Happy Christmas Everyone!

And so at last we arrive at Christmas Day itself.

Mary and Joseph might have reached their destination of Bethlehem, but once they arrived they found that the place was heaving - jammed full, overflowing, just like the shopping centres have been these past few days.

Mary could tell that the baby wasn't going to wait much longer. They had to find somewhere to stay. But everywhere they tried was full, or fully reserved. No room for you. Go away. Find somewhere else.

Until at last, after a long search, when hope was almost gone, and they were becoming desperate, someone took pity on them.

It wasn't the best room in the house by any means. But it would do. It may not have been a labour ward in a modern hospital, but it had probably seen many births over the years, even if those were to the animals, and not people.

It did do. Whether Joseph managed to get a midwife, or had to help Mary himself, they succeeded. The baby was born, safely arrived, and Mary survived too.

She was a tough lady, to have gone through all the waiting, all the travelling, and the hard work of labour itself. I'm sure that when Jesus was born, she thought for a few moments, "I'm glad that is all over!"

And then, a few moments after that, when Jesus nuzzled up to her for his first feed, she realised that it wasn't all over - it had only just begun!

Perhaps, this Christmas-time will be like that for you. It might have been a hard journey for you, to reach your current position. You might have been searching for a long time, and finally realise that you have found it. It seems like it's all over.

And then you realise that it's just begun.

But you're not on your own. Like Mary and Joseph, God is watching over you. Indeed, he is so close that he is with you. If you invite him in, he'll be in you too, filling you with his power, his strength, and his love, for ever.

The journey ahead stretches out. The end is not in sight - but it beckons towards you. It's a place you want to be, you long to be, you can be.

Jesus said, that he would go ahead of you to prepare a place for you, and that he would come again to take you there himself, and until then he would leave you his Holy Spirit, with you, in you, for you.

The journey lies ahead. Take the next step.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve today - Yippee!!!!!!!

As I was pondering a few hours ago it occurred to me that Eve is another of these multi-meaning'ed words (i.e. it is polysemous, to use the technical term).

In my Advent Blog this year we began our considerations with the concept of Jesus being the Word of God who spoke at the moment of Creation when the Universe exploded into existence out of nothingness. That Bang occurred 13 Billion years ago, or thereabouts.

Although the first humans arose around 100,000 years ago, a mere eye-blink in the cosmic timescale, that moment is also so far in the past that there is no historical record that describes it.

However, the writers of Genesis gave the mythical First Man and First Woman the names Adam and Eve.

These are names that are based on the Hebrew words for Man and Living. Interestingly, the Greek Old Testament, the LXX dating from around 330BC, begins by using the Greek word Anthropos for the Man, and then the transliteration of the Hebrew, Adam.

But for the woman, she is initially described using the Greek word Gunaika, meaning woman or wife. Later Adam gives her the Greek name Zoe, which equates to the Jewish word Eve, meaning 'living'.

Adam and Zoe just doesn't have the same ring to it - and it's no use for Rhyming Slang either!

But the word 'Eve' is also short for the word evening, meaning the day before the Main Day. So we also get Hallowe'en (for Hallow Even), and New Year's Eve (or Hogmanay, in Scotland, just to be different!).

So today is now Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas Day.

Christmas Zoe doesn't quite have the same ring to it!
Although I know some nice people called Eve(lyn) and other nice people called Zoe!

Or we could call it Christmas Living.

I like that name better.

For Jesus not only said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Zoe)." I just realised that Jesus described himself as Zoe - now there's a bonus for all you people with the same name as Jesus!

And another thought, if Jesus could be called Zoe, he could also be called Eve! No wonder women had such high status in the Early Church. Maybe women have an unfair advantage in today's church too. Us Men need to get more involved!

Jesus also said that he had come that his followers might have life, and have abundant life, lots of life, be full of life, overflowing with life (bringing us back to the Psalm 23 imagery of my cup being full and running over I wrote about a couple of days ago).

Christmas is for Living!
Let's Live It Up this Christmas.
Christmas - Get a Life!
Christmas is for Life - not just for Dogs!

These are slogans that would resonate with the Culture of Celebration that surrounds Christmas these days.

Which one do you like best? (if any!)
Can you think of any others on the same theme?
Or Eve(n) on a different theme!
Drop me a Comment! (Registration not required.)

Christmas Shepherd

Yesterday I was glad to return to my home church at Davidson's Mains as they lead up to Christmas. I enjoyed the sermon which linked the Christmas Story with Psalm 23 - the Lord's my Shepherd. You can listen to the Podcast from their website.

It hadn't struck me before that the Christmas Shepherds had come to visit the baby who would one day be known as the Good Shepherd.

Of course, the family of Israel had been sheep farmers right back to Abraham's time. So the image of the Shepherd and his Sheep was a very powerful one for them.

King David began his life as a shepherd. It's not surprising then, that his psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd, powerfully encapsulates that symbology in only six short verses.

No wonder it was popular then, popular with the early church, and still popular today.

The ancient Shepherds led their sheep, along the paths, to green pastures, and to clear waters. And when the sheep went astray, the shepherd would search for them, find them, and bring them back home.

If you are feeling that your life has gone a bit astray, then know that the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the Most High God, is calling you home.

He knows where you are. He is with you now. Follow Him to find your way Home.

Bridges - Bah - Humbug!

It's been windy here in Edinburgh this last few days, as well as in the rest of Scotland.

It's not an uncommon happening. It's often windy in this Northern Kingdom.

As I mentioned in yesterday's Blog, the Forth Road Bridge was open only to cars on Friday evening. It's been so windy today that the FRB has been closed to most traffic for much of today also.

I can't figure out why the Scottish Government decided in the Summer to choose a new bridge across the Forth instead of a tunnel. I can only attribute it to a case of communal forgetfulness about the nature of Scottish Weather.

I don't know if FETA keep records of the number of hours the FRB is not fully open, or speed is restricted, due to strong winds, fog, or ice. But it must be several days a year.

In fact, a news report on the FETA web site records that two lorries overturned on the bridge in strong winds during the first three months of this year. Further, the bridge was closed to 'wind-susceptible vehicles' for 184 hours during the same three months. That's a total of eight 24-hour periods in only three months!

A tunnel under the Forth would not be subject to any restrictions due to weather conditions such as these. When the costs of the New Bridge were being compared with the costs of a New Tunnel did anyone calcultae the disruptive cost to the nation of more than a week's worth of unplanned closures due to weather every Winter? I doubt it - since those costs are 'invisible' to the Construction or Operation of the new crossing.

On December 10th the Scottish Government announced that the cost of the new Forth Bridge would be about half of the previous estimates. This was because the old bridge would remain partly operational thus allowing the new bridge to be scaled down.

That's great news. But the lower price for the new bridge is still more than twice the estimated cost of a tunnel (as calculated by Forth TAG).

A tunnel could be in place at least a year before a new bridge, for half to a quarter of the cost, be able to carry heavy rail to complement the capacity of the Forth Rail Bridge, and not be subject to any weather closures.

The Scottish Parliament building cost less than £500m and many people think it's a waste of money.

Here we are proposing to build the most expensive infrastructure project in the country, at a cost of 2 Billion Pounds (+/- 250 Million), and so many people already think it's the wrong decision.

It would not even be politically difficult for the current administration to convert the project into a tunnel. It was the previous Labour administration who wanted their names in lights on the New Bridge.

A Tunnel is hidden under the ground. No-one can see it. It just doesn't have the same political leverage of a bridge. After all, with a bridge you can point at it and say - look, I did that.

I hope that common sense will result in a reconsidering of the bridge decision. A Tunnel is the way to go - for all sorts of reasons. A New Bridge is a Bridge Too Far.

Towards Christmas

This past week has been the last week of school before Christmas. It's been hectic. Last Friday Bridgend visited our Kingscavil Church for their Christmas Show. And this week, on Wednesday, it was the turn of Winchburgh Primary School to visit Winchburgh Church for their Christmas Show.

I enjoyed hearing the children reading and acting the Christmas Story, and singing the story too. Amidst all my output about Christmas - it was nice to have some input.

On Wednesday evening we had the P7's Christmas Party. It was nice that the class invited my Supervisor and I to attend. It was an indication that they appreciated our input to their classwork during the term. And it turned out that we were the only adult males there!

The children had organised in advance who would be their partners for each of the dances. So I was glad there was no quarreling over would be my dance partner. That would have been a first!

