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St. Mungo's Services
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Relive
a favourite service and sermon from 2019 from this list of services
To hear one
of our 2018 services, covering up to Christmas Day 2018 click HERE
| 2019 |
Topic and Theme |
CHRISTMAS 2019
Christmas Eve Services - 24 December
 The
Family service at 4.00pm took us on the journey to Bethlehem and the
birth of Jesus through a series of carols, video and readings. We lit
the fourth Advent candle after watching an alternative version of 'four
candles'
 The watchnight evening service at 11.30pm
attracted the adults and young members of our congregation
and others from across Penicuik churches and beyond. Through carols,
readings, and video we heard the story of Christmas, leading to the
lighting of the fifth, Christ candle as the clock passed midnight
into Christmas Day.
| CHRISTMAS 2019
Advent heads north on Fourth Sunday - 22 December
We headed north to celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent, to the North Kirk for a joint  service,
with members of St. Mungo’s, South Church, and St. James the
Less, joining the the resident North Kirk members for the service led
by Rev Graham Astles.
Graham called us to worship and led
us into the opening hymn, the well known ‘Oh come all he
faithful’. The St. Mungo’s members noted the change in the
order of service, from what they would expect in their home sanctuary.
The notices were read out before we introduced ourselves to others in
the congregation, as part of the ‘welcome time’.
The advent candle was lit, as we sang hymn 282 ‘Christmas is coming’, followed by a prayer.
Singing
‘Mary’s Boychild’ preceded our bible readings, Isaiah
7 v10-16 from the Old Testament, and Matthew 1 v18-25 from the New.
Peter Wood presented the sermon after we had sung ‘Turn your eyes
upon Jesus’.
 Peter
titled his sermon ‘Down to such a World as this’. The
theme was Jesus being born into a world that was full of sin and a
‘mess’. He told us that people in Fife and East Lothian
would both have a less than happy Christmas, following a lorry spilling
tons of Brussel sprouts in the former, and another spilling a shed load
of  Christmas trees in the latter. What a mess! Christmas can be like that, love and danger, complications.
We
heard of Peter's friend Laura, who try as she may could not find a
'life partner' to share her life with. After many years of searching
she was introduced to Ken. The relationship blossomed and they
eventually married. The journey to welcome children in their lives
suffered many false starts, to the point they thought it was never to
be. Then recently Laura fell pregnant and they both were looking
forward to their first child. But all was not smooth, with Ken being
diagnosed with cancer. Both Laura and Ken only wanted a orderly planned
world, but found themselves caught up in a 'messy' situation.
 Mary
and Joseph were in a similar position. Mary pregnant, but not to
Joseph, and the repercussions of this on both Mary and Joseph. The
scandal, and even blasphemous, when the child was to be the son of God.
The angels appeared to an anguished and pained Joseph, to explain how
he would love a woman he did not understand, to protect a baby he did
not father, to accept an heir that was not his son. He would be
the talk of the town, though not in a good way.
God's messy
plan of salvation required Joseph, a calm cautious ordered person, to
choose what he feared most, a 'messy' uncertain situation. Peter tells
us of more 'messy' stories from the
bible.
In
closing Peter asked that we, here in Penicuik, are given the strength
to not be afraid when we are presented with fragile, messy situations.
During the offering we listened to the musical group sing
‘what a Beautiful Name’ (The Name of Jesus), after which we
all joined in the praise.
Prayers of thanksgiving were
followed by that great carol ‘Good Christian Men Rejoice’
followed by the Benediction.
The social time after the service, as at St. Mungo’s gave us all time to chat and enjoy a cup of tea.
No recording was made for this service at the North Kirk | Third Sunday of Advent & Nativity - 15 December
 Our
third Sunday in advent started with young Finlay Jackson, assisted by
dad, lighting the third candle. Agnes Ovenstone introduced the nativity
play that took the 12 days of Christmas song to tell the wonderful
story of the world's biggest birthday party.
The congregation
all knew the song, but this version changed the words to form a
'Pop-Up' version. Agnes explained that a Pop-Up play is
spontaneous, where nobody is too sure what happens next! Read the full story here
 John
continued the 'nativity' theme focusing on the three wise men. or Magi.
Mentioned only in the book of Matthew, we have a picture of how we
think these men looked like, but how many travelers from the east is
not told to us . But why did they come from so far away to Bethlehem?
What drove them to discover the baby Jesus? The answer was Belief.
Early Christian believers associated with the Magi, following and
believing in Jesus. The Magi's gifts were accepted as they journeyed
from death to life, being accepted worshipers. We saw early drawings
from the Roman catacombs with inscriptions 'Severa In Deo Vivas'
translated to ' Severa (the person in the grave) May you live in
God'. Often there would images of the Magi included, as in this drawing.
We
followed the imagery of the Magi through the ages. In one painting we
see the three depicted in figures from the three continents, as seen by
their different skin tones, Asia, Europe, Africa. This was the known
world at the time. God was universal over our world. John explained why
the gifts of Gold Frankincense and Myrrh?
| Second Sunday of Advent - 8 December
 Continuing our journey through advent we
saw Katie Jackson light the two candles on our wreath at the start of the service, followed by our Call to Worship.
At
the informal time John asked who had seen the Christmas John Lewis
advert, with a featuring a friendly dragon. Our video 'There's a dragon
in my Nativity' also featured a dragon, but this one was far from
friendly. This was a very unfriendly dragon indeed, putting fear into
everyone, under his piercing eyes.You can watch the video at www.youtube.com We hear how the newborn child was the knight, bringing love where there was fear.
Opening
the sermon John asked who enjoyed murder mysteries, Hercule
Poirot, Ian Rankin, Inspector Morse, were some of the responses from
the congregation. John had been listening to a radio story 'Whose
Body'. The story follows an amateur sleuth, who has to puzzle out whose
body is found in someones bathroom. John switches to another mystery,
this time from the apostle Paul. This mystery we cannot reason out
by ourselves. God has to reveal it to us, with a message of Hope.
| First Sunday of Advent - 1 December
 We
opened this first Sunday of Advent with Charlie Sprott lighting our
first advent candle, and the choir introit
'Come now prince of peace'.
John
opened the informal time with a challenge for the congregation. He
brought along four items which we had to identify, remember, then work
out what they all had in common. A scrabble for paper and pencils could
be heard before John revealed the first item.
 It
was a book, that was easy, but the title was difficult to read, so what
kind of book? John's wife Rebeca came to the rescue to say it was a
dictionary, a Spanish dictionary. John then asked us what a dictionary
does. Joan replied it explains the meaning of words, in this case
Spanish words. The explanation was also in Spanish! John recalled when
he was learning Spanish, but he also had the benefit of a real person
teaching.
 The
second item held up was identified as a cook book, full of recipes.
John asked if we had tried a cook book recipe, only for it to turn out
all wrong? Cookery programmes have a real person telling, and showing
us what to do.
 Third
on the list of items was a Christmas card, which we send greetings to
all our relatives and friends. However it is much more satisfying and
rewarding to talk to them face to face if you can, John adding 'Real
people are better than words on paper'
 The
last item was a bible. It tells us how God made everything, and how it
all went wrong, because we are all sinners! But it is also is a message
of love, God loves the world, giving his only son, that we may be saved.
The
final question was, 'What do these items have in common?' They give us
information, through communication by words. But God didn't just use
just words, At Christmas he came in person, as a human being, to join
with us. He loved us so much he died on the cross, and rising again, to
forgive us our sins.
'If you want to know what God is like, look
at Jesus', was John's opening sermon statement. Building on the earlier
readings, and observations from Tom Wright, we hear more about
God through Jesus.
| For yours is the glory - 24 November
 For
the informal time Margaret Barry, a recent member of St. Mungo's, was
asked by John to share how that came about. Margaret explained that she
was coaxed back into church by her friend, and St. Mungo's member,
Christine Jackson. Soon after attending St. Mungo's Margaret took a
place on an Alpha course, which she reported as a 'life changing
experience'. "It was like coming home again" said Margaret.
The
sermon was the last part, concluding our series on the Lord's
Prayer: 'For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory Amen'. We
heard how it appears in the Lord's Prayer at all. John took us on a
short journey through history to the 1st century, to find the answer.
