Thoughts – Page 8

Don’t forget the living stones challenge

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)

“It’s a different world over there…”

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 Kirkgate challenge

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!

Saturday 21st March – a Northumbrian Retreat

In his recent book on Liberton Kirk, Richard Purden reminds us of the often forgotten journey that the Christan Gospel took on its way to Liberton. It was first brought by Ninian to Whithorn, than borne by Patrick, one of his disciples, to Ireland, brought back by Columba to Iona, and from there, by his disciples, to the Isle of Lindisfarne in Northumbria, where eventually Oswald, the local King, responded and was baptised.

At that time Edinburgh was a pagan city, but when Northumbria expanded its boundaries to cover a wider region stretching from the Humber to the Forth, the Gospel was finally brought to us by Aiden and Cuthbert. Here at Liberton we have a particular link with our Northumbrian roots following the discovery of the ‘Liberton Cross’ – a celtic stone cross of Northumbrian design which was found in a local field and now has its home in the National museum of Scotland.

As part of our bi-centennial celebrations we plan to draw once again on the Northumbrian spirituality which first brought our faith to us. To this end we are planning a pilgrimage down the old ‘St Cuthberts Way’ to Lindisfarne. But, in preparation for this, and also for those who cannot make this trip, we are inviting Northumbria to Liberton.

On Saturday 21^st March we have invited Roy Searle, current leader of the Northumbria Community*, to lead us in a day long retreat in Liberton Kirk. Roy is one of the advocates of ‘new monasticism’ – a movement which is currently sweeping our land, encouraging us to re-discover the ancient ways of spirituality and apply them to our own culture and context. During our time together Roy will lead us in exploring different forms of worship and prayer – drawn from our Celtic and Northumbrian roots but applied and practised in a 21^st Century context.

A quick look around at the spiritual health of our city might encourage the view that it’s time for Edinburgh to re-discover the way of Jesus. Here at Liberton we hope this retreat will give us the opportunity to spend time together, re-focussing our faith and re-discovering our mission. Everyone is welcome, so please come and join us**.

Much love,
John

“Stand at the crossroads and look,
ask for the ancient paths.
Ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
(From the Oswald Declaration)

*For more details of Roy and the Northumbria Community – see www.northumbriacommunity.org

**(There are sign-up sheets at the Welcome Desks or you can contact me on 664 3067; LLLJyoung@btinternet.com)

How to take offense

Letter from the Minister – How to take offense.

As I write, the western world is still reeling in the aftermath of the shocking events that took place in Paris in early January, when seventeen people were gunned down by Islamist extremists in a brutal attempt to avenge the honour of their prophet. More than a million people took to the streets to declare their outrage at such a cowardly attack on their commonly held values of freedom of speech, and armed police are now everywhere, as the security forces attempt to allay fears of further shootings.

In times of high emotion it is often difficult to take a step back and ask the bigger questions that such events raise for us as Christians. One of the paradoxes I’ve been trying to grapple with is that while, in a free world, everyone should have the right to publish without fear of attack, with that right should come the responsibility to be sensitive about the impact of what is being published, particularly on those people who already feel marginalised and oppressed by the society the publication represents.

At the centre of the controversy is a French satirical magazine called Charlie Hebdo, which specialises in mockery. Over the years their ruthless brand of humour has stretched to encompass politicians, celebrities, and religions. Nothing wrong with that, we say, except that in recent years, as their sales have decreased, their cartoons have become deliberately more provocative and offensive.

There is a debate to be had about the role of satire and mockery in public life, for even in the west there are some areas (e.g. race and disability) where the mockers no longer dare to stray. In our secular culture, however, a person’s closely held religious views are now seen to be ‘fair game’. And so, I often find that my own personal beliefs and values are the target of those who make a living out of offensiveness and ridicule.

Clearly, the response of those Islamist extremists to the insults they were enduring was not the right one. But, if that is the case, what is? Here are some timeless words from a close friend of mine*, that have given me much food for thought over the years, and increasingly so in the last few weeks.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

With much love,

John

*(Matthew 5.11-12, 38-39, 43-4)

Now what?

Some people are fascinated by answers, I am fascinated by questions. A good question can blast you out of the comfortable, or unlock a previously unseen path. A good question disrupts unprobed assumptions, it can be unsettling, unexpected, or even unanswerable. A really good question can become a lifelong friend. Here are some of my favourites: “Are you sure?”; “Who is my neighbour?”; “How then shall we live?”; “Where is God in this situation?”; “What is your heart saying?”. But one of the best is also one of the shortest. “Now what?”

Now what? is an amazing question. It carries a sense of urgency but also expectation, it demands an answer but gives no steer as to what constitutes a right answer. But now what can also be dangerous. If we answer too hastily we can cause huge problems for ourselves and for others. Even thinking that there is only one possible correct outcome to a now what question can be unhelpful. Within the Ignatian tradition, the process of discernment is at its most subtle when faced with a choice between goods. A choice in which either, or any, of the possible answers are good ones. It is to stand on the threshold of what is not yet and try and peer through the doorway of what might be.

This is precisely where I find myself as my time at Liberton Kirk draws to a close. Now what? There are many vacancies in the Church of Scotland, many places who would love to have a youngish family in their midst. It is a choice between goods. Yet at the same time, as a family we have felt a strong pull to Orkney ever since participating in the Remote Rural Placement Scheme in 2012 (a scheme that wouldn’t exist without the contribution to Mission and Ministry by wealthy churches like Liberton Kirk.) No future opportunity is without constraints and there will be some who would be appalled by the constraints faced in Orkney, with 130mph winds, few trees or mountains, and the distance from the “centre” of Scotland. Yet we find it is a rich soil, full of gentle kindness, that excites not only me but my wife Sally and our three children. As if God is asking all of us to be with him there and waiting for what we might say.

We stand on the threshold of a long asked question – is it Orkney? By the end of November we will have an answer to that question. Either way, the next question will be now what? But I don’t believe we are the only ones who will be asking that question. For everyone in Liberton Kirk it will be a process of adjustment after we have left. For some the adjustment will be easier than for others! You have faced this question many times before, with many previous probationers leaving, yet each time the answer has been different. What might next year hold for you? For your faith? For your love of self and neighbour?

I am different, having been with you. I have seen many differences emerge in many of you as well. We all need to know what is next but, whilst the future is uncertain, I am grateful to have been a thread woven into the tapestry of the Liberton Kirk story. It is a good place to be. It will also be a good place to have been. Now what?

David McNeish