"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9.36 As the dust settles on another Holyrood election, the temptation is to think "sin e" (that's it), breathe a sigh of relief and plod on. That would be a mistake. That kind of "leave it all to our elected representatives, for better or worse" is what has led us to the current state of affairs in which an increasingly remote and out-of-touch g

"... choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." Joshua 24.15 With these words Joshua challenged his fellow Israelites to make up their minds: whether they would go along with the crowd of surrounding nations and enslave themselves to the panoply of household deities, or whether they would commit themselves to the one, true God. Today we get to choose who will serve us in the Scottish Parliament, by marking our ballot papers with the sign of the cross. For Christia

"You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." Matthew 23.24 Last night's Scottish election leadership debate was interesting, not least because all the candidates acquitted themselves well and it was the interviewer who was left looking foolish - on at least three occasions. The first was when he asked for a show of hands on income tax and the second when he posed a trivial question about the Prime Minister's plans to build a new Royal Yacht; the third was hi

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions. Ecclesiastes 7.10 I once heard a 10 year-old say to a friend: "When I was young the summers were so much better..." It goes to show that nostalgia - or the tendency to see the past through rose-tinted spectacles - is not necessarily an affliction of age! But it is debilitating nonetheless, if it distracts us from making the most of today. The truth about Christian living is that t

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12.24 Looking out of my study window on a beautiful late spring morning, I see a majestic view and I see a bleak landscape bursting with potential as the new growth begins to emerge. Jesus likened the world to a giant field, bursting with potential. Eventually there would be a plentiful harvest requiring workers to bring i

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1.7 Latha Buidhe Bealltainn! Our Celtic ancestors celebrated the 1st of May as the beginning of summer, with the beautiful yellow blossom of daffodils, buttercups, gorse and primroses heralding the verdant days of summer. Today we look forward to the easing of lockdown restrictions and, with them, the return of cherished habits and practices like socialising in pubs an