40 Days Blog - Day 36

Colossians 3:18-4:1 - Instructions for Christian Households

I need to make a confession here. I’m terribly guilty of not doing what the teacher always told us to do – read the exam instructions right the way through – and then read them again! So my DIY life in particular is littered with the consequences of this failure. I have started to read the instructions- and then decided I knew what I was doing and I didn’t need to read the rest. The number of Ikea wardrobes with ill-fitting doors and spare nuts and screws tells the rest of the story!

We’ve reflected already in our thoughts on the Prison Letters on Paul’s commands for Christian living and, of course, some of these commands either seem out of step with our current lives (“Wives, submit… Slaves, obey….”) or seem to be statements of the obvious (“…do not be harsh”). Finding such instructions in Scripture can sometimes breed a sort of shoulder-shrug to the rest of the passage and we miss the deep truth that actually really DOES apply to our current life and speaks correction to our current attitude of activities. What is “fitting in the Lord” for us today? Are we harsh to those around us, rather than loving them? Do we recognise that our obedience to Scripture pleases the Lord? And here is a frightening one- are there people we embitter by our actions or attitudes? Do we turn them off coming to church? Or reflect Jesus badly? Or create bitterness among our family?

Do we obey where needed in a teachable way- perhaps, though, not in a slavish way! Do we recognise that God sees all we do? And do we work- whatever that work is!- looking only for reward from the Lord Christ? Do we appreciate that, although our wrongdoing can be forgiven, our wrongdoing has consequences. These consequences not only affect us, but also cause harm, hurt and damage to the people around us? And do we seek to always do what is right and fair to all we relate to?

These are hard questions! The promise of Jesus is that the Holy Spirit comes to help us (if I can misquote our national bard) to “to see ourselves as others (and God!) see us”. This clarity isn’t to make us feel bad- or hopeless- or that we should just give up. No! The Holy Spirit comes to enable, support and strengthen us for the challenges in Christian living we all face. And as we face these challenges, Jesus walks beside us. He knows that we will sometimes get the instructions wrong or lose our way. But, unlike the Ikea wardrobe, He doesn’t judge us for ever- He walks beside us as our True and Faithful friend.

A Prayer

Father, I confess I sometimes use the difficult things in the Bible as an excuse to ignore the obvious instructions that You give Your people. Help me to welcome the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit in my conscience, help me to seek to live a more holy life. Please support me to live a life that reflects the love of Jesus and that draws others to follow the Way of discipleship. 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:

Family Corner - located within the Sanctuary, this is a great place for toddlers and younger children to play, supervised by their parents/carers, who are still able to be part of the congregation
Family Room - a quiet room within the building, for families to watch a live stream of the service, with toys and activities to do with their children
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