40 Days Blog - Day 35

Mark 14:12-25 - The Last Supper

This Time Tomorrow

If you look at the same view every day, you soon take it for granted. It could be the most magnificent backdrop, but you get used to it. Familiarity stops us from seeing all the details. If you are coming to this reading today having known it for years, look out again for the small details. If this is all new to you, maybe you’ll be taken aback at the sudden shift in pace as the reason for Jesus’ mission reaches its climax.

Stop and Pray: Lord, help me to see new things about You in the readings over the next few days and may I meet You in a fresh way.

What do you think you’ll be doing this time tomorrow? Have you plans or a routine that makes it easy to predict? Jesus alone was aware that, for Him, ‘this time tomorrow’ meant betrayal, torture and death. Indeed, by the time they sat down to eat it was already less than twenty-four hours until His death the following afternoon.

Remember, Peter is sharing his memories of these events with Mark. It is etched in his mind.

Jesus clearly had some arrangement with an unknown person about using their house as a venue for His last meal with His disciples. What do you think He might have been thinking as they gathered at dusk to share the Passover meal? If you were one of the disciples, what might you have been feeling? It was a familiar tradition for them, but it was all going to turn dark and confusing.

As they were chatting together, sharing the intimacy of the Passover meal, the sudden prediction of betrayal was shocking. It must have created a terrible atmosphere. ‘Saddened’, one by one they each speak up and say, “Surely not I?” The truth, of course, is that by this time tomorrow none of them would be standing with Him. Eleven of them would be in hiding, desperate, grieving and in fear for their lives. And one was reaping the cost of betraying the Son of God.

It is important for Jesus to link His sacrifice and death with ‘Passover’. The Jewish people gathered annually to remember their people’s escape from captivity in Egypt. Their ancestors had been ‘passed over’ by the angel of death only because of the sign of a lamb’s blood on their doors. (See Exodus Chapter 12). Jesus takes the food and drink and makes them into symbols that are easy to remember.

The point is that He is the Passover lamb sacrificed for them.

Would you like to have been part of this celebration meal? How would you have responded if Jesus looked at you and suggested you would let Him down?

Forgiveness will come, but the journey to that is painful, as it always is. We need to recognise our failings and bring them to Jesus. The disciples will have to seek forgiveness - and so do we. The Last Supper reminds us of that.

‘If we tell Him our sins, He is faithful, and we can depend on Him to forgive us of our sins. He will make our lives clean from all sin.’ (John 1:9)

A Prayer

Lord I cannot imagine what You experienced in these hours You spent in the last day of Your life before dying on the cross. As I read through this, please help me to respond in wonder at Your love, care, and determination to go through with the plan. You are holy and worthy of all my praise. Forgive me for all that I do that is against You, that hurts You, that lets You down. I thank You that, since You took my punishment, I can truly have that forgiveness from You. I pray again today that this message of hope will become clear to those I am in contact with and be more obvious in our community.

Amen.

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Joseph M. Scriven

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