Welcome to the online service of worship for Remembrance

The YouTube playlist may be found here   Or view below.....

 

 

 

  

 

MAYFIELD SALISBURY PARISH CHURCH

EDINBURGH

Sunday Services of Public Worship: 10.15am
Worship Online from 8.00am Every Sunday

Sunday 8 November 2020

 Remembrance

 

From For the Fallen

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
………

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon

 

AS A DIVERSE PEOPLE, THE CHURCH GATHERS TO WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD

 

 Welcome  Charles Garland and Revd Helen Alexander 

Charles:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that this congregation of Mayfield Salisbury has elected the Revd Dr Alexander Forsyth to be our new minister and a Call to the said Dr Forsyth has been prepared. It states that we are assured of his qualities as our future Minister and that we warmly invite him to accept this Call, promising that we shall devote ourselves with him to worship, witness, mission and service in this parish, and also to the furtherance of these in the world, to the glory of God and for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Given that the Call cannot be signed in the traditional way under the current Covid-19 conditions, the name of any person on the Electoral Register of the congregation may be added as a signatory to the Call in one of the following ways: the person may send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or may telephone the Church Office on the days mentioned below.  In either case the person should state his or her name and address and make clear that he or she wishes his or her name to be added to the Call. 

If you wish to phone it would be appreciated if you would do so on Wednesday 11 November between 11am and 1pm.  The number to call is 0131 667 1522.  If you are able to send an email we would encourage you to do that. It should be done by Sunday 15 November 2020.

In addition a paper of Concurrence will be available for any person who is connected with the congregation but whose name is not on the Electoral Register of the congregation.  Children are also welcome to add their names to this paper.  Any person who wishes his or her name to be added to the paper of Concurrence should make contact in one of the ways just described.    Neil Gardner, Interim Moderator

 

Helen:

Welcome to the members and friends of the congregation of Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church and others who may join us in worship online on Remembrance Sunday.

Today we remember with thanksgiving those who lived and died in the service of our country. We honour the sacrifice they made, and seek the blessing of Almighty God on all our endeavours now and in the days to come.

In church we shall hold the customary Two Minutes’ Silence at 11 o’clock.  There will be an opportunity for all who are participating in this service also to observe Two Minutes’ Silence after the second hymn and immediately before the Benediction.

Meanwhile, I invite you to pause with me for a few moments in preparation for worship.

Silence

 

Scripture Sentences

God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?......

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Let us pray

Eternal God and father of all, shepherd and guardian of our souls, hear us as we offer our thanksgiving for the gift of life in Jesus Christ our Lord, and for Holy Spirit by whose grace we are guided into paths of righteousness and peace.

Hear us as we confess the part we play wittingly or unwittingly in maintaining the sins of our society and in keeping alive the pride and passions that lead to hatred and to war.

Have mercy on us all; pardon and deliver us; confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and keep us in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Teach us, who live in the power of your forgiveness, freely to forgive one another. Heal our divisions and cast out our fears, and renew our faith in your unchanging purpose of peace and good will on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Collect for Remembrance Day 

Keep us, almighty God, mindful of all your benefits and heedful of our high calling, that we may yield ourselves in new obedience to your holy will, and live henceforth as those who are not their own, but are brought with a price; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

 

Children’s Address  Hillary Leslie

Good morning everyone! It’s nice to be speaking with you again this week. I hope you all had a really nice and relaxing October break from school. 

Now today is a very special day and I wonder if you might already know what it is? I’ll give you a little hint. . .that’s right it is Remembrance Sunday and you will notice that I am wearing my red poppy this morning. In church we have a Remembrance Sunday as close to the 11^th November as possible.

In the UK on Remembrance Day, there is a ceremony that takes place during the 11^th hour on the 11^th day of the 11^th month to commemorate the end of WWI, and to remember all of those who have served and are serving. I wonder if you have done anything special at school for it this year?

