Today’s service is led by the Revd Dr Adam Scott
Introduction
Welcome to worship today. My name is Adam Scott and I’m the Principal of Northern College, one of the resource centres for learning for the United Reformed Church. And I bring my greetings from the Board of Governors, the staff and the students of the college.
Call to Worship
Good Shepherd, remind us that we are your little flock,
gathered by your Spirit, and tended through your love.
May we know your presence as we worship today. Amen.
Hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is
H. W. Baker (1868) Public Domain Recorded by the 7pm Choir at St. Francis de Sales Church in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.
The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness fails me never;
I nothing lack if I am His,
and He is mine for ever.
Where streams of living water flow,
with gentle care He leads me,
and where the verdant pastures grow,
with heav’nly food he feeds me.
Perverse & foolish I have strayed,
but yet in love He sought me,
and on His shoulder gently laid,
and home rejoicing brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill,
with you, dear Lord, beside me;
Your rod and staff my comfort still,
Your cross before to guide me.
You spread a table in my sight;
Your saving grace bestowing,
and O what joy and true delight,
from your pure chalice flowing.
And so through all the length of days,
Your goodness fails me never,
Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise,
within your house for ever.
Prayers of Approach
As we approach worship, we are going to prepare ourselves by beginning with a simple meditation on Psalm 23.
In this short time of prayer, I will invite you to settle yourself and to focus on your breath, and then to use your imagination to listen to the psalm being read.
Remember, this is an invitation, so feel free to join in as much or as little as you feel able.
Sit in a posture that communicates an openness to God. You may like to close your eyes, but this is not essential. You may like to place your hands in your lap, palms facing upward, if this feels comfortable for you.
Start by noticing how it feels to sit in your chair, with your feet on the floor
[pause]
Now, draw your attention to your breathing, try not to change it, just be aware of it. The feeling of the breath coming in and out of your body
[pause]
Allow yourself to settle into your chair, and if possible, for your body to relax
[pause]
You may like to imagine that as you are breathing in, you are drawing in the love of God, and when breathing out, imagine you are releasing any tension in your body, mind or spirit
[pause]
Breathing in and breathing out
[pause]
Drawing in God’s love, and releasing tension
[pause]
Breathing in and breathing out
[pause]
Now listen to the psalm as it is read slowly
Reading Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.
He lets me rest in fields of green grass
and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.
He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised.
Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.
You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me;
you welcome me as an honoured guest and fill my cup to the brim.
I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life;
and your house will be my home as long as I live.
We pray together:
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness
We come before God held in the knowledge we are loved,
and with the assurance that we are transformed through God’s love:
Loving shepherd we come to you to confess
That there are times when we live like sheep without a shepherd;
times we allow our busyness to drive us from places of rest
silence
times we choose paths of discord rather than loving kindness
silence
times we embrace despair rather than hope
silence
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has pity on his flock
and promises goodness and love will be with us
Follow your shepherd on the right paths,
and do so in the knowledge you are loved and forgiven. Amen.
Hymn Spirit of God Unseen as the Wind
Margaret V. Old © 1980, Oxford University Press Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir. Accompanied by Andrew Ellams and produced by Andrew Emison and used with their kind permission. OneLicence # A-734713
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind, gentle as is the dove:
teach us the truth and help us believe, show us the Saviour’s love!
You spoke to us – long, long ago
gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth,
through it God’s voice is heard.
Without your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live his way;
we need your power, we need your strength,
following Christ each day.
Reading St Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told him all they had done and taught. There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn’t even have time to eat. So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.” So they started out in a boat by themselves to a lonely place. Many people, however, saw them leave and knew at once who they were; so they went from all the towns and ran ahead by land and arrived at the place ahead of Jesus and his disciples. When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things. They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat. As they left the boat, people recognized Jesus at once. So they ran throughout the whole region; and wherever they heard he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats. And everywhere Jesus went, to villages, towns, or farms, people would take their sick to the marketplaces and beg him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak. And all who touched it were made well.
Hymn Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands
Margaret Cropper 1975 © Stainer and Bell sung by the Women’s Sextet from the First United Methodist Church at Chicago Temple, USA. OneLicence # A-734713
Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all,
healing pain and sickness, blessing children small,
washing tired feet and saving those who fall;
Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all.
Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let them work for you;
make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do;
let me watch you, Jesus, till I’m gentle too,
till my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you.
