Celebrating 130 Years [11]
Opening Prayer:
Our gracious God and heavenly Father who’s Son, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and forever, we give thanks for your grace and faithfulness towards us and for your many mercies which are new every morning. We give thanks for your faithfulness throughout all the generations and pray your blessing upon us now as we bring this evening to a close in this short time of worship together.
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61: 1 – 6
It is a great pleasure and honour to be asked to bring this first of four days of celebration to a close. Earlier this evening, the proceedings were officially opened by the Moderator of the General Assembly [12] and clearly you have got off to an excellent start as you look forwards as well as backwards at this time in your church’s history.
It is actually quite difficult to imagine ourselves living 130 years ago in 1844. There was no electric light, no radio, no television and no telephone.[13] The universal postal service was still in its early stages. Houses, even of the wealthy, lacked many of the most basic facilities that we take for granted today. Yet this was an exciting time. There was a young Queen on the throne. There was a spirit of optimism and going forward, similar to what many of us remember over a hundred years later in the 1950s. Like all of our Scottish cities, Aberdeen was seeing considerable development. What were then suburbs were growing out to the west and there was a continuous increase in the population of the inner city, in the area around this church, as more and more people came in from the rural areas seeking work. Not all of these social developments were good, of course.
There were also considerable developments in the church. In some ways the Disruption of 1843 and the formation of the Free Church that led to the foundation of this church was a tragedy in that it produced a damaging split which, even to this day, is not entirely healed. Yet it also produced positive results in encouraging the best of the evangelical tradition in Scotland.
A famous Scottish judge, Lord Cockburn expressed his admiration and respect for the many ministers who have left their secure income and manses to join the Free Church, even though he did not entirely agree with them. In his own words:
It is the most honourable fact for Scotland that its whole history supplies.
When Rev John Stephen preached the first sermon in John Knox Free Church in 1844, he took his text from Isaiah 6: 22, A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation, and the Lord will hasten it in His time.
This evening, for this brief address, I want to take my text from the same chapter of Isaiah: They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations. They shall repair the ruined cities, the desolation of many generations.[14]
Now, I am not referring to the fairly obvious fact that the area surrounding this church has seen considerable demolition and clearance from the 1930s onwards. Nor am I, as your guest, suggesting that your church is a ruin! But I am suggesting that there is a new generation growing up and plenty of challenges to be faced, especially for an inner city congregation, like this.
Encouraged by your past, the church of today can look at the present. I emphasise the present rather than the future as the future depends entirely on what we do now.
The most important time of the Christian church is always now, the present. We can learn lessons from and be encouraged by the past. The future is unknown and a blank page. Sufficient unto the day - and all that.
Let us not forget that there is much to encourage us. There are signs of growing interest especially among the younger generation in spiritual matters [15] such as has not been seen for many years. In this country we enjoy an amazing freedom to preach, share, teach and practice the Christian gospel. There does seem to be a genuine seeking in the hearts of many men and women.
Yet, so many of our Kirks are half full, or do I mean half empty? And there is a puzzling and frustrating lack of power in so much of our work and witness. I suggest that sometimes we don’t really have sufficient confidence in what – or rather who -we stand for. And it is not just beliefs or moral codes or even church buildings and fellowships that we stand for. As Christians, we stand for Jesus Christ.
It is Jesus upon whom the Spirit of the Lord God rests to bring good tidings, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, to comfort those who mourn, that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the land. To those who know Jesus Christ and are led by his Spirit are given the keys of the Kingdom.
You do not need me to tell you that this is traditionally a missionary-minded church with a long and honourable record of evangelism and practical Christianity in our city. I am certain that it is the will of everyone here tonight that this should not just continue but also increase.
If it is to continue, it will not actually be through looking at the past, although the past always has some important lessons to teach us.
The priority will not be buildings, finance or administration – important as these factors may be. The priority will be to sustain a united and worshiping congregation with each member seeking to know Jesus Christ and to know him better each day.
If ever there was a time in our nation, in our city, in our work places and neighbourhoods for genuine grass roots Christian living and witness, it is surely now. There are devastations of many generations and there is much building to be done. But first of all, our own house must be in order and seen to be in order.
I wish all of you God’s blessing at this happy time in your on-going history and pray that He will be pleased to use you greatly in the years that lie ahead.[16]
Closing Prayer
Father we give thanks for the gift of prayer and for the truly wonderful way in which you have heard the prayers of your people in past days and throughout the generations.
We know, Father, that you also hear us today and so we ask that you will especially bless this fellowship of your people at this time of looking both backwards and forwards. We give thanks for the way in which you have blessed this church in the past, for happy memories and old associations.
We pray that you will bless its work now and in the future as it enters upon a new chapter in bringing the good news of the Gospel in word and deed to the people of this city.
We pray that this may this be done in a spirit of joy and with the assurance that it is pleasing in your sight.
Give strength to the minister, office bearers and members that your Spirit may continue to lead and guide them in all that they seek to do. Bless us, our homes and our families that your name may always be honoured amongst us. These things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen