Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Official Report
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Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. The first item of business this afternoon is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is the Rev Robert Allan, Falkirk Old and St Modan’s parish church, Falkirk.
Rev Robert Allan (Falkirk Old and St Modan's Parish Church)
Good afternoon. I thank you for the invitation to lead time for reflection today.
When I was young, the home international football games were still played, and the big Scotland v England match alternated between Hampden and Wembley. I was too young then to go to Wembley, and it was my dream that one day I would get down there but, alas, the home internationals stopped before I got the chance to go.
The chant that the Scottish fans were heard to sing was,
“Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be”,
which rhymed nicely with “Wembalee”.
“Whatever will be, will be” sounds too much like resignation: whatever is going to happen will happen, and our fate is sealed. Questioning is a significant part of the Christian faith. We meet life’s mysteries and we have to live through them without fully understanding, but that does not stop us asking questions, and doing so can bring us even closer to God.
I question whether whatever will be, will be, because I believe that God gives us the opportunity, with him, to shape the present and the future. If we simply say that whatever is going to happen will happen, it takes the fight, the stuffing and the energy out of life. Why, you and I may as well not bother.
We are called to a higher purpose than that, though: to live life in all its fullness, to love our neighbours whoever they may be and to look after the world in which we live. The Church of Scotland may be in decline, but that does not mean that I have to accept that whatever will be, will be. Whatever form it takes, God’s church will continue, and I will seek to shape it.
The psalmist says:
“our life is like grass.
We grow and flourish like a wild flower;
Then the wind blows on it, and it is gone ...
But for those who honour the Lord, his love lasts for ever,
and his goodness endures for all generations.”
Life is here and then it is gone—in the grand picture, it is like a blink of the eye. Now, we can live life for ourselves, make money, make a name for ourselves, and accept that whatever will be, will be or we can seize the day and live life well, actively shaping the present and the future for ourselves and for future generations. We may not be able to see into the future, but we have the opportunity to make a difference, and that is a great gift and a great privilege.