In our Advent Study this year we will look at suffering.
“The more I think about the human suffering in our world and my desire to offer a healing response, the more I realize how crucial it is not to allow myself to become paralysed by feelings of helplessness and guilt. More important than ever is to be very faithful to my vocation to do well the few things I am called to do and hold on to the joy and peace they bring me. I must resist the temptation to let the forces of darkness pull me into despair and make me one more of their many victims.”
“Suffering invites us to place our hurts in larger hands. In Christ we see God suffering – for us. And calling us to share in God’s suffering love for a hurting world. The small and even overpowering pains of our lives are intimately connected with the greater pains of Christ. Our daily sorrows are anchored in a greater sorrow and therefore a larger hope.”
Henri Nouwen
The sessions will be centred around the following headings:
The Suffering of Job
The Suffering of Christ
Our own Suffering
There will be two groups meeting on Zoom Wednesday Afternoons at 2pm and Thursday Evenings at 7pm (2nd/3rd, 9th/10th and 16th/17th December)
The material will also be available on paper and on the Web Site at:
There will be a Christmas Foodbank collection for the Highland Foodbank outside in St Finnbarr’s grounds.
Every day people in the Highlands are struggling to put food on the table. Even under normal circumstances people struggle as a result of a variety of causes from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. This year however COVID has made the situation much worse for many people.
The Highland Foodbank is part of the work of Blythswood Care and provides a minimum of three days emergency food and support to local adults and children in crisis.
Below is a list of items that they are currently running low on, including essential non-food items such as toiletries and hygiene products, helping people in crisis to maintain dignity and feel human again.
Tins of ham/corned beef
Tins of potatoes
Tins of mince/stew
Sugar
Small packets of washing powder/gel
Small bottles of washing up liquid
Male/female deodorant
Shampoo
Shaving foam/razors
Toothpaste/individually wrapped brushes
Shower gel
They currently have an overabundance of
PASTA,
SOUP AND
ALL FORMS OF TINNED BEANS
… so these items are best avoided.
Given the time of year, they are very keen to receive special seasonal treats for all the family.
On 30th November I will be led by Provost Sarah to my stall in the Cathedral and installed as a Canon and member of Cathedral Chapter at a Eucharist to celebrate the Feast of St Andrew. The service will be live-streamed via the Cathedral Facebook page.
St Drostan’s Stall
My stall is dedicated to St Drostan, who was Abbott of Deer (in Aberdeenshire). Saint Drostan lived around 560 to 630. He was a follower of Saint Columba of Iona and spent a significant period in Aberdeenshire. He later retired to spend time in prayer and contemplation in Glenesk where there is an Episcopal Church dedicated to him and a self-catering lodge/retreat house.
St Drostan’s Church
We know about him because he appears in two old manuscripts, the Book of Deer an illuminated manuscript whose origins date back to the 900s, and Breviarium Aberdonense, (the Aberdeen Breviary) produced by Bishop William Elphinstone in Aberdeen in 1510. His name is also attached to various churches and to other places, such as St Drostan’s Well at Aberlour in Speyside, now the water source for Aberlour Distillery.
Not to the work of sordid selfish saving Of our own souls to dwell with Him on high, But to the soldier’s splendid selfless braving, Eager to fight for Righteousness and die.
Peace does not mean the end of all our striving, Joy does not mean the drying of our tears; Peace is the power that comes to souls arriving Up to the light where God Himself appears.
Joy is the wine that God is ever pouring Into the hearts of those who strive with Him, Light’ning their eyes to vision and adoring, Strength’ning their arms to warfare glad and grim.
So would I live and not in idle resting, Stupid as swine that wallow in the mire; Fain would I fight, and be for ever breasting Danger and death for ever under fire.
Bread of Thy Body give me for my fighting, Give me to drink Thy Sacred Blood for wine, While there are wrongs that need me for the righting, While there is warfare splendid and divine.
Give me, for light, the sunshine of Thy sorrow, Give me, for shelter, shadow of Thy Cross; Give me to share the glory of Thy morrow, Gone from my heart the bitterness of Loss.
Part of “The Suffering God” by Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy (otherwise known as Woodbine Willie)
Tonight we remembered those who we have loved, but see no more; our friends, our relatives and those who have gone before us in faith.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
For a number of years we have been talking about replacing the heating in St Finnbarr’s, since the Diocesan Architect considered that it was in need of replacement.
Well it’s finally happened and the old assorted collection of radiant heaters hanging on chains have been replaced by dark infrared heaters attached to the roof beams. The new heaters on on a time clock so there’s no need for someone to go down to the Church on dark cold nights to put the heating on, it should all happen automatically.
It is now all finished and the congregation have had their first taste of what it will be like in future. By all accounts they were warm enough and didn’t feel that the new heaters detracted from the overall appearance of the Church.
Thanks to Jimmy who did the work so swiftly and without the need to cancel any services and to Margaret for all her work in getting tenders, etc.
We should be able to look forward to a warmer winter this year!!
The weather has definitely announced the start of Autumn in the last week or so, and we are now entering the last few weeks of the Church year, with the Season of Remembrance. There are three key days in this season, each one quite special but with a different focus.
