The Record - February/March 2023 by Free Church of Scotland

THE

RECORD

MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 • £2.00

Interim Editor • Sarah Robinson The Editor, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS editor@freechurch.org

Mission News • David Meredith Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS mission@freechurch.org WfM Editor • Fiona Macaskill 8 Campsie Drive, Glasgow, G61 3HY rfmacaskill@me.com Gaelic Editor • Janet MacPhail 24 North Bragar, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DA 01851 710354 Seminary News • William Mackenzie Edinburgh Theological Seminary, 15 North Bank Street, Edinburgh EH1 2LS offices@ets.ac.uk Prayer Diary • Sarah Robinson editor@freechurch.org Design & Layout • Fin Macrae @DUFI Art www.dufi-art.com The Record • ISSN 2042-2970 Published • The Record is produced by The Free Church of Scotland, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS 0131 226 5286 offices@freechurch.org Advertising • Anyone wishing to advertise in The Record should contact the editor. For Subscriptions • The annual subscription price for The Record is £33. Cheques should be made payable to: Free Church of Scotland. Please contact the offices for overseas subscription costs. iPhone: Open your camera app and hold the lens above the QR Code, it will automatically detect the link which Details of the church's activities, latest news and you can click on to open. people to contact are all available on the church's Android: Download QR Code Reader from Google Play website: www.freechurch.org Store and follow app directions.

The Free Church of Scotland is a registered charity SC012925 • Women for Mission is a registered charity SC03898

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

Cover: Photo by Sara Maximoff on Unsplash

This QR Code will direct you to the digital version of the magazine on ISSUU. Available for 30 days for current print subscribers.

CONTENTS

WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY/MARCH RECORD

elcome to the latest edition of the record.

I am thankful, as always, to the contributors who submit pieces for the magazine. As this edition was being created, I noticed an unintended theme running though. I was reminded of Hebrews 12:1–2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” There are numerous articles in this edition, including an editorial piece by Rev Ben Fiddian about Living Memories, a piece by Rev David Meredith about the life and witness of Rev Eric Alexander and obituaries of David Gregg and Roderick Hugh Urquhart. These pieces remind us of those who have gone before us, whose lives have been shaped by God. We are thankful for their lives and for their witness. They are part of a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on as we continue in the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. In this edition, be encouraged by the launch of Tornagrain Community Church and the work of NP500. Do look out for details about the Vision Gatherings this year to share in the vision for ‘A Healthy Gospel Church for Every Community in Scotland’ to encourage one another and share in the vision. Be heartened by Catriona Murray’s latest column. On a practical point for The Record, it has been decided that for the foreseeable future the magazine will be published once every two months. If you are a subscriber, this means that your subscription has been extended to ensure you or the recipient of the gift receives the twelve editions you have paid for. We hope you continue to enjoy reading The Record. If you would like to send in your church news or letters, email editor@freechurch.org •

04 LIVING MEMORIES Ben Fiddian 08

FREE CHURCH NEWS

WfM UPDATE Fiona Macaskill

NAVIGATING CHRISTIAN PARENTHOOD Peter Turnbull

WORLD NEWS U.S.A., Albania., Nigeria, Egypt, Nepal

OBITUARIES: DAVID GREGG, RODERICK HUGH URQUHART

VOUCHING FOR LIFE TILL ITS END Stuart Weir

THE TWELVE APOSTLES Donald Mackay

ETS- EVERYDAY DISCIPLESHIP Benjamin Castenada

THE GREATEST DRAMA EVER STAGED Dorothy Sayers

A HEALTHY GOSPEL CHURCH... CARES FOR THE LOST Iain Macaskill

PAGES FROM ADAM'S DIARY: THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

FOOD FOR FELLOWSHIP

BOOK REVIEWS

MISSION MATTERS David Meredith

POETRY PAGE Psalm 136

PRAYER DIARY

CHITHEAR NA BLÀTHAN AIR AN TALAMH Janet MacPhail

Yours in Christ Sarah Robinson

40 POST TENEBRAS LUX Catriona Murray

That in all things he might have the pre-eminence Colossians 1:18 2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

Living Memories REV BEN FIDDIAN, of Bonar Bridge and Lairg Free Church, explores the topic of living memories and keeping the reality of revival in our memories.

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

©Valerii Honcharuk - stock.adobe.com

Churches and ministers must work together in gospel partnership to ensure that the Word is preached ‘in season and out of season’.

n december i attended the funeral of an associated presbyterian minister called alex murray, who died recently at the age of 97.

We had met only once, shortly after I moved to Sutherland. He was a fascinating man with many interesting stories. One in particular struck me. Alex had served in the RAF during World War II. When I was young everybody’s grandparents had lived through the war. The generation which fought those battles has mostly gone now. Apart from Rev Murray, it is many years since I spoke with anyone who could tell such stories from personal experience. We might read them in books or online but they are passing rapidly from living memory. I experienced similar emotions whilst watching the first ever televised meeting of the King’s Privy Council on 10th September 2022, shortly before the ceremony proclaiming our new monarch. One of the talkingheads made this remarkable statement: ‘The last time this happened the Prime Minister was Winston Churchill and most of the people in the room would have known Queen Victoria.’ Like a series of stepping stones, each generational ‘jump’ moves us back in time — from King Charles, to Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, Queen Victoria. How far back does living memory take you? What about the remarkable saving works of God in our history? How long are they remembered? A parish minister serving in the Hebrides during the 1980s, recalls a godly, elderly lady in his congregation who had lived through no less than four genuine revivals. Growing up in Wales, I knew ministers who had experienced unusual spiritual blessing locally and missionaries who had experienced revival in places like Indonesia. The kind of widespread revival that shook the whole nation was a generation further back — their grandparents had lived through it, mine had not. Some older readers of The Record will relate to being influenced by Christians who experienced revival. They may even have tasted the ‘aftermath’ of revival themselves. What a tremendous privilege! For many young people in Scotland today, even the memory of their ancestors’ nominal church-attendance has disappeared into the mists of time. Of the children growing up in Christian homes and gospel-believing churches today, how many will have any contact with the living memory of these widespread works of God? There are several reasons why these revivals should not be archived in the recesses of our collective religious memory. Firstly, as it passes from living memory, history can be distorted and re-written. We see this in secular history, for example, in the scourge of Holocaust denial in judging men and women of the past by today’s socio-political standards, and ‘cancelling’ of those deemed to fall short. The same is happening with the history of the Holy Spirit’s mighty works. Recently I came across a book that presented an extremely charismatic and mystical understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work using an entirely fictional novel, full of made-up, fantasy miracles. There are various movies that take a similar approach. Far from encouraging the work of the Holy Spirit, the existence of supernatural religious fiction only proves that we are not in a time of revival. Make-believe miracles are only interesting to people who have never experienced real miracles. Through the prophets and apostles, the Holy Spirit wrote His own book. It is a work of truth not fiction. He energises it with life and dynamic power. In times of true revival people are drawn to this Sacred Book. They read it in their homes and come to church to hear it explained. As they do, they encounter the authentic power of the Holy Spirit as He wields Scriptures like

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

Whenever the church honours the ordinary means of grace the wind of the Spirit is present as a gentle heavenly draught of blessing; a sword, piercing human hearts with sin-convicting precision, performing the miracle of regeneration, drawing people to put their faith in the Christ of Calvary, and transforming lives for eternity. Of course, these are things which the Holy Spirit is doing right now! Even when the church is at its lowest ebb the Holy Spirit adds His blessing to the ordinary means of grace: preaching, prayer, sacraments, Christian fellowship. The smallest things God does are really big things! This means an attitude of ‘sit back and wait for revival’ can never be right. Churches and ministers must work together in gospel partnership to ensure that the Word is preached ‘in season and out of season’. What happens in true revival? The Holy Spirit takes these same means of grace and turns the dial up to 10, causing them to have greater effect in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike. This points to a second reason for keeping the reality of revival in our memories. If you have only seen the beach at low tide, you might believe things were always like that — you might struggle to imagine the beach at high tide. It is important to know that greater things are possible. As well as saying ‘thank you!’ one of the ways we can show appreciation for what the Holy Spirit is doing now is by asking for more — just as you show your appreciation of the cook by asking for another helping or a bigger portion. Sinclair Ferguson explains that the basic meaning of the Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, is ‘the expulsion of wind or breath, the idea of air in motion.’ ‘Spirit’ expresses, in its most fundamental form… power, energy, and life.’ This divine ‘breath of life’ was breathed into the church at Pentecost and has never been withdrawn. Ferguson argues that though ‘Pentecost is not repeated… a theology of the Spirit which did not give rise to prayer for his coming in power would not be a theology of ruach!’ In other words, whenever the church honours the ordinary means of grace the wind of the Spirit is present as a gentle heavenly draught of blessing; as we give thanks for this, we should ask Him to blow through these same means of grace like a mighty storm. Thirdly, remembering revival puts our own context in perspective. God revived HIs church in the past. Why was that needed? Because things have been at a low ebb before! In 1650, the Commission of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland produced a report entitled ‘Causes of the Lord’s Wrath Against Scotland’. Translated into modern language and with the addition of a few references to Netflix and social media, it could easily pass as a description of Scotland in 2023. South of the border in England and Wales, the early 1700’s were marked by widespread spiritual and moral darkness. Then, as now, societies ‘were formed with the express purpose of making the people a pagan nation’ (See chapter 1 in The Calvinistic Methodist Fathers of Wales: Volume 1, Banner of Truth, 2008). The stories of how God turned these situations upside down is exciting reading! The history of humanity has never been a steady march towards ‘progress’, as some would have us believe. Sin abounds wherever there are people, for the simple reason that people are sinful. Apart from the uplifting interventions of God’s redeeming grace, the constant tendency of a sinfallen world must be towards death and decay. Our hope is not rooted in these ups and downs but on the once-for-all work of Christ at Calvary and the unrepeatable-outpouring but continuous-effusions of the Holy Spirit who is Sovereign to save few or many according to the electing grace of God. We keep preaching Christ in the power of the Spirit, rejoicing in what He does and praying for more. •

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

FREE CHURCH NEWS STIRLING INDUCTION

addressed the congregation in suitable terms. Mr Kenneth Ferguson, Session Clerk, welcomed Angus to the congregation and presented him with a gift. One of the youngest members of the congregation presented Anita with a beautiful bouquet. The company then moved to the cafeteria to enjoy hospitality provided by the congregation. •

great representation of the free church congregation of stirling was joined by a number of friends from within the glasgow

argyll presbytery and beyond at the induction

service of the rev angus lamont on saturday 19th november in bannockburn high school .

