The Third Rocky Road Epistle Chapter 12
Two riddles for you: - What has hands but no feet, a face but no eyes, points without fingers, strikes without arms, and runs without legs? What is free yet priceless, spent but not owned, only goes forward and never stops, lost but never can be got back? These act as a timely reminder that the clocks go forward at the weekend. So if you are coming to our Palm Sunday service in the building please make sure you change your clock. It seems incredibl
Only if we take time to be holy can we live for Jesus. Only as a church can we “let Him be thy guide” if we take time to pray. We can all have good ideas, but we need to be “looking to Jesus” for His best for RRBC. Many thanks to all those knitting eggs, it is going really well, please get them to Margaret Shaw as soon as you can. On Palm Sunday we hope to have some to hand out for people to hang up on a tree near you or in your garden with a tract attached for someone else to find and take. Please pray for seeds to be sown in this way. Maundy Thursday CommunionThere is no Zoom Bible Study on Wednesday 31st March, instead we will have a communion service for Maundy Thursday on Thursday 1st April at 7.15pm for 7.30pm start, With this chapter there is a communion service for Maundy Thursday. If you would like to, you can join with some of us online through the “Zoom” system. We are using the usual Bible Study log in details (see note below). You will need to provide your own with bread and wine (or equivalent).
You ring either of these phone numbers, 0131 460 1196 or 0203 481 5237 Please contact Laura for the passcode. Otherwise you could celebrate it at 7.30pm on Thursday (1st April) by yourself, knowing that others from RRBC are doing the same. ReflectionFrom Phillip “A Surprising Journey” based on Hebrews 11 v.32-40, Matthew 21 v.1-11 We are reaching the end of our journey through the wilderness and heading towards Easter. We have been preparing ourselves to journey with Jesus into his most difficult and barren period yet – his betrayal, crucifixion and death. We, of course, know the end of the story – that the horror of Good Friday will gloriously transform into the joyful resurrection of Easter Sunday. But for those who lived through that first Easter weekend, the struggle of the week was all too real. They had no way to be sure it would all turn out okay. Our own wilderness experiences can be very much like that. Looking back, we can see how God has used dry, barren, and difficult times to shape us. But when we are in the midst of the wilderness it is almost impossible to see beyond our present situation. When good things come along, they can take us by complete surprise, as God works in mysterious and unpredictable ways. The heroes of Old Testament, as listed in Hebrews chapter 11, lived with much hardship. They wandered in deserts and mountains, lived a nomadic existence in caves or holes in the ground and if imprisoned were often held in chains, tortured, and put to death by the sword. They struggled in the wilderness of sorrow, rejection, and physical violence, but through of all this the writer to the Hebrews records some amazing answers to prayer. At the end of his account though, he says this of the Old Testament heroes, These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11 v.39-40) The fulfilment that they were looking for was only going to come through Jesus. The hopes of the people of God were pinned on this surprising Messiah. He came not as a military super-power but as a helpless baby. He lived, not as a rich ruler, but as a homeless wanderer. He preached, not vengeance for Israel’s enemies, but grace and love for all. And his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which we mark on Palm Sunday, was not in a chariot or on a white horse, but fulfilled a prophesy of Zechariah, See your king comes to you, lowly and riding on a donkey. (Zechariah 9 v.9) The surprising answer to all of Israel’s hopes is a humble man on a donkey. A lowly man, who would further humble himself by dying on a cross. The crowd who welcomed him on Palm Sunday would quickly turn on him. The cross that appeared to be his final defeat would turn out to be his final victory over sin, death, and the devil. His resurrection would become the first fruits of the resurrection of all things. We live in the in-between time. Jesus is risen. Death is defeated. We have the salvation of the Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. And yet, God has not quite finished with this “wilderness world”. He holds back Christ’s final coming, and so we continue to experience both desert struggles and resurrection surprises. The promised land is before us, so the writer to the Hebrews encourages us to take heart from the Old Testament heroes and from Jesus, to finish this journey together: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Journeying with Jesus means drawing strength from him during the hard times. We can know that he has walked this wilderness road before us, and that he is walking with us now. He is using even our struggles to transform us, and to prepare us for the day when all sorrow and sighing will cease to be. Songs for Sunday1. Make way, make way, for Christ the King [MEN] Make way! 2. He comes the broken hearts to heal, 3. And those who mourn with heavy hearts, 4. We call you now to worship Him Graham Kendrick 1. All glory, praise and honour, 2. The company of angels 3. To you before your passion Theodulf of Orleans (c.750 - 821), translated by John Mason Neale (1818 - 1866), DatesSaturday 27th March - Socially distanced spring clean in the morning starting at 10am. Sunday 28th March - Sunday 4th April - Sunday 18th April - Listening to a recording of our audio serviceIf you have the internet, then go to our website (www.RRBC.org.uk) where you will find a recording under the audio files. If you are not on the internet, we have now paid to have a “Dial-a-Service” facility. Telephone 01536 909787 and you will be able to listen to a recording of the service on your telephone. Don’t forget our Facebook page always has some interesting things on as well. Prayers of Intercession,Adapted from prayers by We bring our prayers to God for our world, our country, the church and those we know, love and worry about. Eternal God, we lift our planet before you, God of all people, we pray for our world, We pray for a fair and peaceful sharing out of the vaccine worldwide. Eternal One, we pray for our own nations, God of the Church God of tenderness, and we pray for ourselves and our own needs…. Please pray for our Mission of the Month – The Gideons, A COMMUNION SERVICE FOR Maundy Thursday(Adapted from the Wee Worship Book) Invitation Jesus was always the guest Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, present with us now, The Sharing To his followers in every age, Jesus gave an example and command rooted in the experience he shared with his disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem. Later after they had eaten, he took a cup of wine and said, ‘This cup is the new relationship with Concluding Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you have put your life into our hands; now we put our lives into yours. Amen. |