Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection, and our leader today is Mrs Ivy Blair, who is co-ordinator of Prospects.
Presiding Officer and members of the Scottish Parliament, thank you for this opportunity to speak to you.
The Bible says:
“We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
In our busy lives we need to take time to look at God’s wonderful creation. In my work with Prospects, I travel all around Scotland. Our country is awe inspiring in its diversity of landscapes, and in autumn the colours of the leaves are spectacular—green, yellow, red, brown and orange, and so many shades of each. As we look at the trees growing together, we notice that they are all different shapes and sizes, with leaves that are distinctive and varied but which blend together to achieve a spectacular masterpiece of beauty and colour.
In the Bible, we are reminded in the book of Ephesians that we are God’s masterpiece, and that, of course, includes people with learning disabilities. When we view ourselves and others as God’s masterpiece—his best work—we start to realise that there are no unimportant people. Each person has equal value to God and is loved and created in just the way he wanted.
In my work around Scotland, I encourage churches to welcome and value people with learning disabilities, to make churches inclusive places where each person is seen for what they can do and not defined by their disability. From Lerwick in Shetland to Peebles in the Scottish Borders, the Prospects song “God loves you just the way you are” is often sung. As we sing it to each other, we are reminded that God is pleased with his workmanship.
The second part of the verse from Ephesians reminds us that God planned good things for us to do—things that only we can do. We need to step into our God-given plan and purpose, be ourselves and not try to be someone else, do the things that God wants us to do and encourage and support others as they fulfil their role as only they can.
At the battle of Bannockburn exhibition, a poem is inscribed on the rotunda monument. It contains the words
“Small folk playing our part”.
As each leaf is unique, so are you. Can we be people who blend beautifully together to make a spectacular display to the glory of God?