The service was conducted by the Rev Dr Rodger Crooks, Resident Supply Minister at Lochgilphead and Tarbert. Rev Iain R. Morrison, Oban, preached an appropriate sermon on Acts 1:9-11 — the concern of the disciples following the ascension of our Lord: after being with Jesus for three years, they were suddenly on their own! What were they to do now? Under the leading of the Spirit, they were to be Christ’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and to the ends of the earth.” That included the British Isles and the city of Stirling! The congregation had become vacant earlier in the year with the departure of Rev Iain MacAskill to the Northern Presbytery. Angus, on returning earlier in the year with his wife, Anita, from service in Peru, had provided resident supply to the Stirling congregation for several months. Having satisfactorily answered all the questions required of him, Angus signed “The Formula” and was officially inducted to the charge and given the right hand of fellowship by members of all the Presbyteries represented. Rev Kenny Boyd, minister at Govanhill, Glasgow, a personal friend and fellow student of Angus, gave words of welcome and encouragement to the newly-inducted minister. Rev David Meredith, who had been the vacancy’s Interim Moderator,

Rev. Angus Lamont

In the last edition we published an article ‘A Healthy Gospel Church prays together’ by Rev Dr Rodger Crooks. He is the interim moderator and resident supply minister at Tarbert Free Church and Lochgilphead Free Church.

TEENS’ CONFERENCE

church or at home may be good news but how does that news translate to their day-to-day experience? How do our teens persevere when this cacophony of voices seems to ignore Jesus, say he is outdated and irrelevant, or are outright hostile towards him? When there is pressure to conform to the world’s standards, how do they live for Jesus? While these are questions we might all ask, these

eing a teenager in our churches today is not easy.

Whether it is from school, friends or social media, our teenagers are constantly bombarded with voices that stand against, or question, the truths they hear in the Bible. It can be a lonely experience; perhaps they are the only believer in their class or the only teenager at their church. The truths that they hear about Jesus at

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

teenage years can be critical as young people decide whether what they have heard about Jesus really is true and whether he is really worth living for. It is these questions that we want to begin to tackle at the Teens’ Conference, as we bring together a bunch of S5 & S6 young people from across Scotland to have fun together and to think about what living for Jesus looks like in their lives. We want to arm these teens with the truth that it really is worth following Jesus and equip them with the tools they need to keep going when it’s tough. As well as plenty of fun and food, we are looking forward to our main talks on the topic of ‘Living for Jesus in a Hostile World’ by Andy Longwe from London City Presbyterian Church. We will also be engaging with some of the challenges facing our teens, with seminars on topics such as ‘Living for

Jesus when I’m the only one’, ‘Living for Jesus when I leave home’, and ‘Living for Jesus when I’m anxious’. We hope and pray that this weekend will be a time when friendships are formed, faith is grown and our teens are encouraged to keep going with Jesus. For those with teens in S5 & S6 in your homes and churches, please let them know about the conference. For all of you, please pray for the teenagers in our churches and youth fellowships, that they would know the wonder of the gospel and see that Jesus really is worth living for. The Teens’ Conference is 23rd-25th June 2023, at Lendrick Muir. Bookings will open in the spring, keep your eye out for more details in the coming months. •

VISION GATHERINGS 2023

eeting together to encourage one another and share in the vision for a healthy gospel church for every community in scotland is the aim of a series of gatherings this year .

Healthy Gospel Church Gatherings are being planned across the presbyteries during 2023 and you are invited to attend. The first is taking place in Glasgow in March. The hope is to bring together as many members of congregations as possible for a time of input and then discussion, with a focus on hearing each other’s views and idea. There will be updates on how some churches have taken hold of the vision, as well as time to discuss some main topics, give feedback, ask questions and pray together. We trust that the time together will also prove helpful to leadership teams in every local church as they seek to build increasingly healthy gospel congregations. DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES: Saturday 18th March – Glasgow Presbytery, Hope Church, Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill. Saturday 13th May – Inverness, Lochaber & Ross Presbytery at Smithton Free Church Further details of these events and gatherings in other presbyteries will be announced on the Free Church website in the coming weeks and months. Andrew Giffen, CEO of the Free Church of Scotland, said: 'These gatherings are a great opportunity for us to come together and encourage one another in growing in spiritual health both as individuals and in our lives together as a congregation. We want to see healthy Christians, healthy churches and an increasingly healthy denomination. We will be thinking about what God wants the church to be, and how all of us can play a part in growing health in our congregations. There will be time for discussion, prayer and also worship together as a presbytery gathering.' We’d love for you to join us at the event in your presbytery. Do keep an eye on the Free Church website www.freechurch.org for updates and more information. •

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

CHURCH PLANT IN TORNAGRAIN

modelled future missionary expansion. The service on the 8th January was an exciting event, one which we pray will be the beginning of a new and fruitful gospel work.’ For more information on how you can support and pray for Tornagrain Community Church, go to: www.tornagrainchurch.org •

church plant has been launched in the new community of tornagrain, near inverness.

It is an exciting time as Tornagrain Community Church began church services on Sunday 15th January. The church plant is being led by Rev Innes Macsween, who is the Assistant Minister at Smithton Free Church. He is supported by a launch team of around 25 adults and 12 children. Much ministry work has taken place over the past couple of years to get to this point. Innes said, ‘Smithton Church has been planning a plant for years now, although Covid delayed us. A team began to coalesce in mid-2021 with a view towards the nearby development of Culloden West, but wisdom and opportunity changed our focus to Tornagrain. Many members of the team already lived in Tornagrain, and I moved there in April 2022. We began meeting for 3pm afternoon services in the local “community room” from January 2022, before our launch this month.’ Tornagrain is a new town being built along the A96, near Inverness airport and between Inverness and Nairn, with plans for 5,000 homes and 10,000 people. Innes continued, ‘Unlike some new housing developments, Tornagrain is being built with a very clear vision of creating a community rather than just new houses, something we are emphasising as part of our own vision for the new church, where our mission statement is: Sharing the hope of Jesus in the community, through community.’ ‘We are renting the nearby Petty Church of Scotland for a trial period of three months (interestingly built as a Free Church in 1849!) and holding weekly Sunday services there at 10am.’ ‘Everyone living in that region along the A96 is warmly invited to come and join us,’ Innes said, ‘but we’ve been encouraging Christians who live elsewhere not to attend in the few first weeks lest it gives a false and eventually deflating impression to interested locals of how big we are!’ As the sending church, the morning service at Smithton Free Church on Sunday 8th January was used as an occasion to mark the launch. Rev Iver Martin, who attended the service, said: ‘Rev Alasdair Macleod asked those who were going to be involved in the new Church to come to the platform. He then briefly interviewed a selection of the congregation, including Innes about these next steps. Alasdair preached on Acts 11, reflecting on how the church at Antioch thrived, despite the notorious reputation of the city. Furthermore, as both a worshipping and sending church, the believers at Antioch (those first called Christians)

THE RECORD

The Macsween family (L to R) Anna, Levi, Innes and Isaac

FEBRUARY/MARCH

EVENTS COMING IN 2023 ENSPIRE – SATURDAY 11TH MARCH Booking is open for the Enspire event for ministers’ wives. The event will be held on Saturday 11th March at Smithton Church in Inverness. Enspire is an annual day event for ministers’ wives. It is relaxed and informal, with times of worship, discussion, sharing and praying in small groups. Friendships are made and renewed. Enspire encourages, equips and energises ministers’ wives to serve and fulfil their calling. For more details and to book, go to: www.freechurch.org/2023-enspire-booking-open •

YOUTH CONFERENCE – FRIDAY 17TH – SUNDAY 19TH MARCH Booking is open for the Youth Conference taking place in March. The conference will be held at Lendrick Muir from Friday 17th until Sunday 19th March. This is an annual weekend event where young Christians, between the ages of 18 and 30, can gather for worship, food and fellowship. As well as the main talks on a Christian theme, there are a number of workshops on current issues facing young people such as politics, relationships and faith in the workplace. Graham Daniels (Danno) from Christians in Sport will be speaking at the conference. The costs are: Student weekend price - £65, Worker/Non-student weekend price - £70, Saturday guest - £15. For more details and to book, go to: www.freechurch.org/youth-conference-2023 •

SHOE BOX APPEAL RAISES 89,000 BOXES

lythswood care’s 2022 shoe box appeal produced

‘Our co-workers are trying to help people there in incredibly difficult circumstances, displaced from their homes and separated from husbands and fathers by war. ‘We have also sent boxes to Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania and Serbia.’ ‘At a time when everyone is concerned with rising household bills at home, it was a terrific response to our appeal. We are so grateful to everyone who filled a box and to our volunteers around the UK who assisted with collection and checking.’ 2022 was the thirtieth year of Blythswood’s Shoe Box Appeal, bringing the total of gift boxes delivered in that time to 2.65 million. See blythswood.org for more information on this project and its other work. •

nearly 89,000 gift-filled boxes, with boxes being donated from shetland to cornwall and from

northern ireland to kent.

Filled with small, practical items such as toiletries, stationery, and clothing the individually-wrapped boxes have been distributed in schools, hospitals, orphanages and care homes, and to households in very low income communities. Many have gone to people affected by the war in Ukraine. ‘This year we were especially encouraged by the response of supporters within Scotland,’ says Blythswood’s head of projects, Finlay Mackenzie. ‘Overall we were seven percent up on last year. The extra boxes allowed us to send three lorry-loads instead of two to Ukraine, around 16,000 boxes.’

Children in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine: Blythswood sent 16,000 boxes to Ukraine alone

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

WfM UPDATE BY FIONA MACASKILL

We would love this to be a body of recipes that grows as the years go on and we will need contributions from cooks around the country and beyond. Watch this space to see how you can be part of this.

t has been a very busy few weeks for the wfm cookbook group but we are thrilled to share with you that we have already sold well over

half the books that we received from the printers in mid - december .

We were nearly calling on Santa and his little elves to help with the mammoth task of getting the books all around the country with less than two weeks until the big day and a Royal Mail strike, but it turns out that you don’t need a herd of flying reindeer when you have lots of willing helpers. Many thanks to the hauliers and the many individuals who picked up boxes of books from Glasgow and got them where they needed to be. It has been really encouraging to see the demand for the books and how keen people were to get their hands on them for Christmas Fairs and other fund-raising events. The books, which were supplied to bookshops, have sold out nearly instantly with many being purchased for a new generation of Free Church cooks. If you are one of the fortunate young people to receive one in your stocking then please do share pictures of your culinary adventures and tag us on your social media. As well as sales to the new generation, many books have gone to replace old well-worn copies of the originals. The pages stuck together with splattered cake mix are testament to the endurance of the well-loved recipes. It has also been wonderful to see the many new congregations who have become part of the Free Church in the last few years ordering the books and we are so pleased to see that the recipes have spread to new areas and new generations. We thought long and hard about what the new book should be like and decided that although we were combining both of the old books into one new one it was really important not to change any of the recipes or the names of the contributors. Many of these recipes were handed down well before 30 years ago when the first edition was printed. Food does evolve though and as Scotland becomes ever more culturally diverse and unusual ingredients become more readily available, we wanted to reflect that in the recipe book. Inside each book there is a QR code and a password. If you keep an eye on our website you will be able to see new recipes appearing over the coming months.

