St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Kelsowww.standrewskelso.co.uk

Charity Number SC006302

Rector: Prebendary Bob King Associate Priest: Rev Grace Redpath01573 224163 01573 450752rectorofkelso@gmail.com grace.redpath@btconnect.com

Open For You

Sunday August 9th:Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Our Services This Week

Wednesday 10am: Holy Communion (1982 Liturgy)Sunday 8.30am Holy Communion (Scottish Prayer Book)

10am: Eucharist (1982 Liturgy)The Church is open for personal prayer on Thursday mornings from 10am-noon

Our online services continue:Website: www.standrewskelso.co.uk/services/

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ASIbykb7TIw2z_98Pmf4A?

So, welcome to our services, wherever and however you join us, and remember that Grace and I are available at any time to talk on the phone or Facetime or Messenger or Text.

With my love and prayers, Bob

The Peace of the Lord be always with us

Opening Hymn: Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

1. Dear Lord and father of mankind,forgive our foolish ways!

Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,in purer lives thy service find,

in deeper rev’rence praise,in deeper rev’rence praise.

2. In simple trust like theirs who heard,beside the Syrian sea.

the gracious calling of the Lord,let us, like them, without a word,

rise up and follow thee,rise up and follow thee.

3. O Sabbath rest by Galilee!O calm of hills above,

where Jesus knelt to share with theethe silence of eternity,

interpreted by love!interpreted by love!

4.Drop thy still dews of quietness,til all our strivings cease;

take from our souls the strain and stress,and let our ordered lives confess

the beauty of thy peace,the beauty of thy peace.

5. Breathe through the heats of our desirethy coolness and thy balm;

let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,

O still small voice of calm!O still small voice of calm!

The Liturgy of the Word and Intercessions : Rev Grace Redpath

The Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Summary of the Law

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:The first commandment is this:

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord.You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all your soul,with all your mind

and with all your strength."The second is this:

"Love your neighbour as yourself."There is no other commandment greater than these.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Confession and AbsolutionGod is love and we are his children.

There is no room for fear in love.We love because he loved us first.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

God our Father, we confess to youand to our fellow members in the Body of Christthat we have sinned in thought, word and deed,

and in what we have failed to do.We are truly sorry.Forgive us our sins,

and deliver us from the power of evil,for the sake of your Son who died for us,

Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God, who is both power and love,forgive us and free us from our sins,heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,

and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. AmenLord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy,Lord, have mercy.

The Collect for TodayAlmighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church: open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

IntercessionsGrace will lead prayers online, for the Church, the World, and will thank God for God’s goodness. We

are invited to bring our own concerns to God in prayer, including

Coronavirus:, all who are suffering from it, worrying about catching it, treating it, and researching it, and all who are working to keep us safe, and keep us fed.

Those whose Anniversaries of Death fall at this time, including: Ethel Tweedie,Edith Grierson, James Davidson, Ada MacDonald, Anne Moubray, Tom Forbes, Joan Lawrence, and all who mourn them.

Readings:

Psalm 85.8-13

8 I will listen to what the Lord God will say, for he shall speak peace to his people and to the faithful, that they turn not again to folly.

9 Truly, his salvation is near to those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth are met together,

righteousness and peace have kissed each other; 11 Truth shall spring up from the earth

and righteousness look down from heaven. 12 The Lord will indeed give all that is good,

and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness shall go before him

and direct his steps in the way.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

As it was in the beginning, is nowand shall be for ever. Amen

1 Kings 19:9-18 The Message

8-9 He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep.Then the word of God came to him: “So Elijah, what are you doing here?”10 “I’ve been working my heart out for God” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”11-12 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.13-14 When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”15-18 God said, “Go back the way you came through the desert to Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael; make him king over Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi; make him king over Israel. Finally, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Anyone who escapes death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu; and anyone who escapes death by Jehu will be killed by Elisha. Meanwhile, I’m preserving for myself seven thousand souls: the knees that haven’t bowed to the god Baal, the mouths that haven’t kissed his image.”

