[0:00] Welcome to your service this morning, a annual Remembrance Day service.
[0:14] It's good that we're able to meet, and while we are meeting in what continues to be unusual circumstances, we're thankful to be able to do so, but please be aware to observe the niceties of what has become our norm, just hand cleanliness, retaining your masks, and trying to observe the social distancing from those who are not of the same family unit.
[0:54] But we pray that while we are here that we would be mindful of God's goodness to us. We're going to begin singing the words of the third psalm, Psalm 3.
[1:09] We're going to sing the whole psalm. O Lord, however my foes increased, against me many rise, many say of my soul, for him in God no succor lies.
[1:24] Yet thou, my shield and glory art, the uplifter of mine head. I cried, and from his holy hill the Lord knew answer made. I laid me down and slept.
[1:36] I waked, for God sustained me. I will not fear, though thousand men set round against me be. Arise, O Lord, save me, my God.
[1:49] For thou, my foes, hast stroke. All on the cheekbones and the teeth of wicked men hast broke. Salvation doth appertain unto the Lord alone. Thy blessing, Lord, for every more.
[2:02] Thy people is upon. The words of Psalm 3 to God's praise. O Lord, how have my foes increased, against me many rise. O Lord, how are my foes increased, against me many rise.
[2:30] May be, say of my soul, for him, and God no succor lies.
[2:46] Yet thou, my shield and glory art, the uplifter of mine head.
[3:03] I cried, and from his holy hill the Lord knew answer made.
[3:21] I laid me down and slept I way. For God's ascended me.
[3:39] I will not fear, though thou shalt stand, Set round against me be.
[3:56] Arise, O Lord, save me, my God.
[4:06] For love my foes hast stroke. All on the cheekbones and the teeth of wicked men hast broke.
[4:31] Salvation doth appertain unto the Lord alone.
[4:49] Thy blessed name, Lord, forevermore. Thy people is upon.
[5:06] Let us call upon the name of God in prayer. Let us pray. Ever blessed God, as we come into your presence with sounds of praise and thanksgiving, even the words of one of old who was not aware of what it was to take up the sword and to enter into the fray of the battlefield.
[5:42] And he was one who has recorded for us his fears and his trepidations.
[5:53] Recorded for us his sense of alarm when he surveyed his enemies, which were so many. And yet he also records for us the confidence that he placed in yourself, his God, who strengthened his arm and made him mighty in battle.
[6:18] Not that his strength increased, but he went from his own strength to the Lord's strength. Went from what was impotent in the face of countless opposition, great opposition, and yet the one who stood by him was mightier than thee.
[6:42] And as we are met in this specific and particular context of remembering the fallen of past conflicts, we are thankful that we can remember them as those who entered into the fray.
[7:11] And many of them were bolstered by the certainty that they had put their trust in a God who would not leave nor forsake them.
[7:24] Even understanding that were physical death to take them from the sin of time, that they were in the grip of one who had vanquished the foe and who had triumphed over death and the grave.
[7:43] And those who were in his hands were assured of a resurrection into life everlasting. We give thanks for the faith of many that secured for them the confidence by which to engage with all kinds of hostility.
[8:06] And not only did they do so remembering to commit their cause to their God, but they also did their utmost to surround their fellows with a prayer that would ensure that they were at times kept secure and emboldened and given courage in the face of odds that were often stacked against them.
[8:46] We give thanks that we can, at this time, even though the passage of time has eroded our memories, that we can still take steps to ensure that we do remember.
[9:06] And that it is our duty to remember, lest we forget the words that are often spoken at such a time as this.
[9:20] And forgetfulness marks itself. In our experience of life in this world, there are many things that we have lived through that are now fading memories and that often are forgotten, so that even when they are brought to our attention, that we can barely bring them to remembrance.
[9:56] Because of the frailty that is in us, and because of the weakness of our humanity, it is a great encouragement to us to find others who desire to remember as we remember, not just in this place today.
[10:14] In a community which, when we compare numerically to the larger cities and towns of our land, a disproportionate number gave their life sacrificially on behalf of their loved ones.
