Blog on the Learig

  2 May 2026 Recently, someone asked me why there was so much anti-semitism in our world. There has always been anti-semitism but it has become all the more newsworthy in the recent times. Anyway, the question   set me thinking. There are five things which are contributory factors. Firstly, according to the Old Testament and God’s eternal plan, the Jews were specially chosen to fulfil a ministry which would bring all nations   back to God. They failed in this purpose but still retained the accolade of being God’s chosen people. Secondly, there is evidence in the Gospels that the evangelists played down the involvement of the Romans in the crucifixion of Jesus. It may have been the case that they wanted to protect the nascent church from being persecuted. The Jews and, in particular, their leaders were culpable and became known as Christ killers. Thirdly, the Roman Catholic liturgy for Passiontide contained anti-semitic sentiments. One of the Good Friday prayers ta...

  1 May 2026 I am working as a facilitator in the Presbytery. I had a preliminary meeting with two congregations to explore the possibility of union. One of the initial exercises involves remembering the Christmas carol, ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ and in particular, ‘The hopes and fears of all the years …’ One of the hopes which is often articulated in these situations relates to increased membership and the hope of more worshippers, more energy, more ideas, the   opportunity to spread the base of responsibility and greater care of the parish. In this regard bigger   would be better. In this meeting, I was delighted to hear that one of their hopes was to prioritise work amongst young people and their families and to develop working relationships with the Primary Schools in this expanded parish.   This is critical and essential work. There was the hope that   in a bigger parish more care would be taken to communicate with people and to keep people toget...

  30 April 2026 On Easter Day, the physical body of Jesus had gone from the tomb. ‘He is not here! He has been raised!’ proclaimed the angels. When the women met the risen Christ they ‘took hold of his feet’.   They were clinging on to the physical. Jesus had other ideas. He told them to go and tell the disciples that   they would see him in Galilee. In any bereavement, we have to let go of the physical. The imperative is to ‘Go!’ – leave the tomb, travel on, make disciples of all nations, baptising … Our true life is not made up of physical things – a house, a church, a painting, a bookcase, a car, a bag of golf clubs. Our true life is made up of spiritual things, the things   which lift us out of ourselves and into the presence of God. Consider these three. Firstly, letting go of self and living for others. This takes us right into the heart of the Gospel. ‘Forget self, take up your cross and follow me.’   This liberates us from concerning thoughts abo...

  29 April 2026 We have a privet hedge round our front garden. Across the road, a neighbour has a wall constructed with breeze blocks. The other day, one of the children in the house took some large coloured chalks and began colouring in the breeze block bricks in a colourful pattern. The dull grey of the breeze block was instantly transformed with red and yellow, green and blue. It made a startling impact upon us and cheered up the neighbourhood. As well as the coloured bricks, there were some words, an instruction to us all, ‘Be Happy!’ What made the child create such splendid pageantry? Was she happy because it was her birthday? Or perhaps the family was going away on the May weekend? Or perhaps something had gone wrong at home? Was it an instruction to those who lived inside? It may have been a shout which we would all like to make to a world which is badly scarred with warfare, violence and civil unrest? ‘Be happy!’ If only we could take it on board   through the ...

  28 April 2026 When a third of the   ministers and elders left the Church of Scotland in what became known as the Disruption in 1843, little did we realise that the duplication of church building would create so much trouble for future generations of kirk folk. The enthusiasm with which the Free Church built their kirks and manses was phenomenal. In East Linton, a prime spot was secured at the top of the High Street and became the dominant feature on the landscape. It was built within the year. The striking spire was added later. A lot of these duplicated buildings have been rationalised and many have been sold. Because of reduced resources of ministers, money and members, some of our ancient and historical buildings are under threat too. Such is the need for rationalisation. Perhaps this is the problem. What are   the criteria by which a building is ‘sold, let or otherwise disposed of’ as the Presbytery Plan instructs? Underlying this rationalisation are ‘The Fi...

  27 April 2026 Dr. James Robertson was one of my predecessors at Whittingehame Kirk. Towards the end of the nineteenth century,   he   was invited to give a series of lectures on Pastoral Theology at the four Scottish Universities. He entitled them, ‘The Christian Minister His Aims and Methods’. They were published in 1899. ‘Remember that in no charge, however humble, will any of you be less than a minister of Christ; it is only in money and worldly prominence that you need ever be inferior; not in labour, not in service, not in joy.’ he wrote, setting the ministry in its proper context of humble servant. ‘What will be your thought and manner in visiting a family, say, for the first time? I answer, You will cross the threshold with reverence, were it for this reason only, that you can little foresee what may be the issues of your acquaintance with this household, or on what solemn errands you may come to their door.’ Humility is the primary characteristic of thos...