A warm Welcome to Worship on Sunday 1st August

Words of Welcome

Opening Hymn 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 hearts’ 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.

Opening Prayer

As if there were no other time

As if there were no other time

Be present here Oh God

In all your fullness

In all your goodness

In all your purpose

In all your desire to transform us

Because there is no other God

Because there is no other life

Because there is no other redemption

Bring us into full reliance on you

Trusting in you alone

Believing in you alone

Hoping in you alone

Because there is one Lord

Because there is one hope

Because there is one baptism

Unite us together

With all your people

On earth and in heaven

Forgive us our sins

Our grasping moments of mistrust

Our self-justifying moments of pride

Our narrow minded moments of self-interest

Our desire to privatise faith around our own small gods

Our desire to avoid the challenge of a faith which draws us into justice and solidarity with all who are oppressed

Our desire to steal from our children – the coolness of the skies and the cleanness of the seas

Forgive us all these things

And in the silence now we confess

Silence

And now let us know that we are forgiven,

AMEN

Reading Ephesians 4:1-16

Unity and maturity in the body of Christ

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:

‘When he ascended on high,
   he took many captives
   and gave gifts to his people.’[b]

9 (What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Sermon

One

Ephesians 4:1-16

This morning, we are going to engage with a passage in Ephesians 4:1-16.  And I want to say a little of how we are going to do this.   Often with a passage I will try to find one or two or three (one can never get away from three points) angles and distill some kind of essence.

This morning I am going to take what is sometimes called an expository approach, to go through each verse in turn, or perhaps one or two verses, and two explore how this verse adds to our theme.

But if there is one word that I would like to unify everything that gets said here today, it appears in verse 5-7 of Ephesians chapter 4.

There is

One body and

One Spirit, Just you were called to the

One hope, which belongs to your call

One Lord

One Faith

One Baptism

One God, and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all

If there is a central idea here, it is that there an essential unity between

• The kind of community the Ephesians are, and the kind of God, that God is

In other words, people should be able to look at the life of the Ephesians, and say

     “God looks like?  What does God look like?  God looks like them?”

And an essential unity between the Ephesians and the Ephesians

• The Church should be characterised by its unity.  Unity in a Church is not a thing you try and get after you have got all the truth sorted out.  Or a thing that you sort out after you have sorted out the membership.  Lets get the kind of members who are going to be right, and we’ll unite with them.  No unity is where you fo first

And an essential unity between the members of Ephesians and Jesus Christ, in particular in Ephesians, Christ who is the head, and the members who are the body, growing together in love.

So it’s possible that you could see a world where the kind of community that the Ephesians are, and the kind of God who God is, and you would say two, they are different, but no, they are to be ONE.

And it is possible that you could have a world where the Ephesians went to the same Church services as each other, but essentially in heart and concern, they were two.  But Paul says, no.  When you look at these people where, I don’t want to see 100, I don’t want to say 10, or 3-4 groups, or two sides, I want to look at these people here, and the first number that comes into my head is the number “ONE”.

And what about the Ephesians and God.  This is one where we can every easily just say “One”.  We are used to language which talks about us being one with God.  About being in Christ.  But just let that sink into us for a moment.  This is the gospel.

When we look at the story of Adam and Even humanity from God, we look at humanity and God and say “two” or perhaps “three”, but in this passage, that number is “one”

When we look at the story of Moses going up Mount Sinai, to meet with God in the cloud and the fire, we would say perhaps two, or three, but in this passage, that number is “one”

When we look at the story of Jesus and the disciples, all the misunderstandings, all the moments of not getting it, the running away at the end, when we think of ourselves and Christ, we think, “two” or “three” but this says “one”.

Or when we think of the images that we have been given of God, either in Sunday School or in singing of hymns, or in BBs or GBs, or deep in our psyches where God becomes like a fearsome figure of condemnation or guilt or begrudging acceptance, we think of ourselves and God, we say “two”, but this passage here says “one”

Or when we think of our struggles with self-acceptance, or our struggles with our mistakes, or our deep sense of inadequacy, or our failure to become in life what we had wanted for ourselves, we look at ourselves and Christ, and we say “two”, a very far apart “two”, but here we are being invited into a story which says “one”.

