Thought for the Week

IT WAS a heart-warming sight indeed.

The sun brought light and colour to the Mound in Edinburgh and danced on the Assembly Halls.

The sun was not the only one dancing though, as the Moderator, looking splendid in his kilt, danced his way out of the Assembly Halls at the end of all our deliberations.

At the ‘clapping out’, the Rev Dr Russell Barr took his wife for a lively ‘Gay Gordons’ and they danced at the top of the Mound much to the delight of the commissioners.

I thought it was good for the church to be seen rejoicing. I thought it was good for the church to be seen rejoicing after many difficult debates and decisions.

I thought it was good for the church to be seen rejoicing in an age when many think of the church as ‘stuffy’ and out of date.

I thought it was good for the church to be seen rejoicing. It was a great week and an encouraging week. I was heartened to see how involved the national church is in many of the important issues of today. I was pleased to be part of a church that does not draw a veil over some of the more contentious issues.

I am pleased to be part of the bigger picture; part of a church that has a vision for the future; part of a church that recognises its faults and grapples with its differences.

In our rural churches we sometimes feel despondent that numbers are dropping and we can feel a wee bit isolated.

So it is good to be part of the bigger picture, even if just for a short time, to remind ourselves of all that is happening with the national church in so many ways. David danced before the Lord. The Moderator danced before the Lord. May the dance of life be renewed in us all.