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Virtual Worship - 9 August 2020

Call to worship

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honour and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers. (Psalm 104:1-4)

Prayer

Lord our God, we bring you our praise. You are Lord of all, and we see your glory in the world around us. Yet you are also the God who stoops to our level, who comes to live as one of us, who laughs at our jokes and endures our pain, and who has dealt with the barriers between us in your self-offering. Come in beside us and help us to be aware of your presence. When we expect earthquakes, wind and fire, help us to listen for you in the silence. Help us to worship you in Spirit and in truth today. Amen. 

Hymn - Singing the Faith55 /Hymns & Psalms9Immortal, invisible, God only wise

Reading from the Old Testament:1 Kings 19:9-18

Elijah and the Storm Reflection (contributed by Jackie Marshall from Thackley)

Have you ever been caught outside in a thunderstorm? 

In his famous book, The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien gives a vivid description of a violent mountain storm.

…one day they met a thunderstorm – more than a thunderstorm, a thunder-battle. You know how terrific a really big thunderstorm can be down in the land and in a river-valley; especially at times when two great thunderstorms meet and clash. More terrible still are thunder and lightning in the mountains at night, when storms come up from East and West and make war. The lightning splinters on the peaks, and rocks shiver, and great crashes split the air and go rolling and tumbling into every cave and hollow; and the darkness is filled with overwhelming noise and sudden light.(The Hobbit by J RR Tolkien - Harper Collins paper back edition 1999, page 54, © George Allen & Unwin (Publishers) Ltd 1937, 1951, 1966, 1978)

We can’t know exactly what it was that Elijah experienced up there on the mountain. Perhaps it was seismic activity or a volcanic eruption. Or maybe it was a violent thunderstorm like the one Tolkien describes, with the loud rumble of thunder making the ground shake under Elijah’s feet and the flashes of lightning blinding him. And then that rush of wind before the rain.

Whatever it was, God was using the experience to teach Elijah something. 

In the chapter before today’s reading, we hear a little bit more about how Elijah ended up in the mountains. He was running for his life. Queen Jezebel of Israel had made a vow that he would be killed. And Elijah had got to the point of despair, saying 

“I have had enough LORD…Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. (1 Kings 19: 4b – 5) 

But God didn’t leave Elijah there in his despair. God sent an angel to comfort him and feed him and encourage him on his way up into the mountains. 

Once he was there, Elijah started feeling angry and frustrated. He felt he had done his best for God and where had it got him? Remember from our reading:

He replied “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and out your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (1 Kings 19:10)

But the answer God gives Elijah is not quite what he expected.
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” (1 Kings 19: 11) 

And then came the tremendous storm, with all the noise and chaos. We hear about earthquake, wind and fire; it must have been a terrifying experience for Elijah. Such power. 

But then the LORD says
I am not the storm.
I am not the chaos.
I am not the fear.

It is when all that has passed, and when he is able to let go of his frustration and fear, that Elijah can hear the LORD. The gentle whisper of His voice telling Elijah what to do next, how to go forward. 

When we are in the middle of a storm of life and we are frightened, angry and frustrated it can be hard to put those feelings aside and be still, to listen for God. But that’s what we need to do, to hear His voice saying to us 

I am here.
I love you.
I will help you.
I will never leave you. 

Mountains have always been considered ‘thin’ places, where heaven and earth are very close.
Can you remember ever being at the top of a mountain?
Imagine you are there now, on a beautiful, clear, warm, sunny day, with the lightest of breezes.
What can you see?
Does the breeze carry any scents to you?
Can you hear anything?
Rest there for a moment.
Be still and listen for God’s gentle whisper.

When you are ready to leave the mountain, read aloud or sing the words of the hymn
Singing the Faith 495 / Hymns & Psalms 673 Dear Lord and Father of mankind


Lament – Protest

We are fortunate to have on the Bradford North website photos of Rev Louise Carr’s textile journey through Lament. If you haven’t been able to see them yet, please do take a look and engage with what they bring to your mind. Inspired by the first photo of protest, I wrote this psalm of protest and it seems to fit in with noise followed by silence that Elijah experienced.

