Online worship: Sunday 9 August 2020

 

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:

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Preparing for Worship

‘Dear God, be good to me.
The sea is so wide and my boat is so small.’

Breton fisherman’s prayer

 

Welcome

 

Call to Worship

From hillside to lakeside
Jesus meets the needs of his friends.
Always surprising them and us
with his words and actions.
Always responding to our needs,
always there for us.

We gather to give thanks and praise
to the one who loves and cares for us.
We offer ourselves and this time
and invite Jesus to surprise us once more.

We come here to meet Jesus,
the one who is full of love.
We come to hear his word,
the word that is full of surprises.
We come to grow in faith,
the faith that is strengthened and renewed every day.

 

Hymn 124    Praise to the Lord

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
praise God, my soul, for in him are your health and salvation;
come all who hear;
into his presence draw near,
joining in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who in all things is wondrously reigning,
shields you from harm and is gently yet firmly sustaining.
Have you not seen
how your heart’s wishes have been
granted by God’s wise ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who with blessing and power will defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you;
ponder anew,
what the Almighty can do:
God will for ever befriend you.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the Amen
sound from God’s people again:
gladly for ever adore him.

Words: Joachim Neander (1650-1680),
transl. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)
Tune: Lobe den Herren

 

Opening Prayer

Lord we come before you today as your people,
thankful for your great and abiding love,
shown again and again down the ages.
We praise you, faithful God,
for mercies new with each morning.
We come before you because you have called out to us,
not because we are good, or pure or holy,
but because you are.
You come to us walking on the water, proclaiming peace when
we feel anything but peaceful.

Somewhere in our fear, in our finitude,
we decided that we must be water-walkers
to earn your love.
Forgive us when we step out of the boat to test ourselves,
to test you, to shore up our faith, our egos, our fear.
Forgive us, God,
and renew us to be your people.
Make us one, and reassure us in our true identity
as children of the One who is above all things.

On this the first day of a week that will see children and grandchildren return to school, calm anxieties and give wisdom to those entrusted with keeping children safe.
In this, the week of International Youth Day, may the God of dreams and visions, enable us to dream creatively and to hear the dreaming of others – young and old in our community.
May we be open to new ideas, dare to share visions,
be encouraged to hope.
Challenge us to make more safe places for each other
especially when we see other people scared.
Make us bold in our loving, less afraid of failure,
and more accepting of the dynamic dance
of faith and doubt;
wind and waves;
life and eternity.
Amen.

 

Old Testament Reading    Psalm 105: verses 1-6 (NRSV)

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

 

New Testament Reading     Matthew 14:22-33 (NRSV)

Immediately he [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

 

Hymn 540   I heard the Voice of Jesus say

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon my breast’:
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting-place,
and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink, and live’:
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘I am this dark world’s light;
look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright’:
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk,
till travelling days are done.

Words: Horatius N. Bonar (1808-1899)
Tune: The Rowan Tree

 

Reflection

 

Anthem      Melody:  Iona Boat Song

From the falter of breath,
through the silence of death,
to the wonder that’s breaking beyond;
God has woven a way,
unapparent by day,
for all those of whom heaven is fond.

From the dimming of light,
through the darkness of night,
to the glory of goodness above;
God the Spirit is sent
to ensure heaven’s intent
is embraced and completed in love.

From today till we die,
through all questioning why,
to the place from which time and tide flow,
angels tread on our dreams,
and magnificent themes
of heaven’s promise are echoed below.

Words: John L. Bell and Graham Maule
Music: traditional, arranged by Andrew Carvel

 

Prayers of Intercession and Lord’s Prayer

Lord we bring to you our prayers for others. Jesus asks us to join with Him in the work he is already doing in your world.

In a world which, for many, feels turbulent and uncertain and when life feels like it might capsize, call your peace, O God, over the wind and waves.

We pray for greater wisdom and responsibility in our stewardship of this earth and all that threatens it. May the world community answer your call to share resources to alleviate poverty, injustice and disease.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer

We pray for all who travel with us in our family, among our friends and within this community. We pray for deepening awareness of our need for one another and of your image in the hearts of everyone we meet. We pray for those who feel isolated or lonely. May they experience a voice calling out to them, and a hand reaching out to pull them up.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer

We pray for those injured in the devastating explosion in Beirut and for those who lost loved ones. With the port destroyed, and food supply disrupted, may international aid be meaningful and reach those most in need.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer

Loving God, we pray for those whose lives are troubled by illness, grief and those who care for them. We pray that your light will shine to bring them the assurance and hope they need. We ask for your comfort and peace to be with all who mourn. We remember at this time those known personally to us and those who have requested our prayers (short silence)

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer

Merciful God, we thank you for your promise to hear our prayers.  Strengthen our faith in that promise so that our lives might proclaim your love, mercy and goodness and when the wind and waves get high and threaten to overwhelm us, help us remember Jesus’ words: “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together 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

 

Benediction

Jesus, you are the Son of God.
Even the wind and the waves, the stormy seas,
are calmed by your Spirit.
We might never walk on the surface of the water,
as if immune to life’s troubles,
yet, neither do we need to sink.
For you, Lord, are with us.
Your hand is upon us.
Your love is for us.
Your commitment to us is endless.
Thanks be to God,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
today and always.  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
Reader: Sally Evans
Prayers of Intercession: Cath Reid
Vocal ensemble: Eleanor Cozens, Eleanor Wilson, Caitlin McGillivray, Drew Crichton, Andrew Carvel
Piano accompaniment: Eleanor Cozens
Director of Music: Brigitte Harris
Communications: Alison Bruce and Susan McLarty
Service produced by Andrew Carvel

 

Image: The great wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849); Wikimedia Commons

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