In life we like to share our wisdom and it comes thick and fast. I remember as a young worker tucking into a bacon trebler in the canteen when my colleague warned that by age 25 I’d be as big as he was!

Then there was the time I took up cycling and it was explained that the wind and rain will make it hard and I’ll eventually want to do something else.

When I got married I was kindly informed that the days of a well ordered life and a tidy house were over and that my children would one day  become a riot and punctuality a thing of the past.

And then I remember discussing theology  with an experienced and learned individual who keenly pointed out that I will one day mature out of Penal Substitution.

Well here I am in my 40s and none of that has happened! Continue reading “Atonement”

After a break over the summer our Neighbourhood Chaplaincy team were back visiting people last week. When we are in the local area we often meet new people and hear new stories. We also deliver this letter in every home we visit which explains what Neighbourhood Chaplaincy is and how we might be able to support people. Members of the public can contact us on the details given and church members can join the N.C. team to help serve the local community.

As social distancing comes to an end in Scotland it is perhaps timely that we begin a new series on John’s gospel this Sunday.  In the opening we read that Jesus is God in flesh, the source of life who created our world and that he drew near to bring an end to the distance between God and humanity. Indeed he set up home in our neighbourhood!

These video clips from the Bible Project provide a good overview of John’s gospel for all ages and are well worth watching before we begin this week.

Please pray as we begin this new series and pray also for other matters that are beginning afresh or restarting as we look ahead to the second half of the year (you can pray in alphabetical order!) Continue reading “Prayer as we start and restart”

Excuses can be funny. In 2016 a survey was conducted by CareerBuilder about some of the reasons  employees gave to take a day off work. Here are six to make you smile:

“I broke my arm trying to catch a falling sandwich.”

“I’m stuck under my bed.”

“The universe has told me to take a day off.”

“I’m going to the beach because my doctor told me I need more vitamin D.”

“I ate too much birthday cake.”

“My cat is stuck in the glove box.”

Excuses are also mentioned in the bible. In Luke 14:15-24 Jesus tells an interesting parable about a King who issues an invitation to a great banquet and those invited are full of excuses. They reject the invitation and in turn miss out on the great feast.

The parable reminds us that whilst there can be a humorous side to the excuses we use in life there is never a good reason to reject the invitation to God’s Kingdom through Jesus Christ.

Here are six more (less humorous!) points to think about when it comes to excuses. Continue reading “The King’s Banquet – Can You Make It?”

It was good to receive a mini report about the NHS at yesterday’s church service from one of our very own NHS doctors. It was helpful to be reminded about the challenges that all NHS staff have faced over the past 14 months not least in the fear they have faced and the courage with which people have done their job.

We were also reminded of how serious the pandemic has been over the past 14 months. This is just one image from the John Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Centre which you can access here.  
It was also helpful to be reminded that whilst Covid19 restrictions have been frustrating at times they have had a significant impact upon reducing the number of deaths when compared to other pandemics such as the Spanish flu which is estimated to have caused at least 50 million deaths.

We were then given these prayer points that you may want to use this week yourself;

Continue reading “COVID19 PRAYER”