This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God

The Gospel

This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew chapter 14: v22-33The Message

Glory to Christ our Saviour

Walking on the Water22-23 As soon as the meal for the 5000, was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.24-26 Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror.27 But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”28 Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”29-30 He said, “Come ahead.”Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”31 Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”

32-33 The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, “This is it! You are God’s Son for sure!”

Give thanks to the Lord for His Glorious Gospel: Praise to Christ our Lord

Reflection: Prebendary Bob King

Silence is the common theme running through this week’s readings

The power of Silence, the opportunities of Silence, are sometimes the way in which communication with God is revealed and achieved.

Silence has been the subject of many discussions and songs.

One of my favourites is the Simon and Garfunkel song Sound of Silence.

“Hello darkness, my old friendI've come to talk with you againBecause a vision softly creepingLeft its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remainsWithin the sound of silence”

It talks about Silence as an old friend, that visits in the darkness and stillness and plants a seed within you / my brain.

Within the Bible the analogy of silence and quietness is often used to refer to refreshment, or a time of revelation.

In the Old Testament reading today we hear of the prophet Elijah. Trying to listen, to hear from or to meet with God.

The story starts with one of the great understatements that we hear in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. The understatement linked to the magical number 40.

The writer says:

“Elijah had walked for 40 days and 40 nights and then he came to the cave and lay down because he was really tired”. – I bet he was.

He knows that he needs to hear God and to search for him.

He starts by searching on a mountain. Mountains were often used as the place where someone, in the Bible may have an encounter with God

Moses and the tablets etc, Abraham when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac.

But this does not work for Elijah. All he heard was the rushing wind, so strong it caused an earthquake and the earth was being destroyed.

Then there was fire. Terrifying and destructive and yes, as you know, God was not in the fire. In fact, this could be a very strong hint of the devil at work trying to deceive and lead the prophet to a darker place. We need to remember that Elijah was already very depressed.

Then there was the silence. Elijah wrapped a mantle, a scarf, something warm, protecting and comforting around him and in the still small voice of calm he heard the voice of God.

The love of God

The Word of God.

God telling him what to do and how to go about it.

Lucky Elijah!!

He heard God and knew it was him. It was not some anonymous person telling him what to do or trying to cause trouble or hurt and pain;

Elijah heard God speak.

Elijah trusted and had an awareness of God’s love for him.

The things that God said were going to happen were pretty awful to be honest and I do struggle with this view of God that id sometimes portrayed in the Old Testament.

Let me remind you what God said.

God said, “Go back the way you came through the desert to Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael; make him king over Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi; make him king over Israel. Finally, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Anyone who escapes death by Hazael will be

killed by Jehu; and anyone who escapes death by Jehu will be killed by Elisha. Meanwhile, I’m preserving for myself seven thousand souls: the knees that haven’t bowed to the god Baal, the mouths that haven’t kissed his image.”

God’s care is evident in what He says but also God’s wrath shows through.

At the other end of the spectrum is the story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter trying to do the same.

At the moment we are having so many of the well-known stories and miracles in our Sunday readings.

We are following Matthew’s Gospel this year and he brings together many of the miracle stories into a long dialogue with one following on from the other.

Last week we heard about Jesus feeding the 5000 and today’s gospel is the end of that story - the account of what happened next.

A pattern emerges, and I have to say it’s a bit like mine and I suspect some of yours.

After a really busy time (feeding 5000 people) Jesus is tired and wrung out.

He needs space

He needs time to recharge, reflect, ponder, chill and get ready for the next thing.

I understand where Jesus was at.

The only time I really miss being a smoker is after a busy Sunday Morning set of services. I used to get home, make a coffee and go and sit in our beautiful garden, light a fag and as they say – relax. Sometimes it could be a couple of coffees and goodness knows how many Benson and Hedges.

This is similar to what Jesus did.