We danced several Scottish dances, most of which I knew, and some that were new to me. But even the familiar dances had some variations. For the children are not too keen to get too close to their dance partner. So some of the twirly bits are at arms length, instead of with arms around!

I must admit, that as I was dancing with my 11-year-old partners I was working quite hard to make sure that I wasn't making a fool of myself in front of these children! Perhaps it was just as well that none of my church training colleagues were there to see me!

And another thought that flitted through my head that evening was the similarities and differences between this party, and last week's Senior Citizen's Christmas Party. For on that occasion I was also dancing with some of the ladies present.

It was quite strange to be remembering dancing with the ladies who were 20 to 30 years older than me. And at the same time to be dancing with young ladies who were 40 years younger than me. No wonder I made the odd mis-step!

But the Orcadian Strip-the-Willow certainly eliminated any confusion I may have had about which party I was at. I thought I was quite fit - but by the end of the seond time through the dance I was totally exhausted! Mind you so were the youngsters - and I had at least managed to retain my enthusiasm until the end - unlike some of them!

And the week was beautifully rounded off by the Church Youth Group's Panto Visit to see Sleeping Beauty at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline. There were forty of us all, including leaders and friends, and even my wife was able to come along.

It was a splendid production and there was no danger of any of us falling asleep ourselves. Mind you we were quite late home - for the strong winds caused the Forth Bridge authority to ban all vehicles except cars from crossing the bridge - and we were on the wrong side!

So we had to make the long detour up to Kincardine. It was funny to be back there - for that was where my first Probationers' Conference was back in September. The new bridge wasn't open then - but it is now. We didn't get to go across it, but we could see the traffic using it in both directions, as we crossed on the old bridge.

And now we come to the Christmas Week itself. I'll be leading two services tomorrow - one at 10 in the morning, and another with Nine Lessons and Carols, at 3 in the afternoon, both at Kingscavil Church, just East of Linlithgow. And our Sunday School Nativity Service will be at Winchburgh at 11:30 in the morning.

Next week we have another Carol Service on Monday evening at 7:30 at Winchburgh. And on Christmas Eve we have a services at Winchburgh at 7:30pm, and at Abercorn and Bridgend (New Mission Hall) both at 11:30pm.

And finally on Christmas Day itself, we'll enjoy a Christmas Communion service at Abercorn at 9:30am. After which we'll head home to enjoy the usual Christmas festivities - if I don't end up collapsing from exhaustion in front of the fire!

I hope you all enjoy the run up to Christmas - and if I don't get the chance to tell you again before then - have a Happy Christmas - yourself, your family, and all your friends.

Carnage in the Vendee

The Non-stop Round the World yacht race, the Vendee Globe, has been running for 36 days now. The fleet have all rounded Africa and are charging across the Southern Ocean, averaging up to 20 knots over each 24-hour day.

However, in the violent squalls and mountainous seas of the Southern Ocean, the frenetic pace at the front of the race is taking its toll.

This morning British skipper Mike Golding had just taken the lead, after the previous leader had suffered rudder problems, when Golding's mast came down. It is a cruel blow for Golding, who was dismasted in the Southern Ocean two years ago in the Velux 5 Oceans race after rescuing Alex Thomson of Hugo Boss.

But Golding's was not the only dismasting. Loick Peyron was dismasted a few days ago while leading the race and is now heading for Australia under jury rig.

Dominique Wavre has a broken keel, and his Swiss compatriot, Bernard Stamm is also suffering from rudder problems. Both skippers headed for the remote Kerguelen Islands to shelter while making repairs. As Dominque was readying for departure, Bernard arrived in gale force winds and, losing control of his craft, was forced aground by the savage wind. Bernard was taken off safely and hopes his yacht has not been too badly damaged.

Fortunately all the skippers of these recently damaged yachts remain safe and are now heading for Australia and civilisation.

The race continues apace with Michel Desjoyeaux taking over the lead. He is being hotly pursued with three of his rivals within 50 miles astern. Desjoyeaux won this race in 2001 just a little ahead of Ellen Macarthur.

The two British women, the only women, are still in this race. Samantha Davies is 884 miles behind the leader and Dee Caffari is 1300 miles behind. Although they are far back from the leaders, at the present rate of attrition up the front, the girls may yet finish near the front.

The first yacht to the finish will win. But to win they have to finish.

Eleven of the thirty starters have now suffered damage leading them to retire from the race - and they are not even halfway round yet.

The skippers will continue to flirt with icebergs until after they round the infamous Cape Horn in a few weeks' time. Storms and mountainous seas will assail their craft as they struggle not merely to survive, but to push themselves and their boats to the limits as they seek first of all to finish, and secondly, to win!

Clockwork Orange

Today I finally managed to get a ride on a Clockwork Orange!

I was in Glasgow to visit someone near Charing Cross. I decided to travel on the train since Linlithgow is just beyond the Western edge of our parish, close to where I would be working this morning, and conveniently situated on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line.

Arriving at Queen Street station, and not being very familiar with Glasgow, I was rather uncertain about getting the bus. It's not so easy to decide if you're at the right stop as with some other forms of transport.

I thought it might be an opportunity to travel on Scotland's only Underground Passenger Transport system - since I'd never been on it before. I had a look on a map board and figured that St. George's Cross would be the nearest stop, and not too far to walk, although only two stops down the line.

So I followed the signs to the Underground Station, which was not far, paid my £1.10, and headed down to the platform.

The stations and trains are all rather small compared with other Underground systems I have been on. But being rather small myself this was no problem, and in any case there was plenty of headroom on the trains.

My outbound journey was on the Anti-clockwise line, and I returned back to Queen Street mainline station on the Clockwise line. With an underground train every 6 minutes I didn't have long to wait and it all worked rather well.

The trains still retain elements of their original Orange livery which led to the subway's nickname of the Clockwork Orange (with the size probably also being a factor). I was intrigued that the Clockwork Orange had Clockwise and Anti-clockwise lines. Despite the names, however, they all run off electricity and not clockwork mechanisms!

The system works well. I must figure out how the Underground network compares with the above-ground city to find out where it goes and on which occasions it might be useful in the future.

Today it all went like Clockwork!

A Clearer Advent Reflection?

After yesterday's efforts at photographing the Moon, today I took a better photograph. Do you agree?

An Advent Reflection?

Although I have started a new Blog for my Advent Reflections I have been thinking about reflections from a different point of view today so I decided to put this entry in my regular Blog rather than my Advent Blog.

It all began when I was about to head home from the parish this afternoon. It was 4:10pm and the sun was just setting in the West, and the moon was rising up in the Eastern sky. The moon is almost full just now, and the sky was mostly clear, so I decided to spend a few minutes trying to take a photo showing the various different shades on the lunar surface.

I was quite pleased with the end result above, as you might agree. I think the focus was not quite right, although there was some high cloud that may also have made the image somewhat blurred. Nonetheless it's the best photograph I have ever taken of the moon.

As I was reviewing the various images of the moon when I got home it set me thinking about the light of the moon. It doesn't shine with its own light. All the light of the moon is reflected sunlight.

Jesus once used an analogy of a lamp shining on a lampstand, telling his followers to "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." (Matt 5:15, NRSV)

It made me ponder where this light comes from that Jesus was talking about. Is our light to be a reflection of some light shining upon us - like the moon reflects the sunlight? Or is this light that shines from us to come from within - like sunlight itself?

Certainly the light that Jesus was talking about is the light that comes from God. In the first book and chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:3, the first thing that God spoke into existence was light. And in the last book and chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:5, John says, "there will be no more night; they need no lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light".

At the beginning of John's Gospel, chapter 1, verses 4 & 5, John says about Jesus that "In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it." NIV/NRSV.
And at verse 9, John says that "The true light that gives light to all mankind was coming into the world." that first Christmas time.

So getting back to our question - Does the light reflect from us or shine from within in us?

I would argue that it shines from within us.

The light comes from God, and God himself is somehow inside each person who tries to follow Jesus. Jesus said that after he returned to God the Father they would send his Holy Spirit to each of Jesus' followers, and that the Spirit "lives with you and is in you." (John 14:17)

So let the light of God that is shining within you shine out into the world so that the darkness would be turned to light and that all mankind would one day give glory to God our Father in heaven.

Too much of a Good Thing?

This past week has been a very busy one for me. Come along for the ride!

