Second Sunday after Pentecost

Second Sunday after Pentecost – 3 June 2018

The Mission and Discipleship Council would like to thank Rev George Lind, retired Minister formerly of St. Columba’s, Stewarton and currently a National Adviser with Grasping the Nettle, for his material on the second Sunday after Pentecost and in preparation for the Society, Religion and Technology Project Week of Prayer. Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.

Second Sunday after Pentecost – 3 June 2018 ................................................. 1

Introduction ................................................................................................... 2

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20) ................................................................................. 2

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 ...................................................................................... 3

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 .................................................................................... 4

Psalm 81:1-10 ................................................................................................ 4

2 Corinthians 4:5-12 ....................................................................................... 5

Mark 2:23-3:6 ................................................................................................ 5

Sermon ideas ................................................................................................. 6

Time with children ......................................................................................... 7

Prayers .......................................................................................................... 8

Musical suggestions ...................................................................................... 12

Appendix ...................................................................................................... 13

Introduction Next Sunday sees the start of Society, Religion and Technology Project Week of Prayer. If like me, your interests at school or at university leaned towards the arts, there might be some reluctance to inject much into worship from the sphere of Science and Technology. I was encouraged to think again on this, thanks to my encounter with the materials produced by Kharis Productions Ltd., Hamilton, principally “Explore the God Question” (see www.thegodquestion.tv/explore). Engagement with these resources has deepened my sense of awe at the God who creates and sustains life in all its forms. Further, they have increased my sense of wonder at what science has revealed concerning the nature of the universe, and have helped me and many colleagues to take part in respectful dialogue with friends who struggle with the commonly held position that “increasing scientific knowledge implies that Science and Religion are in conflict, that we have outgrown the need for God, and that all questions of importance can only be answered by science” (from Grasping the Nettle www.graspingthenettle.org/). The Appendix to today’s notes points readers to web links from “The God Question” Study Guide. These will hopefully be a help to those who wish to access further materials on Science and God. The readings for today were written in very different times from those in contemporary Western Europe. The people who first read them would most probably have had stronger religious beliefs and affiliations than the communities where many of us live, but they tell the stories of folk who (like us) struggle with the big questions of life which people of all times have faced: our source, identity, purpose and destiny. Today’s readings offer us hooks on to which our thoughts and those of our congregations can be hung, as we live with these same questions, trusting the word of Christ who promised that the Spirit will guide us into all truth.

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20) With this story a new day dawns in Israel. The child Samuel has made his gentle and gradual entry into the history of God’s people Israel and life was never going to be the same for them. In this famous encounter, just as the darkness of night began to give way to dawn, God gently spoke to the child, and life for Samuel would never be the same. Samuel’s identity and purpose were secure. He would by this time have been in his early adolescence (according to Josephus) and would go on to serve as Israel’s last Judge, its first Prophet and its king-maker. From the time he was weaned until now, the child Samuel, dedicated to God by his parents, had lived with the priest Eli in Shiloh, helping with Temple duties. He had witnessed and shared in the routines and rituals of Temple worship at Shiloh and no doubt had witnessed the excesses of Eli’s sinful sons. Samuel was about to be

gripped by the reality of God’s call upon his life. In the years leading up to his birth, Scripture records on several occasions, “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes”. In our reading, Samuel was charged with bringing a message from God to the elderly, frail and compromised Eli. The message was direct and severe. Samuel shrank from breaking such bad news to the mentor whom he clearly respected but, prompted by Eli himself, he delivered it word for word. It seemed to come as no surprise to Eli, for he had been warned previously about the judgement that was brewing because of his sons’ deliberate and defiant dishonouring of God and their desecration of temple worship. Eli would not escape the judgement of God because of his generally laissez-faire attitude towards the behaviour of his sons.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 We turn now from the boy Samuel’s developing awareness of God’s purposes for him, to the Psalmist’s mature and assured witness to God’s enduring presence. There is no hint of fear as David meditates and indeed rejoices in the fact that he lives within the searchlight of God’s gaze. There are echoes of this Psalm in Thomas Binney’s great lines:

