1 November - Additional material – CrossReach Sunday

A downloadable version of this page is available for anyone who would like to save or print it out.

The Faith Action Programme would like to thank Very Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and member of the CrossReach board, for his reflections and prayer points for this CrossReach Sunday.

A link is included to further resources that you can use as part of your worship this week.

Introduction

We live in a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is real. AI has changed things dramatically. We can now create photographs of people who never existed. We can make someone appear to say something they never said. We can create videos of things that never happened. Things that look real are not always what they seem and, as a result, we have become used to questioning things. We want evidence. We want to know what is genuine.

On this CrossReach Sunday, I want to say something very simple. I have seen CrossReach and can assure you that what they do is real.

CrossReach, the social care arm of the Church of Scotland, puts our faith into action by caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. I have had the privilege of seeing the work of CrossReach in different parts of the country and meeting some of the people who are involved in it. What I witnessed is most definitely real. I have seen the care and compassion for myself, and I have seen the difference it can make in people's lives. Above all, I have seen genuine Christian love.

That is why this year's CrossReach theme, "Light in the Darkness to people in need across Scotland," speaks to me. Because ultimately, that light has a name: Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." We are called to share His light, not just in places of worship but in the communities where we live. We are called to reach out to those whose lives are difficult, to those who may be lonely or frightened or struggling or simply wondering whether anybody cares.

Reflection on Matthew 23:1-12

That brings us to the Lectionary Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is speaking to the crowds and to His disciples about the religious leaders of the day, and what He says is quite challenging: "They do not practise what they preach." Jesus is concerned about the difference between what we say and what we actually do. It is easy to talk about being a Christian and about what the Church should be doing in the world. But ultimately, what matters is whether we put those words into practice.

Jesus goes on to say something which I think is particularly appropriate for CrossReach Sunday: "The greatest among you will be your servant." It is a very simple idea, but it turns much of what the world tells us upside down. The world tends to measure greatness by position, influence, status and recognition. Jesus measures it by service. When I think about CrossReach, that is exactly what I see.

CrossReach is one of Scotland's largest social care providers. Today it supports around 28,000 people across Scotland, with around 1,700 staff and 300 volunteers. But those numbers are not really what matters, for behind every number is a person.

  • The person who needs somebody to listen
  • The older person who needs care
  • The person living with dementia who needs patience and kindness
  • The person struggling with addiction who needs someone to believe that change is possible
  • The person whose mental health has made life feel very difficult
  • The family that needs support.

These are real people and CrossReach reaches out to them.

During my year as Moderator, I visited CrossReach services across much of the country. In Inverness and Glasgow, I sat with individuals who were struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. What moved me most was the sense of isolation many felt. Family relationships had broken down. Friends had drifted away. Several spoke of feeling that nobody cared whether they succeeded or failed. I will never forget listening to one woman who told me she had been through the system five times. Yet CrossReach had not given up on her and her life had been transformed. Hers was not the only story like that. What I heard and what I witnessed was CrossReach making a real difference to people's lives.

In those places I saw more than an organisation delivering social care. I saw the Church at work in the world. I saw people using their skills, their patience, their experience, their compassion and their humour, and sometimes simply their willingness to sit beside someone and listen. There was no great fuss about it. No need for recognition. People were simply getting on with the job of caring for others. Perhaps that is what Jesus is reminding us about in Matthew's Gospel. Christian faith is not simply about what we say. It is about what we do.

A single candle doesn't remove all the darkness but it makes a difference. When many candles are lit together, the darkness looks very different. That is what I saw, and still see, when I look at CrossReach. I see the Church bringing light into darkness. I see Christ's love being experienced by others.

CrossReach Sunday isn't about asking what we can give to CrossReach. It is about recognising what we are already part of. We are part of a Church that cares, that serves, that listens and that stands alongside people when life becomes difficult. It is a Church that brings the light of Christ into places where there is darkness, and that is something worth celebrating.

In a world where we struggle to know what is real, one thing we can be sure of is that the needs we see around us are real, but so is the care, compassion and love of Christ reaching out to meet them.

Today we give thanks not simply for what CrossReach does, but because we are part of it. All of us are part of Christ's Church at work in the world, and together we can bring the light of Christ into places where there is darkness.

The need is real.
Christ's love is real.
And the light of Christ is shining.

