Elgin United Church

13/10/2022

We celebrated World Communion Sunday on 2 October 2022. We are reminded that we are only a very small part of the Body of Christ and as we share in Holy Communion together we are bound not just to Jesus our Saviour but to all those who are part of his body. There are many things that divide us in this world, even within the Church but it is Christ who breaks down all barriers and on this Sunday especially we are reminded to that. Part of our worship every year on this Sunday is to pray for the Church around the world, members light candles and place them on the map of the world as they make their individual prayers. To all our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, we send you our love and pray that God will bless you, we are grateful to be part of the same body of Christ as you.

08/07/2022

We have some exciting news for you!

Coming soon to Elgin United Church, myrun will take place every Sunday morning, for either a 2.5km or 5km walk/run. Join us and be part of the fun.

All you need to do to register for myrun is go to www.myrun.org.za and purchase a Timing Band which is a once-off fee of R79.90.

You can also participate weekly at any of our venues in South Africa for free, just arrive and run, it’s that easy.

Register Once – Join for Life!

Once a Launch date is confirmed, collection of Timing Bands will take place only at the venue from 7h00am every Sunday morning.

Venue information: https://myrun.org.za/Venues/VenueDetail?VenueId=188

Join the myrun Elgin United Church Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1094497051467555

For any further enquiries please email : [email protected]

Facebook :

Instagram:

Volunteering at myrun Elgin United Church:

If you are in a position to volunteer, even if it's once a month, please see the email address below and we will run through the process with you to be a part of this exciting new team.

Email: [email protected]

SEE YOU THERE!

10/05/2022

Elgin United Church is taking on the Parable of the Sower. We’ve got the soil tilled and a bunch of seed. As part of our fun Family Service on Sunday 15 May at 9:00 we'll be sowing oats and triticale (a wheat and rye blend) and over the next few weeks we'll see how it grows. Will it fall on rocky ground? Will the birds eat it? Will the thorns choke it? Or will it produce a great harvest? We'll have to wait and see. We've got the seed and the soil, come and sow them and watch what happens.

17/04/2022

Sunday 17 April
John 20: 11 - 18
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed! Go out and tell others that Christ is risen, our sins are forgiven and death has been conquered. Today we celebrate the glory and power of our God. This is the day to share the Good News. Our Awesome Incredible God not only loved us enough to pay the price for our sins by dying on the cross for us, reconciling us with the Father, bridging the gap that we have made by our wrong choices but conquered death once and for all. So now, while our bodies may stop breathing here on earth, it is merely a sleep until we wake up in the presence of this very same God. What glorious news! What amazing love!

Today is not the day for silent meditation or personal prayer, today is the day that you voice your faith out loud and proclaim that Christ is risen. Go out today and tell at least one person the Good News of Christ.

16/04/2022

Saturday 16 April
Luke 23:50 - 56
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Have you ever been disappointed? Something you had really hoped for or looked forward to didn’t happen? A dream crushed? As much as I have experienced plenty of disappointments in my life, I don’t think any of them come anywhere near to what the disciples felt seeing Jesus taken away and hearing that he was crucified, dead, gone. Yes, Jesus had told them that he would rise from the dead, but that was a long time ago and if he was the one to raise Lazarus from the dead, who was going to raise him. He certainly hadn’t taught them that trick.

They had such dreams of who the Messiah would be, that he would save Israel and set them free from the oppression of Rome and with all the miracles they had witnessed, he could actually do it and they saw how he treated the common people, he was definitely on the side of the people. But now, all their dreams were crushed. They must have felt so dejected, wondering if the past three years had been for absolutely nothing. After leaving everything they had know and following Jesus, travelling around the country, witnessing all these miracles, how could they ever go back to that same old, same old existence?

Jesus did all he could while he was alive, to try and warn them about what was coming, to curb their enthusiasm and to bring them in line with his real plan, not theirs but sometimes when we get so excited about something, we only see what we want instead of seeing all the warning signs. We get so caught up in the dream, we refuse to see the reality and then when things come crashing down, we’re left with this disappointment. And sometimes we just have to sit with it, going over and over in our minds what went wrong.

Prayer
Holy Jesus, we, like the disciples, build up these dreams in our minds of things that are not true to your plans, sometimes they’re based on selfish ambitions, sometimes they’re good dreams but we try to rush them and take short cuts and instead of creating something good we end up making a mess. Lord Jesus help us to learn from our disappointments. Help us to make time to truly listen to your plans and to understand your plans rather than recklessly doing things on our own.
In your name we pray,
Amen.

