D.S.S. Services at Camus 1978

5 February 1978

Thursday was Candlemas which as I reminded you last year was the day on which Christian people dedicated the stock of candles which were to be used during the year in the Services of the Church. In the Old Testament there is a text Proverbs 20:27 “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” and in the New Testament another text Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Let us then thank God today for the light we live by and dedicate it now to Him as we sing:
The beam that shines from Zion hill
Shall lighten every land;
The King Who reigns in Salem’s towers
Shall all the world command.

Come then, O house of Jacob, come
To worship at His shrine;
And, walking in the light of God,
With holy beauties shine.

Prayer: God, who hast caused us to behold Thy Glory in the face of Jesus Christ, take from us we pray the darkness of sin and the dimness of error and help us to be happy as we seek to show to others the brightness of His truth for His sake. Amen

Proverbs 4:18 The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

How well will it be for us if we keep ourselves in the light of this clear shining. Let us make that our prayer as we sing:

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"I am this dark world's light;
look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright."
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my Star, my Sun;
and in that light of life I'll walk
till traveling days are done.
Words: Horatio Bonar, 1846

I John 1 : 5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We are in this fellowship one with another a happy family because we are called by Christ to live on earth as children of God. He is our Father as we now sing beseeching his light:
Holy Father, cheer our way
with thy love's perpetual ray;
grant us every closing day
light at evening time.

Holy Savior, calm our fears
when earth's brightness disappears;
grant us in our later years
light at evening time.

Holy Spirit, be thou nigh
when in mortal pains we lie;
grant us, as we come to die,
light at evening time.

Holy, blessèd Trinity,
darkness is not dark to thee;
those thou keepest always see
light at evening time.
Words: Richard Hayes Robinson, 1869

Lord’s Prayer:

Rev 22 1-5
........ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Hymn:
Jesus bids us shine
With a pure, clear light,
Like a little candle
Burning in the night.
In this world of darkness
So let us shine—
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine,
First of all for Him;
Well He sees and knows it,
If our light grows dim.
He looks down from Heaven
To see us shine—
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine,
Then, for all around;
Many kinds of darkness
In the world are found—
Sin and want and sorrow;
So we must shine—
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.

7 May 1978

This is the Sunday after Ascension Day when we remember that Jesus, having been in visible form with his disciples for 40 days, was taken out of their sight and entered His Glory all power being given to Him in Heaven and in Earth so that by them he was to be worshipped and glorified for ever and ever. So let Us sing to his praise and glory:
Who is He in yonder stall
At whose feet the shepherds fall?
Refrain
'Tis the Lord, O wondrous story!
'Tis the Lord, the King of glory;
At His feet, we humbly fall,
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all!

Who is He in Calvary's throes
Asks for blessings on His foes?
Refrain
Who is He that from the grave
Comes to heal and help and save?
Refrain
Who is He that from yon throne
Rules the world of light alone?
Refrain
Benjamin Russell Hanby, 1866.

Let us Pray: O God our Father who didst send Jesus Christ to save us from sin and death and who for us hast received Him at Thy right hand to intercede for us, it is in His name that we now pray humbly asking Thee for His sake to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that through Him we may offer Thee worship in Spirit and in truth as in His words we say together : Our Father...

When we preach The Word it is really Christ whom we preach shewing forth the Glory and Power of God creating forgiving renewing in Christ Jesus our as we shall hear in the reading of Isaiah 55 : 6-11:-
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where to I sent it.
The passage goes on to tell how men and even mountains and hills break forth into singing and joy so let us now sing:

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph ever more;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;..........

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,...........

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,...........

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
Charles Wesley, Moral and Sacred Poems, 1744.

Yes we are invited to share in the triumph of the victorious Christ and as we hear of the first disciples all being his joyous witnesses so should we be also as we hear:
Acts 2 : 32-36 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

For it is this which gives hope and meaning to the life we live here on earth from day to day. Here on earth we do encounter trial and sickness and weakness and pain and temptation and disappointment and sorrow. But let us remember that though they be heavy they will never utterly crush us if we keep hold of the confidence our Ascended Christ has given us lifting us out of misery into His Glory and joy. So we sing:
Blest be the everlasting God
the Father of our Lord!
Be his abounding mercy praised,
his majesty adored!

When from the dead he raised his Son,
and called him to the sky,
he gave our souls a lively hope
that they should never die.

There's an inheritance divine
reserved against that day;
'tis uncorrupted, undefiled,
and cannot fade away.

Saints by the power of God are kept,
till the salvation come:
we walk by faith as strangers here,
till Christ shall call us home.
Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Christ shall call us home. Home to His Father and our Father His God and our God safe home at last. This is a hope well worth living for and dying for. That is something of the meaning of of the passage now to be read from Hewbrews 4: 11-16:-
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Let us come boldly and ask grace not only for ourselves but for others:
Again O Lord we pray not for ourselves only but also for others. We pray who in this place of quietness find a refuge from the troubles cares and anxieties of the world and all who serve in caring for them that they may be upheld by Thy power and daily replenished by Thy goodness. And we pray for our loved ones that their lives may be fair and honest and that we may never give them cause to feel hurt or shame. We pray for our Queen that, by Thee being strengthened and inspired, and upheld by her peoples’ love, she may long reign over us wisely and lead us in a good way. O God of Infinite Compassion be good to all sick folk and comfort the sorrowful : through Jesus Christ our Lord...

It is Christ’s Glory we proclaim in our Ascension Hymns but in His Glory He still remembers the need of His Church still giving gifts as we hear in
Epesians 4 : 9-16:
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men......And he gave some to be, apostles; and some to be, prophets; and some to be, evangelists; and some to be, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ........From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

On earth He bore our sins and carried our sorrows as Son of God made man. He bears in Heaven our humanity with him to the Throne of Grace as we sing:
Where high the heavenly temple stands,
the house of God not made with hands,
a great High Priest our nature wears,
the Guardian of mankind appears.

He, who for men their surety stood,
and poured on earth his precious blood,
pursues in heaven his mighty plan,
the Savior and the Friend of man.

Though now ascended up on high,
he bends on earth a brother's eye;
partaker of the human name,
he knows the frailty of our frame.

Our fellow-sufferer yet retains
a fellow feeling of our pains;
and still remembers in the skies
his tears, his agonies and cries.

In every pang that rends the heart
the Man of Sorrows had a part;
he sympathizes with our grief,
and to the sufferer sends relief.

With boldness therefore at the throne
let us make all our sorrows know;
and ask the aid of heavenly power
to help us in the evil hour.
Words: Michael Bruce (1746-1767), 1764

4 June 1978

Let us keep before us throughout this service the word of Jesus, “This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you. The Old Testament already speaks of this such love as we will now read:
Psalm 145: 9-12:
The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. The LORD preserveth all them that love him:

Prayer......

When David was promising unbreakable friendship to Jonathan he put it this way, “I will show the kindness of the Lord unto Thee.”

The most unsoldierlike soldier I ever knew was a man called Geordie whom I had in my platoon in France and yet I thought him the type of the highest soldierly qualities. Very weak physically he managed as we would have said to ‘wangle’ his way through medical examinations and got up to the very front line: and among the front line troops he meant to stay. Once he was there it was easy enough: but we were not always there: from time to time we had to go back some 30 miles or so for a rest and those 30 miles or so had to be marched: and carrying full marching order 30 miles is no joke. Geordie just couldn’t carry all that all the way: and by the end of 20 miles his equipment would be distributed over the platoon one man carrying his rifle one his heavy pack, another his haversack and so on :- tin helmet, entrenching tool, water bottle, web equipment with pouches heavy with clips or cartridges and by the time we were at the last stage of the march it was himself that was being carried, his arms across the shoulders of two of his comrades. You see, if he had ‘fallen out’, he would have been sent down the line i.e. - he would have been given a ‘cushy’ job down at the base somewhere well behind the lines - a disgrace which for a first line infantryman was almost as bad as facing a firing squad!

When I last saw Geordie some fort years ago (1938?) he was selling newspapers at a blustery street corner in Edinburgh and his smile to all his customers was a benediction. Perhaps you’ll find that in what I’ve been telling you I have just been echoing something in the Bible notably in passages from the Old Testament and the New Testament : 2 Samuel 23 1-4, 13-17 and Galatians 6 :2-5
The God of Israel said, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth.... by clear shining after rain........ And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.


