Events

Gardner Memorial Church of Scotland

3 days ago

Sunday 1st August 2021
Gardner Memorial & Farnell Parish Churches


The links to the 11.00 am Service is the same every Sunday:
Zoom:-
us02web.zoom.us/j/83652604910?pwd=YUhWTVZPeXJ5eTNiS003L3o3TnFJZz09

Meeting ID: 836 5260 4910 Passcode: 864711
or
YouTube:-
Brechin Gardner Memorial Live

1st August Farnell 9.30am Gardner 11.00am
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From Sunday’s Service

There has been an initiative in the Christian Communities in Scotland to agree a common prayer about the Pandemic which leaves me, not cold, but absolutely frozen. It begins;

Gracious Father,
Who gives to us bread from heaven,
Hear us when we hunger
And cry out to the One who is the bread of life.
Renew us by Your gift and restore us by Your presence.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Personally I find that to be the language of Religion; exclusive jargon; alien to the vast majority of the population. I fear that it will not bring one more soul to faith

However what Moderator Jim Wallace wrote as a preface to the prayer for the Church of Scotland is from a completely different planet. About the Pandemic he touched on unity when he wrote;

"In this pandemic, our responsibility is to come together and offer our prayers for all the many diverse expressions of our Christian faith that enrich life, as we have done for many months now.

As the statistics appear to move in a hopeful direction, let us not forget that behind each death there will be grieving family and friends; behind each hospitalisation there will be a suffering patient, an anxious family and a caring and skilled medical team.

And behind each vaccination, let us recognise, with thanks, the skill of the scientists' research and those who make distribution and vaccination possible.

Let us remember, too, those in countries who still wait anxiously for vaccines to arrive. May our leaders respond imaginatively and generously to that challenge”.

He concludes;

“A pattern has been set for us, lived out in Jesus Christ, made possible by the Spirit. May we follow in God’s way, and be guided by the one over-riding rule of love in all that we say and do."

That is the language of spirituality. It is inclusive language. I believe it would strike a chord with the vast majority of the population. And while it may not bring one more soul to faith it will illustrate that the Church is relevant and does speak to today’s issues and concerns.
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Notes
[1] There will be Zoom Meetings on Fridays at 10.30am for a GM/F virtual coffee and chat. The link for these meetings is:

us02web.zoom.us/j/84880217054?pws=QVh4QmdaYVo4L2p5bDBnRjlTWnNhUT09

Meeting ID: 848 8021 7054 Passcode: 978830
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May the road through life continue to rise to meet you
May the wind be at your back
May any rain that falls be soft and light.
May you be held by the love of God
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
Amen
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Malcolm

E: malc.rooney@gmail.com office@gardnermemorialbrechin.org.uk
M: 07909993233 01356 629191 ... See MoreSee Less