THE RECORD

To purchase a copy of the cookbook, visit our website womenformission.org/cookbook where you can order and pay online for delivery or arrange pick-up from a local collection point. It is always encouraging to hear about your fund-raising. Anne Fraser has shared a little about her local Christmas fair: Resolis in the Black Isle was the venue for the Ferintosh and Resolis WfM main yearly fundraising event for WfM projects on December 12 th. Attendance was severely affected by the wintry weather conditions and many called off understandably, including the planned speaker. Apart from some of our own hardy regulars, we were joined by a lovely group from Fortrose

FEBRUARY/MARCH

and one or two other hardy souls whom we were delighted to welcome. The tables were laden with a wide variety of crafts and other items, which obviously delighted those who had gathered as an amazing sum of £1168 was generated for the WFfM current projects. Fellowship over a cup of tea/coffee and lovely baking was followed by an unplanned interview.

The time allocated for a speaker was suitably filled by Rona Matheson getting Beth Fraser, a sixth year pupil in Dingwall Academy, to agree to a question and answer time on her experience and challenges of being a Christian in school. Beth also shared that she has applied to Latin Link to join the STEP team going to Argentina in July. •

We would like to share some prayer points for our current project with you in each edition. This month we have some from Bethany Christian Trust: Five updates • Three families from Glasgow joined the team for a wonderful weekend at a Scripture Union residential at Lendrick Muir. • Our new Work Placement Facilitator will start in post supporting young people on placements at Clay Café in Possilpark from December onwards. • Three Bridge to Freedom groups continue to be facilitated in Edinburgh and two in Glasgow with many more to come across Scotland in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee. Individual recovery work continues to bear fruit in the lives of people supported in all those cities at present. • Our Mum’s Support Group in Aberdeen is now making use of the Bridge Centre in Torry which opened in August. • Access through Advocacy, our new service which started in Glasgow in 2021 is continuing to work with a number of individuals who are presenting with multiple needs. The advocacy workers take the time to talk with each person, identifying what the ‘biggest’ or most important thing is for them and assisting them with that first. They’ll continue to come alongside each person as they work through each selfidentified need, with multiple opportunities to build confidence and skills and take on issues, with someone in their corner from the start. With the current cost of living crisis, we are really seeing that this service (although new) is more vital than ever.

Bethany Christian Trust offers practical help

Three prayer points • Recruitment of the right people to fill two new positions in Dundee: Connect to Community Resettlement Worker and a Recovery & Activities Facilitator. • People who need support will be aware of Bethany’s work in community and will access our services across Scotland. • Funding will be obtained to increase the scope and reach of the work across Scotland to see people diverted from homelessness.

2023

Jax and Mhairi from Access Through Advocacy, Bethany Christian Trust

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

BY REV PETER TURNBULL

THOO

N PARE

NAVIGATING N A I T S I R CH

A group set up by the Mission Board to look at support for Christian parents has commissioned the following article.

’m going to come right out and say it. If I hadn’t been asked to write this article, I’m

not sure I would have read it. “Hypocrite!” you may cry, and perhaps you are right. In my, admittedly limited, experience of articles on Christian parenting (see the point above), they seem mainly to be written by people whose children spend their Saturdays dancing barefoot across country meadows whilst reciting the three chapters of Scripture they have memorised that week, and never having a cross word for their siblings. Back in the real world, family life contains an abundance of chaos, many cross words, and huge piles of dirty washing which are only rivalled in size by growing mounds of guilt and regret that we, as parents, are getting it all wrong because we haven’t given little Johnny enough exposure to Scripture, sibling harmony, or barefoot meadow dancing (delete as appropriate). All of which is to say that I write this simply as a fellow struggler trying to navigate the difficulties of parenthood amid the complexities of a modern post-Christian culture. Here are four thoughts on the joy, responsibility, aim, and method of being a Christian Parent.

THE PARENT’S JOY

©New Africa - stock.adobe.com

This is an important place to begin. For all the struggles and challenges, children really are a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127). I am preaching this to myself as one who often struggles to remember it. Kids are great fun and bring great joy.

THE RECORD

THE PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITY It’s important to remember that the education and training of our children is primarily our responsibility. Of course, many parents (this one included) choose to delegate a certain portion of this education to our schools. The Pandemic certainly taught many of us to value our teachers in a new light. However, in the Bible, children are not the responsibility of the state but of the family. It is parents who are ultimately responsible for bringing kids up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). And note the emphasis there — it is learning to know God that is paramount.

FEBRUARY/MARCH

THE PARENT’S MAIN AIM I often end up in conversations with parents or grandparents who are understandably eager to have a blether about their offspring. I frequently hear about school exploits, extra-curricular sports, and exam results. Later in life the chat moves on to apprenticeships, uni courses, spouses and employment opportunities. Doubtless some of these kids and grandkids are walking with the Lord; others perhaps are not. My observation is how seldom we speak of this vital topic. For Christian parents, seeing our kids walking with Jesus is the most important thing of all. Please don’t hear me wrong: art, science, maths, English (etc) are seriously important, as are careers, social skills, mental health, relationships and all the rest. We want our kids to fulfil their God-given potential in every area, but we must be clear: the area of greatest importance is knowing and following Christ. We must be mindful of the deep pain felt by the parents of prodigal children. We must also acknowledge that salvation belongs to the Lord — it is not in our gift to force faith on anyone. However, this must not keep us from stating clearly that our biggest responsibility, our greatest aim, and deepest desire is to bring up our children within the corporate family of faith and walking personally with the Lord.

THE PARENT’S METHODS This, I fear, is the point of despair for many of us. We know the importance of these things but where to start? Our lives feel too packed out and our heads too stressed out to accommodate some well-meaning parenting technique dreamed up and written in this article. But here’s the beauty of the Bible’s teaching. I love the simple wisdom of Deuteronomy 6:6-9 'These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.' This is not a call to adopt some new-fangled technique, nor does it require you to add three family Bible studies before breakfast. This Scripture simply says, ‘do life together and build in chat about the Lord on the way’. Watched a good family film? Ask: how does it relate to the gospel? Almost all good stories do. Find ways to build gospel content into everyday life. I know a mum who – when her son became a typically less-than-communicative teenager — would write notes and Bible verses in a notebook for him, leading to good conversations, which he came to deeply value as he trusted Christ for himself shortly before he tragically died in an accident. Build in the Bible and prayer in whatever ways you can and remember that doing something is ten times better than doing nothing. Our kids like to listen to audiobooks at bedtime, so the Jesus Storybook Bible it was! Now they’re older they want us to read them novels, so we make sure some of the books have a Christian theme. The older two now have their own Bible reading notes — not that they’re used as much as they should be. Other families will give you much better examples than I can. The other key rhythm we must build like immoveable concrete into the foundations of life is being at church. Some things are so in my diary they’re not even in my diary. I don’t put weekly worship in our family calendar because it doesn’t need to be there – it is absolutely non-negotiable. This piece (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ article/parents-go-church/) is a helpful read on the enormous benefits of weekly gathered worship. There is so much more that could be said — the importance of camps, the utility of good Christian friendships. But time escapes us. Kids are a joy. As parents their training and instruction is our responsibility, and our aim must be clear: firm faith before good grades, gospel knowledge before sporting success. May the Lord have mercy on us in our weakness and our many mistakes along the way. • Rev Peter Turnbull is the minister at Burghead Free Church

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

WORLD NEWS

AMERICAS AFRICA EUROPE ASIA AUSTRALASIA THE HORSE AND HIS BOY STAGE PRODUCTION PREMIERES AT MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE Christian Post In January, a stage adaption of C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy premiered at Washington DC’s Museum of the Bible and will run through to March. Forming part of Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series, the story of The Horse and His Boy seeks to point the reader to the truth of the Gospel. Showrunners at the museum’s Logos Theatre are aiming to do the same through this production – glorifying the name of Christ and inviting the audience to reflect on who he is. Whilst widely regarded as a children’s book, The Horse and His Boy deals with incredibly mature themes. Aravis and Shasta, its protagonists, consider ending their lives and their story is one of eventual redemption and hope. The Christlike character of Aslan, who frequently features in the Narnia series, is also central to both the book and this production. Speaking about the importance of Aslan’s character for the gospel message of the story, Lilliana Groth, who plays Aravis, told The Christian Post, 'Something that Aravis goes through a lot is she feels like she can do it by herself... And she comes to the edge of her rope a lot, where she has to turn to someone, and the only person she can turn to who is powerful enough to face the darkness is Aslan. And that’s something that’s truly beautiful that C.S. Lewis incorporated into the story, is, the feeling that God is there, and God is the ultimate power throughout the whole story.’ This elaborate show features detailed sets and costumes, with the most impressive feat being the operation of several life-sized horse puppets, weighing 36 kg each. Head puppeteer, Justin Swain, sees his work as ministry, telling The Christian Post, ‘We’re not just entertainment, but we’re faith and Christianity all smashed into this entertainment venue.’ • Photo by Matthew Hamilton on Unsplash

BARNABAS PROVIDE VITAL AID FOR ALBANIAN CHILDREN Barnabas Aid Impoverished Christian children in Albania have been gifted clothes and shoes by Barnabas so that they can go to school. In this Muslim-majority nation, Christians are among the poorest. This has led to a large proportion not attending school, as they are unable to afford the clothes and shoes required. Across several congregations 30 children, aged 7 to 15, received the gifts, and their families were encouraged in their faith as a result. A pastor of one of the churches told Barnabas, ‘This project was proof that God hears our prayers.’ Commenting on the impact the gesture on Christians in the community he said, ‘they saw God’s care and love for people in need... but it was also a lesson that we should help others because this is how we show God’s love.' •

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES RISK PROSECUTION TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL IN NEPAL

Photo by Giuseppe Mondi on Unsplash

BBC Converting someone to another religion is illegal in Nepal and yet, missionaries are willing to risk a fiveyear jail sentence to share their faith. Among them is South Korean pastor Pang Chang-in, who has overseen the opening of nearly 70 churches in the country. He claims that ‘in almost every mountain valley, churches are being built.’ There is no denying there has been a huge increase in the number of churches across Nepal. National Christian community data suggests that there are now 7,758 churches in a country that is still overwhelmingly Hindu. Now a secular state, the 2015 constitution of Nepal holds fast to religious freedom. However, it is the anticonversion law of 2018 that threatens missionaries, where those convicted of encouraging others to change their faith could face time in jail. Pang’s wife, Lee Jeong-hee told the BBC, ‘We are always working with the anxiety and nervousness we feel from the anti-conversion law. But we can’t stop the spread of the gospel because of this fear. We will not stop saving souls.’ •

