"I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power..." Ephesians 3. 16-18 More in the news today about the injustices perpetrated on the "Windrush generation". If nothing else, these strange times are eliciting much poison out of society which, if unedifying, nevertheless presents the opportunity to address the problem, learn what we can and make what reparations seem appropriate. Today is also 'Elimination of Violence Against Women Day'. Around the world, three quarters of all those currently in slavery are women

"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves." John 14.11 When it comes to believing in God, should we apply faith or reason? In other words, is our belief motivated by intellect or experience. Many would say it ought to be both. So which comes first? Perhaps that is an individual matter, depending on whether your journey to belief in God has come through revelation (like Paul's experience on the Road to Damascus) or reflection (like the disciples who met the stranger on the Emmaus Road and only realised afterwards that it was Jesus). Jesus' appeal to the disciples appears to prioritise faith through direc

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11.15 The Apocalypse of St John or 'Revelation' is the culminating book of the Bible, offering us a glimpse into how God will bring his great plan of redemption, the New Heaven and the New Earth, into fruition under the Lordship of King Jesus. At the very heart of the book is the statement above. That it is lodged in the middle of John's account of what he saw concerning the cosmic fight between good and evil, between God and Satan, not only resonates with our own struggles, but reassures us that the outcome is glorious triumph for God and therefore for all who pu

"Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord..." Ephesians 5.9 Just been reading the introduction to an old volume of Gaelic hymns. The editor is explaining that the tunes were specially composed to evoke the appropriate feeling in the worshipper and so it is important that those who sing these hymns should first learn the tune and then add the words. That way heart and head and voice are united in a perfect harmony of praise and adoration to God. That runs counter to the attitude many of us are used to, which views emotion as fickle at best; something to be harnessed, controlled even. Certainly not to be given the lead role in worship. If we are to sing our theology, surely that is to g

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity..." 1 Corinthians 13.13 According to the CARE Prayer Diary, The Centre for Social Justice has identified 5 Pathways to Poverty: family breakdown, educational failure, lack of income, addiction, serious personal debt. These problems are inter-connected so, if even an individual is struggling with just one of them today, they could soon become ensnared in all of them. How to break that cycle? No easy answers! But awareness by all concerned - victims, neighbours, society as a whole is a useful start. Community life needs to be sufficiently intimate and open to ensure that nobody falls through the cracks. We may not be able to employ somebody or prevent thei

"After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13.5 Today must the least glamorous but most necessary of the 'International Days of...'. This is the 'Day of the Toilet'. Apparently 2 billion people, between a quarter and a third of the world's population, lack safe access to a hygienic toilet. You can imagine the health implications, let alone the impact on personal dignity. The majority of the problem lies in the less-developed parts of the world. So is our equivalent of foot-washing to provide for this essential need among our materially poorer friends and neighbours? It must at least constitute

"... I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25.36 This is Prisons Week, when we are exhorted to remember those in custody, their victims, families and the staff who serve our penal institutions. Not a glamorous section of society but a necessary evil in a fallen world. Seminars are being held throughout the week to inform us about various aspects of the prisons community and to stimulate our constructive involvement. It's another one of those Jesus opportunities, where the Lord identifies with those who are incarcerated to the point that caring for them amounts to caring for him. The question is: what sort of prisoner had Jesus in mind? Was it anyone from a petty thief to a mass

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13.34 "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men" is the dictum attributed to First World War fighter ace Harry Day. In the Second World War, Douglas Bader, another pilot who rose to fame because of his exploits in the air (despite losing both his legs), said something similar: "Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things

"Where there is no vision the people perish" Proverbs 29.18 Given the noisy nature of society today, with people mouthing off about everything through the seemingly limitless avenues of social media, I am puzzled by the lack of confidence which pervades our life together in Scotland and in the UK. While our smaller neighbours around the North Sea in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway get on with their lives, making laws and cutting trade deals, the UK agonises over limiting the damage of Brexit and Scotland baulks at the prospect of independence, despite the wealth of our natural resources and, more importantly, the resourcefulness of our people. What is all this politics doing in a (pari

"... but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Luke 9. 58 I have just caught up with the video recording of the Sleat Church's Act of Remembrance, so poignantly led by Niall MacKinnon. One thing in his closing prayer gripped me and that is when he mentioned the hundreds, if not thousands, of refugees in our world today who are fleeing from war and looking either for a safe place to call home or for the opportunity to return to their original homes when the fighting stops. Why can't we offer them a safe haven - for as long as they need it, perhaps permanently? The reason we cannot is that our government does not allow it. Now, there are strong arguments for border controls: over-crowd

