Online worship: Sunday 7 June 2020

7th Jun

Welcome! Please click on the play button (the triangle) in the sound file above to listen to Sunday worship from St Andrew’s and St George’s West, Edinburgh.
You can download a PDF of the Order of Service here or just follow it below:

Trinity Sunday and First Sunday after Pentecost

Preparing for Worship

You are the One who was, and who is, and who is to come;
The One who uttered, and the Word and the Breath;
The Loving Mother, Loved Child and Enlivening Love;
The Burning Flame, the Light and the Nurturing Warmth.

Welcome

Call to Worship Thom M. Shuman

Called to be faithful stewards of creation, we come in worship:
To sing to the One
who has created all that is good and beautiful and true
and who has shared everything with us.

Called to be disciples of Christ we come to learn:
To follow the One
who meets us in every moment of our lives,
in every place we find ourselves.

Called to proclaim the Good News of Easter, we come
to be taught by the Spirit,
who moves in and through us
as we serve the world.

Opening Hymn 96: You are before me, God

You are before me, God, you are behind,
and over me you have spread out your hand;
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too high to grasp, too great to understand.

If I should take my flight into the dawn,
if I should dwell on ocean’s farthest shore,
Your mighty hand will rest upon me still,
and your right hand will guard me evermore.

Words from Psalm 139
Music: Alfred Morton Smith (1879-1971)

Opening Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

God in Community,
Holy and One,
You are the Eternal Mystery
that enables, enfolds, and enlivens all things.
All our attempts to name you cannot encompass you.
It is enough that you encompass us.
We cannot fully plumb the depth of your relationship with us.
It is enough that we are known and wanted and loved
by One infinitely more loving than we can ever be.

We thank you that you are not a distant God,
but a God who has walked the journey with us from the beginnings of creation.
We rejoice that you gave us the gift of being formed in your image.
We recognise the responsibility that carries.
How often we deface your image in thought, word and deed,
and through our silence when others are dehumanised or diminished.
We confess the many times that we have fallen short.

We are assured that you forgive all those who turn from sin in sorrow
and that you long to re-create and restore all of humanity.
God of grace, continue to reshape us,
so we better reflect the blessings you bestow,
through lives lived in service to others.
It is with that desire that we pray the prayer that Jesus taught saying:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us in the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:3 NRSV (redacted)

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” … And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good… And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so… And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created… And God saw that it was good…. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so… And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”……And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Anthem: Gloria from Jean Kleeb, Missa Brasileira (2016)

Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Translation:
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace, good will to all people.

Reflection: Creation

Mine is the sunlight;
mine is the morning,
born of the one light
Eden saw play!
Praise with elation,
praise every morning,
God’s re-creation
Of the new day!

Reflection: Re-creation

Hymn 141: Oh, the Life of the world

Oh, the life of the world is a joy and a treasure,
unfolding in beauty the green-growing tree,
the changing of seasons in mountain and valley,
the stars and the bright restless sea.

Oh the life of the world is a fountain of goodness
overflowing in labour and passion and pain,
in the sound of the city and the silence of wisdom,
in the birth of a child once again.

Oh the life of the world is the source of our healing.
It rises in laughter and wells up in song;
it springs from the care of the poor and the broken
and refreshes where justice is strong.

So give thanks for the life and give love to the Maker,
and rejoice in the gift of the bright risen Son,
and walk in the peace and the power of the Spirit
till the days of our living are done.

Words: Kathryn Galloway (b. 1952)

Prayers of Intercession

Creative Spirit, we pray for our world,
a world which longs for the breath of your renewal.
Where exploitation of the natural world
and disregard for ecosystems and diversity of life
destroy the mutual flourishing you intended.

Renew creation, by your Spirit of Life.

You are the God of community,
the God of equal regard.
You created all human beings in your image.
We lament when compassion and justice is withheld,
when people are disregarded or devalued
because of race or gender or any other means.
Strengthen your Church to reflect your face in the world,
and to speak up for others who face oppression.

Renew creation, by your Spirit of Love.

As lockdown eases,
we pray for those who are fearful of starting again:
of going outside,
of returning to school or college,
those who do not want their loved ones put at more risk.
In the noise of different opinions
give your guidance and peace.

Renew creation, by your Spirit of Wisdom.

We pray for those whose spirit is drained by grief and loss
and those who comfort them.
Give strength to those who are weary:
through over-work
or no work
through caring for others
or prolonged isolation.
We pray for those cut off from family,
from neighbours,
from You…

Renew creation, by your Spirit of Peace.

We pray for those known to us who are in special need of our prayers at this time.
We remember them now in the silence of our hearts…(silence)

We give thanks for the renewal of creation we see in everyday acts
of kindness and mutual respect,
where people draw strength from one another
where compassion and justice are valued,
and gifts are shared.
We give thanks for your never-ending work of restoration,
your ongoing re-creation of a new day.

Renew creation, by your Spirit of Hope

Use our gifts,
so that the Church reflects your likeness;
a Community of Love,
through Jesus Christ,
at One with you,
Creator and Sustaining Spirit.

Amen

Benediction

We are the Church!
We follow where the Spirit leads,
Daring to be risk-takers as we go.
We are filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit!

May the blessing of God, Creator and Giver of Life,
the Son, Life of God incarnate,
and the Holy Spirit, bearer and power of new life among all people,
be with us now and forever. Amen.

Sung Blessing: The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you
And give you peace.

Minister: Rosie Magee
Director of Music: Brigitte Harris
Readers: Evie Simkins and Michael Petersen
Prayers of Intercession: Lynne Donald
The Choir of St Andrew’s and St George’s West, directed by Brigitte Harris
Vocal ensemble: Eleanor Cozens, Eleanor Wilson, Caitlin McGillivray, Drew Crichton, Andrew Carvel
Violin and cello: Joanna Stark
Percussion: Michael McLoughlin, Caitlin Monaghan
Double bass: Simon Toner
Piano accompaniment: Jamie Lang and Eleanor Cozens
Communications: Alison Bruce and Susan McLarty
Service produced by Andrew Carvel

Photograph: Frances Cooper

Hymns used under licence from CCLI 247862
Streaming licence 351013

St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church of Scotland Edinburgh. Charity SC008990
www.edinburghnewtownchurch.org.uk