No.106    25th Sept

Hi, 
This Sunday we get to enjoy Communion together. In our studies in 2nd Corinthians in recent days we have been encouraged to be awed by just how remarkably glorious the Gospel of God's grace to us is - this message and its implications for us is something which should cause everything else in our life to 'grow strangely dim'...we get a chance to celebrate this together with Communion on Sunday. We have a Joint Evening Service too - it's part of our church family life at Mearns Free and we hope you can make that a regular pattern of your Sunday worship.

There is no letter from either Scotts in the magazine this week... Scott Hamilton is on a belated honeymoon with Ashlyn...I imagine that Scott K, alongside his usual busy itinerary will be also spending time with the Elders as they deal with letters from Ashlyn's parents and friends appealing for her safe return.

Lastly, none of you will be all that surprised to hear that there is a connection between Wanda leading a Young Wives Group at church and  other equally significant royal state occasions including the handing over of Hong Kong in 1997...you can read more of that below.

Enjoy the mag,
MB

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Sunday 27th September

Sunday Morning - 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
John Ch15:1-17


Sunday Evening - 7pm

Studies in 2nd Corinthians
(6.30pm for tea/coffee)

 
Meets on Sunday Evenings
Games, friendship and studies in Exodus this session.

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Tuesdays - 2pm - 3.30pm
It meets in Newton Mearns Baptist Church. If you want to know more about the Cafe (who it's for, what happens each week, or if you can volunteer too etc) then speak with Margaret Boyd.
If you would like to organise a lift please speak with Sandy H.

 

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Wednesday, 30th September
Our weekly prayer meeting  on Wednesdays is at 7.15pm
Meeting in the McDougalls'  throughout September.

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Service of Profession of Faith

Sunday 25th October
We shall have a service of Profession of Faith and receiving of new members on 25th October.
Is this something you should be praying about and considering for yourself?
Please do pray for others. If you have repentant faith in Jesus or worshipping regularly with us but not a member, speak with Scott H or myself.
Scott K.

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The Staurogram (⳨)

You might have noticed this symbol on the screen on a Sunday - it is on the slides with the reading from the Gospel. It's always important to be reminded that in the Gospel writings we are reading the eye accounts of the disciples, written down shortly after Jesus' resurrection and ascension, as the church began.

An Early Picture of the Crucified Christ: When we think of Christian symbols, we naturally think of the cross. But one of the earliest Christian ways of depicting the cross is surprisingly simple: ⳨. It is called the staurogram, and it combines the Greek letters Tau (Τ) and Rho (Ρ).

The Greek word for “cross” is stauros. In some of the earliest surviving New Testament manuscripts, scribes abbreviated words such as “cross” and “crucify” using this combination of letters. The Tau forms the basic shape of the cross, while the loop of the Rho can look like the head of a person hanging upon it. Thus, what began as an abbreviation may also have been seen as a tiny picture of Jesus crucified.

Australian historian and Christian scholar John Dickson has highlighted how remarkable this is. He points out that these manuscripts date from a period when crucifixion was regarded as a shameful and degrading form of execution. Yet Christians placed this image directly into their sacred texts. For them, the cross was not something to hide or be embarrassed about—it was at the heart of the gospel.
Paul wrote: “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”— 1 Corinthians 1:23–24

The staurogram gives us a stark reminder: the earliest Christians did not separate Jesus from the cross. Their message was not simply that Jesus was a great teacher or miracle-worker. God's love is revealed and our salvation is bought through Jesus who humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)
 

2. "The Day Thou Gavest..."

On Wednesday at the PULSE prayer meeting Iain ended our time together by reading words from the hymn: "THE DAY THOU GAVEST, LORD, IS ENDED" It is a hymn packed with Christian truth and encouragement and Wanda shared with us that each week the Young Wives Group she led at church used to sing this hymn...and if that wasn't evidence enough of the wisdom and depth of the truths conveyed, it was also the hymn selected for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and it was used at the Hong Kong handover ceremony in 1997. More recently, it was one of the hymns sung at Queen Elizabeth II's State Funeral Service in 2022. You can watch that here.

Below is the story of the hymn.
“The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended” was written by English hymn writer John Ellerton in 1870. Ellerton was serving as a clergyman in England when he was asked to write a hymn for the first Sunday evening service at a new church. Ellerton wrote the text in 1870 while serving in Crewe, and walking to teach at a local railway company’s institute
Drawing inspiration from Psalm 19:4–6, particularly the picture of the sun moving across the heavens, Ellerton wrote a hymn about the passing of the day and the unending worship of God. As evening falls in one part of the world, morning is beginning somewhere else. The hymn therefore presents the Christian Church as a worldwide family whose praise of God never truly stops.
The hymn became closely associated with evening worship and later with significant national and royal occasions in Britain. Its enduring appeal lies in its simple but powerful message: our earthly day may come to an end, but God’s presence and the worship of His people continue.
Its closing thought remains especially memorable:
“The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky.”
More than 150 years after it was written, the hymn continues to remind Christians that while darkness may settle over one horizon, another part of the world is already seeing the light.

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THE PRAISE NIGHT ABOVE IS FOLLOWED BY AN ONLINE PRAYER WEEK!

Have you ever thought about where a wave comes from?

An ocean wave can begin with something remarkably small: a tiny ripple on the surface of the water. As the wind continues to blow, energy is transferred to those ripples. They grow, gather strength, and eventually become waves that travel across the open ocean, carrying that energy far beyond where they began. The sea becomes a conduit for this transfer of energy, carrying the power of the wind across vast distances.

South of the equator, there is a part of the world where waves seem never to stop. With vast stretches of open ocean and little land to interrupt them, powerful swells can build and travel for thousands of miles. These remote waters have acquired epic names: the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties and the Screaming Sixties, named after the degrees of latitude at which they are found. Sailors who venture through these waters can encounter enormous waves and fierce winds.
 
The ocean reminds us just how small and powerless we are.
And yet, the God who created the sea is not overwhelmed by it.

Our theme for this year’s Week of Prayer is O.C.E.A.N. – The Unstoppable Wave of God’s Glory.
Join us in prayer each day. From 5–9 October, we’ll journey around the world together, hearing stories of what God is doing through UFM mission partners and praying for the gospel to continue spreading among the nations.

Every day is an opportunity to focus on a different part of that wave:
O — Online ministry
C — Church planting
E — Evangelism to students
A — Acts of compassion
N — New senders and sent

Each weekday we'll gather on Zoom for 30 minutes:
12:30–13:00 and 19:30–20:00 (the evening session repeats the lunchtime session)

We'll send a short email each day with an introduction to that day's theme, along with the Zoom links.
You can join us for one day, several days, or the whole week.

Will you join us as we pray for the unstoppable spread of God’s glory among the nations?

Read more and sign up for the Prayer Week here.

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Church History For Everyone

Podcasts from Kevin de Young which walk through the history of the Church have been made available for free on Spotify or Apple.
"As Christians, we have a 2,000-year history filled with stories to tell and lessons to learn. Church History for Everyone highlights key events from AD 70 to 1415 through 20 engaging profiles and historical accounts. By focusing on one person per episode, we will explore the broader themes, ideas, and movements from the Middle Ages up to the cusp of the Reformation. We will cover topics such as St. Patrick and the barbarian conversion, Charlemagne and the beginnings of Europe, and Richard the Lionheart and the Crusades, as well as key figures like Aquinas, Wycliffe, and Hus."
You can get the links to listen for free here.

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Ladybird Book of Mearns Free

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A great verse to memorise:
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16

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Govan Free Church

It's always great to be able to take some groceries with us down to the FoodBank - 
Things like sugar, coffee, teabags, pasta can be split into smaller bags for families so don't worry about bringing large bags.
Speak with Sue A, Mary R or Martin B for more info.

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CAN YOU HELP?!

If you are on Facebook or Instagram please engage with the Mearns Free pages.
One of the ways we would like to raise the profile of Mearns Free is by using social media. We have been highlighting our services and the teaching on Ecclesiastes recently on social media, above is an example from Facebook a few weeks ago (we did the same for the Easter day earlier this year and the Community Weekend).
However, we really need YOU (if you use social media) to like, comment or forward etc these posts in order for as many people in the area to notice them. Can you help!?

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Thursday 17th December
Celtic Worship
Experience an uplifting night of traditional Scottish folk and contemporary praise as Celtic Worship head to the O2 Academy Glasgow this December alongside the incredible Zerua Music!
Go to Celtic Worship webpage here or see ticket details here. 

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COFFEE AND TREATS AFTER CHURCH

BAKING  - it's great that so many people are on the baking rota - this means that it is around every 7-8 weeks that they are called on. Can you join this group - or know someone in your family who is a great baker, who could make something which you can pass off as your own work? Speak with Margaret Boyd
CUPS - already a lot of people bring their own cup along - this does save on costs for paper cups so if you can bring your own along that would be great,  and the team will almost certainly speak about you behind your back less than they currently do!