Plenary, 06 Feb 2002
Meeting date: Wednesday, February 6, 2002
Official Report
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Time for Reflection
It is a great pleasure to welcome to his own home the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Rev John Miller, to lead our time for reflection today.
Right Rev John Miller (Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland):
I often think of Bill Allison. He was, for several years, what we call session clerk—the leader—at the church in Glasgow where I have been a minister for the past 30 years. He was born in the Gorbals, the oldest of a family of eight. As a young man during the war, Bill served in the Royal Navy. He was a stoker, shovelling coal into furnaces deep below deck. On occasion, we spoke about the war, and the time when, serving in the far east, he had been in Hiroshima only days after the bomb. In the 40 years of his working life, he was a bricklayer with the local authority, out in all weathers and never off ill. I have never met a finer man.
He listened to everyone, he absorbed their troubles and nodded and sympathised. He refused promotion, because he wanted to be with the men he had set out with. He carried slower workers without complaint and stood up against unreasonable gaffers. At the church, he carried responsibility easily and supported new ideas. He repaired roofs and drains. He raised his family and, when he retired, he looked after his wife, who had Alzheimer's disease. He died before she did, and he left no money at all. I have met no finer man.
How is such a character formed? Is it a gift? Can it be attained? Bill's secret was that he knew when to stop and think.
The Christian scriptures contain the story of Martha and Mary. Jesus goes to their house on a visit. Martha bustles about, getting food for everyone; Mary sits at Jesus' feet, listening to every word he says. Martha complains to Jesus, "Jesus, tell her." But Jesus says, "Mary's done right: there comes a time to stop and think."
People in public life always have pressing demands on their time—deadlines and obligations. There is never a moment that can be set aside. But in the story of Martha and Mary, Jesus commends Mary for discerning that there is a time to stop. He understood what Martha was doing. Her hard work had its vital place, and life could not continue without it. But Mary had spotted something extra. She had had the discernment to stop, and to embrace the moment that would give her strength for the future.
People of Christian faith have seen that story as a reminder that the very moment to draw on the resources of faith—which keep us going—is when the hurricane of pressured activity is blowing at its strongest. In the midst of a hectic rush, Mary sat and listened to God. She would be back in action soon enough, all the better for the time that she had spent reflecting on what it is all about.