I believe we will have a week of great blessing and opportunity at the General Assembly if those who attend go with a Spirit of humility and expectation. So much hard work goes into preparing for the Assembly. Its not till you get involved as closely as I have this year you begin to appreciate all the challenges of the finer details. I’m in awe of quite a number of people who have been so helpful. People who work so hard and have such a can do attitude.

Lots of interesting things will be happening over the next week. look out for the Heart and Soul event in Princess Gardens on Sunday. I believe they’re now saying the weather is going to be pretty good. Check out the video and pass the word around . lets see if we can get 10,000 on Sunday.

I’ve got myself esconcd in a wonderful room with a view. It is here that I’m working hard on my Gaelic pronounciation of the benediction for the Gaelic service directly after the St Giles service on Sunday morning.

For those of you who are not familiar with the proceedings of the opening of General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; its a formal occasion in which various aspects of the history between Church and State are reflected in the rituals and the layout and the choreography of the day. The opening of the Assembly has a sense of dignity to it, but it is always relational and I’m sure there will be moments of laughter and good humour. The Assembly is also an opportunity for the voice of the congregations the length and breadth of the land to be heard. Friends and colleagues meet up and new friendships are made.

There was excitement yesterday all around as copies of the book of prayers I’ve written for the Moderatorial year arrived at the flat. The pictures in the book are quite spectacular. Great piece of work and a huge thank you to the staff at Sanctus Media, especially Rae who researched the pictures for the book and designed the layout.I believe you can purchase it from the Sanctus Media Online Shop. I’ve also produced a small pamphlet type book with extracts from the prayers that are being used during the worship session at the Assembly. The idea is that Commissioners can get a copy and take them home as a reminder of the fellowship we have all shared this coming week.

This morning it will be up to the Assembly Hall to run through all the procedures and meet up with the Lord High Commissioner. One thing that I think a lot of people don’t know, is that the General Assembly is upheld with prayer from the beginning to the end. Prayer has always been at the core and heart of the Church of Scotland. No meeting can be deemed binding or effective or having any authority if it has not been opened with prayer.

Each day before the Assembly starts the Moderator’s Chaplains lead his or her household in prayer and Bible reading. All this is a reminder to us that the business of the Church is also worship to Almighty God. It is a solemn reminder to all that the way we conduct ourselves in private or in public reflects the kind of God we serve and worship. Its my prayer that all who attend the General Assembly this week will encounter the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. And for those who are attending but are felling anxious about things, here’s a verse of scripture for you;

“Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication make your requests known to the Lord,and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your heart in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 4v.6) Now was that verse not written just for you? Well it was for me!

However

I’ve been preparing the reflections for the General Assembly. This evening I’ve been reflecting on Ruth and Naomi. Amazing women! Here are two widows one in particular a foreigner a refugee returning with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem. They had been living in Moab for years, they were returning with very little,no doubt a few personal belongings. the whole story is just quite beautiful. It has all the ingrediants for a Hollywood love story. On the road Naomi the older woman, seeks to convince her daughter in laws to go back home. One does, but Ruth says the following to Naomi:

“Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

Its just such a moving story and the King James version sums it up wonderfully. There is no need for Ruth to stay. She could go back to her own family. But Ruth has made a promise, its really a covenant, and in the end Naomi accepts. Together these women change each other’s lives. No contract was issued, just a an understanding that each one wanted what the other wanted. Often in a contract the agreement is made so that each side gets what they want. However a Covenant is when each side wants to deliver what the other side wants regardless of the cost or commitment.

When I visited the Billy Graham Organisation a few years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Cliff Barrows. He headed up the musical team of mass choirs. He told me that Billy Graham invited himself and George Beverley Shea to join his team way back in I think he said, 1947 just before the London Crusade. He said to me, ” we just said to Bill, we’ll be around for as long as you need us.” They’re still together as friends and mentors 66 years later. He continued, “We’ve decided that we’ll be buried in three plots all next to each other.” I found that comment quite inspirational. It reflected the love that Ruth had for Naomi.

