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Order of service - 11am

Order of Service - 6.30pm

Sermon - 6.30pm

Intimations

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Sunday 5th October 2008 – 11am

Family Service – Harvest Thanksgiving

Voluntary   Variations and Fugue on “East Acklam”                                                                                    Philip Moore

Introit   O give us thanks unto the Lord                                                                                                            Eric Thiman

Call to Worship

Praise: 233 Come, you thankful people, come                                                                              St George’s Windsor

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer (Debts and Debtors)

Praise: 226 God, Whose farm is all creation                                                                                                      Shipston

Reading:             Matthew 13:3-9

Praise: 525 Have you heard the raindrops                                                                     Have you heard the raindrops

Talk:     Team work at Harvest           

Reading:            Romans 12:9-16

Anthem:   Summer ended, Harvest o’er                                                                                                      Charles Wood

Prayer

Praise: 229 We plough the fields and scatter                                                                                                Wir Pflugen

Talk      Fresh Start

Intimations

Offering

Offertory   "Adagio"                                                                                                                                 Jan Křtitel Kuchař

Prayer

Praise: 231 For the fruits of all creation                                                                                                        East Acklam

Benediction

Voluntary   Marche Triomphale on “Nun Danket”                                                                                  Sigfrid Karg-Elert

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Sunday 5th October 2008 - 6.30pm

Song of Solomon: I sought him but found him not

Voluntary

Call to Worship

Praise: 153 Great is Thy faithfulness                                                                                    Faithfulness

Prayer

Reading: Song of Solomon 5:1-8

Talk

Prayer 

Praise: 561 Blessed assurance                                                                               Blessed Assurance

Reading: Song of Solomon 8:1-7

Talk

Prayer

Praise: 657 Father most loving, listen to Your children                                           Christe Sanctorum

Invitation to the Lord’s Supper

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper       we gather around the Lord’s Table

Offering                                                    

Praise: 675 Now let us from this table rise                                                                               Wareham

Benediction

Voluntary

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Song of Solomon – I sought him but found him not

Song of Solomon 5

As we come to the closing of our study in the Song of Solomon, we begin to bring things together to a close and reflect on what the song has been about from start to finish.

However, first we start with the shepherd speaking. It is a picture of joy and happiness, and many take it to signify a wedding. I also think that we are still eavesdropping on the dream of the heroine of the song, the Shulamite girl – dreaming of what it will be like on her wedding day with her lover, and their guests at their wedding feast. There is the image of the garden again, the image of her love; but this time, instead of the garden being locked, it is thrown wide open as she prepares to welcome her shepherd lover, who in the dream is now her husband. Whether it is a dream or reality, these verses are packed with vividness, intensity and drama.

Her lover, now her husband, has returned to her, and comes knocking at the door. Strangely she refuses to open, either she is teasing him or she is sleep and is slow to respond. The excuses she makes are rather thin, so it would appear that the latter is the case. She has only just completed her preparations for the night and dare not get her feet dirty by opening the door. She’s undressed already and in bed. But eventually she gets up, only to find that her slowness has tragically been rightly rewarded. Her dream husband is no longer there, he is gone. Love is not to be played with. She rushes out into the street as she is, into the night, seeking, searching, asking. The dream turns into a nightmare as she is assaulted by the night watchmen; and then, I think she wakes up suddenly from the dream, and with a cry from the heart addresses the other women in the harem, calling for her lost lover.

Her questioning leads to a further mocking question from the women in the harem, and gives her the opportunity to describe her lover.

It’s common in middle-eastern love poetry to find descriptions of women, but rarely of men. Here he is described, the shepherd, as healthy, tanned, strong. And something else, tucked away in the last verse. This is my beloved and this is my friend. For those of you who are married, and for those of us who are not, when we look at marriage – ours or those we know of – can it be said that the married couple, beloved in one sense of each other, are also friends? Whenever I counsel young couples who come to me to ask for a Church wedding, we go through the service and what it means generally, and what it will mean for them specifically. And I always, always say to the couple: the love you have for each other at this moment is great, it is wonderful, it is a thing to be delighted in and cherished. But if it is to last, if it is to sustain you throughout your lives together, you must also be friends. Unless a marriage relationship, and probably every other one, is based on a deep friendship, it will struggle to survive.

Love is the basis of so many good things, but always woven into it should be the thread of lasting, deep, committed friendship. An ornament to give further beauty. A sinew to give real strength and flexibility. The love that embraces mutual friendship is the love that invariably lasts and endures.

This ancient love poem talks not only of the love between a girl and her shepherd, it also speaks of the love between a believer and their God. Who comes to the door and knocks, but who may not wait forever for us to respond. When we do, however, the love that He offers will be found in a deep and abiding friendship. How is your friendship with God tonight?

Song of Solomon 8:1-7

The Song comes to an end. The girl, trapped in the harem, resists the mockery of the other women, and the blandishments of King Solomon who seeks to win her over with jewels and splendour. She holds fast to the love she has for her shepherd. This ancient love poem has had much to tell us about the love God has for His people, and how we are encouraged to relate to God.

In the first four verses the Shulamite girl speaks once more of her love. She wishes that he was like a brother to her, no incestuous thought here, simply that in the society they lived, and still among the Bedouin tribes today, public displays of affection were only permissible between parents and children, and brothers and sisters, not lovers. What the girl desires is the freedom to express her love and for it to be acknowledged publicly. Once again she sees herself with her lover in intimate embrace, the use of that lovely picturesque phrase again, O that his left hand were under my head, and that his right hand embraced me. Again she warns the women of Solomon’s harem in Jerusalem not to awaken such a love unless they were really prepared to give themselves over to it wholeheartedly.