On All Saints’ day this Sunday (1st November) we remember all those Christian people who have gone before us and shaped our understanding of what it means to live a Christian life and our approach to faith, worship and prayer. As part of that we should remember all those who have influenced our own journeys’ of faith, those who have guided and taught us, those who have nurtured us and those who have encouraged us when we were struggling with grief, doubt and disappointment. Our Services in St Finnbarr’s, St Andrew’s and St Columba’s will focus on the Saints this Sunday and we will have the opportunity to hum some well known tunes and we celebrate the Saints.
Grant us your light, O Lord, so that the darkness of our hearts may wholly pass away, and we may come at last to the light of Christ. For Christ is the morning star, who when the night of this world is passed, brings to His saints the promised light of life, and opens to them everlasting day. Amen.
On All Souls’ day, this Monday (2nd November) we remember those that we love but see no more, our parents and grand-parents, siblings and other family members, our friends and all those that we have held dear. As we remember, we give thanks for all that they have meant to us and for the specific ways that they have touched our lives and our lives have been formed and enriched by them. Traditionally a list of those that we love but see no more is read at a special Requiem on All Souls day and Simon and I will be reading lists of names at services in Tain and Brora on Monday. We have lists from previous years for all the Churches in the DLBTT group, but in you wish to add any additional names please let me know as soon as possible.
God our redeemer, you know the secrets of our hearts. You bear our pain and our anger. You bear our tears and our loneliness. You bear the questions that have no answers. Comfort us and come close to us whether or not we call you by name. And in the darkest places give us hope and love. Amen.
On Remembrance Day (11th November) and/or Remembrance Sunday (this year on 8th November) we remember and give thanks for the lives of those who have died in the service of their country and all those who have served their county and suffered life-changing effects as a result. Usually, there are well attended Services at War Memorials up and down the country, but this year such gatherings will not be taking place in that form, but we can still mark this day. We will hold Acts of Remembrance in St Finnbarr’s, St Andrew’s and St Columba’s as part of our usual Sunday Services. Perhaps we should also light candles in our windows as we reflect on all that war means and why we need to work to reduce conflict so that war will not claim the lives of so many in future.
Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all, the true love of peace and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Today in St Finnbarr’s, St Andrew’s and St Columba’s we gave thanks for the harvest and for all God’s gifts to us. We may be finding things a bit tough just now, but that doesn’t stop us giving thanks for what we have and for God’s goodness to us, in fact it is in times like these that we need to recognise our need of God and be thankful for the constant presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives and the lives of those around us.
These flowers were in St Columba’s, but there were stunning flowers in both St Andrew’s and St Finnbarr’s as well (but I didn’t get photos of them:-( Thanks to everyone who exercised their considerable talents with their autumn flowers and fruits.
The current Sunday evening drama on BBC1 called “Us” is about a couple who have arrived at that stage in life when their son is about to go to University and they are wondering about their future together. Douglas (the husband) has organised a ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe for the three of them … and then Connie (his wife) tells him that she wants to leave him. Douglas plans every aspect of what he does with meticulous precision and Connie leaving is definitely not part of his plan.
It set me reflecting on just how much control we have in our lives. Whatever the answer was at the beginning of the year, for most of us it has decreased in the last six months and for those who had the least control before the pandemic it has probably decreased the most.
Much of the time, what we see as our freedom to control what happens in our lives is illusory. We can, like Douglas, make plans but any plans that we make are only provisional, just ask anyone who’s tried to organise a holiday abroad this summer. Weather, illness, company failures, unemployment and so many other things can interrupt he ‘smooth running’ of our lives and throw our plans into disarray. “Us” was written and made before the pandemic, but given Douglas’s reaction to setbacks, I can only imagine how the present COVID-19 outbreak would have affected him, as his carefully laid plans crumbled before his eyes.
Not having complete control over our lives, doesn’t mean that there’s no point in having plans, just that we have to be prepared to accept that changes will likely be required. Everyone experiences twists and turns in their life, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with lasting impact, like the death of a loved one, a life-altering accident, or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing with it a unique mix of thoughts, emotions and uncertainty.
Adversities like these are sadly part of life and trying to live our lives in the illusion that we can control all aspects of our existence, only leads to pain and anxiety. However we shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that what we do doesn’t have any effect on the lives of others. For instance my failure to take appropriate steps to limit the spread of COVID could quickly result in the spread of infection to people that I come into contact with and move from one end of the country to the other very fast. On the way, it could well have serious and lasting consequences for many people who I’ve never even met.
The smallest of actions can ultimately have huge consequences. This idea is sometimes known as the “butterfly effect”, after the American mathematician Edward Lorenz who suggested that the flap of a butterfly’s wings in the Amazon might ultimately cause a tornado in Texas. A bit far-fetched perhaps, but Lorenz’s illustration helped him explain why forecasting the future is so difficult.
In the Bible we meet many groups of people who face adversities of all kinds and who come through by placing their faith in a loving God. For instance, in trying to encourage the people of Israel in exile in Babylon, the prophet Isaiah writes:
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We may not know what lies ahead but we can all be strengthened and supported by each other and by God.
Scottish Episcopal Church - Dornoch, Lairg, Brora, Tain & Tongue 