I pray that more and more of us who long to be servants of Christ will see the significance of being in Christ’s service for the long haul. I also pray that more and more of us in the Church of Scotland will learn to value and nurture our friendshps with each other. Working together over the years creates trust and loyalty. Oh one other thing I found out, which was quite revealing. Cliff Barrows, never wanted to be a Christian musician. He wanted to be a preacher. He smiled and said,” but God anointed Bill so I did the music, he did the preaching and I had he privelege of pinning his microphone on and always praying with him”

Now that is just one small example of what it means to be a servant. To take the back seat while another is called to be up front. Let us never despise the small things we can do for each other.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Being part of something gives us all something to look forward to and also helps us develop friendships and a sense of achievement. This morning I received an email from Lilias Snedden who is our youth worker at Bo’ness St Andrew’s. Lilias is aware of the fact that I’m hoping during my Moderatorial year to promote the importance of young people and to highlight the influence that the older generation can have on their lives and decision making. I really think the younger generation that is around in today’s world are quite resourceful and hard working.

Here is an extract from he email I received this morning.

” just counted up the number of young volunteers between the ages of 12 – 23 within Avenue Youth Programme – 49 (volunteers, not young people who attend various projects)

Just counted up the hours they have contributed from 1.4.11 – 31.3.12……. doing various things, prayer vigils, labyrinths, stewarding fashion shows, bag packing, carol singing, Stewarding Bo’ness Has Talent, stewarding For Our Amy Rose, face painting, various community fairs, planning meetings etc etc etc

5327.5 hours….. thats amazing o) ”

I think its amazing too!

So all this has got me thinking how cool would it be to have a Church in Scotland Gospel Choir. Just think how many singers we have in our churches throughout Scotland. It would be amazing to get them together to sing at an event or to make an event for make an even at which they could all sing. I’m sure we could get a 10,000 voiced church choir. let me know what you think? I think it would need to be an intergenerational one. Grannies and Grandpas singing with heir grandchildren. i think that’s a fantastic vision. Let me know what you think? We could be busing people from all over Scotland to a central venue. Where should it be?

Its going to be a busy few weeks for us all. When Willie gets back he’ll be getting his cassock dry cleaned as he prepares to be one of the Moderator’s chaplains.

Yesterday Martha and I had the unique opportunity to visit the 51 (Scottish) Brigade and get an overview of the work of the Army in Scotland, and also to hear about the important role that Firm Base is playing in seeking to integrate the Services into the structures of civic Scotland. It was also good to hear about Armed Forces Day and learn how local communities around Scotland are seeking to express their appreciation for the role that so many of our young people play in the armed forces. Scotland has a major part to play in recruiting some of the top soldiers into the army. We learned that there is going to be a major role for communities and parishes to welcome home the many ex-service personnel who will be returning home over the next couple of years. the army itself is going to be reduced in size and this will undoubtedly have consequences for many communities.

I think there is a wonderful opportunity for parishes throughout the country to begin to think how they can support such families. I know many returning will be completely self sufficient but there are always those who find themselves in a strange community and they need help and encouragement to make friends. I remember last year we had a family connected to the forces and they appreciated the support of our Bounce Higher programme.

I started with the cycle ride so I’ll finish with posting some magnificent pictures of sunsets I took tonight around Bo’ness while I was out cycling.

I’ve been reading Philippians chapter 2 in preparation for the sermon I will be preaching at St Giles during the Assembly week. Here Paul exhorts the Philippians to stay united. The reason for such unity is because of the love that Christ has for the church. How then can we stay united even when we have differing views? It seems to me that Paul lifts Christ as our example. We stay united when each one seeks self humiliation. Learning to empty ones self of everything, to die to self, to die to our own selfish nature. If he became like a man so we in turn must seek to become godly people. Of all the things that we need to be pursuing in the church surely it is holy lives. Lives set apart to bring glory and honour to Christ. Lives lived in obedience.

I was glad to get back to Bo’ness two hours later still reflecting on the glory that comes through suffering. Its hard work pushing up hill against the wind.