It was a blind minister who composed the hymn we are now to sing (of love as inspiring to courage--- in one line he wrote originally ‘I CLIMB the rainbow through the rain.)
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
my heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine's blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain,
that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms red
life that shall endless be.
Words: George Matheson, 1882

Only on two occasions in a long ministry has anyone, and that with the deepest reverence, kissed my hand, and, in so doing, made me feel it was not I who was thus acknowledged so respectfully, but He whom I serve.
The first to do so was an old Highland woman dying in Aberdeen. She had a daughter Eliza, by that time middle-aged, who had given up her job to nurse her mother and then to look after her father. Some months later, the father died also and all the neighbours wondered at the courage with which Eliza bore the double bereavement. At the end of the year I was let into the secret, when Eliza came along to the vestry bringing with her a small but heavy cloth bag upon which she had sewn the word SUNSHINE. Early in the year that was ending her father had heard a sermon of mine in which I spoke of someone who kept up his giving for the Schemes of the Church by putting into a bag a penny for every day the sun shone. Her father had been so interested that he got her to provide a bag for him with the sunshine embroidered on it and till the day he died he had put his penny in the bag every day upon which he had observed even a blink of sunshine. After he died she kept on putting in the pennies on sunny days and found that doing so had helped to take the sting out of her sorrow, When she brought the bag to the vestry there was much more than a pound in the bag and there were 240 pennies to the pound then. So it will now be apt to hear
2 Corinthians 8: 1 -9
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.............

Eternal God who hast set Thy Church in the World to shew Thy love as reavealed in the compassion of Jesus Christ inspire all members of it everywhere to be lovely and of a good understanding in Thy Service to the honour of Thy name.
Glory be to God the Father,
Glory be to God the Son,
Glory be to God the Spirit,
Great Jehovah, Three in One!
Glory, glory, glory, glory,
While eternal ages run!

Glory be to Him Who loved us,
Washed us from each spot and stain!
Glory be to Him Who bought us,
Made us kings with Him to reign!
Glory, glory, glory, glory,
To the Lamb that once was slain!

Glory to the King of angels,
Glory to the church’s King,
Glory to the King of nations!
Heaven and earth, your praises bring;
Glory, glory, glory, glory,
To the King of glory bring!

“Glory, blessing, praise eternal!”
Thus the choir of angels sings;
“Honor, riches, power, dominion!”
Thus its praise creation brings;
Glory, glory, glory, glory,
Glory to the King of kings!

9 July 78

The theme of our Act of Worship today will be set by the lesson : What Jacob did when he awoke from his dream:-
Genesis 28 : 16-22
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Jacob’s ‘Covenant’ with God at Bethel smacks somewhat of a sharp business deal : but we must always remember, and remember for our advantage that Jacob did his very best to keep his part of the bargain. To stick by one’s promise: “Tho’ to his own hurt he swears, Still he performs his word.” gives stability to life and even beauty. In a play by J. M. Barrie “The Professor’s Love Story” the aging sister of the Professor whose life has been blighted because she thought she had been jilted in her youth was utterly changed by the discovery of a letter, which had lain for years and years in the lining of a letterbox, from Australia by her sweetheart. “Oh but he was true to me” she whispered and her sere and arid life blossomed again - Just as you remember about the Golden Bride about whom I told you a month or two ago said to her father “I’m trysted till ‘im and I’ll tak ‘im” and how, though housebound, had a joyful old age and ‘Light at Evening Time.’

Let us sing of that Heavenly Light at the end of the Pilgrim Way:
Holy Father, cheer our way
with thy love's perpetual ray;
grant us every closing day
light at evening time.

Holy Savior, calm our fears
when earth's brightness disappears;
grant us in our later years
light at evening time.

Holy Spirit, be thou nigh
when in mortal pains we lie;
grant us, as we come to die,
light at evening time.

Holy, blessèd Trinity,
darkness is not dark to thee;
those thou keepest always see
light at evening time.
Words: Richard Hayes Robinson, 1869
Prayer: We worship Thee O God. Trusting in the promise, we commit ourselves in service to Thee. In what we do for Thee help us by Thy power to become more like Thee in what Thou givest to us so liberally and lead us in the path of the just which is as a shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day . And so we pray further, OUR FATHER......

