Welcome to this online service of worship from Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church
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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST PAUL
PHILPPI
Sunday 25 July 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boGCaN5_z0I
Sorry about the low resolution this week!
‘…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to
what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize
of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 3:7-16
AS A DIVERSE PEOPLE, THE CHURCH GATHERS TO WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD
Organ Voluntary
Widerstehe doch der Sünde Aria cantate BWV 54
J. S. Bach (1685-1750), piano arr. by Jaap Eilander
Welcome & Church News
The Grace
Preparatory Silence for Worship
Call to Worship: Psalm 135
Leader: ‘Praise the Lord!
All: Praise his name, you servants of the Lord,
Leader: Who stand in the Lord’s house,
All: In the temple of our God.
Leader: Praise the Lord, because he is good;
All: Sing praises to his name, because he is kind.’
Hymn 103 Fill Your Hearts with Joy and Gladness
Psalm 147 (t. Rhuddlan)
Fill your hearts with joy and gladness,
sing and praise your God and mine!
Great the Lord in love and wisdom,
might and majesty divine!
He who framed the starry heavens
knows and names them as they shine.
Praise the Lord, his people, praise him!
Wounded souls his comfort know;
those who fear him find his mercies,
peace for pain and joy for woe;
humble hearts are high exalted,
human pride and power laid low.
Praise the Lord for times and seasons,
cloud and sunshine, wind and rain;
spring to melt the snows of winter
till the waters flow again;
grass upon the mountain pastures,
golden valleys thick with grain.
Fill your hearts with joy and gladness,
peace and plenty crown your days;
love his laws, declare his judgements,
walk in all his words and ways;
he the Lord and we his children --
praise the Lord, all people, praise!
Timothy Dudley-Smith (b.1926)
Prayer of Approach, Praise and Confession & Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Opening Reflection – ‘Ever Onwards on the Journey!’
Reading Acts 16:11-24, 35-40
Read by Alan Paterson
The Conversion of Lydia
11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.
19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’
22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks…
35 When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, ‘Let those men go.’ 36 And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.’ 37 But Paul replied, ‘They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.’
38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; 39 so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.
Anthem Jesu, joy of man’s desiring
English words: Robert Bridges (1844 to 1930)
Music: J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750)
Jesu, joy of man's desiring,
Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.
Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings;
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown.
Reading Philippians 3:7 -1 6
Read by Alan Paterson
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing towards the Goal
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
Hymn 513 Courage Brother, Do Not Stumble
(t. Courage Brother)
Courage, brother! do not stumble,
though your path be dark as night;
there's a star to guide the humble:
trust in God, and do the right.
Let the road be rough and dreary,
and its end far out of sight;
foot it bravely; strong or weary,
* trust in God, and do the right.
Perish policy and cunning,
perish all that fears the light!
Whether losing, whether winning,
trust in God, and do the right.
Some will hate you, some will love you,
some will flatter, some will slight;
heed them not, and look above you:
trust in God, and do the right.
Simple rule and safest guiding,
inward peace and inward might,
star upon our path abiding,
trust in God and do the right.
Courage, sister! do not stumble,
though your path be dark as night;
there's a star to guide the humble:
trust in God, and do the right.
* The words 'trust in God' are sung three times.
Sermon – Paul in Philippi – ‘Keep on Keeping On!’
Revd Dr Sandy Forsyth
Prayer for Others
Hymn 449 Rejoice the Lord is King
(t. Darwall’s 148th)
Rejoice! the Lord is King,
your Lord and King adore.
Mortals, give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice; again I say: Rejoice!
Jesus the Saviour reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when he had purged our stains,
he took his seat above:
His kingdom cannot fail;
he rules both earth and heaven;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus given:
He sits at God's right hand
till all his foes submit,
and bow to his command,
and fall before his feet:
Rejoice in glorious hope,
for Christ, the Judge, shall come,
and take his servants up
to their eternal home:
We then shall hear the archangel's voice;
the trump of God shall sound: Rejoice!
Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Closing Responses: Isaiah 55:12
Leader: Jesus Christ, the one through whom all
things were made, gave his life for us
All: That we might have freedom and life in abundance.
Leader: Let us, therefore, go out in joy
All: And be led back in peace
Leader: May the mountains and hills burst into song before us
All: And all the trees of the field clap their hands.
Benediction
Three-fold Choral Amen
Organ Voluntary
Prelude and Fugue in G Major BWV 557, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
***
THIS MORNING’S ANTHEM The much loved anthem is the closing chorus of the Cantata BWV 147 ‘Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben’ (‘heart and mind and deed and life’). Robert Bridge’s words are loosely based on the original German. The chorale melody is a simple hymn tune, which the congregation of the time would have known well. It is decorated by a running organ prelude against which the chorale tune is set.
NEWS AND INTIMATIONS
PLEASE NOTE For any urgent pastoral matters, please contact Kay McIntosh on
FORTHCOMING SERVICES Continuing throughout July and August, there will be one Sunday service at 10.15am. In July, there will be no Sunday School provision. For further information, please contact the church office (
MIDWEEK PRAYERS You’d be very welcome for prayers and a time for peace and reflection in the church, this Tuesday at 10.00am, led this week by Kay McIntosh.
CONGREGATIONAL PILGRIMAGE – 11 SEPTEMBER You are warmly invited to be take part in a one-day congregational pilgrimage on Saturday 11 September, walking from North Queensferry to Dunfermline Abbey, the first leg of the Fife Pilgrim Way to St Andrews. The full distance is 8.5 miles, but a smaller section is possible of 2 miles from North Queensferry to Inverkeithing with a train then to Dunfermline, as is simply joining at the Abbey for worship, food and fellowship. All ages and stages are welcome, as would be friends from outwith Mayfield Salisbury. Full details to follow in early August. If you would like to register now to be a part of the day, please mail David Booth of the Fellowship Committee, indicating too whether you would anticipate walking the full distance, or the shorter two-mile stretch, or joining at the Abbey without walking –
PASTORAL CARE & PRAYER CHAIN Would you now like to be allocated a visitor or someone to phone you regularly? Are you going into hospital or know of someone who is ill? Do you have anything you would like to be prayed for, or included in the Prayer Chain? Contact Kay:
SUPPORT MAYFIELD SALISBURY CHURCH Regular and one-off donations, now possible through: www.give.net/20311853
WOULD YOU LIKE TO WELCOME STUDENTS NEW TO EDINBURGH? If you would like to (1) be involved in a welcome event at Mayfield Salisbury for new postgraduate students from abroad at the School of Divinity at New College, provisionally on Thursday 16th September, and/or (2) potentially become a ‘welcome host’, please contact Alastair MacGilchrist (
YOUTH NEWS Youth Activities: Youth Activities will be taking a break for the month of July during the school holidays, and Hillary will be in touch soon with plans for August and the coming school term! Annual Leave: Hillary is on annual leave from 18 July - 31 July.
CHRISTIAN AID We recently received from Christian Aid the shocking news that over 30 million people in 20 countries are teetering on the brink of famine. This is a global hunger emergency. The Covid-19 pandemic, violent conflict and the climate crisis have all increased global hunger. People in countries including South Sudan, Afghanistan and Burkina Faso are facing the very real threat of starvation. If we act now, we can save lives. Donations can be made via the Christian Aid website at www.christianaid.org.uk or by phone on 020 7523 2269.
Books for the Journey
Steve Aisthorpe, Re-Wilding the Church (2020)
Richard Frazer, Travels With a Stick: A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela (2019)
Walter Brueggemann, Virus as a Summons to Faith (2020)
Forthcoming Deadlines
Order of service for next week: Thursday at 6.00pm.
Next Grapevine: Friday 27 August at 6.00pm.
Please send submissions to the Church Manager, William Mearns.
Phone: 0780 801 1234 or email:
Copyright Notices
Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church holds a CCLI Streaming License: #88916
Some images from Pixabay / MotionWorship under licence.
Ecotip: Recycle this order of service!
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Scottish Charity Number SC000785