The final hymn this morning was from Baptist Praise & Worship - 'Jesus, life of all the world' by Margaret Clarkson. She was a Canadian school teacher who is remembered as a writer of over 100 hymns (3 of which are in Baptist Praise & Worship). She died in 2008.

The hymn, Jesus life of all the world, ends with this stirring prayer for the Church –

Jesus, life of all the world,
You are Lord of every nation;
By your Holy Spirit’s power
Make your Church your incarnation;
Till our lives of truth and grace
Show the world your human face.

downtrodden grass

A recent 'Verse & Voice' email from the Sojourners included:-

As [Jesus] came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."
- Luke 19:41-42

and

When two elephants struggle, it is the grass that suffers.
- East African Proverb


A major outcome in our world when there is a struggle for dominance and power is often, as the proverb suggests, the 'grass' being downtrodden.

another good day

Sun shone; a group of Fijians from the 4th Regiment, Royal Artillery, held a baptismal service at Harrogate Baptist in the afternoon and it was great to be there; I saw the second half of the Scottish Cup final on television and my team won. ( it also brought back thoughts of the 4 Scottish Cup finals I have attended at the old Hampden - 1962,1964,1969,1973. Three victories and one defeat. When I mentioned this to Annette, she commented that they were all before we were married. What does that say?)

A good day all round

This morning's service focussed on the fourth 'mark of a healthy church' as described in the Healthy Churches Handbook. The usual members of the congregation who were away on this Bank Holiday weekend were compensated by a good number of visitors. The service seemed to be appreciated by the comments received from regular members of the congregation and visitors alike.

An early afternoon with the Dundee United and Rangers game to watch my team win the league - brilliant.

Grandchildren just arrived for a few days - even better.

no change

Listening to the radio on Sunday I heard the last part of a report from the Middle East regarding the visit of Pope Benedict. The reporter was speaking about the problems there and the difficulties of getting the 3 sides involved to move forward. He concluded that each grouping recognizes the difficulties but that each one considers that "the only viable solution is one which involves no change on their part." That final phrase could be used in lots of situations, not least within the church.

PS - disappointing result last night( not helped by a good goal which was not given). But the league is not over yet.

Big game

Yes!!!!!!!

Big game

Day off tomorrow. Annette has already decided that she is going shopping to avoid the spectacle of me watching the Rangers - Celtic game on television. A good Rangers victory for the boys in blue is all that is needed.