Scene: A group of festival organisers gathered around a flip chart
Jock Stein
August 10, 2025
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Listen to this daily worship
Isaiah 1: 10-20 (NRSVA)
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams
and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.12 When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from your hand?
Trample my courts no more;
13 bringing offerings is futile;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.18 Come now, let us argue it out,
says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Chair: Right, let’s talk about the programme for the Festival next year: have we got a theme?
A: How about ‘Church and Nation’?
B: Too broad – let’s focus on something like ‘Church: Core Business’.
C: What about reading a bit of Scripture and then coming back to this?
Isaiah 1:10-20 . . .
A: Why on earth does he call the leaders of Judah ‘rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah’?
Chair: Back in verse 9, it says the whole country is almost as desolate as Sodom and Gomorrah, so it’s Isaiah’s way of saying the leaders have sunk really low.
A: How come?
B: That’s what the passage is all about.
C: Yes, all praise and no obedience!
Chair: And perhaps the Church in Scotland has two wings – one is all for worship and bands and great fellowship; the other is all for justice and peace and integrity.
A: Like one half going on missions, the other half going on marches?
B: So . . .
C: We need two wings to fly . . .
Chair: How about ‘Witness on Two Wings’ or something like that?
A: A bit high faluting. Could be ‘Angels Without Wings’.
And so the debate continued . . .
PRAY:
God, we are not angels, but we want to obey you, and do our bit towards washing the world’s dirty linen. In your mercy you have healed us and washed us clean, but we confess that we avoid the pain and hurt of others, and drift so quickly to being Sunday Christians. Please sort out our motives, our vision, our obedience, for Christ’s sake, Amen.
And remember in prayer church leaders, and those who plan and play big events.
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