I am from the USA and we do something very similar on Remembrance Day – we too have a ceremony on the 11 November to remember the war - but in the USA the day is called Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is a day to thank and recognize veterans who are still living. We have an additional day called Memorial Day in May which remembers all of those who died while serving the country either during or after war.

There are a few different colours of poppies that you may have been seeing during the month of November – but I wonder if we know what all of them symbolise or what they stand for?

Red: This is the most famous symbol used to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in World War One and conflicts that followed.

Wearing a poppy was inspired by Flanders Fields, where fields of poppies grew on the same ground where many battles were fought.  The red poppy represents remembrance and hope.

Black Rose: It is most commonly associated with the commemoration of black, African and Caribbean communities' contribution to the war effort - as servicemen and servicewomen, and as civilians.

Purple: The purple poppy is often worn to remember animals that have been victims of war.

Animals like horses, dogs and pigeons were often drafted into the war effort, and wearing the purple poppy is a way of remembering their service.

White: Although our traditions for Remembrance vary slightly in the USA and the UK, our common hope is to have world peace.  As Christians, peace is central to our faith.  The white poppy not only remembers war, and those who serve or served in war and made great sacrifices, but it also is a symbol of the hope we have in world peace. 

As you see all of these different coloured poppies today and the rest of this week, may you remember the people who have made great sacrifices, and also the animals who have lost their lives.  May these poppies give you hope and lead us to peace.

Let us close our eyes and pray together, repeating after me:

Dear God,
Thank you for this day of remembrance.
As we look at the different coloured poppies,
May we remember those people and animals who have died
and thank them for their service and sacrifice.
We pray for your peace,
And we pray for your love in this world.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

HYMN The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want

The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.

And I will trust in You alone.
and I will trust in You alone,
for Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.

He guides my ways in righteousness,
and he anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on his pure delights.

And though I walk the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
for you are with me, and your rod and staff
are the comfort I need to know.

Words: Psalm 23, adapted Stuart Townend
Music: Stuart Townend (c) 1996 Thankyou Music CCLI
Played by Kate Pearson sung by Louise Thomson

 

 

 

WE LISTEN FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN SCRIPTURE

 

  

Reading    Isaiah 25: 1 – 9     NRSVA    Elizabeth Bomberg

Reading  St Matthew 5: 38 – 48   NRSVA    Kay McIntosh DCS

 

Reflection   Revd Helen Alexander

It seems to me that our Annual Sunday of Remembrance matches the melancholy mood of our natural world, occurring as it does in the month of November.  The fallen leaves of brown and gold that we see all around us seem in sympathy with the crimson poppies that float from the ceiling of the Albert Hall in London on the evening before the nearest Sunday to the 11^th day of the 11^th month of the year, the anniversary of the formal cessation of hostilities of the 1st World War in 1918. This year, the solemn recollection of this loss may be particularly poignant as outdoor gatherings around war memorials, so much a feature of our national commemoration and centrally important to many, have been necessarily restricted, and in our part of the country at least, forbidden altogether.

What might be said of Remembrance, especially in a time of coronavirus?

Perhaps the first is what I’ve already alluded to: the way in which this year’s pandemic adds to the solemn recollection of loss that occurs every year at Remembrance-tide. Some who carry poignant memories of family and friends who’ve died in recent as well as distant wars may find additional loss associated with the current virus just a bit too much. Others: those young enough to consign both the 20^th Century and its two World Wars to history books, and the many more of us who’ve no direct experience of the devastation of war and its casualties

may in a time of Covid-19, discover a more sympathetic sense of identification with all who grieve the loss of beloved friends and family in past and present conflicts throughout the world. The education of the young is not simply the presentation of facts and the interpretations of current and historical events. Surely it also importantly involves an invitation to enter imaginatively into war-time losses past and present in a felt capacity, as much as is healthily possible. In a strange way, the current pandemic might help many of us of any age fruitfully to do this. 

