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Thought for November

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‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.’ John 15:13-14 (ESV)

On the final Sunday of last month we were encouraged to be Ordaining and Inducting a new Elder to the Kirk Session. It was lovely to be able to make that part of our Communion Sunday and as we gathered there was a real sense of the Spirit being present in a very special way. In the month ahead we will have our Remembrance Service as we remember the fallen of conflicts past and present. It gives us time to reflect on the sacrifice that has been given for the freedom we enjoy and as we took Communion together it gave us the time to stop and remember the high cost of our freedom from sin bought with the precious blood of Christ our saviour. In a day and age when the right to freedom in different forms has become so important to so many we see that true freedom is not found in the thinking and teaching of this world which only ensnares us in false promises. Being able to do whatever we want, to depart from rational think, allowing us to be whatever we want to be or identify as is not real freedom. Paul could write from prison as someone who, although constrained by the great Roman Empire, was in fact free in the truest sense of the word. He knew that within the bounds and boundaries of God and his people true freedom was to be found and eternal life, even in the face of death, was a reality because he believed and trusted in Jesus. Remembering also calls us to action so that we do not repeat the horrors of the past in global conflict but our remembering as believers, especially at the table of our Lord, also calls us to action to share the good news of hope and freedom that is available to a broken and hurting world. We are to go into all the world and make the name of Jesus known, we are to tell of a friend so loving and dear that he has laid down his life for those that would follow Him, the Saviour who is risen and reigning and has overcome death and the grave itself. May we never forget the high cost of our salvation or the hope and freedom it brings and that we can tell others of this good news.

Every blessing

Gordon

Thought for October

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‘Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.’ John 4:35

As this copy of What’s On goes out we will be having our Harvest Service where we give thanks for God’s good provision throughout the year and for the harvest having been gathered in. It is always wonderful to see the church at harvest with all the different foods and produce that fill the front of the church. It is a very visual reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness over another year and we also give thanks for all the hard work, early mornings and late nights that have been endured to bring us what we can enjoy at our tables.  Yet in it all we also remember that there is another harvest that as believers we need to be concerned about. The Bible talks of the harvest not of food or grain but of people won for the kingdom of God. Many seeds were planted at the beginning of the growing season and we saw the fields ripen and mature ready for the gathering in of all that God watered and gave life to. We pray that as the seed of the gospel is planted and scattered in our own day and in our own town it will bear fruit, that we will see people come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As I was recently reminded at a conference, during the harvest season there is no room for idleness. In days past whole communities were involved in the work and everyone had to do their part so that people did not starve. It was literally a matter of life and death and so it is with the kingdom of God and the great harvest that will endure not for a season but for eternity. The whole body of Christ, the church, must work together as one, working in sowing the seed of the gospel in our own places and spaces as God waters and blesses this work. We pray that as we see the fields as white as snow in our own community that people might come to the foot of the cross and lay down their burdens and sins as they rise in Christ and go forth as new and redeemed people. Let us all enter into the work as labourers for the kingdom and recognize it as a matter of life and death and so do all that we can to share the good news of Christ with others. We long to see people who are spiritually starving in these times be filled with the bread of life, the Saviour himself who alone can satisfy. May the Lord bless you in your labours.

Every blessing

Gordon

Thought for September

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‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.’ 2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