It did not appear universally in the prayer across the western
Christian world, returning much later to when John Calvin
reintroduced the line in the 16th century.
Our service included the sacrament of the last supper, holy communion.
| Lead us not into temptation - 17 November
 The
informal time introduced two new recent members to our church
congregation, Margaret Connon and Annette Heary, both who have been
worshiping with us for some time.
 Margaret
told us of her early life in Rosewell, and how she came to faith,
starting in her childhood. She told us how her faith had supported her
through a difficult childhood  and then as an adult.
Annette,
originally from Edinburgh, recalled her early experience of church, in
her home,there being no specific ' church' in her area. She explained
how her faith grew from those early years, eventually joining Davidson
Mains church and becoming involved in the work of the church. Annette
is glad to be back in a church, as she said 'back home'. John led
the congregation in a prayer for both Margaret and Annette.
John's
sermon continued our study of the Lord's prayer, Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.' We have looked at the need for
our daily bread , and to forgive
other people.However we hear that the path will not be easy if we are
to be a disciple of Jesus, and we should pray that we are not led into
temptation. We hear also of the trials that we will be faced with on
our journey.
| Remembrance Sunday - 10 November
St.
Mungo’s welcomed over 200 people from the British Legion, our
armed forces, air cadets, Scouts Association, Girl Guiding, Boys
Brigade, Penicuik Athletic, and civil dignitaries, in addition to our
normal Sunday morning congregation. Sir Robert Clerk Bt, OBE, Lord
Lieutenant of Midlothian was representing Her Majesty the Queen. The
British Army was represented by Lt Luke Allwood of the Royal
Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland. This
year marked the 100th anniversary of the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended the Great War in 1919.
The Rev John Urquhart led our worship,
with music provided by Penicuik Silver Band.
| Forgive us our Debts - 3 November
 John set the scene for the Sunday service during the informal time, with a story from TearFund.
A
man, who we will call Joel, who lived in Nigeria, saw lights from a
neighbouring village. Looking closer it became clear the village was on
fire. A dispute over land ownership had seen armed herdsmen attacking
the village. Joel, only 21 at the time, believed the herdsmen were
coming towards them too, so gathered his family together, his two
brothers, mother and father.
The father, having only one
leg, was unable to leave so the rest ran from their village,
separating in different directions when they heard gunshots. Joel and
his brothers escaped, but both his parents died in the attack and their
home burned to the ground.
 As
many villages were ransacked Joel and his brothers fled across the
border into what we would call a refugee camp, meeting some 6000
fleeing souls. So many people in one place, harboured disease and lack
of care. One of Joel's brothers succumbed to typhoid. The arrival of
the care agencies quickly taught the people how to use clean water,
prepare food and treat the sick.
 Joel's
brother recovered and with the help of the care agencies who provided
the basic essentials that they had lost, enabled Joel to carry on. He
had lost his parents, and now alone but as a Christian, prayed to God
to restore his mind, help him move on with his life, to help him forget
the terrible past, and offer forgiveness. But it was very painful.
Jesus taught us that we can be forgiven, but we must also be ready to forgive, though that can be a most difficult thing to do.
In
the sermon John took the line 'Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our
Debtors' from the Lord's prayer, recalling the reading from Matthew
read earlier. While Mark refers to debts, Luke refers to forgive our
'sins' as we forgive our debtors. In English sins and debt have
different meanings, but in Aramaic, which Jesus would have spoken, they
meant the same thing. We hear that forgiveness is freely given, as
Jesus died for us on the cross. Hear how forgiveness is at the heart of
the gospel message.
| The Good Samaritan - 27 October
Our
service took the parable of the good Samaritan in several ways. The
congregation were amazed by the display of knitted hats, gloves,
scarves and blankets, all made or  supplied by members of our
congregation. Coordinator Christine Jackson told us
how overcome she was by the number on display, over 550.These will
go to Blythswood Care for their Shoebox Appeal, heading to Eastern
Europe and Pakistan, bringing a bit of Christmas cheer during a time of
bitterly cold weather. Read the full story. John then followed this introducing a video of the work of Blythswood Care
 Then Agnes Ovenstone talked
of the other knitting challenge, to knit the octopus, Calamari
Shanarri, or Cal for short, part of the  Crossreach programme. Each of the eight legs has a wish, safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured,
active,respected, responsible, and included (shanarri). Many
will go to children in need, with some going to our Messy Church
children.
Our visitor Pete Cuthbertson from Crossreach led the
sermon. Pete built on the good Samaritan readings we had heard earlier,
relating it to the Church of Scotland Crossreach programme of
social care. We heard of the work Crossreach carry out, through the
story of Stacey, a girl plagued by bullying and self harm, and how
Crossreach helped her recovery. Read his Full Story
 These three stories embody the
gospels of the good Samaritan, as preached by Jesus, Christians helping others in their time of distress.
John took the sacrament of the last supper, holy communion.
| Our Daily Bread - 20 October
  John
introduced the informal time talking about Ginger the family pet
rabbit, before asking the congregation if they too had any pets, or
liked animals. This led to a quiz showing animals that would appear in
todays readings. We saw a wild donkey, the first to feature in our
reading, who wander the desert, and how
God gives them water to drink. We moved on to a rock hyrax (not a
meerkat..), a stork, a lion, ending with a Leviathon, a mythical sea
monster. All the creatures on earth look to God to provide food.
John finished the story with a video.
In
our study of the Lord's prayer we have covered the first three things
we should ask for, to do with God's mission and purpose in the
world. That God's name should be made holy, that God's kingship
would come, and that God's will would be done, on earth as they do in heaven. We now look at three
things we should ask for, to do with our needs; the need for bread, for
forgiveness, and for protection from evil. We looked at the first 'Give us this day, our daily bread'. What does this mean?
| Thy Will be Done - 13 October
 Returning
to the study of the Lord's prayer, John progressed to the line 'Thy
will be done'. He opened the informal time with a rendering of a
good news / bad news joke. In the gospel there is also good news, and a
bit of bad news.But this time it is not a joke. The good news is that
God is all good, nothing sinful can be around him, so we can always
rely on him.  However
the bad news is we have all sinned! Jesus, as the son of God had no
sins, but he took our sins, and gave us God's forgiveness.
In the
sermon John explored what is meant by 'God's will', First it means,
God's overall purpose and plan, that we can see, and celebrated in our
call to worship. Secondly it means God's command to us, how God
tells us how to live, e.g. to love one another and to forgive. Hence
the line 'God's will may be done on earth'.
| Harvest Thanksgiving - 6 October
Worshippers
arriving at the church on Sunday 6 October found the sanctuary
decorated with the fruits of the harvest, in preparation for the annual
Harvest Thanksgiving service, all donated by church members,and
visitors.
Introducing the theme of harvest John thanked all who contributed to todays service, and that all the food donated would be divided between, Food Facts Friends
foodbank and drop in centre, which operates out of St. Mungo's church
hall every Monday and Friday, and the North Kirk Foodstore
 John
used the informal time to host a short quiz. Heather Nicholas  and Susan
Wong volunteered to take part, with Susan donning a blindfold, before
trying to guess the fruits and vegetables that heather could see but
was only allowed to describe, but not name. The congregation were
simply bursting to shout out answers, to tomatoes, corn on the cob,
apples, peas and many more. For their labours and being good sports,
Heather and Susan were each awarded a banana, plus applause from the
congregation.
Fruit and vegetables not only keep us
healthy but can also help  people find a safe place to live, and stand
up to injustice. John introduced us to Mathi, a young 6 year old boy,
who lives with his mother in Tamil Nadu in the southern tip of India.
We
heard how Christian Aid had helped Mathi and his mother, along with
another 4 women in need, land to farm, and raise income, overcoming the
injustices that they had been suffering. The work is hard but the fruit
and vegetables taste so much better, and sought after to purchase by
local people, when the harvest comes. Mathi treats the farm a shis
home, a place of safety with his mother and her friends.
 In the
sermon John took the tale of Naboth and his vineyard, which was being
looked upon enviously by King Ahab. The king was wanting the vineyard
for growing vegetables, so he offered Naboth another site to replant a
new vineyard. What did Naboth think of that idea? In israel at that
time land was 'owned' by God and given to the family, where it was to
remain through the family generations. If Naboth sold the land to the
king he would  offend not only God, but be robbed of his inhertance.
