Plenary, 05 Jul 2000

Meeting date: Wednesday, July 5, 2000

Official Report 656KB pdf

---

Time for Reflection

We welcome to lead our time for reflection the Rev Dr Finlay Macdonald, the principal clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.

The untimely death on Monday of Enric Miralles is felt particularly in the Parliament. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. I offer for reflection two verses from the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews. In chapter 11, the writer speaks of Abraham's journey of faith, and comments:

"He looked forward to the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God."

In chapter 13, he writes:

"Here we have no continuing city, but are seekers after the city which is to come".

Architects, politicians and people of religious faith live in a place between vision and fulfilment. In the Old Testament story, Abraham set out on a journey of faith in obedience to his vision of God. The architect has a vision of how his building will look and journeys towards a realisation of that vision. The politician has a vision of the good society and seeks to make such a society real. A phrase often found on the lips of Jesus was "the kingdom of God", something we understand as being the establishment of the good and just society, where God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Realising the kingdom of God involves building the city whose architect and builder is God.

Because we live between vision and fulfilment, we have regard also to that other text:

"here we have no continuing city, but are seekers after the city which is to come".

Here, in the Assembly Hall, the Scottish Parliament has a fine but temporary home, but even now, the city that is to come—Enric Miralles's vision—is emerging at Holyrood. That can be a parable. As the new Parliament building takes shape at the heart of the city so, we trust, God's kingdom, the good society, struggles to take shape in the life of our nation and our world.

I conclude by reading a verse of a contemporary hymn by Marty Haugen. The sentiments seem appropriate for architects, politicians and all who care about the shape of our cities and the life of our communities:

"Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach
and live the Word they've known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God's face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger,
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place."