Sermon
God may you touch my mind and my heart and my lips that I might speak your word and the minds and hearts and ears of your people that we might hear your word and put it into practice in our daily lives. Our scripture reading today says “when Jesus got out of the boat He saw this large crowd and his heart was filled with pity for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
So he began to teach them many things. Life can be exhausting at times. It can even be overwhelming. I don’t know if you know, but one in four adults in the UK experience a mental health problem every year, with anxiety and depression being the main issues that we face. I’m not particularly surprised by this, as I see lots of people struggling in their lives.
But what’s interesting is that some psychological studies suggest that people with faith experience less mental health issues than those without faith, although I see lots of stressed out people in churches. One of the things that particularly concerns me as a minister is when I meet people who give a lot to others, listening to them, caring for them, looking after their practical needs, and often doing this alongside demanding jobs or other responsibilities.
And yet these very people. are unable to care for themselves. There are those who see caring for themselves as weakness or selfishness, and sadly some who may be blind to their own needs or even see themselves as unworthy of receiving care. Now the situation the disciples found themselves in our reading today may be familiar to many of us, They did not have enough time or resources to be do, to do all that was being asked of them.
The passage tells us they didn’t even have time to eat. I know plenty of people juggling busy lives, so busy in fact that they slump, exhausted and drained at the end of the day. Quite simply, modern life is exhausting and like the disciples, there are times when our resources do not meet the demands put upon us.
And this mismatch between demands and resources takes a toll upon our bodies and our minds, our spirits, and even our relationships. It can actually cause a slow erosion of our well being, and if left unchecked, a collapse. Maybe Jesus recognised this danger in himself and in his disciples as they travelled away from the crowds to a lonely place.
I’m guessing that this lonely or isolated place was meant to facilitate some rest. A place where the community of disciples could have some time together to recharge. Now we could fall into a trap here. A trap of seeing that the disciples needed rest, and Jesus as some kind of superhero who did not need to rest.
But I think he did need to rest. Have you ever felt like that? Ever wanted people just to leave you alone? So you can breathe, kick back, have a bit of me time or community time? Now I’m guessing the answer is probably yes. But maybe you’ve also felt a sense of guilt or discomfort because you have needed this time away from others.
I wonder. It feels true to life that the lonely place wasn’t so lonely when the disciples got there. The passage tells us that everyone knew where Jesus and his disciples were going and they ran to meet them there. Now this made me think of my mobile phone. You’re never really alone if you have your mobile phone with you.
Even when I’m taking time for myself. Myself, there’s a potential that a call will come in, an email will ping, a text will disturb my peace. It’s all well and good to say, well, turn the blasted thing off. The problem is that I know some people can have the expectation that I will be available even if I do not have that expectation myself.
And for me, well, I just find it difficult to say no at times, especially when I know people need help or I just want to please them. The passage tells us that the crowds were driven by a need for help. That’s why they were seeking out the ministry of Jesus and his disciples. Now, I don’t know many people today who are sought out for their ability to do miracles, but I do know that many of us have demands on us that are significant, caring for children or loved ones, working to put food on the table, having responsibilities at church or in the community, just to name a few.
All these kinds of demands can be draining, and when we are drained, it’s difficult to make wise decisions, especially to show compassion to others or ourselves. Yeah, Jesus. He was in need of rest. Looks on the crowds with compassion. The scripture says that when he saw them, he saw them as being like sheep without a shepherd.
This could mean many things, but I wonder if their real human need was what led them to feel lost, disorientated, or maybe in their own lonely place, because suffering can leave us feeling alone and in need of guidance. Our second reading today from the Hebrew scripture, Psalm 23, speaks of the very human needs that we all experience.
The need for rest, the need for the knowledge we are not alone when we suffer. The need to be acknowledged, kept safe, loved, and to find a place of belonging. Now I think it’s ironic that the psalmist starts the prayer by saying, Yahweh is my shepherd, I have everything I need. And yet they go on to pray about their experience of going through the deepest darkness, as well as facing their enemies.
It seems to me that the psalmist is saying, that, it seems to me that it, when the psalmist says they have everything they need, that does not mean they are immune from suffering or adversity. The suffering and adversity we all experience in life. Suffering is part of life, and we need to learn to respond to it, to try and escape or deny it.
