Rector's Ramblings

The Sunday after Easter tends to be quieter in congregations, or it may seem such an ant-climax after the day last week!

Musically, today, we weren't brilliant, but competent, considering we were missing key players and singers. However, today, although the number of communicants wasn't anything as large as last Sunday, we welcomed a lot of "new folk"! They all seemed to come at once, baptisms being arranged, and weddings coming up on the horizon, too! Another "newbie" told me the Services were brilliant here - he hadn't been in church since his yoof, over 20 years ago! Just the boost we need as a congregation!

Well, another point for the Maryhill Magyars, against the might of Hamilton. In fact it's a wee while since we have been beaten, although drawing continually does not championship contenders make! Hamilton have looked like champions all season, but are beginning to stutter a little at the moment. So, Partick Thistle Nil was fairly decent today, actually, specially since our captain, Archie(pictured), was suspended for today's game.

The other lot ended up with a 1-0 win for the Proddy side of the divide with enough jammy refereeing decisions going their way to generate a lot of blood on the streets tonight!

Today is one of those days that the atmosphere in Glasgow can be cut in two. Rangers play Celtic, and a city is divided, to the point of absolute hatred. The casualty departments in hospitals all over the West of Scotland will be busy tonight. Hatred + alcohol = fights and violence. It's always the same.

There is an alternative! We Partick Thistle fans, that is the sane football supporter around these parts, travel today to support our lads in a match against top-of-the-league Hamilton! And, boy, are we glad to be out the road of this sectarian bile for a little while at least today!

This month's offering.....

Off to the Hypnotherapist again for the final, freebie, consultation. Certainly, in terms of smoking cessation I would have to say that this was, and is, more powerful for me than anything.Patches, or nicotine replacement, still has you hooked on nicotine!

So, by mid-afternoon, I'll have that soft, soothing feeling that comes from my last session. Can't wait!

Thought some of you out there would appreciate this one!

http://www.andyfoulds.co.uk/amusement/bushv2.htm

I looked at this and just thought of The Gambia, and the sunshine, and our wee school, and all I miss about it when I'm not there.....

Associated Press Reporting

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- CHICAGO -- Chicago Police say no one could make this story up...

18-year-old Ruben Zarate, entered a muffler shop in the 2600 block of North Laramie Avenue yesterday and declared a robbery. He allegedly waved a gun around and demanded money, according to police.

When he was told the money was in a safe and that the manager who knew how to open it was not there, the suspect had a brilliant idea; at least he thought it was brilliant.

He gave the shop employees his cell phone number and asked them to call him when the manager arrived so he could open the safe for him.

He left and the employees opted to call 911. Authorities stationed plain clothes officers in the shop and called the would-be robber back.

Zarate, showed up again, and waved his gun around again, but this time was shot in the leg by an officer.

He had surgery at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and is said to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Zarate, of the 5100 block of West Schubert Avenue, was charged with three counts of attempted armed robbery and one count of aggravated assault to a police officer, the latter for allegedly pointing a gun at the officer, said the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

One officer with 20 years on the force, said this is one of the more “unusual” cases he’s seen.

So..... looks as if this storyline will never make a CSI programme!

I got my Easter gift this morning from the cat. It was beautifully warm, but dead none-the-less! She really must learn that I'm not great at receiving gifts, although the dogs were extremely interested!

Courtesy of Raspberry Rabbit! I laughed so much my sporran fell off!

