May 2020

Pentecost sermon by Caroline Longley (Lay Reader)

Reflection for Sunday 31st May 2020
The Readings for this Sunday are John 20 19-23 and Acts 2 1-21

Gracious God, open our hearts and minds to receive your love and to hear your words to us today. Amen.

Recently I have been enjoying spotting young fledglings in my parent’s garden. Sparrows, Starling and Blackbird have so far made an appearance. Each look well fed and sometimes they are fatter than the harassed parents. The starling was still sporting the yellow gape “the feed me here marking”. They are also identifiable by that look of uncertainty at the world they inhabit...

No change in Church lockdown. Latest news from the College of Bishops

NO CHANGE TO COLLEGE OF BISHOPS’ GUIDANCE AT PHASE 1 OF EASING LOCKDOWN

Following the announcement by the First Minister that Phase 1 of the Scottish Government’s route map will take effect tomorrow [Friday 29 May], the College of Bishops has confirmed that the minor easing of lockdown restrictions permitted under Phase 1 does not result in any change to existing guidance previously issued by the College of Bishops for the Scottish Episcopal Church. Church buildings therefore remain closed for the time being and the guidance issued on 23 and 26 March 2020 remains in place.

The Advisory Group established...

Sing Out!

Sing Out!

There is a well known phrase associated with St.Augustine of Hippo a 5th century theologian which goes:

“He who sings, prays twice.”

or in the original Latin; Qui bene contat bis orat’ which actually translates as; ‘He who sings WELL prays twice’. Either of these phrases are good, although the correct translation is probably more accurate about singing wellTo be truthful, though, St.Augustine did not actually say either of them! He did write that:

“..singing belongs to one who loves..”

or more accurately:

“For he who sings praise, does not only praise but also praises joyfully...

Sermon for the Sunday after the Ascension (Easter VII) by the Rev'd David Warnes

For many years I have been a casual collector of famous last words – the final utterances of the great, the good and the not so good. By the 19th century it had rather come to be expected that great men and women would use their final breath either to express some profound truth or at least say something memorable. One of my favourites, because of its combination of wit and theological soundness, was uttered by Charlie Chaplin. When the priest who was attending his deathbed said “May the Lord have mercy on your soul” Charlie retorted. “Why shouldn’t he? It...

A prayer from Christian Aid for the people of Bangladesh & India

'O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,

And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.' (Isaiah 54:11)

God of refuge, 

protect our sisters and brothers in Bangladesh and India, 

tossed far from their homes by Cyclone Amphan. 

Some afraid to evacuate for fear of a pandemic disease,

surrounded by catastrophe and debris. 

Comfort them as they journey and where they stay. 

Your love knows no distance, O God be near your children in peril.

Set them on their way to safety, let them find your help. 

Awaken in our hearts a love that...

A sermon for Ascension Day Thursday 21st May 2020 by the Rector

Ascension Day Thursday 21st May 2020

On Ascension Day, I always think an appropriate anthem should be that unforgettable song from the finale of the ‘Sound of Music’:

“So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu; to you and you and you and you and you …”

It would be an appropriate anthem because it speaks of leaving, of farewell but also gives us just the possibility of return. Adieu is not as final as farewell.

Today, Jesus leaves his disciples, or more correctly, today 40 days after his resurrection he leaves this earthly realm for his Father’s heavenly Kingdom. If we were...

Thy Kingdom Come (Daily Prayer Resources)

The days between Ascension Day and Pentecost are designated days of prayer for the building up of God's Kingdom. Below is a form of daily prayer to help you pray during the next few days.

Thy Kingdom Come

A global wave of daily prayer from

Ascension Day to Pentecost 21st - 31st May 2020

Send your Holy Spirit upon us, and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

Blessed are you, creator God, to you be praise and glory for ever.

As your Spirit moved over the face of the waters bringing light and    

life to your creation,   pour...