In the course of nature it was not very long after my happy talk with the Golden Bride that a funeral took place from the house. On my way to the graveyard the conversation in the coach came round to the beliefs or rather unbeliefs of the undertaker, who as one of the company said, thought that after he had shut the body up in the box there remained nothing more - no life no Heaven no God. But it further appeared that the poor undertaker had a very unhappy life and on one occasion had confessed to the man who was telling us about him “Many’s the nicht when I gan’ tae ma bed I PRAY I’ll no see the morn.” He seemed to have no beliefs at all YET, for all that, HE PRAYED. God Almighty in His OWN steadfastness can turn the heart of an infidel to PRAYER. So let us sing in praise of that steadfastness:

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for He is kind.
Refrain
For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
John Milton 1623 Milton was only 15 years old when he wrote this hymn.

St. Matthew 7: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven....... whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:...........

In Christ we discover the expression of this faithfulness this steadfastness of God the Word upon which to build as upon a sure foundation. Have you ever thought what these great words ‘Old Testament’ and ‘New Testament’ really mean? The word Testament means Covenant that binding promise to which God abides steadfast. So the Old Testament is the Covenant which God made and established between Him and Abraham and Jacob and His chosen people as distinct from the New Covenant which God made with people elect from every nation and established to all eternity in Jesus Christ. Bible really means Books. What we call the Old Testament are the books about the Old Covenant and the New Testament the books which tell about the New Covenant and the life to which we are committed when we enter it.

When I went to Inveresk my Beadle John Darroch came to me with a little book one the first page of which was written (as in yours) THE NEW TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. An old professor of mine had been John Darroch’s Padre and in presenting it to him on his first Communion he had first changed two words and added three. He scored out Testament and in red put instead Covenant and for OUR wrote HIS and added, also in red “with John Darroch”. So the inscription now read “The new Covenant of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with John Darroch.” It wouldn’t do any harm to make similar changes in yours. It will tell of the binding promise made with you which was described by David Livingstoe almost at his last gasp as ‘the word of a gentleman’.
[Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' Matthew 28:20 beside this verse Livingstone had made this notation: 'The word of a gentleman.']

Prayer. Jesus who gavest Thyself for us we give ourselves to Thee and beseech Thee to keep us in strength and holiness of life for evermore. And we also ask Thee for Thine own names sake to give a continually renewed blessing to this place, where we are now worshipping Thee, and all who dwell in it. Amen.

Hebrews 12: 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear......

The Hymn my Girl Guide Company used to sing on their Church Parades:
O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

O let me feel Thee near me! The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
But Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.

O let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self will.
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be.
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

O let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone.
O guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then in Heaven receive me, my Savior and my Friend.
Words: John E. Bode, 1868, alt. Bode wrote the words for his daughter’s and two sons’ confirmation service.

6 August 1978

If you want a text for the Theme of this act of worship you may find it in Romans 5:3 which appears in the middle of this passage: We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

So the Old Testament Reading is Psalm 139 : 1-12
O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou art acquainted with all my ways. Thou hast laid thine hand upon me. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? heaven? hell? dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea? Even there thy right hand shall hold me.
Yea, [even]the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Something of what the Psalmist felt we now sing in this Hymn:
God, who made the earth,
The air, the sky, the sea,
Who gave the light its birth,
He cares for me.......

God, who made all things,
On earth, in air, in sea,
Who if I lean on Him,
Will care for me.
Words: Sarah B. Rhodes, 1870, alt.; this hymn was written for the Sunday School Union Whitsuntide Festival in Sheffield, England.

I was led to these thoughts remembering meeting some time ago someone whom I expected to be utterly down at the mouth. I’d never met her before but she was described to me as an invalid who, instead of getting better , knew herself that she was expected to get gradually worse and worse. In the course of a long ministry I must have visited thousands of sick folk hoping in the power of God to help them. That woman helped me . She was so cheerful so outgoing so victorious that she gave me increase of faith and hope and courage for living my life. To me that short talk with that invalid meant as much as the shining ones in Beulah Land meant long ago to John Bunyan.[At the end of Pilgrim’s Progress, Bunyan reaches Beulah Land, where he awaits the crossing of the river of death and his entry into the heavenly city.] So let us give God thanks for his Happy Burden Bearers:
Prayer: We thank Thee Father of Lights for all who look upon a difficult world with Thy glory in their eyes and for the courage they pass on to us as we meet them. Because Jesus gives that faith which overcomes the world, we pray for grace to hold fast to Him in perplexity and difficulty, danger and sorrow and temptation believing His promise:- “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life. Amen”.

