assails our spirits and causes us anxiety and fear. We pray for quiet minds and steady hearts that our lives may reflect the heart-beat of heaven, and that whatever our situation and circumstance, we may know the inner grace of the peace that passes understanding.

Eternal God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we seek to live in that peace, that we may be open to the world and to all that comes to us today and in the days that lie ahead; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 

The Collect -Said by all

Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us your gift of faith, that forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to what is before, we may run the race according to your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

  

Children’s Address  Hillary Leslie

Good morning friends! I’m really happy to be back this morning, sharing some time with you. I hope you’ve all been doing well and are enjoying the beautiful autumn weather we’ve been having. I hope you’re able to get outside this week over the October holidays and enjoy the beautiful colours of the trees!

Do any of you like dancing? What type of dancing do you like? Have any of you ever taken a dance class, or learned a dance in school? There are so many different types of dancing: Ballet, hip-hop, ballroom dancing, ceilidh dancing. . .just to name a few!

In Edinburgh, there are different adult classes put on by the council throughout the year and I decided to try out salsa dancing! Have you ever heard of salsa dancing? It’s a beautiful and upbeat dance that is popular across Latin America and is made up with a combination of Puertorican, Dominican and Cuban dance moves.

I was really nervous to take this class, but also really excited! I hadn’t taken a dance class since I was a teenager and I was worried I would make a lot of mistakes and look silly. And

guess what? I DID make mistakes – a lot of them! But my dance teacher was supportive and loving and helped me figure out where I turned a different way or lost the beat.  She didn’t get angry or frustrated that we weren’t getting the dance right; she was patient and kind. Even though it took us awhile to learn the dances, we had so much fun! Dancing brings so much joy and happiness!

This morning we’re singing the song ‘The Lord of the Dance,’ and every time I sing it, I picture Jesus as my dance teacher, doing some sort of an Irish jig. I picture him showing me the moves to make so that I can follow in his footsteps. Just like in my salsa class, I don’t always get the moves right, but Jesus is right there loving and supporting me, and helping me when I forget what to do next. Following Jesus’ dance moves is joyful, too, even though it can be really difficult sometimes! Jesus teaches us how to dance through life – how to find joy, how to love others, and how to follow in his footsteps remembering all of the wonderful things he teaches us.

When you sing this song, or the next time you take a dance class, I hope you will remember Jesus leading us all in this beautiful dance of life. I hope that it brings happiness to you, and that you remember even when you fall down or lose the beat, Jesus is always there to help you up and show you the right moves.

Let’s close our eyes and prayer together:

Dear God,
Thank you for our friend Jesus,
And the way he teaches us to dance.
May we follow his dance moves,
Learning to love better every day,
And finding joy in all things.
In Jesus’ name we pray – Amen!

 

HYMN 404     I danced in the morning     Lord of the Dance

I danced in the morning
when the world was begun,
and I danced in the moon
and the stars and the sun,
and I came down from heaven
and I danced on the earth --
at Bethlehem
I had my birth.

Dance then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe
and the pharisee,
but they would not dance
and they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen,
for James and John --
they came with me
and the Dance went on.

I danced on the Sabbath
and I cured the lame,
the holy people
said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped
and they hung me on high,
and they left me there
on a Cross to die.

I danced on a Friday
when the sky turned black --
it's hard to dance
with the devil on your back.
They buried my body
and they thought I'd gone --
but I am the Dance
and I still go on.

They cut me down
and I leapt up high --
I am the life
that'll never, never die.
I'll live in you
if you'll live in me,
I am the Lord
of the Dance, said he.

Played by Kate Pearson sung by Stuart Mitchell
Sydney Bertram Carter (1915-2004)
Words and Music: (c) 1963, Stainer & Bell Ltd, PO Box 110, Victoria House, 23 Gruneisen Road, London N3 1DZ

WE LISTEN FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN SCRIPTURE

  

Reading      Isaiah 45: 1 – 7         NRSVA     Wendy Mathison

  

Reading      St Matthew  22: 15 – 22       NRSVA       Kay McIntosh DCS

Reflection   Revd Helen Alexander

For the meek and mild Jesus of popular piety, substitute a more robust version, at least for today: the sharp-witted and shrewd Galilean teacher, one step ahead of his opponents with whom, so the Gospels tell us, he frequently clashed.  There’s nothing inimical to Christian faith in identifying and calling out game-playing.  And game-playing was the order of the day in the little episode in today’s Gospel that reads like a tight piece of drama.

