Category: Articles

On Sunday 3^rd May, Ruth presented the plan, as part of our bicentennial celebrations, to build a cairn commemorating all the ‘living stones’ who are, or have been, part of our church family here at Liberton. These stones are already being gathered in, and the plan is to dedicate the resulting cairn after our annual covenant service on Sunday 31^st August.

At the beginning of May we also issued the ‘Living Stones Challenge’ – that over the next 12 months, everyone present find another ‘living stone’ to add to our number, so that in a year’s time our numbers will have doubled.

Over the years, Liberton Kirk has proved itself a good place to be. We have a variety of services (on Sundays and other days), a great sense of family, regular Alpha courses, and lots of ways of making people welcome, included, and involved. Together with other churches in our area, we offer God’s love in a variety of ways and projects to the needy, the outcaste, and the stranger. Finally, we have a thriving Kirk Centre, which is the ideal place to meet and get to know a huge variety of people from the local community. All that is needed now is for us to introduce them to Jesus.

How do we do this? Do we bribe, cajole, blackmail, demand, or trick people into becoming part of our worldwide spiritual family? No, we simply ask God to create ‘Kingdom moments’ – moments when His presence breaks into their lives.

So, to be part of the Living Stones Challenge, each one of us needs to commit to the following:

• To pray each day, that God will create a ‘Kingdom Moment’ for you to be part of
• And, when you sense that moment has come, to simply allow God to use you to point someone towards Jesus

 “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2.5)

A few weeks back I was able to attend a meeting hosted by the Scottish branch of Open Doors’ – an organisation which supports Christians living in countries where their faith singles them out for discrimination. After the talk I got speaking to the Scottish Director, and, when He discovered I was from Pakistan, he mentioned he had recently visited Lahore, its second largest city.

It was then that the conversation slowed down to a stop. It was as if we had run out of the words needed to express the feelings we both shared. He just looked at me and said, “It’s a completely different world over there, isn’t it?” Yes, I’m afraid it is!

If you were a Christian growing up in Lahore today, your world would be full of unknowns. Who am I going to meet on the bus today, and how will they react? Who is going to come into my shop today, and will I be able to trust them? Will my children be safe at school? Is my job still secure? Will we be able to meet together to worship this week, and will we be safe? Growing up in such an environment, it is surprising that so many are remaining faithful to their beliefs. Even more surprising are the number of Muslims who have turned to Christianity, in full knowledge of the sacrifices involved.

Yet, while there are many uncertainties, there are some things of which you can be sure. You can be sure you will not be treated as an equal. You can be sure that if you give your Muslim neighbour cause to be envious of your home, or land, or job, or simply of your success, the law leaves you vulnerable to a false accusation of blasphemy, (for under Shariah law the word of the Muslim man counts for more than that of any other). You can be sure that if there is any dispute involving a Muslim, you will not be treated fairly, and you can be sure that if you try to protect yourself or your family you will face the wrath of the mob.

But, you can also be sure that you are not alone and not forgotten – that the Church you belong to stretches round the world and is praying for you daily. And you can be sure that “there is nothing in death or in life, nor the present nor the future, nor any powers that can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus your Lord*.”

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, and throughout the Muslim world.

Much love

John

P.S. – If you want to hear more about the work of ‘Open Doors’, please come along to Evening Worship on Sunday 10^th May, when Heather Westwood will be our guest speaker.

(*from Romans 8.38)

The condition known as ‘vertigo’ is said to be a combination of two things – a fear of falling and a desire to jump! The result is a jumble of mixed signals from the brain to the body, resulting, among other things, in temporary paralysis and the loss of a sense of balance.

All my life I have suffered from vertigo. As a child I was nervous of cliff edges, and could only get a certain distance up a tree before I got stuck. My clearest memory of it was once, on a family holiday in the south of France, when I was exploring one of the many hilltop fortresses just north of the Pyrenees. Inadvertently I stepped through a doorway onto the top of the outer wall which had no parapet, and found myself staring down a sheer drop of several hundred feet. I still remember how my legs froze beneath me as I desperately struggled to keep my balance. It took me what seemed an age (although it was probably less than a minute) to force myself backwards so that I could grab onto the post of the door from which I had emerged.

I am telling you this because I need to ask a favour. As you know, the Kirkgate Trust was set up to support Christian youth work in South East Edinburgh. One of our major expenditures has been the funding of part time student youth workers to work alongside our local youngsters, mentoring them and helping them to grow in their faith. In the past we have benefitted greatly from the input of Euan Gordan and Alex Richards, and currently are being well-served in this role by Anna Krabbenhoft.

Sadly, Anna’s time with us will be coming to an end this summer, and we soon need to start looking for a replacement. We need to have at least 3 years funding in hand before we can take on someone new, and we are currently short of this to the sum of £12000. By now you can probably sense where this is going, – we urgently need to raise some more funds.

But, what is the connection with Vertigo? The answer is simple. We are re-issuing the Kirkgate challenge – which means asking people to raise money by doing something outside their comfort Zone. So, in a fit of madness, I have offered to abseil down the side of a lighthouse!! I don’t know why I have done this, and perhaps I will never fully know, apart from the foolish notion that where I lead, others might follow. But here’s the rub – I will do this mad thing for no less than £1000!
So here is the favour I’m asking – please don’t sponsor me! (Or, if you do, please pray that I make it down OK.) Sponsor sheets will be at the welcome desks, and if you can gift-aid it, so much the better.

Much love,
John

P.s. – Happy Easter!