Plenary, 22 Mar 2006

Meeting date: Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Official Report 386KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

Good afternoon. Our first item of business this afternoon is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is the Rev Martin Johnstone, who is a priority area worker for the Church of Scotland in Glasgow.

The youth magazine Young People Now has been promoting a campaign to change society's perceptions about young people. It points out that, although 87 per cent of media items about young people are negative, the vast majority of young people who live in our communities live overwhelmingly positive lives. A similarly distorted image exists of people who live in our poorest communities; the impression is often given that they live chaotic and crime-ridden lives. We know that that is not the case. The question "Who is my neighbour?" has never been more pertinent, and our response has never been more critical.

An old man is scarcely out of his house. For much of the time he just sits and grumps at the world outside. He is especially grumpy when it comes to those young lads who kick the ball into his garden or bang on his door and then run away. The same old man, incidentally, played chap door, run when he was young but, according to him, "That was just for fun. People are different nowadays."

A young grandmother has largely assumed the role of bringing up her kids' kids. Her children are both addicts, and although they have both regularly stolen from her in the past, her door is always open to them. "They're my own flesh and blood," she says. "I cannae no care for them."

A man about my age is struggling to hold down the first real job of his life. He is not always sober and he has been on the wrong side of the law quite a few times in his life. But he is still alive, and that in itself is remarkable. The latest trauma he has faced was the murder of his 21-year-old son.

Who is my neighbour? I know these people, and you will know others like them. Some of them I really like and others, if I am honest, I find it quite hard to love. But I have huge admiration for each and every one of them.

Within the Christian tradition, there is the belief that the presence of Jesus lives on in the poor and the marginalised. It is good to be reminded that—particularly within those for whom life is an intolerable struggle—Jesus Christ is present, and that Jesus found life, and death, and life again on the outskirts of the city, among the forgotten and despised and far from the corridors of power.

Let us pray.

Vulnerable and hope-inspiring God,
give us eyes to see your present reality,
ears to hear the voice of God,
and hunger in our bellies
to enable us to strive for justice.

Amen.