Jesus is teaching in the temple precincts. At first his opponents ingratiate themselves with flattering talk about his devout integrity and his perceived lack of concern for rank and social position. It’s a strategy as old as the hills: ‘I do like this about you…. and this…. and this;  BUT’  - a very short word with immense potential for belittlement.

After the flattery, Jesus’ adversaries come in for the kill with their question. What is his advice to his own people who are citizens of an occupied country? Should they pay the annual poll-tax levied by Rome on every adult male, or is it their duty as devout Jews to withhold it? If Jesus counselled against paying the tax he could be denounced as collaborating with the rebel zealots against the authorities to whom he could be reported. If he recommended paying up, he might be accused of being in thrall to the hated occupying power, and could lose his reputation among the ordinary people to whom his ministry and mission were directed.

Jesus’ masterly response was to ask to see the coin used to pay the tax.  He was presented with the silver coinage bearing the image and inscription of the Roman Emperor rather than the alternative currency which did not, and which the same Emperor allowed for day-to-day commerce, as a concession to the religious and cultural scruples of the Jews. That they were able to produce the pagan coin apparently quite easily in the temple meant that it was readily available to them even there: dirty money in God’s holy house, some might have said. This compromised their position and highlighted their hypocrisy since at least some of them were religious leaders noted for their supposed scrupulosity.  

Then comes the final turning of the tables in the form of one of the best known phrases in the New Testament, made memorable for those of us brought up on the King James Authorised Version of the Bible as “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

This trips off the tongue quite nicely; but it isn’t without complexity. On the face of it, it might seem to advocate a sharp division between the secular and the sacred; the things of the world and the things of God. Such an approach is beloved of those who don’t want religion to mix with politics, whether they come to this view from a position of avowed antagonism to religion, or from a precocious sort of unworldly Christian piety.

One can hardly assume that Jesus the Jew supported a rigid division between sacred and secular. Apart from anything else, it was almost impossible to separate politics from religion in those days. Of the many instances of the intimate relationship between political power and faith in ancient Israel, today’s 1^st Lesson from the Book of the Prophesy of Isaiah is one of the most striking: the pagan King Cyrus is honoured as the very arm of God in his deliverance of the people from their subjection to Babylon. No matter that he was to them a pagan with no devotion to the Jewish God; he could be used for good, and was thus revered.

And aside altogether from its Jewish roots, the supremely incarnational Christian faith means that life in all its aspects has the capacity for the blessing of God and the potential for transformational change, including the sometimes unlikely worlds of politics and cash. For it’s true to say that all things are of God really.

So might “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” be too misleading to hear other than as a rather splendid poetical line? I think we can go deeper than this. I suggest that the phrase can remind us of the danger of elevating anything in our finite world to a position of ultimate value. This would then make that thing as if it were God which no thing, even the most worthy can be.  Perhaps this is one of the greatest practical values of good religion: to remind us of the penultimate nature of all that we know and even hold very dear, and of the danger of rendering the penultimate ultimate. Knowing that it is impossible for us to grasp the ultimate, but that none the less we’re called retain some sense of it, may help us to keep everything else in its place. There will of course be good and worthy causes; and good and worthy politics. There are good and worthy leaders, and some who are quite blatantly not so.  There are times, no doubt, that the proper Christian response to extreme arrogance and totalitarianism will be resistance, sometimes at great cost. Think of the bravery of the members of the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany who stood against Hitler. Have you ever wondered what you’d have done – or not done - in such a circumstance?

Happily perhaps such momentous decisions aren’t asked of us. Throughout the world today, however, people of all faiths and none are called upon to make decisions about whether or not to take a stance in appalling circumstances. They deserve our admiration, our support and our prayers.

In the day-to-day ordinariness of our lives however, the message from our text today would seem to centre on the importance of holding onto the capacity for judgement in all things, and the willingness to weigh up the merits or demerits of any of this world’s allegiances against the backdrop of eternity: focussing on the immediate while looking above or beyond (or whatever spatial metaphor you might like to use) and using that perspective to inform activity and opinion.

An ornithological illustration might help: birds with an eye on each side of their heads, familiar to us as they look for grubs in the garden, are so made that they can focus intently on a particular piece of ground with the one eye, while with the other at the same time scanning their surroundings beyond for danger. Both eyes are crucial, and the scanning one is essential to the safety and welfare of the bird.

