Welcome to this Service of Worship
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
Sunday 12 February at 10.45am
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GATHERS TO WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD
‘It is better to be the servant of God than the ruler of men.’
Stefan Zweig, Austrian novelist, (1881-1942)’
Organ Voluntary
Consonâncias, Pedro de Araújo (c. 1640 – 1705)
Welcome & Church News
The Peace
Preparatory Silence for Worship
Introit: To Thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul
Words: Psalm 25 v1
Music: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 to 1943)
To Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul;
My God I trust in Thee.
Call to Worship
From Deuteronomy 30:15 - 20, 1 Corinthians 3:1 - 9
Leader: God is at work, nurturing our growth
All: …showing us the ways that lead to life.
Leader: God is at work, reconciling us to one another
All: …and teaching us the paths of love.
Leader: God is at work, forgiving our faults,
All: …and blessing us as we serve Him and all people.
Thanks be to God!
Hymn 130 Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim
(t. Laudate Dominum)
Prayer of Approach, Praise, Confession and The Lord’s Prayer
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 500 Lord of Creation, To You Be All Praise
(t. Slane)
Reading Psalm 119:1 - 7
Read by Winifred Hodge (OT p577)
The Glories of God’s Law 1 Happy are those whose way is blameless, who
walk in the law of the LORD. 2 Happy are those who keep his decrees, who
seek him with their whole heart,3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his
ways. 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5 O that
my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 6 Then I shall not be
put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7 I will
praise you with an upright heart,when I learn your righteous ordinances.
Anthem Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Words: Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 139:11, John 1:5,
Psalm 119:175, The Lord’s Prayer
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee. The
darkness is no darkness with Thee, but the night is as clear as the day. The
darkness and the light to Thee are both alike. God is light and with Him is
no darkness at all. Oh let my soul live and it shall praise Thee. For Thine is
the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for evermore.
Reading 1 Corinthians 3:1 – 9
Read by Winifred Hodge (NT p163)
On Divisions in the Corinthian Church 3 And so, brothers and sisters, I
could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh,
as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not
ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of
the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are
you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? 4 For
when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you
not merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to
believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God
gave the growth. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 The one who plants and
the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages
according to the labour of each. 9 For we are God’s servants, working
together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Reader: For the Word of God revealed through Scripture.
ALL: Thanks be to God
Hymn 374 From Heaven You Came, Helpless Babe
(t. The Servant King)
Sermon – ‘Being Servants of God in the Church’
Revd Dr Sandy Forsyth
Pause for Reflection
Hymn 501 Take This Moment, Sign and Space
(t. Take This Moment)
Prayer for Others
Hymn 644 O Jesus, I Have Promised
(t. Thornbury)
Closing Responses
From 1 Corinthians 3:1 – 9
Leader: We plant and water
All: We are servants of God, working together
Leader: We plant and water
All: And God brings growth to all things
Leader: We plant and water
All: For one purpose: to the glory of God
Benediction and Threefold Amen
Organ Postlude
Lasst uns erfreuen, arr. Hal H. Hopson (b. 1933)
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THIS MORNING’S CHOIR MUSIC
The quiet and understated anthem is a short movement from the major
work ‘The Liturgy of St John Chrystostom’ (Opus 31). Rather than use a
direct translation of the Russian, A M Henderson (a former professor of
Music at Glasgow University) has cleverly set an appropriate Psalm verse.
The opening sets out the full text, which is then repeated with a solo
soprano descant added.
Samuel Sebastian Wesley, himself an Anglican, was the grandnephew of the
Methodist founder John Wesley. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace was
written in around 1850 when he was organist at Winchester Cathedral. The
anthem was originally written in five voice parts, though this is a version for
four parts voice parts. The serene opening bars are repeated in the middle
and at the conclusion. In between are two faster and more dramatic
sections the first for lower voices and the second containing an extract
from the Lord’s Prayer.
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NEWS AND INTIMATIONS
WELCOME TO MAYFIELD SALISBURY PARISH CHURCH
This congregation is part of the Church of Scotland: we are Reformed in
our understanding of Christian faith, Presbyterian in how we form our
community, and a member of the worldwide family of the Christian Church.
Whether you are in regular attendance at worship or this is one of your first
visits, you are very welcome as part of this community and today’s service
of worship. God bless you. If you would like to keep in touch, please email
William at:
1. INFORMAL SUNDAY SCHOOL CATCH UP All Sunday School aged
families are warmly invited to an informal catch up on Saturday 25
February, from 12.30pm – 3.00pm, at 9 Minto Street. There will be bread
and soup at lunch, plus cake and refreshments. Come for the afternoon, or
just drop in for a cup of tea. A chance to chat, and games for the kids to
play. RSVP helpful but not essential. Alexis (Eilidh & Angus's mum) 0778
470 5322 /
2. OPEN TO ALL Coffee and tea are served in the McDonald Hall at the
close of the Sunday morning services. Everyone is very welcome.