SECRET CHILDREN’S CAMP GIVES HOPE TO ISOLATED EGYPTIAN TEEN Open Doors When Layla was nine years old, her parents became Christians and, as a result, had to flee their home for fear of being persecuted. At her new school, Layla became incredibly isolated, facing bullying from both pupils and teachers alike. ‘My friends at school ridiculed me when they saw me once drinking a cup of water during the break in the Ramadan period.’ ‘One of the teachers once insulted me in front of my classmates and intimidated me to get veiled. Teachers said that if I didn’t wear it, I would go to hell.’ All Layla knew was that her family were different. She didn’t know Jesus personally and, in her confusion, began asking many questions. ‘Is the Christian faith the truth? Or should I go back to Islam so that I may not end up in hell?’ Layla became depressed and suicidal. Thankfully, when Open Doors became aware of the situation, they were able to offer Layla support. She was invited to a secret children’s camp, allowing her to meet Christians her own age. It was here that Layla realised who Jesus was and his love for her. ‘Jesus stepped into my life in my hopelessness and made all the difference.’ Whilst still unable to share her faith at school, Layla has remained in touch with other Christians, who have continued to encourage her in her faith. •

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA CONTINUES Release International December 2022 saw many violent attacks against Christians in Nigeria and the situation shows little sign of improving. In the week leading up to Christmas, at least 40 believers were slaughtered, with one more on Christmas Day, and 53 kidnapped in the Kaduna state in northern Nigeria. Local resident, James Akawu, told Release International, ‘Church worship service was about to commence when the attackers arrived at the village riding on motorbikes and shooting sporadically. They killed one Christian and kidnapped 53 others who are still being held captive.’ On December 18th, in Kaura County, 40 Christians were killed by terrorists in Mallagum with 100 houses burned down just days later. Also in the region is the town of Kagoro – home to the Evangelical Church Winning All Theological Seminary. It was here that three more Christians were killed. Fearing they will be attacked next, many settlements and villages have completely emptied as people have fled for their lives. According to Release International, ‘without decisive and urgent action, Christians in Kagoro may be wiped out.’ •

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

DAVID GREGG (1932-2022) BY CHARLIE MCALLISTER

the

end

ap r i l

2022 ,

the

Eldership. A gentle and sincere man with a quiet sense of humour, David was a diligent and wise Elder. Anyone engaging in conversation with either David or Shirley could be in no doubt about the reality of their Christian faith and concern for those still separated from Christ. In their late seventies, both David and Shirley fully participated as leaders in a Scripture Union holiday club that was held in the church. Advancing years took its toll on their health and eventually David had to give up driving. However, not to be held back, they got two mobility scooters with which they could travel around the village. An abiding memory is of them travelling the mile and a half to church on their scooters with the visibility flags flapping in the wind. Their son Alastair and daughter in law Sarah wanted them to move back to England to be near them and their grandchildren, but they chose to remain on Arran. After a short time in the local hospital, Shirley passed away in February 2020 just prior to Covid. David was effectively housebound from then on, relying on carers visiting up to four times a day. He was appreciative of the care he received and was always interested in church news. Faithful in prayer, David continued to bring all before the throne of grace as long as life lasted. As he would have wished, he was able to remain at home on his beloved Arran until going to meet his Saviour. Our sincere condolences to Alastair and Sarah, and the grandchildren. •

ar r a n

co n g r e g a t i o n w e r e s a d d e n e d t o l e a r n o f t h e p a s s i n g o f o n e o f t h e i r el d e r s .

Known to all for his strong Christian faith, David Gregg had made Arran his home and quietly served his saviour to the best of his ability. This appreciation is of necessity a joint one as David and his wife Shirley were very much a partnership. To think of one was automatically to think of the other. David was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester in 1932, the youngest of four, of whom only three survived beyond childhood. He was brought up in a nominally Christian home, and on leaving school worked on a farm for a number of years. Shirley had a similar childhood, also born in 1932 in Cheshire, she worked in an office after leaving school. David and Shirley married in 1956 and were blessed with a son, Alastair, born in 1958. David decided on a change of career and trained as a mechanic for a Manchester based bakery who had a fleet of vehicles, eventually becoming Transport Manager. It was around this time that they first holidayed on Arran, starting a lifelong love affair with the island, culminating in a desire to make their home on the island. After marrying, they spasmodically attended the local Anglican Church without real commitment, until some years later they were invited to a home bible study. The Holy Spirit opened their eyes and hearts and in 1974 they placed their trust in Christ. They both grew spiritually, trained and were ordained as Lay Readers, conducting joint services around Cheshire. In 1987 David took early retirement and they relocated to Corrie on Arran. Although not planning to, circumstances led them to start a B&B in their home which they continued for a number of years. They made many lifelong Christian friends during their time as hosts. The demanding job of changeovers, breakfasts, and evening meals, however, took its toll and they decided to convert part of the house into a selfcatering flat, making things easier for them. Initially joining the local Church of Scotland congregation, over time they started to occasionally attend the Free Church. In 1997 they retired for a second time and moved to a smaller house in Shiskine. It was then that they transferred their membership to the Free Church. This was also the year that Shirley published a book detailing their life and joint journey to faith, where this writer gleaned many details of their early life. Participating in congregational life, David led home Bible studies and preached on many occasions. In 2007 David was ordained to the

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

RODERICK HUGH URQUHART (1926-2022) BY GORDON MARTIN

Health wise, he knew his battles. In 2006, on Boxing Day at the ripe old age of 80, he had a successful triple bypass in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and continued to live life to the full once he recovered. He continued driving even after a serious crash in 2019 and had a pacemaker fitted in 2021.Roddie attributed his long life to God’s will for him. He took no credit for it. It amazed him that he lived for so long in excellent health. Roddie loved people. He loved God and loved God’s word. The older he got and the more time he had, one sensed the more he studied it. Conversation about the bible was a constant with Roddie and pastoral visits were an encouragement. He was a missionary in the place where it is most difficult — in his own home and to his extensive family. It would be impossible, I suspect, to visit that presence and not hear some gospel admonition. Roddie is now at rest in his Saviours presence and no doubt his soul is singing in the presence of a great company of saints. We commit his children Rosemary, Valerie, Evelyn, Ella and Chisholm along with their partners in life, eleven grandchildren and four great grandchildren to the fatherly care of God. ‘Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.”’ (Rev 14:13) •

t was with great sadness that the congregation of

urray

passing

and

strathconon

roddie

urquhart

learned on

the

wednesday

20 th july 2022 . Roddie was an elder statesman of

the congregation, having been an adherent and then communicant member for many years. Raised and educated in Poolewe he belonged to that generation for whom Gaelic became a forbidden language in the education system. Though being apprenticed as an agricultural engineer in Evanton, he eagerly enlisted in 1943 and served in the Seaforth Highlanders. After training, he served overseas in India, (where he contracted malaria) Burma, Malaysia, and Honchu island in Japan. After the war he returned to work for Willie Logan and met and married Orrie Chisholm in 1956 — a union which was blessed with five children: Rosemary, Valerie, Evelyn, Ella and Chisholm. They lived above Beauly and then in Muir of Ord, Maryburgh and again in Muir of Ord.Their home was a place that people gravitated towards for singing and music and laughter. Roddie’s wife sadly passed away in 1994 after a long battle with Parkinsons, and after a few years Roddie moved into Chisholm and Deirdre’s tastefully converted garage. Roddy continued to thrive in this situation. His five grandchildren next door kept him young at heart. As church officer from 1999 until 2013 he was at the centre of congregational life communicating with everyone from the old to the young. He loved to be with people and to have conversations (sometimes intense conversations!) about church and biblical issues. With a grasp of an older highland church culture and access to the concerns of his children and grandchildren, he would discuss and critique the direction of travel of a more modern church culture. He became an elder in 2001 and loved right up to the last week of his life to be at services and prayer meetings. He adapted to the use of technology during the covid pandemic and was even commenting about the messages the week before he died. When Urray and Strathconon Free Churches merged, nothing pleased him more than to go to the monthly services in Strathconon, not missing any until health caught up with him. He certainly loved the people in the Glen.

QUOTATIONS: God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus Jim Elliot

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

VOUCHING FOR LIFE TILL ITS END

BY STUART WEIR

Photo by Bruce Tang on Unsplash

cotland faces a life-altering choice in these

booted wide open for assisted suicide for multiple reasons. For example, Canada’s assisted suicide law was passed solely for adults who were terminally ill, but during the pandemic the courts challenged this basis as ‘discriminatory’. It was seen as preferential to only allow terminally ill adults to put themselves forward for an assisted suicide. And now medical practice legally allows a wide range of people to be prematurely helped to commit suicide. How should we view such a potential reality for NHS Scotland as Jesus’ followers today? Without question we need to rehearse the ancient stories and maxims of our Christian heritage. This is why we bank them away through giving and listening to sermons, and through writing and reading books – so that we have a Christian worldview on all matters of life. Our Christian worldview must kick into gear here and now.

opening months of 2023.

To be accurate, our elected MSPs are the ones who will choose whether terminally ill adults in Scotland should have the option to commit suicide with the assistance of an NHS professional. The gravity of the situation is thrust into the laps of our parliamentarians due to Liam McArthur MSP’s private member’s Bill. Never was the electorate’s decision to elect 129 specific people in May 2021 more significant. But will they advocate for care at the end of people’s lives rather than killing? McArthur’s Bill follows in the wake of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada who were able to pass assisted suicide legislation on narrowly defined terms. The concern is that when such legislation is passed, its narrow definition is broadened until eventually the barn doors are

THE RECORD

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT GROUP RESPONSE TO ASSISTED DYING BILL

FEBRUARY/MARCH

One of the key junctures in the biblical story is when Moses receives the Ten Commandments from the God of Israel on stone tablets atop Mount Sinai. He brings them down and from that day onward this became the code which marked them out as God’s unique people. One such distinctive was, ‘You shall not murder’ (Exodus 20:13). This was a follow-on from the covenant Noah had received from God after the flood had subsided (Genesis 9:6). God’s people have always been instructed by him to not end the life of anyone of our own kind. Indeed, Cain’s murder of his brother Abel is the earliest warning shot to never go there again. Of course, it’s worth stating that although Jesus was very critical of how the religious leaders of his day interpreted the Law, we must not forget that he came to endorse and fulfil the Law (Matthew 5:17-20). The Ten Commandments matter! As such, we remain a people who value life and the living. If this holds true, then the fulfilment of not only the Law, but also the Prophets, is bolstered by the adage, ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12). This ‘Golden Rule’ feels rock solid until someone wishes help to end their own life. But if we are God’s people through Jesus Christ, we must be rooted in the commandment to not take the life of another. That is what guides the Golden Rule. The commandments inform what we should do to others and what we hope they might do to us. If we are in any doubt, the Good Samaritan instructs us. This ‘foreigner’ could have taken the beaten-up man to the inn and popped him off privately as some form of ‘mercy killing’ had he wished to. But that is precisely not what he did. He cared for this man who may well have died of his injuries had he not received care. This is how we love our neighbour, Jesus teaches us. Let’s take one further step. By passing such an assisted suicide Bill, who do we become as Scots/those living in Scotland? If we are a doctor, nurse, or family member with power of attorney of a dying loved one, who do we become by prematurely ending their life before God chooses to take them? Jesus wishes us to conform to his image in everything we say, do, and relent from doing. Is being party to assisting someone’s suicide in keeping with the kingdom of Jesus? Absolutely not! But who are we becoming when we choose to care for someone for years on end? Who are we becoming when we refuse to medically end another human being? Someone more in keeping with the kingdom