As we go into September we begin a new session with the organisations restarting after the summer break with events and speakers being arranged. It is encouraging to look forward to a full season of activities especially after the disruption of the past few years and we look forward to how the Lord will use and bless these activities. Some of the momentum we achieved before the pandemic was lost but with Gods leading I pray that we can move from the maintenance model that we have largely had to adopt through that difficult time to a more missional focus where we look outwardly as a church to the work the Lord has, the mission fields he is leading us into and the workers for the harvest he is calling. Mission is often a word associated with overseas work but mission is a vital component of the local church and as such we need to make it a focus within our fellowship and each of the organisations within the fellowship. Each person and each organization has a vital part to play in the work of the Kingdom. On the front of every What’s On there is our church’s mission statement that reads ‘A fellowship of God’s people worshipping together, striving to serve and proclaim Christ faithfully, growing in knowledge and understanding of His Word, serving the people of Lossiemouth and beyond.’ It is my hope that these will not simply be words that sound good on our monthly bulletin but that they will be the reality of who we are and what we are about in Lossiemouth United Free Church. We live in challenging times for the work of the gospel within our land with increasing pressures for us to conform to the ways of the world but only by being salt and light in our communities and offering the hope of the gospel will we see change. Within the life of the church we have opportunities beyond the Sunday Services to pray and learn together and I encourage as many of you as possible to find something within the life of our church to tap into so that you may grow and learn together. Only by being fervent in prayer and by seeking the Lord and growing together will we be effective and equipped for the mission each of us is called to. Each of us have God given gifts and talents to use for the glory of God and by working together in harmony, each part of the body doing its bit, we will become a church that is Christ glorifying and God honouring. May the Lord bless our fellowship in the coming days not for our sake but for the sake of God’s eternal name and may you be encouraged in your service to the Lord.

Every blessing

Gordon

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Thought for November

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‘The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.’ Isaiah 11:6 (ESV)

In November we take time to remember the fallen of past conflicts and those that remain but bear the scars of war as we gather around the country on Remembrance Sunday. It is a sombre and important time as we remember the cost that our way of life and our freedom has been bought at. As a town with a military base we have a constant reminder of the need for a readiness amongst our armed forces and it stands as a reflection of the world we live in. We live in quickly changing world where conflict amongst nations and individuals is the norm. However as believers we look to a time when there will be no more conflict, no more strife between nations or individuals. We look to the future glory when Christ’s kingdom that has broken in and we see in parts, is consummated at Christ’s return and we see it in its fullness. This is not some abstract hope of world peace or obscure thought of everybody being accepting of everything and everyone, this is about the promise of the new heaven and the new earth where God’s people will dwell in perfect harmony with each other and with a Holy God. The passage above with the animals protecting what they formerly devoured paints an image of the peace the new age ruled by Christ will bring. It beautifully illustrates the reality of the future hope that we have and should encourage us in the present age. Our relationship with a Holy God perfectly restored, the creation re-created perfectly and the love between God’s chosen people made perfect. All this made possible by the sacrifice of one who laid his life down for the many. We remember the fallen as we should but having recently celebrated Communion together we took time to consider the one that said, this do in remembrance of me, the one that gave his life not for the purpose of our earthly freedom but for the purpose of securing our eternal freedom. It is a freedom that many have no thought of and give no consideration to but we pray that in the days ahead many would turn to Christ and know true peace and reconciliation with a righteous God. May the Lord encourage you today as you look to the future and may he equip you in His service.

Gordon

Thought for October

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‘…for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),  and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.’ Ephesians 5:8-11(ESV)

As the nights draw in and the leaves change colour, our minds begin to turn to the months ahead. Each October brings the knocks on the door of those guising in costumes that are at times impressive and others quite disturbing. Halloween has become ingrained in our culture as a bit of fun for the kids but it is also something that points to a much darker truth. Halloween has increasing come to be associated with things the Bible tells us to separate ourselves from such as witchcraft, demons, sorcery, magic and things associated with darkness. As believers we are aware that there is a very real battle going on between the powers of darkness and light, it is a conflict that many live ignorant of and that’s exactly what Satan wants. He wants people to live in ignorance so that he can keep hold over their lives but we have, as 1 Peter teaches, been ‘called out of darkness into His (that is God’s) wonderful light’ and we are called to walk as children of light as the verses above teach. That means we seek what is good and right and true, all that is found in Christ and we are called not simply to ignore the unfruitful works of darkness but to expose them. Thankfully many churches are doing just that and holding alternatives such as light parties for young folks that focus on what is good, right and true whilst making a statement against, or exposing Halloween for what it actually is. It is showing that it is not simply a bit of fun but a dabbling, sometimes quite innocently, in things that we should avoid. As a church we continue to pray for the influences that young folks experience today and we pray that there would be Godly influences in their lives whether it be parents, grandparents, friends or others that God places around them. Let us not be fooled by what is of darkness and let us seek what is of the light found in the person of Christ. May the Lord continue to use you and bless you in His service.