But the scene moves on. In v5 the girl at last gets home, free from Jerusalem. Had even the mighty king Solomon relented and released her from his harem? It would appear so. The girl and her shepherd are pictured approaching their village home, and v5 is probably a question on the lips of the villagers. The girl has left behind the court and its luxuries and allures. She is now back home, in every sense. Her own folk see her arriving, supported by her shepherd after all their trials and travails. Verses 6 and 7 are a moving description of love by the girl. She asks her shepherd lover to set her as a seal upon his heart, as a seal upon his arm. This seal was an ornament that marked ownership or possession. The seal around the neck was a necklace, and so it would be close to the heart. The seal on the arm would be like a bracelet. And so we have this very intimate description – the shepherd is to possess her and love her privately, on his heart, and publicly, on his arm. Their love is to be as irresistible as death; none can resist the power of such a love. It is all-embracing, all conquering, just like the love of God. This true love is not only unquenchable, it is also unpurchaseable. Solomon may have made attempts to buy the girl’s love with all the luxuries his court could afford, but she had refused. She knew the priceless value of love.

With this powerful message of love our study comes to a close. Reading this short book we are challenged to look at the nature of love in our own lives, the quality of the relationships we have with those who are around us. We are also, perhaps more deeply and fundamentally, challenged to look at the relationship of love that we are supposed to have with God. A challenge which comes to us each time we gather at the table and we are reminded of what He did, at Calvary, through His Son, because of us, and for us. There indeed is a love that was stronger than death, that overcame the jealousy of the grave, that could not be quenched or flooded by all the evil of the world. There, with a price beyond money and possession, we were redeemed and saved. And for that we can give our heartfelt thanks tonight.

Amen

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Intimations

1.       11.00am Morning Worship: Family Service. Harvest Thanksgiving.   Tea and Coffee will be served in the hall after the service.  The Fairtrade stall will also be available.  Our new Organ Scholar, Mrs Nicola MacRae made her debut here at the evening service last week.  Today sees her first appearance as Organ Scholar at the morning service.  We welcome her again and trust that she will enjoy her time with us.

2.       6.30pm: Evening Worship – With Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper-Song of Solomon – I sought him but found him not.

3.       October Magazine, Life & Work & Service Tapes: available for collection from south transept.  Material for November Magazine should be with the editor, Mrs Isobel Paterson, 2 Cluny Terrace, EH10 6SW, email issiepaterson@hotmail.com or the Church Office, office@morningsideparishchurch.org.uk by Wednesday 15th October.

4.       Guild Work Party: meets on Monday 6th October at 10.45am in Cluny Centre.  All welcome.

5.       Ladies’ Group:  meets on Monday 6th October at 7.45 in Braid Centre.  The topic is “The work of Children 1st” with Jan McClory.

6.       Christians for Life:  This course continues on Wednesday 8th October at 7.30pm in Room 7, Cluny Centre. The topic is “Learning to Pray”.  All are welcome.

7.       Congregational Board: meets on Tuesday 14th October at 7.30pm in the Braid Centre. Agenda and papers will be available for collection next Sunday.

8.       Ceilidh: to be held on 15th November in Upper Hall, Cluny Centre.  Tickets price Ł10 will be on sale at the Church from next Sunday and can also be bought from the Church Office between 9.30am and 12 noon Monday-Friday. Please do buy your tickets in advance as this is a “Ticket only” event.  For further details please see separate sheet enclosed.

9.       Disability Equality Training Day: the Presbytery is organising an event with Capability Scotland looking at issues relating to disability. The half day event will be held at some time in November. If you are interested in attending, please contact Miss June Young (538 4342), email telfordjune@hotmail.com

10.   Church Service: On Wednesday 15th October at 2.30pm at the Eric Liddell Centre. Short service with well known hymns and prayers for harvest for people with Dementia and their carers followed by a cup of tea.

11.   Mission Partners: Mike and Jane Fucella, who continue their work in Thailand, are currently involved in Child Protection, Prison Ministry and AIDS projects. They are dependent on individuals and churches working in partnership with them.  If you would like to contribute to the Fucella ‘fund’ please use the yellow envelopes available in the pews throughout October, which will be collected along with the Offering.  Thank you.

12.   Learning to Listen: The next course will start on 31st October and run for 4 sessions. Details and application forms are in the vestibule.

13.   Friends of St Colm’s Open Day at St Colm’s International House: 23 Inverleith Terrace Edinburgh on Friday 17th October from 10.30am - 12.30pm, 2pm – 4pm, 7pm - 8.30pm. Please come and visit the House, share fellowship and join in the prayers of thanksgiving, led by invited leaders, for the work of the College and the International House.

14.   Braid Centre: the process of putting the Braid Centre on the market with a view to sale will commence in the near future. A ‘For Sale’ sign advertising the site and notices in the press will be appearing shortly. Your prayers for a good offer for the site will be appreciated!

15.   Next Sunday:

11.00am: Morning Worship: The Life of King David – David’s Call.

          6.30pm: Scottish Love in Action Concert: Programme includes music from Eisd (Gaelic for ‘Listen’), a group of professional musicians, and a group of young musicians from Loretto School including a piper, and our organist Morley Whitehead. A retiring offering will be taken for Scottish Love in Action, and refreshments will be available in the hall afterwards.

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