On Sunday, my supervisor and I were taking the services at Blackridge and Harthill churches as part of the Presbytery's Pulpit Swap Sunday. It was interesting to meet these two church communities and see how and where they meet. The frost rime on the fields, bushes, and trees, was beautiful as it shone in the midday sun. In the evening we hosted some of the local P7 children for a scary St Andrews night down at Abercorn church. It was a great evening - although I had to wash the soup out of my hair when I got home!

Monday was notionally a day off since there were no scheduled activities for that day. But there was so much happening later in the week that I spent much of the day in preparation. However, I did get out in the late morning to go and visit one of my trainee friends and we enjoyed a nice coffee and lunch together.

On Tuesday we reviewed my input for Wednesday's Memorial Service, and then I spent most of the rest of day preparing for Wednesday's Midweek Service at the Sheltered Housing complex in Winchburgh. I was taking the whole of that service and I wanted to use the computer projector for images and words reflecting on Advent. I was pleased that the evening meeting I had anticipated was actually to be the next week. As it was I didn't get finished until after Midnight.

On Wednesday we visited a family for whom we would be taking a funeral later in the week. Then I spent an hour or so delivering Parish Magazines in my Elder's District. After that it was time to get set up for the Midweek Service. It went very well and everyone enjoyed it. After that all the equipment had to go back to the Church and get setup again for the Memorial Service in the evening. There was a big turnout and the Church was nearly full. Again everyone found it a meaningful service. My main contribution was a 60-image 4m30s reflective sequence on the projector.

On Thursday we visited the morning and afternoon Nursery Classes at the local Primary school. We helped the children to make their own Christingles and we sang some carols accompanied by me on my French Horn. In between the two classes we delivered a Christmas leaflet to every household in Bridgend (unless we missed some by accident!). In the afternoon I managed to get the two different sets of hymns chosen for the two services I was leading on Sunday morning. In the evening we hosted a Carol Concert at the Church, provided by a former organist and his choir. They were very good and it was a pity so few people came along to enjoy listening to, and taking part in, the singing. I managed to make a recording of the concert for some of our housebound folk.

On Friday we were taking two funerals. The morning service was at a nearby undertaker's funeral parlour followed by the burial in the cemetery. The afternoon funeral was at Falkirk Crematorium, which is a fair drive away. Afterwards I chose the readings and carols for the Abercorn Nine Lessons and Carol Service on the 14th at 6:30pm. The evening was a social occasion in Winchburgh - although to give the minister and priest the night off they asked me to say Grace. At least after that I could relax!

Saturday daytime was spent writing the sermon and prayers for Sunday, as well as some preparation for the Nine Lessons Carol service. In the evening my mum, sister, wife, and I, enjoyed a quiet, pleasant, dinner at The Lot in the Grassmarket. It's a great place to eat out. The food is always well-prepared, with interesting choices on the menu, which is changed frequently.

Well - That Was The Week That Was! I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I certainly enjoyed preparing and participating in all these different activities. It has been my busiest week yet in this placement. But I don't think it was too much of a good thing!

Q1 Done - Q2 Begins!

Last night I was mulling over how things were going - without a glass of seasonal mulled wine, I hasten to add! - and I realised with surprise that I have been working in my placement for three months now.

It's a curious fact that our Final Placement lasts for 15 months. What's curious about that you say? Well it means that the Placement has Five Quarters!

It's one of these funny situations when a word can have multiple meanings. Three months is a quarter of one year - and I have now been in my placement for 3 months. Or in other words, for One Quarter.

On that basis my 15-month placement will have Five Quarters! Which is slightly bizarre, because an object can only have Four Quarters.

Of course, if I was to be more precise with my use of language, then I would have to say that I have only completed the First Fifth of my placement. But apart from that being difficult to say(!), it doesn't sound nearly so far on as finishing the First Quarter!

So I think I'll settle on my more upbeat definition of Quarter.

It's nice to have started my Second Quarter at the beginning of Advent. There is so much to look forward to. As well as looking forward to the celebrations, I look forward to thinking again how the Good News of God's Love was expressed that First Christmas.

That offer of Love remains open even today. Anyone can respond to that offer of Love from God with an acceptance. Then God's Love will not only surround you, but will come inside you and fill you to overflowing with Love.

Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10, NIV)

St. Andrew's Day

In September last year I was part of a Study Group that visited Geneva to learn more about the Reformers, particularly John Calvin and John Knox.

On our first morning the weather was glorious and I was delighted to see a St. Andrew's cross in the sky created by two jet contrails. The moon was still visible shining faintly between the ends of the two right-hand arms just up from the centre.

With today being St Andrew's Day I share with you my photo of that St. Andrew's cross. Today we give thanks for Andrew, who brought his brother Peter to meet Jesus the Messiah, and for all the subsequent generations of Christians who have brought that revelation into today's world.

Calvin and Knox played their part in bringing the Good News to their generation. Today each of Christ's followers have the challenging task of introducing our generation to Jesus of Nazareth, who came as a baby, died on a Cross, and rose from the tomb to demonstrate his victory over death itself.

Truly He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord and Saviour of the whole World.

Change - for the Better?

Some people say that a Change for the Better is a contradiction in terms. In other words that it is impossible for any Change to be for the Better.

But I think that such people only make that statement when they are reasonably content with the way things are at that moment.

When people are in an unpleasant situation then they almost always want some kind of change to occur. For example, if you are feeling cold, then you would like to be warmer.

So whether you are happy about some upcoming change depends not only on the change but also on your current circumstances. If you are too hot already then you don't want to get warmer at all!

Some people are happy with the current state of the Church of Scotland. But I think that people who are happy with the Church's Status Quo don't have much of a vision for what the Church could be.

Jesus gave the church a job to do. He told us to go and make disciples of all people.

Most people in Scotland don't go to any church. This suggests that the Church needs to be different if we are to accomplish what Jesus told us to do. Jesus' commission to us suggests that we should consider the church is more for the people outside the church than it is for the people inside the church.

Perhaps we should be asking the people outside the church how we should be changing to become the kind of church they need us to be.

In my study of Physics I learned that every molecule is moving. Even the molecules that make up a solid object are continually moving. They vibrate back and forward at a speed depending on the temperature of the solid, liquid, or gas. The hotter it is the faster they move. The colder the material the slower the molecules move.

The only way to make something become totally motionless is to cool it down until it reaches Absolute Zero. At that temperature an object has Zero energy and it becomes totally still. In other words it becomes static and unchanging.

Lord Kelvin discovered and defined the temperature of Absolute Zero in 1848. It is -273°C. It is such a significant value that physicists use the Kelvin temperature scale, which defines -273°C as 0K, and 0°C as 273K, and 100°C as 373K, etc.

So the people who want the Church of Scotland to remain unchanging, static, motionless, need to cool themselves down to 0K. At that temperature it wouldn't be very comfortable to sit, stand, and sing, through a standard one hour long Church of Scotland service.

The next time someone in Church asks you if you are OK, you might like to consider whether they are asking about your health, or if they are asking whether you are at Absolute Zero, 0K, OK?

Exciting Stories

This evening I heard exciting stories from two guys who have moved to Edinburgh in the last few years. One guy, called Dave, works in the city centre in a high-flying IT job.

Dave's work provided him with all his material needs - but despite working on some of the most famous computer games in the world he was still dissatisfied. He needed something to believe in - a foundation for his life.

Recently Dave attended an Alpha Course and shortly afterwards he realised that he had found something to believe in - or to be more precise - someone to believe in.

We also heard from John, who came to Edinburgh from China to study Computer Science four years ago. He attended various church events in the city in a search for friendship and social contacts. One of his church friends seemed special and when John was invited to an Alpha Course he decided to go along. A few weeks afterwards John realised that he had found a new life. Now instead of attending church occasionally for social reasons he gets involved in everything that's going on.

Two guys whose lives have been completely transformed through meeting with Jesus Christ. It makes me excited to be in the family of God!

Christmas is Coming!

But the Old Man is not getting fat!

Some people say that Christmas seems to appear on the horizon earlier each year. I think that this year I would definitely agree with them!

However, officially we shouldn't start preparing for Christmas until this coming Sunday - which is Advent Sunday. It's the start of the Christian Year, so it could also be called New Year's Day - but that would just confuse everyone!

Despite this coming Sunday being the official start of Christmas preparations, last Sunday has a traditional name of Stir-up Sunday - because for many people it was the day that they made their Christmas puddings, which involved a lot of stirring!