the Father is preparing. Who we are becoming in him is what life in the Spirit is all about. Every act and nonact shapes us a bit more. ‘How shall we then live?’, Francis Schaeffer once asked. By listening attentively to scripture in the Spirit together we are anything but rudderless. Nor do we come from nowhere with nothing. Those who have gone before steady and help us too. For example, Thomas Chalmers once remarked, In what way shall we establish the authority of God over all the concerns of a man’s history? Should not the solemnity of religious obligation be made to overspread the whole field and compass of human affairs? – and if it be not so is not this deposing God from the supremacy which belongs to Him? Is it not saying that there are places and occasions in which we will not have Him to reign over us? The whole field and compass of human affairs. Here we have before us another spectre in legislative form. And they’re now coming in waves after same-sex marriage, hate crimes, and transgenderism. This time it is the turn of assisted suicide. This is a moment in time to understand, perhaps for the first time, that the Lord can be honoured at the Scottish Parliament, even if he has been dishonoured in the run up until now. If all human affairs matter to the only true God, as Chalmers rightly would have us believe, then this and every Bill matter to him in the fabric of our country. That being the case, we as his sons and daughters together ought to speak up for those at the end of their lives in Jesus’ name. We need to speak, but we must speak well. Speaking truth without its loving partner does more to harm Jesus’ reputation in public spaces. You may feel that you are tired of life. You may feel in such acute pain that these words seem wafer thin. You may be a carer of someone in a really difficult situation. If you are, hold fast to who you are in Christ. This is what all those sermons are for. Moments (maybe years) like these mark us out as being Jesus’ disciples if we take them on board in the midst of the bleakness and difficulty of life. So may you find yourselves encouraged to make your voice politically heard this year in vouching for one another’s lives, as a denomination perhaps (?), but hopefully as individual followers of Jesus too. • Stuart Weir is National Director of CARE for Scotland

The Free Church of Scotland’s Public Engagement Group responded to the Consultation on the proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill outlining our opposition to the bill (bit.ly/ assistedsuicidefc). We have encouraged Presbyteries to meet with local MSPs to outline their opposition to the bill and would also encourage all members of the Free Church to contact your own MSPs directly. We would especially encourage those in healthcare professions to seek meetings with MSPs to outline your concerns. If you would like to discuss any aspect of the proposed legislation before meeting with MSPs please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Allison, the Public Engagement Coordinator (stephen.allison@freechurch.org). •

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

THE TWELVE T

hey are probably better known as

“the

the impression of being self-effacing and supportive, John of being reflective and insightful. Judas is an enigma. We must assume that he began as at least a credible believer, albeit with serious character flaws; he did not strike his fellow disciples as a fraud; his journey into darkness was progressive. One may speculate that the tendency among the twelve to rivalry and self-aggrandisement owed something to Judas’ malign influence. How did this group operate? Were they together most of the time? Did they have a base in Capernaum? Or in Jerusalem? We do not know. The one certainty is that they moved under the direction of Jesus, their leader. He set the agenda and gave the marching orders, and the Twelve obeyed. They were provided for, but not ordinarily by miracle: they went hungry at times, and they bought food. They descended on the Bethany household as a group — and also on the hospitality of various Pharisees. They must have made quite an impact. Apart from fishing boat journeys across the Sea of Galilee, which were frequent and convenient — although sometimes hazardous – travel was exclusively on foot. Both Jesus and his disciples had to be physically very fit to undertake these journeys, which would often be of 60 miles or more. Sometimes these would be on Roman roads or otherwise sound highways, but more commonly they would be on rough tracks. Dust and dirt would be the norm, hence

twelve

disciples”, but that is not strictly accurate.

Jesus had many disciples. “The Twelve” was a core group, chosen by Jesus himself. They were all male, mostly drawn from the disciples of John the Baptist. There is reference to a group of women who accompanied the Twelve and supported them out of their private means: they were particularly active around the cross and burial of Jesus. The stated object of Jesus’ call to the Twelve was to be with him, and to go out with the gospel. Being with him meant watching him and following his example, but especially his teaching. Going out with the gospel meant proclaiming the message of salvation, backed up by a healing ministry — equipped by the power of Christ. That is what was implied in becoming an apostle. The twelve chosen to be apostles were an unpromising crew. All were inhabitants of Galilee, mostly from the lakeside villages, though Nathanael was from Cana. Several were fishermen; there was a tax collector, and a Zealot. The religious establishment put them down as “ignorant men” i.e. unlearned in the traditions of the elders. But Matthew and John, at least, must have been literate — probably in Greek as well as Aramaic and Hebrew. The band were varied in temperament: Peter, at one end of the scale, impulsive and explosive; Thomas, at the other, inclined to melancholy. Andrew gives

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

"The Last Supper", 1495-1498, Loenardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Santa Maria delle Grazia Church, Milan

BY DONALD MACKAY

E APOSTLES the repeated emphasis on foot washing. Paths would often be narrow, even single file. It has been a puzzle to some why Jesus once had to ask the disciples what they had been discussing along the road. The puzzle is solved when one pictures the company with Jesus at the head, and the others strung out along the path behind him, able to communicate by shouts with one another but isolated from Jesus. A significant event was the sending out of the apostles to evangelise the towns and villages of Galilee. They had to go with the minimum of equipment, and they were to rely for subsistence on the goodwill of the villagers. They went out in pairs: Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John, and so on. Judas Iscariot’s partner was most likely Simon the Zealot. We are told that they returned from their mission with enthusiastic reports of success in casting out demonic spirits, but Jesus told them rather to rejoice that their names were written in heaven. Jesus spent a great deal of effort in teaching the apostles: basic truths about the kingdom of heaven, and more specific instructions about their own conduct and relationships with one another and with himself. He also gave them, in increasing detail, warnings about his own death and separation from them. They were slow learners. The record of their interchanges reveals a lack of understanding, of faith, of humility, of brotherly kindness, and of spiritual perception — even after the resurrection. Peter’s

2023

outbursts of affirmation were isolated flashes of spiritual illumination. It took Pentecost to open the minds of the apostles fully to the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection. They were first century Jews, with all the prejudice that went with that. And yet Jesus, in John 17, gave them credit for faithfulness and receptiveness. Their loyalty to him was unbroken. Except for one — Judas Iscariot. His calling to be an apostle is a mystery. His conduct does not seem to have raised any suspicions among his fellow apostles, although John knew that he helped himself from the communal purse. Jesus never, until the end, betrayed his knowledge of Judas’ character and treachery. The apostolic calling did not cease when the Master departed, but rather intensified. The Twelve were appointed witnesses of the resurrection — commissioned to go out into a hostile world and spread the good news everywhere. The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of how they set about this task. And they formed the nucleus of a new entity — the church. Most of them sealed their testimony with their own blood, as Jesus had warned them. But two were spared to write the precious accounts of their fellowship with the Master which form the gospels according to Matthew and John. • Donald Mackay is a member of Knox Free Church, Perth.

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

EVERYDAY DISCIPLESHIP BY BENJAMIN E. CASTANEDA LECTURER IN GREEK & NEW TESTAMENT EDINBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

he term ‘discipleship’ is often bandied about in christian circles as if everyone intuitively understands what it means.

However, I wonder if somewhere along the way we have forgotten what discipleship is and what it looks like in practice. In this brief article, I want to explore these two points.

WHAT IS IT? Whether you realise it or not, if you trust in Jesus then you are his disciple. But what does that mean? At root, it means to be enrolled as a student. The goal, though, is not simply intellectual development. Discipleship is less like memorising a set of facts and figures and more like being apprenticed to a master, learning through an immersive experience the tools and techniques of a particular trade. In Jesus’ day, famous rabbis would travel throughout Israel followed by a gaggle of students; likewise, Jesus’ disciples were his constant companions. They listened to his teaching, observed his interactions with the crowds and religious leaders, gaped open-mouthed at his miracles, ate with him, prayed with him, joked with him, and travelled on foot with him everywhere for three years as he modelled for them a life of faith in his heavenly Father. Simply put, discipleship involves induction into a new way of life, and our aim is nothing less than conformity to our Master. As those who have been raised from spiritual death into the glorious newness of Christ’s resurrection life (Rom 6:1-11; Eph 2:1-5; Col 2:13) and been given a new identity ‘in Christ’ (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 3:26; Eph 1:3-6), we must walk in a manner worthy of our calling, seeking to be transformed more and more into his likeness (Rom 12:1-2; Gal 2:20; Eph 4:1, 22-24; 1 Pet 2:21). There are two implications that I want to press home. On the one hand, discipleship is a radical calling that encompasses our whole lives. As Jesus declared in Luke 9:23-24, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it’. In other words, we cannot — indeed, must not — keep living as if nothing has changed except our religious affiliation. The Church is not just another social club. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer so eloquently wrote in his classic work, The Cost of Discipleship, ‘When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die’. Anything less demeans the greatness of his sacrifice for us. There is no corner of our lives that is exempt from the call to follow Christ. Our days and nights, our weekends and holidays, our work and hobbies are all subject to this great demand. At the same time, discipleship is also incredibly mundane. Crops do not spring up overnight, and neither does Christlikeness. Like farming, it requires patient, diligent, and often monotonous toil — tilling the earth, planting seeds, pulling weeds — with seasons of harvest often interspersed with long periods when little seems to be happening. Eugene Peterson therefore aptly described discipleship as ‘a long obedience in the same direction’. Christian maturity is a lifelong process, with growth measured not over the course of weeks but years and even decades as stubborn sins are put to death and habits of obedience are cultivated.