In our world of overwhelm, of adversity, of suffering, of anxiety and depression, I think it’s important to remember that we all have valid human needs. These needs, especially the need to care for ourselves, to rest, is not selfishness or weakness. If you see it in that way, remember that Jesus needed to rest.
I actually think that learning to care for ourselves is an act of faithfulness, a faithfulness to Jesus’s invitation to centre our lives around the love of God and others. Love others as you love yourself, he said. It’s sad to say that this is a difficult task for many of us, as we’ve been taught that self love is selfishness, weakness or even we’ve been taught that we are unlovable.
The gospel invites us to acknowledge and accept that we are loved by God and transformed by God’s love. See, I think we learn to love by being loved. This is important because one of the reasons that people of faith are generally healthier according to psychologists is that they are part of community, whether that be a local church or an online community.
When we are part of community, we have access to support and care from others. And hopefully, if the community is healthy, we can learn that we are loved and learn to love. Now be careful here. Note, I said if the community is healthy, not perfect, because there is no perfect community. but it can be good enough.
A good enough community can be a place of rest, of restoration, a human expression of the good shepherd, a place of transformation where we learn to care for ourselves and others. It can be a lonely place where lonely people can encounter the good shepherd, the God who rests. Amen.
Hymn I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say
Horatius Bonar (1846) Public Domain sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one; stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light;
look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;
and in that Light of life I’ll walk, till trav’ling days are done.
Prayers of Intercession for the World
God who lovingly shepherds all you have created,
we bring to you those parts of your flock in need,
trusting that you will be present in every place of pain and suffering,
offering opportunities for transformation and wholeness.
We pray for the Church universal,
that for all wearied by the constant demands of our time
it would be a ‘good enough’ place of nourishment, sanctuary and rest.
Let us resist making busyness our badge of honour,
and advocate the divine mandate of our God who made rest holy.
We pray for the earth,
confessing the relentless demands we place on its resources.
May all earth’s peoples be urgently gripped –
by a care and concern for sustainable living,
that we might heed creation’s groans, and let the earth find some rest.
We pray for the UK,
that in these times of polarisation and deepening division,
a spirit of unity, tolerance and celebration of difference might prevail.
Let us never be drawn into the evil of demonising others,
or the scapegoating of culture wars, but united in love,
for we are – one and all – the Shepherd’s flock.
We pray for ourselves and for those we know who are in need,
for those who are ill in body, mind or spirit,
that peace, health and wholeness would be experienced
wherever possible.
In a moment’s silence, we bring our concerns to God…
May we join with you in acts of shepherding,
loving as you love, tending as you tend,
ready always to expand the boundaries of the fold,
so that all may find a place in your flock.
In the name of Christ, Amen.
Offertory
God has gifted us everything needed for every human being on earth
to have a good and fruitful life. We need only be ready to share what we ourselves have been blessed to receive. Let us pray,
God, in response to your great love and generosity,
we offer these gifts of money and the gift of our lives,
use them for good, as we seek to serve you
and our fellow humans in love, Amen.
Hymn I Cannot Tell
W. Y. Fullerton (c. 1920) Public Domain Performance by Joy and Ruth Everingham and used with their kind permission.
I cannot tell why he, whom angels worship,
should set his love upon us, now or then,
or why, as Shepherd, he should seek the wanderers,
to bring them back, they know not how or when.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary
when Bethl’em’s manger was his only home,
and that he lived at Nazareth and laboured,
and so the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is come.
I cannot tell how silently he suffered,
as with his peace he graced this place of tears,
or how his heart upon the Cross was broken,
the crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, he heals the broken-hearted
and stays our sin and calms our lurking fear
and lifts the burden from the heavy laden;
for still the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here.
I cannot tell how he will win the nations,
how he will claim his earthly heritage,
how satisfy the needs and aspirations
of east and west, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see his glory,
and he shall reap the harvest he has sown,
and some glad day his sun will shine in splendour
when he the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is known.
I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship,
when at his bidding every storm is stilled,
or who can say how great the jubilation
when every heart with love and joy is filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
and myriad myriad human voices sing,
and earth to heav’n, and heav’n to earth, will answer,
‘at last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!’
Blessing
May God be with you, a bright flame before you,
a guiding star above you, a smooth path beneath you,
and a kindly shepherd behind you.
May you know the blessing of God,
Creator, Christ and Comforter. Amen.