King
Ahab sulks when he hears Naboth's refusal. Ahabs wife Jezebel reminds
Ahab that he is king, he is the law. However in Israel even the king is
not above the law. Hear how the Jezebel causes Ahab to commit
injustices to take Naboth's land, and how such injustices continue to
this day.
| Thy Kingdom Come - 29 September
 John
introduced the third episode in our study of the Lord's Prayer, during
the informal time, moving on to 'Thy kingdom come'. A video, 'Gospel of
The Kingdom'. from the Bible Project was used to explain the line,
through books of the old and new testaments. We hear about Jesus, the
king who defeated death with his love.
The sermon
continued the theme, posing the question 'What is the Kingdom of God,
and the Kingdom of heaven?' Do they mean the same thing? the book of
Matthew may be able to help.
The service included celebration of Holy Communion.
| Hallowed be thy name - 22 September
 The
service welcomed visiting members of the Doicese of the Church of North
India, Dr. Miku Foning and Rev Nirwan Subba. Miku told us about the
diocese and the link with Scottish missionaries. Click the link to
read the full story and listen to Miku's talk.
 John
continued his series on the Lord's prayer, which last week started with
'Our Father'. This week he was looking at 'Hallowed be thy name'. We
hear how people often say the Lord's prayer backwards! This may
sound strange, but some Psalms start that way. What does it mean?
Jesus gives us a pattern, including three petitions about God. The
first is 'Let your name be hallowed'. John refers to the rearlie
readings to explain what this means.
| How to Pray - 15 September
John
used the informal time to talk with a recent new member, Heather, her
background, and what brought her to God and become a Christian. Heather
told us of her  experiences being
a Christian. Also joining as a new member was Liz, both being welcomed
into our church. John's door is always open to receiving anyone who
wishes to join our church.
 In the sermon John referred to the movie 'Gravity', and the role of Sandra Bullock, as
American astronaut who is stranded in space after the destruction of
their Space Shuttle, and their attempt to return to Earth. How
she tries to pray to God, having never prayed before. He took up the
reading from Matthew and how Jesus taught us how to pray. Over the
next few weeks John will be looking at sections the Lord's prayer, at
what Jesus is teaching about prayer, through the Bible. Today we look
at the first thing Jesus says, how you should pray.
| Forgiveness and Reconciliation - 8 September
 John
used the book of Philemon to illustrate today's theme
'forgiveness and reconciliation' Before the sermon John set the scene
where Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, carried by Onesimus, Philemon's
slave, who had fled from, but was returning to his master.
Paul
does not identify himself as an apostle, but as "a prisoner of Jesus
Christ". He addresses Philemon as "fellow labourer" and "brother."
Onesimus, a slave that had departed from his master Philemon, was
returning with this epistle, with Paul asking Philemon to receive him
as a "brother beloved".
 Philemon
was a wealthy Christian, possibly a bishop of the house church that met
in his home in Colosse. This letter is now generally regarded as one of
the undisputed works of Paul. It is the shortest of Paul's existing
letters, consisting of only 335 words in the Greek text.
John
talks of Philemon, and the number of slaves he 'owned', not unusual for
that period in time. We hear what Philemon's reaction is to the letter
received, and how Paul sent it not only to Philemon but also to be read
to the people in his church. Paul asks Philemon to treat Onesimus
like a brother. Treat a run away slave as a brother? This is not what
would be expected by Philemon's colleagues and friends. They would
expect Onesimus to be given the most lowly and demeaning tasks as
punishment for running away. Hear how Philemon struggles with this
dilemma.
| Healing - 1 September
 For
the theme healing, John used the story of Jesus healing a woman on
the sabbath, who had been crippled for 18 years. When challenged by the
synagogue official for healing on the sabbath, Jesus calls him a
hypocrite.
The sermon continues the theme of Jesus's wonderful acts.
| Holy Mountains - 25 August
 John opened the informal time with a quiz, identifying  mountains
from around the world. He had the congregation scratching their heads,
starting with an easy one, Ben Nevis. You will see the others as he
introduced the reading for today, about two mountains. Mount Sinai
where God spoke to Moses. Mt Sinai has a health  warning,
not only because god is god, but we are not what God intended us to be,
sin. We often think we are more important than God. But God can make a
way for us, and Mt Zion represents the way for us, Jesus, who forgives
our sins.
John continues the theme based on mountains exploring Mt Sinai, the mountain at which the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God. and Mt Zion at Jerusalem..
| The fire of Jesus love - 18 August
 John used
the example of Ludwig van Beethoven music when playing to people who
had little interest in music. He would play a slow movement, lulling
people into a false sense of security, only to bang the piano with his
arm at the end of the performance, signalling to the audience that
there is joy and pain in subtler ways through his music! We hear
how Jesus used a similar style to break through perceptions of what God
was doing in Israel at the time.
In the sermon John
looked at fire, starting with the mythical Presbytery arsonist!
Fire gives warmth, light, while cleanses and purifies. We hear the
explanation of the readings from the gospels of Micah and Luke.
| Sunday Service - 11 August: Holiday Club
The congregation of St. Mungo's was swelled with the visitors from all the participating churches
to celebrate the end of a week of the
Holiday Club, many with children   who had taken part in the past weeks
club. The service celebrated God's kingdom, through the activities ,
song, prayer, and stories from the Holiday Club.
The
celebration service was led by Rev John Urquhart of St. Mungo's and Rev
Graham Astles of the North Church, assisted by members of the Holiday
Club team, wearing red tee shirts. Our Waste Watcher 'Rubbish Team',
Sheila Anderson and Sandra Stewart, dressed appropriately in yellow
hi-viz jackets opened the service
| Is life fleeting? - 4 August
John
introduced Agnes Ovenstone who took the informal time to talk about
Crossreach, a Guild project for 3 years. Agnes shared the challenge
with the congregation, explaining the origins of Crossreach, 150 years
ago.
Care in Christ's name, providing social care, which
continues to this day. The challenge for the 150th anniversary is to
knit 150 of the childrens wellbeing toys 'Calamari Shanarri', or simply
'Cal', an octopus. Each of the eight legs has a wish. Agnes tells us
about the octopus wishes, safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured,
active,respected, responsible, and included.
John's sermon
started with James Bond, where he ends up using air from a tyre valve
to breath when his car dives underwater. He likened it to the earlier
reading from Ecclesiastes. The book tells us to fear God and obey his
commands, and how to enjoy life and unlock its mysteries. John explains
the meaning of the book, how life is fleeting, but we can rely on
the God who keeps His promises.
| The importance of time - 28 July
 The
Rev John Urquhart returned from his well earned holiday to lead the
service and monthly holy communion on Sunday 28 July. Time was
the theme in the informal time,.  The
children helped John tell the time by identifying lunch and bed time.
We also saw a conductor 'beating' time, before being shown a famous
clock on Princes street with a fascinating fact. Its always the wrong
time! We hear why it is always wrong. The apostle Paul tells us
of making the most of time. Do we make the most of the time God
gives us?
 The
sermon continued the theme of time, with the factory hooter calling
workers to start work, followed by the 'toy' watch. We hear from our
earlier readings of the prophet Isaiah meeting King Hezekiah and the
time sundial, or stairway, and the importance of time. We hear how God
and our use of time are interlinked.
This service included the monthly communion.
| Leadership and monarchy - 21 July
 Rev
Stephen Manners completed his time with us, continuing with the book of
1 Samuel. The call to worship opened with a reference to the UK
monarchy, and the future king. Will it be  Charles
or William? Stephen then asked the questions 'Who do we think should be
king of the UK?' 'Who would make a good king?' In this world of
celebrities and the 'selfie' are we in danger of following 'populist'
leaders. We know the answer who is King, but for the people of
Israel they wanted a visible king. God was in charge, but the
Israelites wanted a king, to be like everyone around them, to be
their leader. We know that God is King in our lives, and Jesus is
King of our hearts.
