- Video: Presbytery of Buchan – some congregational stories:
(Crimond and Lonmay represented by Mr Tim Barker)
https://youtu.be/k-GhD1vh_Gk
Lonmay Newsletter 24
Welcome to this edition of the Lonmay Newsletter.
It is fantastic news to share that, God Willing, next Sunday 30 August, we are able to meet at 12 noon for a service. Your district Elder will be updating you with all the details, so I will not duplicate them here. There are three points to share with you:
- It is quite understandable and acceptable that some people feel unable to attend at this stage due to the continuing impact of the virus.
- It is also understandable and acceptable that some people feel that they would rather wait until ‘normal’ service can be resumed.
- To those who are contemplating coming to church please be assured that the working party have and will continue to do all in their power to follow the government and Church of Scotland regulations and guidelines to provide a safe environment in which to worship the Lord. There will be changes but these have been made to meet the requirements and should not detract from drawing near to the Lord in worship and prayer.
At a recent Kirk Session following the agreement to seek re-opening of the Church the following was raised:
- The ‘Thought for Sunday’ will continue on the same basis.
- The Lonmay News will cease to be weekly but will be used to update people on important news.
Tim will produce the texts and ‘Thought for Sunday’ and will pass to David who will place them on the Lonmay Church Web site.
It has been a very long five months of ‘lockdown’, and your support, prayers and encouragement during this period has been really appreciated. Please continue to pray as we move into the next stage and ask the Lord to continue to lead and guide decisions which have to be made.
Just to let you know that Sunday School will NOT be re-opening on 30 August due to new regulations from the government and Church of Scotland.
Blessings.
Crimond and Lonmay Thought for Sunday 15 December 2024
And the government shall be upon His shoulders – Isaiah 9 v 6.
A very warm welcome to this edition of Thought for Sunday.
I wonder how many of us look around at the world and see the problems and issues people are facing today. There are some living under Dictatorships, where freedom is limited, while others experience democracy in some form or another, although sometimes query why, once elected, representatives then seem to forget about the people who elected them!! In the centre of all these aspects is the human desire to have our own way, and that ‘we know best.’ There is, therefore, a wide range of experiences, each bringing its own frustrations and disappointments.
So, can our text for today have any relevance for us living in 2024?
Many years before the birth of Jesus, God gave this prophecy to Isaiah, stating that ‘the governments shall be upon His shoulders.’ This was looking ahead to the time when Jesus will return for His coronation. Psalm 75 verse 7 states ‘It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another’, reminding us that ultimately it is God who is in charge, and all are accountable to Him. This is unacceptable to many who refuse to acknowledge that this is God’s world. He made it, sustains it, and one day ‘every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.’
The government that Jesus brings in is not anything like anyone has experienced before – no wars, no sorrow or pain, no disagreements, but His government, which will never end, will contain love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The world has never experienced this since the creation of Adam and Eve, until they disobeyed God.
Life may be very challenging at the moment, with many problems, but this is temporary. Jesus is coming again, not as a baby, but to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Are you ready for this great event?