[10:38] And we thank you that we can remember them, even on this occasion. We pray for those whose memories are kept sharp, by reflecting upon blood ties that are still fresh in their memories, that it was something that was given to them, to remember past generations that suffered great loss.
[11:14] And we do remember any for whom these memories are especially fresh, even as they reflect on loved ones gone before.
[11:25] We pray, Lord, that you would remember those for whom these memories are not stale in any way. But they are memories of those who have given their life in the name of their Queen in current conflicts throughout the world.
[11:48] And while we have moved on in many ways, we acknowledge that the hostility that is in the world is there for all to be seen.
[12:01] However, we describe its origin. The Word tells us that there is an enmity in the heart of man that must find expression if it is not directed against you.
[12:17] It is pointed in some other direction. And we see it in the way that so many are disregarding the genuine privilege of living in peace with their neighbours.
[12:39] We pray, Lord, your blessing upon all that we think of that may have recent memories to deal with of loved ones being taken away.
[12:52] Even those that are in this time, even those that are in this time, thinking of names that will appear before us in the memorial that has been set up within the community here.
[13:05] As in all our communities, we pray that you would sanctify our remembering. Bless your word in the context of our remembering.
[13:18] Enable us to think of the dimensions that there are to what we are engaged in. That we would think of the things that we would think of our God, who is a God of peace and whose peace is without end, from everlasting to everlasting.
[13:39] Remember our young people, our children and their coming to fruition of life in a world that we hope will never again see such horrible hostility that was marked in world wars.
[14:01] We do not know what they are our way to bring. We do not know what they are our way to bring. We often fear for them because of the kind of world we live in. Lord, help us to bathe one another's burdens and to prayerfully commit our concerns to you, your God.
[14:21] We pray for parents and grandparents. Thank God for them and for the interest they have in our children and their children.
[14:32] And we pray that you would encourage us to remember the privilege that we have to bring our concerns to you. At a throne of grace. Bless our homes, our families, our communities, our island, our nation, those who govern us in Holyrood, in Westminster.
[14:54] Remember our Queen in the frailty of our old age. We give thanks for her determination to engage in this act of remembrance on our own behalf and on behalf of our royal family.
[15:08] We give thanks for the many characteristics that she displays that are praiseworthy. And we pray above all that her soul would be in your care and keeping.
[15:21] As we pray for our own soul, so we pray for the souls of others. Remember those who are unwell amongst us, those who are housebound, hospitalized, cared for by others.
[15:33] Thankful for the measure of love that is shown in that respect. Hear us and pardon us. Go before us in all we seek to do.
[15:44] Cleansing from sin in Jesus name. Amen. We are going to read from the book of Psalms and Psalm 4.
[15:57] A short psalm. Psalm 4. It's entitled A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness.
[16:12] Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?
[16:24] How long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing? Selah. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself. The Lord will hear when I call unto him.
[16:38] Stand in awe and sin note. Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord.
[16:50] There be many that say, who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
[17:07] I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. Amen.
[17:18] And may the Lord add his blessing to this reading of his word. In his name be the praise. We're going to sing from the Psalm. Psalm 4. We're singing verses 1 to 5.
[17:31] 4. For son says, Give ear unto me when I call. God of my righteousness, have mercy. Hear my prayer, who hast enlarged me in distress. O ye the sons of men, how long will ye love vanities?
[17:45] How long my glory turn to shame? And will ye follow lies? But know that for himself the Lord the godly man doth choose. The Lord, when I on him do call, to hear will not refuse.
[18:00] Fear and sin not. Talk with your heart. On bed and silent be. Offerings present of righteousness. And in the Lord trust ye. Verses 1 to 5.
[18:12] Give ear unto me when I call. God of my righteousness. Have mercy here, my prayer, the haste.
[18:43] And are free in distress. O ye the sons of men, how long will ye love vanities?
[19:08] How long my glory turn to shame? And will ye follow lies?
[19:25] But know that for himself the Lord the godly man doth choose.