My heart burns with anger
O Lord, don’t you see?
Then why don’t you act?
Again it is the poor who suffer!
Those in this country who eat poorly;
those in this country who live poorly;
the out of work, the poor in health,
those with darker skins;
those who drive us around,
and those who serve us in shops
and hospitals and care homes.
Why Lord? 

And if that were not bad enough,
in Zimbabwe women lie in labour with no-one to help
and their babies die in their wombs,
and their hearts shrivel in their chests
that little bit more.
In Syria they dodge fighting
and care for the sick with bullets flying.
In Yemen they have to choose –
do they die of Covid-19 or of hunger?
A basic face-mask costs half the monthly income for a family of four.
Why Lord? Why don’t you act?
Why don’t you save them?
Are you dumb in the face of our questions? 

In the silence that follows my shouting
I hear you.
You have been speaking for a long time.
Love one another, you say.
Let justice roll down like waters
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Loose the bonds of injustice.
Share your bread with the hungry.
Clothe the naked, house the homeless.
Visit the sick and those in prison.
Remember that these are all your brothers and sisters.
Remember that in serving them, you serve me. 

Yes, Lord, you are speaking,
calling your people to act;
calling your people to live out their calling,
to care, to love, to show the world your face. 

My face burns with shame.
I bow before you.
I recognise that I have looked to my own health and wealth,
And tightened my fist around my own cash – ‘hard-earned’ is the saying –
instead of recognising it as gift from you.
And I have ignored the little ones you have given me to care for. 

Yes, you speak.
Give us ears to listen and humility to begin to put it right.
We can start small, where we are,
And together, we can make a difference
For you, the Lord, are with us,
and you love all your children.
and you will make what we give you
enough to meet the need.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-33


The Old Jetty (contributed by Roy Lorrain-Smith from Baildon)


Here’s a peaceful little scene. Water lapping gently by an old jetty. It has certainly seen better days, but it could have been quite smart and substantial once, with fishing boats tying up here after a time out on the water. Small scale fishing here, perhaps, for leisure, but still: boats on the water, and people fishing. I can imagine the conversations, the feel of the wind, the smell of freshness, and the sound of a boat being rowed – whether you think of this as a tarn, or a loch, or a lake, or the sea. It wouldn’t always be as peaceful as this. If the wind got up the water could doubtless get wild. 

And all those elements would have been present too on the Sea of Galilee when after feeding the 5,000 Jesus sent his disciples away by boat in a contrary wind. Then after a time of prayer in the hills he came to them, walking on the water. 

If you think that’s impossible, well, so did the disciples, struggling with the wind in that boat. When they caught sight of him, a figure in the dark coming towards them over the sea, where no normal human being could be, they thought it was a ghost and were terrified, yelling out in their fear. No difficulty in imagining that! It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up! But Jesus spoke to them. Something like, “Hey, hey! Guys, It’s just me. OK?” 

How long would it take your heartbeat to return to normal? Jesus, their leader, Lord, friend, standing there a few yards away, ON the water! Did he bob up and down with the waves, or did they wash over his feet? I wonder. 

Anyway, Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you, walking on the water.” So Jesus said, “Come. Come on, step out. Come to me.” Would you have wanted to do that? Not surprising that all the other eleven sat tight! But Peter, well, he did. He was called and he did step out. 

Then of course we all know what happened. The first few steps were OK. He almost reached Jesus but then looked at the waves and the wind and got frightened. I can imagine him thinking, “This can’t be real, can’t be true. No one walks on water!” And he began to sink. So he called out for help to Jesus, who grabbed him and held him up: “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
And they got into the boat and everything calmed down. At least, the wind did. I’m not sure about the disciples, who saw Jesus now with new eyes – “Truly you are the Son of God!” 

We often use this story as an image of stepping out in faith to do the seemingly impossible. And I once felt called by God to leave a secure job to set up on my own – without any guarantee of work. I did, and even though I had a bit of a cushion of cash from the old job to tide me over, I won’t pretend it wasn’t scary. In the early days there often didn’t seem to be enough to support me, but I never did sink. And things worked out, till the time came to retire about 20 years later.
Of course I’d have been a foolhardy mug to try anything like that if God had not called me. And Jesus did not call the eleven. Their task was to sit in the boat and watch. God often works like that: calling some to action, and others to stay put. We need to realise and remember that staying where you are can be a calling and an exercise of faith, just as much as Peter’s was, stepping out there on the water from the boat. 

I wonder if when they got to the shore, they tied up at a jetty, not unlike this one, though perhaps in better repair.

Prayers

Let’s draw our thoughts together in prayer. 

Maybe some of you are aware of storms in your lives. Maybe you’ve been able to find the still centre, maybe you haven’t. Don’t worry if you haven’t got things sorted, or if you struggle with real questions. Just come before God, however you can best sense God – a figure, a presence, the feeling of love, a light – whatever helps you become aware of God. You might like to sit with your hands cupped together in front of you, as you picture yourself holding these storms, whether your own storms or storms that others are dealing with. 

There are storms of illness and grief, of stretched resources in hospitals and in all places where people are cared for; storms of saying goodbye too soon and not in the ways we would have wanted. Hold these storms before God and see his pain in the pain of those who suffer. See in the face of Jesus the invitation to come to him for rest and peace (Matthew 11:28-30). 

There are storms of physical pain that you live with, or situations that don’t seem to get resolved, storms of being pushed beyond what you think you can bear. Hold these storms before God and hear Jesus reminding you not to worry about tomorrow, but to take one day at a time (Matthew 6:34). 

There are storms of disagreement over our care for the planet, literal storms and other weather events caused by global warming; people suffering the loss of their homes and polar bears losing their homes and having no alternative; and animals dying because they eat or get stuck in the plastic we throw away. Hold these storms before God and see Jesus who shows us the way, who is the way, and who has promised to be with us always (John 14:6). 

There are storms of tension, of insults and indignities borne that should not have been heaped upon people of colour, people with disabilities, people with gifts to offer who have been sidelined or whose motives have been questioned. Hold those storms before God and see in Jesus one who was suspected, attacked, ridiculed, but who carried on loving. Give him your wrongs that need righting and let him bear the burden, so that you might know relief and know the equality that God gives (Galatians 3:28). 

There are storms of not being accepted for who you are, for your sexuality or chosen gender, storms of trying to make people understand that deep part of you, and storms of fear when they don’t. Hold these storms before God and see in Jesus one who knows you through and through, the deepest, hidden parts of you, and who gently holds and loves you as you are (Luke 12:6-7).
There are storms of fear and self-loathing faced by those who have been hurt by others, by their words and actions, by their neglect and abuse. Hold these storms before God and see the tears that Jesus wept mixing with yours and gently cleansing away what has been laid upon you, so you can know, you are not what they said you were; you are not what has been done to you (2 Corinthians 3:17). 

There are other storms known only to you, that you bear in the quiet. Hold these storms before God now and know that Jesus knows and cares (1 Peter 5:7). 

And somehow, on the cross, Jesus held all our storms and all our wrongs, he took them into himself and felt their pain. He holds them so that we don’t have to, and we can come into the still centre and find peace to refresh us and to strengthen us, so that we might not only cope better with our storms, but help others to cope better with theirs too. 

Let us join with the whole Christian family, those we know and those who are strangers to us but nonetheless our brothers and sisters, as we say the Lord’s Prayer. 

God is with us through thick and thin, and we seek him in all that happens. Let’s sing the hymn Singing the Faith 41 / Songs of Fellowship 1193 / Mission Praise 1036 Blessed be your name

Blessing

Remembering those we know and those we don’t; those who are like us and those who are not; those who struggle and those who seem to be doing alright; those who are well and those who face death; we say together: 

May the Lord bless us and keep us; may he make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us; may he look on us with kindness and give us peace. Amen.

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