15/04/2022

Friday 15 April
Luke 23: 32 - 43
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’
42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’
43 Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’

This is probably one of my favourite pieces of Scripture. I know it’s probably a rather weird thing to say considering Jesus is hanging on a cross, dying an excruciating death but to me these couple of verses are a true measure of who our God is. It’s one thing to be nice to people when you’re having a good day but your real measure of character comes out when you’re having the worst day of your life. Here Jesus when all things are turned against him still practices what he preaches. He offers mercy, compassion and forgiveness to people, who just like us, who don’t deserve it. As the soldiers divide his things and the crowds gather to watch this morbid scene, Jesus asks for forgiveness. As a criminal (now he must have been a really bad man to be facing crucifixion, it was a punishment reserved for the worst of the worst) hangs next to him facing the punishment that he considers he deserves, he asks Jesus for mercy and Jesus offers him a place in paradise.

This passage gives me great hope for myself and for the rest of humankind. If our God when he is suffering greatly can live out what he taught, then his word must be true and his forgiveness and mercy extend not only to those of that time but to me too and if that criminal could receive forgiveness right before he died, then it is still not too late for anyone still alive. No matter what we have done in our pasts, no matter the crimes, the sins, the betrayals or denials, Jesus stands ready to forgive us when we turn to him.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we will never know the excruciating pain you suffered for our sakes. Dying like a criminal in order to bring us forgiveness and reconciliation. We thank you that you took our place, that you gave up everything for our sakes.
You are a God like no other, willing to forgive rather than punish, offer mercy to those who murdered you, offering us new life when we don’t deserve it. We thank you for your grace.
Holy Spirit, help us to live more like Jesus, that even in our dark days we are compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Help us to share this message of grace and forgiveness to all those we meet and may we never give up on anyone, knowing that you are there ready and waiting to forgive and accept them at any time, even if it is at the very last minute.
Thank you Lord Jesus,
Amen.

14/04/2022

Thursday 14 April
Matthew 26: 20 - 28
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

God truly has no favourites and treats us all with far more grace than we deserve. Jesus bends down and washes his disciples’ dirty sweaty feet and then later shares this intimate last meal with them. The Passover meal, a reminder of God saving Israel from slavery and the Last Supper, a reminder of grace and forgiveness. What strikes me the most about these two scenes is that Jesus does these things with the person who will betray him and the person who will deny him and all the rest who will desert him. He knows all these things in advance and yet he doesn’t treat them any differently. He bends down and washes Judas’ feet just like all the others and knowing all that is to come still shares his body and blood with Peter. If I’m truly honest I don’t think I would be that magnanimous. We worship a God of grace, love and forgiveness who serves even those will betray and deny him. What an incredible and awesome thought. How much do we also benefit from this same grace, love and forgiveness even when we don’t deserve it?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, every time we read your Scriptures we discover again how gracious and compassionate you are. We love the stories about you gathering the children to you, revealing your heart for children, your patience and kind spirit, but passages like today’s remind us that you do not only love children, who are mostly easy to love in their innocence and their excited way they view the world, you even love those who are difficult to love, those who betray you, giving you up to death and those who deny you, deserting you when you most need them. You are a God that doesn’t have favourites and we are so grateful for that. We are so grateful that you love us even when we are at our worst, even then you invite us to join you at your table and you welcome us to your paradise.
Thank you for your endless patience and grace, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

13/04/2022

Wednesday 13 April
John 13:1 - 17
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus, God, gets down on his hands and knees and washes his disciples’ feet as an example of the kind of leader he is. A Servant King. The God who gave up everything and emptied himself, coming to earth as a vulnerable human baby so that humans could come to know him. A God who ate and drank with sinners. A God who visited the tombs in order to set the demon possessed free and restore their dignity. A God who was willing to die on the cross for those who put him there. That is the God we follow.

That is the type of people we are called to be. Jesus stoops down to wash his disciples’ feet and then encourages them to do the same. It’s so easy to get caught up in doing the right things but with the wrong attitudes. Instead of helping others out of a willingness to serve, we help others and then feel a little like they owe us something. We get upset if they don’t really appreciate what we’ve done or we treat them with condescension and arrogance. Jesus wasn’t condescending when he washed his disciples’ feet, he didn’t expect anything from them, this was a genuine act of love.

May we be inspired by our God’s acts of genuine love to serve and love others.