Gordon

Thought for September

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‘And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.’  Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

Over the summer months this year we have had our after service teas as an opportunity to fellowship together whilst the organisations are off for the summer break. Due to how popular these have been they are carrying on throughout September. Through conversations and thinking on these times together I was reminded of the importance of Christian fellowship and how vital it is to our lives as believers. We are not called to be believers in Christ in isolation but instead we are called to meet together regularly as we wait on the return of our Lord and Saviour. In our own day when so much rests on being an individual, of being able to manage by ourselves and of our identity being distinct we see that as believers we find our strength on being in Christ and doing life together with His people. It allows us to share in the ups and downs of life together, to stir one another to love and do good works as the passage above tells us. We are able to encourage one another in running the race that is set before us in this life and there are times that we all need a little help or can be a help to others. The notion of being a Christian but not wanting to be with God’s people is an idea alien to the teachings of the scripture and those that try this will soon see the pitfalls. Hearing what the Lord is doing in others can lift our week and as we display the bonds of love that bind us as we meet what we learn together can help others. It may seem like simply a cup of tea after the service but it is so much more in the light of what we read above. It is another opportunity to meet together, so that relationships amongst believers mature and deepen and do not remain simply superficial. We give thanks for these times together and look forward to each of the organisations beginning again. We pray that each time of meeting together would be a blessing and would bless others in the days ahead. ‘Let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together…’

Every blessing

Gordon

Thought for July

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‘My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.’ Psalm 121:2-4

In our evening services of late we have considered some of the psalms including some of the psalms of ascent that were used by the people of God as they made their pilgrimage to the city of Jerusalem. We recently considered psalm 122 which talks of the joy that comes from seeing and being inside Jerusalem’s walls and finally being near the house of the Lord but the psalm above also a psalm of ascent looks to the earlier time of looking to the journey ahead. The words not only speak to the physical journey that had to be undertaken but speaks to life’s journey as well.

As it gets to that time of year when the weather improves, when holidays are taken whether at home or abroad, when the organisations of the church stop for a time and we seek to enjoy the longer days and lighter nights it is good to remember that we serve a God who never sleeps nor slumbers. Even as we enjoy the good weather and some time for ourselves the old fears can creep in, the lingering struggles persist and new troubles arise along life’s journey yet we can take comfort that whilst we rest and recuperate or take time away, that the God we serve is still at work. He continues to sustain the world around us, He continues to pour out his grace, listen to the prayers of His people, comfort the hurting, give hope to the lost and so much more besides. We, in our finite bodies, weary, we falter and we fail. However the God of the universe, the God we serve, never wearies and needs to take a break from the cries of His people, He never needs to go on holiday to recharge His batteries, never sleeps as we lay down our heads each night. If we wake through the night He is there, if we struggle in the business or the quietness of the day He is there and when we reach the end of our own strength and understanding He is there. May you know times of rest in the Lords service and may you find comfort in the truths of these verses. May you know God’s blessing over the summer months and beyond.

Gordon

Thought for June

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‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.’ Psalm 8:1 (ESV)

