40 Days Blog - Day 23

Mark 9:30-50 - First And Last

We all (I hope!) enjoy the All-Age talks at church, where the children, rather than the adults are the centre of attention. It’s customary for Calum, or whoever is leading the talk, to have an object to ‘show and tell’ or perhaps a series of images on the screen to make a point to the children. To fit the young audience, the point being made is usually very concise and understandable. Perhaps that’s why so many of the adults benefit as well!

In this passage we see Jesus using the same technique to drive home His statement that ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all’ (v35). Only, it is the adults who are being addressed. The child is the one doing the teaching! It’s so easy for us to envision the scene as Jesus takes the child. We don’t know who the child is, or how old they are or even if they are a boy or a girl. But we know the child is invited, welcomed and embraced by Jesus. These are not only warm words from Jesus, but heart-felt actions, a touch from the Master that protects, affirms and comforts. The lesson from Jesus is stark and clear and we can almost hear the embarrassed silence from the disciples. They were arguing like squabbling children as they walked along the road!

The striking words of Jesus in verses 42-50 about our thoughts and actions are also spoken with the child in His embrace. They remind us of the responsibility we have as individuals and as a church organisation to protect the young, the defenceless and the vulnerable. We are rightly ashamed of the failures of some Christian leaders in their care of children and young people. Jesus also warns us about the insidious nature of sin in our own lives. While the solutions offered by Jesus are exaggerated (I hope!) the overall message is quite clear. Don’t allow wrong thoughts a foothold or even a toehold in your life. We need to seek the help of the Holy Spirit to cut out the temptation and tendency to sin. For our own good and the good of others!

The petty squabbles of the disciples and John’s grumbles in verse 38 seem a world removed from the cosmic significance of Jesus teaching in verse 31.

‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days He will rise.’

The disciples don’t understand. They are afraid to ask Jesus about what this means. In fear, they turn away from the vast glory of God’s plan to indulge in fruitless speculation about status. Let’s pray today that we will listen closely to Jesus and we will experience with wonder the true majesty of forgiveness through the Cross and new life, the true wonder of resurrection power. When we recognise this and put Jesus first in our life, there is true greatness.

A Prayer

Our Father, thank You that You continue to teach us. Give me the grace and humility to understand something of the wonder of Your death and resurrection. Help me to see where there are thoughts or actions in my life that need to change. Give me strength through Your Holy Spirit to follow the teaching and example of Jesus.

As Jesus welcomed and embraced that child, help me to feel loved and affirmed by You in the same way.

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