Having suggested this, for better or worse, and coming back to the question of what might usefully be said on this day, what then actually came to my mind is that the less said the better! This may seem a strange thing for a minister to say, though it may surprise some to learn that the thought that the less said the better can pass through ministers’ heads more than once a year, possibly just as often as it might occur to those who are asked to listen to us!

But I call attention to limitation of words because a central feature of this day is the Two Minutes’ Silence which we shall hold at the end of our church service at 11o’clock, as well as in this one online.  Great power can reside in silence that can indeed speak louder than words, and often-times more memorably and truly.

In one of his later poems R.S. Thomas wrote this:

“But the silence of the mind
is where we live best, within
listening distance of the silence
we call God.”

It can take courage to inhabit the silence of the mind even for a minute or two. We can wonder what to do in that silence and random thoughts invariably rush in. Today we may find ourselves thinking of those we have loved and lost in death whatever the circumstances. Or shifting pictures of the agonies of war for soldiers and civilians past and present may pass across our minds’ eye. We may think of past Remembrances, gatherings of thousands around one of the world’s great war-memorials, or with a few stoical souls beside a village cross that bears the names of the local dead of both World Wars. Or during the silence we may find ourselves lost for words or mental pictures or memories and may empty our minds, perhaps intentionally intoning a simple mantra like “let us not forget” over and over again, and calling ourselves back to it when random thoughts take over. However we may honour today’s short yet significant Silence, may we do so with heart as well as with mind; with dignity and reverence. 

“….the silence of the mind
is where we live best, within
listening distance of the silence
we call God.”

We know of course, that many who reverently and with integrity keep silence today may be resistant to the naming of the silence as God’s.  Yet R.S. Thomas chose words carefully. The silence of which he wrote is one “we call God.”  I think he well knew that the word ‘God’ can cause as much confused resistance in some as it does comfort in others. Surely the capacity of the mind to honour silence and the experience of the depth that can be found there is the important thing. Organised religion can get seriously in the way of the experience of that depth. This can be one of its most unhappily unhelpful characteristics.

Yet equally I want to maintain that the traditions and ancient rites of organised religion as well as its language can enable some of us at least to enter just a little more surely into the depth of the ocean of reality, supporting us as we move beyond the shallows and even enabling us sometimes safely to flounder just a bit out of our depths. This is grace, and religion can offer sustaining grace in a time of war as well as in a time of peace.

By way of illustration of this, I end with a short excerpt from The Glimmering Landscape, the autobiography of the Very Reverend Dr Charles Warr, aptly named for our purposes today, who was Minister of St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh from 1926 – 1962. This is his description of a war-time experience during his service in France in the 1^st World War:

“I walked from the rosy blush of a lovely dawn into the cool soft shadows of a small village church. Shells had done their best to destroy it. The pane-less windows were filled up with sacking, but within its walls the worship of a pious people still continued. The interior presented an extraordinary sight. At the far end, where the sanctuary light glowed red through the dimness, an aged priest was solemnising the great rite of his faith. The crimson glow of the altar lamp and the light of flickering tapers fell caressingly on his snow-white hair and embroidered chasuble as with slow and reverent tones he intoned the office of the Mass. A few villagers knelt reverently before the altar rails. And not four yards away, scattered over the nave of the church, a company of British artillerymen lolled about cleaning their harness, completely at home in their fantastic billet. And through their subdued gossip, subdued because the British soldier is a very understanding chap, through the jingling of the harness which they tried to keep as quiet as possible, through the angry growl and rumble of the not far distant cannon, there sounded the voice of the old priest, soft yet persistent, as from the tumult and discord of the raging war-crazed nations he prayed for the peace of the world and the salvation of the souls of men.”

May we in our time also pray for that peace and salvation (that’s to say: wholeness).  

