Sunday 24 October 2021
Welcome
Welcome and let us worship God
A particular welcome to all members of the 1st and 2nd Dumbarton Boy’s Brigade Company, their families and friends. It will be very different from usual Boys Brigade Enrolment services because of the current restrictions, but we will include key elements – though the boys will make their promises at a different time.
Hymn Underneath the banner
Opening Prayer
Lord
It is good to be able to take a few moments
to think about you
to talk with you
for even though you are a great God
you are also a caring God
You know each one of us
the things that make us feel good
and the things that make us feel angry, worried or sad
You want everyone in your world to live in peace and justice
to have a whole and full life
in your Spirit you are always working to try and achieve that
to put right the wrongs caused by people or nature
Help us to grow to be more and more like Jesus
to show his qualities in the way we live and treat others
Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen
All age time (for ages 0-100)
Video of BB work
Hymn JP69 Hallelu Hallelu
Bible reading
Matthew 6: 24-34
Reflection
Some people like to have life worked out in fine detail months and years ahead. I remember my mother was great at asking questions like, ‘what would you like for Christmas?’ about July or August, and there were others that could have waited months before they needed to be asked.
Other people have no concept of how to plan ahead or make notes of when something will happen, Again I can think of folk who phone year on year to ask when someone’s birthday is (and it’s not because they have dementia) or when a ‘save the date’ card arrives for a party or some special occasion they lose it and then arrange something else for the relevant day.
Maybe the rest of us fall somewhere in between.
Planning ahead is a worthwhile skill that we need for school, for work, for family life, for any organisation to which we belong. But we also need to allow for life not working out as we had planned. The last 18 months have completely underscored that. How many plans for holidays, days out, special occasions, were completely scuppered by Covid restrictions, which none of us really saw coming, and which lasted far longer than we expected?
We may not want to start using Granny’s line ‘..if I’m spared’ every time we talk about some future event, but many now feel an element of doubt when they talk about some plan made for the future.
On the other hand the fact that we have Cop26 happening in Glasgow next week bears witnesses to generations who only thought about their ‘today’ and nothing about the future or generations yet unborn. Short-term thinking, focussing on ‘me’ and what suits ‘me’ at this point in time has led to the climate emergency that we now face.
There are lots of things that we could lie awake and worry about – from vaccine-resistant viruses, to widespread drought and hunger, poverty, the loss of species and habitat, rising sea levels, erosion of human rights, war and violence and so on. They are all real issues, and we do need to think about them, and take steps to address them, both in the present and the future.
But as followers of Jesus we also need to remember God, his power, his concern for his world and his readiness to act. We aren’t to sit back and leave everything to God, but we can share our worries and concerns with him, and if we each try to work at what we can do to address the problems the world faces, God will take and use it all to bring about change. Single-handedly we cannot sort the world’s problems for the next several millennia, but working together, each day, we can make a big difference.
Hymn 448 Lord the light of your love is shining
Prayers for others
Gracious God
We thank you for the world in which we live
for all the variety from forest to desert to ocean
for the wonderful variety of scenery and wildlife around us here
help us to care for it
be with all who are attending the Cop26 Conference
and inspire them to make bold decisions
there are many things about which we could worry –
personal or affecting the whole community or world –
help us to trust in you and your care for us
be with everyone who is suffering anxiety
or facing very difficult dilemmas
show us how we can support and help them
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
The Promises of the Officers of 1st/2nd Dumbarton Boys Brigade
- Captain
Captain Elaine King, do you promise to be faithful to the task given you by the parents, congregation and Kirk Session of this Church, and to do all you can by word and example to help the boys fulfil the object of the Boys’ Brigade movement ?
Captain — I do
On behalf of the Kirk Sessions and congregations, I entrust the 1st/ 2nd Dumbarton in all its parts to your care and keeping throughout the coming year, and we commend you, and your officers, to the guidance and help of Almighty God in the fulfilment of your responsibilities.
ii) Officers and Helpers
Officers and Helpers of the 1st / 2nd Dumbarton Boys’ Brigade, by your commitment you have chosen to help lead and teach the boys of this company in the Christian ways of the Boys’ Brigade both by leadership and example. Do you promise faithfully and caringly to teach and train the boys in the habits of obedience, reverence, discipline, self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness and in doing so to promote Christ’s Kingdom among boys ?
Officers and helpers — We do
Prayer
God our Father
We are here because we want to be part of the Boys Brigade
we enjoy being part of the Boys Brigade
we are proud to be part of the Boys Brigade
and we are proud to make our promises
We are also here because the Boys Brigade isn’t just about fun
it’s also about following you and serving others
so we have made our promises
in your presence
Thank you for all the good things that we have
for all the good times that we have
Be with our officers and leaders as they work week by week
Be with our families and friends
Be with all who are not able to be here today
Be with us as we try to keep our promises
Presentation of the Queen’s Badge to Cameron Russell
Hymn 737 Will your anchor hold
Blessing (3-fold Amen)
God the Father sends you out
steadfast and sure
to be his witnesses wherever you go
to work to bring healing and wholeness in all you do
and the blessing of God Almighty
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
rest and remain with you,
today, and every day, and for ever. Amen
Was leading Service at Rhu/Shandon this morning Reading the Dumbarton Churches Service this afternoon
And appreciating thoughtful “Reflection” and pertinent application of content.to Cop26 and reference to forward planning for environmental protection and the part we must play in this urgent effort
Sorry to have missed the visual BB content – certain they will be Sure and. Stedfast in their contribution to
Preserving Gods creation