2nd December 2020 - Mind Your Head - Part 2

​APC 2nd Dec 2020                 “Mind your Head!”    (Part 2)
 
Welcome and Introduction          
Good morning everyone and welcome to our Midweek worship.  Today we continue with the second part of our new Wednesday Morning Series for Advent called, “Mind your Head!”
But first let’s take a moment to pause and to talk to our heavenly Father, let’s pray…
 
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, Lord of all, we thank you that we can come to you in prayer, that for all your greatness and wonder and holiness we can speak with you as to a friend.
 
Hear now our prayer.
 
We thank you that we can open our hearts to you, that we can pour out our innermost souls and share our deepest thoughts, in the knowledge that you are there always ready to listen and to understand,
 
Hear now our prayer.
 
So now once more we lay our lives before you, open to your gaze – the bad as well as the good, the doubt as well as the faith, the sorrow as well as the joy, the despair as well as the hope.
 
Hear now our prayer.
 
We bring the anger as well as the peace, the hatred as well as the love, the confusion as well as the certainty, the fear as well as the trust.
Hear now our prayer.
 
Gracious God we bring these, not with pride or any sense of arrogance, but honestly, recognising that you know us through and through.
 
Hear now our prayer.
 
Help us to be truthful to ourselves and truthful to you and so may we discover the renewing love which only you can offer- a love that frees us to live as you would have us live and allows us to be the people you would have us be!
 
Hear now our prayer.
In the name of Christ…
 
Join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together…
 
 
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever, AMEN.
 
 
Bible Reading         Psalm 43
 
1 Vindicate me, my God,
    and plead my cause
    against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
    deceitful and wicked.

2 You are God my stronghold.
    Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
    oppressed by the enemy?

3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you dwell.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.
 
Reflection               “Express your feelings honestly…”
Christmas is coming and it was such a relief for us all to receive news from our Taoiseach last Friday that we can go back to church, go to the gym or cinema, and do some shopping.  And yet I’m conscious that many of us are still struggling emotionally at this time.  So it’s important that we continue to Mind our Heads.’  Last Wednesday we began this series on how we can manage our mental health by reflecting on Psalms 42 and 43.  Together these form one poem.  They were written by someone with a very strong faith but who was obviously experiencing a period of depression caused by social and physical isolation.  We discovered many parallels with our own experiences and were encouraged to go easy on ourselves and to accept that it’s normal for us all to feel flat in these difficult days.
Now that we have looked at why the Psalmist was depressed let’s see how he attempts to cope with that depression and see what lessons we can learn from his experience.
The first thing I want you to notice is how the Psalmist expresses his feelings honestly.  He doesn’t try to escape his feelings by turning to alcohol.  He doesn’t try to pretend that everything is fine when it isn’t.  Wisely the Psalmist turns to someone who he can trust and talks to them honestly about how he is feeling.  That person, in his case, is God.  He tells God that he feels spiritually dry, that he feels as if he is drowning and that his circumstances are making him deeply discouraged.   He tells God that he feels far away.  He tells God that he is angry with Him.  In Psalm 42 v 9 he writes, “I say to God my rock, Why have you forgotten me?” and in Psalm 43 v 2 “You are God my stronghold, why have you rejected me?  Why must I go about mourning oppressed by the enemy?” 
To put it bluntly he says, “God, you’re supposed to be my rock but you’ve crumbled!  You’ve let me down when I needed you most!  My enemy is mocking my faith and you don’t even care!”
And in the middle of pouring out all his anger at God the Psalmist asks a very important question, “Why?”  It’s really important that he asks this question, not just so that he can get some answers from God, but so that he can get all the anger that has built up inside him off his chest.  It’s as if at the end of expressing all his anger and disappointment at being let down by God that he says, “So come on now God, tell me, what’s the story?”
In his book, ‘A Grief Observed’, C.S. Lewis describes his experiences after the death of his wife in these starkly honest words.  He writes,
“Meanwhile where is God?  Go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is in vain and what do you find?  A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside.  After that, silence.”
When we are grieving, when we are battling with depression, it’s essential that we express how we are really feeling.  It’s important that we confide in the people closest to us.  It’s important that we tell God exactly how we feel, even if we need to tell him that we are angry with Him or if we feel that He doesn’t care or has abandoned us!  Of course, deep down we know that God will never abandon us, but if that’s how we are honestly feeling, we need to be honest with Him.  To bottle our anger up inside is only likely to prolong our depression.  Getting those feelings of anger and frustration out may just be the first thing that begins to release the pressure valve and allow us to begin to recover.
You know, the pressures of this pandemic have created a wave of emotions inside us.  For those of us who have had our businesses or livelihoods deeply affected those emotions are particularly strong.  As people of faith it’s natural for us to ask God, why have you allowed this to happen?  And God, why despite our prayers has this virus not gone away yet?
 
