28 April 2020
Dear Fellow Members,
We live in uniquely challenging times in Colombo, and indeed throughout the wider world community. The C-19 virus has a global dimension never previously experienced and we are aware that some of you are struggling with the curfew and the harsh restrictions. These are impacting income, food, human contact and finances. Let us assure you we are holding all our members in prayer.
St Andrew’s Scots Kirk is responding by maintaining a vibrant worship presence on our website and Facebook page. We are, on your behalf, staying in touch and supporting our staff so that they are paid and promised support for the coming months. We have tried to connect and share food when possible with some of the poorer people close to our church.
Our church, in turn, needs your prayerful and practical support. Obviously, we are going to miss many weeks of worship and so we ask if you can afford it to lay aside your weekly offerings and bring them when we return to regular worship.
The virus has brought home just how much human beings need each other. You will see the Minister’s and Session Clerk’s details at the end of this letter. We ask you to get in touch if you would appreciate a pastoral conversation with the Minister. The elders are still meeting through video conferencing technology, so we are in touch with each other and share stories of need amongst our membership and this city.
We will maintain our web presence and ask you to try to access it. We can assure you our team is doing all they can to ensure St Andrew’s Scots Kirk will flourish afresh at the end of this crisis.
It has been a blessing to hear the story of Easter and God’s commitment to us as we have faced many personal difficulties ourselves. We do need and thoroughly appreciate your continuing support.
May you know the joy of Easter even at this time.
Warm regards,
Rev Ian Y Gilmour
Interim Moderator
[email protected]
Mobile: +447794149852
Mr. Chandan de Silva
Session Clerk
[email protected]
Mobile:+94777715837
Call to worship
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
to shine on those who live in darkness,
under the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (St Luke 1: 78 – 79)
Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray,
Lord of life and conqueror of death,
you are our help in every time of trouble.
In the presence of death,
you comfort those who mourn.
We bow before you,
believing you bear our grief
and share our sense of loss following
the incomprehensible actions of Easter Day 2019.
Give us grace to trust in your goodness and mercy.
Assure us that because Christ lives,
Those who died shall live also;
through Jesus Christ with whom we pray
as we say, Our Father…
The Reading is Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I lack for nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me to water where I may rest;
he revives my spirit;
for his name’s sake he guides me
in the right paths.
Even were I to walk through a valley
of deepest darkness
I should fear no harm, for you are with me;
your shepherd’s staff and crook
afford me comfort.
You spread a table for me
in the presence of my enemies;
you have richly anointed my head with oil,
and my cup brims over.
Goodness and love unfailing will follow me
all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
throughout the years to come. Amen
Prayers for others
We pray together,
Eternal God,
We remember and offer you the past,
even with its trauma and tragic loss
on that most special day for Christians.
Jesus said, “How blessed are those who mourn,
They shall be comforted.” (St Matthew 5: 4)
We offer you the present.
You are at work
in the compassion that continues to come
from the world community
to Sri Lanka following those terror bombs.
We offer you the future.
It is changed,
because family members, friends,
neighbours and colleagues are no longer with us.
We feel uncertain and diminished,
yet you will not fail us.
You still have work for us to do
to make this a safer more peaceful island and world.
And we give thanks that at the last you will re-unite us
with those who have gone home before us,
into the new life of your everlasting kingdom.
These prayers of commemoration we offer in the name
of Jesus Christ,
who died and rose for us,
and is alive for ever. Amen
The Blessing
Jesus said, I will be with you always,
to the end of time. (St Matthew 28: 20)
May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us this day and for evermore. Amen.
To help here is a blessing which the Apostle Paul sent to the church at Thessalonica
(a city which still exits now called Thessaloniki) in the 1st century CE and it still speaks today,
Paul’s Blessing
Live in peace with each other,
Be of good courage,
Hold fast that which is good.
Render to no one evil for evil,
Encourage the disheartened,
Support the weak,
Help the afflicted,
Honour all life.
Love and serve the Lord,
Rejoice always, pray continually.
Give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
and the blessing of God almighty
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you
and remain with you always.
( based on 1 Thessalonians 5)
Paul ends his advice to that church with this request,
“Brothers and Sisters, pray for us…. The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
Please continue to read a chapter of Matthew’s gospel every day as we work through the season of Lent and negotiate Covid-19.
Rev Ian
Located in the heart of Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, St. Andrew’s Scots Kirk has come to be known as an oasis to its many passing visitors. Within this beautiful early 20th Century building one finds that moment of solitude, away from all the hustle and bustle of the busy city outside, for a quiet time with our Lord.
We invite you to worship with us whenever you are able to.
Revd Ian Gilmour, here with with Kumar, our church officer at Haputale, is delighted to be serving St Andrew’s.
He arrived earlier this year to be Locum Minister from another St Andrew’s congregation (St Andrew’s and St George’s West) in Edinburgh, Scotland. He finds the church members friendly and committed and is pleased to have witnessed more people attending church. Ian worked in banking, local government and accounting before entering the ministry. He has served mainly in Scotland but has been involved in projects in Africa and America. He is married to Donna and their family will all come to visit Sri Lanka. The best thing about St Andrew’s Scots Kirk is that people are open to attempt a new thing. His favourite saying from the bible is,
"God is love, and those who live in love, live in God and God lives in them."
I wonder if any of you have ever mistaken one person for another, it can be
easily done at night, in the rain especially in a crowded place.
People can dress in the same colours or style as someone you know and if it is dark or you have been crying you may not see the person as you normally would. Usually we recognise a person when we see their face in the light or we hear their voice.
The Call to Worship from the Psalm for today Psalm 16.
I am always aware of the Lord’s presence
he is near, and nothing can shake me
I am thankful and glad
and I feel completely secure
You protect me from the power of death
and you will not abandon me.
Let us come close to our Maker, let us pray.
Lord God
We come to worship You on Easter Day,
Recalling in Sri Lanka the trauma and fear of this day last year.
We gather for worship at Easter still working through our sadness and loss.
Readings: Philippians 2.1-5 and Matthew 21. 1-11
What has Palm Sunday to say to a city under a stern curfew and a world which is in lockdown in many countries?
Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, our Rock and our Redeemer.
Readings: Ezekiel 37.1-10 and John 11. 17-44.
Prayer: Wherever we hear the words may we also receive your word, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Our readings today are the reading that Christians are hearing around the world in the churches today in the midst of the C-19 crisis and they are extraordinary! The first reading is set in a valley of bones, dry bones.
Living God, In our hour of need, we turn again to you, for we have nowhere else to turn. We put our faith in you because you have proved your faithfulness time and again. We reaffirm our love for you because you have never let us go. We thank you that you are not distant