Encourage one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Chuck Swindoll writes: "The ski slopes were in perfect condition. I struck out on my first attempt at skiing with a positive attitude, thinking, 'I'm going to be the first person who learns to ski without falling down.' You've heard of the Elephant Man? On skis, I'm the rhinoceros man. It's doubtful anyone ever came down a ski slope more ways, or landed in more positions, or did more creative things in the air before landing. Working with me that humiliating day was the world's most encouraging ski instructor (yes, I had an instructor!). Never once did she lose her cool, or laugh at me, or say 'You are absolutely impossible. I quit!' That dear, gracious lady helped me up more times than I can number. She repeated the same basics time and again - like she had never said them before. Even though I was colder than an explorer in the Antarctic, irritable, impatient, and under the snow more than I was on it, she kept offering words of reassurance. That day God gave me a never-to-be-forgotten illustration of the value of encouragement. Had it not been for her spirit and her words, believe me, I would have hung 'em up and been back in the condo, warming my feet by the fire in less than an hour. What is true for a novice on the snow once a year is all the more true for people we meet every day. Harassed by demands and deadlines; bruised by worry, adversity and failure; broken by disillusionment and defeated by sin, they live somewhere between dull discouragement and sheer panic. All of us need encouragement, and the beautiful part about encouragement is this: anybody can do it!"

"And a little dog shall lead them"

From THE BBC:

Attendance at a Buddhist temple in Japan has increased since the temple's pet, a two-year-old dog, has joined in the daily prayers. Conan, a Chihuahua, sits on his hind legs, raises his paws and puts them together at the tip of his nose.

"He may be showing his thanks for treats and walks," says a priest at Jigenin temple on Okinawa island.

Sorry Mad Priest... but I HAD to steal that one!

A day off for the RW and me! Wow! It started with the delivery of my new Honda Civic, in clerical black of course, to my doorstep at 9am.

By 11am we were off to beautiful Galloway for a visit to Jacqueline my sister, her partner, Andrew, and the two new additions to their family. Two beautiful chocolate point siamese kittens, Tia and Bailey! We had a wonderful afternoon, swapping stories in their conservatory in Lochmaben, with the sun splitting the skies!

It's so important that we "waste time" with our families. Very often it is too late. Many a single red rose have I seen on a coffin that said, "I wish we had spent more time together"

As for the new additions, I'm afraid I forgot my camera, but I received these instead by e-mail!

The RW drove us home effortlessly, and is now trying to pursuade me that her little Fiesta would do me fine for nipping around the parish!

If we could have bottled the atmosphere in St Auggie's this morning, we could become a very rich congregation! Watching everyone young and old. some of them brought up with Solemn Matins on Easter Day, dancing and singing at the end, whilst our group of kids went hunting round the church on an Easter Egg hunt was just amazing.

I say we could become a very rich congregation. We already are!

Yesterday, I married a couple in St Augustine's. It was almost a "private wedding" because of family circumstances, and the bride and groom were not exactly in the first flushes of youth. There was the Bride and Groom, Best Man and Best Maid, and two parents. That was us, seven of us in all.

No, there were eight, actually. There is a youngish man, alcoholic, addict, who has one eye. He visits us regularly, looking for money, looking to steal. Once he assaulted one of our elderly parishioners and stole the Sunday collection at the early service.

I am ashamed to tell you that I do not know his name, although God does. He was there yesterday for one reason, and that was to try to illicit cash for his next fix or his next can of Super Lager. I can identify with him, for I personally have been there. Done it, got the T-Shirt.

I asked him to leave because it was a "private wedding", and he did, without any trouble. He understood that this was about love and he maybe knew in his heart of hearts that he knew little about love, yesterday.

And as I made my way home from the football later on yesterday afternoon, I thought about him, and the millions like him. Millions in pain and anguish, caught in the ravages of addiction, I thought of millions grieving loved ones, millions longing to be reconciled with one they love, millions starving or caught in the futility of warfare.

I doubt if my one-eyed man will have a "Happy Easter"! Not today, anyway, this one-eyed wreck of humanity.

And today when we are celebrating and singing and dancing, because we have something incredibly joyful and amazing to celebrate, I wonder what relevance the empty tomb has for him?

What has Jesus to say to him today or tomorrow? Alleluia? Well stuff your alleluias!

And for a half hour yesterday, on Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Day, I experienced the meaning of Good Friday and Easter, all rolled into the one event in the one place.

