Remember God. Do not forget!

9Light 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.

Good morning…

Intimations:

October Stewertship Month (Board)

We are in the time of Lent, which is a time for sacrifice or in other words fasting. This week we held our first Midmonth Service, with the overall theme “Meeting Jesus”. The service is an alternitive opportunity for reflection and worship. We had about 10 people. The next Midmonth service will be on the 9 of April again in the Hall.

Today is a special Sunday as we will induct a new Ruling Elder into our Church. The governence of our Church are based on elder, who functions like an engine stearing the church and providing pastoral and spiritual guidance. Margo has indicated that she is called by God to form part of our eldership. The elders with myself as agreed that Margo has a calling to be set apart for this special position.

It is wonderful Margo for you and your family to be with us today for this special service. We know God has called you and has given you special gifts to share with our church family. We look forward…

Last week we reflected on the story of Moses where he had to speak to the mighty Pharao. We have seen that Moses did not have the skills to do so, therefore, he was reliant upon God with the assistance of Aaron. The teaching broadly spoke about the importance of trusting and obeying God. In our reading today, we will find Moses again in a difficult place between God and the Israelits. God was furious on the one hand and the Israelits were stupit on the other hand, with Moses finding himself in the middle. The once reliable Aaron was not at all helpful in the situation as we will discover.

Let us now approach for our C to W.

Call to Worship: 

Minister: Long for the Lord!

All: There we will find rest.

Minister: Seek the Lord’s goodness.

All: For He is kind.

Let us worship God!

Hymn: CH286 - Tell out my soul

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, we have come to lift up our eyes that we may see your world in a new way; we have come to lift up our minds that our thoughts may be transformed by your love;

we have come to lift up our hearts that we may be made whole by your grace; we have come to lift up our voices in praise that we may worship you for ever and ever. 

Lord, we confess that we have often heard your call and we have simply closed our ears.

We know that you have spoken to us in unique ways, but we still turned away pretending we did not hear.

Lord, we confess that we are somtives afraid and anxious. That we have a worp understanding of you.

We pray that you open our hearts and minds to allow you to use us as channels of your grace.

Lord, we confess that we can not resist your strong calling.  

Come, Lord Jesus, come— and, by your Holy Spirit, cleanse, renew, and empower us for the service to which you are calling us now. Let us 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: Yet not I but through Christ in me

(Children enter.)

Children’s Address: Sticky Notes!

Hymn: Kids hymn: Who's the King of the jungle?

(Children exit.)

Reading: Exodus 32: 1-14

The Golden Calf 32 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” 11 But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Sermon: (Rev. Bosch)

Moses was in a difficult place. He found himself between God who was furious and the Israelites displaying questionable conduct. Aaron an important leader did not help, rather he motivated the Israelites to continue with their stupidity.

God brought the Israelites out of slavery. Moses was the representative or middleman between God and Israel. God and Moses were conducting business and during this time the Israelites, with the aid of Aaron, became impatient and started to doubt to legitimacy of Moses and God. This led to them making another god, a calf, out of gold jewellery. The calf then became the "the god" taking the place of the true living God of creation. They then gave this calf, another god, the honour of bringing them out of the land of slavery.

Aaron said: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”

Brothers and sisters, this proclamation for Aaron was a lie! The golden calf did not save them but rather the true living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

Yet, here we have a people proclaiming with confidance a lie (a falsehood). Saying that which is not true…

The reading makes us aware and cousios not to promote a lie! Do not lie! In the case of the Israelites they were proclaiming in a official manner a lie. Saying and doing things that are not true. It is for this reason that God became very angry. Making it very clear to us as well, that God does not have time for a lie. Due to the lie that the Israelites created all hell breaks lose.

To bring what happened here home: Can you image how we will feel when doing a favour for someone and then that person gives the credit for someone else. How will we feel not receiving the credit that is due to us? This is the same sinario that God is finding himself in.

God is fuming, because He is not getting the credit, but more importantly there is a lie going about in the Israely camp. This lie was stating the contrary to what really happened. The truth in the narritive was that God saved them from Egipt and not a “golden calf”.

The teaching: Do not spread lies or untruths, especially when it concerns God.

9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now, therefore, let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them...

Moses sees God's fury and realises he needs to do something. He needs to safe the situation by intervening. He needs to calm God down. He needs to remind God of His promises. Moses tells God.

"Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self..."

The Israelites have to be very grateful that Moses intervened. The reading highlights how the Israelites forgot the truth and quit quickly too. It tells how a lie was created, consequently, God was pushed away.

Regarding this, we could consider our own tendency to forget about the True Living God. We could even start assessing our own tendency to fabrucate lies; twisting and turning truths into something totally foreign. If this is the case, we should rightly be causes after seeing how God reacted towards the Israelites.

The interesting part of the reading is how God almost forgot. God was so angry that He almost disregarded His own promise. This reveals a theological idea that will be not as femuliur to us. The theology states the importance of praying in away that reminds God of his goodness, mercy and faithfulness.