“Eternal Light! Eternal Light! How pure the soul must be

when, placed within Thy searching sight, it shrinks not, but with calm delight

can live and look on Thee” In his Commentary on this Psalm (© IVP 1975), Derek Kidner describes God as “All-seeing, All-creative, All-present and All-holy”, yet David is reverently unfazed by this. He clearly regards God as his friend. David’s utter dependence on God is expressed beautifully in the short prayer with which he concludes the Psalm: “Search me... know me...test me ... lead me”. His certainty in God’s care and provision is articulated in this song of thanksgiving that from conception to birth, from life to death, in darkness and in light he is known, loved, protected and “hemmed in”. Little did David know when he wrote of being “fearfully and wonderfully made” that centuries later one organ alone, the human brain, would be described as “the greatest, the most awesome phenomenon in the universe” [“Explore the God Question” DVD no. 3 on Mind and Consciousness]. It is an awesome thought that One possessed of an infinitely greater mind than ours willingly designed the hugely complex and powerful human brain. In the DVD, the following facts are set out: “The brain operates with 100 billion neurons connecting its 86 billion cells...A piece of brain tissue the size of the grain of sand contains 100 thousand neurons...There are 10 thousand different types of neurons...Information in the brain can travel at speeds of up to 268 miles an hour...Brain

scans show we use most of our brain most of the time - even when sleeping”. David, while rejoicing in the way his body has been fashioned and formed, finds his identity, his security and his purpose in the God who searches him, and us, for a response of loving trust. To access and use a short film clip about the wonders of mind and brain, visit www.graspingthenettle.org/watch/weekly-worship [This film clip is provided courtesy of the producers. For further information and access to the series from which this excerpt has been taken, see www.thegodquestion.tv/explore ].

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 When it comes to the fourth Commandment, Deuteronomy 5 (Deuteronomy = the “repetition of the law”) does not repeat the Exodus 20 version precisely. The reason given for observing the Sabbath differs. Whereas in Exodus 20: 11 it is because “ ...in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it”, the reason in Deuteronomy 5 is “that your male and female slave may rest as well as you”. While they were slaves in Egypt, the children of Israel would have welcomed a rest from their labours. Now that they are free and that they themselves own slaves, the Sabbath rest is extended to all within the household, bond or free. This opens up the argument for a compassionate approach to Sabbath observance rather than the slavishly literalistic approach taken by some. In our Mark 3 reading, we find Jesus promoting the compassionate approach when He underlines the exceptions allowed by the very Pharisees who challenged Him, viz preserving life or saving it.

Psalm 81:1-10 This Festival Psalm (most likely for the Feast of Tabernacles) calls the people to joyful worship. Blended with their shouting and sung praise was instrumental music. Psalm 81 reminds them of their collective identity, as part of their salvation story is celebrated within it. The blessing to be gained by congregational worship and community (as opposed to individualism) is underlined by the 18th century commentator, Matthew Henry: “No time is amiss for praising God... but some are times appointed, not for God to meet us (he is always ready), but for us to meet one another, that we may join together in praising”. This rehearsing of their salvation history is a practice they enjoy and of which they never tire – see Psalm 105 and also Acts 7 where, moments before his martyrdom by stoning, Stephen holds the audience captive by reciting the story of their salvation.

2 Corinthians 4:5-12 It was the Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias who said “There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the author of your destiny.” Paul lived and breathed that discovery long before Ravi Zacharias articulated this truth. In II Corinthians, Paul, as always, is consumed by the desire to live for God’s glory alone but he is driven by the actions of false teachers to defend both his apostolic authority and his probity. It must have gone against the grain for him to do so, for self-assertiveness was not one of Paul’s characteristics. He did not “rely on himself” (1:9), “congratulate himself” (3:1) nor did he “preach himself” (4:5). In this passage, Paul draws a parallel between conversion and Creation (“Let there be Light…”). Paul never forgot the brightness of the Light that struck him down on the Damascus Road. Each time that he gave his testimony in Acts, the brightness of that Light was described with increased intensity. Paul is modest about his achievements and settles happily for being a “clay jar” which contains treasure. In antiquity it was sometimes the practice to contain treasure in such vessels. He was satisfied with being identified alongside what was fragile and disposable in order that God might be glorified. J. Hudson Taylor, another missionary ‘great’ used to say “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God, because they reckoned on his being with them”. Verses 8-9 speak of Paul’s being “hard-pressed”, “crushed”, “persecuted” and “struck down”, yet he seems to rejoice in these privations in the knowledge that his identity is totally centred in revealing the life of Jesus.

