Helensburgh Parish Church - Meditative Reflections

Not merely in the words you say Not only in your deeds confessed But in the most unconscious way Is Christ expressed Is it a calm and peaceful Smile? A-Holy light upon your brow. Oh no! I felt his presence while you laughed just now For me twas not the truth you taught To you so clear, to me so dim But when you came to me, you brought a sense of him.    And from your eyes he beckons me And from your heart his love is shed Till I lose sight of you and see The Christ instead.                                               Source Unknown

Romans 8: 22-27 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. .................................................... Some luck lies in getting what you have instead of what you want which, you may be fortunate enough to realise, may well be what you would have wanted had you known. ...

In the vast expanse of human history, there is only one point of contact with the Lord of this history : the present moment. It is through the door of the present moment that God enters into your life, and it is through you that He enters into the life of the world. However, God will not step through that door unless you open it up to Him. Each moment is an annunciation in your life, but you can only respond to God's call if you're there to hear it.  When you respond to the call the Son is once more made flesh; this time in you. When you respond to His call, as manifested in the work in hand, you allow the Father to further the work of creation which is carried on in the Son of God. If you respond to His call by giving your all, within the context of the present moment, you are allowing the Son to carry out His work of redemption in the world.

Some of us thrive on change, and some of us resist at every turn. Yet we know that change is part of the human condition and we deal with it on a daily basis. We can wait until change happens and let it change us out of necessity or we can act in a manner in which we try to shape and control the changes we face in life. However, there are times in our lives when the changes we face go far beyond our individual circumstances. Every so often, perhaps once in a lifetime, people are collectively faced with a seismic event that changes the course of history. We are in the midst of such an event: one that has affected the whole world. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will be far reaching and will change the way we structure our societies and order our institutions. The scope will be wide and comprehensive ranging from how we govern ourselves and who will govern us, to how and where and when we work. This pandemic has caused us to think about how we view and value th...

Decades ago, Dr. Jerry Motto discovered the power of a 'carer letter'. His research found that simply sending a letter expressing care to discharged patients, who had previously attempted suicide, reduced the rate of recurrence by half. Recently, health care providers have rediscovered this power when sending 'caring' texts, postcards and even social media memes as follow-up treatment for the severely depressed. Twenty-one books in the Bible are, actually, letters – epistles – caringly written to the first-century believers who struggled for a variety of reasons. Paul, Peter, James and John wrote letters to explain the basics of faith and worship. Also, how to resolve conflict and build unity. The apostle, Peter, however, specifically wrote to believers who were being persecuted by the Roman emperor, Nero. Peter reminded them of their intrinsic value to God, describing them in this way in 1 Peter 2:9 : "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood...

God whose love endures, Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hear us, as we remember All that You have done in times past And give thanks that Your enduring love has embraced even us. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer. God whose love endures, Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hear us, as we gather in the company of Your people, Or in company alone with You, And lift up our voices to cry: Hosanna! Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer. God whose love endures, Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hear us, as we journey Through the week that is to come. May we journey in the presence of the One who goes before us, even to the Cross. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer. God whose love endures, Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hear us, as we listen to the voices Who now cry: Crucify! And may we know it was for us He hung and suffered there. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our ...

Loving Lord, Today we set out to walk towards Easter To the cross and eventually to an empty tomb. As we travel, open our senses, we pray, To what you would have us see and hear and taste along the way And all that Jesus might come more clearly into sight. Our desire is just that; To see him more clearly That we might love him more dearly and follow him more nearly. Amid the talk of giving things up for Lent, Forgive us for ways in which we have trivialised spiritual discipline And lead us to what you would have us take up for Lent And not least that desire for more of Jesus. As we travel, shape our souls by your Spirit And inspire our living by your Word. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen                                         Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair : Moderator of the General Assembly