Knowing a Margaret can change your life!
I was able to visit with the members of the St Margaret's Chapel Guild on Friday. The Chapel is a very small building situated in Edinburgh Castle. I think it can hold a maximum of about 30 people. I really enjoyed the visit. The great thing is that you don't forget the names of the congregation. They're all called Margaret. I was welcomed by Margaret Ann Crawford a member of the Guild. I had met margaret a few weeks ago at Direlton when we visited to celebrate their...
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This week I've been working with the Council of Ministries. In particular I've been meeting parish ministers from all around the country. The reason I want to do this is that I believe parish ministers are pivotal for the growth and development of the Christian faith in Scotland. Over the years the Church has been affirming and developing the idea that there is more than one form of full time ministry in the church and I think that is good and proper. However at a...
You know I want to answer
But I don't know
Who's knocking
It could be
Anyone
Anything
On the other side of the door
To knock - js to expect an answer
What if I give the wrong answer
What if I cannot answer
What if I keep them
Waiting
Standing
On the other side of the door
To open - might mean a commitment
For life - to a dangerous association
To change
To forgive
To care
To serve
From the other side of...
Memorials are important. I 've stood beside the war memorial in the town where I live each Remembrance Sunday and watched year after year the same people return to view names etched in granite.
The stone holds the names secure but we humans, we hold the pain of the generation in our hearts.
When we think of the Season of Remembrance; do we not find ourselves in a strange sort of way ' re-membering ' the family members we have lost we bring them to life as part of...
I'm writing my blog late this evening with stars in my eyes and my head still feeling a bit numb. It all started this morning. For over an hour flash photography ruled the conference I was chairing as part of the Church of Scotland's response to engaging civic Scotland in a debate as to what kind of society we want to become. The referendum on Independence has caused the Church of Scotland to open up a much wider debate centred around ethics and policy...
A number of people asked for a copy of the sermon I preached at St Giles during the General Assembly Week. Here's a copy of the sermon.
Glory Through The Cross
Introduction
I'd like to take a moment to express the thanks of the General Assembly to the minister and Kirk Session of the High Kirk here in Edinburgh for allowing us the opportunity to share in worship this morning. I know many commissioners look forward to this service in what might be hailed as the...
Today I published my letter that I sent to the Prime Minister inviting him to help eradicate slavery out of the United Kingdom. Its shocking that in the 21st century human beings are still being traded like commodities. See my letter under comments to this post.
Let me tell you a true story about Peter Williamson the Scot who was sold into slavery nearly 280 years ago. We made a short film of this story about three years ago. It's called "Indian...