And in the shops we have been seeing messages about the approach of Christmas for weeks, if not months! I wonder if this year there will be some must-have product that will have everyone searching the shops for right up to the last minute.

For me, Christmas appeared earlier than usual this year. Since I first arrived at Abercorn and Winchburgh in September the service plans have been showing Christmas in the distance. And as the weeks have gone by we have been adding in the detail.

Church services, school services, Christmas lunches and dinners - the diary is getting quite full. And I rather suspect that by the end of it all the Old Man will be getting rather fat after all!

If we are to start celebrating Christmas from the beginning of Advent, then we just have to start preparing for Advent in plenty of time. So for some of us, Christmas begins to approach quite early on.

Some people seem to think that Christmas is so much bother, and so little to celebrate, that they leave all their preparations until the last minute, the big day is more of a damp squib, and as soon as it's over they want to head back to work and forget all about it. They get irritated at the endless Christmas Carols, and the continual shaking of the charity cans, and the unavoidable Christmas images in all the shops.

For me, I like Christmas. I have enjoyed thinking about it early. I am looking forward to selecting Carols for our services, and then to singing about, and celebrating Christmas, for as long as I can get away with it!

In some ways I wish that New Years Day was farther away from Christmas Day. Then we could celebrate Christmas for longer. After all there are supposed to be Twelve Days of Christmas - but these days we are lucky if we get Seven never mind Twelve.

Today we began the process of choosing this year's Christmas Hymns and Carols. By my count I reckon that we will have about 23 different Christmas services during the 26 days of Advent - nearly one every day, although on some days we will have several events, such as on December 21st when we will have four services through the day.

So I think we'll be singing some of the old favourites many times during the next month. It's not Advent yet - but I can hardly wait for the starting gun!

Wintry Scene

I've not yet properly got used to the idea that we are in Autumn, so I was rather shocked when I got to Abercorn this morning to discover snow lying on the ground!

Apparently, at 4am this morning the whole area was blanketed by snow, most of which had melted by the time I arrived at 9:30.

Later on, someone commented that after this cold morning they were looking forward to getting back to their lovely warm house. And it stimulated us to recall that life used to be much harder.

On a day like today it would be a frequent physical task to fetch in the coal or logs to keep the downstairs fire burning. The fire(s) would have to be made up in the morning, raked out, kept stoked and burning throughout the day to keep the cold at bay. And if you were lucky then you might get a fire in your bedroom grate for a little while before bedtime.

In these days of electric, gas, or oil-fired, central heating it is an easy task to keep the house warm. Although with the recent dramatic rises in fuel costs it's not so easy to pay the bills.

There again, when we think of the rise in global carbon dioxide levels from burning fossil fuels, that have set the world on a path of rising temperatures, perhaps we should be thinking harder about heating our homes.

When it is cold outside we like to come into a warm house and take off all our cold weather clothing. But perhaps we should be thinking about wearing warming clothing indoors and turning down our thermostats by several degrees.

It's not become standard practice in our house yet. But I think we might start practicing before much longer!

Still Here!

Another sunrise, and another day.
I'm still here!

It was not intentional - to leave such a long gap between posts. It's just been a busy week - again! I was wondering whether, after my previous post, you might have thought it was my Last Post - and that I had departed.

Well, I'm still here!

It's been rather a theatrical week, visiting the Luv Esther musical at Meadowbank with some of our Bible Study on Monday evening. It is a great show and I recommend catching it if you can.

My two (late-)teenage lads can't wait to get their hands on my CD from the show. The show is more of a Pop Opera (to quote the web site) rather than a conventional musical. The songs are full of great beats, strong words, and a captivating story line. And you can read all about it in the Old Testament, not surprisingly, in the book of Esther!

And then on Wednesday my family and I went to see this year's Edinburgh Gang Show at the King's Theatre. The cast were full of energy and the sound system worked well enabling us to hear all the contributions. There is perhaps less of a storyline this year than in previous Gang Shows, but nonetheless it was an enjoyable evening out. My daughter Katie is one of the senior Gang members and seeing her radiant smile always livens up the Show.

This coming Sunday the Parish Singers will be leading worship at Winchburgh (at 11:30am). I am sure it will be a great end to very musical week!

Departing Friends

Shortly before his crucifixion Jesus explained to his disciples that he was going to leave them (John 14).

It's a situation that we face also in our lives here.

Maybe it’s a friend or neighbour who is having to move away. We’ve come to know them, to love them, to depend on them. And then, all of a sudden, we find out they they are going away.

What will we do? How will we cope? How sad it will be.

Like Jesus’ disciples, sometimes such departures are the result of a death. The person may have been ill for a while, or they may have died suddenly. Either way, we are sad, upset, in mourning.

The disciples were used to sudden death. It was commonplace in these days. Even in our country, until 50 or 60 years ago, death was a frequent occurrence. It was just around the corner. Although we never expected it, we knew how to deal with it.

With the excellence of our present-day National and Private Health Services there is sometimes a belief that nothing can deprive us of our three score years and ten. But serious illness can strike us at any time. Accidents are no respecters of persons.

And so when death strikes it can undermine all our confidence. It shakes all our assumptions. And sometimes it leads us to question our beliefs about who God is and what life is all about.

That’s the circumstance that Jesus was addressing with his disciples.

Since he had been baptised by John in the wilderness a short three years previously, Jesus had gradually built up a core group of 12 disciples. They were the guys that refused to leave when everyone else had gone back home.

They have been everywhere with Jesus. They have seen him do mighty miracles - with Peter even walking with him across the Sea of Galilee. They have become one with each other.

Jesus has always been there for them. Even when he sent the seventy out in pairs, and they came back rejoicing that even the demons submitted to them, Jesus was still there.

His physical presence underwrote everything that happened. Sometimes people only needed to touch his cloak to receive healing. The centurion’s son was healed at a distance, but only after his father had had a physical meeting with Jesus, and Jesus spoke the word.

How would the disciples manage without Jesus?
What would they do?
How would they carry on?

You may already be wondering why on earth I am talking about the Holy Spirit just now. The time when we usually celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit is at Pentecost, in May, 50 days after Easter.

Wit it being only a fortnight away from Advent Sunday, surely we should be getting ready to be getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth?

All that is true. And that’s why today we are not looking at the story in the Acts of the Apostles about how the early church started that first Pentecost.

Here we are, coming up to the end of the church year. It’s time to think back over all that’s been going on since last Christmas. It’s time to remember some of Jesus’ last words to his disciples, before we go start thinking about how Jesus was born as a real baby.

And you may feel that it’s all a bit irrelevant now. I mean it’s 2000 years since Jesus spoke his final words to his disciples. What use is it for us in these days to spend time studying what Jesus said so long ago? How can Jesus’ words mean anything today, in this world of computers, internet, and mobile phone?

I can see that point of view. The way we live our lives today is almost totally different from the way Jesus’ disciples lived their lives. We eat and drink like they did - but almost everything else is different.

I think the relevance comes from thinking about what we are doing here this Sunday morning (at Kingscavil Church). Why have we come to this place? Why do we sing about Jesus, read about Jesus, talk about Jesus?

Is it not because we are trying to Follow Jesus?

Just like his disciples that walked with him, talked with him, and even sang with him, we too want to shape our lives according to the way that Jesus taught.

Indeed, in another of his ‘I am’ statements, like the ‘I am the Bread of Life’ statement that was our focus last week, Jesus said,
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6)

We too want to find our way to the Father. Jesus offers to us all the resources of heaven if we love him and obey his commandments.

Jesus said that we should "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And love your neighbour as yourself." (Luke 10:27).

Jesus was preparing his disciples to carry on his work after his death. He was telling them of the central role that the Holy Spirit would play in empowering them and directing them to be God’s people.

Instead of Jesus having only 2 hands, 2 feet, and 1 mouth, now the Church would have millions of mouths speaking God’s word in every nation of the world.

And not only speaking God’s word, but performing signs and works like Jesus did. And even greater things than Jesus did.

Why? Not because we are greater than Jesus was. But because the Holy Spirit is the same today as in Jesus’ time. He can do more because there is more opportunity to do.

Jesus submitted himself to baptism by John. Not because he needed it, but because God had commanded it. (Matthew 3:13-17)

Although Jesus was God, he was not to act in his divine authority, but he was to act and speak as a man, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In John 14:16-17 , Jesus says he would ask the Father and he would give us the Holy Spirit, who would be with us for ever, - be with us and in us.

