Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: Wednesday, June 22, 2011
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 Mark Drane of Dull and Weem parish.
The Rev Mark Drane (Dull and Weem Parish Church)
This time of year is fraught with tensions and frustrations, not because it is a time of great importance within the Christian calendar, nor because of company year ends or tax returns. The worst kind of tensions are felt when families begin to plan their annual holidays and time away together, with questions such as, “How will I cope with the kids for seven weeks? What will I do with them? How will I afford it all?” Sadly, for some, those tensions can be the reason for not taking an annual vacation.
The body is designed not to work constantly but to have periods of rest and relaxation—a time to get away from the pressures of life, when the body and mind can be recharged. As with our weekly activities, the body is designed for regular rest—one day in the week to be laid aside for such things. When we read the account of creation in the Bible, we read of a God who knows exactly what he is doing—not only creating out of love something that he can impart his love to, but also including in the design of our bodies the need for rest and relaxation. Within that is the recognition that that rest is taken with God, whether it be regular worship on a Sunday or not. Sadly, at this time of year, when people take a holiday away from work and from the pressures of home, they also take a holiday from God, leaving him at home with all the other things.
Members of the Parliament, I hope that you will take advantage of your time off when it comes. Come back from it refreshed and renewed in body, mind and spirit. My prayer for you is that in your deliberations and your debates you will not only use your intellect and your minds, but pay heed to the spirit of God who seeks to guide you and direct you in all that you do.
Allow me to bless you with the ancient Hebrew priestly blessing:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.