Let us worship God.

Let us worship God.

“No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

We begin with a great hymn – The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.

Be blessed, as you listen to it – and sing along with it. As you sing to the Lord, may this be your prayer – We sing to You, Lord. We sing our song of praise. It’s the song of Your salvation. It’s the song that gives glory to You. May our song of praise be more than words. May it be the song that arises from our hearts. May it be the song that comes from lives that are being transformed by Your grace.

Here’s the link for The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord –

Let us pray.

We thank You, Lord, that You are “the eternal God.” You are “our Refuge.” You hold us in Your “everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). This doesn’t mean that life will be easy for us – but it does mean that You will be with us – whatever happens, and You’ll never let us down. You’ll always be there for us. You are “for us” – whatever problems we may have to face, may we learn to say, with triumphant faith, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

A road that leads to … somewhere

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Are we travelling on a road that’s going nowhere? Sometimes, it feels like this. God’s Word says, “No.” Is there the glorious hope of an eternal future – with God? God’s Word says, “Yes.”

“When the road is rough and steep, Fix your eyes upon Jesus, He alone has power to keep, Fix your eyes upon him, Jesus is a special friend, One on whom you can depend, He is faithful to the end, Fix your eyes upon Him.”

Here’s a link to this song of faith – When the road is rough and steep, fix your eyes upon Jesus. May you be blessed as you listen to it, and sing along with it,

Lord, our situation seems hopeless – but it’s not! You are there with us, every step of the way. This is what gives us hope: knowing that You’re always there – even when the going gets tough!

When everything seems to be getting too much for us …

Often, Lord, we feel like David – facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Everything seems too much for us. Was Goliath too much for David? He wasn’t too much for You – and You were on David’s side. We’re not alone. Help us to remember this. When we feel weak, help us to remember that You are strong – and Your strength has been given to us. Thank You, Lord.

When everything seems to be going wrong – and we feel so helpless, when we’re worried about our world, when we’re anxious about the future, here are two songs which will encourage us in the Lord.

The first song – My Forever Friend – is a song of personal testimony.

The second song – What a friend we have in Jesus – reminds us that we can bring our troubles to the Lord and seek His help. As we listen to this well-known hymn, this will lead us into the message that has been sent to us by the Moderator of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley. As you read Jack’s letter, pray for the people he mentions – and don’t forget to pray for him, giving thanks to God for his much-needed spiritual leadership.

Take it to the Lord in prayer – a message from the Moderator of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley

Call to Prayer

Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we face the uncertainty surrounding the present coronavirus pandemic and the fact that we cannot see, feel or touch the problem, it can lead us to become either sceptical about its seriousness or terrified of what it could do to us or our loved ones. There is no doubt that we face the greatest test that our nation has faced since the end of the Second World War. It proves, once again, that we really do not have all the answers to life’s problems.

However, even in the uncertainly and the need to listen carefully to the scientific and medical experts, who are seeking to help our nation get through these difficult times, I believe that there is One who does have all the answers, and we can pray to Him.

I have no doubt that we have all been earnestly praying in these days, but I have been led to believe that, although we cannot come together as a Presbytery, we can still pray together. I would like to suggest that we, as a Presbytery, endeavour to set aside time each day at the same time if possible to pray about the present situation; and I would suggest 11.00 a.m.

It may be that for some that is not possible, but let us pray every day at whatever time is suitable for each one of us.

Let us pray for doctors, nurses, scientists, emergency service workers and indeed all who would seek to respond in these difficult days. Pray for the vulnerable folk in society; let us pray for those who have had to self-isolate, and for folk who contract the virus that they will make a full recovery. Let us pray for families with children who are at home because our schools are closing, that they can cope with the need to keep the children interested and occupied.

Let us pray for our congregations and the folk in our Presbytery and nation. Pray for folk whose employment and income is adversely affected by not being able to work.

Pray for our politicians in Westminster and Holyrood that God will sustain them and inspire them with His Holy Spirit that their decisions will be in accordance with His will and purposes.

Let us all remember that God is Sovereign and that he has shown the depth his love for us by sending His Son Jesus into our world to be our Saviour and our Lord. He will not abandon us now in our time of need.

God Bless you all.

Jack McHugh

In troubled times … who are we listening to?

