1 May 2025 When I was ordained, the Church of Scotland was not as generous towards ministers in terms of providing carpets etc for their manses. As a young married couple, we had very little financial resources so the purchase of gowns would have been very difficult. Fortunately, in those days, it was still the tradition for a congregation to purchase the cassock and Geneva gown for its newly ordained minister. When I was inducted to Forth:St. Paul’s I was given a cassock which I wore for my ordination and a gown which was formally presented to me at the reception by the senior elder. I no longer have that cassock but I still have the Geneva gown. It has been a reminder to me not only of my first charge in that mining community but of belonging to something much bigger than myself and that generous congregation. It was a reminder that I belonged to the whole Church and was called by God to serve. For some people the black robes are austere. Some have ...
Posts
30 April 2025 Wearing clerical robes is certainly convenient. I don’t have to think every Sunday morning, ‘What am I going to wear today.’ I put on my cassock and gown and think no more of it. It also answers another question which should concern us, ‘Are my clothes dignified enough to stand at the Holy Table to break the Bread of Life?’ Dignity is important in worship for at least two reasons. Firstly, our presentation as ordained ministers should not distract the worshipper from their worship of God. Secondly, it should complement the sacred space, hallowed for centuries by the prayers, praises and personal sacrifices of God’s people in God’s house. The appropriateness of the minister’s dress brings to the fore other concerns. There is the acknowledgement that the ordained minister is different from the congregation. They are not any better nor worse but they have a specific vocation to preach the Word and to celebrate the Sacraments. This should not be denied. T...
29 April 2025 Some ministers are disinclined to wear their robes when conducting worship in the kirk. Some wear a suit with tie or clerical collar. Some aren’t as formal as this. They wear assorted jackets or jumpers. Some wear jeans and T-shirt and so on. When talking about dress, it is important to state that our outer appearance is not as important as our inner life. In writing to Christian women, Peter says, ‘Do not adorn yourselves outwardly…’ And expands on this, ‘Rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit …’ In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul says, ‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.’ This is the clothing which means more than anything else not least the outward garments which differentiate the rich and the poor. In choosing to wear something different than the cassock and gown which ministers of the Church of Scotland have worn...
28 April 2025 A friend sent me a lovely Easter card. Inside she raised a question about God’s Plan. Her minister had been talking about it and she wondered how to square his understanding of God’s Plan with her understanding of our free will. The two theological ideas do not represent a binary option – God’s Plan versus our free will. The two are different sides of the same mysterious coin. Our humanity prevents us from squaring the circle and resolving these two sides into one, at least, all the time. Our free will is evident. We are like St. Paul doing the things we hate and not doing the things we love. Somehow our will becomes dominant and this often leads us into situations which we would rather avoid but somehow can’t. Fortunately, there are times when we are tempted to do something wrong but are constrained not to pursue this particular path. To what extent are we subjecting ourselves to the constraints of God’s mysterious plan for us and others? Love has the pow...
27 April 2025 The funeral of Pope Francis was a spectacle on a massive scale. The setting of St. Peter’s Square with its view of the basilica and the solid, immoveable, grand colonnades on either site. The mathematics of symmetry and scale, the choreography of the participants, the red stoles and vestments were impressive. At the heart of the service was a liturgy which is replicated in every Roman Catholic Church when a devout member dies - the Requiem Mass with its scripture readings, eucharist, commendation and all the rites associated with it – the censing of the coffin, the sprinkling with holy water, reminder of our baptism. The Pope had chosen to be buried in a simple wooden coffin like most of us. He could have had three, the one enclosed in the other like a set of Russian dolls. The simplicity of the coffin was a moving reminder not only of the Pope’s inevitable mortality but ours too. There was variation. There was a big chair and a wee chair for d...
26 April 2025 Usually Easter is celebrated on different dates in the Western and Eastern Church. This is because we each follow different calendars. Ours is Gregorian and theirs is Julian. Ours was established by a Pope and theirs was established by Julius Caesar. It is clearly much older in origin. But this year, Easter was celebrated on the same day in the Western and the Eastern Churches. For some time now, there has been a move to fix the date of Easter so that the Universal Church may be united in at least this – the celebration of Christ’s victory over death. Sadly, this unity eludes us not least in Ukraine where the Russian army fired two ballistic missiles at the border town of Sumy on Palm Sunday. As a result, Christian people who were worshipping in their churches were the victims. Thirty-five people were killed and a hundred injured. Despite the talk about a ceasefire and the myth perpetuated by Vladimir Putin about Holy Rus, there was no respect shown for fell...
25 April 2025 One Easter, I wrote an article for a newspaper on the crucifixion, framing it in the context of Christ’s failure. Some devout Christians took exception to this and wanted me to rewrite my article by removing the blasphemous words about the cross being a failure. From the perspective of the resurrection, of course, it is a victory. That’s what we sing about in our Easter hymns. But perhaps we get there far too quickly and miss the opportunity to ponder more deeply the failure which Christ experienced in his suffering and death. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he prays, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ And on the cross, he cries from the depths of his suffering, ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’ There is a deep sense that at these two points, Jesus has reached the end of his tether and cannot take any more. And yet, there is more to which he has to apply himself. He requires m...
24 April 2025 There were two very important lessons which I discovered early on in my work as a parish minister. The first was that I needed to acknowledge that the Church was the people whom God had called together in the parish where I was minister. I may find this one difficult or that one always in opposition to the decisions of Kirk Session but I couldn’t rub them out of the picture. Everyone gathered together in a worshipping community has been called by God and constitutes an integral part of the Church in that place. It is a beautiful concept not replicated in any other organisation nor society. It is the mysterious hand of God who has drawn us all together in a particular place and like the seed planted in the soil we have the opportunity to harvest something beautiful and strong. The second is like the first but different. It isn’t faithful to wait for young people to appear before thinking about ministering to them. Young people are also a significant pa...
23 April 2025 The women who went to the tomb with their sweet-smelling spices on Easter Day did not change their minds in the face of the disbelief amongst the disciples. They remained silently hopeful – and look what their witness has achieved. For 1600 years, the Easter Gospel has been proclaimed in Scotland, ‘Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.’ And nothing can silence the proclamation. The light of Christ has been passed on from these humbled women to us! We still have it and we need to pass it on to others. We are the silent, hopeful remnant of a former day who have light to offer those who spurn our idle tale and seeds to plant, to die before they spring to life again. And we begin around the Holy Table with simple things – bread, baked and broken, wine, poured and shared. And the command of Jesus to remember him always in bread and wine. This is no idle tale. It’s the seed bringing life to the world. When our hearts are wintry, grieving or in pain,...
22 April 2025 The church buildings which the Kirk is seriously trying to reduce by some 40% remain a potent witness to the resurrection of Christ for they tell a tale not of idleness but of faith and confidence in the ministry of Christ. After the destruction of the War, Coventry Cathedral was rebuilt and after the fire which almost destroyed Notre Dame de Paris, it was rebuilt and reopened to much acclaim last December. In one ruin, two burnt embers fell from the roof in the shape of a cross which inspired Coventry’s worldwide ministry of reconciliation. In another, two treasures survived – a gold cross and a sculpture of Mary silently and sorrowfully holding the crucified body of Jesus. In the face of destruction, Christians can always find hopeful signs which inspire them to shape a future which embraces what has gone before and re-imagines it in a completely new way. This is the Spirit of the crucified and risen Christ!
21 April 2025 – Easter Monday We strive to share the Easter Gospel with a world which has grown wearily sceptical of religious faith and experience. A recent international survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre in Washington confirms this. The think tank surveyed population samples in thirty-six different countries including the United Kingdom. There were two startling results concerning the impact of religion on the nation. Firstly, 51% of the people in the UK thought that religion was not helpful to society. The UK was second only to the Netherlands in this negative view of religion. Secondly, 57% of people in the UK thought that religion promoted intolerance. Here the UK was second only to Sweden where 62% thought religion promoted intolerance. Both of these results indicate how sceptical people in the UK have become with regards to religion. This is an idle tale which has negative consequences for the nation! In this context, the witness of the women ...
20 April 2025 - Easter Day Helen Lawrenson, a retired Classics teacher and a member at Wormit Parish Church where I am on the preaching rota, sent us a lovely Easter card. Inside, she included an Easter poem which she had just composed for the season. It is charming – gentle, hopeful and full of joy. It’s called, ‘Presence’. It was not yet day. Mary in the garden, weeping, did not know Him, till she heard Him say her name. The same blindness held the eyes of His friends, who had been walking with Him … So He broke the bread: surprise then shone – but He was gone! Daybreak on the shore: Peter and the rest out fishing, but with no luck. He called out Cast once more … A heaving net! And yet they knew Him not at all, until they found Him waiting. Let us go then, to the kitchen – to the hall – to work – no matter where: but know for certain that He will be there.