 The
sermon started with 'How should we be ruled?' Are we citizen or
subject in the country we live, using ourselves in Scotland as the
example. The people of Israel wanted a king to rule over them, the
current leaders and judges being corrupt. Samuel was not corrupt,
obeying God and what he said, though his sons were, being in it for the
money. Samuel was old and the Israelites wanted a king to lead them, to
lead them forward. Israel at the time was a theocracy, with judges and
priests who dictated policy, interpreting what God is saying. We hear
how Samuel feels he has failed God, but is told it is not his
failure. Stephen then explores the dichotomy between political
leadership and monarchy.
| Where do we get help from? - 14 July
 Where
do we get help from? This was Stephen's opening question on Sunday 14th
July. Rev Stephen Manners was again leading our service while our own
John Urquhart was away on holiday. Who helps us in our time of need?
Could it be a neighbour, friend, or a member of our family? We all need
some help throughout our lives, but today Stephen would be talking
about turning to God when we need help, that the Lord will help us.
 We
continued the book of Samuel and took up the story when the Philistines
took the Covenant back to their god of Dagon. However their people were
struck by the Lord with tumours. Moving the Covenant box to other
cities resulted in the same punishment on the peoples. The  Philistines
gods could not save them from the Lord's power. The people wanted the
covenant returned to the Israelites to rid themselves of its curse upon
them. We heard how Samuel told the Israelites to banish all other gods
and worship only the true Lord. As the Israelites gathered, so did the
Philistines arrive to once again strike their enemy. God brought a
great disturbance, causing the Philistines to retreat. The Israelites
followed and destroyed the Philistines, knowing they had the power of
God with them.
Stephen recalled in his sermon how the Israelites
felt God had abandoned them when they lost the Covenant to the
Philistines. How often do we think God has abandoned us when we are in
trouble? How do we bring the Lord back into our lives, like the
Israelites who turned away from their other gods to worship only the
Lord. But we do not have other gods in our lives. In the age of
'selfies' and social media, are we in danger of worshipping ourselves?
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Our relationship with God - 7 July
 Stephen
Manners led our service on Sunday 7 July and started his sermon with childhood recollections of Philistines and the
war with the Israelites, and the bloody losses of some 4000 Israelites.
Where was God in their time of need they asked? They thought
that if they had the Ark of the Covenant then they will have the power
to win over their enemies.
Do we ask the same questions of God when we are in trouble. Like the
Israelites do we want God to be present with us, as with the covenant
box?
Stephen referred to the Nazi's in Indiana Jones film, where they thought having the covenant box
meant they would have the power of God. This is worshipping the symbol, the
covenant box, rather than the true God, the covenant box becoming the
physical God. So when the Israelites lost the covenant box they
thought they had lost God.
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Elijah - Encounter with God - 30 June
 During
the informal time John
spoke of people who had encounters with God. Mary and sister Martha had
an encounter with Jesus, and in Jesus we encounter God. We hear the
story of their brother Lazarus, and how Jesus missed his funeral. We
hear also of Moses encounter with God at mount Sinai, and finally
Elijah's  encounter. The bible reading continues Elijah's story after
overcoming Baal, that we heard of last week. and his following
despondency.
 John followed the story in his sermon, asking 3
questions. 'What did Elijah think was going to happen after the contest
with the prophets of Baal?' nothing appears to have changed, and Elijah
runs away, despondent, having failed. The second question is 'What did
God do for Elijah?' Finally 'What can we learn from Elijah's
experience about God?'
We celebrated our regular monthly communion as part of this service
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Elijah - champion of the real God - 23 June
 John
used the informal time to introduce the Old Testament prophet
Elijah, who championed the real living God in the face of 'convenient'
gods like Baal. We hear how Elijah addresses King Ahab, raising the
kings anger, and the following drought. How does the real God resolve
this situation?
 In the sermon John followed on the story of Baal. The contest between Eijah and the real God, and  Ahab and the 'convenience' god Baal. Ahab was so sure his god would resolve the drought.
John
spoke about the three prayers. The prayers of the prophets of
Baal, which went unanswered. The public prayer of Elijah, simple,  concise,
and his trust that the real God will respond. Finally the private
prayers of Elijah, which God eventually answers, sending the rain to
end the drought.
We are then asked to think about our own prayer life, how we should never give up asking God for help.
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Child of God - 16 June
 The
'Child of God' theme for the service on Sunday 16 June was led by Fiona
Devoy, a member of Liberton Kirk and a Reader in the Presbytery
of Edinburgh. She was leading our service while our Rev John Urquhart
was preaching in the Rev Graham Astle to his new charge at Penicuik
North Kirk.
This Sunday was not only Trinity Sunday, but also
Fathers Day. Fiona brought these two occasions together by focusing on
families.
 Fiona
introduced the 'We are all God's children' using a quiz at the informal
time. Here we were presented with a range of 'who are they?' questions,
opening with 'Who was the first family?' Mum and Dad fell out over some
fruit, and other clues. Most guessed at Adam and Eve. The questions
became more difficult, but the point was 'What can we learn about
the families in the Bible?
For her sermon Fiona expanded on   the
'Families' theme, raising the question what the perfect family
looks like? The media attempt to present us the perfect family
for holidays and Christmas, but does everything run smoothly in a
family? Not usually. Some are extremely dysfunctional, but most
are somewhere in between. Fiona went on to explain what it means to
belong to a family, and being a a child of God, belonging to the family
of God.
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The Day of Pentecost - 9 June
The
Christian holy day of Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after Easter
Sunday, and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in
Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of
the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31).
 During
the informal time we heard Gordon MacDonald relate a chance
encounter with a visitor and the 'lose it' of his Try Praying booklet
which is now on the far side of the planet. John presented a video of
'Life to the Full' which describes how it's great to catch up with
friends and share food. But there's more to life than eating and  drinking.
There's more to life than natural needs and wants. Our hunger for love,
significance, and happiness is a universal human experience. How can
you live life to the full? Watch the video
 For
the sermon John took up the reading from Acts, where
the disciples were together in Jerusalem after Jesus'
Resurrection and return to heaven, fearful because he had left them. On
that morning, however, “there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them". They were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues. Crowds of
visitors were in Jerusalem, speaking many languages, but the disciples
of Jesus moved among them and spoke to them all, and “every man
heard them speak in his own language” about “the wonderful
works of God.” Peter then made a powerful speech to the crowds in
the city, and many were baptized as new followers of Jesus.
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Approaching God in prayer - 2 June
 Continuing the
Try Praying theme John invited Isabel Donnachie to talk of her
experience, working as a volunteer at the Food Facts Friends foodbank
which operates out of St. Mungo's church hall. We heard how an
encounter with a woman looking distressed drew Isabel to take a
copy of the Try Praying booklet to her, only to find the woman did not
know how to pray. Isabel explained how to approach God in prayer,
and tell Him of your worries and fears. The book offers guidance and
help to take that first step speaking to God. Did Isabel's
outreach help? Only God and the woman know the answer to that.
 John's
sermon took the book of Acts, which shows how the good news of
Jesus transforms the lives of people. We have heard in past weeks
about Paul in Philippi, and Lydia, who was attracted by
the good news of Jesus. Today we looked at two people, a slave
girl, so different from Lydia. We heard how the slave girl was
possessed by demons and people who used her. We have to have faith in our
Saviour to protect us from the forces of evil.
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Following God's guidance - 26 May
 The
Informal time started with Bill Webster sharing an experience he had
with the Try Praying booklet whilst visiting members in his elders
district. He told us of the 'use it then lose it' mantra when talking
to one of his visitors who is not a church member, or particularly
religious. This chance opportunity, occuring through normal
conversation, makes interesting listening. John continued the informal
time, where we join Paul's second  missionary
journey. We hear how Paul has had a big damaging row
with Barnabus, over Mark, who had run away. Luke, who is telling
the story, highlights how fallible and strong headed people who serve
God can be. But our God is a God of grace. We hear of the Barnabus and
Mark journey  to
Cyprus, and Paul's journey with Silas to Syria and westward. A venture
into new territory, meeting Timothy and Luke on the way
The
sermon told us how Paul set-up churches as he travelled across the
middle east and Asia. We hear how Pauls plans were changed, God guiding
him in a different direction, some 200 miles in the other direction,
taking 2 or 3 weeks. Is God setting them off in the right direction? Is
this God calling them. John  tells us of more modern and memorable missionaries,  William
Carey and David Livingstone, who both had plans that were abruptly
altered which led the pair to different places. God guiding them
to new  places, closing down other options, protecting us from our own desires. God has better plans for us.