Mark 2:23-3:6 We turn now from examples of three people, Samuel, David and Paul, who found their identity and delight in God and in God’s purposes for them to two encounters which Jesus had with religious leaders of a completely different hue. These were hard-boiled bullies who, in their determination to catch out Jesus, used the Scriptures as more of a battle-field than a harvest field. Their mechanical approach to religious practice is similar to that of the people denounced for their “second-hand faith” in Isaiah 29: 13 “....these people draw near with their mouths and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote”. What we have in our Gospel reading is a classic example of the tension between the letter and the spirit of the Law. Jesus deftly held His own in this battle. In all fairness to the Pharisees who took him on, they prized highly their historic identity as bound up in the Law, the Land and the Temple. Any perceived assault on these bed-rocks of their faith was bound to antagonise them. They must have been confused by the relaxed, confident and popular way this new unorthodox Rabbi flaunted mainstream thought. After all, had He not been teaching, “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together,

pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working. Trivialise even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialised yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honour in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.” (Matthew 5: 17-18 The Message). Jesus’ “marriage” of grace with truth produced perfect pitch in the tension between the letter and the spirit of the Law. He certainly personified “doing far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living “. Ravi Zacharias’ further assertion that “Truth that is not undergirded by love makes the truth obnoxious and the possessor of it repulsive” can rarely be more aptly personified than in this passage.

Sermon ideas It doesn’t always happen that lectionary readings have a theme running through them. I think that without forcing the point too much, a consideration of identity and purpose can be developed. Samuel grew into his role as Judge, Prophet and king-maker. He got off to an admittedly strange start. While it might be tempting to speculate on the effects on a small child of being transported from the home and family where he was loved, and continued to be loved, the hand of God can be traced in all of this. He was secure in God’s provision, protection and purposes. A parallel reference might be made to the experience of Joseph who, on looking back many years after the abrupt and very different uprooting which he suffered in his adolescence, said “God intended it for good” (Gen. 50:20). The influence of Samuel’s prayerful and godly parents can be featured as an example to all who today seek to consecrate their children in the Sacrament of Baptism. Luther, throughout his life and struggles, clung to the promises and blessings of this Sacrament by repeating “baptizatus sum!” (“I am baptized”). David’s testimony in Psalm 139 to God’s enduring presence and protection, from conception onwards, gave him the identity, hope and security which sustained him throughout the many battles he faced, whether as shepherd-boy or King. Paul remained ever-grateful for his calling and identity as an Apostle “...Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 25:8). His memories of the way he had once persecuted the Church and had been complicit in the stoning of Stephen kept him grateful to the God who had called, forgiven and appointed him. It seemed to affect Paul from time to time that he was different from the other Apostles, yet all the time he rested secure in the identity he had in Christ. When, two years ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury discovered to his complete surprise that he had not in fact been fathered by the man he had known as “father”, his immediate and instinctively compassionate reaction was to shield his elderly mother from the intrusiveness of the press. He went on to say in a subsequent interview: “I know that I find who I am in Jesus

Christ, not in genetics, and my identity in Him never changes...” However the past might affect any of us, it is in Jesus that the child of God finds true identity. Jesus, principally, is utterly secure in his own identity and purpose as the Beloved Son who came “...down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me” (John 6: 38). Doing the Father’s will was quite literally his staple diet: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (John 4: 34). Jesus’ zeal for God and the Law was immersed in godly compassion – hence His (Sabbath) feeding of the hungry disciples and soon afterwards the (Sabbath) healing of the man with the shrivelled hand. These actions could not be ‘squared’ by the scandalised Pharisees. There’s an apocryphal story of the clergyman who, while taking a walking holiday in the Highlands, sat down by a roadside one Sunday after Church to enjoy a solitary picnic. His peaceful contemplations were broken by an angry woman who berated him from the window of her cottage with: “Do ye no’ ken it’s the Sabbath?!” His gentle question, “Madam, haven’t you read that Jesus with his hungry disciples once plucked ears of corn to eat on the Sabbath?” was met with: “Aye! And I think nane the mair o’ him for it!” In our zeal to apply the letter of the Law, we need to seek God’s help to do so within the spirit of the Law.

