The Birth of a Leader

The Transfiguration of the our Lord

Light Reflective Music

Bible Enters (Organ)

Welcome / Intimation (Rev. Bosch)

I greet you in the Name of God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe - in the care of Christ Jesus.May it be that we receive mercy, peace and love.

Edict, To be read

3d of March, Church Board Meeting, 19:00

4th of March, Funeral of Mary Brass, 14:30

6th of March, Cluster Meeting, 14:00

7th of March, World Day of Prayer, 14:30

Sunday, Prayers

Call to Worship, Ps 148

Minister: Praise to the Lord!

All: We praise Him.

Minister: Praise to the Lord!

All: Let all the world Praise Him.

Let us worship God!

Hymn: CH 519 - Love Divine

Declaration:

Blessed be the name of the Lord now and evermore.From the rising of the sun to its setting, the Lord’s name be praised. Let us pray:

Prayer of Approach and Confession (Rev. Bosch)

Lord, our worship can never reach the heights of your glory or sound the depths of your love and mercy. You are the Holy One, whose greatness is beyond understanding and whose grace enables us to stand before you. Lord, hold us in your grace, lift us by your mercy, and may the awesomeness of your name transform our praises for your glory.

We bring to you our wrongdoings and feelings of guilt. We appologise if we have missed the opportunies you have given us.

We appologise if we are not thankfull for your provision and care.

We appologise if we do not believe you can bring the good from the bad.

As we experience your forgiveness, we start to praise you.

Lord, there is a song in our hearts, a song of adoration. We long to know you more and experience your presence every moment of every day. Lord, there is a song in our hearts, a song of adoration. We cannot contain our joy as we look into the mange or stand at the foot of the empty cross and the empty tomb. Lord, there is a song in our hearts, a song of adoration. Here and now and everywhere we go we will sing in adoration of your holy name.

You make wonders happen from the simple and plain. Therefore, we adore you as we pray together:

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, the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Hymn: Jesus, what a beautiful name

(Children enter.)

Children’s Address: Take the lead or follow!

Hymn: Wide, wide as the ocean (Junior praise 292)

(Children exit.)

Reading: Exodus 2: 1-10

Sermon: (Rev. Bosch)

The beginning. There is certainly a start for everything. We have read of the beginning, the start, of a great leader called Moses. The significance of Moses, for a Christian, is the strong correlation between Moses and Jesus. The New Testament emphasises that Jesus is the new Moses, who will forever be the New High Priest or representative of us in heaven. 

As it is Transfiguration of Jesus Sunday, we emphasise the spiritual and holy nature of Jesus.  Jesus is then not just a man but also truly God. It is from this viewpoint that we read the story of Moses. We treasure our new spiritual leader Jesus, yet we are curious to understand how God interacted through the leadership of Moses. We do this in the hope that it will bring a fresh understanding of God in Jesus Christ.

The situation was bad! Pharoo wanted to murder all the baby boys of the Israelites. The order was that the baby boys should be drowned in the river.  One can only imagine the anxiety and stress of those poor moms and dads. What do you do if the official degree of a government is to kill your baby boy?  It is terrible! The situation was so extreme that a mother was forced to hide her child in a basket on the waters between the grass. What else can one do if your baby boy's life is on a string? 

3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 

Due to the uncertainty, the sister stood at a distance to know what would happen to the boy. The irony in the story is that the water of death became the lifeline of a future leader. Remember, the order of Pharoo was for the boys to be drowned in the river, but in the case of the child in the basket, it became a source of life. The theological teaching is that God will use the most unlikely of situations to bring salvation. The most challenging times that really seem to be like the waters of death, God will bring about new life and opportunities. It is the case, that we should not underestemet the oppotunities for growth and learning during difficult times. It could be that the waters of death which we are experiencing could be the start of something new. 

For example, A turmoil marriage could be an opportunity to teach other couples to function well in a relationship, or overcoming cancer could be an opportunity to inspire others to keep on going.  

Whatever the dark waters might be, God can use ther good, and in the case of Moses's God used that terrible situation to bring forth salvation. 

It is certainly the case that God used the waters of death as a place of safety for the future salvation of the Israelites. 

It was at that moment that the daughter of Pharaoh came and notice the basket and boy. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 

Pharaoh, who was behind all the deaths, became the very cylinder of safety. The theology: Never underestimate God's ability to truly undermine evil and destruction. I think Pharao would have never thought that his plans would have been undermined by his own household.  Pharaoh's household became the nursing ground for salvation for the people he dispired. 

Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” 

What do we find in this narrative? We find that the house of Pharaoh was the source of death. The same house of death God brought forth a leader to represent His people. It is a twist that Pharaoh could never have foreseen.  

