
Monthly Worship on Zoom
In addition to the worship video on YouTube, on the first Sunday of each month there will be a Worship Service on Zoom at 11am. If you would like to participate in this please contact the minister.

In addition to the worship video on YouTube, on the first Sunday of each month there will be a Worship Service on Zoom at 11am. If you would like to participate in this please contact the minister.
Worship led by Rev Donald McCorkindale, and Rev Fiona Ogg can be viewed on the YouTube Channel: www.youtube.aksm.org.uk on Sunday morning.
Reading – Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus said
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me
welcomes the one who sent me.
Whoever welcomes a prophet
in the name of a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward;
and whoever welcomes a righteous person
in the name of a righteous person
will receive the reward of the righteous;
and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple —
truly I tell you,
none of these will lose their reward.”
Interconnectedness – Reflection from Fiona Ogg
Never mind Zoom, Google meets and huddles, Teams, Skype, ( other group meets are available ) and the inter-net, let’s think about the original way we are inter-connected.
We all pray, God please do this, or that, or make this happen, or save that situation.
Why?
Do we hope God will get off the clouds, materialise in the midst of a bad situation and suddenly all will be well. Of course we do!
‘Oh God, take away this pain, heal this beloved family member, and so on …’. There’s a time for these prayers, want an instant connection with God and the deep hope for a miracle. Absolutely.
But it’s not those emergency prayers I’m thinking of but of the everyday ones, like the teenage prayer I mentioned a couple of week’s ago asking God to help me get great results. In my adolescent, naive mindset I hadn’t quite grasped that God had already given me a brain and memory and it was up to me to use them! ( I got the message, eventually … )
The nurse caring for a covid or cancer patient is the answer to prayer –
God works through their knowledge and hands.
That’s a connection.
The teacher helping someone to unlock the skills needed for reading is the answer to prayer –
God works through their patience.
That’s a connection.
The carer feeding and washing their charge is the answer to prayer
God works through their caring hands.
That’s a connection too!
In this way, you and I are the answer to prayer. Even when we don’t know it! So many times we are positioned to be God’s presence with others. We are welcomed, we are the connection and that’s when, effectively, it’s God who is being welcomed.
We are all in the presence of God.
This week’s reading tells us that when anyone receives or welcomes a believer, then they are welcoming the person, and through that person they welcome Jesus, and when they welcome Jesus, they welcome God.
So interconnected that the theory of six degrees of separation doesn’t hold – this is an instant connection with God.
These are awesome promises!
Wherever God’s people are, we are already in the presence of God.
The Christian writer, Richard Rohr writes, ‘We cannot attain the presence of God because we’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.’ God is not separate from humanity; inside each person is a spark of God, we call it God’s Spirit. People of faith accept the Spirit within nudging us to do the work of God and to be the image of God in our attitudes and values.
The verse that mentions a cup of cold water is particularly interesting. It’s about giving and receiving. Giving what many would dismiss as such a small thing to do that it doesn’t merit any attention. Receiving, knowing that even this small thing is so very important because of what it represents. The cup of cold water would have been drawn from a well; which took time and effort; it was was given out of the household supplies; it was a response to a need. The person who gave and the person who received were both / each in the presence of God.
The small things matter. Jesus sent out the disciples to work in the world – that’s you and me today, Take note of the inner nudgings, give thanks for the small things, give and receive gratefully, attitudes and values matter, look for God in others.
This reading reminds us to be aware of the presence of God within and without – it’s all inter-connected.
May you aware of the presence of God in and around you today and always. Amen
Prayer
Lord,
can I pull up a chair?
Can I sit with here a while with you? Not too long though,
I don’t want to outstay my welcome.
You see, Lord,
It is so good to feel
wanted and welcome,
not to be turned away
or greeted with a “what now?”
I try, Lord, to be like you:
not to bristle when someone expects something from me; not to let my impatience show; to give people space and time.
I know, Lord,
that in saying “welcome”
it opens up possibilities,
some good and some that well, you know…
will take all my patience.
And in sitting with you awhile I am reminded again
what “welcome” looks like and feels like.
Thank you, God,
for letting me sit awhile.
I will leave you in peace now. Amen.
From Spill the Beans, Issue 35, p37
Would you be interested in being part of a Church Admin Team?
Even before ‘lockdown’, I had often wondered about the possibility of a building up a small admin team to share some of the ‘Office’ tasks – but not necessarily having a ’Church Office‘. Now seems like a good time to develop this…
Interested in any of those possibilities? Great… drop me an email (click the link) or give me a call.
Many Thanks
Donald
Donald@aksm.org.uk
01967 402234
Each Wednesday at 10pm during lockdown there has been evening prayer led by Rev Donald. This will be live on Facebook at www.fb.me/AKSMparishes. More details at the Wednesday Prayer Page
For over a decade people have looked towards “2020 Vision”… what is our vision, our hope for the Church for 2020 and beyond…
Could you be part of a Mission Makeover?
The three congregations of Morvern, Ardgour and Strontian have been dipping into reserves over recent years. The simple fact is: if we do nothing to turn things around we are talking months rather than years until the congregations cease to be viable. Covid19 has brought this reality into sharp focus – but this is a long standing time of decline.
Finance is easily measured. Behind reduced income lies declining membership and engagement with the life of the Church. Let me repeat: If we do nothing, we are going nowhere.
But, we can do something… So, are you up for a few months of massive action to make a difference – not to get us back to “normal” – but to move forward in the mission and adventure of faith in Jesus Christ
Ever present God,
this day enfolds us and surrounds us:
be in our speaking and in our thinking;
be in our life and on our lips;
be in our hearts and in our souls;
today and for ever.
May the Lord bless us
and guard us;
May the Lord make his face to shine on us
and be gracious to us;
may the Lord look kindly on us
and give us peace.
Amen
May you be blessed this Pentecost.
Our Worship for Pentecost Sunday will be led by Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator and other from around the Kirk. From 10am you will be able to watch the service at: www.churchofscotland.org.uk
On the eve of Pentecost, the 10days of the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiate ends… and what better time to pray for others and ourselves that the Spirit may touch and inspire.
Whitsun, or White Sunday is another name for Pentecost when the Church celebrates the coming of the promised Holy Spirit to inspire and enthuse the Church… it was in a sense the Church’s Birthday… and we celebrate the ongoing life of the Church this week – 31st May.
Tuesday 2nd – 3pm – Bible Study – A Zoom through the Book of Joshua. If you’d like to join in this… have a read over Joshua Chapter 1, and let Donald know you’d like to join in and he’ll send you the link. All welcome…and it’s about learning and sharing together – so you don’t need expert Biblical knowledge! If getting online on Zoom is a problem, you can join via telephone – Donald can give you the number and access code to key in.
Wednesday 3rd – 10.30am – Coffee and Chat… (make your own coffee!) – again contact Donald for login details.
Sunday 7th 11am – As well as the video worship to view… on 7th we will also have an opportunity to gather virtually for Communion via Zoom.