Reflect
How are you honestly feeling about this Pandemic or life in general right now?
Have you told anyone how you really feel?
Let me encourage you to talk to your spouse or your best friend or a colleague in work about these emotions.
How does this Pandemic or your life circumstances make you feel towards God?
Have you told Him those things?
Let me encourage you to tell God honestly what you think of Him or how confused this Pandemic or your current circumstances make you feel in relation to Him.
 
Prayer
Lord of all, we pray for all who are searching for peace in their lives – those burdened with anxiety either about themselves or their loved ones, facing difficulties and problems to which they can see no solutions.
God of peace, reach out and still the storm.
We pray for those wrestling with inner fears and phobias, torn apart by emotional and psychological pressures.
God of peace, reach out and still the storm.
We pray for all of us as we live among the change and upheaval that the Covid 19 pandemic continues to bring.  We pray especially for all whose lives are threatened by violence and warfare.
God of peace, reach out and still the storm.
To all of those in chaos and turmoil, all who are restless and troubled, grant your calm, your tranquillity, your quietness, and your peace which passes all understanding.
God of peace, reach out and still the storm.
Father give all of us the courage to be honest about our feelings, especially when we are discouraged or depressed.  Give each of us a confidante that we can talk to without fear.
Help us also to be completely honest with you in the assurance that you will not judge us or think badly of us for doing so.
Take a few moments now to pray for yourself and for others you know who need God’s help particularly at this time…
 
Closing Words
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today. Thanks again for logging on.  I do hope you found this morning’s service an encouragement.
 
The good news is that following our Taoiseach’s announcement, church will reopen again for services this Sunday – that’s Sunday 6th December.  We do hope as many of you as possible will be able will join us.  Just remember to tell Aleida that you are coming by Friday evening at the latest to enable her to organise the socially-distanced seating plan.  The service will start at the normal time of 10.00am.  Please use the hand sanitiser on the way in and on the way out and please wear your face coverings as usual.  We will have a Christmas animation for the children and pre-prepared crafts for them to do which will have been sitting for in church 3 days before the service.  We’ll be lighting our advent candle and reflecting on the theme of ‘Love’.  We’ll also have some beautiful recorded carols from our virtual choir and a live duet.  So please do plan to join us.  If you are unable to, don’t worry because there will be a recorded online service at 10am as normal with candle lighting, kid’s animation, the same prayers and reflections and the some beautiful carols form our virtual choir.
 
We have also planned some wonderful services for remainder of December.  On Sunday 13th there will be a service of communion.  On Sunday 20th there will be a service of 9 lessons and carols.  On Christmas day we are planning to facilitate two services with a deep clean in between to facilitate as many people as possible. One will be at 9.30am and the second will be at 10.45 am. If you would like to attend one of our Christmas morning services and you have family or friends joining you, please do let Aleida know as soon as possible so that we can provide everyone a slot.  Finally Aleida will be leading the service on Sunday 27th December to give me a little break.  For those of you who can’t attend any of these services an alternative will be provided online at 10am as usual.
 
Arklow Presbyterian Church has a longstanding relationship with Springboard.  This year because of Covid restrictions Springboard are unable to receive and deliver the Christmas hampers that we provide for struggling families.  But we would still like to support them as a church by giving them a donation.  I know there are many good causes that we have been announcing in recent weeks.  Please don’t feel guilty or pressurized that you have to support all of these.  But if you have supported Springboard in the past and would like to do so again, then you can transfer a donation directly into the church bank account using the details on our website. Simply mark it for the “Springboard Appeal”.  Alternatively you can contact our treasurer Aleida van der Flier to arrange a payment mechanism that is more suitable for you.
 
In a moment, I will lead you in a Benediction after which I will invite you as always, to say the grace together…
 
Benediction   
As we await our coming Saviour, go in peace to love and serve
the Lord.  And…
 
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and for evermore, Amen.”