Plenary, 14 Feb 2001

Meeting date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Official Report 399KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

To lead our time for reflection we welcome Rev Elizabeth Wardlaw, minister of Hermitage United Free Church in Leith.

When I received Sir David's invitation to lead time for reflection on 14 February, I thought, "St Valentine's day? Well, the theme must be love."

As I got down to preparation, I thought, "Love? Among politicians? When debating is often a game of scoring points and winning the argument and sometimes leads to shouting matches?"—though never here. "Oh dear me! Where is the love?"

There are our constituents, too. They can be difficult, awkward, demanding and time-consuming—they are never pleased. Where is the love?

Then there is the constant volume and pressure of work, the people to see, to phone and to write to, the meetings to attend, surgeries to hold, visits to make, meetings to address, family to look after and so on. Where is the love?

Well, there is the love and the loyalty of family and friends who put up with us, make us a meal, smile and help us in their own kindly way. There are also the letters of thanks that we receive, the improvements for which we have fought for years and which at last are accepted—the motion is passed and even the Opposition shares the joy. That keeps us going.

Throughout the ages, literature has had much to teach us about love. For our meditation on love, the Bible contains a great deal to help and inspire us.

Here are just two passages. In the first, Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 1 and verses 4 to 7:

"I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous, or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth; love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail."

The second passage is from the first letter of John, chapter 4, verses 7 to 12:

"Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.

Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us."

Let our prayer be:

Thank you God for your love of each one of us. Help us to share that love with all whom we meet .

We pray through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Amen.