Today’s service is led by the Revd Jonnie Hill
Welcome
Hello and welcome to this service of worship from the United Reformed Church for today, 20th October. I’m the Revd Jonnie Hill; I serve the East Cheshire and Derbyshire Missional Partnership in the North Western Synod. It’s a privilege to be leading worship today when we will be looking at the story of Job, so join me as we seek to worship our loving God.
Call to Worship
The God of the universe, the one who laid the earth’s foundations and set the stars in their course, cares for you, for me, and for every living creature and invites us now to divine encounter. So let us come, full of expectant hope, that we will encounter the living God in the worship we now offer together, in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Hymn I Bind Unto Myself Today
St Patrick’s Breastplate (Public Domain) arranged by Rod Lewis sung and performed by Five O’Silver and used with their kind permission
I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity:
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever
by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation:
His baptism in the Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicéd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today!
I bind unto myself
the power of the great cherubim,
the sweet “well done” in judgment hour,
the service of the seraphim;
Confessors’ faith, apostles’ word,
the Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray;
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead:
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the Word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard!
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend & stranger.
I bind unto myself today,
the strong name of the Trinity:
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation –
Salvation is of Christ the Lord!
Prayers of Approach, Confession & Assurance of Forgiveness
Loving Creator, in the whirlwind of life, where chaos and order entwine,
we turn to you, who spoke to Job from the eye of a storm.
We hear your voice, O God, speaking to us in the storms of our own lives,
urging us to grow into mature faith and wisdom, calling us to give up – over-simplistic ideas of sin and punishment, of cause and effect, and to embrace the wonder and complexity of this life you have created, equal measures beauty and joy, sorrow and pain.
When the flood waters inevitably rise, and the light of the sun and stars seems dim, give us the courage to ask the tough questions, as Job did, that our quest for insight and meaning, will bring us closer to you, trusting that even in our doubts and questioning, we are held close in your infinite love and grace.
And may we come to acceptance and peace, that when life is unpredictable and feels threatening, it is also full of possibility and newness of life. Help us to live into this life – of faith and co-creation, which is your invitation and gift, full of promise and adventure, alive in the creative power of the Spirit.
pause
God of all wisdom and grace, help us to admit the things we get wrong, the times we have clung to certainty, or held to outdated beliefs, even when your Spirit has been beckoning us on.
Not so we can beat ourselves up or play the all too familiar blame-game –
but so that we can learn, that we can repent – make an about turn, and grow ever greater into human fullness, the picture of true humanity we see in Christ.
pause
Friends, our God is a God of love and new beginnings, let us accept the new beginning offered to us now, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
As we listen now to ancient words read from Scripture, may they be made alive and vital, by the power of the Holy Spirit, offering insight and wisdom for life, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Reading Job 38:1-7, 34-41
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements–surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling together?
“Can you hunt the prey for the lion or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their covert? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?
Hymn I Sing the Almighty Power of God
Isaac Watts based on Psalm 8, public domain, sung by St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.
I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
the moon shines full at his command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food;
he formed the creatures with his word and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how your wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eyes,
if I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the skies.
There’s not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known,
and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne;
while all that borrows life from you is ever in your care,
and everywhere that I can be, you, God, are present there.
Sermon
Ask anyone who doesn’t believe in God for their reasons why, and you will undoubtedly get a range of responses. But I bet many will centre on the age-old question of how an all-powerful and loving God could allow the untold suffering that we see in our world. It’s a conundrum that’s not easy to solve – indeed philosophers and theologians of all kinds have struggled to offer a once and for all answer.
And let’s be honest, it’s not just atheists and agnostics that struggle with the conundrum, don’t we people of faith struggle with it too? There’s a whole branch of theology dedicated to its study known as theodicy. And it’s been asking what is surely a question of universal human experience – why do bad things happen to good people?
One such person was Job, a righteous man – blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. He was good, and yet some terrible things happened to him – he loses his children, his servants, his animals and even his health. Job’s friends come to him and endeavour to offer comfort, but their counsel only serves to deepen his anguish and grief.
They peddle the old adage that his suffering must be the result of his sin – or in effect, bad things only happen to bad people. Job is resolute in protesting his innocence and his retorts become increasingly bitter as he stands by his belief that his punishment is undeserved.
Ultimately, Job demands an audience with God, and in effect puts God on trial to answer the charge of injustice concerning Job’s suffering. And Job does receive an answer of sorts, in two speeches which are the essence of today’s reading. God speaks from the midst of a storm, from the whirlwind but the meaning of God’s response is something that has been the result of much theological speculation. So much in fact, I can hardly attempt to offer anything of true scholarly value in this short time.