We arrived in Kilomanjaro last night. It was all a bit chaotic as people tried to pay their $50 dollars to get a visa stamp on their passport. Eventually we got through all the procedures and make contact with Calum Murray. Calum is on the staff of Vine Trust and among many others duties acts as our expedition organiser. We were up bright and early tis morning to go to Kamashuku. This is the name of the small town where we in the Vine Trust have been building a new children’s home in partnership with the local Lutheran Parish Church.

We had a most impressive day visiting the people of Kamashuku Parish. This is a congregation that decided to open their homes and take in the growing number of orphans that ad arisen die to the AIDS epidemic. Vine Trust volunteers spent some time last Summer and Autumn helping to start a building programme. Today was the opening of the first building housing the children.The little church was almost full as they gathered to celebrate what they had achieved. Later talking to their Bishop he told me that for him this congregation was an inspiration because they were demonstrating their ‘readiness for community’ I found that a telling phrase. To live out community is a challenging calling and these people are seeking to demonstrate this by the way they carry out their ministry. No doubt they have much to learn about operating a home for children but one get the distinct impression that they are up for the challenge.

In the afternoon we visited the Rafiki School. This is a boarding school which is run by an American Foundation which has schools in 10 African countries. They taken in children who are completely destitute and offer them a home and education. It is a pretty impressive place. This school has opened opened their doors to the children of the Kamashuku home including them as day students.

As we looked around the school it was impressive to see the resources of the school and it was commendable that they had made space for more children. talking to the director Philip Nickels, it was hearing to hear him tell us that some of the children from Kamashuku were amongst the brightest children in the school.

We finished the day chatting over dinner and humbled by the enthusiasm of our new found friends many of them children. I’ll never forget the old man who stood up in the church in Kamashuku and told the children your are not orphans anymore we are are your parents. As we left church a young ten year old girl touch my hand and asks me if I would be her father. I smiled and said yes of course I was. Did I do right. I couldn’t do anything else. After all we are our brothers keeper.

Tomorrow will be another day of visits.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are a number of interesting reports coming to the General Assembly this year. The one that has caught my attention so far is entitled, “ The Special Commission on the Purposes of Economic Activity” This report may not have a snappy title but it could prove to be a catalyst to spur the Christian Community into action. Christians need to understand that we have a vital part to play in reshaping the way business and economics are viewed in our society. And i think we need to give some of the corporate models a run for their souls!

The report asks the big question. “ What is the economy for? It then gives a quote, from C Wigglesworth, which is as follows ‘the economy is for God, which means it is also for my neighbour: it is for my neighbour which means it is also for God’

At the heart of this report is a reminder to everyone that good economic practice is embedded in social relationships. It highlights the fact that for too long it has been promoted as existing for the markets. The report goes on to talk about the danger of following the markets and argues that unless the “invisible hand” of the markets is controlled in some way the vulnerable and the poor will always end up being at the end of the line.

There are some interesting ideas in the report, encouraging congregations to think about setting up Credit Unions, suggesting that the church becomes more proactive in engaging with those involved with economic education. The underlying assumption is that we have much to contribute to a debate that talks about wellbeing, and the purpose of an economy that is not just about making money.

So should we be challenging the assumption of programmes like “The Apprentice”? What are we saying to people when we treat Alan Sugar like a god. When we take his philosophy and hold it up as an inspiration that the winner is the team that makes the most money. Being a successful business person is surely about quality, about contentment, about peace of mind, about being happy, about fairness, about integrity and much more. Its absolutely crazy, to have the cras ideal of the winner is the one with the biggest pile of money.

Should the winning team not be judged on qualities that go beyond making money? I think the BBC might find itself running a programme that is rapidly out of touch with the moral sympathies of its viewers. Would I want to work for Sugar? Would anyone. Would i want my son or my daughter to become soley motivated by money?

You see if the bottom line is profit, Jesus asks the question, “ What does it profit a person, if they gain the whole world, and lose their soul” Its time to put the soul back into business. Perhaps that’s not a bad title for the Church’s latest report ‘ Its Time to put Soul Back into the Economy”