One of the most memorable experiences of the six months in which I served in Holland and Germany with the Churches Huts and Canteens was a story a doctor told me when we were alone together one evening. The fighting had been fierce and many casualties were already gathered in his Aid Post when matters were made much worse by the landing of an enemy shell at the very door way of the Aid Post itself. At once several of the soldiers gathered there lost their heads and began clamoring for the Doctor to attend to THEM at once. It is not a pleasant thing to see a man suffering from shell-shock as I once saw a man groveling like a beaten cur with all the humanity knocked clean out of him; and the doctor, in the presence of several dehumanized people of that sort, began to to consider his fellow men as contemptible. But worse was to follow.

When he had sorted things out in the Aid Post he went up the line, where some of his stretcher bearers whose red crosses should have marked them out as noncombatant had been already sent out to succor the wounded, and came upon two of them stone dead, drilled through the forehead by the bullets of German S. S. men. Going on however, though with a more contemptuous of mankind than ever, he approached a foxhole from which a voice could be heard singing “Harry Lauder’s “Keep right on to the end of the road.” There he found a Jock sore wounded with one forearm off and the other hand bound up by other soldiers to look more like a jelly bag than a bit of a human body and with serious damage to his legs as well, so that he could only lie as easily as he could in the bottom of his Trench. And Jock stopped his singing and looked up with a smile and said,”Don’t mind me DOC. I’m all right”, and off trudged the Doctor with his faith in humanity restored.

Jesus tells us something even better than that in Luke 10 : 30:-
And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,...... Which now of these three [priest? Levite? Samaritan?], thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

And Jesus is himself the supreme example as we remember when we sing:
What grace, O Lord, and beauty shone
Around Thy steps below!
What patient love was seen in all
Thy life and death of woe.

O give us hearts to love like Thee!
Like Thee, O Lord, to grieve
Far more for others’ sins than all
The wrongs that we receive.

One with Thyself, may every eye
In us, Thy brethren, see
The gentleness and grace that spring
From union, Lord, with Thee.
Words: Edward Denny, Selection of Hymns, 1839.

Prayer: When we are tempted to lose heart or lose patience help us to remember Thee O Christ who endured the cross for us. We thank Thee for all the burdens thou hast borne and all the tears thou hast wept and all the pains thou hast suffered: for every word of comfort Thou hast spoken from the cross and for Thy Eternal Victory over the terrors of death and the pains of Hell. In the power of Thy victory and resurrection Thou hast sent Thy Church into the world: keep it ever in mind, not only of the victory but also of the power -- that Thy saving word may be spoken whenever there is need, for Thy Son’s sake...

During my long ministry at Inveresk I occasionally met a man whom when we were boys together in Dundee I used to meet frequently at the Baths. He told me he was Secretary and Treasurer of the Thistle Foundation, a kind of hospital where paralyzed wounded soldiers could not only have treatment but also be able to set up a home with their wives and children. At his invitation I took service in in the evening once or twice and had the pleasure of meeting Sir Francis Tudsbery the moving spirit and generous benefactor of the Thistle Foundation.

Shortly after the war we were able to have these services in the beautiful Robin Chapel. The history of that chapel was that on the very last day of the war Francis Tudsbery’s only son Robin was killed and the chapel was built in his memory. One evening I spoke to Sir Francis about the wonderful blessing his wealth had brought and was bringing to men and women in need. “I’ve nothing else to live for now” he said. His grief had been bitter but he’d turned it inside out. It’s something of this we think of as we read:
Hebrews 11 : 39
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.....

