Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Official Report 707KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is Michele Morrison, church elder of Banchory West church.

Good afternoon. It is a privilege to stand before Parliament and lead this time of reflection. In many countries today, Christians and other believers risk their freedom and life, even for expressing faith privately.

It was under grey, lowering skies that the skipper pushed the craft off from the jetty and steered into the cold and choppy waters of the Sea of Galilee. It was March, and I believe that Scotland was at the time basking in Israel’s usual sunshine. I was on a holy land tour, and had spent three days on my feet and on buses, sightseeing biblical landmarks, many of which are obscured by ornate churches. It was a relief to be out on the water, without an icon or gold cross in sight, except on the chest of the skipper, who was selling them.

Jesus often sailed on the lake, which is prone to sudden squalls. Once, when his friends were out without him, a fierce storm broke. Exhausted from rowing, the disciples suddenly saw Jesus approaching, walking on the water. Terrified, they thought that he was a ghost.

“Take courage! It is I”,

he assured them. Peter, with characteristic impetuosity, asked Jesus to prove it by inviting him to join him. When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter was over the side in an instant. Initially, he kept his feet dry, his eyes fixed on Jesus but, then, distracted by the wind, Peter’s confidence vanished and he began to sink. Jesus took his hand, helping him back into the boat, and the storm abated.

Peter was the only one to step out of the boat. You might think that he was foolish and that the others were the sensible ones, and no doubt they were, but sometimes life challenges us to take risks. A strong conviction may be a call to put our head above the parapet of popular opinion or the party line and dare to champion a cause or to question something that is wrong. People do amazing things when they dare to step out of the boat and focus on a goal, undeterred by criticism.

As a Christian, I believe that, when Jesus calls us out of our comfort zone, he enables us to do impossible things as we trust in him, like the persecuted Christians in other lands who stand firm in their faith despite the cost.

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you all with vision, courage and peace. Amen.