Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Official Report 922KB pdf
Contents
- Time for Reflection
- Topical Question Time
- Covid-19
- Universal Credit
- Environmental Standards Scotland (Chief Executive)
- Business Motion
- Parliamentary Bureau Motions
- Decision Time
- Scottish Ambulance Service
Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face coverings should be worn when moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus.
The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Elsie Macrae, minister of St Andrew’s Parish Church, Moffat, which is linked with Kirkpatrick Juxta and Wamphray parish churches.
Let us together take a moment to be still in the presence of God—a moment to reflect on our being as we journey on this earth. Feel free to close your eyes and calm your mind.
Think of someone who is frightened, someone whose whole world has come crashing down, someone who is concerned for their own health or the health of their loved ones, or someone who faces a time of illness but is afraid to share their pain with a friend or neighbour. Think of someone who is hurting inside, someone whose pain simply will not go away, someone who is feeling rejected, unwanted and unloved, or someone who is longing to know compassion, hope and peace.
Think of someone who is challenged—mentally, emotionally or physically—someone who is very much aware that all is not well in their life, or someone who causes despair and hurt to those they love. Think of someone who is broken, someone who set out with high hopes and ambitions, or someone who once had important plans for their future but whose tomorrow is, sadly, covered with clouds of despair.
Think of someone who is weighed down by their sense of responsibility, someone whose employment has lost the joy and fulfilment that it once held, someone who is overwhelmed by the demands of family and friends, someone who is burdened by the pain and suffering that they see all around them, or someone who feels helpless to respond to God’s suffering world.
Now take a moment and think about yourself and all that you carry within you. Think about all the things that you must face in the coming days and weeks, and think of the promises of God—to hold, bless and love you all the days of your life. In this silence, bring your personal concerns to the Lord.
Yes, Lord, hear these, our prayers, in the name of one who was and is to come. Amen.