Ss. Simon & Jude, Cockshutt
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them.” (Matthew 18: 20)
After five long weeks without any form of worship here in Cockshutt, it was good to be back in our beloved old church.
It may well have been the season for holidays and leisure, but worshipping God doesn’t stop and regrettably some of us felt as if we had been cast into the wilderness with nowhere to worship and feel as comfortable and at ease as we do here in our simple, rural church. Inevitably, during this hiatus, some of us travelled many miles, to visit family and attend their churches instead.
So, it was with joyous hearts that we returned to Ss. Simon & Jude where today’s worship was led by Rev. John Darch (ret’d) whose sermon was based on the complexities of today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 18: 15-20). As always, Rev. Darch skillfully unravelled the words of Matthew’s Gospel. As he summed-up he reminded us of the powerful final verse, “for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” (Matthew 20). In other words, because of the presence of the holy spirit, the sincerity of agreement between two people is far more powerful than the superficial agreement of many.
VJC
To listen to today’s hymns, please follow the links given below. All are taken from Hymns Old & New, New Anglican Edition, Kevin Mayhew, 1996
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266: Jesus calls us: o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea
172: God is working his purpose out
321: Love Divine, all loves excelling
467: Tell out, my soul (based on Luke 1: 46-55)