On one hand, a couple so much in love, after so many years of pain and loneliness, with tears running down their faces as they made their vows to each other, and on the other hand, a one-eyed alcoholic/addict, sent away with a tenner in his pocket for his next fix.

Christ the crucified and the Risen Lord all in little St Augustine's at the one time.

When Mary arrived at the tomb, on that first Easter morning, she didn't know Jesus, didn't recognise him at all, until He said her name - "Mary" That story always makes me weep, because it is a love story. A tender love story. "Mary" - and her whole world stopped for a moment as her heart burst with the joy we celebrate today.

My faith tells me that one day, the same Risen Jesus will put His hand on my one-eyed alcoholic/addict, and speak his name too! And he, too, will know the joy of Easter morning. Until then, Our Lord will walk with him, and millions like him, crying out for resurrection.

We "lucky ones" who have heard the voice of Jesus saying our name, quietly, lovingly in our ear, are indeed blessed, but as we celebrate that fact, let us remember those for whom Good Friday with its dereliction and agony is simply, still, a fact of life.

But today we celebrate the Resurrection, the thing that proclaims that wherever we are, whatever mess or pain we may be in, the Risen Jesus comes to us and calls our name. I know some of you are in incredible pain at the moment, because there is stuff in your life which you would rather wasn't there.

BUT…..
There is nothing that God cannot overcome, there is nothing we cannot overcome, with Him at our side, because we know about this power of resurrection, and the fact that the Risen Lord knows each of us by name.

There is no Good Friday that cannot be overcome and defeated by this Easter morning. We know this!

And, I , for one, will say Alleluia to that!

Ah, but! Ah, but! We were unlucky today on a pitch which looked as if there should have been camels, rather than football players. We Jags fans have hope. The other lot got "Nil" too, so we're not in tears. Just wondering how the mighty premadonnas from Castle Grayskull will adapt to the Sahara when we meet them in the replay!

Well, yes, with all this money I'm going to save without the cigarettes, and because of the money I spend on petrol for my Type R at present, and because the bucket seats and two doors make it almost impossible to transport the frail and elderly, I'm acquiring a new car on Monday. A brand new black Honda Civic ES! I can only afford to lease the beast, but I'm anxious to get behind that wheel! Vroom Vroom! And it will never, never smell of smoke!

The cross is a universal symbol of Christianity; it's almost impossible to go anywhere without seeing it on a steeple or headstone. So how did an instrument of torture come to represent forgiveness and hope for so many? After all, we don't wear little gold guillotines round our necks, or display replicas of firing squads on our church walls. The answer can be found in the cross itself. Its horizontal beam symbolises the breadth of God's love - its vertical beam symbolises the depth and height of His love. It's why God can be just and kind without lowering His standards, why He can dispense truth and mercy, and why He can redeem us without sanctioning our sin.

John said, "God loved the world: He gave His… only Son… .that… by believing in Him, anyone can have… lasting life". Thankfully it doesn't say God loved only the wealthy or the famous or the beautiful or the clean and sober or the successful, or we'd all be in trouble! No, if you live in "the world" you're included!

http://www.pagetutor.com/idiot/idiot.html

Well, it's cold enough out there......

who pinched it from someone else.....

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not cometrue.

One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree.

The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped . At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that itwas strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Thought I'd better put something "Holy" into Holy Week!

I'm still coming down from the high of tonight's celebrations. Every church in the town, including a couple of Roman Catholic stragglers joined us for an excellent Passover meal, leading on to the Eucharist, the stripping of the altar, and the solemn watch until midnight. Everyone communicated, even the Salvation Army man, and the C of S minister remarked that he felt he had been in the Upper Room. People were saying it was the most uplifting religious experience of their lives, and left us starry eyed!

Yes, it was very special, and one of the highlights of my ministry. Tonight, I just think my congregation are wonderful. So much hard work went in to make this so uplifting, incredibly symbolic, meditative and definitely of the Holy Spirit.