[19:42] The Lord when I on him do all To hear will not refuse Fear and sin not talk with your heart On death and silent feet Of grace, grace, and of righteousness And in the Lord trust ye We're going to turn now for a short while to think of the words we have at the end of Psalm 4.
[20:49] Psalm 4, you can read again at verse 7. The American Bible scholar Dale Ralph Davis Has written many commentaries And many books on the Old Testament scriptures And he has a couple of short books Based on the opening chapters of the book of Psalms And he looks at the first 12 And this is the title that he gives to the first of these books
[21:50] The Way of the Righteous in the Mug of Life The Way of the Righteous in the Mug of Life It's quite a thought-provoking title But his thinking is based on how he perceives the world in which we live Essentially he looks at the world And sees a world that has a host of troubles Many troubles of varying descriptions At any time Afflictions abound And they affect all That live in the world At any given time Now from the perception of a believer Which is what he is
[22:52] And what he writes the book From that He writes that book From that perspective He understands that there is enmity in the world Part of the problems that he sees in the world Is the enmity that exists within it Against God And against organized religion of any sort And whether that hostility to God Is organized Or just a spontaneous reaction On the part of some To what they perceive as As being something that they cannot Support or adhere to in any way It is something that is nevertheless there It is in the world Not many I suppose Some people will disagree with that
[23:53] Understanding But it is a Essentially As a Christian believer He not only can speak about those From his experience He can speak about it On the basis of what the Bible says And because he believes the Bible He is quite free in saying This is what the world is like Quite apart from everything else That is in the world All the troubles And the Bible tells us The psalmist says That The troubles that afflict the just In number many be But at the same time That There is a A shared experience Not just on the part of those Who are Christian believers But on the part of every person Who lives in the world That they share the same kind Of griefs and sorrows And sadnesses But there is this experience That is uniquely the believers Now he
[24:56] The psalmist here We could think Well what has that got to do With With Our service today Which is Surely Directed towards Remembering And remembering The fallen Of Past Conflicts I am directing your attention To the words We have at the end of the psalm Because They have to be understood As words That are spoken By somebody Who is not just Experiencing The hostility Of the world Against him As a believer But the hostility That he As a believer Will endure From time to time That is common Within the world And that the only answer He has As a believer To opposition
[25:56] Or hostility Directed to him As a believer Or Opposition to him Or hostility That is directed To him Totally apart From what he believes The answer is the same The only Recoach That he has Is to look To God To Call upon God And to Seek from God The Support That can Enable him To endure it Now If we Remind ourselves Of what this psalm Is all about The previous psalm Psalm 3 Is called A psalm Of the morning A prayer Of the morning And psalm 4 Is called A prayer Of the evening And Those who Are interested In Explaining The scripture They can look At the psalms And some would Suggest That they had One psalm But at some point That they were
[26:57] Divided Now there's no Possibility Of Making that Argument To be an argument That you can't Support one way Or the other But certainly Psalm 3 And Psalm 4 Seem to arise Out of the same Situation What is the Situation Well the situation Is really A very sorrowful One to David The author Of the psalm His son Absalom Has risen up Against him And he has Established Himself As a king Over the Kingdom In opposition To his father In effect What we have Recorded for us Is the The outset Of civil war Where there are Two factions Going to emerge And they will be In open hostility One to the other