So the first thing I would like us to do this morning, is to think of the challenge of that number one, and how it embraces us into the quality of our life, the bonds between each other, and closeness between us and Christ, and says to us “one”.

Therefore

Now I want to pull us back to the first verse of this entire passage.

It’s “therefore”.

In English the first word is often, “I” but that’s just to get the grammar to work.

In Greek, it’s a “Therefore”

“Therefore I”

Now one is often taught when studying Paul, a good rule with “therefores”

Whenever you see a therefore,

You need to ask, what is the therefore

There for.

What is the therefore, there for?

Therefore’s are connection between what’s gone before, because it is essential to get you into what goes after.

And that may seem obvious,

But in this passage the point has to be made.

So what comes before the therefore?
 

What comes before are really three things

1. Firstly a statement by Paul that he’s in prison, but don’t worry about this, because God is using this

2. God’s love is wide, and long and high and deep – what we spoke about last week

3. God can do everything, it’s in this magnificent song of praise to God at the end of Ephesians 3

“now to him who is able to do abundantly more than all we ask or think, be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever, AMEN”

So you’ve got three things before

• You might feel like you’re in prison, but he might still be using you

• God’s love is huge that the only metaphor we can use for it is space itself

• God can do much more than we even ask or think

Therefore,

Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called.

And the reason that the Therefore is important, is that often we try to do the last bit without the first three bits….

We try to do the

“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called” which is a high statement of living up to a voice which has called to be something,

And we try to do it without

• An understanding that trying circumstance can still be fruitful circumstance, and so we become beleaguered, rather than curious and hopeful that even this can be used

We try to do it without an understanding of the bigness of God’s love, and instead do it in an understanding of small love, therefore, it is not long before we are condemned or abandoned by God, and what is the point

And we try to do it without an understanding of the power of God, and so we think that whatever circumstance or pattern we are in is beyond God, that the dungeon we are in is inescapable.

And we might finally say that the guy who is saying this is in a Middle Eastern 1st Century prison, if anyone has earned the right to say, none of these things work, it’s him, but he’s saying this to us

Walk in that manner with the therefore, with the knowledge that even prisons can be fruitful, that love is huge, that God is able

And now do the walking, walk in the manner worthy of the calling to which you were called.

Which you were called when you first perceived that God might have made you

Which you were called when you first sensed God asking you commit to him

Which you were called when you sense that God might be asking you to move to a certain place, or a certain work, or a certain relationship

And walk in this therefore.

Connection

And the final thing is also a one.

Because if you look at the passage here, Paul is asking that in our life in community we continually connect the story of Christ, with the life that we lead.

When he talks about calling, actually the calling he talks about is not to a post, or a place or a status, he talks to a posture of humility.

In fact not just any humility, but all humility, every single bit of it

And not just to gentleness

But to all gentleness.

In fact the whole community is a striving to be a kind of unity, a kind of humility, a graciousness that has the courage not to put itself forward because it believes that God has done everything. 

It is a community which invested in its together,

Because it believes that the big story of God, the big language of God,

Needs a community which embodies these things,

In the way that it looks out for each other

In the way that it is characterised by the way of Jesus

Paul is not asking for the best strategy here

Paul is not asking for the numbers

He is asking for one

He is asking for this community to do something that no pagan ever thought was a thing to strive for

To be humble

And gentle and peaceful

To count each part of supreme value.

And this connects with the big story of God,

So suddenly Paul launches into a story about Jesus ascending to heaven

And leading a host of captives

And handing out gives

And ascending and descending

In rhetoric the like of which we see in John.

And we hear of gifts being given of Apostles and Evangelists and Prophets

And Pastors and Teachers

And do you notice that the first three of these gifts

The Apostles, the Evangelists and the Prophets

Look out,

The the last two

Pastors and Teachers look in

This story of Christ

These big gifts

Are all for this

That this community grows as a community that looks like Jesus, each one of us on a journey to looking like Jesus, a journey that is individual and communal

And all of this so that we look like a body

When “each part is working properly, builds itself up in love”

Do you see this connection, between the big story of God, the story of Christ,

And the story of this community – which is humble and united and gentle and peaceful

This is what we are called towards

The story is one

That we are one

And that us and Christ together are one

This is our calling

Let us lead the life to which we are called

AMEN

Hymn Hymn 739 The Church’s one Foundation

The Church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the word;
from heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

Called forth from every nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation:
one Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
and shares one holy food,
as to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.

In toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war;
she waits the consummation
of peace forevermore,
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great Church victorious
shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth has union
with God the Three in One,
and mystical communion
with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee

Prayer for Others

Oh Lord,

We pray to you

Knowing that you hear our cry

We cry to you

For this virus still ravages in India and in Brazil

And threatens us here in the UK

For the courage of politicians

For treatments which cure

For commitment to halt the spread

For the spreading of information and the end of lies

Lord hear us

Lord hear our prayer

We cry to you Oh God

We cry to you for our communities of faith

That we would live with true community

That we would welcome in the stranger

That we would contend for truth in a world where fleeting pleasures are prized

We pray for our Churches that they would be Churches without walls

Places of true community

And also now we pray for those whom we love

Those grieving

Those unwell

Those carrying great burdens on their shoulders

For these we now pray…

Silence

And now hear us we pray in the words which Jesus taught us

Our Father in heaven

Hallowed be your name

Your kingdom come

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts

As we forgive our debtors

Lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory

AMEN

CLOSING HYMN Hymn 182 Now thank we all our god

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.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever-joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to 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. 

BLESSING

May God who is one

Hold you as one with him,

Nothing ever to separate you

May God who is one

Hold you as one with those you love

The Spirit’s bond between you

May God who is one

Draw you ever nearer

Into the image of Jesus Christ

In the name of the Father

And of the Spirit

And of the Son

AMEN

Dear Friends,

All the service details are in the table at the foot of this email, in summary our gathered worship is as follows:

·      9:30am Weem – Communion Service led by Neil Glover

·      10:30am Strathtay – led by Isi Watt

if you are planning to attend, please contact Andrew Calder  -andrewcalder17@icloud.com by Saturday morning please

·      10:30am Aberfeldy –Communion Service led by Neil Glover

Please let Annette know if you’re planning to be there – annette.macdonald@aberfeldyparishchurch.org  by Saturday morning please. Annette will then confirm your place by email.

      You can also reserve your seat using the website -www.aberfeldyparishchurch.co.uk

·      10:30am Zoom – the usual log in details (see below) for live streaming of the Logierait service

·      YouTube –usual login details (see table below) with Rev. Neil Glover

Jean Cameron

Sadly, Jean died 10 days ago. She was probably one of the oldest residents of Aberfeldy, previously in Foss and Rannoch. She reached the grand old age of 104!

QR Codes

If you attend any of our church buildings, you will know it is now a requirement to sign in for ‘Trace and Protect’ Scotland’.

QR Codes are those funny black and white ‘codes’ we are becoming accustomed to in this age of Covid! The QR code can be scanned with smart phones, this system helps the administration so much easier.

We are now encouraging everyone with a smart phone to take it to church (if you have one). Do not worry - old fashioned paper and pen are still in use!

Banana Box Trust

Lillian McKenzie is collecting spoons for Malawi, pudding, or soup, to give to children in schools to help them eat their daily porridge more easily. If you have any spare ones lurking in your drawers, Kate Scott would be happy to store them until we have collected a pile.

For details on the project please see the link below. If you do have any spare spoons I will happily put you in touch with Kate

http://bananaboxtrust.org/

REHIS Food and Health – is this of interest?

REHIS Food & Health training is expected to be completed prior to attending a Community Cookit programme, these are now being delivered through another training course on Tuesday 7th September, 9am - 5pm in the Steele Room, Perth Royal Infirmary. If you would like to book a place, please contact TAY.tnffnctraining@nhs.scot

​

Best wishes

Judy

​

YouTube Services

led by Neil Glover

Sunday onwards

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpA-Ianua69JOCtTV2zBDxw

Traditional Dial-In

Sunday morning onwards

Dial 01887 440446

Zoom Service

This will be the Aberfeldy Service led by Neil Glover

10.30am

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9205989200

or Zoom from tablet or phone:

Zoom meeting room 920 598 9200

Password  - 316316

Dial in

One tap mobile

+442080806592,,9205989200#,,,,*316316# United Kingdom

+443300885830,,9205989200#,,,,*316316#
 

​

In person worship

Under the current guidelines for Level 0 restrictions

·      Church Hymn books and Bibles cannot be used at the present time. Please take your own or a copy of the weekly service sheet if your Church is planning to follow this.