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4. 32 Did you know that today is World Kindness Day? Neither did I. But bring it on! Kindness has to be the most under-rated value. Often dismissed as a form of weakness, I would contend it deserves recognition as an unlikely hero. Kindness can be a life-saver, akin to the proverbial "cup of cold water on a hot day". Like gentleness it brings a human touch to adverse situations and is therefore not for softies but for those with the capacity to reach beyond their own comfort, in order to minister to the needs of others. The Bible frequently draws our attention to God's acts of kindn

"God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble." James 4. 6 As bishop of Cambrai and tutor to the Duke of Burgundy, Francois de la Mothe Fenelon was well acquainted with the machinations of the French court around the turn of the 17th/ 18th centuries. He wrote: "So long as we are centred upon ourselves, we shall be vulnerable to the contradiction, wickedness, and injustice of others. Our temper will bring us into collision with other tempers; our passions will clash with those of our neighbours. Our desires have so many tender places exposed to the arrows of the jealous around us. And our pride, which is incompatible with that of our neighbours', rises like the waves of a stormy sea;

"The small and the great are there..." Job 3. 19 As encouraged, I am sharing Murdo Beaton's moving account of the story behind the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, whose centenary falls today. May it enrich your appreciation of this occasion, of the preciousness of life, of the outrage of war and suffering and of the goodness of God whose plan of redemption offers hope to us all: Precisely 100 years ago on 11th November 1920 an event took place which brought this nation to a standstill. The whole nation mourned, and this unknown warrior brought people out in their hundreds of thousands to pay their respects. It was the greatest outpouring of grief this country has ever know

"From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do..." 1 Chronicles 12. 32 Huge sighs of relief in some quarters, wild rejoicing in others: the reaction to Joe Biden's election victory is euphoric - among his supporters. And they include many of the "sensible" people around the world; the kind of people who are amazed and appalled by the Brexit vote, who are prosperous, well educated - in other words have a significant stake in the status quo, maintaining life as we are familiar and comfortable with it because it has served them well. Yet are they, are we all, taking on board what votes for Brexit and Trump are telling us: about the disenfranchised millions, whom the

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5. 44 Watching the 2-minute silence at last night's Festival of Remembrance, when thousands of poppies fluttered from the ceiling of the Albert Hall onto the perfectly arranged cast of performers, was a thing of beauty and a triumph of choreography. But what it commemorates clearly was neither. 'Remembrance' will forever be associated primarily with the 1st World War, although it has been appropriated quite understandably for every conflict since, including the 2nd World War and our various excursions in the Middle East and beyond. The ugliness of the chaos and carnage of, Ypres, Arras, the Somme, Gallipoli, &c

"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6. 31 It is moving to think that, in the midst of the three years of hectic ministry that Jesus had, with so much to pack in while there was time, Jesus still noticed when his closest companions needed a break. Sometimes we are so intent on working through our own agendas that we are not so considerate, whether towards our colleagues, our families, even ourselves. We inhabit unforgiving times; the better known we are, the more interest others take in what we do and the more likely they are to come down in judgment when we fail to fulfil expectations. All of this adds to our stress. A certain amount of pressure is good, it

"For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?" Revelation 6. 17 While calling down judgment on everything and everyone we don't like, we all want to be treated mercifully ourselves. And the Good News is that, on account of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sakes, we can indeed look forward to God's mercy. But we should never take it for granted. Possibly the least understood and yet most compelling book in the Bible is Revelation. I say that because it is the one book which is primarily concerned with the present and the future or, to put it more accurately, John interprets the present in light of the future. A summary of his message might go something like: The world mi

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1.9 Just beginning research for a project on the first great Gaelic hymn writer, Dugald Buchanan... He only published eight pieces but these have traditionally been lauded for their quality and originality. Yet a recent study by Professor Donald Meek and Dr Dòmhnall Uilleam Stiubhairt claims that much of Buchanan's work reflects existing material by John Bunyan and Isaac Watts among others. Should we be surprised? Should this new information diminish the esteem in which Buchanan is held, or should we be grateful for Meek and Stiubhairt for adding to our knowledge and possibl

"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever." Daniel. 2. 44 Those of us who waited through the night for the result of the US elections will be reaching for the match-sticks, especially when the result we were awaiting might lie beyond another night - or two! What explains the fascination for polling in a country we don't live in and may never even visit? The answer is as obvious as it is chilling. America is the most powerful and influential country in the world. What happens there matters to all of us. The

"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7.5 Catholic missionary bishop of Geneva, Francis de Sales, was noted for his eirenic approach to church division in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. In similar measure is he venerated for his gentle approach to spiritual discipline, urging believers to behave as patiently towards themselves as they would aspire to behave toward others, in their pursuit of moral and ethical perfection. With commendable pragmatism, he taught that we should be as diligent in preparing for the myriad irritations which trip us up on a daily basis, as we are in forti