The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked. (John 20.19)
Ever present God, be with us in our isolation, be close to us in our distancing, be healing in our sickness, be joy in our sadness, be light in our darkness, be wisdom in our confusion, be all that is familiar when all is unfamiliar, that when the doors reopen we may with the zeal of Pentecost inhabit our communities and speak of your goodness to an emerging world.For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Dear Church member
We trust you are safe and well wherever this reaches you. During this challenging period, Life and Work is committed to helping keep our Christian community connected and so we have made the May 2020 issue available on our website.
This can be accessed by visiting https://www.lifeandwork.org/resources/free-download-may-2020
We are sending this to everyone so that you may consider sharing with members of your wider faith family that do not receive the magazine.
Suggestions would be arranging to share by email, printing copies or hosting on your Church’s website or social media channels if available. Of course, we understand for several reasons this may not be possible.
The action to share is unique and in response to the exceptional time period in which we are operating. We have deliberately not provided the full digital experience as enjoyed by our loyal online subscribers and equally to protect our subscribers of the print edition.
It has been a challenge for my editorial colleagues to shift direction of their content at the last minute in response to the speed of which the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted daily life. This also includes a change to what would have been coverage of the timetable and fringe diary of the General Assembly, it of course reads rather differently this year. What they have created will become an important historical record for the magazine of the Church of Scotland.
Highlights from this issue includes:
▪ FEEDING THE HUNGRY: Reflection on foodbanks and impact of Covid-19
▪ ‘GOD HAS NOT FINISHED WITH SCOTLAND’: The Moderator-Designate, the Rev Dr Martin Fair
▪ ASSEMBLY CANCELLATION: Church’s business meeting cancelled for first time in over 300 years
▪ WAR’S END: The role of churches in peacebuilding across Europe on the 75th anniversary of VE Day
We trust you and your congregation will enjoy reading this issue. We are even more grateful at this time for your generous support and continued loyalty of Life and Work.
Best wishes
Life and Work Team
Psalm 16 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 16A miktam[a] of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
15 Lord, who may enter your Temple?
Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?
2 Those who obey God in everything
and always do what is right,
whose words are true and sincere,
3 and who do not slander others.
They do no wrong to their friends
nor spread rumors about their neighbors.
4 They despise those whom God rejects,
but honor those who obey the Lord.
They always do what they promise,
no matter how much it may cost.
5 They make loans without charging interest
and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.
Whoever does these things will always be secure.