19 April 2025 – Holy Saturday Presbyterians have traditionally marked this day with silence. There is no service, no preaching of the Word, no gathering together to mourn the crucified Christ. Just silence and the rest which comes to all those who close their eyes in death. I have rarely read St. John’s account of the burial of Jesus at a funeral but I have requested it to be read at my own along with St. Paul’s great argument about preaching the resurrection. The burial is moving with the witness of two rich men who alone were in a position to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Nicodemus, who had come to see Jesus by night, finds courage to see Pilate in the day. Joseph who comes from that enchantingly named place, Arimathea, is the one who has a garden and in that garden, a new tomb where no-one had ever been buried. Because it was the day before the Sabbath and the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. The words defy articulation. For the one who was bef...
18 April 2025 – Good Friday Traditionally, the crucifixion is portrayed with Jesus on the cross and two people on either side. John, the Beloved Disciple, is on the right and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is on the left. They say nothing but their steadfastness and compassion are commendable. It is Jesus who speaks. To Mary, he says, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ And to John, he says, ‘Here is your mother.’ The author adds, ‘From that hour the disciple took her into his own home.’ They say nothing. They wait and watch. ‘He says, ‘I am thirsty.’ then ‘It is finished.’ And then he bows his head and gives up his spirit. The traditional picture has omitted two others. Mary is not alone. She has two companions and they are both called Mary. The one is Mary Magdalene and the other is Mary, the wife of Clopas, who is also described as an aunt to Jesus, perhaps through marriage or perhaps a cousin but she shares his mother’s name. From the birth of Jesus, Mary has pondered much in her ...
17 April 2025 – Maundy Thursday Love is not the gospel. Heavens! People have been loving one another since the days of creation. Nor is Christ’s love a love which is defined by the love of self nor even neighbour. This is the Golden Rule which is not specifically Christian. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is still imbued with the self-interest which is necessary to sustain a civilized society. But that’s not what is required to build a Christian society nor indeed a Christian community. This is the new love of which Jesus speaks in the thirteenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel. ‘I give you a new commandment that you love one another.’ says Jesus. And we say, ‘There’s nothing new about that!’ But he goes on. ‘ Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.’ The chapter begins with Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. And he does this as an example of what it means to love one another! Of course, almost everyone can wash feet! You don’t need any qu...
16 April 2025 A very encouraging report has just been issued by the Bible Society. It relates to two surveys which it commissioned – one in 2018 and the other in 2024. YouGov conducted both in samples of the adult population of England and Wales. The report says nothing about Scotland. As a result, the Bible Society discovered that Church attendance in England and Wales is on the rise. What is more interesting is that the most dramatic increase is seen among young people and, in particular, young men. ‘In 2018, just 4% of 18-24 year olds said they attended church at least monthly. Today this has risen to 16% with young men increasing from 4% to 21% and young women from 3% to 12%.’ the Society summarises adding, ‘This is now the second most likely age group to attend church regularly.’ More than this, it is the young people in the national sample who show higher levels of spiritual discipline. This group of 18-24 year olds (Gen Z) are more likely to pray regularly and are ...
15 April 2025 Ever since a definable liturgy began to emerge in the nascent Church, it has been traditional to read the Passion narrative from one of the four gospels on Palm Sunday or Good Friday. It was the beginning of the dramatic arts which emerged with the Mystery Plays in the Middle Ages. Throughout my ministry, I incorporated the Passion narratives in three ways. Firstly, at the Good Friday service, we read the Passion often from St. John’s Gospel with different voices taking the roles of narrator, Christ and Pontius Pilate. On Palm Sunday, I always told the children the story of Christ’s Passion beginning with the donkey ride into Jerusalem and ending with Christ’s moving burial in the garden belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. This was accompanied by artefacts of the Passion or pictures illustrating the events. This all came back to me on Sunday when we went to St. John’s Kirk in Perth to hear the St. Matthew Passion composed by JS Bach for Palm Sunday or G...
14 April 2025 At the end of the millennium, the Churches Advertising Network in England created a poster to encourage attendance at church on Easter Day 1999. With the latest technology, they transformed an image of Che Guevara into Jesus. The Cuban revolutionary had a crown of thorns upon his head on a distinctively blood-red background. Underneath, there were some words, ‘Meek. Mild. As if.’ And the invitation, ‘Discover the real Jesus. Church. April 4’. This time, Jesus was being reframed as a political revolutionary in the image of the zealots who had inspired Judas Iscariot whose disillusionment betrayed Jesus but ended his life in a shocking suicide. The politically inspired poster wanted people to think about Jesus. ‘We want people to realise that Jesus is not a wimp in a white nightie or someone who is a bit of a walkover, but a strong, revolutionary figure.’ they said. When Jesus arrives in the city, he does two things. Firstly, he wee...
