Cruden Parish Church of Scotland
10.00am, Sunday 8 Augtust 2021
'Listen to the heart of God -
Vocation!'
Click here to print out the Order of Service
FACEBOOK PAGE:
Click here to join the Service live on Facebook or to view a recording later.
Welcome to Cruden Parish Church! We are a congregation of the Church of Scotland serving the communities in and around the villages of Longhaven, Hatton, Cruden Bay and Whinnyfold. We also extend a special welcome to those unable to be physically present with us this morning and following the service online. Wherever you are and whatever your circumstances, we pray that you may know God’s blessing and presence during this time of worship.
Call to Worship
Only the hungry search for bread.
Only the thirsty look for water.
This is a place for those who are hungry and thirsty in spirit.
Only those who ache for meaning will pursue it.
Only those who yearn for a deeper life will seek it.
This is a place for those who ache and yearn for something more.
So let us come here today with our hunger and thirst,
our unsatisfied longings, our heart-felt yearnings,
and let the God of life satisfy our souls.
Let us worship God
Hymn 510: Jesus calls us here to meet him (Tune Hyfrydol)
- Jesus calls us here to meet him
as, through word and song and prayer,
we affirm God’s promised presence
where his people live and care.
Praise the God who keeps his promise;
praise the Son who calls us friends;
praise the Spirit who, among us,
to our hopes and fears attends.
- Jesus calls us to confess him
Word of life and Lord of all,
sharer of our flesh and frailness,
saving all who fail or fall.
Tell his holy human story;
tell his tales that all may hear;
tell the world that Christ in glory
came to earth to meet us here.
- Jesus calls us to each other,
vastly different though we are;
creed and colour, class and gender
neither limit nor debar.
Join the hand of friend and stranger;
join the hands of age and youth;
join the faithful and the doubter
in their common search for truth
Prayers of Approach
Before we speak, God knows our needs,
yet our words open our hearts to God's grace.
Let us prepare ourselves for God's healing
as, in words and silence, we tell of all that separates us from God and one another.
Please join me as we pray…
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen
Bible Readings
Jeremiah 29:10-14
This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.
I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’
Matthew 11:25-30
The Father Revealed in the Son
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Sermon ‘Listening to the heart of God – Vocation!’
Hymn: How clear is our vocation Lord (Tune Repton)
1 How clear is our vocation, Lord,
When once we heed your call:
To live according to your word,
And daily learn, refreshed, restored,
That you are Lord of all,
and will not let us fall.
2 But if, forgetful, we should find
Your yoke is hard to bear;
If worldly pressures fray the mind,
and love itself cannot unwind
Its tangled skein of care:
Our inward life repair.
3 We marvel how your saints become
In hindrances more sure;
Whose joyful virtues put to shame
The casual way we wear your name,
And by our faults obscure
Your power to cleanse and cure.
4 In what you give us, Lord, to do,
Together or along,
In old routines and ventures new,
May we not cease to look to you,
The cross you hung upon -
All you endeavoured done.
Fred Pratt Green, Words © 1982 Hope Publishing Company,
Prayers of Intercession
A prayer for spiritual renewal
Whirlwind Spirit of God,
Roar through our timidities and fears,
Shake the foundations of our ill-placed securities,
Sweep away the cobwebs of our apathy,
Blow down the walls that separate us, one from another.
Then into all our empty spaces, breathe
re-strengthened courage to challenge injustice,
renewed belief in the urgency of our vocation,
revitalised passion to change our lifestyles,
re-dedication to speak only words that build and unite.
Let gentle breeze and still small voice
become in us today
mighty wind and loud proclamation.
Lord renew your church and revive Your people!
Amen
Hymn 533: Will you come and follow me
- Will you come and follow me
if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown
in you and you in me?
- Will you leave your self behind
if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
should your life attract or scare,
will you let me answer prayer
in you and you in me?
- Will you let the blinded see
if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free
and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean
and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean
in you and you in me?
- Will you love the ‘you’ you hide
if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
to reshape the world around
through my sight and touch and sound
in you and you in me?
- Lord, your summons echoes true
when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go
where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow
in you and you in me.
Dismissal and Blessing
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
we have a commission,
to take the life and love we have celebrated here out into our daily lives,
our everyday world.
We are not called to go out as those who are perfect,
or who have all the answers,
but as those who share the struggle,
and have found a deep spring to quench our thirst.
God in peace from this space of worship.
May the blessing of God the Father,
the companionship of Jesus Christ,
and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Be with you all forever more.
Amen
CRUDEN PARISH CHURCH NEWS
Cruden Parish Church News
Although many of the Covid restrictions have been eased, we continue to appreciate your support in maintaining social distancing, the wearing of facemasks, and (for the moment) sitting in the marked spaces. Also, a special thanks to our volunteers on door duty and providing an enhanced cleaning regime.
The service will also be broadcast live via the Facebook Page and be available for later viewing. A copy of the Order of Service, which includes the words of the responses, readings, hymns, intimations etc., are available via the church website, Facebook page or on request via email.
Walking for health and well-being
We meet this Tuesday at 10.00 am outside the St Olaf Hotel for our usual summer social walk! Everyone welcome.
‘On your marks!’ Summer Holiday Club
Our holiday club runs from Wednesday 11th to Friday 13th August 2021 at Mill Park, Station Road, Cruden Bay. For more info, please speal to Sean (O7791 755976) or Jamet (07790 934031) for more info.
Prayer points for the Holiday Club
Picnic in the Park – Sunday 15th August (run by the Cruden Bay Community Association)
Sponsored Walk for Christian Aid – 2.00 PM, Sunday 22nd August at Bennachie Visitor Centre
On the afternoon of Sunday 22nd August Magnus and Melville (Sean & Alison’s mischievous Westie and adorable Golden Retriever) will be doing a sponsored walk for Christian Aid up Bennachie. Dogs and well-behaved humans are also welcome! Why not bring a picnic? We meet up at 2.00 pm at Bennachie Visitor Centre (AB51 5HY)
You can support Magnus & Melville in church via the sponsorship form or on-line at Sean Swindells is fundraising for Christian Aid (justgiving.com)
.