And in verse 19, Jesus tells his disciples, and tells us, that through the Holy Spirit we will know that Jesus is in the Father, and we are in Jesus, and He is in us.

This is the culmination of John’s teaching about who Jesus is.

This is John’s declaration of the Trinity of God. That God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, are in each other, and are One.

And by the Holy Spirit, given to each one of Christ’s followers, we are invited to become part of God’s family, just as he becomes part of us.

In my previous job as an electronics engineer, one of the things I had to do was to make sure that every electronic part communicated properly with its neighbour.

In your computer, if you have one, the Processor talks to the Memory, and to the Graphics Card, and to the Hard Drive, etc. All the parts must operate correctly, and communicate with each other accurately and efficiently; otherwise your PC is just a bunch of metallic, ceramic, and plastic junk, lying in the corner.

The Holy Spirit is here to enable us to communicate with God.

He comes into every part of us. He is the breath of God. God breathes out, and it’s like we breathe Him in.

And just as we breathe in the Oxygen in the air, that through our lungs, enters the bloodstream, and supplies every cell in our bodies, so too the Holy Spirit seeks to enter and energise every part of our lives.

He wants to be part of our thinking, our feeling, our talking our loving, our working, our learning, our sleeping, our worshipping - every part.

Only with the Holy Spirit in us, can we hope to be followers of Jesus. Real followers. People who act like Jesus, who speak like Jesus, who love like Jesus.

That’s an awesome challenge for us. None of us is perfect. Everyone falls short of who God wants us to be. Jesus was the only one who lived life perfectly.

We let God down. We are not good disciples. We might even admit that we are bad disciples.

Yet we are all the disciples that Jesus has got. He loves you and he loves me. He forgives us of all our failures and our misdeeds. He wants us to follow so close to him that we know we are with him; that we are in him, as he is in us.

Look around you. There’s just us. There are no crowds outside the door, thronging the streets, clamoring to get in and become part of our community.

Jesus twelve disciples were not perfect either. Peter was impetuous and foolhardy, denying Jesus during the crucifixion. James and John argued over who was to be the greatest. Judas betrayed him.


Yet those twelve disciples turned the world upside down.
Twelve is enough - and we are more than Twelve!

In only 300 years the Roman emperor, Constantine, had acknowledged that it was not the Roman Caesar who was God, but that Jesus is God.

Now Christianity is present in almost every nation, and is still growing strongly, especially in Africa and many other Third World countries.

But we have lost our direction here. The Church of Scotland is struggling to survive in many parts of Scotland. One in every six churches is having to make do with temporary ministry while they search for someone who will become their Parish Minister.

There is much for us to do also in this place. To be the people that God wants us to be, we must breathe in the breath of God to every part of lives - healing, loving, forgiving, empowering, directing, inspiring - bringing us abundant life, life to the full, full and running over, forever, eternally, with Him.

As we approach the Christmas season, let us look over this past year, and prepare to go forward into the new Christian year, as it begins on Advent Sunday.

That’s the day that we officially begin our preparations for Christmas. Not from the end of August like we see in the world round about us!

It’s our chance to take a fresh look at what Jesus is all about.

He came amongst us as a baby, rose again from the grave, and sent his Spirit to be with us now and always.

Downs and Ups

Yesterday's Federer & Murray tennis match, that was part of the Master's Cup, was full of downs and ups. Although, like a see-saw, what is down for one player, is up for the other.

Federer was in pain for the latter part of the match and twice needed treatment. But he refused to give up.

He has never abandoned a match-in-progress in his professional career. And so he persevered even although the pain sometimes slowed him down.

Eventually, he was beaten by Murray - but he didn't give up.

The Vendee Globe round the world yacht race has been full of downs and ups too - and I'm not talking about the large waves!

The storms of the first few days caused 8 of the 30 competitors to return to port for repairs. None of them wanted to give up - especially so early in the race.

One of the eight returnees rejoined the race after only a few hours delay. He has already caught up and overtaken the last of the non-returners.

Another two rejoined several days later and will be racing each other to rejoin the fleet. A fourth competitor is intending to rejoin tomorrow, a week after the start.

For four others, the repairs were too big to accomplish, and they abandoned the race.

Those who carry on with this race around the world will have many disheartening days - as well as their exhilarating days. It will take 80 days or more of continuous racing in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions befothey rach the finishing line back in Les Sables d'Olonne from where they started. No doubt there will be more damage - which now can only be repaired at sea.

Only those who are resourceful enough, and persistent enough, will manage to persevere to the end. Only those who finish will be eligible to win.

In the New Testament, Paul was determined to run his race to the end (1 Cor. 9:24-27). He would finish. And he would take his prize. It might not be first prize, but he knew that a prize awaited him at the finishing line.

Jesus showed us the Way. Indeed, he said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." (John 14:6). He told his disciples that for everyone who finishes the race there is a prize - a place in the Father's house - for ever.

5 Things......

Shuna has challenged me to list 5 things I have always wanted to do, having done so herself. So here goes:

1. Find a girl who wants to spend her life with me, and me with her.

2. Watch my children growing up to be happy and contented.

3. Own a Rover family car like my father did.

4. Own a sailing dinghy - again like my parents.

5. Travel round the world including visiting Australia & New Zealand.

Objectives 1 and 3 have been accomplished, and number 2 is in progress!

No sign yet of me achieving number 4, but one can always hope!

As for number 5, I have reached the West coast of the USA, and to Taiwan in Asia, and down to 12.5 degrees North latitude. But I have not yet travelled across the Pacific, nor have I ventured into the Southern hemisphere.

All of which makes me slightly envious of the yachtsmen and yachtswomen in the Vendee Globe race who will have sailed right round the world before St. Valentine's Day next year!

Only 'slightly' mark you. They can keep the hardships - and I'll watch on the internet from my comfy chair!

Teachers deserve huge respect!

Today I spent my longest day in school since I left Liberton High School in 1975!

We have two primary schools in my placement area and we were in both of them today. It was the first time I had been tasked to prepare and deliver the class activity in each of the classes that we visited. And with six classes to visit in one school, and three classes to visit in the other school, it was a rather daunting prospect!

After spending four hours in school today I was exhausted - and full of admiration for the teachers who help our children learn how to live in this world of ours.

Since we are coming up to Advent, with it's Christmas theme of helping those in need, often through charities, I decided that today's theme would be helping.

For the core story we looked at Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan. For those who heard it the very name was a contradiction in terms. At that time, all Samaritans were considered to be 'bad'. How could there be a 'Good Samaritan'?

But such was the radical message that Jesus brought. We should not only love our friends, not only love our neighbours, but we should love those who we think are 'bad', and even love those who openly declare themselves to be our enemies.

Of course, we didn't go into that depth in school. But in most of the classes we touched on helping those in need, be they 'orphans, widows, or aliens' that we are commanded to care for in the Old Testament, or just people who need our help in our everyday lives.

In the last class we visited today, the children have been studying the disastrous sinking of the liner Titanic on 14th April 1912. That day 1504 died, and only 704 people were saved, despite the theoretical lifeboat capacity of 1178.

The figures are shocking, for in the panic and distress of the evacuation, many people were left to die, instead of being saved.

In Jesus' story, the people who should have helped - didn't. And the person who was not expected to help - did.

Let us all do our best to be people who help.

Remembering at Winchburgh

All-Knowing God,
We come before you today,
With all that we are,
With all our burdens.

This is a time of Remembering for us.
We remember good times, and hard times.
You know our deepest thoughts,
Our most secret memories.

You have journeyed with us.
You have walked with us.
You have cried with us.
You have carried us.

We do not need to tell you of these hard times.
You were there - with us - for us.
Indeed, in some mysterious way, you were there before us.
And in the same mysterious way, you are there still.

Time is not the same for you as it is for us.
You created the universe before there was time.
And when the sands of time run out, you will still be there.
You don’t have to remember -
You are then, You are now, You are forever.

We bring you our burdens today,
For you are able to lift them from our shoulders.
Indeed you want to lift them from us.
You offer us freedom from our bitterness and pain.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, grant us your peace.
Our peace is not enough.
Our peace is fragile and partial;
A mere papering over the cracks.

Your peace is strong and complete.
Your peace is deep and everlasting.
Your peace sets us free from our regrets and worries;
Sets us free from bitterness and hatred;
Sets us free from the past to journey into the future.

