Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Official Report
956KB pdf
Time for Reflection
Good morning. Our first item of business is time for reflection, and our time for reflection leader is the Rev Tom Nelson from Netherlee parish church in Glasgow.
The Rev Tom Nelson (Netherlee Parish Church, Glasgow)
Presiding Officer, members of Parliament and ladies and gentlemen, at this early hour it is my great privilege to lead you in this time for reflection. It is very appropriate indeed, on this day when our thoughts are with other friends around the world, that we have this quiet moment together.
On the first Friday of March each year, Christians around the world hold a day of prayer, and this year the people of Chile produced the materials for the reflection. Chile is a country that has suffered greatly in recent years, as you will know. On 27 February just last year, a massive earthquake occurred off the coast, causing widespread destruction and triggering a tsunami that devastated several coastal towns.
Many years before that, in 1997, more than 1,000 Chilean workers were laid off with the closure of coal mines. Miners’ wives took to the arduous task of raising their families by doing what they knew how to do best: making loaves of bread. They cooked miners’ bread, as it was called, in community ovens, each one sharing what they had with the others. The people of Chile were inspired to choose the theme for the world day of prayer from Jesus’s feeding of the 5,000, and they faced us with the challenging question:
“How many loaves have you?”
Jesus and his followers found themselves surrounded by a massive crowd in the countryside. The disciples were rightly concerned for the welfare of the people. The problem of providing food for them was overwhelming, and their answer was to send them away. Jesus, however, put the responsibility back on the disciples:
“You give them something to eat.”
It seemed an impossible task, for they had very few resources, or so they thought.
“How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
Fives loaves and two little fish was a meagre amount, and certainly not enough to satisfy the crowd, yet in God’s hand it was enough. They were instructed to sit down together in groups; Jesus gave thanks, presented the limited resources to them and all were satisfied.
In dark days of desolation and sadness, the people of Chile found the resources to meet their many challenges. They found within themselves great courage and wonderful resources of human endeavour, sharing whatever gifts and talents they had. The problems that they faced seemed beyond them and they may have been tempted to look elsewhere for help, but together they have worked miracles.
My dear friends, since I first penned these words, the people of Japan, like the people of Chile, have been faced with overwhelming problems and are battling through their grief and are seeking to rebuild after the devastation of their country. Our hearts go out to them in prayer. May God grant them courage and hope in their circumstances.
Today, in Scotland, we are faced with our own seemingly overwhelming challenges to provide the people of our own country with resources, which are stretched to the limit. You and I rightly feel responsibility and compassion for the people whom we serve. The challenge for the Chilean people surely still rings true for us today:
“How many loaves do you have?”
Sitting down together, we offer what we have in God’s name, and miracles of grace can occur.
May God in his magnificent grace grant you wisdom as you conduct the business of Parliament sitting together on behalf of the resourceful people of Scotland.