13 April 2025 Have you seen the red MAGA baseball cap which is worn by supporters of President Trump? The MAGA is a shortened way of saying, ‘Make America Great Again!’ This has been Donald Trump’s rallying cry. At some events, supporters were not only wearing the MAGA baseball caps, they were carrying placards with a picture of a first century Christ with robes and beard. As if that wasn’t surprising enough, this first century Christ was also wearing a red MAGA baseball cap! Jesus had been conscripted to enfold the message about America’s greatness into a Christian context. This was not only a Republican Party slogan but also a means of embracing the Christian community by subverting the Gospel into the aspirations and dreams of a political party. Did it work? Does it work? Can you see the living Christ riding upon a donkey into Jerusalem with his red MAGA baseball cap upon his head? Can you see him kneeling down on the floor and washing feet with his MA...
12 April 2025 On Tuesday, we attended the opera at the Concert Hall in Perth. Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’ is a favourite amongst many people. It’s the story of Violetta described in the programme as a courtesan. She falls in love with Alfredo. They are very happy. However, Alfredo’s father interferes. He persuades Violetta to give up his son because their liaison is prejudicing his daughter’s future. Alfredo seeks revenge and is challenged to a duel by Violetta’s lover, the Baron. Following the duel, Alfredo goes abroad but when he hears of Violetta’s illhealth, he returns to make amends. They are happily reunited but only for a moment. The opera ends with Violetta’s death in Alfredo’s arms and his regretful father weeping uncontrollably. Alfredo’s constancy pays off in the end if only momentarily but the power of love to triumph against adversity is gloriously proclaimed in beautiful music and singing that resonated throughout the concert hall. The costumes were lavish,...
11 April 2025 There was an interesting article in the Sunday Times about the Irish author, Maggie O’ Farrell. Emily Prescott was writing about the author’s stammer which she has had since childhood. Although she speaks fluently for most of the time, the impact is lasting. ‘I don’t think you ever don’t have a stammer,’ she said, ‘you’re always a recovered stammerer and I know that it’s there.’ She habitually asks her husband to make phone calls for her because as Prescott says, ‘her stammer makes her think words will fail her’. One of the worst sounds she has to make is the letter ‘m’ – and, of course, her name begins with the letter ‘m’. When someone asks her to tell them her name, she uses some subterfuge to ensure she doesn’t begin with the letter ‘m’ and says, ‘You can call me Maggie.’ As she says, ‘You are performing semantic gymnastics inside your head all the time, thinking ahead and editing yourself, re-editing yourself and rewriting, already a ...
10 April 2025 St. Paul says , ‘I press on towards the goal for the prize .. ’ He is on the way. He hasn’t arrived. Neither have we. This is our encouragement. We live in that sphere of the pressing on, the looking forward, the straining towards the goal, the prize which he describes as the heavenly or upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The purpose of Paul’s straining and his running and his reaching out is to know Christ. Nothing else is of any significance and nothing else holds the promise of eternal life! I love the sense of movement inherent in the alternative reading ‘the upward call’. It encourages us to lift up our eyes, our ears, our head and our body to see and to hear the one who calls us upward! This is the focus of our ministry, our life together. This is the source of our unity, our peace which passes all understanding. This is our healthy perspective, the place where our vision is shaped and sharpened and inspired. This is the abiding place of Him...
9 April 2025 In Isaiah’s prophecy (43;16-21) , the Lord suggests that the wild animals will honour him. This may be part of Isaiah’s glorious vision of the ‘peaceable kingdom’ where the lion will lie down with the lamb and a little child shall lead them or it may be something else like a warning to those who do not trust in the new thing which God is doing. For two creatures are mentioned in the text. The first is the ostrich. In the Bible, she is considered foolish laying her eggs on the ground and treating her young as if they weren’t hers. ‘For God did not endow her with wisdom.’ says Job. And for us, she sticks her head in the sand hoping that any change will never happen! There are parishes where the elders and members are growing older and the worshipping community is diminishing in size and people are only interested in keeping things going as they hope that things will stay just the same and see them out! The second creature is the jackal. It belongs to the wild d...