We return to Troas and Paul's journey once more. As he travels to Phillipi and Neopolis in Macedonia.
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The struggle of being a Christian - 19 May
 John continued the theme of Try Praying, presenting a video example of 'The Lady form Falkirk'.
We hear how she made the journey from Falkirk to Selkirk in the
borders, three times a week, to look after her grandchildren while her
daughter went out to work. Not unexpectedly she became physically and
emotionally worn out. A chance encounter with a TryPraying advert
on the side of a bus led to a visit to a local church in Falkirk. We
see how this visit transformed our travellers outlook. Click on the
link above to watch the full story.
 John took us back to the January sales and the rush and  struggle to grab a
bargain. Being a Christian can be a struggle, hard to pray,
hard to do the right thing. Jesus sometimes asks us to respond to a
situation in a way we do not want to. Conflict of conscience? We hear
of Paul's writings of hidden powers behind the scenes, something we
cannot see. The apostle Paul tells of the assaults on our belief, and
paints a picture of 'spiritual armour' We see how a soldier
protects himself, relating that to protecting our faith in a caring
righteous God.
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The Power of Prayer - 12 May
 Margaret
Webster presented the informal time, reminding us of the Try
Praying initiative that John introduced at last weeks service. For
those who had not heard about Try Praying project Margaret gave a bit
of  background
how it works, using three examples where simply passing on the booklet
to someone had changed that persons outlook on life, often when the
they were in a dark and difficult place. More booklets had been
acquired, such was the interest last week, when they had all been
handed out. Margaret led us in prayer to finish the informal time.
 John
introduced a new format to the first bible reading, Psalm 107. Using
the Call to worship style, he introduced a congregation response. Bill
and Margaret Webster read the passage from Psalms and John led the
call to the response.
 John
expanded on the Psalm reading we had just listened to, using a story of
hearing something in a new way, a song or story. We heard about John's
time in Leith, looking out over reclaimed land to the sea.This
reclaimed land has now been built  on.
God we heard is in the business of reclaiming lives, of redeeming and
rescuing and saving us. We looked at three aspects of the Psalm.
Praise for answered prayer, often desperate prayer. Praise for an
ancient people rescued from exile. Thirdly, to give hope for everyone.
We found out what 'everyone' means.
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Twinning Evening Service - 5 May
 The evening
service on Sunday 5 May was to welcome Dr Miku Foning and Reverend
Nirwan Subba from the Eastern Himalaya Diocese of the Church of North
India, on their trip to Scotland. St. Mungo's has recently twinned
with the church at Saontalpur and has struck up exchanges of
correspondence by email. Prior to the service a buffet meal was laid on
for our visitors and members from the churches across Penicuik and
beyond.
This was to be the first time we had met. We were
joined by members of the other Penicuik Churches, to hear, and take
part in this service.
However, as John intimated at the beginning of the service, quoting Burns ' The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley'. One of the party had failed to get an entry  visa, whilst the other, though in Scotland, would be unable to make this service.
Not
to be outdone we had 'Peter from the East', as John put it. He was
referring to Peter Kimber who hails from East Lothian, currently the
locum minister at Penicuik North, but had been born and brought up in
India. He has also visited a number of times since.
With the scene reset we began with praise singing Hymn 436 - Christ triumphant, ever reigning', followed by the opening prayer, read by Andy Longmore from James the Less church.
Peter
Kimber then took on the role of our absent visitors to describe his
time in the region. Having visited Kalimpong several times he spoke of the history
of bringing the Christian word of God to the continent, taking us back
to the early and mid 19th century missionaries. We heard of the tea
plantations with names we are all familiar, like Darjeeling, and the
work translating the Bible into the local languages. Peter brought us
up to date, describing his recent visits to the region.
 Our next praise 'Glory to God, the source of all our mission' put into song what the role of the missionary.
Peter then read from the book of Revelation 3: v14-22 from the New Living Translation, followed by his
address based on the reading.
Bill Webster led us in our closing prayer, before we sang 'Hymn 500 Lord of Creation'
John closed the evening with the blessing.
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Try Praying - 5 May
John
introduced the theme of TryPraying at the morning service during the
informal time. The booklet is not designed for practicing Christians,
but for those who don't think of themselves as religious. John was
asking the congregation to use it for themselves over seven days,
asking us to pray for someone we know. John broke it down to three
propositions. Use it the booklet. Lose it by giving to someone,
that you know, or don't know. News it, tell John of your experiences of
answers to prayer, which can be passed on and shared with others. A
short video summarised these options
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG0nwqowxsE The elders handed out copies of the  TryPraying booklets to start the exercise.
The
sermon took the todays reading from Psalms, resting places. In this
case a lone fortress in the middle of turmoil, when on the verge of
collapse.How to trust in God, through prayer and let the power of God
and Jesus into our lives. A short video followed, showing how God is at work through TryPraying youtube.com/watch?v=H9U_xMmsot0
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Spreading the Good News - 28 April
 Now
that we know that Christ is Risen, we must tell everyone and broadcast
the good news. John used the informal time to show how modern
technology in a digital age helps broadcast that message across the
world. The video shows people across the world receiving a text message
on their phones, announcing the good news, and their reaction to
knowing that what they heard was indeed true. Click on the link to see
what we saw.
 John
took the recent terrorist bomb atrocities in Sri Lanka, attacking the
Christian church, describing some of the responses from those affected.
Building on the morning reading from Revelation, which states that John
was on Patmos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, where he is considered to be in
exile as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian.
We hear more about his persecution there as a 'martyr', saying
things would get worse before they would get better. He would be
correct.
Our monthly communion was also invluded in our service.
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 Easter at St. Mungo's
Resurrection Sunday - 21 April
Evening Praise Service - 7.00pm
(Click on link to hear the feature)
We
concluded our Easter Sunday celebrations with an evening praise service
led by Joan Cape and a team of Penicuik musicians from a variety of
churches: Andrew Dunsire, Fraser Hudson and Phoebe Middleton on guitars
and vocals, were joined by Graham McDonald on piano, with daughter
Sophie on Saxophone/vocals and son Sam on drums. Neil Cape played bass
guitar while Joan sang. We were aided by Peter Middleton who provided
and set up the sound system for the evening.
Musicians
(LtoR): Andrew Dunsire, Fraser Hudson, Phoebe Middleton, Sam McDonald,
Joan Cape, Neil Cape, Sophie McDonald, Graham McDonald
‘He has Risen’, the opening chorus, led straight into a Stuart Townend / Keith Getty favourite ‘See what a morning’, followed by ‘Over all the earth’ by Brenton Brown.
 Joan brought us together in prayer, before two rather more reflective songs: ‘Above all powers’ by Paul Baloche/Lenny Le Blanc, and ‘The power of the cross’ (Keith Getty/Stuart Townend).
Fiona Charleson (Penicuik North) led us in a reflective reading written by Bob Hartmann, based on John 20: 19-31
and underlining the fact that even they, who had been told what would
happen, struggled to grasp the reality of his resurrection; this was
followed by a new song - ‘Christ was raised’, written by Sam Hargreaves.
 Time
for some drama. In ‘A Narrow Escape’ we find Barabbas
(Neil Cape) chatting in the pub with his two thieving pals, Cosh (Bill
Webster) and Fingers (Graham McDonald). In this at times humorous
account of Barabbas’ good fortune in being freed from the penalty
of death by crucifixion which his crimes should have incurred, and his
failure to grasp just what Christ had done for him by taking his place,
reached out to all ages in our congregation. Listen to the full story
 Another new song, ‘Christ is mine forever more’
by CityAlight, gave us time to reflect on what we had just seen; this
mood was continued with Paul Oakley’s ‘Jesus, lover of my soul’ (It’s all about you).
Next: a video. In ‘Breakfast on the beach' we meet Peter, recounting the meeting with the risen Christ as told in John 21. You can watch the story here www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNPmRtDvC04.