 

 

RESPONSE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN

 

 

This sanctuary of my soul, Unwitting I keep white and whole, Unlatch'd and lit if Thou shouldst care. To enter or to tarry there. With parted lips and outstretch'd hands. And list'ning ears Thy servant stands. Call Thou early, call Thou late, To Thy great service dedicate. My soul, keep white, and whole.

Text: C. H. Sorley (1895-1915)
Music: Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Sung by the Chamber Group

 

 

Thanksgiving and Intercession   Revd Helen Alexander

With love for the world, we make our prayer, seeking blessing and grace and help for it in every part.

We pray in hope for the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, the vast Continent of Europe, the United States of America, and all the nations of the earth.

We pray for struggling democracies, for lands where the powerful cling to lost authority and faith and for people everywhere who seek honest labour and the security to raise families in prosperity and peace. 

We pray for the world’s leaders, for the spirit of wisdom and integrity to work for the common good within national boundaries and beyond.

We pray for our own leaders in these difficult divisive days; for politicians of all parties; for those who set our laws and for all who seek to uphold them.

We pray in thanksgiving for Her Majesty the Queen and her Royal Household.

We pray for service men and women; for our armed forces on land, at sea and in the air. We remember with thanksgiving the work of the Royal British Legion and all who seek to help those who have been wounded in the service of their country.

On this day when we remember conflicts past, we pray for those who were once our enemies; and for any whose minds and hearts may be set against the freedom and wellbeing of the peoples of the earth.

We pray for wars that are raging now; for the brokenness and desolation played out on the

stages of the world. We pray for things gone wrong: for causes lost, for hopeful plans abandoned, for promises broken and people wronged; for all the betrayals of principle and love that we know for ourselves and that we can see writ large throughout the world.

We pray for people who suffer at the hands of those who should know better, as well as those who suffer much because of accident or chance, and at this time fatal disease.

We remember those who strive to keep the peace, even as we also pray for those whose intention is destruction and war; that by some apparent miracle of grace and understanding they may turn from bitterness and hate. 

We remember young people throughout the world and all who seek to influence them.

We pray for all who are frightened, or lonely, or sad; people without shelter or food; those battered by circumstance and anguished in spirit; people on the move; people imprisoned without hope of freedom people.

We pray for the church and for people of good faith everywhere; all who seek the paths of right and peace whatever their ideology or religion, culture or creed. We pray that in spite of darkness some light may shine; and that in spite of all the evidences to the contrary, the hope and promise of peaceful settlement, fulfilment and grace may prevail for the peoples of the world.

And rejoicing in the Communion of the Saints we remember those who have been gathered from the storm of war into the peace of God’s eternal presence, giving thanks for all those we have known and loved and whose memory we treasure, surrendering them to the eternal love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  

The 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.

 

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home!

Under the shadow of thy throne
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guard while troubles last,
and our eternal home.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Sung by the Mayfield Salisbury Chamber Group  

 

Call to Remembrance and Benediction   Revd Helen Alexander

Call to Remembrance
Let us remember the grace and kindness of Almighty God.
Let us give thanks for the freedom in which we live even in these strange and uncertain days.
Let us give thanks for remembrance of all whose lives were given in time of war

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
 Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.’

The Two Minutes’ Silence

 

Prayer
Almighty God, in whose hands remain the issues of life and death, help us to live lives worthy of this remembrance and of our high calling as children of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  

 

Benediction
God, grant to the living, grace;
To the departed, rest;
To the church, the Queen, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord;
and to us and all his servants life everlasting.
And the blessing of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all. 

 

AMEN    Full Choir

      

INTIMATIONS

 

READINGS   We thank the members of the congregation who will lead the Psalm and read the Scripture lessons today, Remembrance Sunday.  Next week,  the readings are:  Psalm 112: 1 - 9 (in church); 1 Thessalonians 5: 1 – 11;   St Matthew 25: 14 – 30.

