Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection, and our leader today is Pete Greig, founder of 24-7 Prayer and senior pastor, Emmaus Road Church.
Good afternoon, and thank you so much for inviting me to share this reflection on the theme of justice.
Three years ago, I had the joy of walking 330 miles across this great nation, from the island of Iona to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, following in the footsteps of that magnificent Celtic seventh-century saint, Aidan. Day after day as I walked, I saw so clearly how profoundly Scotland has been shaped by the interaction of prayer with politics, piety with power, and how, at its best, this has always been for the sake of a better world.
You may recall the story about how Aidan was once given a very fine horse by King Oswin. He accepted this gladly, rode out of the castle joyfully and donated it immediately to the very first beggar that he met. The king was furious until Aidan retorted, “Surely this son of a mare is not dearer to you than a son of God?” I wonder what Aidan would make of our priorities today. I wonder what he would make of the poverty that tragically continues to blight and divide us.
I suppose that a time for reflection is a moment for meditation upon one’s core mission and motives, and I am quite sure that, whatever your political leanings, you entered public life with a vision to make things better and fairer. I know from a number of friends who serve politically that it can be a thankless task, so I thank you for the significant price that you no doubt pay personally to do that.
It was probably at my grandparents’ house, in Peebles, that my own social conscience was born. I was sorting through some Christmas cards, and a Bible verse on one of them unexpectedly spoke to me. It sparked a fire that burns in me to this day. The verse, from Isaiah, chapter 58, said this:
“Your light will shine when you spend yourself on behalf of the poor and satisfy the needs of the oppressed.”
That stark challenge changed me. It motivated me, first, to work with the homeless in London, then to work with heroin addicts in Hong Kong, and eventually to become a simple pastor.
It is estimated that churchgoers in the UK give 23 million hours of voluntary service every month outside church attendance. They run 2,000 food banks and offer more youth work than any other body. The total social contribution to the British economy is valued at £55 billion per annum. Clearly, vulnerable people are looking to us—to this institution, the Scottish Parliament, and to my institution, the church—to provide help, hope and a far greater sense of justice.
So, may we, like Aidan, continue to prioritise people over things and, in the words of the prophet Micah, use the privilege and power of our position
“to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God”.
Amen.
Next
Business Motion