Hymn:
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
Refrain
I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I October 1978

Twenty-one years of my active ministry were spent as minister of the Church and Parish of St. Michael, Inveresk, Musselburgh. Like most other churches dedicated to St. Michael it was set upon a hill and although the building in which we worshipped dated only from the year of Trafalgar [1805] there had been a St.Michaels Church there for some 1500 years. Particularly precious moments are of nights spent fire-watching there with my senior elder and the Session Clerk’s son when I often felt I could almost hear the whispered prayers of 50 generations of Christian people who had worshipped God there. These memories crowd my mind because Friday was Michaelmas the season at which the Christian Church remembers Michael the Archangel the captain of the heavenly host and feels strongly the realization that however materialistic the age in which we live and however much man has grown to depend on the machine the world is moved and governed by spiritual forces in obedience to the will of God. As you listen to the reading from Malachi chapter three I’d have you consider that the word ‘messenger’ which occurs in the passage can also be rendered ANGEL
Malachi 3 : 1-3
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Remembering it is to a pure worship we are called: Hymn:
Ye servants of the Lord,
each in his office wait,
observant of his heavenly word,
and watchful at his gate.

Let all your lamps be bright,
and trim the golden flame:
gird up your loins, as in his sight,
for awful is his Name............
Words: Philip Doddridge (1702-1751)

Prayer: Almighty God who art worshipped and adored by angels and archangels and all the host of heaven, be pleased to look upon us who in Christ’s name also offer Thee our worship and by Thy spirit so refresh and cleanse us that we amy ever abide among the number of Thy faithful servants through Jesus Christ our Lord..... Our Father...

One memory which remains most vividly in my mind of the nights during which my Senior Elder, my Session Clerk and I kept watch in Inveresk Kirk was one night when the whole sky was filled with the threatening thunderous drone of aircraft and the Firth of Forth ringed with fire. Just below us was an important factory and the Church itself was a conspicuous target.
Then a wonderful thing happened . Quietly and steadily the mist spread in the valley below and crept up the hill and enveloped the Kirk to its very spire. And I couldn’t help feeling something of what Auld Sandy Peden the Covenanter felt when pursued by the men who sought his life........

“When their hope of escape was almost cut off, Sandy Peden knelt down among the heather and prayed: "Twine them about the hill, Lord, and cast the lap of Thy plaid round puir old Sandy and thir poor things; and we will keep it in remembrance, and tell it to the commendation of Thy goodness, pity, and compassion, what Thou didst for us at such a time." Thus he prayed, and his supplication was recorded in heaven; for he had no sooner risen from his knees than dense volumes of snow-white mist came rolling down from the summit of the mountains, and shrouded them from the sight of their pursuers.”
Traditions of the Covenanters; or, Gleanings among the Mountains.
by the late Rev. Robert Simpson, D.D., of Sanquhar.

And now a hymn in which we shew our utter dependence on God:
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet Thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
ever more his praises sing:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.........

Father-like, he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows.......
Words: Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847), 1834
By those angels who help us to adore Him, by those spiritual forces which work for righteousness we are indeed upheld as we take our stand against temptation without us and within us. Think of this as you listen to a few verses of Psalm 34
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Prayer: We thank Thee O God for the help Thou givest when Thy people are in weakness sickness trouble and danger for Christ’s victory over death and the confidence whereby we are enabled to stand fast in the midst of confusion and doubt and to glorify even in tribulation. So we commend to Thy care in the Love of Christ, in this place of quietness wherein we now worship Thee, both those who need help and those who give it that all may be done to Thy praise. We pray for all members of the Church that they may be enabled to hallow Thy Name do Thy will and advance the Kingdom on Earth and come at last to be around Thee in heaven. Amen

There will soon be read part of one of the most thrilling sea stories ever written which tells how one man strengthened by a confidence which was heaven sent was enabled to infect a panic stricken crew with his own confidence. Here it is:-
Acts 27 : 18 -25
And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given Thee all them that sail with Thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Confidence heaven sent - for Angel simply means someone who has been sent by God to give a message. Angel is part of the word we often use instead of Gospel - the word EVANGEL. God news brought by a good messenger and so we call the Gospel writers Evangelists - Angels or people sent with good news. As we ourselves keep on spreading the good news we too in our own small way are Evangelists - we too are on the side of the Angels. Let us keep this brightly in the forefront of our minds as we close this act of Worship by singing our own angel song:
We have heard the joyful sound:
 Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves;
Onward!—'tis our Lord's command;
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
  
Waft it on the rolling tide,
  Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Tell to sinners far and wide,
  Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Sing, ye islands of the sea,
Echo back, ye ocean caves;
Earth shall keep her jubilee,
  Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Priscilla Jane Owens (1829-1907)