As human beings we have the mental capacity to focus our attention and our energy on a proximate concern, cause, or obligation, sometimes very necessarily; and at the same time to look beyond towards a wider perspective -   and to let that wider perspective inform what we do and how we do it. We might well take a lesson from the birds!

 

RESPONSE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN

 

Thanksgiving and Intercession    Revd Helen Alexander

We make our prayer for all who are anxious, unhappy or afraid, thinking of any known to us even as we pray for all who are unknown, seeking for all some peace of heart in these troubling times, some healing of spirit, some tranquillity of soul.

We pray for people cast adrift from family, from community or from their homeland:

those whose lives are of necessity focussed on survival above all else;

those who are desperately ill and literally out of touch with those they hold most dear;

people who have lost all joy, all hope, all faith.

We think of suffering people in Syria, Iraq, Yemen who may have slipped below the consciousness of the West as we focus on ourselves.  We think of Nagorno-Karabakh and the conflict there; and all places on the earth where divided loyalties, ethnic differences and troubled history threaten to destroy hopes for a tolerant, hopeful future.

We pray for the United States of America in these tense and divided days; and for the Continent of Europe and the United Kingdom as discussions reach a conclusion for our departure from the European Union, against the backdrop of a virus that knows no national boundaries.   

We seek wisdom for our leaders, integrity of purpose and the capacity for thought as they seek to shape our lives at home and abroad.  

And remembering United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty held yesterday, we pray for the poor of the earth: all who try to scratch a living from barren soil; those who are crammed into sprawling camps and crumbling insanitary dwellings; those who don’t have anywhere at all to live; those caught up in a spiral of need and deprivation. And we pray especially that those of us who are rich in possessions and resources may join commitment with our prayers to helping and supporting those in need, near at hand or far away. 

We pray for the church across the world in all its diversity of tradition and practice, praying that her life may reveal and not obscure the light that shines from Jesus Christ her Lord; thinking of the church in this city; and of this congregation of Mayfield Salisbury, giving thanks for all ongoing devotion and service, and praying for projects and organisations that are supported here, and for all hopes for the future. We pray for members, friends and associates near and far; those we may not have seen for some time, people who remain in our minds and hearts.

We pray for all we love, giving thanks for them and for those we have loved and lost and love still; rejoicing in the Communion of Saints in heaven and on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The Lord’s Prayer

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 182    Now thank we all our God    Nun Danket

Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

Oh, may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever-joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
who reigns in highest heaven --
the Father and the Son
and Spirit -- now be given:
the one, eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Martin Rinkart (1586-1649)
translated Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878) (alt.)
Played by Kate Pearson
Sung by Walter Thomson

 

BENEDICTION   Revd Helen Alexander

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you
And the blessing of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all.

AMEN    Full Choir

   

 

INTIMATIONS

 

CHANGE TO SERVICE TIMES As a date for the diaries of those who wish to attend worship in the sanctuary,  Session has recently approved a change in the time of worship to 10:15am. This will take effect from Sunday 1 November.  It is something which we will keep under review, but it’s hoped that as we approach the season of shortening daylight hours the extra time will be of benefit. 

 

GIFT SERVICES 2020    During ALL of NOVEMBER, you may bring your donation to the Sunday morning service when a decorated box will be available in the West Vestibule (ie as you enter by the one-way system). In addition, a member of the team will be available on Wednesday mornings throughout November in the Newington Room between 10am - 11am to receive your contribution. 

Two of the recipients of our gifts are Simpson House and Gilmerton’s Early Years’ Centre. 

Simpson House needs art materials such as felt tips, playdoh, paper, plasticine, pencils, sharpeners and rubbers, for its work in the Sunflower Garden and toys for children up to and including 15. Items like lego, toy cars, playmobile, dolls, craft sets (Eg: starting to knit), sports accessories and footballs are welcome. 

Gilmerton Early Years’ Centre sees under-fives. Duplo, play doh, shape sorters, bath toys, floor jigsaws, colouring books with pencils and push-along toys are some suggestions. 

I’m happy to talk to anyone who is still stuck for an idea.    Many thanks,  Anne Graham 667 6331 

 

THANK YOU FOR OUR PRESENCE AT THE SERVICES. Today the online children’s talk and the Scriptural readings at both services are given by members of the Christian Aid Committee. The church will be open at 9.45 on Sunday mornings for those who have booked to come to the service.

