News & Thought For The Week

  1. Video:  Presbytery of Buchan – some congregational stories:

(Crimond and Lonmay represented by Mr Tim Barker)

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:

  1. It is quite understandable and acceptable that some people feel unable to attend at this stage due to the continuing impact of the virus.
  2. It is also understandable and acceptable that some people feel that they would rather wait until ‘normal’ service can be resumed.
  3. 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:

  1. The ‘Thought for Sunday’ will continue on the same basis.
  2. 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.

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Crimond and Lonmay Thought for Sunday 26 January 2025

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear – 1 Corinthians 10 v 13.

Welcome to the latest edition of Thought for Sunday, which we hope you will find helpful.

Inspired by God, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, which is going through a challenging period, and needing advice and help. The Christians were being questioned from within and outwith the church. Many were struggling with their faith, and spending time listening to others, rather than seeking God’s Word. Some were at the point of giving up, as the struggle was demanding and draining of physical and spiritual strength. While we all may experience this from time to time, there may be some reading this thought, and are in a similar situation today.

God reminds us that the Christian life is not an easy one – the old chorus reminds us – ‘There’s a fight to be fought and a race to be won, there are dangers to meet by the way.’ Jesus told His listeners that they would face difficult and dangerous times, especially persecution. When this happens, it is so easy to ask of God, ‘why me?’ There are times when our spiritual lives become so hard, and we long for peace and stillness. Sadly, it is in these times, that the Devil seeks to draw us away from the Lord, and to reject Him and His ways.

However, it is in these times that we are reminded that God is faithful – He loves us, and these times are testing periods to ascertain how much we really trust and love Him. We are also reminded that we are never ‘tempted beyond what we are able to bear’ because Jesus is with us every step of the journey. He knows our limitations and helps us through the problems we face. Remember how Abraham was told to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice, and Abraham was prepared to do this trusting God to take control, which He did, and a ram was offered instead of Isaac. God IS faithful – He loves YOU – and He wants you to have complete confidence in all He says and does. Let us place our trust and confidence in Jesus.

Crimond and Lonmay Thought for Sunday 2

 February 2025

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up – James 4 v 10.

A very warm welcome to the latest edition of Thought for Sunday.

I wonder how you are feeling as you read this note? Perhaps you are excited and very happy – if so, that is great – make the most of this experience. On the other hand, you may be feeling worried, anxious, and emotionally exhausted. You would appreciate a ‘pick me up’!!!

We sometimes feel that it is all down to us, and we try to take action to ‘get over it’ but it does not work. Self-help has its place, but sometimes the Lord is trying to get our attention, as He has the help we require. For a range of reasons, we find it hard to ask, and so the struggle continues. It is in these moments that we need to consider whether the Lord is wanting to speak with us? Could it be that we are carrying aspects of our lives which require action on our part? Are we holding onto unconfessed sins for which we need to seek God’s forgiveness? This may not be a huge issue, but it is holding us back in our relationship with the Lord. On the other hand, it might be something which is preventing us from moving forward in our service for Jesus?

James, inspired by God, encourages us firstly to examine ourselves, and if necessary to ask the Lord to reveal if there is anything for which we need to seek forgiveness. It is not always easy to admit actions of thoughts, words or acts which have not brought honour to the Lord. James uses the phrase to ‘humble ourselves’ before the Lord. In other words, to be willing to admit our failures. As we do this, we receive forgiveness and ‘He will lift us up.’ Simply by saying ‘sorry’ we allow the Lord to come alongside us and meet our needs.

The question for us today, is ‘are we willing to humble ourselves before the Lord’ – to express our regret, and to seek His forgiveness? If so, then we can be assured that the Lord will draw near to lift us up and move us forward in our relationship with Him.