25 January 2026 – Burns’ Day For a’ that, an a’ that, It’s comin yet for a’ that, That man to man the world o’er Shall brithers be for a’ that. ‘Is There For Honest Poverty’ is one of Robert Burns’ most famous poems and songs, famously sung at the opening of the Scottish Parliament. It embraces the equality of every human being born out of the first page of Genesis where the author tells us that we were all made in the image and likeness of God. The sacredness of every human being is what inspires more secular laws about equality but the Biblical reference is to God not man. And one of the ways in which we can embrace this sacredness is to be compassionate, to stand in the shoes of another and see them as God sees them! For Jenny had her problems decorating her head with a fancy hat and thinking of herself more highly than she should. The louse which the poet saw crawling on her hat during the minister’s sermon was the inspiration for another of his famous verses, ‘...
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24 January 2026 Although contemporary nursing homes are better than the long-term geriatric wards which I visited forty-five years ago, nothing can replicate the comfort of being and remaining in your own home. Everything should be done to ensure that people stay at home for as long as possible. Of course, there may come a time when there is no-one else at home and twenty-four hour nursing care is required but for everyone else it must become a personal ambition to stay at home. We have built an extension with a wet room to keep us out of nursing homes for as long as possible. Recently, I read about a new invention for people with dementia which will enable some people to remain at home much longer. The invention relies on AI. Although there are limitations to AI, this is one area of scientific research which has benefitted. It’s a pair of glasses equipped with CrossSense, a new AI tool which helps people with dementia to navigate their world. Inside ...
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23 January 2026 I once submitted an article to a journal about a theologian who was also a mathematician. The article was peer reviewed by two academics. One favoured it, the other did not. He raised questions about my arguments. I answered them successfully. The article was then reviewed by a third academic. This time, he argued that the article should not be published. The feedback was brief. What I remember most vividly was the objection that my quotations were not in the original Latin! I tell this tale to illustrate the extent to which publishers will go to ensure that the articles which they approve for publication are of the highest quality. The peer reviewers need to be rigorous. Is there any plagiarism. Are the arguments coherent? Are the quotations from the original text? Recently, there has been some controversy about the number of scientific articles which have been published with falsified data, manipulated images, injudicious use of statistical information e...
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22 January 2026 There have been two interesting surveys conducted recently. The first was called, ‘Grateful Britain’ and it was undertaken by the Policy Institute of King’s College, London. In October 2025, 2050 people were surveyed. Their belief in God and experience of transcendence were plotted. There were some interesting results from young people. About one quarter of the total sample (27%) said that they had an experience of awe and wonder at the universe or in nature at least once a week. This rose to 36% for the youngest group of people (18-34 year olds). The study also found out something remarkable about belief in God. 51% of the 18-34 age group was most likely to say that they believed in God to some extent. This compared with 33% of 35-49 year olds, 30% of 35-49 year olds, 30% of 50-64 year olds and 41% of people aged 65-plus. The second survey was undertaken by SPCK, the Christian publisher. It found that the total sales of Bibles in the UK ...
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21 January 2026 St. Paul not only said, ‘There is one body and one Spirit.’ He also said that we should make every effort ‘to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’. (Ephesians 4;3) The bond of peace is what we read about in the Gospel of St. John where Jesus says something very significant about the crucifixion. ‘I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ (St. John 12;32) His ministry makes people one through the power of his unifying ‘one Spirit’. It is beautifully summarised in his letter to Colossians. ‘Through Christ, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of the cross’. (Colossians 1;20) The ministry of Christ is a ministry of love which is prepared to suffer and die for the other, exercising a ministry of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace-making. Celebrating the unity which is established in our baptism ...
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20 January 2026 ‘There is one body.’ says St. Paul. We are all united across our parish and denominational boundaries through our baptism into Christ. We do nothing to deserve this. It is a gift of God’s grace. And it is the life of Christ living within us which creates this one body. And as Martin Luther famously wrote, it is through our baptism that we become priests. Christ, of course, is our High Priest but as Peter says we are called ‘to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ (1 Peter 2;5) St. Paul highlights the gifts given to the Church ‘that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers’. (Ephesians 4;11) And these gifts were given for two reasons. Firstly, to equip the saints for the work of ministry. All our gifts are given to enable others to minister too. ‘I have been crucified with Christ.’ says St. Paul, ‘and it is no longer I who live, but it is...
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19 January 2026 Yesterday, over a hundred people worshipped together in Pittenweem Kirk. This was the third Sunday of the new union between Pittenweem and St. Ayle. On this occasion, we were joined by the local Episcopalian congregation, St. John’s. When the kirk at Pittenweem united with their neighbours in Cellardyke and Anstruther, they took with them this very precious relationship. It is a distinctive gift – a significant ecumenical dimension which enlarges our vision of the Church and inspires us to look beyond our own natural boundaries. For many people in the Kirk, the Radical Action Plan which was agreed in 2019 has brought a lot of turmoil in terms of readjustment, impacted by the Covid virus and the delays in reaching agreement across the different parishes. It has been a negative experience in some respects but in one major respect it has been very positive. It has encouraged parishes to look beyond their historic boundaries and to reconne...