Please note that there may be member(s) of the congregation who are exempt on health grounds from wearing a mask. If this applies to you, it would be helpful if you wear a lanyard or badge. If you would like to bring a cushion to place in your pew, please feel free to do so but do take it home with you. There will be a receptacle at the door as you leave the building for those who wish to make an offering.

At the close of the service, please remain in your place until stewards invite you to leave, and maintain social distancing as you leave the church premises. If you wish to speak to Helen Alexander or Kay McIntosh, you are asked to indicate this as you pass them. They will join you on the pavement once everyone else has left.

Booking system

Phone: On Wednesdays, from 11.00am to 1.00pm, you may reserve a space by phoning the Church Office (0131 667 1522).

Internet: We would encourage anyone with internet access to use the Eventbrite booking system, which will be open from 4pm on Wednesdays. The system can be accessed from our website via this link: www.mayfieldsalisbury.org/attend

 

STAFF HOLIDAYS   William Mearns, Church Manager, will be on annual leave 15 to 30 October inclusive. Hillary Leslie, Youth Worker, will be on annual leave 18 to 31 October inclusive.

 

CHRISTIAN AID AUTUMN APPEAL

Today, as part of our Harvest/Creation Covenant Sunday, we will be thinking about the work of Christian Aid and its Autumn Appeal.

In Nicaragua, the farming community of Santa Rosa has grown coffee for generations. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America, and many grow coffee as their main source of income. Now, their future looks more and more uncertain. Angela Zelaya is a farmer in Santa Rosa. She explains: ‘With climate change, the coffee suffers and we’re losing more every year.’ At the same time, coffee prices have fallen globally. Angela is worried. ‘It will be a total disaster for us because as farmers, growing crops is how we survive.’ But there is hope. Facing this crisis has brought the community together to work as a local cooperative to share resources and knowledge. The cooperative is supported by Christian Aid’s local partner, Soppexcca. One of the main ways they are helping farmers protect their livelihoods is by shifting from coffee production to climate-resistant cocoa, helping people like Angela to secure a better future. Angela says: ‘With the cocoa project, we received loans and cocoa plants. The technicians visited us and told us what to do. We also received tree saplings to help shade our crops. The income from the cocoa crop means we can buy clothes, medicines and food.’

When ordinary neighbourhoods come together, they can create lasting change. Around the world, many of our global neighbours living in poverty continue to face crisis in its various forms. Love knows no distance. This autumn, Christian Aid is asking supporters to reach out to our global neighbours and help more communities overcome crisis. We are encouraged to:

• Give to help communities around the world come together to overcome the crisis of poverty. 

• Act by calling for the cancellation of debt repayments for low-income countries during the coronavirus crisis.

• Pray for our global neighbours facing crisis in all its forms.

To find out how you can be involved, or to make a donation to the Autumn Appeal, please visit the website at www.christianaid.org.uk. Donations can also be made by telephone on 020 7523 2269.

The Chrisitian Aid Committee would like to thank members of the Mayfield Salisbury congregation for their consistent support and generosity.

 

ONLINE OFFERING / DONATION The Church is very grateful to all those who give by standing order enabling us to maintain a large portion of our income through these difficult times. We now offer the ability to contribute to our work electronically through the ‘give.net’ facility which appears on the home page of the Church’s website. This provides the possibility of adding Gift Aid to donations. There is also a direct link to the new system which is: www.give.net/20311853                  With best wishes, Hugh Somerville, Free Will Offerings Treasurer

 

E-MAIL INFORMATION LISTS

Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church maintains several email lists to help distribute information throughout the congregation. Stay up-to-date on news, programs, and events at Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church with our email listsThe 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 youthrelated 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 list The parish magazine, Grapevine, which is sent out seven times per year in PDF format.

If you sre interested in receiving any of these emails, please email me direct at the address supplied. If, after reflection, you change your mind I can remove your address from the list quickly - just let me know. Your information is secure and will not be shared with any third party. All emails are sent out privately to you only in a bcc’d (address not visible to others) email.  William Mearns Church Manager 0780 801 1234  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Forthcoming Deadlines

Order of service for next week: Thursday at 6.00pm.

Next Grapevine: Friday 30 October at 6.00pm.

Please send submissions to the Church Manager, William Mearns.

Phone: 0780 801 1234 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

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Copyright Notices

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.

Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church holds a CCLI Streaming License: #88916

 

Images – Some courtesy of Pixabay

 

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Youth Instagram: the.msyg

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Scottish Charity Number SC000785