… but technically in charge”. +Bob’s words, relayed by Trevor Hart in his sermon today, and perfectly summing up Bob’s ministry past, present and future. For he is, as has been described elsewhere, a holy and humble servant of Christ. A responsibility lies beneath the pointy hat, a Bishop’s mitre is always heavier than it appears. But that responsibility is one which will be carried ably and with an unnassuming dignity, if not always with ease. God is in control.
I still remember my first day in St Andrews, St Andrews as though it were yesterday.
I was invited along by a friend. The rector stood outside, greeting everyone. He must have asked Dave, for at communion he placed bread into my hands and called me by name. Following the service, he introduced me to people who took a genuine interest in who I was. Those simple personal gestures, not being labled as “just another student”, but being seen as an individual, precious in God’s eyes, made me want to go back.
Not long after, a matter of weeks, I turned up on the rectory doorstep at 9am. “How do you know if God is calling you to be a Priest?” Not the easiest of questions at anytime of day. To be honest, I was half-expecting him to laugh. He didn’t. “Why? do you think you are?” No ridicule, no condescending tone, just a simple honest question. “I don’t know.” I stuttered. “That’s a very good place to start, tell me about yourself”. So began the adventure.
I recieved guidance and love, not only from Bob and Liz Gillies, but from a congregation willing to trust the leadership of their Rector, a congregation willing to see potential and allow it room to blossom, even when what they saw wasn’t recognised by its owner. Being prepared for selection by Bob wasn’t easy - far from it. There were times I wanted to scream and shout at him, and he knew it (there were times I probably did) : the probing questions, the pains and vulnerabilities explored. There was laser-precise insight, sharp wit, and a willingness to learn from my experience of life and faith in a church tradition different to his own. An idea was met with “Go do it. If it doesnt work, we’ll figure out why together, and then you can try again”.
I don’t get back to the old town much - the last time was not long after I was ordained priest, invited back to preach. It was terrifying. A congregation of my former St Mary’s lecturers and people who had become my friends, the people who knew me at my best and my worst, all looking with anticipation at this wee lass who could barely see over the pulpit! The people without whose prayers and support I would not be doing what I am doing now.
Those old friends are without a rector for a while now, as Bob and Liz and the family move north. Yesterday was Bob’s final day. They will feel strange for a while, maybe even vulnerable, but they will do well. They have had the wisdom and support of a rector who has created space for them to grow, to love and share, to take risks; but most of all to be who God called and created them to be.
No doubt this time of transition will be strange for Bob, Liz and Timothy also, but like the congregation they will do well, as will the Diocese of Aberdeen under Bob’s leadership. Bishop-elect, old friends, my family in faith: my prayers and love are with you.
‘Tis a weekend of weddings. Paul & Jane today in All Saints, and Helen & Danny tomorrow. Today’s event will see me celebrating a Nuptial Mass - the first thing P& J wanted to do as a married couple was celebrate the sacrament, a powerful faith statement from any couple beginning married life. That aspect of the service will be a first for me too, and is one I’m looking forward to. But with a guestlist of 150, how many wafers do I consecrate? That is the big question, and its anyone’s guess how many will recieve communion. Most of the congregation are active Christians, but a huge variety of shades and colours from the rainbow which makes up the body of Christ. We shall wait and see.
Tomorrow will be a completely different affair - a high church pisky and a pentecostalist marrying in the Church of Scotland, and surrounded by clergy from all denominations during the dedication. H & I were at Uni together, and worked together in halls as graduates attempting to fund postgrad studies. Friendships were renewed almost 10 years later (ulp!) following a chance meeting in the local alehouse in Jordanhill. The guest list reads partly as a joint University Hall / Christian Union reunion from St Andrews Uni (mid ’90’s). Its going to be fun, and just a little mad!
Just back from Antrim, where I was visiting friends as they renewed their wedding vows and had their marriage blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. Having come to faith at the age of 19 in a very ecumenical church (it was a united Anglican and Baptist church), I have never really understood the divisiveness of church tradition, and the willingness of people to hate others simply because of the church they are affiliated with. Yes I know (as much as an English exile can) the historical context, the pains, battles and oppression of both sides of the Catholic/Protestant divide. I understand the arguments of both sides in the current fights and tensions within my own Anglican tradition, and my sympathies, much like the church, are divided. Jesus prayed that the church “may be one, as I and the Father are one”, he taught us to pray that we may forgive those who hurt us, called us to love our enemies. So we vilify them, dehumanise them and claim their faith is less than ours, so that we may feel more Godly, more superior, more holy. Or rather than engage with those we don’t understand or have disagreements with, we pity them, look down on them, or simply ignore them. That is what I dont understand.
Yes, I’m oversimplifying - the pain on all sides of the debates in the multitudinous divisions within the worldwide church is deep-seated, deep-rooted. It takes courage and commitment for all to deal with in a realistic fashion, that we may grow and move forward in life and in faith.
Anyway, I digress. The renewal of vows for Bob & Tory was a fantastic event, and my first trip to NI. Father Tony Devlin, the RC parish priest conducting the service, kindly and generously invited me to take part. To be honest, I was expecting to do a reading at the most so didn’t take robes, only a collar and a clean shirt. I got to the church, which was beautiful, airy and light despite its exterior (very dark) and its nickname within Antrim as the Black Chapel (or Grey chapel since the black tower was pulled down). Fr Devlin split the service between us: the readings, the prayers, the nuptial blessing were mine to adapt and lead, giving me my homework at the rehearsal. He lent me a priest’s cassock-alb and a beautiful golden stole, and welcomed me as a fellow priest in his church without worrying about my tradition or gender, even allowing me to import a little piece of our own Wedding Rite into the service. In a Northern Ireland recovering from the turmoils of a lifetime, he showed himself to be a Godly and courageous man, as do many of the Clergy in NI. My prayers are with him and his congregation as they continue to grow together.
St Comgall’s itself has a couple of fantastic technological ministries which deserve mention. They, like many other churches in the UK, have members from all over the world - Eastern European workers, foreign students and others who have moved into the area. A webcam is installed in the church, and Mass is broadcast to all who have access. For those special events and occasional offices, family unable to attend can log onto the church website and still be a part of the service, in their own home, wherever in the world that may be. For others a radio is provided (pretuned, with batteries) so that congregants suffering illness or the frailites of age can still be a part of the Mass. The full service is broadcast each Sunday over a 4 mile radius. The radios are free for all who need them, for however long they need them. Visit St Comgall’s for more info or the webcasts and Mass times. Its a fantastic ministry to members both worldwide and local, and one which I wish my 2 small congregations could afford…