Homily for Easter VI Sunday 17th May 2020 by Russell Duncan

Easter VI – Sunday 17th May 2020

0ur streets are not empty, they are filled with love

Ever since I heard these words spoken by The Queen in her message of stoicism and hope for a time of adversity on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, they have been going round and round my head.  I had not expected them. I had not thought of seeing things in this way. They opened up a new way of understanding things. Not unlike looking at a painting or a landscape for the first time.

For many, myself included, we are all trying...

Not leaving those things undone that you meant to do!

One of the various things I have been doing during 'lockdown' is re-decorating various bits of the Rectory. When I moved in 11 years ago I painted every room but never got round to re-painting the woodwork and doors in the hall, landing and upper corridor. Now they are all shining white and the decorating bug has bitten me so other bits of the house are getting a 'freshen up' as well. I had been meaning to re-painting tall that woodwork but I never seemed to get round to it. Lockdown removed all my excuses. Lockdown has also enabled me...

Greetings from the MCT Christian Aid Committee - how to donate!

Christian Aid Week: May 10th – 16th 2020

Christian Aid week is not going ahead in its usual form this year.  The corona virus pandemic is BOTH preventing us from doing our usual fundraising AND greatly increasing the needs of the people in the poorest countries of the world for all the services provided by Christian Aid.

Your donations and support over the years have been greatly appreciated – Murrayfield Churches Together (MCT) has regularly given over £6,000 from the House-to-House collection, Joint MCT Service and Lunch.  Over the years these donations have enabled Christian Aid to work...

A reflection for Christian Aid Sunday 2020

Sunday 10th May 2020

Easter V  A Reflection for Christian Aid Sunday

There are times, in our lives, when I think the Psalms can speak to us better than any other pieces of Scripture. Their poetry, pithiness and in many cases brevity seem to sum up all we want to say and often all we can hear. The psalms encompass the whole gamut of our emotions.

There are psalms of hope such as:

Psalm 71:5

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.”  and

Psalms of anger:

Psalm 37:8

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath...

An act of worship for Christian Aid Sunday 10th May 2020

Christian Aid Week 2020

An act of Worship

Joint worship on Sunday 10th May would usually mark the beginning of Christian Aid Week for those of us  in Murrayfield. This year we are unable to gather physically as the members of MCT but we can come together spiritually in prayer. Please use the prayers and readings below in your Sunday worship at home.

Introduction

Christian Aid Week helps us remember that we are part of the family of God scattered across the globe. The Covid19 outbreak also shows us how inter-connected we are, how vulnerable we all are and how...

St.Benedict's Prayer

The following prayer said to have come from the pen of St.Benedict has been inspiration to countless numbers of Christians over many centuries. In the prayer St.Benedict encourages us to ponder upon God and to spend time trying to come closer to the Divine. It is a prayer that asks God to help us understand his ways better and then to try and live our lives in the service of others and of God as well.

It is not a 'quick fix' prayer but a prayer of and for a life-time. It is a prayer that asks God to guide...

Good Shepherd Sunday sermon

Good Shepherd Sunday  Easter IV 2020  Year A

Many years ago the congregation at St.Mary’s Dalmahoy built a sheep fank in their church garden. It was designed to be the place where ashes could be interred. The fank was built before my time as Rector and it took me a while to ‘get why’ they had built such a feature as a last resting place for members of the congregation. In fact it was years later, when I re-read today’s readings that I finally understood the reasoning behind the design. It was the words where Jesus describes himself as; ‘the...

INTERCESSIONS FOR ALL AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC

Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Father, thy help and comfort to all who at this time are visited with sickness and anxiety; and prosper with thy continual blessing those who labour to devise protection for mankind against plague and pestilence; through him who both healed and hallowed suffering, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

O merciful Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ did weep at the grave of Lazarus his friend: Look with compassion upon those who are now in sorrow and affliction; comfort them, O Lord, with thy gracious consolations; make them to know that all things work...