getting connected again

Children are great enthusiasts. No doubt about it!

I was in at the schoool again this morning, first thing. The P4-7 assembly again. Except this time I got to speak.

At least, I'd asked if I might get the chance, since I wanted to highlight the event that we're hosting in June and I wanted to run past the children a little competition that we'll hold.

We have quite spacious grounds here. But we want to act responsibly. In terms of the environment.

Only a small percentage of all the area we have is actually 'green'. Probably way too small a percentage, if we want to be environmentally responsible.

So we're setting the children a challenge and task. In the form of a competition. It's over to them to come up with their ideas as to how we might best be using our grounds in a way that is genuinely 'green'.

They seemed really quite enthusiastic. And even before I'd finished, they'd loads of questions (it seemed) that they wanted to ask. I said to send me e-mails with the questions that they had and I'd get back to them all, in person.

A sort of poor man's version of e-mailing Lawrence McGinty of ITV (which I did when he was down with Mark Austin in Antartica: I e-mailed my question, but I didn't get much of an answer except a few links to various different web-sites on the net: it wasn't all that personal at all!)

We're doing quite a bit on this at the moment. Working through, in different ways, what it means to honour the Lord as the great Creator God in the way we live our lives and treat the world he's made.

We believe it's an issue we shouldn't be playing catch-up on. But instead be taking the lead.

Strange how things can 'coincide'! I was leading the midweek lunchtime service again and the text for today was Psalm 8. All about the creation, our part in it and the weighty, from-the-start responsibility God gives us to take care of that creation for himself.

These midweek 'breaks' for worship are just great. I love them. And there are really quite a lot of folk who take the chance to come. Mainly older, but some at a younger age for whom the simple practicalities of getting out on Sunday is a problem.

It was great having Tom along as well. Tom's from Uganda originally and now heads up the work of the Edinburgh City Mission, along at their West Pilton Centre. Just along the road from where we are.

We've had a close involvement with them there for many years. So I was glad that Tom had the chance to pop along, to share with us in our worship and to stay around for lunch. And chat.

He's a lovely, vibrant Christian man. And he's always much encouraged as he gets on with the work. Which must be pretty daunting some of the time.

But he knows his stuff. And knows how to handle the very needy people that they meet.

He was telling me how so many of these folk will come along to the centre and be open to the worship of God's people there. But wouldn't ever dream of 'going to church'.

I guess that's what happens when 'church' gets rather 'institutionalised'. You get the 'form': but you lose the power.

As a minister of the long-established, well-respected parish Church of Scotland, I'm starting from a really very 'formal' sort of context. And trying to recover the power.

Which isn't all that easy. Sometimes I wonder if it's ever even possible. (With God everything is, of course!).

But the power is all that matters. The power of God, very present among his people. At work in his world. At work in the lives of messed-up, mixed-up people and a wonderful, transforming way.

Like the way he's worked in Sharon. Sharon works at the Centre as well, alongside Tom. And, as he says, she started 'the other side of the counter'.

She was a person in desperate need. And she found as she came that not just the Centre, but actually this person Jesus himself - he changed her life and set her on her feet again and ... well, just made her a new person, gave her a new start.

Now she's doing the same with others. And so it goes on.

That's the way it's meant to be. And that, I guess, is sort of what we're trying to be as well. A people imparting life to those around, in such a way that they in turn become life-givers too.

I was round seeing a couple of different folk in the afternoon. Different situations. Different needs.

But the issue for me is the same. Is my calling by just a formal sort of 'visiting' (which Church of Scotland ministers are meant to do. Why? I guess because that's what Church of Scotland ministers do, is it not?!)?

Or is it more a bringing of God's own presence, power and grace to bear upon their lives?

I hope it's always the latter. I've neither the time nor the inclination for any sort of 'formal', routine visiting. Nor, I think, the gift!

The lunchtime conversation that I had with Tom has been much on my mind today.

The work he does, behind it all there's really very obviously the underlying burden to be putting people back in touch with God. Restoring that lost connection.

And that's the drift of all I'm doing too. That's what I'm about.

So it's been good today myself to be back in touch with people whom I haven't had much contact with for years. Restoring those old connections.

My pal from school whom I'd e-mailed on the off chance in the aftermath of seeing him on the TV news: he got back to me, delighted that I'd been in touch. A connection there to be built on once again.

And, later, a chance to welcome here a relative from South Africa along with her husband and one of her daughters. Here to stay for a few days.

How lovely to see her again. After all these years. It was her and her family I'd stayed with myself some thirty and more years ago. And they all just made me so much just a part of the family. It was lovely. I've always had a special place for them within my heart.

So to see her again with her husband and one of her girls - it was just a thrill.

Connections.

Being back in touch. A picture of what Jesus is all about.