3. PARISH UNION MATTERS After last week’s special service to mark the
30th anniversary of our last union, we turn our minds to the forthcoming
union with Craigmillar Park and Priestfield congregations. Following the
pancake breakfast a week on Sunday 19th February, there will be a short
meeting of the congregation to bring you up to date on the union. We
expect the meeting to start around 12.15pm and be finished by 1.00pm.
This will be an informal meeting and will provide an opportunity for you to
ask questions and feed in your views. I attach a paper which has gone to all
three congregations. Of particular interest are what we might name the
new congregation and what we might do with the buildings. The paper will
be available in hard copy tomorrow and also on the 19th so please have a
read and come along to share your thoughts.
4. PASTORAL CARE If you would like to have a regular home visit or
telephone call from one of our pastoral care team, please contact me and I
will arrange that for you. If you would like to be held in prayer, or would
like us to pray for someone you know, please make your request to Kay. If
you would like to participate in our confidential prayer chain praying for
these requests, please get in touch; prayer chain emails are sent out once a
week. You can email Kay on 07587 043 191 or
5. MARMALADE SALE We plan to hold our popular Christian Aid
marmalade sale soon. The long-awaited oranges have arrived in the shops,
so if you’re getting out the preserving pans please consider making a little
extra for our stall – we’d really appreciate it!
Details of the date of the sale, and when to hand in your contributions, will
follow shortly. In the meantime, if you need extra jars please contact Kate
O’Brien on 667 4362. We have plenty to spare! Thank you for your support.
6. THURSDAY CLUB takes place every Thursday at 2.00pm in the Bill
McDonald Hall. This week, Catherine Booth will give a talk which will be
followed by tea and fellowship. All are very welcome!
7. CHRISTIAN AID EMERGENCY APPEAL On Monday 6 February, a
magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit southern Turkey close to the border with
northern Syria. A second 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck 9 hours later,
with aftershocks following. Many thousands of men, women and children
have died or are injured in the aftermath.
Even before this devastating earthquake, there were over four million
people in need of aid in Northwest Syria. Nearly 3 million people have been
displaced by the long conflict in Syria, 80% of whom are women and
children. Now extreme weather events and the spiraling costs of food and
fuel prices due to ongoing conflicts are making the situation even worse.
People are facing crisis on crisis.
Christian Aid is already working with partners in Northwest Syria to provide
winter kits to people seeking shelter. It is not too late to save lives and give
people hope. Please donate what you can to support this urgent
humanitarian work. There will be a bucket collection after both services
this morning, or you can donate online at this website
www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/dec-turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal
Every prayer, every gift, every action brings hope to people hit by disaster.
Thank you. Christian Aid is a member of the DEC, a group of fifteen
charities who each specialise in different areas of disaster response. The UK
Government is currently offering match funding for donations to these
charities. While match funds last, your donations will be doubled.
The Christian Aid Team
8. YOUTH GROUP
Youth Group Sunday 5 February - ALL AGES (P6-S6) from 6.15-8.00pm in
the youth room for a LGBTQ+ and Christianity follow-up discussion night!
Please note that there is no Youth Group on Sunday 12 February due to the
mid-term holiday - enjoy your break!
Pancake Breakfast Fellowship Event - Sunday 19 Feb: There will be a
Pancake Breakfast served by the youth following the joint morning service
on 19 February to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. There will be pancakes with an
assortment of toppings along with our usual teas, coffees and juice! Please
let Hillary know if you have any food allergies or dietary requirements by
Sun 12 February.
9. SNOPWDROP WALK Today (12 Feb), between 1.00pm and 3.00pm,
there will be a snowdrop walk in Newington Cemetery on Dalkeith Road. In
addition to being directed by volunteers to the best places in the cemetery
to see the snowdrops, there will be an opportunity to see the grave of John
Ross following our special service the other week.
10. GIVING – QR CODE Our Quick Response code is a handy way of using
your smart ‘phone or tablet’s QR app to link you to our Giving Page. Once
you have joined the Giving Page safeguards are still operative. PLATES:
Those who would have wished to use it may make use of the offering
plates situated in the vestibule and halls entrance, at the close of the
service. Regular and one-off donations are possible online at
www.give.net/20311853 (scan the QR code) or please contact our Freewill
Offerings Treasurer, Hugh Somerville on 0131 466 2446 or
www.mayfieldsalisbury.org
Scottish Charity Number SC000785
www.give.net/20311853