Prayer
All-powerful God, our minds still boggle at the thought of you giving up all the power and the glory of heaven and being born as a human baby just like us. We confess that we struggle with arrogance, when we believe we know better than others we lord it over them, we expect gratitude for our good works and get angry when we are not appreciated. Forgive us Lord Jesus, when we fail to follow your example of selfless genuine love. Forgive us when our acts of love come with expectations of praise or gratitude.
Holy Spirit help us to be servants of others, help us to love without expectations and serve without the need to be praised.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.

12/04/2022

12/04/2022

Tuesday 12 April

Luke 22: 1 - 6

22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.



I don’t know what motivated Judas to so what he did but Luke tells us Satan entered him and so he went to betray Jesus. Last Sunday we read in John that Judas was stealing from the money Jesus and his disciples were collecting, so maybe Satan played on his greed and his ego. Maybe he was angry at Jesus for rebuking him over his comment about Mary. Maybe money had taken over his life and he just needed more and more of it or maybe he was desperately trying to pay back some debt or support some family member and he saw this opportunity for some quick cash. Maybe he was just totally disillusioned and Satan played on that. All the disciples believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would come and save Israel and conquer Rome but all Jesus does is talk about himself dying and nothing about victory for Israel and maybe Judas was having second thoughts that Jesus really was the Messiah and Satan played on that. Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing getting this fake Messiah off the streets.



Whatever the reasons, we know that after Jesus’ crucifixion, he is so torn up about what he has done, that he gives back the money and he commits su***de. He never sees Jesus resurrected. He never sees that Jesus really was the Messiah. I have always felt really sorry for Judas and I hope that he repented before he committed su***de and received forgiveness. I hope with all my heart that he like the murderer crucified with Jesus is with Jesus in paradise. We all commit sin, we all betray Jesus in one way or another, even Peter denied knowing Jesus. It’s easy to judge and condemn others from the side lines but none of us is perfect and all of us make mistakes. We are just lucky that our mistakes aren’t written down for everyone to read. As we think back to Jesus’ temptation, we remember that Jesus is the only human who has battled Satan’s temptation and won every time.



Prayer

Awesome God, we read the story of Judas and we recognise ourselves in him, we may not have betrayed you for money to the chief priests but when we are faced with temptations by Satan we too give in. We have betrayed you in other ways, not loving out neighbours, not being grateful for what you have done for us, not standing up for you when others speak badly about you. We have proclaimed to be yours and have called ourselves Christians but our lives have not always reflected that we truly belong to you. Others have seen our actions and judged you because we have hurt them. Forgive us Lord. Just as Judas regretted his actions, we too regret what we have done and ask for your mercy.

Holy Spirit empower us to better live lives that reflect Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and give us the strength that when Satan tempts us we are able to reject him and follow the ways of Christ.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen.

11/04/2022

Monday 11 April
Luke 19: 28 - 44
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a c**t tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” say, “The Lord needs it.”’
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the c**t, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the c**t?’
34 They replied, ‘The Lord needs it.’
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the c**t and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’
40 ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.’

Jesus comes to Jerusalem knowing that he comes to face death. This is a difficult time for him. Although he has told his disciples on numerous occasions that he is going to die, they still don’t seem to believe him and so he has no real support, no real comfort. No one could really blame him if he retreated into himself and was a little preoccupied with his own affairs. And yet that is not what he does.

Jesus is on his way into Jerusalem, he knows what awaits him there, he knows what the next couple of days hold, he knows about the cruel death that he will face and the separation that he will feel when he takes the sins of the world upon himself and yet at this moment when he sees Jerusalem, the city of his death, he does not weep for himself but he weeps for all those who have not accepted him. If it were you and I in his position we probably would have been angry at their lack of appreciation for what we were doing for them. You and I would probably have said “well they have made their choice and they can deal with the consequences.” You and I would probably have thought “what more can I do? I’ve done everything and they are still stubborn and refuse to accept my love and care for them.” But Jesus, Jesus grieves for those who won’t accept him, he mourns for those who cannot accept his love, he weeps for those who are lost, his heart breaks for the very people who will kill him. Ours is not a God who delights in war and destruction, ours is a God who weeps over us.
Prayer
Almighty God, Powerful God, God of the stars and the planets and the vast galaxies. You are awesome beyond our understanding. We will never truly be able to comprehend the depth of your character, love and grace. At your most vulnerable time, you were still thinking about others, weeping over their loss, weeping over the destruction they would face. Lord Jesus thank you for your great love and compassion for us even when you yourself were in a desperate place. Thank you that you are a God who weeps over war and destruction and longs to shelter the lost under your wings.
In your name we pray Jesus,
Amen.