Time with children Unique - “one in 7.6 billion” – tell the children that they have certain body parts that make them absolutely unique in a world of 7.6 billion human beings (you might want them to join you at the front of the Church to have them look at the various body parts being highlighted today – or you may be able simply to project the relevant pictures): e.g. EYES: Have them look into the eyes of a neighbour, telling them that the centre is the pupil, which can grower smaller or larger. The small muscle that causes this movement is the coloured part called the iris. The iris has minute patterns which are unique to that eye (even their two irises don’t match each other). EARS: Have the children trace the rim of their ears, asking them to notice the curves and ridges. That shape is so unique that certain smart phones include an ear-print recognition app which unlocks the user’s device. LIPS: have them purse their lips towards their neighbour. The patterns of that lip-print and those of the neighbour are unique. TONGUE: Now have them pretend the doctor wants to check their tongues, to open wide and say “ahhh” - The shape and texture of the human tongue is also unique.

TEETH: (have the children show theirs to their neighbours). Dental records are sometimes used to identify people. Finally, we all know that human FINGER-PRINTS are unique and have been used to solve many a crime. (You might like to take along a bundle of “post-its””, an ink-marker, then smear one finger of each child and have the children imprint the mark on a post-it which is unique to each child. Take along a supply of wet-wipes for an assistant to clean the fingers right away. Please make sure the child takes his/her own finger-print home and that you retain no record of it in Church). The children will take home their finger-print today to remind them that no-one else is like them, that God designed bodies that way, and that we are all special to him. Long before science uncovered these distinct features in us, one of God’s special friends wrote a song about how special each of is to God. The song can be found in the Bible at Psalm 139. It celebrates the fact that God knows us through and through, that we are loved and protected and that God is with all the time, whether we are awake or asleep. It is good to live in the certainty that we are special to God and that we are part of a world full of special people who sometimes need to hear from us that God loves us all equally yet specially. Can we think of someone in our lives who is frightened, or lonely and longs to be included? – and then can we decide to reach out to them today/this week and give them the good news that they are loved by God and special to him?

Prayers Approach Almighty God our Father, we delight to sing Your praise, to offer our prayers and to listen for Your Word. Help us to do so in spirit and in truth. In Christ we find our true identity and security. Help us ever to be grateful and to live for His glory Your Spirit is at work in us, guiding us into all truth. May what we share and learn today deepen our love for You and give us strength to serve You more faithfully. We give You thanks and praise, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Confession/Unburdening We ask that in the silence which will follow, You will reveal to each of us the thoughts, words and actions of this past week which have been unloving, unkind, unholy, unworthy and unclean. SILENCE Help us to be truly sorry for the ways we have grieved You and the ways we have wounded those affected by our waywardness. Give us grace to forgive those who have wronged us. Give us the will to let go of any hatred or bitterness that we carry. Help us lay down the burden of past failures. Cleanse us. Restore to us the joy of Your forgiveness and point us to the Grace that is greater than our guilt. SILENCE The almighty and merciful Lord, grant us pardon and remission of all our sins, time for true repentance, amendment of life and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Collect for the day God of the nations, You have revealed your will to all people and promised us Your saving help. Grant us Your grace both to hear and to do what You command that darkness may be overcome by the power of Your light; through Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit one God, now and forever. Our Father.... Amen

Thanksgiving Great God of wonders, in this week when we celebrate the advances made in the realm of science and technology, we give thanks and praise for the vastness of the universe, the splendour of the skies, the majesty of the mountains and the surging of the seas. We give thanks that You, the mighty Creator and sustainer of life in all its forms, crown humankind with glory and honour and entrust to us stewardship over the works of Your hands. We thank You that You place within the human mind the capacity for curiosity and the delight of discovery. We give thanks for all the ways that science and technology have advanced our ability to explore space, the sea-bed and all things in between. We are grateful that these advances help us better to communicate, to live in community, to improve our food-security, to travel and to provide healthcare. Help us show our gratitude for these blessings by caring responsibly for the planet and its peoples. We give thanks and praise that from conception until life’s end and beyond, we are known, loved and protected by You; that in You each of us finds our unique identity and purpose. Help us show our gratitude for these blessings by loving You with heart, soul, mind and strength, and by loving our neighbours as we love ourselves. Intercession Gracious God we ask Your blessing on those who struggle to find their identity, their true purpose and a place of belonging. Bless all victims of abuse who have been conditioned to feel worthless, weak and hopeless. Grant to those who rescue and who counsel them the ability to inspire dignity, hope and wholeness. Bless those whose struggles with addiction have resulted in a change of personality. Grant to those who care for them the ability to provide reassurance and recovery. Bless all whose struggles with gender identity make them feel alone, misunderstood and misrepresented. Grant wisdom and sensitivity to those who offer dignity, empathy and support.