But something I have found compelling, both as a Christian minister and as a counsellor and psychotherapist is a Jewish reading of the story of Job. It suggests the story is less about God’s justice than it is about the transformation of a man whose faith and worldview, which initially were forged in the context of blessing and prosperity, are in effect obliterated when a host of calamities arise. The question the story raises is – how can faith, which has only known prosperity and blessing, ever be truly deep-rooted?
God’s speeches, revelation more than explanation, are confronting in both their content and tone. As Job faces down the storm, he is suddenly made aware of God’s power and presence even in the midst of senseless suffering. Job, who to this point has been seeking reasons for his personal suffering is moved on from pursuing simplistic answers to questions of cause and effect to the reality of life’s deep complexities. It seems that Job’s faith has matured, not because of having all the answers, but as a result of trusting God and recognising that even in the chaos and uncertainty of life, God is.
Job has his perspective increased as he contemplates the expansiveness of the natural world, realising that God’s intentions and actions lie far beyond just human consciousness. Perhaps this is something helpful for us to dwell on and contemplate today – consider how our human-centred social order has negated and neglected creaturely suffering and the suffering of the earth itself. Can we too be confronted by the vastness of God in nature to be reminded of God’s good intentions and desire for wholeness (shalom) for all that God has created?
Like all people of faith, Job’s faith is truly tested in the furnace of suffering. By the end of the book, Job’s worldview and his faith are transformed. He is moved from a transactional view of faith, where goodness equals blessing to a relational experience of faith, where trust in God prevails, even in and through suffering.
For those of us who like Job have lost much and experienced all sorts of hell, this is perhaps a bitter pill to swallow – that mature faith should be wrought through pain and suffering. But life is complex and filled with all kinds of adversity as well as joy… and I suspect we all know deep down that those things that test us, are very often then things that most help us to grow.
Job’s journey reveals a certain wisdom and insight into the life of faith, one that is paradoxical and, on the surface, sometimes counter intuitive. In and through the suffering he experiences, Job learns an invaluable lesson that faith tested through suffering can be made stronger and more robust, it is not a brittle, fair-weather faith of prosperity and blessing, but one which is steadfast in trust of God. This is not the kind of faith that says God will make it all okay in the end or one that offers an immediate release from whatever we’re going through, but rather, a faith that offers a deeper, more profound sense of God’s presence and strength even through the toughest of trials.
At times in my own life, when I have experienced personal crisis or devastating loss, I have had an almost inexplicable need to make my way to the sea. Something about the vastness of the expanse before me has helped to put into perspective my losses and in some way has offered solace and comfort. Undoubtedly, I met God – not in words or even images, but in the vastness of what was before me and a profound readjusting of my individual perspective within the grand order of all things.
So how are we to speak our faith into a suffering world that questions the existence of God – because how could an all-powerful and all-loving God allow the untold pain and trauma that is so ubiquitous.
I think the story of Job tells us that such questions about and objections to God’s existence will not be resolved with simple answers – because there simply aren’t any. I don’t think this is a cop out. It’s not that we should be saying don’t ask the difficult questions, but rather ask the questions but don’t expect neat, easy answers.
Job’s story teaches us that mature faith requires us to move beyond a transactional understanding of the divine economy, where blessings equal reward for goodness, to a relational faith where we trust in God’s loving intentions whatever may befall us.
As followers of Christ crucified, we are called to minister to one another as we each seek to carry our own crosses. Let’s not fall into the misguided attempts of Job’s friends to offer comfort through religious platitudes which serve only to perpetuate an overly simplistic and transactional attitude to suffering. And if we’re honest, we know that this kind of an approach is often off-putting to the lived experience of others as they navigate the reality and complexity of life.
Let’s be ready to enter into the places of pain and suffering of our world with empathy and modelling the kind of persistent loving presence we experience from God in our own suffering. We can witness to the kind of mature faith that weathers the storms of life, one that does not shirk or minimise the reality of suffering but affirms a hope in the mysterious, loving and persistent presence of God in all that we go through.
God is with us. Amen.
Hymn Give to Me Lord a Thankful Heart
© 1975 Caryl Micklem sung by members of Park Central Presbyterian Church
Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart
and a discerning mind;
give, as I play the Christian’s part,
the strength to finish what I start
and act on what I find.