As we enjoy the good weather we have been experiencing I have tried to get out and take some photos around the area. Some of these are sweeping panoramas looking across the Firth with the water in the foreground and the mountains in the background. In other cases it has been close ups, maybe of flowers, in their bright colours and delicate design. Then there are sunrises and sunsets, each one different to the last, as the light shines and the colours illuminate the sky. In the city when we walk about much of what we see is man-made but living where we do we don’t have to walk far to experience the grandeur and beauty of the creation around us. Even looking into the evening sky at night we can see the stars sparkling away or we can, on occasions, experience the northern lights, as the creation performs a spectacular light show for us. Some say all this happened by chance yet through the eyes of faith we see the hand of the creator God at every turn, not only that but all creation reflects, like a mirror, the majesty of God.  Recently we have studied the Psalm above that declares ‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.’ In that psalm we see how David too looked at the moon and stars and recognised God’s handiwork and was aware of his majesty but how often in the business of life do we miss the Lords hand not just in the creation around us but in our lives. We miss God’s majesty as he works out his great plan of redemption but also as he works out those plans within our lives. David saw the great privileges that the almighty has given mankind yet this psalm points forward to one whom God would ‘put all things under his feet.’ We not only see the majesty of God in the creation but we see the majesty of God at the cross where he displays his power in weakness of the saviour, declares his will in the silence of the saviour and brings life through the death of the saviour. As John Piper notes ‘We find our everlasting joy not in usurping the majesty of God but in saying with all creation: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name—not ours—in all the earth.”’ May the Lord help you to see His majesty in the creation and in His gracious dealing with us His people.

Every blessing

Gordon

Thought For May

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If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.’ John 15:18-20 (ESV)

It is Monday afternoon as I sit in the sun and write this. I am reflecting on the weekend just past and all that’s taken place. It hasn’t been a weekend much different to any other but as I look back I remember how at each of our services of worship I walked into a dry warm church, at our prayer meeting I walked down the aisle of the church and into the vestry without anybody challenging me, at both our services I climbed the steps to the pulpit with no fear for my life and with the freedom to preach God’s Word and as I looked around the church each pew had a least one Bible sitting waiting to be picked up and studied. As I sit and write now I realise that my experience is very different to many of my brothers and sisters in Christ who face persecution for their faith. For too many they have no church building to call their own, some have to meet in secret, others that teach God’s Word do so knowing it could cost them their freedom, even their lives and for some they do not have the Bible in their own language or only have parts of the Scriptures. Yet with all the opposition and persecution they continue to meet, the church continues to grow and they continue to rest upon and trust in the Word of God. They realise what it is to be the people of God and that to live distinctively and follow Jesus means following the path that he walked as he experienced opposition and persecution yet wonderfully they see that it is all worth it for the Kingdom of God. How much this challenges us as we seek to be the people of God within our communities. Sadly apathy has become the enemy of the church in the West as we have become too comfortable so we must again ask: What makes us distinctive? What sets us apart? What are we known for as a fellowship? Is it our zeal for the Lord and the growth of the kingdom? Or do our priorities as a fellowship lie in other places? We pray that together and by the Lord’s leading that we would fan into flame a desire to reach the lost and the seeking in our community. Only as we focus outwardly will we achieve the commission Christ has called us too and together bring glory to God and His Kingdom. May the Lord equip, encourage and bless you in His service.

Every blessing
Gordon

Thought for April

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(Apologies for this instalment being a bit late to the website)

‘And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.’ Mark 16:5-6 (ESV)

During Holy Week I was looking at some material to use over the Easter season and I came across these words by Tim Chester: ‘If you look at Jesus without the cross and you’ll misunderstand him. But if you’re proud, then you won’t like the cross. Because the cross says that you can’t save yourself. Your goodness, your wisdom, your respectability are not enough. You’re desperately needy. You’re helpless and hopeless on your own. The cross humbles us.’ Reading this was a stark reminder in the midst of Holy week of the high cost of our salvation, the inability we have to save ourselves and the purpose Jesus came amongst us for. As we again get to Easter we are reminded of the cross and all that it means. Many in our day will miss its significance, some will try and make the Christian message about being nice to others or something else our culture approves of but as Chester goes on to say ‘the cross won’t allow that. The cross doesn’t fit our culture. It’s too bloody and brutal. It reveals our sin and our helplessness-and it humbles us.’ As we think of the passage above we see the truth that the tomb is empty. The resurrection is the triumph of the cross, it is why Easter Sunday means the offer of forgiveness is real because through Christ’s death and resurrection sin has been atoned for and death has been defeated and forgiveness is to be found. As the final verse and chorus of the hymn The Power of the Cross declares:

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.”

May you have a wonderful Easter and see afresh the wonder of the cross and the empty tomb.

Every blessing
Gordon