Bless all who through loss of work, income, health or family life find themselves rootless, homeless or friendless. Guide them to people who will listen, care, respect, befriend and support. Bless all who through the brutality of war, famine or poverty find themselves torn from family, home or the country of their birth. There are many. Each is known and loved by You. Inspire us all to pray, to campaign, to give and to work for a more just and kind world. Bless Your persecuted children throughout the world who, because of their allegiance to Christ and His Church, are despised, deprived of basic human rights and discriminated against. We give thanks for their bravery in the face of brutality; for their courage as they face cruel cowardice. We praise You for their costly witness. Grant them the assurance and peace that the Psalmist celebrates in today’s Psalm. Help us who live in comfort never to be deaf to their cries. On this day when we have considered the example left by faithful people, obedient to Your call to serve, we pray for all who sense a call to serve Your Church. Guide them as they seek to discern Your purpose for their lives. Grant kindness, wisdom and sensitivity to all who are charged by the Church to test that call. We pray earnestly that You, the Lord of the harvest, will send out labourers into that harvest. Hear us now in a time of silence as we name in the quietness of hearts people known and loved by us who are facing times of bereavement, bewilderment or any kind of brokenness... SILENCE Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Musical suggestions

CH4 116 – “Loving Creator” – This speaks of God’s creative power, redemptive grace and indwelling presence.

CH4 4 – “How excellent in all the earth”

CH4 5 – “O Lord our Lord throughout the earth” These renderings of Psalm 8 focus our attention on the majesty of our Creator and our place within his plan.

CH4 96 – “You are before me God, you are behind”

CH4 97 – “O God, you search and you know me” These renderings of today’s Psalm 139 place us securely within God’s knowledge and care for us.

CH4 59 – “O come, and let us to the Lord”

CH4 60 – “Come let us praise the Lord” – These renderings of Psalm 95 are suggested because of their closeness in style to the alternative Psalm for today: Ps 81, for which there is no sung version in CH4. For the Time with Children, the following three suggestions speak of our uniqueness in God’s plan:

CH4 144 – “I love the sun it shines on me”

CH4 145 – “God made me as I am”

Mission Praise 325 – “I’m special because God has loved me”

CH3 123 – “Hushed was the evening hymn” – while designated “for children” in CH3, it would serve nicely as a sung prayer for illumination before the readings or Sermon, featuring as it does, the ear, heart and mind.

CH4 262 – “For the world and all its people” – This hymn of prayer for the whole world focuses beautifully in verse 3 on God’s purpose and word.

CH4 502 – “Take my life Lord, let it be” – This hymn is most fitting in a service where the focus has been on our identity as children of God, called to follow and serve him.

CH4 112 – “God whose almighty word” – This glorious hymn to the Trinity would bring to a suitable end a service where we have given thanks for the benefits of science and technology.

Appendix SCIENCE AND GOD: GENERAL http://www.srtp.org.uk/ - Looking at the ethics of technology for New Millennium BioLogos Forum – bioLogos.org BioLogos explores, promotes, and celebrates the integration of science and Christian faith. Christians in Science – www.cis.org.uk An international network of those concerned with the relationship between science and Christian faith. Faraday Institute – www.faraday-institute.org The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion is an academic research enterprise based at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. Ian Ramsey Centre (Oxford University) – www.ianramseycentre.org The Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion conducts research into religious beliefs and theological concepts in relation to the sciences. The Centre is a part of the Theology Faculty at the University of Oxford. Principia Cybernetica - pespmc1.vub.ac.be/godexist.html Arguments for and against the existence of God. Test of Faith – www.testoffaith.com – Resources on science and faith. UCCF – www.bethinking.orgEncouraging the student population to examine the tenets of Christian faith.