·      No ‘lifts to church ‘should be in operation unless you are in a ‘bubble’

·      Congregational singing can resume (hurrah!) with a mask

Although the restrictions below look somewhat forbidding it is a necessary condition of opening the doors that due diligence is undertaken and apologies for the restrictive tone are hereby tendered.

• PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND IF YOU HAVE COVID SYMPTOMS

• Please bring your own Bible

• Your details will be taken for the NHS ‘Trace and Protect’ programme

• Everyone is required to wear a face covering inside the church building

• Always observe 1m safe distance inside the church building

• The service will last between 30-40 minutes

• Children are welcome but there are no crèche or Sunday school programmes running just now. We are working to provide for younger people over the coming weeks and months

• Refreshments will not be served at this time

• Access to the kitchen area is restricted to minimise our post-service cleaning regime (Aberfeldy Parish Church)

Breadalbane Community Larder – Update

As you may know, Breadalbane Community Larder has been Aberfeldy Co-op’s ‘FoodShare’ partner since March 2020, taking ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ food which would otherwise be thrown away or sent to their bio-digester.  We continue to collect these items and have this food available outside the rear of our new premises at Offizone on Kenmore Street for people to come and help themselves during Larder opening times (11.00 am - 12.30 pm each Saturday).

We are currently piloting an extension to this FoodShare initiative, and anyone can access the FoodShare table located at the rear of the church anytime day or night (except during funeral services). All items either have damaged packaging or are past their Best Before date. The key aim of this initiative is to reduce food waste which in turn protects the environment. We all have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the current climate crisis and this is one small way we can help.

Alongside the ‘FoodShare store’ on a Saturday morning, customers can come to the Larder (at Offizone) and collect items from the stock indoors, for a nominal fee. This reduces the stigma and helps maintain customer dignity.

Emergency deliveries of food parcels will also continue. This service can all be accessed by calling ‍0345 ‍30 111 00 Monday to Friday 9.00 am – 5.00 pm.

If you know of anyone struggling to make ends meet, please let them know about the support provided by Breadalbane Community Larder.

The Larder is a joint initiative of several local churches and also involves members of the local community.  If you would like to be involved, please contact the team on 07513 ‍652597 or email breadalbanecommunitylarder@btinternet.com

Some non church activities are beginning to resume in Aberfeldy

·      Aberfeldy Alcoholics Anonymous – Aberfeldy Parish Church, Lawers Hall

Tuesday 7.30 – 9pm (Please note, this announcement reflects a change in day and time)

Contact – Pat - 01887 820936

·      Aberfeldy Quilting Group – Aberfeldy Parish Church, Lawers Hall

Thursdays - 11.am – 1pm on a fortnightly basis.

Contact Jane – 07771641390 or Annette - 07736384035

Support

We recognise that for many the current restrictions and uncertainty can make life very stressful. The ministry team are able to offer pastoral support, but for a few this may not be enough. Perth and Kinross Council have an excellent directory of services. You can type in:

Perth and Kinross Mental Health Directory 2020 or hit the hyper link below.

https://www.pkc.gov.uk/media/46386/Mental-Health-Directory-of-Services-Covid-19/pdf/Mental_Health_Directory_of_Services_Covid19_(1).pdf?m=637353449218700000

Contact details

Neil’s email -  nglover@churchofscotland.org.uk

Neil’s mobile – 07779 280074

PA – Judy Ewer – judy.ewer@adwgls.org.uk

Mobile – 07836 565528

July Online YouTube Services

08 – Neil – on location

15 – Margaret –Weem

22 – Neil – Strathtay

29 –Neil - Aberfeldy

Judy Ewer

judy.ewer@gmail.com
07836 565 528
 

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