Holy Spirit of God,
Assure us of your forgiveness
as we forgive others who have wronged us.
Fill us with your comfort, your love, and your power.

On this day of Remembrance, as we remember those who have gone before us, we pray together the prayer that you gave us 2000 years ago:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen

Vendee Globe starts

The four-yearly, single-handed, round-the-world, yacht race, called the Vendee Globe, started on 9th November from Northwest France.

The 30 yachts, with only one person onboard, will sail nonstop down the Atlantic, round the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope), skirting the Southern Ocean that surrounding Antarctica as they pass across the southern Indian and Pacific Oceans, before rounding the southern tip of South America (the notorious Cape Horn) and back up the Atlantic to Les Sables d’Olonne.

This year there are seven British entries. Mike Golding & Dee Caffari are a male/female team, sailing two identical yachts, which will give an interesting challenge between the sexes. The other female competitor, Samantha Davies, is also a British entry. Alex Thomson, sailing Hugo Boss, is another well-known British entrant, previously abandoning ship (in the Velux 5 Oceans race), and being rescued by Mike Golding in the Southern Ocean. Steve White, Jonny Malbon, and Brian Thompson, are the other three British entries.

It hardly seems like it is 8 years since Ellen MacArthur came 2nd in 94 days. And 4 years since Vincent Riou finished ahead of Jean Le Cam who was only 7 hours behind after 24,000 miles and 87 days at sea!

This year there is speculation that the new generation of yachts will come close to, or even beat, the fictional Phileas Fogg's achievements, emulated by Michael Palin, in travelling Around the World in 80 Days.

It's going to be a high-speed blast around the World. I'll be hanging on via the Vendee Globe race website. Who will win? And will they beat 80 days? I can't wait!

Life - don't talk to me about life!

Today's title is a quote from Marvin the Depressed Robot in Douglas Adams' Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

On Wednesday I was with one of the Primary School classes on a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to learn more about Uganda and its animals. The main focus of our visit was the Budongo Forest in Uganda, where Edinburgh Zoo has a partnership with a local research and conservation group.

The Zoo's new Chimpanzee House is called the Budongo Trail. It is a very imaginative place, with three big interconnected indoor areas, as well as a large outdoor 'forest' area.

The Chimpanzees were very active - even although the eldest is approaching 50 years old. However, as with people, some of the time they spend resting. And it's much easier to take photos of resting animals than it is when they are more active!


Hence the photo above - with the Chimpanzee watching all that is going on - while resting at the same time. Both of these Chimpanzee photos reminded me of the Marvin quote!

And then after lunch we had an hour to explore the Zoo in smaller groups - and the European Owl below was perched on the boulder, rotating its head around through almost 360 degrees, keeping its eyes on everything going on round about it.

Beautiful Red-legged Partridges!

I saw many of these birds today but I had never seen that kind before.

At first I thought they would be Red Grouse, but these are the wrong colour. I also thought they might be Ptarmigan, but they are usually only found in the mountains, and seem to be whiter than these ones.

After a deal of searching on the RSPB site I reckon that they are Red-legged Partridges. I've definitely never seen them before.

If you can confirm, or contradict, my identification I'd be glad to hear from you.

Bread of Life

I decided to share with you the sermon I preached this morning. Although you won't get the benefit of my smiling face, or the theatrical gestures, or the excitement and tension of my delivery, at least you'll be able to read the words!

The Bible readings were Exodus 16:11-31 & 35, and John 6:27-35.

I'd be glad to hear any comments or suggestions that you may have.

------------------------------------

Did anyone have some bread for their breakfast this morning?

If you had a roll and jam this morning it would have given you about 250 calories, which is enough energy for 2 and a ½ hours.

If you had cereal and milk then that’s only about 150 calories, so only enough energy for an hour and a half.

If you were able to tolerate the fat and cholesterol, one slice of bacon and an egg is only 136 calories.

And a cup of black coffee and a Custard Cream biscuit is only 65 calories, not even enough to keep you going through this service!

When Jesus told his followers that he was the bread of life and whoever came to him would never be hungry - what did he mean?

That’s what I’ve been thinking about this week, and I hope you find my musings helpful. If you have some different answers I’d be glad to discuss it with you at the end of the service.

When Jesus told the crowd around him that he was the ‘Bread of Life’, it was immediately after the story of the feeding of the 5000. In verse 26, Jesus told the crowd that they had come looking for him again because they wanted more food, and not because they were trying to find God.

So Jesus tells them not to work for food that perishes, but for food that will last for ever, which the Son of Man, in other words Jesus himself, would give them.

Immediately the crowd come back to him with the question: so what work must we do?

They knew it would be some work for God, but what was it?

Perhaps they were expecting Jesus to give them the same answer that he gave to the lawyer who asked, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” in Matthew 19. Jesus replied on that occasion, Keep the Ten Commandments, and “love your neighbour as yourself”.

But no, this time Jesus gives a spiritual answer. It is not what you do that gives you eternal life, it’s what you believe. Specifically, it is who you believe in. And they should believe in Jesus.

The crowd around Jesus were not very happy with that answer. They were the people of Moses. Long ago they had followed Moses out of Egypt into the desert. And they told Jesus that Moses had given them Manna to eat - bread from heaven.

If they were to turn their allegiance from Moses to Jesus then they wanted to see a sign. And it would have to be a sign that was greater than the sign that Moses had given them. Some challenge indeed.

Manna, what is it? That’s literally what the word means. When the Israelites woke up in the morning, and the dew evaporated, left behind was “a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.” And we have seen some of that this past week.

They did not know what it was. They asked each other, “What is it?” And that’s how the stuff got its name. The Hebrew word ‘Manna’ means, “What is it?”

As we read earlier, it tasted like ‘wafers made with honey’. It must have been some brave soul who was the first to taste it. The camp had been covered with a flock of quails the night before. And now there was some white stuff on the ground.

Moses said, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

Hmm. I would have said, “It looks like bird poop to me. How about you eat it first?”

And who knows, maybe Moses was first to eat it. Whatever it was, they not only liked it, but it sustained them through the next 40 years in the desert.

This was the miraculous sign that Jesus was invited to compete with. It was a tall order. The Jews had honoured Moses for hundreds of years.

But Jesus straightened them out. It wasn’t Moses who had given them the Manna. It was God.

God had given life to all creation back in the beginning. In Genesis chapter 2, we read that ‘God formed Man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’ (NRSV)

God had given Manna to the Israelites in the desert and it had given them life for 40 years. And now Jesus offered his listeners, “The bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Still the people did not understand. They thought that Jesus was speaking of physical bread. They wanted Jesus to give them that heavenly bread always.

But Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Jesus here uses a double negative. It doesn’t mean a positive like in English. It means a very strong negative. They will never never be hungry and never never be thirsty.

This is the second of seven times in John’s Gospel that Jesus says who he is beginning with the phrase , “I am”. These are the same words that God used when he told Moses, “I am is who I am.” To his listeners Jesus was hinting, “I am God.”

Some of those listeners began to get uncomfortable at this point. Jesus was making extravagant claims about himself.

In our reading today, we didn’t carry on with the story, but Jesus claims that it is God’s will that everyone who comes to Jesus, and follows him, and believes in him, will not be lost, but will be raised up on the last day, that they will have eternal life.

The discontent among the Jews now becomes open complaint. How can Jesus say he has come down from heaven?

This is Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose mother and father we know. Or as we might say it here, “I kent his faither.” How can he have come from heaven?

Jesus continues to explain. Their ancestors ate the Manna in the desert, and they all died before they entered the Promised Land. But those who eat the living bread that is Jesus himself will never die. Jesus says that it is his flesh that is the living bread that gives eternal life to those who eat it.

Here we run into the most obvious difficulty with the assertion that Jesus is the bread from heaven. The Jews speak it out in ridicule. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” And the thought might have continued, “Does he think that we are cannibals to be eating human flesh?”

Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, then you have no life in you. Whereas those who eat my my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Here we have the answer to the mystery that we have been pursuing, although it is still in code.

Jesus is talking about those who will celebrate the meal of the Last Supper. Jesus held up the bread and said, “This is my body.”, and he held up the cup and said, “This is my blood.”

Eat his body and drink his blood, and believe in Jesus. He is the one who gives us eternal life.