 Our praise continued with ‘My hope is built on nothing less’ (Cornerstone) by Jonas Myrin & Rueben Morgan, followed by another Townend/Getty song: ‘In Christ alone’.
A short prayer led us into our closing praise, Nathan Fellingham’s rousing arrangement of an old favourite, ‘To God be the Glory’.
After
the service Agnes Haggart and Fiona Hutcheson served us with tea,
coffee, soft drinks and biscuits in the church, providing an excellent
opportunity for visitors to chat.
Thanks
to all concerned, especially those from Gorebridge, Destiny and the
North Church – a great example of people from the different
churches working together to God’s glory.
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Easter at St. Mungo's
Resurrection Sunday - 21 April
Morning Service - 11.00am
We
continued our Easter resurrection celebration with the family service
at 11.00am, with Rev John Urquhart once again leading our worship.
John
opened the service with a call from Luke 24, which we repeated three
times: 'Alleluia! Christ is risen, which we all replied 'He is risen
indeed. Alleluia!'. The opening hymn 410 reflected this new dawn 'Jesus
Christ is risen today'.
 The opening prayer led into the informal time where John opened with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and others bring spices to the tomb to treat Jesus’ body,.and
are surprised to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. They
were frightened when two men appeared, telling them that He is not
dead, but risen again, after the 3 days prophesied. Even the disciples
could not believe what they were hearing. The truth eventually dawns on
them when Peter goes to the empty tomb. John then left us with a
challenge. Have we looked for ourselves? Have we examined this empty
tomb? Have we found Jesus? He is alive, reigning over us.
'He is
Lord' hymn 443 Captured the moment, leading into our two Bible
readings, from Corinthians, read by Gordon MacDonald, and Luke,
read by Fiona Hutcheson. Our praise continued with Hymn 415 'This
joyful Eastertide'.
 In the sermon John related the story of a
mexican bandito riding over to the Rio Grande in Texas to collect a
stash of his hidden loot, only to be challenged by a Texas Ranger. John
explained that in those days Rangers were really only theives with a
badge!
The Ranger, threatening the Bandito, to tell him where
the stash was or be shot, was confounded when our mexican could speak
no English, and our Ranger no Spanish! Our quick thinking Ranger got a
local to interpret. As the Bandito blurted out where the stash was
hidden the interpeter replied to our Ranger 'He says he would rather
die'!
The Ranger was in danger of misinterpreting the
story, exactly as the visitors to the tomb that morning were confused,
in danger of coming to the wrong conclusion. John used the readings
from Pauls letter to the Corinthians and Luke to show how the story
unfolded that morning and how it affected those around the tomb. The
resurrection of Christ is key to the Christian faith, the beginning of
a new world.
Hymn 426 'All heaven declares' led into our prayer
for others, our offering and thanksgiving prayer, before we sang that
ever popular hymn at Easter, Hymn 419 'Thine be the glory'.
Our hearts were swelled with the news that Christ is Risen this Easter morning, offering real hope for us all.
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Easter at St. Mungo's
Resurrection Sunday - 21 April
 Sunrise Service - 5.30am
Some
17 souls, including families with children from the Penicuik churches, gathered before the dawn at
St. Kentigerns church behind St. Mungo’s at 5.30am. The Rev
John Urquhart opened our service with 1 Corinthians 15 v 20
‘Christ has been raised from the dead as the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep’.
We all joined the
greeting ‘Christ is risen Alleluia, before singing our song for
the procession to Broomhill, ‘Jesus Christ is risen today,
Alleluia’. This was followed by Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks
to the risen Lord’, and ‘Now the green blade rises from the
buried grain’.
As we arrived at the foot of Broomhill we
paused to sing ‘In resurrection tua ’ (In your resurrection
Christ heaven and earth rejoice), created by the Taizé community
in France, where the singing of distinctive and much-repeated prayer
chants during prayer services is one of their trademarks. The
repetition is designed to help meditation and prayer.
Greeting the new dawn
The time had come to scale the hill to watch the sun rise before us, heralding the new dawn, the resurrection.
 We
heard the reading from Luke 24: 1-12, then joined in the
‘Delighting’ ‘We praise you, O Christ, risen from the
dead’.
We continued our praise as the sun rose in the sky
with that uplifting Graham Kendrick Hymn ‘Lord the love of Your
love is shining’. Our early morning resurrection service
concluded with the Lord’s Prayer recited together.
John
concluded with ‘God of resurrection, bright morning star, God of
hope, of new growth and harvest, bless us this day and all who journey
with us.
St James the Less put on a welcome breakfast for our
early risers, providing food for our bodies, supplementing the
spiritual food we had just enjoyed.
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Easter at St. Mungo's
Good Friday - 19 April
 The
Good Friday service at St. Mungo’s commemorated the execution of
Jesus by crucifixion. Good Friday is a day of mourning in Christian
church. During special Good Friday services Christians remember Jesus'
suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith.
The
service opened with our call to worship: Call to Worship (from Isaiah
53: 7-8) Leader: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not
open his mouth; Response: like a lamb that is led to the
slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he
did not open his mouth.
Leader: By a perversion of justice he
was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? Response: For
he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the
transgression of my people.
 Our
first praise was Hymn 392 ‘When I survey the wondrous
cross’, followed by a time of Meditation and Prayer by Anselm of
Canterbury, 1033-1109.
The first Gospel reading was from Mark
15: 1–15 (The trial before the Governor). John then presented his
Address, focussing on Barabbas, a man of violence, with blood on his
hands. Whilst Simon found himself carrying Christ's cross, Barabbas was
freed from carrying his, released by the Governor as a passover
tradition! We hear how the gospels record this act. Was it a dilemma
for Pilate? Was Pilate being set up?
We continued our
praise with Hymn 399 ‘My song is love unknown’, leading us
into the Second Gospel reading, Mark 15: 16–24 (Jesus is mocked
and mistreated).
The Hymn Hymn ‘Downtrodden Christ, to
you we pray’ was followed by the. Third Gospel reading, Mark 15:
25–38 (The six hours on the cross).
The Hymn ‘So
this is the day when his God does not answer’ led to our final
Gospel reading from Mark 15: 39-47 (The entombment)
Our final
praise the Hymn ‘The stone is rolled to seal the
grave’, took us to the Blessing from which we ended the service,
and departed in silence.
Christ had died and was buried in the tomb.
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Easter at St. Mungo's
Maundy Thursday - 18 April
 Maundy
Thursday is the Thursday before Easter Day when we remember
when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and
drinking wine, which is now known as the Last Supper.
St.
Mungo's hosted the Penicuik Churches Together (PCT) service, with
members from South Church, North Kirk, Sacred Heart and Destiny Church
joining Rev John Urquhart to lead the Maundy service.
 John
introduced the service followed by Margaret Webster opening 'The
Gathering', with Jordan Hope, from Destiny, and John Urquhart
supporting.
Our first praise Gloria 761 Peruvian Gloria was led by Joan and Neil Cape.
The
first reading was taken from 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26, read by Joyce
Maclean from the South Church, followed by our second hymen 'A New
commandment'
Kathleen from St. James the Less read the gospel from
John 13: 1-17, 31b-35. Jordan Hope from Destiny Church led the address,
using his own personal experiences to illustrate the message.
 The
washing of feet, or hands for those who preferred, was led by Bill,
Jordan, and John, followed with Richard Crosse reading the prayer on
the conclusion  of the act.
The
Intercessions, recalling the night before Christ's crucifixion, and the
last supper, was presented by Bill Webster of St. Mungo's, Jan Naylor
North Kirk, Sheila Anderson Glencorse, and Richard Crosse Sacred
Heart.
The Peace was read by Jordan Hope, after which we sang Hymn 694 'Brother, sister, let me serve you.
Margaret
Webster read the 'Preparation of Gifts' with John Urquhart leading the
'Thanksgiving Prayer', finishing off with the Lord's Prayer read by the
congregation.
Holy communion was administered after which we sang Hymn 374 'From heaven you came'.
Margaret Webster, Jordan Hope and John Urquhart led the dismissal, after which we all departed in silence.