[27:58] And the grief That this causes David As you can imagine Having a son I was just recently Reading about When the report Came to David Of the death Of his son It was something It's heart Renting How Rather than Delight In an enemy Suffering Death In anybody An enemy Who was Determined To destroy His own father It It was A Dich Been a sorrowful Episode In his life And he was Deeply disturbed By it That was something Later on But here Despite the grief That is caused To David And the threat That is to His personal Safety He places His confidence In God He trusts In the God
[28:58] That this is God To deliver him From the threat That there is To his life So in the service Of remembrance We bear in mind That the world In which we live Today Is not really All that different To the kind Of world In which Any of our Forbearers Lived Whether we Go back To the days Of David Or whether We limit Our thinking To the times At which The outbreak Of the first World war And the conflict That was Responsible For it And then The second World war And think Of what Was behind That conflict That resulted In the death Of so many It's the same World we live In And the same Things that
[29:58] Stimulated Such Awful Hostility In the lives Of some people Against others Is still Witnessed By our Generation Today Hopefully Never to the Extent At which It was Witnessed In these Two major Conflicts But you're Not Aware As I'm Not Aware That still To this Day There are Nations That are Sabre Rattling You've got North Korea And South Korea And there's The constant Tension That there is In that Hemisphere Where You never Know How it's Going to Develop You've got Hostility That's Current Just now In Europe Where you See Poland And Belarus They're Lining up Their soldiers On borders That they're Protecting In order
[30:59] To prevent The free Movement Of those Who have Been Displaced From their Own Countries And there's The potential There for A greater Strife And we Never know How it's Going to Develop We think That we're So much Wiser Now that These things Could never Ever Result In Major World Catastrophe But if you Go back To the First World War And you Go back To what The incendiary Was to Create such Discord That resulted In World Conflict It's It's Horrifying It's Mind Boggling How Something So Minor Could Result In Something So Major By Looking At the Words Of our Text Here The First Thing I Want You To Notice About The Words Of The Psalmist
[32:00] Is That He Knows What True Joy Is All A Bird There Is Not A Kill Joy It's Not Somebody And Very Often We Find Christians Accused Of This That They Have Their Life Because Of Their Faith Is Something That Separates Them From The Things That Give Pleasure To Others In The World As If Their Faith Their Belief In Christ Their Christianity Has Somehow Severed Them From Any Of The Things That Gives Pleasure To Others Who Are Not Christian And That's Not What David Is Saying You Have Put Gladness In My Heart More Than In The Time That Their Corn And Their Wine Increased Now He's Not Saying That The Joy That He Is Describing There Is Not Joy He's Describing
[33:00] A Situation Where At The Harvest Once The Harvest Is Gathered That There Is Celebration The Corn Has Been Gathered In And The Grapes Have Been Gathered And The New Wine Is Assured And There Is Joy Associated With That And He's Not Saying That's Not Joy But He Is Saying That The Joy That He Has Is Greater Than That You Have Put Gladness In My Heart More Than In The Time It's As If He's Pointing To This Very Great Experience Where Everybody Can Understand What It Is A Time Of Celebration A Time Of Rejoicing But He Says There's Better Than That There's Greater Than That And It Is God Who Has Given It To Me That Is Where My True Joy And Gladness
[34:00] Comes From Now It's Not Just The Fact That He's Making This Kind Of Statement That There Is A Believer's Joy And That There Is Those Who Are Not Believers A Joy He's Not Separating The Two He's Not Saying I Never Enjoy The Harvest I Never Enjoy The Fruits Of The Harvest He's Not Saying That And It Would Be For To Think Like That But He Is Saying That I Know A Greater Joy Than That Joy I Know Your Joy And If I've Experienced It I've Celebrated It But There Is Something Better Than That And That's Not All When He Is Saying That To Us You Have To Remember What He Is Saying And When Because You Can't Separate What He Is Saying From The Experience That He Is Going