He sent the disciples away to get to the other side of the lake in a boat and he went up a hill, had a seat and prayed. Probably he revelled in the silence. Allowed it to wash over him. A silence that was peaceful and safe maybe even felt like night-time when he could talk with God without being interrupted.

“Hello darkness, my old friendI've come to talk with you again”

We don’t know what the conversation was. And that to me is a real joy. The prayer is private. A father and son in confidence. It could also be a mother and daughter. That is the personal moment between God and the people God loves. It’s the same today and it’s not just for those and such as those.

It’s for us all. Available, free of charge and not having to press button 1, 2 3 or 4

As it says in the Book of Revelation which we heard read at Ruby Wilson’s funeral on Monday

“I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.”

After this peaceful interlude Jesus, like us, has to return to normal life again.

Not surprisingly a storm has started.It’s like getting home after a busy time and getting a really difficult email. It is what life is about and how it seems to be. I get really sad when spiritual attacks happen after something good has taken place and sadly that does happen.

The waters get stormy and rough and we have to cross them like Jesus did.

He had to deal as the disciples did with the ravages of the waves and the wind as he headed out to the boat.

Matthew shares one of the great miracles at this point

Jesus walked on the water. – WOW get him!!The disciples saw this. - a sign a message of hope, an outward sign of inner strength and healing. Jesus said to them –“do not be afraid of the storm” (proved again by Liverpool football club this season)He said, rise above it, I will be there for you to give you strength.Peter, of course, reacted immediately and clambered out of the boat to walk to his Lord and Saviour.As soon as he began to struggle he called out, prayed, and Jesus reached out his hand.They get to the boat and it says the disciples worshipped him and truly believed - a revelation.

“Because a vision softly creepingLeft its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brainStill remains”The seeds that had been planted suddenly burst into life.

This has not been an easy week, but I gain huge strength as I read about Jesus feeding and holding and being there.

After the tumult and sometimes despair and anger and sadness, as we find time to be in silence and reflect, we can see and feel the seeds growing and the hand reaching out to hold us. The same hand that feeds us and loves us and stretched out on the cross to die for us because he loved and still loves us so much.

Maybe we just need to hear - the sound of silence

Hymn: Be Still (David Kauffman)

Be still my love, know that I am GodBe still my love, know that I am God

The mountains shake, the waters roarThe valleys tremble with fear

And yet our strength, our refuge sureWhispers in our ear

Be still my love, know that I am GodBe still my love, know that I am God

Though nations fight, though kingdoms fallThough spiteful hearts will harm

Your mercy holds us, we hear You callWe linger in Your resting arms as You say

Be still my love, know that I am GodBe still my love, know that I am God

Behold the works our Lord has doneTo change our hearts…

The Service continues with Eucharistic Prayer 1

Celebrated for us by Prebendary Bob King Please join in the Communion anyway you would like to.

Closing prayer:

Holy Father, who gathered us here around the table of your Son to share this meal with the whole household of God: in that new world where you reveal the fullness of your peace, gather people of every race and language to share in the eternal banquet of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Closing Hymn: And can it be?

1. And can it be that I should gainan interest in the Saviour’s blood?

Died he for me, who caused his pain?For me, who him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it bethat thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it bethat thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

2. ‘Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies:who can explore his strange design?

In vain the first-born Seraph triesto sound the depths of love divine!

‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,let angel minds inquire no more.

3. He left his Father’s throne aboveso free, so infinite his grace,

emptied himself of all but love,and bled for Adam’s helpless race;‘tis mercy all, immense and free;or, O my God, it found out me.

4. Long my imprisoned spirit layfast bound in sin and nature’s night;thine eye diffused a quickening ray;

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;my chains fell off, my heart was free;I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

5. No condemnation now I dread;Jesus, and all in him, is mine!Alive in him, my living Head,

and clothed in righteousness divine,bold I approach the eternal throne,

and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

[[[So, let us all go- or stay- in peace to love and serve the Lord, wherever and however we can.

In the name of Christ. Amen