Carberry Cross Obscured
Carberry Towers has been an influential retreat centre in the life of the church in Scotland for the past 50 years for most of these years it has been administered by the Church of Scotland. Over the past two or three years it has been administered by new Trust which is seeking to take the centre into a different type of usage. From June 20-22 a group of people returned to say farewell to the venue which has been the home to a unique Christian Arts Festival for the past 20 years. The festival was known as the Carberry Festival. Over the past 20 years this festival has be instrumental in shaping and forming many ministries throughout Scotland. Literally hundreds of people have been supported and encouraged in their Christian walk through the ministry of this place. I hope that the focus of being Christ centred will continue with its new role. 
Anyway I was part of a group of people who were at Carberry this weekend to say farewell to the festival and to seek guidance for the future of the vibrant community that has now grown up around the Carberry Festival. As I prayed in the Chapel looking out onto the lawn. The ten foot cross in the lawn which has been such a focus of prayer and reflection, can no longer be seen with the same clarity. It has faded in to the background as the trees surrounding it has swamped its stark powerful image. All this got me thinking that it is a picture of the church or the gospel in today's society. The cross is welcome to be there as long as it blends into the background . 
A group of creative artists worked around the cross to create an amazing river flowing from the cross. It really was an amazing piece of art and it spoke volumes to everyone. There is a river of life that flows fro the cross seeking to fill all of us up with the power and compassion of God. If you walked closer to the cross you would have notice the beautiful silver thread that ran from the cross right down the river. Here is a close up picture of the cross. I came away from the weekend grateful to god that I had been associated with such amazing group of people over the past 20 years. So what of the future? Well That is something everyone has now got to think about.
