"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." Genesis 2.2 Have you noticed that no end to the seventh day is mentioned in the first account of creation? Saint Augustine taught that was because it was supposed to establish an eternal rest, the work of creation having been fulfilled. Rest, in this case, would not have amounted to sloth or indolence; more like effortless activity, as creation went about thriv

"... because the Lord disciplines the one he loves..." Hebrews 12.6 ... is actually a quotation of Proverbs 3.12. I was thinking about it this morning, as I paddled around the Broadford islands - Pabbay, Longay, Guillemon - in fulfilment of one of three parts of 'Al's Grand MacNab', a fundraiser for the refugee work we support in Jordan. This part consisted of a 22km sea kayak route. I had hoped for company but found myself alone. I was expecting calm water but met with a che

"Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty." Jeremiah 2.19 These are difficult days for the Church of Scotland, as we face inexorable decline and grasp at various straws in a desperate attempt to survive. And it's not entirely self-serving. We believe in who we are and whom we serve. We believe we

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Luke 24.27 Posting late again today. No excuses but this has been an usual week, with the General Assembly happening online as opposed to in Edinburgh. Being away enables one to concentrate on what one is doing. Remaining at home means that one is trying to be in two places at once - awkward, at times painful! On the brighter side, yesterday's Alpha me

"Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16.16 So says Jesus. This means that making up our minds about the salvation he offers is a matter of urgency. Putting off our response and sitting on the fence is risky because no one knows when they will be called to account: on their death or at the Lord's return? No one knows which will come first, nor when either will happen. But what about those who make a commitment a

"... and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh." Mark 10.8 Obh, obh, here we go again... the Church of Scotland General Assembly taking another step closer to embracing gay "marriage", prioritising social relevance over faithfulness to scripture and unwittingly driving an ever greater wedge between ourselves and neighbouring denominations. It is not primarily about ethics or tradition and certainly not about homophobia, for which the church

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place." Acts 2.1 How often we skip over the crucial opening sentence to the account of Pentecost in Acts, chapter 2. Obedient to the command of Jesus at his Ascension, the disciples had gathered in Jerusalem in anticipation of they knew not what... But the crucial thing is that they were obediently waiting on God together. In all our rushing around, do we create the space ever to wait? With our various agendas how

"... that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 1.7 It was a moment of inspiration, revelation even. It happened in one of the small groups in the Alpha Course we are currently doing as a church. We were discussing prayer in the context of 'Thy Kingdom Come', the international initiative which runs between Ascension and Pentecost, encouraging us to pray every day for the conversion of 5 non-/ not-yet believers whom we know. Given how i

"Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin." Proverbs 13.3 As the sorry tale of that notorious interview between Martin Bashir and the late Princess Diana is demonstrating, the spoken word has power to cause great suffering - especially when wielded dishonestly. Who knows where it will end but we are certainly learning much about the misery that has already been caused. It's a cautionary tale for all of us. When we open our

"Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping." Matthew 8.24 Anyone who has been caught in a storm at sea knows what a terrifying and uncomfortable ordeal that is. The idea of Jesus sleeping through one in an open boat is almost absurd! Yet it also serves as an illustration of Jesus' ability to provide an oasis of peace and calm where it is most needed. You might be at a time of life where big decisions are piling