Service of installation of Rev Rodney Moody - 14 Sept 2023

Sunday 27th August 2023 - Rev, Colin Harris

Harvest Thanksgiving evening service with Rev. Colin Harris (Vacancy Convenor).

We were delighted to welcome the Moderator, Rev. Dr. John Kirkpatrick and his wife Joan to our Congregation this morning in this our 360th Anniversary Year.

This Sunday we are joining King Solomon again to search for the meaning of life in Ecclesiastes chapter 3:9-22 with the sermon title "Made for More."

Following on from the analysis of everything under the sun by Solomon where do we go? If wisdom can’t supply meaning; if pleasure can’t supply meaning; and work can't supply meaning; what then? He starts here in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 by saying, “To everything, there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven

We move on from the general conclusion of Solomon in the opening verses Ecclesiastes of 1-11 that everything is meaningless or empty and goes around in circles to examine the subject of wisdom

Our Minister, Rev. Trevor Boyd, will lead and conduct our Morning Worship. The Bible Reading will be taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes 1:1-11.

Judas had lost hope because he had been let down by money, position, power, ideology and philosophy. Judas had built the wrong empire on the wrong things just as we saw last week in the sermon about the apostle Thomas which you can listen to again. Judas could have repented in his heart, the salvation of Christ was available to him, betrayal is not an unpardonable sin. In his life Judas was a thief, he was disloyal, a traitor, a betrayer, an informer, self-centred and even a human trafficker having sold the life of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. There are maybe some of you today and you could apply one or more of these descriptions to your life. When we fail do not lose hope like Judas, do not respond like Judas but rather respond by seeking the Lord, it is never ever too late in this world to seek the Lord and His salvation.

A sermon from John 20:19-31 which looks at the response of the disciple Thomas to the news that Jesus has been resurrected. The Rev Boyd gets us to think about being Locked In or Locked Out. Are we locked in our homes and afraid to witness for Jesus? Are we locked out of our churches and yet we are able to make a difference to the world around us? First Rathfriland Presbyterian Church is located in Northern Ireland and is part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland