It is Saturday morning again and while it feels like I have spent every waking hour thinking about the sermon this week, I have yet to put one word on paper. I am going out in half an hour to Soup and Sandwiches at the Church to raise money for a school in Kenya and will be away for two hours or so. I feel I have to talk about the whole question of Scott Rennie and the call to Queen's Cross and the response and the Assembly......but it is oh so difficult to find the right words. Maybe I am trying too hard.
Both the Acts passage and the verses from John 15 are so right for this week......one of those moments lies before the Church of Scotland and it is so important to the life of the nation that we do the right thing and that we are seen to be in fact the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. One of the greatest influences on my life was the work of Martin Buber. For me his I-Thou concept says clearly how we are to approach each other. If someone is a thou to my I, I cannot help but love them. Of course Buber says that God is I to our thou. 'This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you' How can we exclude anyone, how can we not sit and talk and share until we come to understand each other? We are called to call each other by our names and to know each other intimately and if we do that we cannot talk in the abstract, about 'these homosexuals' or 'these fundamentalists'.
The message of the Bible, the Gospel is so simple, God loves us and wishes to be in conversation with us, God loves us gave us His Son who lived, died and rose again that we might have life and His Son commands us to love one another just the way that he loved us. Simple - it is we who make it difficult.
I am not sure just what I will say tomorrow morning but I hope that there are many prayers being said for all ministers in the Church of Scotland this weekend and for the General Assembly next week. Especially for those whose lives have been hurt the most in these past weeks, for Scott Rennie and his family, for the folk at Queen's Cross and the Presbytery of Aberdeen, some of whom are my friends - John and Maureen. I would pray also for those who have made the complaint, and for those who struggle with scripture

Elaine

It is Saturday 9th May and I think I have managed to post a comment on revgalblogpals. I am so excited. I think it will take a little while to get used to this blogging stuff. Not sure yet what I am doing or supposed to do but I have certainly been reading lots of blogs recently. Mostly because of the current situation within the Church of Scotland. I've found it difficult to focus on worship this week because my mind and heart are full of our situation.
It always seems so clear to me what Jesus teaches us and it is in all things to be understanding and compassionate. I find myself becoming more and more progressive in my theology driven there partly by the lack of grace shown by those on the right wing of the church.
'Abide in me and I in you' and if we do then we are involved in an intricate, intimate relationship in Jesus with the whole world. As Desmond Tutu says 'it is not enought to be your brother's keeper, you must be your brother's brother and your sister's sister'.

sermon strugglings.

It is saturday morning and I am struggling with the sermon. Gordon is out with the Lenten Walk. Not sure where I am going with the sermon. Ten Commandments, and the cleansing of the temple.......I suppose I am angry, having watched Comic Relief last night and witnessed the needless deaths of so many children I cant quite believe it. To see so many children in real need here as well. We need a complete change of attitude about so many things. Mostly about responsibility adn how we can create a new kind of community where we each take responsibility for the care of each other.

NEW MISSION PARTNERS FOR KIPPEN CHURCH

Ida and Keith Waddell have recently gone out to Zambia as Mission Partners with World Mission Council, returning to where they have lived and worked for many years.

“It's good to be home. It is a rather strange feeling returning to a place you know and have come to love to do much the same as you have been doing. Yet in many respects this homecoming is a new beginning for us both.

We are stationed at Mwandi LICZ (United Church of Zambia) Mission, Ida working in the Mission Hospital and Keith at the Basic School. In our spare time we've been running the Mission House, a job we're doing really to get a roof over our head! The Mission House is a rather grand looking American pile but don't imagine that we are luxuriating in opulent splendour; our single room quarters have more the air of a single-end, serving as office, store, sitting-room and bedroom.

We are therefore looking forward to the completion of our own home which is being built. This will provide us with a more balanced life than we enjoy at the moment and will allow us to carry out full-time our primary functions as support for education and health.

Ida is the Coordinator for the AIDS RELIEF Programme. With the advent of antiretroviral drugs, a new hope has been brought to over a thousand people in this community, one hundred of them children. The Mission Hospital now is a place of new beginnings and new life instead of a place filled with people dying on floor-beds. Ida is also involved with providing milk formula for almost 70 babies. All babies born to HIV+ mothers are tested for HIV and those who are negative are changed onto milk formula to prevent them from becoming positive through their mother's milk.

For the past three years Keith has been teaching Grade 7 girls who range in age from 12-16. For as many as one third this was their last year of education. Unfortunately insufficient value is given to girls' education, though our Mission School has a proud tradition of offering girls academic subjects. The Mission is building a High School so that our children do not need to go 70km away to Sesheke for higher education. Keith has been involved in the fundraising and logistics of building a new Science Lab and Classroom block, both of which are now completed.