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? I am going to make a statement which might sound controversial but I believe is biblically sound: the primary aim of the church is discipleship. What do I mean by that? The last directive of Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew is often termed ‘the Great Commission’ (Matt 28:18-20). As many commentators and preachers have observed, the heart of Jesus’ commission is his command to ‘make disciples’. What is the Church supposed to be about? According to Jesus, we are to make disciples. Jesus’ followers in every age have been called to enrol new students in the school of Christ and to walk alongside one another ‘until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Eph 4:13). How does this happen? Jesus himself tells us. The other actions we find in the Great Commission — Go’, ‘baptising’, and ‘teaching’ — are all participles which help explain how the main verb ‘make disciples’ is to be accomplished. In other words, discipleship happens by 1) Going, 2) Baptising, and 3) Teaching. 1) Going. In order to make new followers of Jesus, we have to pursue them, going out into fields which are ripe for the harvest. This could mean going to the far corners of the earth, but this command does not have to mean ‘go a long distance’. ‘Go therefore and make disciples’ can take place across the world or across the street. ‘Go’ next door, ‘go’ to the grocery store, ‘go’ to family reunions. It means ‘going’ down the hall to your child’s room to read the Bible with them before putting them to bed. ‘Go’ has nothing to do with distance and everything to do with intentionality. When Jesus commands us to ‘go’, he is calling us to be intentional in displaying to others the beauty and grace of our King, demonstrating through our words and actions that he is infinitely worthy of being followed. 2) Baptising. Why does Jesus mention baptism? On the one hand, baptism is a sign – being washed with water points you away from yourself to the cleansing of our sins through the blood of Jesus. But baptism is also a seal – it visibly marks you as no longer belonging to the world but to King Jesus and his covenant people. 3) Teaching. Making disciples is not just about ‘getting people saved’. Discipleship requires investing in people, walking alongside them as we teach them the Scriptures and encouraging one another towards the goal of Christlikeness. This is why we need the Church! Paul makes the point in Titus 2:2–6 that older men are to provide an example for those who are younger, and older women are likewise exhorted to teach younger women. Parents are called to instruct their children (Deut 6:6– 7; Eph 6:4). Elders have a particular responsibility to teach (1 Tim 3:2) and to shepherd the flock of God, protecting the Church from error and offering themselves as an example of Christian maturity (1 Pet 5:2–3; Heb 13:7). To close, I simply want to ask a question: how are you involved in the process of discipleship? How are you intentionally showcasing to others the true spiritual life found only in Jesus? While only ordained ministers can baptise, as part of the baptismal vows the entire congregation promises to help parents raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. How do you participate in that? And lastly, how can you take part in teaching all that Jesus commanded? Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a task just for a select few educated individuals. We all have a role in teaching one another about the grace and love of our Saviour. •

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

THE GREATEST DRAMA EVER STAGED Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) was an English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, and translator. She was a writer of unusual clarity, wit, and perceptiveness. We are pleased to reprint here her essay, ‘The Greatest Drama Ever Staged’, from Creed or Chaos? And Other Essays in Popular Theology (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1946), 3–7, with permission from David Higham Associates Limited. Originally written for London’s Sunday Times in April 1938, the essay remains highly relevant for us today. —Zachary Purvis, Lecturer in Church History, Edinburgh Theological Seminary

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

fficial christianity, of late years, has been having what is known as ‘a bad press’.

Photo by Rob Laughter on Unsplash

We are constantly assured that the churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine — ’dull dogma’, as people call it. The fact is the precise opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man — and the dogma is the drama. That drama is summarized quite clearly in the creeds of the Church, and if we think it dull it is because we either have never really read those amazing documents, or have recited them so often and so mechanically as to have lost all sense of their meaning. The plot pivots upon a single character, and the whole action is the answer to a single central problem: What think ye of Christ? Before we adopt any of the unofficial solutions (some of which are indeed excessively dull) — before we dismiss Christ as myth, an idealist, a demagogue, a liar, or a lunatic — it will do no harm to find out what the creeds really say about Him. What does the Church think of Christ? The Church’s answer is categorical and uncompromising, and it is this: That Jesus BarJoseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, was in fact and in truth, and in the most exact and literal sense of the words, the God ‘by whom all thing were made’. His body and brain were those of a common man; His personality was the personality of God, so far as that personality could be expressed in human terms. He was not a kind of demon or fairy pretending to be human; He was in every respect a genuine living man. He was not merely a man so good as to be ‘like God’ — He was God. Now, this is not just a pious commonplace; it is not commonplace at all. For what it means is this, among other things: that for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is — limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death — He had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worth while. Christianity is, of course, not the only religion that has found the best explanation of human life in the idea of an incarnate and suffering god. The Egyptian Osiris died and rose again: Aeschylus in his play, The Eumenides, reconciled man to God by the theory of a suffering Zeus. But in most theologies, the god is supposed to have suffered and died in some remote and mythical period of pre-history. The Christian story, on the other hand, starts off briskly in St. Matthew’s account with a place and a date: ‘When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King.’ St. Luke, still more practically and prosaically, pins the thing down by a reference to a piece of government finance. God, he says, was made man in the year when Caesar Augustus was taking a census in connexion with a scheme of taxation. Similarly, we might date an event by saying that it took place in the year that Great Britain went off the gold standard. About thirty-three years later (we are informed) God was executed, for being a political nuisance, ‘under Pontius Pilate’ — much as we might say, ‘when Mr. Joynson-Hicks was Home Secretary’. It is as definite and concrete as all that. Possibly we might prefer not to take this tale too seriously — there are disquieting points about it. Here we had a man of Divine character walking and talking among us — and what did we find to do with Him? The common people, indeed, ‘heard him gladly’; but our leading authorities in Church and State considered that He talked too much and uttered too many disconcerting truths. So we bribed one of His friends to hand Him over quietly to the police, and we tried Him on a rather vague charge of creating a disturbance, and had Him publicly flogged and hanged on the common gallows, ‘thanking God we were rid of a knave’. All this was not very creditable to us, even if He was (as many people thought and think) only a harmless crazy preacher. But if the Church is right about Him, it was more discreditable still; for the man we hanged was God Almighty. So that is the outline for the official story — the tale of the time when God was the underdog and got beaten, when He submitted to the conditions He had laid down and became a man like the men He had made, and the men He had made broke Him and killed Him. This is the dogma we find so dull — this terrifying drama of which God is the victim and hero. If this is dull, then what, in Heaven’s name, is worthy to be called exciting? The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore — on the contrary; they thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild’, and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies. up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild’, and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies. To those who knew Him, however, He in no way suggested a milk-and-water person; they objected to Him as a dangerous firebrand. True, He was tender to the unfortunate, patient with honest inquirers, and humble before Heaven; but He insulted respectable clergymen by calling them hypocrites; He referred to King Herod as ‘that fox’; He went to parties in disreputable company and was looked upon as a ‘gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners’; He assaulted indignant tradesmen and threw them and their belongings out of the Temple; He drove a coach-and-horses through a number of sacrosanct and hoary regulations; He cured diseases by any means that came handy, with a shocking casualness in the matter of other people’s pigs and property; He showed no proper deference for wealth or social position; when confronted with neat dialectical traps, He displayed a paradoxical humour that affronted serious-minded people, and He retorted by asking disagreeably searching questions that could not be answered by rule of thumb. He was emphatically not a dull man in His human lifetime, and if He was God, there can be nothing dull about God either. But He had ‘a daily beauty in His life that made us ugly’, and officialdom felt that the established order of things would be more secure without Him. So they did away with God in the name of peace and quietness. ‘And the third day He rose again’; what are we to make of that? One thing is certain: if He was God and nothing else, His immortality means nothing to us; if He was man and no more, His death is no more important that yours or mine. But if He really was both God and man, then when the man Jesus died, God died too, and when the God Jesus rose from the dead, man rose too, because they were one and the same person. The Church binds us to no theory about the exact composition of Christ’s Resurrection Body. A body of some kind there had to be, since man cannot perceive the Infinite otherwise than in terms of space and time. It may have been made from the same elements as the body that disappeared so strangely from the guarded tomb, but it was not that old, limited, mortal body, though it was recognizably like it. In any case, those who saw the risen Christ remained persuaded that life was worth living and death a triviality — an attitude curiously unlike that of the modern defeatist, who is firmly persuaded that life is a disaster and death (rather inconsistently) a major catastrophe. Now, nobody is compelled to believe a single word of this remarkable story. God (says the Church) has created us perfectly free to disbelieve in Him as much as we choose. If we do disbelieve, then He and we must take the consequences in a world ruled by cause and effect. The Church says further, that man did, in fact, disbelieve, and that God did, in fact, take the consequences. All the same, if we are going to disbelieve a thing, it seems on the whole to be desirable that we should first find out what, exactly, we are disbelieving. Very well, then: ‘The right Faith is, that we believe that Jesus Christ is God and Man. Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Who although He be God and Man, yet is He not two, but one Christ.’ There is the essential doctrine, of which the whole elaborate structure of Christian faith and morals is only the logical consequence. Now, we may call that doctrine exhilarating or we may call it devastating; we may call it revelation or we may call it rubbish; but if we call it dull, then words have no meaning at all. That God should play the tyrant over man is a dismal story of unrelieved oppression; that man should play the tyrant over man is the usual dreary record of human futility; but that man should play the tyrant over God and find Him a better man than himself is an astonishing drama indeed. Any journalist, hearing of it for the first time, would recognize it as News; those who did hear it for the first time actually called it News, and good news at that; though we are apt to forget that the word Gospel ever meant anything so sensational. Perhaps the drama is played out now, and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and entertaining to consider that once at least in the world’s history those words might have been spoken with complete conviction, and that was upon the eve of the Resurrection. •

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

A Healthy Gospel Church... cares for the lost BY REV IAIN MACASKILL

was recently appointed by the mission board to

— within the bounds of the northern presbytery . head up a new pioneering project

—

np 500

The goal is to connect 500 new people to the gospel and to plant new churches. It is a big vision as the area of mission is rural with many small churches and a declining population. The aim is to reach out in evangelism to a diverse range of people, incorporating varied and innovative methods, including the use of cutting-edge digital ministry. The reality is that we all as believers have a mission to reach out and care for the lost; to tell others the good news of the gospel — that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like us. Let’s face it, these are troubling times; times of confusion and anxiety. So many in our society are worried about finances — whether to eat or heat. Many more are facing hunger or homelessness — unable to pay rent or mortgages. Workers are stressed and striking. The NHS is on its knees. Sickness and disease are our lot. But with God there is stability and certainty. He is the Unchanging One; the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus is the Rock of our salvation. We may tremble and shake on the rock but the Rock remains firm and steadfast. Jesus is the light in our darkness. Our God is in the midst of our suffering; He feels our pain and He cares deeply. He sees the misery in our communities, in our towns and cities, and He calls his people to prayer! Prayer and care for the lost! We are not called to holy huddles. In Elijah’s day there were prophets in caves. What were they doing in caves? They had a duty to proclaim the word of the Lord! In the midst of all the bad news are we guilty of keeping the Good News to ourselves? May we together, in the strength of the Lord, rise up as a people of power! God is on our side! Let’s pray the Prodigals home and search out the lost sheep. ‘O church arise…an army bold, whose battle-cry is Love, reaching out to those in darkness.’

2023

It’s easy to care if you truly love. God is love and His love is revealed to us in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ — who loved us so much that, in anguish and pain, he took the punishment for sin that we deserve. Pray for His love to overflow into your family; your neighbourhood. Think of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. She did what she could. Do what you can! And the woman who found her precious, lost coin? She knew her neighbours well enough to share her joyful good news with them. Do you know your neighbours? If you truly care for them then one day you will be presented with an opportunity to share your Good News with them — to tell them that there is a Saviour who loves them. We don’t need large churches or great organisations to share our faith. After all, where two or three are gathered in His Name, He is in the midst. Healthy Churches are found where the followers of Jesus commit to meet and pray, and to obey the Great Commission: ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV) May we all be prayerful, with willing hearts hearts overflowing with the love of Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Will you give yourself for Him? • Rev Iain Macaskill. Free Church of Scotland evangelist If you would like to receive more information on the NP500 project contact iain@np500.co.uk

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

PAGES FROM ADAM’S DIARY The Great Physician A brother, known to some of us as Dr Adam, has served the Lord among his suffering church for many years. Dr Adam has also ministered in various parts of the world among refugees. We have asked his permission to print some of the stories of his life and service for the encouragement of readers of The Record. For well understood reasons, the names of people and places have usually been changed or omitted.