Moses a Hebreeu found himself in the house of Pharap. The upside of having strong connections with Pharaoh's house was that Moses had very good insight into the affairs of the enemy. Simmutaniously, he also understood the missery of his own people. God positioned Moses between the house of Pharaoh and the people of Israel. Moses was able the to understand both views and consequently becoming the ideal person to be called by God. 

I am sure Pharaoh's daughter never knew when seeing that wee boy in the basket that he would become the next true leader. We also should not underestimate the leadership of this baby in the basket. We should not underestimate the special calling of Moses, especially considering the New Testament comparing him to our Lord Jesus. Jesus Himself was brought into this world by God in truly humble circumstances. Jesus was lying in a crip with animals around him. In such circumstances, it is difficult to imagine the Baby Jesus becoming the source of salvation. Yet, as we have seen in the story of Moses, there is more than meets the eye, especially when God is involved. When we see simplisity and no future, God sees potential and possibilities. We can say never underestimate God's ability to bring forth an outcome or a solution where it seems so unlikely. Were it seems unlikely for us, it is an opportunity for God to do something amazing. 

Moses became a great leader, so great that he is compared with Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The difference is that Jesus is the very essence of God's holiness, where Moses was not. Moses was, and Jesus is, forever. Moses did, and Jesus is still doing. Moses had, and Jesus still has. Jesus is the ultimate and can not be fully compared with Moses. Although what Moses did and how God used him was truly impressive it does not fully grasp what Christ did. 

Transfiguration of Jesus Sunday emphasises the holiness and reign of Jesus. When we look at a baby in a basket or in a crib, we see vulnerability. It is that vulnerability that God ceriuss and to do something wonderful. In the case of Moses, he saved a nation. In the case of Jesus, He became our Lord and Holiness itself who rules over us forever. The message for us today is to never underestimate God's willingness to make ugly beautiful. Never underestimate God willingness to bring hope from the most unlikely of situations. 

Where are we today in Prestongrange? Could it be that we are at a place where we think: "It is highly unlikely?", "I do not think it is possible?", "I do not think there is a change!"

It is during those circumstances that the reading today reminds us not to underestimate the potential that God sees. 

God is teaching us today that there is hope, salvation and a future in the most unlikely of situations.  It could be that God is saying to us that the situation you are finding yourself in might be an opportunity to develop and grow for a purpose that God has for us. God might have a task for us in the future; use the opportunity know to develop your skills. What might this be? Find out by praying to God.  

Moses was drawn out of the waters of death to become a great leader. Jesus was born in a stable with animals to be later transfigured into the holiness of God.

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light... and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  

Small beginnings in a basket between grass. Small beginnings in cripe leading to salvation and glory with God saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

May we in Prestongrange Church not underestimate small beginingss and the potential that God see in the most unlikely of situations. 

There is certainly a start for everything, for Moses, for Jesus and for us. Amen. 

Hymn: Here is love (SoF 168)

Prayer for Others:

Lord, Jesus we look to you as you are holy. You are holiness. To you we bring our prayers for others and difficult circumstances: Lord, we pray for the world who experiences: hurt, pain, suffering, loss, deceit, despair and failure. Lord, we pray for your world, that Christ may reign there. Lord,we pray for those who are hungry; for those in a world of plenty who have no idea when they will eat again. Lord, we pray for your world, that Christ may reign there. Lord, we pray for the elderly and for those left behind to fend for themselves. We bring to you those who feel they are forgotten.

Lord, we pray for your world, that Christ may reign there. Lord, we pray for those who live and die in isolation; for those who by their disability are trapped in their own dark, silent world; for those who have no one who cares what happens to them and have no one with whom they can share their hopes and their fears. Lord, we pray for your world, that Christ may reign there. Lord, we pray for those who are ill or in hospital and for those who work to restore them to health; and for those who took their continued health and fitness for granted. Lord, we pray for those involved in the world of education; for teachers, lecturers, writers, and students and for all who are involved in learning; Lord, we pray for your world, that Christ may reign there. Lord, we pray for those whose homes are places of love, trust, and joy; for those where there is stress, anger, and bitterness and for those being brought to the point of breakup or breakdown. Lord, we pray for your world,that Christ may reign there. Lord, we pray for ourselves and all we are facing and all we must face in the days and weeks that lie ahead.

May Christ reign there. Amen.

Offering (The person at door duty brings the plate to the table.)

Prayer of Thanks

Hymn: CH 112 - God, whose almighty word

Rethink and Blessing (Rev. Bosch)

God can use the most unlikely of situations to bring salvation. Never underestamate God ability to bring about new life and opportunities. It might just be that the waters of death which we are experiencing could be the start of something new. Go, with the reasurance that the dark waters you might face could be an opportunity to prepare for the purpose that God has for you. Never underestimate small beginingss and the potential that God see in the most unlikely of situations. 

In the presence of the Holy Spirit, may the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Amen

Sing/Play Amen (Organ)

Bible Exits (Organ)