So what makes Mwandi our home? Well, we have also our foster-child, Mubita here. At an age where we should be grandparents, we have a lively, and much loved 18 month child that we have looked after since he was 2 weeks old. He has brought us great joy; another new beginning.”

Ida and Kieth will be at Kippen Church on Sunday 12th Oct; come along and meet them and hear molre of their ministry work

There is an old Chinese proverb tells the story of a fox that was captured by a tiger. The fox said, "You can't eat me because the gods have made me the leader of all the animals." The tiger did not believe him, but the fox said, "Follow me and see if any animal challenges me." The tiger agreed to this and followed directly behind the fox as the fox began his walk through the forest. To the tiger's amazement it turned out to be exactly as the fox had said. Not a single animal they encountered challenged the fox. Indeed every animal they met fled in sheer panic. After several such encounters the tiger finally agreed that the fox was the leader of all the animals and let him go.

It is so much easier to walk through life when we have a tiger behind us!



While those of us at Kippen listen to Ida and Keith Waddell our missionary partners, at Norrieston we will take a fresh look at the 23rd Psalm, it tells us, that it is God who walking with us, who overcomes that which we find overwhelming.

I have been thinking about boats! I am in the process of putting together the service for Norrieston on the subject of boats. For more see you at church 10am Sunday. while browsing the internet I found the story below. it comes form a great site might want to look at "Joyfull Heart Ministries"
http://www.joyfulheart.com/
it has lots of good stuff I have 'borrowed' some material from it in the past and find it most inspirational

The Joyful Heart, Issue 7, October 3, 1997

"Nice boat."
Simon looked up from mending his nets to see a tall man touching his boat. It was Jesus, whom he’d first met down in Judea where Simon had been listening to John the Baptist’s teaching. Jesus himself was a teacher these days, Simon had heard.
Jesus was fingering the joinery of Simon’s boat, admiring the handiwork. "Very smooth," he said.
"Benjamin the boatmaker finished it last fall," said Simon. "Last boat he made before he died."
Jesus ran his hand over the planks along the side of the craft. "It looks tight," he said, "Mortise and tenon joinery. Must have taken a long time to make."
"A long time is right!" Simon put down his nets. Talking was a lot more enjoyable than mending. "Benjamin and his son took seven months. I thought they’d never finish. And he charged me a pretty penny. But then, I probably have the best boat on the lake." Simon got up and came over to the boat pulled up on the rocky beach. "You look like you know something about wood."
"I’m a carpenter like my father before me," Jesus said, extending his hand. "Good to see you again. Mind if I look at the stern?"
Simon hesitated for a split second. It was a new boat, and he didn’t want just anyone clamoring all over it, especially someone not used to boats. But his pride got the better of his anxiety. "Sure, just be careful not to trip over those ropes."
Jesus climbed into the boat and examined it carefully: rudder, oarlocks, sail mount. "Benjamin built you an excellent boat," he said as he climbed out. "By the way, I’ll be teaching this evening along the beach. I was wondering if you could assist me getting the crowd seated tonight. I need a helper, if you’d be so kind."
"Glad to help, Jesus." He liked to be needed, and he liked the fact that a carpenter had pronounced his boat the masterpiece Simon knew it was.
That evening, after an attempt at crowd control, Simon sat enthralled. "The blind man you see healed before you is evidence of God's power among you to heal your life, set you free, and give you joy! The Kingdom of God is here," Jesus had preached. "Turn around and get your life right with God!"
This wasn’t the learned discourse of your average itinerate teacher, quoting from Rabbi So-and-So to buttress his opinions. Jesus taught with a native authority, a boldness that left the self-righteous Pharisees in the crowd speechless and brought the common people to tears of shame and repentance. As the sun set and the people got up to leave, Simon himself had been shaken. Here he was, a loud and profane fisherman. Was he ready for God’s Kingdom and Messiah? He was a good fisherman, yes. But a good man? Not really.
No time for reflection now. Capernaum’s fleet was getting ready to put out for another night of fishing. Simon and his brother Andrew pushed the boat off the beach and gave it a running start before jumping in themselves. They rowed out a few hundred feet and cast the first of many nets. They would be busy all night casting, then hauling in, casting and hauling in.
Just as dawn began to streak the sky with pink, Simon and Andrew threw out their final net of the night, ready to head in, sell their catch, and get some sleep. It had been a long night, but a better catch than most this week.
"Si-mon," a voice echoed across the water. "Si-mon."
Simon watched the net sink below the surface of the lake and then looked up. It was Jesus. Jesus, whose words of the Kingdom of God had challenged and gnawed at him all night as he had toiled.
"Si-mon." The call came a third time. Simon lifted his hand in recognition.
"Follow me!" The word was sharp, short, demanding. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Fishers of men? Catching men rather than fish? What could he mean? But Jesus was calling. He was calling now!
The net was still in the water where Simon had thrown it, floats still bobbing, still there to trap some unsuspecting fish. But the fish wouldn’t find its way to a breakfast table this morning, because both Simon and Andrew were over the side and swimming to shore. Dripping, they dropped to their knees before Jesus.
"Simon." Simon could feel the Teacher’s hand on his wet, tangled hair. "Simon, follow me."
Simon looked up. "Yes, Lord, I’ll follow. Where are you going."
"You’ll see," said Jesus, pulling Simon’s arm gently as a sign for him to get up. "And Simon, I’ll need your boat."
His brand new boat, pride of the town fleet? What did Jesus want with the boat? Simon looked up. "Sure, you can use it," he replied slowly, "... when we don’t need it."
"But I need it," Jesus insisted. "You own the boat, don’t you?"
"Of course, Lord, I own it outright. It took me three years to earn enough extra to pay for it."
"And you’ve decided to follow me, haven’t you, Simon?"
"Yes, of course, Lord."
"Then your boat needs to follow me, too," replied Jesus. "Not just you, but everything you are and own need to follow me, to be at my call when I need them."
Simon was ashamed. "Yes, Lord. Please take my fishing boat. Use it whenever you need it.... I really want you to. Forgive my selfishness."
"You have a house, Simon?"
"Yes, Lord, I have a house."
"I need to use that, too."
"My house?"
"Yes, your house."
"Eh, Jesus. How can I say this? My mother-in-law lives with us and she isn’t very well right now. I’m not sure we should disturb her, with her fever and all."
"Your boat and your house and you must follow me, Simon."
"Yes, Lord."
"And I’ll care of your mother-in-law, you’ll see. Why don’t you lead the way?"
"Yes, Lord," said Simon, and he and Jesus and Andrew walked up from the beach into town as the sun peeped over the hills.

