Order of Service

ST NINIAN’S CHURCH

Corstorphine

Minister:  Rev. James Aitken

Order of Service

21st February 2021

10.30am

http://www.corstorphinestninians.org.uk and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stninianschurch/

Good morning and welcome to everyone who has joined us on-line at St. Ninian's this morning.  We hope you will enjoy our worship of God together today. As a congregation our mission is to, 'Worship God together, encourage personal faith and prayer, spread the Good News about Jesus Christ, and love and care for others in our community.'

Services are online from 10:15am on Sundays: on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stninianschurch/and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW-OUJ0F3JLO9vUD7KYMffA

We are in the season of Lent, when we make ourselves ready to remember Jesus' passion and to celebrate his resurrection.  This year Lent began on Ash Wednesday (17^th February) and it ends on Good Friday (2^nd April).

During Lent we worship God on the road with Jesus Christ to Jerusalem and his crucifixion.  On that road we reflect on the sinfulness of human nature alongside the faith and obedience of Jesus that kept him going despite the dangers and temptations that surrounded him.  As we do so, we reflect on our own nature and character - what do want to keep and what should we discard?  We look forward to rejoicing at our capacity to love; love that overcomes death and sets us free from sin.

St. Ninian’s uses the Revised Common Lectionary is an approved week-by-week three-year cycle of biblical readings.  The readings lead us from Advent through the Christian year, the Bible, and Jesus’ life through birth, baptism, his public ministry, his death, resurrection and ascension.

“Meditation” from Thaïs by Massenet

WELCOME, INTIMATIONS AND SHARING OF THE PEACE

We welcome one another with Christ's words 'Peace be with you'.

APPROACH TO GOD

CALL TO WORSHIP

HYMN: 21(Psalm 25)    

Lord, teach me all your ways,

reveal your paths to me;

and lead me in your saving truth,

show me what I should be.

Remember, Lord, your love,

your care from ages past;

and in that love remember me,

in kindness hold me fast.

Forget my youthful faults,

forgive my sinful ways;

within the kindness of your love

remember me always.

God, who is just and good,

shows all who sin his way;

he leads the humble in right paths,

their teacher day by day.

All pathways of the Lord,

are kindly, true and sure

to those who keep his covenant

and in his ways endure.

PRAYERS OF APPROACH, CONFESSION AND LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

SCRIPTURE: Mark 1: 9 - 15 (New Revised Standard Version)

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ ¹² And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. ¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

CHILDREN’S ADDRESS

HYMN: 338

Jesus, tempted in the desert,
    lonely, hungry, filled with dread:
    ‘Use your power,’ the tempter tells him;
    ‘turn these barren rocks to bread!’
    ‘Not alone by bread,’ he answers,
    ‘can the human heart be filled.
    Only by the Word that calls us
    is our deepest hunger stilled!’

Jesus, tempted at the temple,
    high above its ancient wall:
    ‘Throw yourself from lofty turret;
    angels wait to break your fall!’
    Jesus shuns such empty marvels,
    feats that fickle crowds request:
    ‘God, whose grace protects, preserves us,
    we must never vainly test.’

Jesus, tempted on the mountain
    by the lure of vast domain:
    ‘Fall before me!  Be my servant!
    Glory, fame, you’re sure to gain!’
    Jesus sees the dazzling vision,
    turns his eyes another way:
    ‘God alone deserves our homage!
    God alone will I obey.’

When we face temptation’s power,
lonely, struggling, filled with dread,
Christ, who knew the tempter’s hour,
come and be our living bread.
By your grace, protect, preserve us
lest we fall, your trust betray.
Yours, above all other voices,
be the Word we hear, obey.

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 9: 8 - 17 (New Revised Standard Version)

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ⁹ ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.  ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’  ¹² God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  ¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  ¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’  ¹⁷ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’

SERMON

OUR RESPONSE TO GOD 

HYMN: 721

We lay our broken world
in sorrow at your feet,
haunted by hunger, war and fear,
oppressed by power and hate.

Here human life seems less
than profit, might and pride,
though to unite us all in you,
you lived and loved and died.

We bring our broken towns,
our neighbours hurt and bruised;
you show us how old pain and wounds
for new life can be used.

We bring our broken loves,
friends parted, families torn;
then in your life and death we see
that love must be reborn.

We bring our broken selves

confused and closed and tired

then through your gift of healing grace

new purpose is inspired.

Come spirit on us breathe

with life and strength anew

find in us love, and hope, and trust,

and lift us up to you.

OFFERING AND PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Freely given, our offering supports the work of Christ's church and symbolises our spiritual dedication to the building-up of the Kingdom of God.

PRAYERS OF LAMENT & INTERCESSION

We give thanks for our blessings, and cry out for help for others and ourselves.

SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 3: 18 - 22 (New Revised Standard Version)

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water.  ²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you — not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

HYMN: 535

Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He’ll with a giant fight,
but He will have a right
To be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.

BENEDICTION

Go now in peace, never be afraid. 

God will go with you each hour of every day.

Go now in faith, steadfast strong and true.

Know He will guide you in all you do.

Go now in love, and show you believe.

Reach out to others, so all the world can see.

God will be there, watching from above. 

Go now in peace, in faith and in love.