Something like: Lord, please do not forget what you have promised in your Word! You can not say something els God after you have declared your faithfulness. Amen"

Do not forget like the Israelites did and esspesialluy aviod promoting a lie. Place yourself in a prayerful position uttering the truths of God and reminding God of his promises.

Place your sticky note on the fridge reminding yourself of the true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel reveald in JC through the workings of the HS.

Put up that sticky note- to remind yourself of the truth in God.

Put up that sticky note - to steer clear from falsehood and deception.

Put up that sticky note - to remind us to intervene if it seems that God has forgotten.

A function of an elder is to remind the congregation of the Truth in God through his Word. An elder is called to give spiritual guidance and support the flock of Jesus. Prayerful intervention is essential for the spiritual leaders of a church.

May we never forget the truth in God and the importance praying speaking to God the creator the of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel reveald in JC through the workings of the HS. Amen.

(Music)

Ordination of Elder

Prologue

There are different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them.

There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served.

God works through different people in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purpose through them all.

Each one is given a gift by the Spirit, to use it for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11)

We have the joy of using our gifts as members of the Church of Christ, which is his body continuing his ministry in the world today.

Those who are chosen for the office of the eldership have the particular responsibility of caring for God’s people and exercising oversight and leadership.

Today, the Kirk Session is met to ordain Margaret Hamilton Cunningham to the office of the eldership.

Due notice has been given, no objection has been made, and we therefore proceed.

PREAMBLE

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church, who, being ascended on high, has given gifts for the building up of the body of Christ,

we are met to ordain to the office of the eldership Margaret Hamilton Cunningham. 

Margo, you may approach:

In this act, the Church of Scotland, as part of the holy catholic or universal Church, worshipping one God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, affirms anew its belief in the Gospel of the sovereign grace and love of God,

wherein through Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, incarnate, crucified, and risen, he freely offers to all,

upon repentance and faith, the forgiveness of sins, renewal by the Holy Spirit, and eternal life,

and calls them to labour in the fellowship of faith for the advancement of the kingdom of God throughout the world.

The Church of Scotland acknowledges the Word of God, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, to be the supreme rule of faith and life.

The Church of Scotland holds as its subordinate standard the Westminster Confession of Faith, recognising liberty of opinion on such points of doctrine as do not enter into the substance of the Faith, and claiming the right, in dependence on the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit, to formulate, interpret, or modify its subordinate standards: always in agreement with the Word of God and the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith contained in the Confessions.

Affirmation

In view of this Declaration you are now required to answer this question:

Do you believe the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith; do you promise to seek the unity and peace of this Church;

to uphold its doctrine, worship, government and discipline; and to take your due part in the administration of its affairs?

I do.

Prayer/Blessing: The Lord bless Margo, and enable her to joyfully service You as an elder of your church with grace and vigor. Amen.

Sign:_______________________ Date:__________________________

Margaret Hamilton Cunningham

Prayer

Loving God, you have chosen for yourself a Church in which your Holy Spirit inspires men and women to serve your purposes of love.

We give you thanks that by your grace you have called Margo to lead and care for your people as elders in your Church.

We commend her to you now as we ordain and admit them to the office of the eldership within the Church of your dear Son.

Grant them the gift of your Holy Spirit, that their hearts may be set on fire with love for you and for those committed to their care.

Make them pure in heart as those who have the mind of Christ.

Give them vision to discern your purpose for the Church and for the world you love.

Keep them faithful to the end in all their service, that, when the chief shepherd appears, they may receive glory,

a crown that never fades. Amen.

Declaration and Welcome

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church,

I declare you Margaret Hamilton Cunningham to have been ordained to the office of the eldership, and...

As a sign of our welcome, we give you the right hand of fellowship.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

(The elders follow the minister in offering the right hand of fellowship.)

Gift is given.

Margo may sit.

Renewal of Commitment

Christ calls us all to share in his ministry. Let us, then, dedicate ourselves anew to his service. Let all stand.

To all: Members and elders of this congregation: putting your whole trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord,

do you commit yourselves to love and serve his Church and Kingdom?

We do.

To the congregation: As members of this congregation, will you encourage and support your elders,

surround them with your love, and remember them in your prayers?

We will.

To the elders: In your service as elders, will you promise to carry out all your duties faithfully and cheerfully, God being your helper?

We will.

Prayer

God of grace, you have called us to be servants of Christ Jesus, and to share in his ministry of love to all people.

Renew our zeal, give us joy in your service.

Direct us by your Spirit of wisdom and fill us with the gifts of your grace, that together we may declare your wonderful deeds and show your love to the world;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: Goodness of God

Prayer for Others: (Stephen Dixon)

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

Prayer of Thanks

Hymn: CH4 153 - Great is thy faithfulness

Rethink and Blessing (Rev. Bosch)

Do not forget the truth in God and the importance praying/speaking to Him the creator the of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel reveald in JC through the workings of the HS.

Uphold the Truth! Remember the works and promises of God revealed through His Word. Do not forget and continue to intervine through prayer for our community.

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)