Written at Tiberias, Galilee, September 26, 1997. This story is entirely fictional, but based on the accounts in John 1:35-42 and Matthew 4:12-22. You know, of course, that when Jesus got to Peter's house, his mother-in-law was healed from her fever, and the house was used as Jesus' base-of-operations and the site for many teachings and healings. The boat, too, was used to transport Jesus and the disciples on their mission in Galilee. What do you have that needs to follow Jesus?

Are you a Creationist?

There has been lots of stuff in the media about Creationism and Creationists.
Last week The Rev Professor Michael Reiss, a Church of England Cleric, a biologist and Director of Education at the Royal Society, provoked a furore when he called for creationism to be treated in science lessons as a legitimate “world-view”.
“The demi-god of atheism, Prof Richard Dawkins, weighed in to say that he would wish to see the Royal Society "attack creationism with all fists flying". I presume he's speaking metaphorically and not actually advocating violence,”
said George Pitcher in the Telegraph Online

I, as both a scientist and a Christian, find this debate so frustrating because I see little level headed wisdom from either side.
This week Dawkins claims that ‘the majority of Christians’ hold creationist beliefs clearly this is not the case

Creationists believe that the world was created in seven days as it says (or as they say it says) in the opening verses of Genesis. Some of them believe each of these ‘days’ to be 24hr days others see them as representing 7 eras in the unfolding story of creation.
In my mind and that of most scholars of the Hebrew Bible these people have a totally misguided understanding of what the opening books of our bible are about. The writer(s) of Genesis 1-11, whoever they were, never set out to tell the “what” of creation rather they wished to explain the “why”.
As a scientist I never fail to wonder at the majesty and mystery of God’s created world. I see nothing incompatible with me holding to the theory of Evolution or studying the answers to what happened 15 billion years ago at the dawn of the universe and my belief that God is my creator and that Jesus of Nazareth is my God and saviour.. I am desperate to know what will be discovered about the so called “God particle” by the use of The Hadron Collider that was switched on a few days ago. The more I discover about sub atomic particles and the make up of nature the more I believe in a creating purpose and the more I see the Mind of God.

As to whether creationism should be discussed in the class room I doubt if the correct place is in the science lab; perhaps the religious and moral studies department is better placed. . I with Reiss admit it is a ‘world view’ that has to be engaged with alongside more liberal biblical views and those of the humanist school of thought.
I am concerned with the increasing attention given to Richard Dawkins and those who hounded Reiss from his job.

Pitcher concludes the discussion better than I can

“Where did this intolerance come from? When the Royal Society was founded in the 17th century, scientists were up against the bigotry and intolerance of a religious hegemony. Now the ideological boot is on the other foot.
Like all fundamentalism, scientific bigotry, I suspect, springs from insecurity. The postmodern secular experiment hasn't carried all before it, as its leaders had hoped. That has made the extremists frustrated, angry and intolerant. But, in pandering to them, the Royal Society has abandoned its core ethos and should be thoroughly ashamed of itself.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/09/18/do1802.xml