Plenary, 20 Feb 2008
Meeting date: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Official Report
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Time for Reflection
The first item of business this afternoon is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Canon Isaac M Poobalan, from the church of St John the Evangelist in Aberdeen.
Rev Canon Isaac M Poobalan (Church of St John the Evangelist, Aberdeen):
The icon of the Holy Trinity by the 16th century Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev is a source of inspiration, and I always carry a copy of it with me. It is also known as the "Hospitality of Abraham" because the story goes that Abraham welcomed three strangers into his tent and served them with kindness and generosity, only to discover later that they were none other than the Divine.
The icon shows three figures seated in a circle around a table on which there is bread and wine. There is a tree and a house in the background. The three figures appear to look calmly but purposefully at the items on the table, with one of their hands pointing to the other.
Like the icons on our computers, which, when clicked on, open up windows with challenges, opportunities and possibilities, this icon opens up for me layers of meanings that inspire, challenge and enable. First, as a symbol of the Holy Trinity, it reminds me of the creative power that is God the Father, the work of healing and restoration fulfilled in Christ Jesus the son of man, and God the Holy Spirit, who inspires and empowers. Secondly, as a symbol of hospitality, it reminds me of service to others and care for strangers. Finally, and most important, it is community focused and at the same time pointing away from self and honouring the other.
When I was preparing for this time for reflection, I could not help but draw parallels between this inspirational icon and the community gathered in the chamber. I recall the days of preparation for this great chamber—the building and those who occupy it. There was a sense of an icon in the making that would open up windows of opportunities and possibilities for Scotland. I believe that the sense of an icon in the making remains.
I will move on to what the icon symbolises. First, the Trinity. I believe that, in its work of creation, restoration and empowerment, this chamber continues to participate in the threefold work of the Trinity: in the creation of possibilities for the people of Scotland and preserving the natural beauty of creation; in the restoration of health and well-being to individuals and communities; and in the empowerment of the vulnerable and the marginalised. Secondly, recent media reports showed that Scotland is second to none for hospitality. I believe that this chamber enables such hospitality, and my presence here today is evidence. Finally, while you are called to serve this great nation of Scotland, you as chosen people form a community that is an icon in the making, in looking away from self and seeking to honour the other. I hope nothing will make you feel or believe less.
May God bless you to continue to be windows of opportunities and possibilities for Scotland and beyond.
Amen.