“A cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”” (Mark 9:7).

Who are we listening to? So many people have so much to say. What are we to make of it all? There is so much that fills us with anxiety. The more we hear, the more we get worried. We feel like we’re looking into a dark hole. Out of the cloud came a voice. It was the voice of the Lord our God. What does he say to us? He tells us to listen to Jesus. We’re not alone in this world. Jesus tells us that he is with us. He tells us that he loves us. Sometimes, the clouds get in the way. We can see nothing but dark clouds. This leads to dark thoughts. This is when we need to listen to the Word of the Lord. Sometimes, it seems like God has stopped speaking to us. Leave God out, stop listening to him, and the world will become a very lonely place. It will seem like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Look up at the clouds, and pray that, in this dark world, the sunshine of God’s love will break through. Who do we think we are? Do we think we can do without God? Do we think that we can manage fine without him? Or, are we becoming more ready to listen to what the Lord has to say to us? What will the Lord say to us? What is he wanting to teach us? Here’s a good starting-point: “Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so.” There is much for us to read in our newspapers. There is much for us to watch on our televisions. Where does all of this leave us if we stop listening to Jesus, if we forget about his love for us? May God give to us the simple faith that prays to the Lord – “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). This simple faith will not give us answers to all of our questions. It will not give us a crystal ball, which will tell us what the immediate future holds for us. It will show us that we are loved – with a love that comes to us from the very beginning, with a love that will continue with us to the very end.

For troubled times … triumphant hope, glorious hope, eternal hope

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

In these words of Jesus, there’s a great message of hope – triumphant hope, glorious hope, eternal hope.

Triumphant hope

Jesus speaks to us about “tribulation” – but this is not all that he says to us. He speaks to us of his triumph. These words of Jesus turn our thoughts towards his crucifixion and resurrection. For Jesus, his crucifixion was the time of his great tribulation. What suffering he endured, at the hands of his enemies! Jesus’ resurrection was the time of his triumph. We look at his crucifixion and resurrection, and we ask, “Why was he crucified? Why was he raised from the dead?” The answer is – It was for us that he died, and it was for us that he was raised from the dead. This great message of Christ, crucified and risen, speaks to us in our tribulation. It lifts our eyes above all the things that trouble us. It shows us that all of these things will come to an end. It gives us a glimpse of God’s eternal glory and leads us on to better things.

Glorious hope

We look at what’s happening in our world, and we wonder, “What’s going on? What’s this all about? What does it mean? ” Are there any answers to our many questions? What are we to do with our many questions? Are we to allow them to draw us away from the Lord? We do not have all the answers – but we do have our Saviour! He’s leading us on to his eternal glory. In this world, we only have fleeting glimpses of the glory of the Lord. Sometimes, we feel that we are very near to him. At other times, we feel that we’re very far from him. When we’re wondering where God is, in all the things that are happening to us, let us pray that we will be given the faith that we need – to keep on believing in the Lord. In these difficult times, when our faith is being put to the test, may we catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord, and may our faith in him grow stronger.

Eternal hope

When things are going badly for us, and we wonder what the future holds for us, let us not forget that there is more than our future – there is God’s future. Our future may be very uncertain, but let us never forget this – “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44). We may feel like we’re in a desolate wilderness. We may wonder if there’s any hope for us. When we feel like this, there’s something we must never forget – “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Responding to the Word of the Lord …

Lord, we thank You that we’re not left to go it alone. You’ve given us Your Spirit – the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who leads us to Jesus, the Spirit who makes us more like Jesus. Thank You, Lord – with Your Spirit, we can go from strength to strength. Help us to walk in Your Spirit.

A Benediction song (Noel Grant, tune: What a friend we have in Jesus)

God be with you through the night-time, God be with you through the day:
Angels guard and keep you always, as you journey on your way.
God be with you, ever bless you, as the days and years go by;
Till we meet at last in glory, in the mansions of the sky.

______________________________________

If you’ve been blessed by the Lord this morning, I hope you’ll pay us another visit to “Let us worship God …” – next Sunday at 11am, and I hope that you’ll tell others that they’re welcome to join us for this time of worship. You can, also, visit the blog at any other time during the week.

God bless every one of you.

Charlie