It is always a joy to have a former minister to lead our morning’s worship and last Sunday we were privileged to welcome the Rev’d Roger Baker to our pulpit. Our steward Margaret Maxwell also welcomed members of Roger’s family who were with him and other visitors to our church.
Neil and Jill Barnett provided our organ and keyboard music and the two bible readings were read by Neil and Ron Lucas. Roger used as his theme the topic of love under the heading “How to treat one another” and his hymns and readings centred on love as a key expression of the Christian faith.
We sang “God is love let heaven adore him” as our opening hymn, followed by a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. There followed the two bible readings, the first from 1 John, chapter four. Here John invites his readers to love one another, because love is from God. This was manifested as God sent his only son into our world to bring us life and his love is brought into perfection within us. The second reading was from St Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 12. Again this letter speaks of love, loathing evil and clinging to the good. Paul invited his readers to forgive those who persecute them, and in trouble to stand firm and persist in prayer.
It was this theme on which Roger spoke asking the question “how to treat one another?” he explained that the first few chapters of Romans dealt with the theology of the Christian faith as St Paul sought to teach the gentiles in Rome that to which they should hold firm due to the pressures of Judaism and Jewish traditions. This brought several tensions which Paul sought to ameliorate by describing how they should treat one another. This equally applies both then and now. First we should be devoted to one another in love both in our family and in the church, for this is what we are called to do. Second, we should honour one another by showing respect for one another and serve one another in love. Third, to live in harmony with one another and show concern for each other’s wellbeing.. Roger developed this theme explaining that the last five chapters of Romans dealt with Christian behaviour as he said love cannot wrong a neighbour; therefore the whole law is summed up in love. “As I have loved you so you must love one another” said Jesus.
We prayed for others and concluded as we sang “Brother, sister let me serve you” to round off a truly inspirational service of worship.