Official Report 812KB pdf
Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Julie Moody, minister at Milton of Campsie parish church.
Presiding Officer, members of the Scottish Parliament and guests, good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity to lead your time for reflection.
Jesus was a master storyteller, drawing people into deep truths by using everyday images. He once told a story of two builders: one who chose the easy option, one of convenience and speedy results, over the alternative, chosen by the other, of a more laborious approach, with deep foundations. When the storm came, only one house survived, thus illustrating Jesus’s question:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?”
We find that in Luke, chapter 6.
Our actions need to back up our words. Upon what foundation are we building our lives? It must be robust, for anything flimsy will simply fall with the first storm. Choose to be a wise, rather than foolish, builder. Jesus’s short parable has significant challenge.
The work of the Scottish Parliament for 2026 has already begun. It is an election year, and you will all be very busy. Your constituents have expectations about your availability, your engagement and your visibility. For some, their basic existence may hinge on the decisions that this Parliament makes, the laws it enacts, the justice it pursues, the budget it agrees, the compassion it demonstrates and its mandate for service. What a responsibility! What a privilege.
In my parish, I, too, hold the tension of responsibility and privilege. How do I minister to those whose reality means that they are lonely today—or terrified, weary, stuck or seeking purpose? Like you, the church has a role in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable, o?ering practical help and bringing hope into dark situations.
A lot of words are spoken in this chamber and in the committee rooms—and in churches. Ideas get teased out, discernment is sought and plans are made. Those we serve need much more than our words, however, for they will be forgotten in the first storm. They need action, solid foundations and lived-out principles.
Churches in your constituencies need to heed Jesus’s warning and live out his mandate to care for the marginalised, the weak and the overlooked—and challenge those who are comfortable. Those who live in these parishes, your constituents, will be looking to this Parliament for action that confirms your rhetoric, justice that underlines your principles and compassion that demonstrates your humanity.
May God grant each of you the grace to be a wise builder.