Today, as you eat the bread, and drink the wine, consider the fact that over the next few hours, they will be absorbed into your body, and be distributed into every cell that is within you. They will energise and empower you and all that you are.

This is the offer that Jesus makes to everyone who will follow him. Not only will he give us bread and wine to energise our earthly bodies. He will also give us his Spirit - his very self - giving us spiritual and heavenly power to energise our spiritual and heavenly bodies. Every part of you. Life to the full. For ever.

And what was the sign that Jesus gave to the Jews?
It was indeed greater than any sign Moses performed.

Jesus rose from the grave. Not brought back to life like Lazarus. But raised in his heavenly body, to eternal life, just as he promised that we shall be, if we believe in Him.

Love - small word - big message

Today I have been thinking about knowing things.

Here in Scotland and Britain there is a great emphasis on being informed.

It begins in school days, when children are pressed to follow the set curriculum, and are tested to make sure they are progressing well and achieving a good standard of knowledge.

Then people leave school and either start work, go to college, or university.

Again there are induction courses, and training courses, and trial periods, and initial and annual reviews. There is so much emphasis on what you know and how well you do your work.

Even in church we can sometimes feel that to be a good follower of Jesus what we need to do is know and understand everything. Some people want to know everything about people. Others want to know everything that's been decided. Others are keen to study the Bible and know everything in there too.

One time a rich young man came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus said he should give away all his money to the poor and come travelling with Jesus. (Mark 10:17) It was too hard for the young man. He loved his wealth more than his poor neighbours.

On another occasion a lawyer asked Jesus the same question. Jesus replied "Love God and love your neighbour" and defined neighbourliness with the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

The answers Jesus gave were not complex and did not require a lot of learning or knowledge. To be with God forever is a question of love and not a question of knowledge or even of rules.

The Bible makes clear that God loves all people. But only those who return his love are invited into his family. Only those who love God want to be with him forever. Who would want to spend eternity with someone they didn't like. It's bad enough when you get stuck with someone you don't like on a holiday.

And if we love God then we will love everyone he loves too. Not just the other people in his family, but even those who reject God.

How can we love people the way God does?
By allowing the Spirit of God to permeate every part of our being.

The bread that we eat and the wine that we drink are absorbed into our body and feed every cell with the power and energy it needs.

So too, when we let God into every part of our lives He becomes one with us, and we become one with Him. Jesus said, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." (John 14:15-24).

Dr Who and Jesus

I heard today that the Scottish actor who has been playing the BBC TV character Dr. Who will not be doing any more series after the 2009 specials. It's a shame for us because he played the role really well.

But one of the exciting aspects of the programme is that new actors can take over the part and bring their own interpretation of the character. This is accomplished by the process of 'Regeneration'.

In Regeneration the character morphs (or changes) from the appearance of the previous actor to the appearance of the new actor. Although he remains the same person he now has a new body that looks completely different. And to some extent his personality characteristics change as well.

It occurred to me that this process of Regeneration is remarkably similar to the Resurrection that Jesus experienced after he had been crucified and buried.

Although he remained the same person, knowing his friends, journeying with them, eating with them, living with them, bearing on his new body the scars of his resurrection wounds, he was different in some respects too.

Jesus' friends didn't always recognise him at first, and he was able to appear within locked rooms, etc.

An average of 8.1 million people tuned in to watch each 45-minute-long episode of the most recent series of the Dr. Who programme (according to the BBC). And that's a fictional programme with no basis in reality.

It's difficult to find an accurate figure for the number of people who attend a church each week in the UK, but my quick estimate is around 2 million people, about 3% of the population.

So why is it that four times as many people watch Dr Who as go to church?

Disillusionment and Purpose

Some would say that Faith and Doubt are opposites.

But in John Ortberg's book "Faith & Doubt", published this month, he suggests that being open to doubt enables us to work through our questions honestly and in the end work through to a stronger faith than previously.

Earlier this week I was feeling a tad demoralised. I won't bore you with the reasons why, for they were comparatively minor. It had been a long day!

But as I was thinking about why I had been feeling so low, and self-pity was the primary culprit, I realised that it was important that I be honest with myself, and honest with God too.

What is life all about? What's the point?

Or as one of my inspiring theologically-minded friends said, pointedly(!) - "Who's the point?" (Thank you, Mary!)

In wrestling, momentarily, with whether God was being sensible in Calling me into Ministry, I came to understand that it's not about being 'sensible' but about being 'Called'. I am who I am (to quote somebody famous!). Having been Called, there is no point in asking whether it is 'sensible'!

Jesus' disciple Peter had to wrestle with the same issues when he stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water (as in another well-known John Ortberg book!). Jesus held him tightly by the hand, and they returned safely to the boat.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness to the wise, for God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor. 1:18-25). It was foolishness for God to come and live amongst us, and then to allow mankind to kill him on the Cross. But that's what he did. And God demonstrated his wisdom and power when Jesus was raised from the grave in his resurrection body.

He did it all because he loves us.
He loves you.

Jesus invites us to lose our life for him.
And in so doing, to find life in him - eternal life.
(Matt. 16:25)

On Tuesday I enjoyed the beauty of the early morning frost on the grass and the beautiful evening sunset. But the camera was not at the ready - so enjoy your own memories, or imagine them!

What if? Oh, what's the Point?!

This evening I was wondering what would have happened if Jesus had got to the Garden of Gethsemane, and then decided it was all too hard - and gone back home to his old job of being a builder.

After all he was meeting a lot of resistance. Most people seemed to prefer the old way of doing things. After all - that way had been good enough for generations. Why change things now?

It would have been a lot easier to give up this Messiah lark and go back to being a builder. After all being a builder was the job he had been trained for. That's what he was good at. This dying business - it takes a bit of getting used to.

Unfortunately, there was a problem with giving up and going back. The problem was that there was no way back. He had burned his boats. Everyone knew who he was. Everyone knew who he claimed to be. He had nailed his colours to the mast. He couldn't go back to being a builder. Too many people wanted him to go on to be their Messiah. And too many people wanted him dead.

Sometimes preachers have to preach a difficult message from the pulpit. A hard message. The kind of message that people don't like to hear. It's Good News alright - but only if you want to hear it. It's Bad News if you don't want to hear it.

I wonder what would happen if a Preacher told people that the old way of doing things wasn't good enough anymore. In fact, it had never been good enough. Doing things the old way was exactly how we had got into the mess that we are in. The mess where hardly anyone comes to hear the message because they think it's Bad News.

And when you tell the people inside that we have to find better ways of telling the Good News - they say, "Well the old way was good enough for us." In other words, what you're saying is Bad News to everyone!

Perhaps that Preacher would get some criticism. Especially if he carried on telling the insiders that the Old Ways were history. God is doing a New Thing (as he does, you know). Jesus isn't standing still. That's why he told his disciples they were to Follow Him. Standing around wasn't going to work. They would get left behind. In the Old Days. In the Dark Ages. In the Ways that didn't work anymore.

If you're not moving then you are not following. And if you're not following then you're not a disciple. You've got to change. Step out in faith. Get out of the boat and walk on the water. Jesus is calling 'Come'. If you won't go - you won't get.

That's dangerous talk that is. It could get you crucified - well in the olden days it could anyway! Nowadays, well I don't know what would happen. Crucifixion is not legal anymore - and just as well!

Perhaps the Preacher would get the sack. Or perhaps the Preacher would get moved - so that the people would get a new Preacher that would not stir up so much trouble. Perhaps the Preacher would just go back home and return to the building trade, or whatever.

The guy that wrote Ecclesiastes was pretty disillusioned at times of his life. We were reading about it at the Bible Study tonight. That's what sparked off my wondering above. This guy had tried everything to get happy - pleasure, drink, women, fine building projects, cynicism, despair. Nothing worked. It all seemed so pointless.

And he was the King. The people owed him happiness. He had inherited it.

But it was not so. Although there was a Time for Everything under the Sun - that didn't include Happiness - unless you chose to obey the commands of God - and follow his ways.

There's that little word 'follow' again. It's inescapable. There is no happiness without God. And if we stay stuck in the past - God will leave us behind. Isaiah preached to his people. He told them God was saying, "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Is.43:19).

Autumn Flowers

Not all plants flower in the Spring. You can see that one of my so-called Christmas Cactus plants is just bursting into bloom right now.

Some plants flower when the snow is still on the ground, some flower in the Spring, or the Summer, and the yellow Winter Jasmine can provide colour when everything else is looking dead.

