St James’ Church of Scotland

Sunday 07 August 2022 is the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost.

Welcome to our service materials for this week, where the main reading is from the Old Testament – Isaiah 1 – which contains the following instructions (Isaiah 1:17):

Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.

…the ultimate reason for our hope is not to be found at all in what we want,
wish for and wait for; the ultimate reason is that we are wanted and wished for
and waited for.

Jürgen Moltmann (1977)

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Sunday 31st July 2022 is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and the main reading is from the Old Testament: Hosea 11:1-11.

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Sunday 17 July 2022 is the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost.

The main scripture this week is about Jesus’ encounter with the sisters, Mary and Martha, as told by Luke in his Gospel at Luke 10:38-42.

This week’s service comes at end of a week-long children’s holiday club held in the Church, called Showstoppers. The service features two songs sung frequently in the club – both composed by Doug Horley – God Loves me and I’m gonna jump up and down. Our thanks go especially to Carol, Chris and Sarah from Out of the Box (Scotland) for leading the club and, in the process, providing masses of fun and inspiration for the children who attended and the volunteers – from St. James’ Church and also from St. Gerardine’s Church.

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24 July 2022 is the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and the main scripture today is Jesus’ teaching on “how to pray” from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-13).

Today’s main scripture reading from the Bible

Luke 11:1-13 (from The Message Bible translation)
Ask for What You Need
11 One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

2-4 So he said, “When you pray, say,

Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”

5-6 Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend travelling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’

7 “The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’

8 “But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbours, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

9 “Here’s what I’m saying:

Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open.

10-13 “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”

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