No rest for the wicked - or the young

General Assembly finished the business of the day at 6:30 this evening. It was a full and encouraging day, with lots that made me feel proud to be a part of the Church of Scotland so involved in world mission and in social care - enfleshing the love and compassion of God.
Some of the young people found their voice today and contributed helpfully and thoughtfully to the debates.
Tonight, after the close of business I shared a quick meal with colleagues from Presbytery and then had to rush back to the conference centre.
For it is in the evenings that the real work begins for the Youth Delegates and the staff working with them. We prepare for the next days' debates and share worship together, usually going on until well after 10pm.
Exhausted - but loving every minute!
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I hate fudge!

I don't like fudge. Occasionally I may be tempted by fudge covered in Cadbury's chocolate. Or, on a recent trip across the pond, I enjoyed some Maple and walnut flavoured fudge- but that was more like Scottish tablet which I love.
Anyway, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland today became embroiled in a major fudge. Afforded the opportunity to make a decision on whether or not men and women in same sex relationships may be ordained to the ministry of word and sacrament, the Assembly became embroiled in a huge fudge - with another last minute option being thrown into the mix and accepted as an alternative to deciding one way or the other.
And so the issue rolls on and will come back to a future Assembly, having been further discussed by Presbyteries and Kirk Sessions.
I am trying desperately to find some patience and optimism - to focus on the fact that there has been some movement and that this is going to be a painstaking incremental process. But I am also wondering whether colleagues will feel equally loved and valued and affirmed - or whether this comes across as one rejection too many?
In this Pentecost season, have we embroiled the enigmatic Spirit of God in a sticky gooey mess or have we allowed her gentle wings to unfurl, heralding another step in the process of change? Still we wait....
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Heart and Soul

Once again, Heart and Soul, proved refreshing and inspiring. Celebrating Pentecost in Princes Street Gardens, the castle a fitting backdrop, the Kirk proved, in the words of the moderator, Right Rev Lorna Hood, that it is not dead - but on life support - the life giving breath of the risen Lord.
There were displays and stories from parishes all over Scotland and Europe proclaiming good news, care and compassion and celebrating the Spirit blowing through Gods people and bringing all manner of gifts.
Lets hope that amazing Spirit continues to make her presence known as we grasp the nettle tomorrow and tackle thorny issues. May the unity we experienced in worship continue into the business of General Assembly, wreaking havoc and bringing peace. So may it be.
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Speech and sight

How refreshing it is to hear the youth delegates' take on the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Especially on this the first day of proceedings so full of pomp and circumstance.
Already they have discerned that when a Convenor uses the word "briefly" it bears no relation to their concept of brevity! And how much shorter the Lord High Commissioner's speech would be if he left out all the whys and wheretofores with which his speech, presented on a scroll, no less, is so liberally peppered.
Tonight, in worship, we considered speech and sight, two senses that we all use so differently. We gave thanks for the gift of voice and for those whose skill is eloquence in speech. We prayed for the discernment to hear the message and not be simply carried along by rhetoric.
And we acknowledged how, even when engaged in seeing the same things and reading the same texts, we may yet come to interpret things differently. We prayed for authenticity in our interpretation and love and tolerance for others whose interpretation, although different, is authentic for them.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing God at work in General Assembly this week.

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Dog lessons

Exuberance propels her into the water
Oblivious to the cold
Plunging in for the sheer joy
Being absorbed and enveloped
Cradled in an ocean sized bath
Retrieving her stick and returning
to present her prize
and plead for the opportunity
to do it all again.
And to do it with joy
How I yearn for the ability
to practice exuberance
as it is taught by a dog
Instead, I fear reaction
I recoil from the effect
it might have on others
- the suspicion with which
I might be regarded.
So I curb my instinct
and stifle my exuberance
But be warned!
One day it will al come pouring out!

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Mad as...

The Spill the Beans team met today, not to write as we usually do but to plan and dream. Our meetings are always filled with hilarity. We cannot help but find joy in our task of somehow unravelling Lectionary texts and being creative in how we might present those with and for our different congregations.
Today we started off with a lengthy agenda. It took us less than two minutes to be totally diverted from that! And less than five minutes to mention Dr Who! With so many creative minds together in a room, sticking to an agenda is like herding cats. But we seem to get there and, certainly, each season, we come up with more and more ideas for presenting and living out the gospel together.
The Lectionary based all age church curriculum has enjoyed an amazing uptake not just in Scotland, our intentional market, but in other parts of the world too.
Taking time out today, in the beautiful surrounds of New Lanark, to plan the next stage was enriching and energising - essential components of ministry. Now to get back to writing for the season after the season after Pentecost!
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If we had known...

A brush of a kiss on the way out the door
A wave from the window
A stony silence
A blazing row precipitating a stormy exit
Would we have done it differently
if we'd known it would be
our final farewell?
When life - or death intervenes
causing us to pause and consider
are we changed
by that salutary encounter?
In all our impotence
to stave off evil
can't we yet
be changed by love?
Might we redouble our efforts
to tip the scales
to counter the balance?
Not simply to light the darkness
when it falls
but to push the dawn
ever nearer
so that its gentle light
pervades all
upon which it encroaches.
Need we wait
until tragedy intervenes
before we get to work?
Or might we strive
all the more
to be harbingers of light
and effectors of love.

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