I think that people are like that in some respects. Some people have their best times are in their early years, or maybe their teens. Others have their best times in later years, maybe not even until they are retired. Plants blossom - and then their purpose is to bear fruit - fruit that will last.

Jesus talked about that in John 15. Someone who lives 'in' Jesus bears much fruit; for apart from him we can do nothing. That passage talks about fruitful branches being pruned to make them more fruitful, and fruitless branches being discarded.

But I think that a plant benefits from all of its branches. They may not all produce fruit, but the branches that are 'fruitless' still provide energy for the plant, and support and shelter for the other branches. Even the invisible roots play their part.

Today the Body of Jesus, the Church, benefits from the contributions of everyone who supports it. Whether you are bearing visible fruit, or invisible fruit, keep up the good work so that the plant may flourish and grow, and bear much fruit.

Autumn Scenes

I wanted some more photos of the parish to show during the service this Sunday but it was bucketing rain when I started out. I took a few at Bridgend and then decided it was more useful to be indoors and went to visit the Beadle Nancy. She has a lovely, real coal, fire!

After the rain stopped the scenery was magnificent and I took about 50 photos before I got home. I don't have space to share them all here, but the canalside photo above is a good example. I added another 7 to my Facebook album which anyone can see here.

At home in my garden there are still some blues and yellows amongst the reds, browns, and greens, as you can see below.

High and Dry?

After we saw the numbered sheep yesterday we moved on down to the village of Blackness with its picturesque castle perched on the shore of the Firth of Forth. The yachts in the bay are designed to sit upright when the tide goes out, but they looked sad and forlorn sitting on the mud.

Boats are meant to float on the water - out of their depth. That's the way they are designed and made - and that's the way they are used. When they are high and dry they are useless.

In their element these yachts are full of power and life; agile, graceful, and full of purpose.

But when they are left high and dry by the falling tide, they are the opposite. They are powerless, dead, immobile and graceless.

I suppose that all this makes them like people. When we are in our element then we are full of power, life, agility, grace, and purpose. And when we are not in our element then we are powerless, unable to move, clumsy and graceless, dead.

God said that we are made to be in relationship with Him. God himself is the element in which we are designed and made to move, live, and have our being.

Are you in your element?

The proximity of the seafront houses in Blackness to the high water mark on the beach reminded me of the rising sea hazard threatened by Global Warming.

The sea is rising and those who live near it must get ready for a change in their circumstances.

Some say that the Church of God is on the move too. Those who are close to the Kingdom of God should also be ready for change.

The legendary King Canute tried to hold back the tide - and failed!

As you can see below, the tide comes in, but the yachts were ready for it. They returned to their element once again.

Every Sheep Numbered

The prophet Isaiah confessed that "All we like sheep have gone astray." (53:6) But as you can see above, the farmer we met today wasn't taking any chances. Every sheep was numbered - from 1 all the way up to 45.

Jesus told the story of the farmer who lost one of his sheep (Matt 18:12). He had 99 in the fold, but one was missing. Well today's farmer would have known exactly which one!

To the Good Shepherd each person is of infinitely greater value than the sheep of the farmer's field. Not only is each one of use uniquely identified and known by God, Jesus told his followers that "even the hairs on your head are counted." (Luke 6:7)

So in these days of confusion and uncertainty, be comforted that your Father knows exactly who you are, where you are, and will keep you safe, now and always.

Today we did find out why the farmer had numbered each one of his sheep. It wasn't so that he would know which one was missing. It was so that he would know in which order the sheep would have their lambs in the Spring! Farmers are smart indeed!

Living Lord prayer

For our opening prayer in worship this morning I wrote (mostly) new words to the P.Appleford song Living Lord (as found in Songs of God's People, 72). It was rather radical, and somewhat old-fashioned too, but I felt inspired to lead our prayer by singing these words to the Living Lord tune.

In orthodox church traditions their worship liturgy is led by the priests in song - as indeed we heard in Bethlehem this year on the eve of the Greek Orthodox Pentecost.

So here are the words from our prayer this morning.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You have come to us,
You are one with us,
Living Lord.
Showing the way that we should live,
Giving us strength your way to live,
Walking with us each day we live,
You are Lord.

Spirit of Fire,
Deep inside of us,
Yet surrounding us,
You are God.
Filling us with your strength and power,
Leading us through each day and hour,
Speaking to us your words of power,
You’re our God.

Father of ours,
We have let you down,
But you love us still,
Father God.
Washing away our darkest sin,
Pouring your love and healing in,
Father, we worship you and sing,
We are yours.

Swans & Geese

Jesus once referred to the difficulty of telling the difference between sheep and goats. In those days sheep and goats were very similar to each other and it took an expert to tell them apart easily.

This week I was in Linlithgow on a nice fresh and sunny day and parked down by the lochside. There were swans and geese swimming about on the blue water as well as sunning and preening on the grass. At first glance I found it quite hard to tell the difference between them. And I wondered whether if Jesus had been telling that same story in Linlithgow that day if he might have used the Swans and Geese to illustrate his point instead of sheep and goats.

Jesus was saying that even though we might find it quite difficult to tell apart those who are members of God's family, from those who choose not to be in God's family, God wouldn't have any difficulty. He would find it easy to separate the sheep from goats, and no doubt the swans from the geese.

The sheep, and let's say the swans, are those who are Children of God. They feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, give clothing to those with none, take care of the sick, and visit those in prison.

You can't tell them apart just by looking at them - only by the way they live their lives. Are you a goose or a swan?

Fruit and Weeds

I've been working in the garden this week. I was pleased to find another apple on my tree. It was a big one too!

That apple tree produced an amazing amount of fruit this year. I have eaten my way through a big bowlful. And more than half of the apples fell off before I got round to picking them.

It's surprising because my tree is shaded by my neighbour's pear tree. Their tree had not been pruned for over 20 years (since we've been here). As a result it had grown into the 'free space' above my apple tree.

Of course I have to keep my apple tree pruned otherwise all the fruit is out of my reach. And those of you who know me will know that I don't have a long reach!

Although my neighbour's pear tree does produce pears each year, they are hard and woody, and not nice to eat. Don't tell them, or my wife, that I have tried to eat them! So it doesn't matter that no-one can reach them (unless you happen to be underneath when one of the pears drops out of the sky). Ouch!

So, if a Fruit Tree only produces inedible fruit, does that make it a Weed Tree?

And what about us? If we are growing fruit, is it useful 'edible' fruit, or useless 'inedible' fruit?

Last week our mid-week service was based on John 15:1-8. It makes rather uncomfortable reading. It's all about pruning, which can be a rather painful experience - since it involves bits getting cut off!

Fruitless branches get cut off, wither, and then get burned on the fire. It's not a literal scenario, since we are told we are like these branches if we produce 'bad' fruit. But we could be producing 'good' fruit. And even the 'good' branches get pruned.

Pruning cleans away the parts of us that are fruitless, or bear 'bad' fruit, and allows fresh new branches to grow, bearing sweet, pleasant-tasting, edible fruit to grow instead. Indeed, in the original Greek, Kathairow, the word used for 'pruning' also means 'cleaning'.

I wonder how my neighbour's tree will respond to the rather major 'cleaning' I gave it yesterday? Perhaps that part of the tree will now produce nice sweet pears. Although if it does, I think they will be my neighbour's pears!

But maybe my apple tree will be even more fruitful next year now that it can 'see the light' again.

Perhaps we could all do with a good clearout so that once again we could 'see the light'!

Spiritual Fruit

It's been a very varied day for me. Started off at Falkirk Crematorium (first time there), then to Stirling Royal Infirmary (first time there too), then to Abercorn Guild in the afternoon, and finally Winchburgh Bible Study in the evening.

At the Bible Study we were talking about being fruitful, looking at John 15:1-8. Unless we remain in God, and let God remain in us, then we can't bear any fruit for God.

We wondered what 'fruit' was.

One person thought it was these high point moments when we feel we have been particularly close to God. Vines bear fruit, but not all year round. And during our celebrations of the Lord's Supper we drink the fruit of the vine.

Another person suggested that 'fruit' was love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22), or at least some of these.

Another suggestion was that 'fruit' is helping new people to start following Jesus; a bit like the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23).

In the variety of my activities today I feel that I've been fruitful, although I would find it difficult to define exactly which of the above fruit I've been bearing!