 

PASTORAL CARE   Do you now feel that you would like to have your own pastoral visitor? Or would you like someone to phone you over the winter months? Please get in touch with me and I will organise an appropriate match for you with one of our  pastoral care team. Kay McIntosh.  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 0790 326 6307

 

YOUTH NEWS

Youth Group: Sunday 8 November we will meet on Zoom for a Faith and Community discussion night! P6 - S1 from 6.30pm – 7.30pm and S2 - S6 from 7.30pm – 8.30pm. For Zoom log-in information, please contact Hillary.

Sunday School Blog: Our 0 - 3 and 4 - 6 leaders have created a new blog for our younger Sunday School groups. A login is required, so please contact Jessamy Kelly for login details to access this private blog for Mayfield Salisbury Sunday school: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

***NEW***  MIDWEEK PEACE AND PRAYERS      ***NEW***

10.00am – 11.00am every Wednesday in the Sanctuary, commencing 18 November..

• Have you been considering visiting the sanctuary for Five Minutes’ Peace on a Wednesday evening but are deterred by the dark and the cold?

• Are you missing Tuesday Morning Prayers?

If so, then we have good news! Mayfield Salisbury are launching a new midweek daytime initiative which will combine these 2 activities! During the winter months, members of the congregation will have the opportunity to spend a time of silent prayer/meditation in the sanctuary during daylight hours and also participate in worship and fellowship in communal prayers led by our Pastoral Assistant Kay McIntosh.

• 10:00-10:30 am Prayers led by Kay McIntosh
• 10:30-11:00 am Sanctuary open for silent meditation and private prayer

Come along for either or both from Wednesday 18th.

Following Five Minutes’ Peace on 11 November, we will stop holding evening sessions over the winter months.

 

GIFT SERVICES 2020 During ALL of NOVEMBER, you may bring your donation to the Sunday morning service when a decorated box will be available in the West Vestibule (ie as you enter by the one-way system). In addition, a member of the team will be available on Wednesday mornings throughout November in the Newington Room between 10am - 11am to receive your contribution.

One of the recipients of our donations is:  HMP Edinburgh - for the children of prisoners They need gifts for children from infant to fifteen. Children's toys like dressed dolls, footballs, football accessories, bath toys, playdoh, colouring books with pencils, duplo, lego, cars and trains; gifts such as age-appropriate jewellery, books, ornaments; and games like board games, jigsaws, kaleidoscopes, spinning-tops are very welcome.

I’m happy to talk to anyone who is still stuck for an idea.  Many thanks.   Anne Graham 0131 667 6331

 

THANK YOU FOR OUR PRESENCE AT THE SERVICES   The church will be open at 10.00 on Sunday mornings for those who have booked to come to the service.

Please note that there may be member(s) of the congregation who are exempt on health grounds from wearing a mask. If this applies to you, it would be helpful if you wear a lanyard or badge.  If you would like to bring a cushion to place in your pew, please feel free to do so but do take it home with you.    

At the close of the service, please remain in your place until stewards invite you to leave at the end of the closing voluntary, and maintain social distancing as you leave the church premises. If you wish to speak to Helen Alexander or Kay McIntosh, you are asked to indicate this as you pass them. They will join you on the pavement once everyone else has left.

Booking system

Phone: On Wednesdays, from 11.00am to 1.00pm, you may reserve a space by phoning the Church Office (0131 667 1522).

Internet: We would encourage anyone with internet access to use the Eventbrite booking system, which will be open from 4pm on Wednesdays. The system can be accessed from our website via this link: www.mayfieldsalisbury.org/attend

 

Forthcoming Deadlines

Order of service for next week: Thursday at 6.00pm.

Next Grapevine: Friday 27 November at 6.00pm.

Please send submissions to the Church Manager, William Mearns.

Phone: 0780 801 1234 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

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 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

 

Images – Some courtesy of Pixabay

 

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 Social Media

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www.youtube.com/user/MayfieldSalisbChurch

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Youth Instagram: the.msyg

 www.mayfieldsalisbury.org

Scottish Charity Number SC000785