Prayer points for CrossReach Sunday

  • We pray for those working with children, young people and families
    Give them patience, wisdom and compassion as they support people whose lives can be difficult and complicated. Help them to be a source of safety, encouragement and hope.
  • We pray for those caring for older people and those living with dementiaGive them patience for the difficult days and joy in the good ones. Help them to see the person behind the illness and to show, through their care, that every person is precious and loved.
  • We pray for those working in mental health and counselling
    They hear stories which can be difficult to carry. Give them strength, wisdom and compassion, and help them to bring a little light into places where life can feel very dark.
  • We pray for those supporting people affected by addiction

Give them patience when progress is slow and courage when there are setbacks. Help them never to lose sight of the person and the possibility of a new beginning.

  • We pray for those supporting people with learning disabilities and additional needs
    Help them to see and encourage the gifts in every person, and to create places where people know that they belong.
  • We pray for those working with people experiencing homelessness, poverty and disadvantage
    Give them compassion and wisdom as they walk alongside people whose circumstances may have become overwhelming. Help them to bring dignity, welcome and hope.
  • And we pray for everyone who works or volunteers through CrossReach
    Give them strength when the work is demanding. Give them encouragement when they wonder whether what they do really makes a difference. Remind them that they are not simply providing a service. They are the Church at work. They are bringing the love of Christ into the lives of people who need it.

Resources for CrossReach Sunday 2026

Details of the day, resources, and how to get involved can be found on the CrossReach website: https://www.crossreach.org.uk/crossreach-sunday-2026

Musical suggestions

God Welcomes All (GWA) is the new supplement to Church Hymnary Fourth Edition. This exciting new collection features over 200 hymns and songs in a wide range of styles by writers from Scotland and around the world.

The full music and words-only versions are now available; and digital resources, including the expansion of the existing Church of Scotland music website, will be published in due course, with streaming functions and further information on each song; backing tracks; and lyric videos. God Welcomes All is available to order from https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781786225573/god-welcomes-all

Our online music resource is on the Church of Scotland website; you can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship. You will also find playlists for this week and liturgical seasons and themes on the Weekly Worship and Inspire Me tabs.

You can find further musical suggestions for this week in a range of styles on the Songs for Sunday blog from Trinity College Glasgow.

  • CH4 204 – "I am the Church, you are the Church"
  • CH4 694 – "Brother, sister, let me serve you"
  • GWA 185 – "The Lord will listen"
  • GWA 193 – "Come and find rest in Christ"
  • GWA 194 – "God in whose memory no one is lost" (the Forget-me-not hymn)
  • GWA 202 – "God, may our Church reflect Your grace"

Reflecting on our worship practice

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the way we worship has changed and we need to reflect on the changing or newly established patterns that emerged and continue to emerge as a result of the disruption.

We can facilitate worship for all by exploring imaginative approaches to inclusion, participation and our use of technologies in ways that suit our contexts. This is not an exhaustive list, but some things we could consider are:

  • Framing various parts of the worship service in accessible language to help worshippers understand the character and purpose of each part. This is essential for creating worship for all (intergenerational worship) that reflects your community of faith.
  • Holding spaces for reflection and encouraging prayer to be articulated in verbal and non-verbal ways, individually and in online breakout rooms.
  • In online formats the effective use of the chat function and microphone settings encourages active participation in prayer, e.g. saying the Lord's Prayer together unmuted, in a moment of ‘holy chaos'.
  • While singing in our congregations is still restricted, we can worship corporately by using antiphonal psalm readings, creeds and participative prayers.
  • Using music and the arts as part of the worship encourages the use of imagination in place of sung or spoken words.
  • Use of silence, sensory and kinaesthetic practices allow for experience and expression beyond regular audio and visual mediums.

The following questions might help you develop a habit of reflecting on how we create and deliver content and its effectiveness and impact, and then applying what we learn to develop our practice.

  • How inclusive was the worship?
    Could the worship delivery and content be described as worship for all/ intergenerational?
    Was it sensitive to different "Spiritual Styles"?
  • How was the balance between passive and active participation?
  • How were people empowered to connect with or encounter God?
    What helped this?
    What hindered this?
  • How cohesive was the worship?
    Did it function well as a whole?
    How effective was each of the individual elements in fulfilling its purpose?
  • How balanced was the worship?
    What themes/topics/doctrines/areas of Christian life were included?
  • How did the worship connect with your context/contemporary issues?
    Was it relevant in the everyday lives of those attending and in the wider parish/ community?
    How well did the worship connect with local and national issues?
    How well did the worship connect with world events/issues?
  • What have I learned that can help me next time I plan and deliver worship?

You can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship in our online hymnary.

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, parish magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.