40 Days Blog - Day 20

Mark 8:31-9:1 - Prediction Of Death

I find binoculars are really quite frustrating things. I find it difficult to get the correct bit of the lens to look through in the right place and then difficult to get whatever it is into focus – usually by that time, whatever I’m trying to look at has disappeared! But when the image does suddenly snap into focus, suddenly the hassle is worthwhile. I can see things clearly and close up. In the same way, Jesus now begins to ‘speak plainly’ about His future and the Cross is suddenly sharply in focus.

Today’s reading is very short – the significance of these statements is huge. We can see this in Peter’s action – taking Jesus aside to rebuke Him! The hope of the disciples was for a Messiah who would sweep away the hated Roman occupiers, restoring the worship of God to a rightful place for the Jewish people. Surely, the One who had healed the sick, cast out demons, fed the hungry and taught with such authority – surely, He was the all-conquering type of Messiah? Perhaps the rebuke of Peter reflected a ‘human concern’ that he – Peter – might miss out on some of the conquering Messiah’s reflected glory, honour and position. The sobering prophetic words of Jesus must have caused such dismay! The vision that Jesus presents is of a suffering Servant, a rejected Messenger, a broken Reed, a despised Man of Sorrows, anticipating the deep pain and suffering of the Cross.

Jesus spoke plainly to the crowd about the cost of discipleship. You can probably sense how the gathering would be both shocked and worried about their future. If they choose to continue the path of discipleship, it will lead them down the same path of self-sacrifice. Jesus turns the focus wheel into the future and brings into clarity the benefit of this sacrificial discipleship. In the same way that the sacrifice and death of Jesus will result in the salvation of a human race, our own sacrifice in following Jesus will save our own life. It will enable us to be involved in the Kingdom work of saving the lives of many others.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his classic book ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ comments, ‘Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ’. May these powerful words from a man who paid the ultimate price for following Christ encourage us to step up to the challenge of following Jesus more closely.

A Prayer

Dear Father, as we read these sobering words, we pray that You would help us to follow You more closely. Thank You for Jesus, who took up the challenge of the Cross to win our salvation. Thank You for inviting us to be part of the Body of Jesus, part of a community who have decided to take up the Cross and follow Jesus.

Help us to stand together and pray for each other as we face the challenges of Christian discipleship. Help us to support our brothers and sisters if they find that load painful, or difficult, or almost too much to bear. Help us to step in to bear these burdens when we can.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Listen to today's reading and blog post below...

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

The church meets every Sunday at 9.30am at Drumclog and 11am at Avendale.

Sunday worship continues to be live-streamed from Avendale each Sunday at 11am on the Avendale & Drumclog YouTube Channel.

At Drumclog we meet at:
Drumclog Memorial Kirk
Drumclog
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6QG

At Avendale we meet at:
Avendale Old Parish Church
59A Kirk Street
Strathaven
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6LB

For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it at both Avendale & Drumclog. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up and show you where the disabled toilet is located if required.

Our Service - Drumclog Memorial Kirk

Drumclog

At Drumclog, the service begins at 9.30am with a warm welcome from our Minister, or the person leading the service. During the service we usually sing 2 or 3 songs/hymns. The Minister or a member of the Worship Team will usually read aloud from the Bible and lead the congregation in prayer. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. The Minister, or person leading the service, will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church.

The service lasts approximately 45 minutes. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service. After the service we serve refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) in our church hall. This is a great way to meet people and enjoy fellowship together. We would love to chat to you there!

Our Service - Avendale Old Parish Church

Avendale Wide

At Avendale, the service begins at 11am with a warm welcome from our Minister, or the person leading the service. Before the service begins, we will show a loop of news and notices on the screens in the church. This is a good way to find out what's going on in the life of the church. During the service we usually sing 3 or 4 songs/hymns, often led by our church praise band 'The Elastic Band'. The Minister or a member of the Worship Team will usually read aloud from the Bible and lead the congregation in prayer. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it's all part of our connecting with God. The Minister, or person leading the service, will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. Throughout the service, we may also show videos on the screens in the church to help us reflect on what is being shared during worship or in the sermon. We then share news and notices, usually about what's going on in the life of the church.

The service last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. After the service we serve refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) in our church hall. This is a great way to meet people and enjoy fellowship together. We would love to chat to you there!

images: Services

What about my kids?

At Avendale, we have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 4 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/carer at all times.
His Kids (5-10 years)
Yoof (11-18 years)

Children stay with their parent or carer at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and short Children's Talk. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the Children's Talk, someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy the first time you come along to church.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

For more information about what happens in the children's and youth work please visit the Children's Ministry page and/or the Youth Ministry page.

N.B. - there is no children's programme or youth programme during the service at Drumclog.

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our Home Groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out our Home Groups page and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a Home Group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group. If you would like us to put you in touch with a Home Group leader, please let us know via our Contact Us page.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team here.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Other Groups in the Avendale & Drumclog Community

The following groups are also part of the life of our church:

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Rev Calum Stark - Minister		David Moreland - Session Clerk

To find out more about our staff and leaders, please visit our Staff & Leadership page.
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Calum Stark - Minister