23 June 2026

It is extraordinary that the Tartan Army got so much publicity in Boston. Two parts of our culture helped to bring the fans to public attention. The first was the kilt – our distinctive colourful national dress and the second was the bagpipes – accompanied by the drums, they are not only loud, they are very loud.

But there was more to it than that. People in Boston admitted that the Scottish fans brought their city alive and they didn’t want them to leave. Their determination to celebrate the moment and embrace everyone who crossed their path was a lesson in community engagement.

The fans were so cohesive. They were united in their support of the Scottish team and celebrated it in a distinctive repertoire of song. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Even after the defeat against Morocco, they gave it a positive spin and were moving forward to defeat an even more powerful team, Brazil.

The Kirk can learn a lot from their strong allegiance, their cohesion and their celebration. Our allegiance is to Christ but we are not united. We do not cohere. There is division at the denominational level and at the local level as recent disputes about Presbytery Planning have made clear.

We have spent the last four years in stressful consultations about possible unions and probable loss of buildings. Whilst some situations are resolved easily, others take several protractive turns for the worse. How can we celebrate whilst hearts are breaking?

And yet, joy is at the heart of the Gospel which should liberate us from attachments to material things and encourage us to engage not only with our fellow Christians but with the people in our communities. This is the most striking aspect of Scottish fandom – their ability to touch everyone  with their heartfelt joy!