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

you need?’ I explained. She invited me to come in and sit on the examination bed. After taking my vital signs and noting the low oxygen saturation, she said, ‘You need to be hospitalized.’ I told her that I was a visitor and did not have medical insurance. She queried, ‘Visitor from where?’ I answered, ‘America.’ She said, ‘Ah! And where are you staying here?’ I told her I was isolating in a friend’s home about 30 minutes from the hospital. I then requested, ‘Can you assume the worse, bypass the CT scan, and do whatever is needed without putting me in the hospital unless you think it is absolutely necessary?’ She reflected for a few seconds, listened to my heart and breathing again, asked me to wait for her and left the room. About half an hour later, she reappeared with a bag full of medicines and two pages of instructions. She then administered two injections. Afterward she gave me her cell phone number and said, ‘Night or day, if it seems you are getting worse, phone me immediately.’ She wrote down my address and phone number and said, ‘I will come to check on you tonight.’ She then called one of the receptionists and told her to phone for a taxi. While we were waiting for it, she asked me, ‘What do you do in America?’ I said, ‘I work for a heart surgeon.’ She looked puzzled. I continued, ‘He is the best there is! He is known as the Great Physician.’ Instantaneously she responded, ‘You are a Christian?’ Before I could answer, she went on to say, ‘Almost 60 years ago, I did my residency in America, in Boston at the Massachusetts General Hospital. My supervisor was a devout Christian. He frequently told the staff that he was only a lowly doctor who worked for the Great Physician who was the very best and the real doctor. He meant Jesus Christ. He and his wife now and again took me to church with them. After my residency, the hospital was keen for me to stay, but I had elderly parents here and had to return. However, my daughter now is a specialist at Massachusetts General. I have not seen her for a while. She is afraid to come here and I am too old to travel such a long distance.’ There was a flash of light in her tear-filled eyes when she said, ‘Well. Very good! Happy memories, long ago.’ The taxi arrived and she walked me to the car. On the way out, when I asked for the bill, she smiled and said, ‘Let’s say I am also working for the Great Physician. You are my guest.’ That evening she came to the apartment with a pot of soup and some brisket. She administered another injection, chatted with me for a few minutes and left. The next morning, she was there with breakfast. Again, she examined me and left. This continued until the following week. The last time I saw her, after she listened to my heart and lungs, she embraced me and said, ‘I give you into the hands of your friend, the Great Physician.’ She never told me about her own faith and I did not press her to know. However, during those days, whenever I saw her, it was as though I saw the Lord, who she embodied. She had become His loving hands and blessed feet. •

he lord jesus is known to all those who love

and belong to him by many names.

Usually, these names are descriptive of either who He is or who He is in relation to us. One such designation is ‘the Great Physician’. He is called the Great Physician because of His many healing miracles recorded for us in the Gospels. However, to all those who really know Him and His Holy Spirit lives within them, He is the Great Physician not because He has healed their bodies, but because He has brought healing to their souls. The greatest of all His healing miracles was not performed on physical bodies, but on the cross of Calvary which brought life and healing to our hearts. He cleansed the horrific infection of sin and its effect on our minds, our emotions and the entirety of our being. He is worthy of that title, not simply because He performed so many miracles on the sick during His earthly ministry — the blind and the lame and even raising the dead — but because He cured our worst disease: spiritual death as the result of the corruption of sin. And He raised us from being dead in sin to being dead to sin and alive in Him (Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 6:1-14). He breathed life into us and turned the tombs of our hearts into the temples of the living God. However, last year, at the conclusion of my ministry in Central Asia, I became physically sick. I contracted COVID 19 and became gravely ill. The Lord sent an unusual helper who nursed me to health. She became to me the embodiment of our Lord — the Great Physician’s loving hands and blessed feet. I had to go from one part of the city to another. I was in a rush. And the best means to get to where I needed to go and avoid sitting for hours in traffic jams was the underground train. So, I took the subway. In that crowded underground station, once I boarded an equally jam-packed train, by the time I left the station, intuitively I knew I had picked up the virus. About two days later the covid symptoms began to be manifested. There was not any one with whom I could stay without endangering their own health. I had to find a place to isolate. I tried a couple of hotels, and once they realized I had COVID 19, they declined to rent a room. Finally, I telephoned a friend to see where I would be able to quarantine for the last few remaining days before I was scheduled to return home, which now was in jeopardy. He offered a vacant flat he had put up for lease but it was not yet rented. I could stay there. He brought a bed and a couple of blankets in the bare empty flat. As the hours went by, I felt sicker with fever and shortness of breath. Eventually I phoned for a taxi and asked the driver to take me to the nearest hospital. About 30 minutes later, I was dropped off at a hospital entrance. I staggered in and asked one of the receptionists for the urgent care clinic. I was directed through a set of doors and down a corridor. As I entered the hallway, I saw a door open and a lady, in her mid-80s, sitting at her desk reading a medical journal. I asked her if she could direct me to one of the urgent care physicians. She questioned, ‘What do

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

FOOD FOR FELLOWSHIP Tell us about yourself. My name is Isobel Macleod. I live and work on the Isle of Lewis and I am part of Carloway Free Church on the West side of the Island. What’s your favourite recipe and why? The recipe I go back to again and again would be the BBC Good Food Chilli recipe. It‘s delicious and easy to make. It’s best served inside a tortilla wrap with the rice and soured cream and topped with grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips! How does food play into fellowship in your church? We have had lots of community events over the past year like a big breakfast, a soup and pudding lunch, a curry night and a buffet night. These have been ideal for inviting friends and neighbours to a church event and for getting to know more people in our community. The church building is being renovated and it’s great to now have the flexibility of hosting different kinds of events in the one place. We have also had a couple of buffet lunches after the Sunday morning service. The church is a family and having meals together gives us the opportunity to get to know each other better, plus we have a chance to enjoy fellowship.

What kind of things has being in fellowship taught you about the Lord? Everyone has struggles that we can share with each other, and we know that we are all saved into the Lord’s family by grace alone; it’s all about Jesus! It is good to keep reminding each other of that and to support and encourage one another on the journey. There’s always room for more in the family so we keep making and baking and inviting others in! Revelation 3:20 •

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

BBC Good Food

CHILLI

Ingredients • 1 large onion • 1 red pepper • 2 garlic cloves • 1 tbsp oil • 1 heaped tsp hot (or 1 level tbsp mild) chilli powder • 1 tsp paprika • 1 tsp ground cumin • 500g lean minced beef • 1 beef stock cube • 400g can chopped tomatoes • ½ tsp dried marjoram • 1 tsp sugar • 2 tbsp tomato purée • 410g can red kidney beans • Plain boiled long grain rice to serve • Soured cream to serve

Method • Prepare your vegetables. Chop onion into small dice, about 5mm square. • Cut red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Peel and finely chop garlic. • Add oil to a pan over medium heat and leave for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and slightly translucent. • Add garlic, red pepper, chilli powder paprika and cumin. • Stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. • Turn the heat up a bit, add the mince to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. • Keep stirring for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform lumps with no pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew. • Crumble stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. • Add chopped tomatoes, marjoram, sugar, tomato puree and a good shake of salt and pepper. • Bring to the boil, give it a good stir and put lid on the pan. Turn down heat until it is gently bubbling and leave for 20 minutes. • Check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy. • Drain and rinse red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. • Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. • Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle. • Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice. Chefs tip • Add a thumbnail-sized piece of dark chocolate along with the beans instead of adding sugar!

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

BOOK REVIEWS Here are four books to help you spring into spiritual strength. Be encouraged by biblical truths and real-life witness in abundance. BOOK OF THE MONTH A TALE OF TWO DONALD MACKAY (2022) Donald Mackay (Knox Church, Perth) has hit on a unique and fascinating treatment of Biblical biography. By pairing individuals from the Old and New Testaments, he has crafted forty insightful character studies. Readers will discover well-known pairs such as Abraham and Lot, Elizabeth and Mary and more obscure pairs such as Athaliah and Jehosheba. They will be introduced to stories of intrigue, family jealousy and deception, as well as to uplifting accounts of miracles, faith and endurance. There is much for the reader to learn in these short studies. In contrasting the lives of Jacob and Joseph, for example, we see that it was through the line of Jacob the deceiver and not through Joseph the faithful that the Lord’s redemptive purposes were to be worked out. The stories describe fallen human nature as well as grace overcoming evil. Throughout, all the tales of these Biblical characters are underscored with the Lord’s sovereignty. Who are the two traitors, the two rogues, the two sceptics, the two patriots and the two pastors? Only by reading this informative study, will you discover! The chapters are short, well written and very readable. The author successfully paints the big picture while at the same time including detail which reflects a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures and interesting background information. You will want to go back to the Bible to re-read these stories! Highly recommended as a devotional study. • This book is available from Mound Books (moundbooks.com) Evan Macdonald, Glasgow City Free Church

TEARS AND TOSSINGS SARAH WALTON (2022) This book about suffering is based on Psalm 56, verses 8-9. There are nine short chapters and the author shows how our tears are ‘held by God Himself’. Her personal story permeates the book and her experiences are used throughout to highlight the hope that there is in Jesus. To this end, she demonstrates from biblical examples how our sufferings are never pointless or hopeless and consistently points us to the One who has borne all our sufferings Himself. So many things have gone wrong in her life and she is excruciatingly honest about her struggle to endure as a Christian. ‘I knew what it’s like to feel like…a problem to be fixed’ is how she puts it in Chapter 5. However, in His kindness, she has proved God’s nearness whilst living with almost unbearable burdens at times and has experienced His special encouragements ‘at just the right time and in the most unexpected ways.’ The book seems to be written primarily for unbelievers as it has an evangelistic thrust throughout, but is certainly very helpful to all. The chapter I appreciated most was Chapter 5 as we all have cracks in our lives; fault lines which could render us useless and hopeless unless they lead us to the only One who can fully heal us, either in this life or in the next. Read and be encouraged in your struggles. • This book is available from 10ofthose.com. Judith Lewis, Bedyddwyr Cymraeg, Tabernacl, Llwynhendy