[35:01] Through At That Moment He Is Going Through The Experience Of Civil War He Is Going Through The Most Bitter Form Of War That You Can Experience It's Far Worse Than I've Often Said It And I Believe It Fervently That When Nations Are Opposed To Each Other The Hostility That Is There Can Be Quite Pronounced And Quite Severe At Times But There Is No Greater Hostility Than The Hostility Where The Division Occur Within Families Or Within Nations That Should Be United There Is A Bitterness And There Is A Hostility That Is Extreme And David Is Here Understanding Not Just An Enemy Has Risen Up Against Him A Stranger Has Come To Claim Which He
[36:01] Would Not Be Unfamiliar With There Were Always Nations Surrounding Israel Who Were Like Israel Themselves They Were Territorially Organized And They Were Always Usurping Each Other's Possessions And Territory So It's Not Something That He Was Ignorant Of But When This Happens Within The Bounds Of The Family It Was Worse The Grief Was Deeper So He Is Saying What He Is Saying In The Intensity Of This Grief That Is His That Is True Confidence Was In The Lord You Have Put Gladness In My Heart And Because God Had Put Gladness In His Heart He Was Able To Continue As It Were In The Face Of That One
[37:01] Of The Books I Have A Draw Of Books Which I Have Close To Me On My Desk And They Are For We Snippets Of Thoughts That Are Experiential That Speak Of Some People's Christian Experiences And Murdoch Campbell The Late Murdoch Campbell Was Somebody Who Written A Great Number Of Books And They Are Full Of Personal Accounts Of Things That He Did And Things That He Saw And People That He Heard And One Of His Books Is A Diary And It's A Collection Of Some Of His Experiences And He Was Administered In Glasgow At The Time Of The Second World War And During The He Of The Conflict He Records That When The First Bombs Began To Fall On Clydeside One Of The Things That He Did Was He
[38:01] Took Care Of His Family And He Took Them Away To To Glen Morrison I Think It Was Away From The City So They Would Be Safe But He Himself Returned To The City So He Would Be With The Congregation But One Of The Things He Did Even Before Then Was Resort To God To Prayer He Often He Often Wanted God To Tell Him Well This Is A Conflict That We Are In And He Didn't Just Believe That They Were On The Right Side Of The Conflict He Didn't Just Take It For Granted That Right Was On Our Side As A Nation He Wanted Confirmation From God That Whatever The Outcome Would Be That God Would Be Someone Who Would Own It And Bless It One Verse That Came To Him Is A Verse That Quoted Here Before In This Situation And Of Our Elders Here Was Sustained
[39:01] By It During The War Himself The Words Of The Psalm Is Psalm 91 There Shall No Evil Befall Thee Neither Shall Any Plague Come Nigh Thy Dwelling For He Shall Give His Angels Charge Concerning Thee To Keep Thee In All Thy Ways This Was The Word That He Took To Be From The Lord And He Was Supported By It And We Cannot Underestimate The Power Of God's Word In A Situation Like This When David Is Encountering Grief And Sorrow This Is What Supported Him And Strengthened Him Some People May Take Scriptures To So Themselves And They Say Well This Is An Appropriate Scripture And It Meets The Need But If It Comes From God There's A World Of A Difference Between That Word Speaking To Them As God Speaks It The Power Is
[40:02] There For The Believer That Was True About Murdoch Campbell Again A Story From The Late Murdoch Macaulay Many Of You Will Know The Name Don't Macaulay His Son Preaches Here Occasionally But Murdoch Macaulay Was In I Think He Was In The TA Before The War But Three Years Before The War He Had A Dream And In The Dream He Tells This Account Of His Dream He Says The Angel Came To Me During The Night And He Says It Was The Angel Of The Covenant And The Angel Asked Him A Question Where Is Germany And He Said I Got Up And I Looked Out And There In The Crafts Before Me I Saw The Map Of Europe Laid Out And I Pointed
[41:02] To Germany On The Phiammx In This Map That Was In Ergene And The Angel Said To Him I I'm Going To Germany And However It Came To Him He Was Convinced That This Was A Message From The Lord And When The War Broke Out He Was Taken Prisoner And He Had Told Us He Was A Lieutenant Maybe A Second Lieutenant I Can't Remember But He Had A Group Of Men And He Was Responsible And He Told Us Men Said I Am Going To Be Taken Prisoner I'm Going To Be Taken To Germany And That Is Exactly What Happened He Took The Word Of God As He Understood To Be A Word From God To Him And He Spent His War In A Prisoner Of War Camp In Germany
