Blog on the Learig

  17 February 2026 The drama of the transfiguration is enfolded in a cloud. Historically, God’s presence was to be found in the cloud which led the people of Israel across the desert by day. It was a bright cloud but it both revealed and concealed the living God. ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased.’ said the voice confirming the identity of Jesus in a word, resonating in the memory of   his baptism in the Jordan. The cloud enfolds the voice in mystery. We cannot see who speaks and we only hear a fragment. It is as tantalising as that! Towards the end of the fourteenth century, an anonymous text appeared for the benefit of those who wanted to become contemplatives. Instead of focusing on the humanity of God, it focuses   on the divine nature of God through a process of unknowing. The teaching is austere. When the student asks how   he is to achieve this work of contemplation, the teacher beseeches God to teach the student himself. ‘ For,’...

  16 February 2026 Jesus and his friends have come to Caesarea Philippi and he asks them, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ Some thought he was John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah. ‘Who do you say that I am?’ asks Jesus. It is Simon Peter who answers, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’   But when Jesus reveals the nature of his   Messiahship, Peter gets it all wrong. The Messiah’s   true identity is hidden in the great suffering he must endure in Jerusalem and their identity is to be found in a true discipleship of forgetting self,   taking up the cross and following Jesus. It is a way of hiddenness and   anonymity!   In a former day, anonymity was common place. Who painted the mammoths in the pre-historic caves? Who wrote the words and composed the tunes of our beloved   folk songs? Who wrote the book of Genesis or the accounts of the books of Kings or even the Gospels? Do we really know? We have the te...

  15 February 2026 One morning, my daughter brightened up my day. She sent me a white envelope addressed to ‘Dad Scott’. When I opened it up and pulled out the card, I got a big surprise! Bright red and yellow spots fell onto the floor! Inside there was a homemade card. It had a lovely big ‘S’ spiralling on one side of it. In the centre, there was another yellow spot – and some writing. ‘Hello dad! Happy Birthday!’ it said. ‘Here’s a spot of Birthday Brightness!’ On the back of the card, there was some more brightness – eight kisses and a little love heart. This lovely card was full of surprise. It certainly brightened up my day – and as a result, I caught a glimpse of the glory of God! It is important to brighten up the day if you can! Better doing that than making people feel miserable. When Peter, James and John went mountaineering with Jesus, he brightened up their day! When they got to the top, his friends were astonished because his appearance changed. His face was ...

  14 February 2026 The rain has stopped and the light has come! Walking at 7am   has been gloomy but the morning light has begun to break through   the darkness. The prospect of Spring days ahead is cheerful and hopeful. ‘Arise, my love, my fair one and come away.’ sings Solomon, the lover. ‘For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.’ The snowdrops are blooming on the banks of the Kinnessburn. They are truly Candlemas Bells for they were not to be seen in their glory in January. This is not in keeping with global warming unlike the grass which has grown convincingly during the last week. I don’t usually cut the grass until March. The crocus is now colouring the edges of the rockery. Tulips are up but not out and daffodils too. On the Lade Braes they are further on with heads forming but no blooms. People have been buying them up in the supermarket for 90p a bunch. ‘What about the pickers?’ asked one compassionate member of the church. At such a cheap p...

  13 February 2026 Entering the silence of God and listening to his Word has a very important consequence. It helps us to listen to others and to speak words which have come from his heart. Both Eli and Samuel were men of prayer and the words which they spoke had their home in the silence of God. They each illustrate a different dimension of this. When Eli heard Samuel’s prophecy about the destruction of   his own family. He simply said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’ He made no attempt to justify himself nor his family.   No amount of words could change the truth of this situation. His relationship with God gave him the self-control not to say any more than needed to be said. When Samuel grew up, he spoke to the people and the writer says, ‘All Israel listened.’ The words which he spoke were powerful precisely because they came from God. In order to speak, Samuel had to listen and in listening to God, he discovered the right words to speak on ...

  12 February 2026 A month ago, I mentioned briefly a conversation I had with the dentist’s receptionist. I was trying to make an appointment. She began the conversation in a patronising way. ‘What are we wanting today?’ she said. To which I replied, ‘There’s just one of me today!’ I am sorry to say that his way of speaking is not uncommon and it isn’t just dental receptionists who are guilty of speaking like this. It has been widely observed in the medical world. It’s called elderspeak and doctors are some of the worst culprits. In an article entitled, ‘Spin Doctors’, Philip Hensher tells his own story. He was suffering from an infected ulcer which had gone into the bone. The consultant summarised his treatment. ‘We’re just going to take a kind of little nibble at the toe.’ he said. Hensher replied. ‘Could you explain the distinction in surgical terms between ‘a kind of little nibble’ and partial amputation?’ The consultant was disconcerted. But why was he talking to a wel...