Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Official Report 894KB pdf

Time for Reflection

Good afternoon, colleagues. It is good to see you all back in person. Before we begin, I remind members that social distancing regulations are in place throughout the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. I ask that members take care to observe those measures over the course of the afternoon’s business, in particular when we are entering and leaving the chamber.

The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Louis Reddick, minister of Shettleston New Church of Scotland. He is joining us via a live audio link.

Good afternoon and welcome back. I thank you for the opportunity to address the Scottish Parliament today, even though I am still sitting in the east end of Glasgow.

Over the past couple of weeks, like many Christian ministers, I have been reflecting on the parallels between the Easter story and the current crisis, for in the Easter story we also see resolute courage and self-sacrifice on behalf of others, as well as loss, grief and a burial in difficult circumstances. There are even people coming out on to the streets to noisily express their support, albeit with hosannas and palm branches rather than applause and the banging of saucepans. There are also some very prophetic words from Jesus after a final dinner with his friends:

“A time is coming ... when you will be scattered, each to your own home.”

But for the people who lived through the Easter story, who saw it up front and personal, it was utterly transformational as the darkness of Good Friday was replaced by the new dawn of Easter Sunday. That gives me hope as we face the future just now.

There are, though, some very big differences between the Easter story and the one that we are living through today. The first is that Christians believe the events of Easter bring a transformation that is even deeper and longer lasting than the changes to our society that will doubtless follow in the months and years ahead—namely, the offer of eternal life with Christ.

The second relates to power and influence. In the Easter story, those in positions of authority are among the chief villains of the piece, as their self-interest and lack of moral courage are exposed. By contrast, my message to you today is very much one of gratitude. Thank you for the leadership that you have shown in these challenging times; for the difficult decisions, with life-and-death consequences, that you need to take week by week, or even hour by hour; for the candour and humanity that you show at daily press conferences; for letting go of old rivalries to seek the common good; for highlighting where more needs to be done to help the most vulnerable; and for encouraging us all to play our part. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

In closing, I would like to assure you of the on-going prayers of Christians across the country, asking God to grant you the wisdom that you need in these difficult days. May the Lord bless you, protect you and guide you as you continue to lead our nation. Amen.