[42:02] He Believed The Word Of God It Came To Him With Power When David Is Speaking Here About The Gladness That Is In His Heart It Is By Reason Of The Power That Comes In The Word To That Enables Him Even In The Height Of Conflict To Say I Will Both Lay Me Down In Peace And Sleep For Thou Lord Only Makes Me Dwell In Safety And This Is The Thing Believing God's Word And Acting Upon It The Ability To Take Rest And To Sleep Many Were Afraid Of The Effect It Will Have Upon The Conflict Itself But If You Remember When Jesus Was Asleep In The Boat In The Midst Of A Storm The Disciples Were Horrified How Could He Possibly Sleep When There Was So Much Danger Paul Was
[43:02] The Same When He Was On The Brink Of Shoe Break They Were In Horror Of How He Was At These But The Security That He Had Was Not A Superstitious One Which Is Not Many People Have I Think I Heard Them Say That Some Of The Men Thought He Was Crazy When He Told Them About Him Being Kept Safe During The War Some Of Them Thought He Was Crazy But At The Same Time Some Of Those Who Thought He Was Crazy Wanted To Be Close to Him Because They Thought Well Just In Case They Were Hedging Their Bets They Were Wanting To Say To Themselves Well If This Guy Is Going To Be Safe Well I'll Stay Close By Now That's Not What David Is Saying David Is Saying I Believe The Word Of The Living God Kept Me Safe And Kept Me Secure Thou
[44:03] Alone Makest Me To Dwell Safely Now As We Remember Today I Confess I Am Only Doing So From The Perspective Of A Christian Believer That's The Only Perspective I Have The Perspective Of A Believer I I've Given You Examples That Are From The Experience Of Believers David The Minister In Glasgow The Minister In Lewis There Was Also A Minister In Glasgow Later On Wasn't A Minister When He Was In The Handle Obviously But They Were Believers And They Took God's Word To Themselves And They Were Persuaded That In The Midst Of These Things Which They Would Not Want To Happen At Any Cost They Would Much Rather Avoid If They Could Possibly Do So And There Are So Many Of Our Young Men And
[45:04] Young Women Who Were In In The Conflict Of These Wars At The Height Of It In The Heat Of It And One Thing That Sustained Them Was A Belief In God And Not Only Did They Pray For Themselves They Prayed For Others And They Took Their Comfort From Believing What God Had To Say Many Today Will Carry Out Acts Of Remembrance They Will Not Include God In Their Remembrance And They Are Free Not To Do So They Are Free Not To Do So That Is One Of The Freedoms That Was Dearly Bought The Freedom To Exercise Christian Or Religious Liberty As You Would But What I Say Is That While
[46:04] Those Who Commemorate And Remember The Fallen Of Past Wars May May Do Without God In Their Thinking I For One And Many Here Are Others Who Remember The Goodness Of Their God In These Things And We Pray That Even As We Remember Today That God Would Be At The Heart Of Our Remembering Let Us Pray Lord Help Us To Remember Your Own Goodness To Us In Grace And In Mercy And Peace Continue To Watch Over Us Pardon Our Sins In Jesus Name Amen We're Going To Sing These Verses 6 To 8 Of Psalm 4 After We Sing These Verses Just Remain
[47:05] Where You Are Until Directed To Go Out As Orderly As Possible You'll Be Directed Just To Make Your Way To The War Memorial There We'll Just Go Out At A Time As We Normally Do It Here But You'll Be Directed By One Of The Office Bearers For Who Who Who Will Show Us Any Good There Is That Which Many Say But Of Thy Countenance The Light Lord Lift On Us All Way Upon My Heart Bestowed By Thee More Gladness I Have Found And There Even Then When Corn And Wine That Must With Them Abound I Will Woth Lay Me Down In Peace And Quiet Sleep Will Take Because Thou Won Lead Me To Dwell These Washes Will Just Make Our Way Outside For Who Will Show Us Any Good Is That Which Many Say Who Will Show
[48:05] Us Any Good Is That Which Many Say But Not Thy Kind Than Name Then When Corn And Wine It Holds With Them
[49:06] Abound I Will O Day Be Heaven In Peace And Quiet We Will Take Because Thou Only Need To Dwell In Safety Lord Does Make Week Other have eat 작은 blue okay