Welcome
Arise, shine, for your light has come; and over you the glory of the LORD has dawned.
Watch our service here:
Links to today’s hymns:
- Hymn 106
- starts 39 seconds into the above video
- Hymn 97
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCV01Wf2vhE (or scroll further down this page to view)
- Hymn 512
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-15v9iworAU (or scroll to the end of this page to view)
You may also follow the script below:
Hymn 106 Bring to the Lord a glad new song
1 Bring to the Lord a glad new song,
children of grace extol your king;
worship and praise to God belong–
to instruments of music, sing!
Let those be warned who spurn God’s name,
let rulers all obey God’s word;
for justice shall bring tyrants shame:
let every creature praise the Lord!
2 Sing praise within these hallowed walls,
worship beneath the dome of heaven;
by cymbals’ sounds and trumpets’ calls
let praises fit for God be given:
with strings and brass and wind rejoice –
then, join our song in full accord
all living things with breath and voice:
let every creature praise the Lord!
Prayer
Lord
You are a mystery to us
Our minds cannot grasp you
how can you be present everywhere in the universe?
how can you be outside time
never created, never coming to an end?
Yet you have chosen to make yourself known to us
in the shape of the universe
in the working out of life
in the nagging of conscience
You revealed yourself to the Hebrew people
in the events of life
in the guidance that you gave them
in the words of the prophets
in times of quiet reflection
and coming together in worship
But you most clearly revealed yourself in Jesus
in him, in his teaching, in his actions, in his attitudes to people
we see what you are really like
we learn what you want us to be like
what you want us to do with our lives
Forgive us for the times we get it all wrong
and for the times we don’t try
help us to live by Jesus’ teaching and example
and be the people you want us to be
Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen
All age time
We have become used to wearing masks in recent months
Particularly during the winter, with hats on or hoods up, it can be hard to recognise people
(Anyone said ‘Hello’ to the wrong person, or walked past someone they know well?)
You can’t see someone’s smile. How good are you at spotting the emotions shown in their eyes?
Can you guess the emotions from these examples?
Reading
John 1: 43-51
Hymn 97 O Lord you search me and you know me
Reflection
One of our favourite books for reading to children and grandchildren is Peepo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. It begins:
Here’s a little baby
One, two, three
Stands in his cot
What does he see?
What indeed do toddlers see? ‘Seeing’ involves both the eyes and the brain to collect and process images, so do toddlers ‘see’ the same thing that adults see? It is sometimes suggested that some people with dementia see things differently from the way they used to, as communication in the brain break down. Some people see colours differently (and it’s not just a man/woman thing!). When people give accounts of an event/incident that they have seen , there are often differences in the story – maybe some images register and some don’t? Sometimes it seems that just as we can hear ‘what we want to hear’, so we ‘see what we want to see’.
Perhaps it’s because of the role that the brain plays in processing information that we have so many words and phrases that link ‘seeing’ with understanding. ‘Oh, I see!’, ‘It gives us an insight into…’, ‘We’re in the dark about…’ Sometimes we might feel tempted to say something like, ‘Can they not see that Trump lost the election?’ or ‘can they not see the need to follow the guidelines, keep their distance, wear a mask and don’t meet up in groups?’ It’s not something confined to the English language, but can be found across a range of languages and cultures. We find it in the Old and New Testaments, and the Gospel-writer John often uses it. Biblical writers often also use it to describe understanding more about God, his plans and his action in the world.
The term is used 3 times in our story today. The call of Philip and Nathanael marks the closing part of the introduction to John’s Gospel. The reader is let into the secret of Jesus’ true identity right at the start. John the Baptist is preparing the way for someone – he doesn’t know who – until Jesus’ identity is revealed. Andrew recognised Jesus as the ‘promised one’ and invited Peter to come and meet him, but neither really understands what being the ‘promised one’ means.
- Now Philip invites Nathanael to come and see Jesus – as though ‘seeing’ him saves Philip trying to explain further to a sceptic. We learn at the end of the Gospel that Nathanael comes from Cana, a small village near Nazareth, which probably explains his scathing comment on Nazareth
- Jesus says he ‘saw’ Nathanael under the fig tree. It is more than just physically noticing him. We often find that Jesus ‘sees’ into someone’s thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears. By allusion to words in the prophet Micah, Jesus may see Nathanael’s hope that God will send someone to bring peace and justice to the world
- As the passage concludes, Jesus again alludes to an Old Testament image, this time from the story of the Patriarch Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel. Only this time Jesus describes himself as the link between humanity and God
In the next chapter (in the wedding at Cana) Jesus will begin to reveal the power that comes from being the promised one/ God’s Son.
What does this mean for us?
- Jesus called people so that they would meet him and follow him, and he commissioned them (and us) to do the same for other people. It was maybe OK for Andrew to say to his brother, ‘Come and meet the Messiah’, but not for Philip to phrase his invitation to Nathanael in the same terms. He just said, ‘Come and see’. Jesus still wants us to invite people to come and meet him, but maybe he gives us permission to use the style and language suitable for us, and for the person whom we are inviting
- As Jesus saw into Nathanael’s ‘soul’, so he sees into ours. We often find in John’s Gospel that such insight prepares the way for affirming, healing conversation. Maybe we need to ask Jesus to help us develop that skill
- We don’t have to wander around Dumbarton (or wherever) looking for a Stairway to Heaven, but we do need to remember that Jesus wants us to get to know him more and more, follow more closely his ways (his values and his standards), and work with him more and more in building his Kingdom on earth.
Prayer for others and Lord’s Prayer
Heavenly Father
Thank you for eyes and the ability to see
and for the ability of our brains to process what we see
and to wrestle with information from all sorts of sources
to give us insights and understanding
Thank you for all those who are trained
to check our vision, provide us with spectacles or contact lens
or carry out other procedures on our eyes
We pray for all who cannot see, or who have poor eyesight
some as a result of illness
some as a result of age
some because they cannot access appropriate trained professionals
We pray for all whose work involves dealing with eyes
and for groups that work to provide care
where there are no other eye-care facilities
We pray for all who are ill,
those who look after them
and those who worry about them
those waiting for or receiving treatment
and those for whom there is no treatment
those who are lonely, feeling down, or grieving a friend or loved one
those who are worried about home, work or money
a friend or a relative
those who are living with the after-effects of natural disasters
those who do not have enough to eat, or somewhere to call home
those who long to live in peace and safety
those who have fled from their homes seeking safety
We pray for the Queen, the Government
all in positions of leadership in this and every land
We pray for you church
the worldwide church
the wider church in Dumbarton
our own congregation
help us always to be faithful to Jesus our Lord
We bring to you our prayers for people and situations of special concern to us
And we sum up our prayers in the words of the prayer Jesus gave us
Hymn 512 To God be the glory
Blessing
May the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ
shine in your hearts,
transform your lives,
and brighten the world
and the blessing of God Almighty
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
rest and remain with you
today and every day and forever. Amen
Thanks for a lovely service.