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Easter at St. Mungo's
 Palm
Sunday - 14 April
Palm
Sunday is the first day of
Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival
in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. John introduced the story with a quiz
at the informal time. Here we were asked to identify 'Who is this?'
Peppa Pig was easy  for the
younger members of the congregation, who also guessed Postman Pat. The
next picture tested more of the adults, who eventually guessed the
Manchester United 1999 victory parade after winning the  Premiership; the FA Cup, and the European Cup, to win The Treble.
The
final picture represented Jesus entering Jerusalem as a 'King' on a
donkey. John refers to the reading from Luke, The sermon relates
Pilates choice to the people between Jesus Barabbas and Jesus of
Nazareth.
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Sunday
7
April |
Lent 5: The cost of Forgiveness - 7 April.
 In
the informal time John
talked about a magazine that was available in the church. After reading
John urged everyone to read it then give it to someone who needs to
know about the good news of Christ. With stories of forgiveness,
including the lead feature drawn from the recent Les Miserables series
on TV. Use the magazines as a conversation starter. Research
shows that when Christians talk about faith, at least one in five
people wants to know more.
John's
sermon tells the story of a wily dishonest employee who deserves the
'jail', but ends up being commended by his boss. We then heard the
similarities described in Jesus parable of the two sons,
referring to today's readings. We hear of more examples of
forgiveness in the face of dishonesty and cunning.
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Sunday
31
March |
Lent 4: The message of Jesus - 31 March.
 John
opened the theme of the service with the informal time, recalling an
invitation to dinner. What if someone makes a lame excuse to say they
cannot come. That was how it was in Jesus's parable of the great feast.
People invited in advance, and the feast prepared, only to find that
many excusing themselves on the lamest of reasons. This was showing
extreme rudeness to their host,who was  left very angry. However the
host maintained his grace and sent out his servant to invite the poor
and needy to the feast. We hear what Jesus tells us through
this parable.
The sermon continues the theme of the parable,
being kind to others, be they rich or poor. Helping people and
communities in need, not looking for favour and recognition. Paul said
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The
sacrament of the last supper was celebrated in the communion
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Sunday
24
March |
Lent 3: We are
God's friends. - 24 March.
In
the church we
are friends with God because of Jesus. The theme for today  was
how
Jesus makes us God's friends. To help us get started members of the
congregation were asked to welcome those around us, exchanging
names , and making a friend. What we found was that we use our bodies
to communicate with others, not just our words. John then introduced a
new 'experiment' known as an 'interactive reading'. We were asked to
make signs for Christ, God, enemies, friends, sin, and righteousness.
The reading was from 2 Corinthians chapter 5, where the Apostle Paul is
speaking to the Corinthians. Most members followed the actions, making
the experiment a success.
 The
sermon took the parable of the Prodigal Son, two lost boys.We hear how
the younger son wants the freedom to leave home with his inheritance
venturing into the world, an insult to his family in those
times.His father grants him his request, selling up the family farm.
God gives us the freedom to do with our lives what
we want,
even though it hurts God. When it all goes wrong and he returns home.
His father, rather than chastising or disowning his son, runs out to
meet him. The father welcomes his son with open arms. God does not
scold people. Jesus tells us that God is ready to welcomes us with open
arms. Three times we hear it, the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost
boys. The word we are looking at is 'Grace'.
The Stated Annual Meeting followed the
morning service.
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Sunday
17
March |
Lent 2:
God's faith in us. - 17 March
Margaret
Webster in the opening welcome announced that our service this Sunday
was to celebrate the baptism of member Mark Wong into the church
family. Margaret also reported that the 40 copies of 'Catching the
Wave' prayer guide had sold out. If you want a copy please contact
Margaret 672347 or download online at www.thereishope.co.uk. We also
welcomed Graham McDonald back to play both the organ and piano to lead
our praise.
John
introduced this 2nd service in Lent explaining the background to
baptism, and the importance of water in scripture. Whilst we baptise
only once the the imagery of 'cleansing' goes on an on throughout our
lives. John presented a video based on Psalm 51, inviting us to confess
our wrongdoings to God and trust that He will wash us clean. Watch the
video psalms-for-lent-iii-psalm-51
 John's
sermon took the reading from Luke, about losing and searching, and
Jesus's high view of the value of people. John used the example of
losing
something down the drain grating in the street gutter. If it's a 10p or
even a £1 coin you may put it down to bad luck, forget about
it and move on. But if its your car keys, help and persistence
may
be required. You only go after it if you think it is valuable!
Why does God set such value on us when in the great scheme of
the
universe He created we seem so insignificant?
We
celebrated the baptising of Mark Wong into the family of the church,
the congregation taking the vows to support Mark as a Christian.
Our
service concluded with the all time favourite hymn 396 'And
can
it be' , where Graham opened the organ stops for the final
verse
making a truly uplifting finalé to our service before the
blessing.
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Sunday
10
March |
Lent 1:
The Temptation of Jesus - 10 March
 The
theme for the first Sunday of Lent was Temptation, how Jesus and
ourselves are tempted by the devil. The Informal Time took the form of
a
dramatised reading with John playing the parts of God and the devil,
with
Bill Webster as Jesus. Margaret Webster narrated the story, taken from
Luke chapter 4: 'The temptation of Jesus'. The story starts
with
Jesus returning after 40 days in the desert, to be taunted by the devil
to make a stone into bread. We saw the kingdoms of earth that
the
devil offered Jesus if he would worship him only. Even in Jerusalem did
the devil ask Jesus to 'test' his Lord by throwing himself off the
parapet. Defeated the devil left, but will he return?
 John's
sermon told us how the devil, or Satan, crops up time and again as the
enemy of God, and those who want to do God's will. The
struggle
is often about opposition and confusion, to turn people away from God.
In our readings and story today the devil is
creating temptation, to take the wrong road.  It  is
not a sin to be tempted, but temptation can lead to sin. We heard about
three temptations, 'selfishness or service', 'the easy way or God's
way', and 'the crowd or the cross'.
Listen to the
sermon to hear how temptation is used by the devil and how Jesus chose
the right road.
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Sunday
3
March |
God's
shining light - 3 March
 The
Rev Hugh Trevor visited St. Mungo's on Sunday 3 March and
told us
during the informal time the background to our twinning
project
that our church has commenced with Saontalpur in the East India
diocese. You can read more about this twinning.
 John led the
main part of our service and introduced his sermon with a
short video
of an early advert for a well known breakfast cereal. It was a good way
to start his talk about our two readings, both accounts from the bible
of people 'glowing'.
The first about God's glory
reflected in someone's face;  referring
to Moses descending from mount Sinai, with the 10 commandments, his
face shining, because he had been speaking with God.
The
second example described the transfiguration of Jesus, as we heard from
our reading of Luke, where Jesus physically changes in front of his
disciples. We heard how Moses had God's glory shining on him,
whereas Jesus had God's glory shining through him, because
of who he is.
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Sunday
24
February |
Ruth
the road to Jesus - 24 February
 The final part
of
our story of Ruth started with John fulfilling his
promise to
tell us about the meeting of Jesus with the gentile Syrophoenician
woman seeking help for her daughter, and how the Jews viewed gentiles
as 'dogs', not worthy of God's attention. However the woman
persisted, and John tells us of Jesus' dilemma between Jew and Gentile,
and how he resolves the situation, teaching a lesson to both the woman
and his disciples.
The sermon took us back to the
last chapter
of Ruth. John recapped the first two chapters, where Ruth and her
mother Naomi have been pushed into poverty, gleaning the corn from
Boaz's field. How Boaz showed kindness, going beyond the letter of the
law. We heard how Ruth goes to Boaz some time later to ask him
to
marry her.
 All
is not clear, with another family member bidding to be Naomi's
redeemer, taking over her late husbands land, which he sees as money
making opportunity. When he discovers Ruth on the scene he backs out
quickly. Boaz is now presented with a dilemma. Being a man of
integrity he gives first refusal to the other man, even though Boaz
admires Ruth. This is a courageous and risky move. The story moves into
the new testament presenting the relationship between Jesus
and
God, and that of Ruth and Naomi.
