8 January 2026

Computers cannot problem solve. They cannot solve our broken relationships nor our child’s addiction to alcohol nor the grief which overwhelms us when someone we love dies nor the impenetrable complexities of making peace in time of  war nor the best way to reconfigure a declining Kirk.

Problem solving is something which human beings are very good at and this skill will never be matched by AI. It requires creativity and imagination which the computer does not possess. They will help us in two important problems.

The first is the calling of a new minister. It is a privilege which has divided the Kirk in times past. It is not a straightforward task to discover the one whom God has called to minister in a particular charge. We believe that God is working in our world today but how can we pin him down?

There is no human apparatus which can ensure that the infinite God can be contained  in a finite way. The process of discernment requires patience  to wait on God, to listen to his Spirit working in those entrusted  with the task and to have faith that God will reveal his will to us in his own time.

The second is the unity of the Church. This is our calling today for it belongs to the prayer of Jesus ‘that they may all be one .. so that the world may believe’. Our unity as a congregation, a Kirk, a Universal Church is fundamental to the ministry of reconciliation which is the fruit of Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross.

It is our duty to make peace with our neighbour, to work for the unity of the Church and to strive to eradicate anything which will cause other people to turn away from God and his Word. The only way to do this is to embrace the Word which lies at the heart of creation and die to self to give life to others.

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