When, in the rush of days, my will
is habit bound and slow,
help me to keep in vision, still,
what love & power & peace can fill;
a life that trusts in you.
By your divine and urgent claim,
and by your human face,
kindle our sinking hearts to flame,
& as you teach the world your name,
let it become your place.
Jesus, with all your Church I long
to see your kingdom come:
show me your way of righting wrong
and turning sorrow into song
until you bring me home.
Affirmation of Faith
We love a God who reigns over us
not with force and manipulation
but with the power of love,
to lift us up and set us free.
We follow Jesus, God’s Anointed,
who shared the power of healing and forgiveness.
He was crucified by the powers of domination,
but he was raised by the power of love.
We live by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
who empowers us to serve humbly,
to bless and not to threaten,
to create and not destroy.
By that Spirit we seek to serve, to forgive, to heal,
and to lift up those who are oppressed.
By that Spirit alone,
and not by any power of this world,
we receive life that is eternal
and joy that sustains us always. Alleluia!
Prayers of Intercession
What fresh hell is this, we cry, as we awaken once more
to a new day filled with images of violence and war.
The tragedies that befell Job seem but the tip of the iceberg,
compared to the vast ocean of human suffering in our world today.
In our bewilderment and sorrow, we lift our voices to you, O God,
seeking your presence and peace in the midst of chaos.
We pray for the healing of creation,
for a world system that is fair for all creatures.
Grant us maturity O God, to give up the myth
that infinite economic growth is possible or desirable.
May we relinquish all notions of dominion, and embrace
our true calling as stewards of this great, green earth.
We pray for all caught up in the crossfire of war,
for ordinary people in Gaza and Israel, in Ukraine and Russia.
Inspire leaders to seek justice and reconciliation, O God,
so that war-torn regions might have the chance of peace.
May we too play our part, in the cause of justice and reconciliation,
guided always by the example of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
We pray for all who are ill in body, mind or spirit,
for all experiencing grief or loss.
Bring healing to broken bodies, peace to anxious minds,
and comfort to troubled spirits, O God.
May each hurting person know the warmth of Your embrace
and the support of a loving community.
We pray for ourselves, for all people of faith who struggle
to make sense of why a loving God could allow such suffering.
Help us, O God, to hold onto faith in your loving nature
even in the darkest of times.
Give us courage to believe in your goodness,
and your promise never to leave us or forsake us, no matter what.
As we bring these prayers to you, O God,
give us strength to not feel helpless,
but empowered by your Spirit, to be agents of hope and love
in places of suffering, as in places of possibility and new beginnings.
May we be your hands and feet,
co-creators of the world you long to see. Amen.
Offertory
Anyone who claims to be a ‘self-made person’ is quite simply deluded. Because there is no such thing! Nothing we can achieve is ever solely on our own merit. Think of the countless people who have offered time and teaching to make us who we are. The opportunities we’ve been given, the talents and skills nurtured by others… the innate gifts we have been given by God. We live in a truly interconnected world where all our successes and failures are dependent on a complex web of gifting and receiving. Let us remember this as we come to offer our gifts of money and our lives back to God.
God,
as we offer these gifts,
help us to remember all we have received
and to give generously from that abundance.
May our gifts bring blessings –
to one another, and to the world,
in Christ’s name, Amen.
Hymn Have You Heard God’s voice Has Your Heart Been Stirred?
© 2008 Jaqueline Jones sung by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission
Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred?
Are you still prepared to follow?
Have you made a choice to remain and serve,
though the way be rough and narrow?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
Will you use your voice; will you not sit down
when the multitudes are silent?
Will you make a choice to stand your ground
when the crowds are turning violent?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
In your city streets will you be God’s heart?
Will you listen to the voiceless?
Will you stop and eat, and when friendships start,
will you share your faith with the faithless?
Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?
Will you watch the news with the eyes of faith
and believe it could be different?
Will you share your views using words of grace?
Will you leave a thoughtful imprint?
We will walk the path that will cost us much
and embrace the pain and sorrow.
We will trust in One who entrusts to us
the disciples of tomorrow.
Blessing
May the God spoke to Job and who is still speaking today,
guide us with wisdom and grace.
As we seek to go onward in faith, co-creators with the Divine,
let us embrace the beauty and complexity of creation,
trusting in God’s unfailing presence and love.
May we walk in peace, bringing hope to a world in need,
and find joy in the journey ahead.
And the blessing of God,
loving Creator,
redeeming Christ,
enlivening Spirit,
be with you today and always,
Amen.