There
are two surprises at the conclusion of the book of Ruth. Boaz married
Ruth and the Lord blessed them with a son, called Obed. Obed was the
father of Jesse whose youngest son David became King of Israel. A
descendant of David was Mary the mother of Jesus. Listen to
John
explain in the second part of his sermon.
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Sunday
17
February |
Jesus
our Redeemer - 17 February
 In
our third part of the story of Ruth, John used the informal time to
tell the story of sailing a model boat on the park pond, similar to one
he had when a young boy. In this story the boat had been made and
painted by a young girl , spending many hours and care in the
making. Then the boat sailed out of reach and was lost from
sight.
Distraught the girl went home, cried a lot at the loss. Some time later
she saw her boat in a pawn shop window. Someone had found it
and
pawned the little boat. From the pawnbroker she found the redemption
price and over the next few weeks saved enough to redeem the boat. 'I
made you and I've bought you back'. John likened the story to what God
does for us in Jesus. We are all made by God, but we get lost,
and
Jesus was sent to save and redeem us, paying the price to set
us
free.
John's
sermon took up the story of Ruth and Naomi who had been pushed to the
edge of society, in poverty. We than heard how Boaz not only helped
them but sent them with the 'gleanings' but sent them home with many  sacks of
barley. We hear about redeemer from Leviticus 25 and levirate marriage
from Deuteronomy 25, showing how different customs were in those times,
compared to the present day. We hear the story unfold and a video
clip from Notting Hill presents a similar situation
played out in modern times.
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Sunday
10
February |
Kindness
and Redemption - 10 February
 The
informal time opened with a conundrum. John related the story of the
question put to Jesus form a 'learned' bible expert asking what he
needed to do to earn eternal life? Jesus referred him back to God's
law, asking the expert how he interpreted it? The 'expert'
replied to love God and his neighbours. But who is my neighbour? the
'expert' asked, trying to put Jesus on the spot. Jesus tells the story
of the good Samaratin, telling the 'expert' to go and do the same.
 In
the sermon we continued the book of Ruth, which was read by Agnes
Ovenstone. How she was a Moabite in an Israelite community, who do not
get on together, like the Samaratins and the Jews. The story teller
keeps referring to this tension, and the danger the widow Ruth was
exposed to. We hear of how Ruth inadvertently wanders into Boaz, a
wealthy landowner of Bethlehem in Judea, and brother  of
Elimelech, field, finding unexpectedly, to be treated with kindness.
The Israelite law of gleaning, not to reap to the edge of the field or
gather the 'gleanings', the ears of corn that fall to the ground,
leaving them to the poor from other places, was on her
side. Boaz
showed a kindness, or chesed, which surprised Ruth. Boaz was showing
redemption 'goel' to Ruth, following God's law to giving
people a future and hope.
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Sunday
3
February |
Faith
in God's promise to us - 3 February
 John
opened his service theme at the informal time, relating the marriage of
his parents and the rings they exchanged, symbolising the promises they
made. We may keep or break these promises, but the promise that God
makes to us in Jesus to be always with us, if we come in faith. God so
loved the world that he gave His only son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish, but have eternal life. The love of Christ will be
with us no matter what. God promises to love us forever through Jesus
Christ, and will keep his promises through all time.
 Using
Dickens novel Bleak House as the opener to his sermon, John oulined
what was seen as important to the people of that time, and the trials
and tribulations of the character Esther Summerson who serves as one of
the novel's two narrators, with half the book written from her
perspective. We hear how Esther ends up with nothing.
 What
does it take to make somebody a nobody in other peoples eyes? Naomi in
our reading from Ruth today is widowed in a foreign country when her
husband and two sons die, leaving her with two daughters in law. She is
socially and economically vulnerable, facing destitution. John relates
how she returns home from the famine in Moab to Judah hearing the
rumour that the Lord had had consideration for his people and given
them food. This despite being bitter that she thinks God is against
her. What happens next is revealed by John in his
sermon.
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Sunday
27
January |
Sower
in the field - 27 January
On
this final Sunday service held in the church hall for January John took
as his theme
the parable of the sower. Using the Vincent Van Gogh picture of the
Sower.  The
striking aspect of this painting is that behind the sower,
who sows the ploughed bare land with a broad arm gesture, the ripe corn
can still be seen, the setting sun shining on the golden corn.
The
painting represents the sower of God’s word. From
the
parable we can see the birds eating the seed,
the path where
the rough ground kills the seed. What we do not see are the thorns and
weeds, yet to grow and consume the young seedlings. In the background
we see the seed falling on fertile ground, growing to
a ripe crop,
Jesus
explained that the seed represents the Gospel, the sower being anyone
who proclaims it, and the various soils represent people's responses to
it. The first three represent rejection, while the last represents
acceptance.
John
used the picture and parable throughout his sermon to show how God is
our 'sun and energy' providing the growth for the human spirit.
A
new change to our monthly communion started this Sunday. Previously an
extra feature of the service, it is now, and will continue to form an
integral part of our praise for God.
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Sunday
20
January |
The
Creation Story - 20 January
 Our
service this Sunday was delivered in the
Café style layout used earlier in the month.
Our call to worship, hymns and prayer, led to Agnes Ovenstone and
Margaret Black reading us the story of creation, from Genesis.
Joan
Cape took up the reading we heard, explaining how God made the
earth for us but that we were expected to look after it and make it
grow.
We watched video
clips featuring Mark Greene
whom we had seen two weeks ago, leading
into interviews with
our minister Rev John Urquhart and church member Janis Hogg, exploring
how Christianity affects their lives.
A
discussion time
around our tables pondered over two questions. "How can we be more
aware of our roles as Christians in the lives of people around us?"
and "How can we, in a practical way, show that we are
interested
in the lives of a) our congregation, and b) our community?"
Joan
summed up our discussion before we returned to praise with "Take my
life and let it be". Our closing prayer and hymn led to the saying of
the Grace to finish our morning worship.
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Sunday
13
January |
The
Story of the Bible - 13 January
 John
returned to lead our Sunday service, which again took place in the
church hall. John reminded us that this Sunday was St.
Mungo’s, whom
our church name is taken, 1400th anniversary. You can read about Mungo here.
Taking
the theme of the Story of The Bible John showed us a video
in the informal time that took us on a trip through the Old Testament
and the arrival of Jesus and the New Testament. The readings from
 Joshua and Romans took
us father as did John’s sermon.John
returned to lead our Sunday service, which again took place in the
church hall. John reminded us that this Sunday was St.
Mungo’s, whom
our church name is taken, 1406th anniversary. You can read about Mungo here.
Taking
the theme of the Story of The Bible John showed us a video
in the informal time that took us on a trip through the Old Testament
and the arrival of Hesus and the New Testament. The readings from
Joshua and Romans took us father as did John’s sermon.
Gathering
in the church hall for our service
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Sunday
6
January |
Living
as a Christian in today's world - 6 January
Our
first service of the new year was held in the church hall, as will all
the services in January. Led by Joan Cape our worship took on a
different format from the usual service programme.
We sat around
tables in a Café style, with coffee and tea on offer before
we started the service.
Joan
welcomed us to the new year service leading into our opening praise,
hymn 124. A prayer was followed by hymn 326. Joan then
introduced
Janis hogg who read from Romans and Colossians.
 How
can our
church create an inspriring vision to become a fruitful, wholelife,
missionary community in today's world? Joan took htis theme
and
used a video 'Imagine' with Mark Greene offering the pressures and
difficulties living in today's world, addressing the sacred / secular divide. This
part you can see on video.
Part
way through we were asked to
discuss with those round our own table two questions:
1.
In the
video Mark Greene talked about people feeling harassed, and even
bewildered by the challenges of living in the UK today. How much did we
identify with these feelings.
2. Were we able to be honest
with
each otherabout the issues we face? Did we find particular challenges
about living as a Christian in today's world?
A lot
of
discussion took place before we carried on with the second part of Mark
Greene's video, which prompted our final question to discuss as before:
3.
In our own experience, what evidence did we see of a 'sacred-secular
divide', which was explained in the video?
a) in life in
general? b) in church life? c) in our own lives?
We
returned to praise singing hymn 503 followed by prayer using the words
of hymn 755. Our closing praise consisted of hymn 802 then
straight into hymn 516.
We closed the srvice with
the saying of the Grace together.
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