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

THE LIES WE ARE TOLD, THE TRUTHS WE MUST HOLD SHARON JAMES (2022) The world around us can often feel overwhelming and chaotic with all the different voices trying to tell us what and how to think and act. We live in a world that seems so far from what we see in scripture and yet we often don’t know how to engage with it from a Christian point of view. Sharon James’ book is a helpful tool to both understand the lies that the world is telling us, and to give us confidence that we can combat those lies with the truth of scripture. The first part of the book looks at the lies we are told, it goes through the ideas that our culture presents as truth: there is no God, no absolute morality, no universal truth and no universal humanity. James takes us on a whistlestop tour through the development of these ideas through history and seeks to highlight the reality of what these ideas mean when worked out in practice. It is a fascinating and sobering read. In the second half, James turns to the truth we must hold and shows how each of these lies is combatted by the truth of scripture. We begin with the fundamental truth that there is a God and from there we have a basis for morality, absolute truth, human flourishing, and, ultimately, we have a future where every knee will bow to Christ as King. It ends with a chapter entitled ‘What Should I Do Now?’ which helps to outline how we take this truth and hold it against the lies of the culture around us. She shows how the truth of scripture brings light to a dark, chaotic world and seeks to help Christians have confidence to speak the truth against these lies. James refers to her book as a ‘basic primer’ on these topics and points to many helpful resources for those who want to dig deeper. It’s a great place to start for those who are trying to make sense of the culture around us and want to hold out the truth of the gospel. • This book is available to purchase from Mound Books (moundbooks.com). Carrie Marlow, Free North Church, Inverness

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY LEWIS BRANCH OF DAYONE/LDOS (2022) Remember the Sabbath Day is an interesting book published by Day One on the subject of keeping the Lord’s Day and its relevance for today. The book has various authors who are all former or current ministers of Presbyterian Churches on the Isle of Lewis and Harris and members of the Lord's Day Observance Society. There is a good flow of ideas from author to author. The first chapter is by Stephen McCollum who writes on the first Sabbath. This is followed by chapters on the Sabbath and the law of God (Paul Murray), the Sabbath as a day of rest (Greg MacDonald), the relationship of the Sabbath and Biblical revelation (Malcolm Macleod), the Lord’s Day as a day for worship (Alasdair Macleod) and the great anticipation of an eternal rest (Iain Smith). The introduction (George MacAskill) and conclusion (Andrew Coghill) assert the great need to observe the Lord’s Day in a positive, encouraging, and relevant manner. In an age of declining church attendances, Sunday trading, a move towards a single Sunday service and little interest in observing (a day for the Lord and to honour Him, not to do as I please) the Lord’s Day, this book is timely and to be commended. My only caveat is that it is perhaps “preaching to the choir” and those who believe that the Sabbath is for the Jews only or that the 4th Commandment is not binding for Christians today or those whose faith ‘is kept so private, personal and secret that nobody else should be exposed to its teachings’ are not likely to be convinced by the arguments presented here. Also, readers familiar with Walter Chantry’s book Call the Sabbath a Delight or Daniel Wilson’s The Lord’s Day will find much overlap with this publication. On a personal note, perhaps more helpful would be a book which suggests practical ways/activities for individuals, couples, families and the local church to fill their time profitably on the Lord’s Day and so "call the sabbath a delight" (Isaiah 58:13). • This book is available from DayOne (dayone.co.uk). Jenson Lim, Dunblane Free Church

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

MISSION MATTERS A monthly take on some of the mission work the Free Church is involved in by our Mission Director, DAVID MEREDITH

intercession as people travelled the world with requests. God was petitioned and people would not let go until their requests were fully expressed. Behind the great preachers were congregations of praying people. He noted, ‘The balance of truth regarding solidarity and corporate prayer in the Bible seems to be that no-one can engage in public prayer who does not know what it is to engage with God in private. But the man or woman who has begun to pray in private will gravitate to the fellowship of praying people in the church.’ Don’t get me wrong, these prayer meetings were not perfect and one has sympathy with the minister, now gone to glory, who pointed out that the system became an idol for some. Did we not also love Eric’s pulpit prayers? Reverent, passionate, unrehearsed conversations between a servant and a master. In terms of mission, I think of other aspects of Eric’s ministry. He championed the work of OMF at the Tron. Congregations who focus on one mission organisation tend to have a greater depth of involvement. He was a motivator and encourager of international mission. Recently I heard of a conference he spoke at in France for the North Africa Mission which was life-changing for people who worked in the Muslim world. As an aside I remember him telling us that he spoke to a Glasgow imam who said, ‘The problem with your holy men is that they do not know their holy book.’ The famous Urbana conference, which encouraged students in world mission, has sadly lost its focus. If you can get the talks for Urbana 1981 (Acts) and 1984 (Ephesians) then listen to them again. Transformative. On one occasion he said that his favourite book on mission was Killing Fields: Living Fields, by Don Cormack. He quoted from it often and I agree with his assessment. Let Eric be the last one to speak. ‘When the minister of the gospel faces the Lord God as judge, there will be many questions addressed to him. There will be many standards of accountability. There will be many criteria of judgment. But in the end, the most essential criterion of judgment for the minister of God is, “Did you preach the Word? Did you fully carry out the ministry of the Word? In season and out of season, was the priority of your ministry the preaching of the Word?”’(Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching). •

ric alexander was one of the greatest preachers

ever to have come out of scotland.

People will remember him as the master expositor. Crowds flocked to the city centre church, St George’s Tron in Glasgow, to hear him preach. Sunday nights at the Tron were always electric. Something was in the air. Mr Alexander was a missionary. Many people owe their souls to being brought into a living relationship with Jesus Christ through the ministry at the Tron. It was not a traditional evangelistic ministry but it was one of the most successful missional congregations in Glasgow through the seventies and eighties. Why? I think there were at least three reasons. The lion was released. The Bible was at the centre of the ministry. No passage was untouchable and there was the sense that Eric was dealing with holy things as he explained each passage. He certainly did not belong to that school who simply handled the Bible. For him, the Bible handled us. It was JB Philips who said, during his work of paraphrasing the Bible, that it was like rewiring a house while the current was still switched on. No lectures were ever given at the Tron. Each sermon was a drama where there was no doubt that God was the main character. Ironically, Eric was cynical about the claims of the contemporary charismatic movement and yet the Spirit was active before, during and after the sermon. There were ‘signs following’ — usually changed lives as the miraculous work of the new birth took its course. The Spirit moved. Reflecting on that era from a fortyyear distance I realise more and more that it was an unusual era. People were being saved, folk were thrust into missionary work and students were challenged through powerful preaching at CU meetings. It was not a revival by any means but the spiritual temperature was certainly higher than today. That heightened sense of God and movement of the Spirit cannot be manipulated. It was a sovereign act of God and we can only plead with Him to give us more. Eric famously repeated the truth that we do not pray for the work. Prayer is the work. People prayed. As a Free Church person, I often envied the passion and the freedom of Tron-like prayer meetings. It was unsophisticated, wall to wall

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

POETRY PAGE PSALM 136 KING JAMES VERSION O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. 3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. 4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. 5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. 6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. 7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: 8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: 9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. 10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever: 11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever: 12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever. 13 To him which divided the Red Sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever: 14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever: 15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea: for his mercy endureth for ever. 16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever. 17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: 18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: 19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever: 20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever: 21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever: 22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever. 23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: 24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. 25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. 26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. 1

Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

FEB-MAR 2023 PRAYER DIARY ‘Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.’ Hebrews 10:23-24 February week 1 Pray that God will move us by his Holy Spirit, that we might be growing in our relationship with God, and that as churches we would be helping others grow in spiritual health. Pray that in 2023 God will continue to bless the work to further his kingdom and for his glory.

March week 2 ‘Our prayers can go where we cannot,’ said Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors. ‘There are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.’ Pray for the world we live in, for those facing horrific situations both here and abroad. Give thanks to God for those who are involved in charities and organisations helping to make a difference and to God’s love to others. Pray for all the good initiatives happening and the people working tirelessly to make them happen.

February week 2 Give thanks that every verse in the Bible points to Jesus and his salvation and that Jesus is at the centre of every gospel church. As we look to make life decisions, let us bring our circumstances to God in prayer.

March week 3 Pray for congregations, within the Free Church of Scotland, that they will be encouraged as they grow in knowledge and likeness of Christ and faithfully serve him. Pray that the church can tell the story of what God is doing and to see the bigger picture of God’s love and grace, and the hope we have in him.

February week 3 Think of loved ones, colleagues or neighbours who have not yet come to faith. Pray for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with them. Pray for their lives to be transformed by the truth of the Gospel. February week 4 James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Pray that we would use our words wisely and well as we face the challenges ahead. Pray that we would meet people where they are and show love and understanding of the problems they may be facing.

March week 4 Give thanks to God that we are partnering with other organisations and churches such as 20Schemes, FIEC, Acts 29 that share the commitment of proclaiming the true Christian message, for the advancement of God’s Work.

March week 1 Pray for the people who have lost loved ones in the last year that they are able to step forward in 2023 with faith and hope in the future one day at a time. Please reach out with love to the broken families who are grieving.

March week 5 Pray that we will hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. Give thanks to God as he who promised is faithful. Pray that we will be moved to spur one another on towards love and good deeds, and that we will encourage each other. •

PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER WEEKLY PRAYER POINTS What a privilege we have in prayer! We can approach the throne of grace with utmost confidence that we are coming before a God who knows us perfectly and loves us endlessly. Each week we send out a prayer calendar, via email, with prayer points for the week ahead. These include specific prayer points from our churches and mission partners. For more information, and to sign up, go to: www.freechurch.org/prayer

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

Chithear na blàthan air an talamh (The flowers appear on the earth) LE JANET NICPHÀIL

ha mìosan a' gheamhraidh air ar cùlaibh, agus

Anns an àite-sa bhruidhinn an Cruthaidhear ris le gealladh agus le beannachadh. A bharrachd air an sin, gheall an Cruthaidhear a ghleidheadh anns gach àite don deidheadh e. Anns an t-suidheachadh dhorch, mhìchomhfhurtail-sa, thàinig Dia faisg, agus 'shoillsich E gu cinnteach dorchadas Iàcoib.' B'e Betel a thug Iàcob mar ainm air an àite, agus e ag ràdh gur e gu cinnteach taigh Dhè a bha san àite agus geata nèimh. Nach eil seo a' sealltainn dhuinn gu soilleir, mar a thig an Cruthaidhear le làthaireachd agus le bheannachadh ann an suidhichidhean glè mhìchomhfhurtail dhuinn, nuair nach bi dùil againn Ris? Feumaidh sinn a bhith a' cur ar n-earbsa ann an Dia a tha,'an Tì ceudna, an-dè, an-diugh agus gu sìorraidh.' An nì a gheall Esan nì E, eu-coltach rinne. Nach eil e cho furast' dhuinn seo a dhì-chuimhneachadh? Tha eachdraidh Naòmi a' sealltainn dhuinn gu soilleir mar a dh' fhaodas ar freastal a bhith a' coimhead cho dorch, ach a dh' aindheoin sin, gu bheil nithean mòra aig Dia dhuinn, ged a tha sinne dìreach a' faireachdainn aonranach, lom.Tha nithean Aige-san air ullachadh dhuinn a bhios na bheannachd dhan t-saoghal, mar a chì sinn ann an eachdraidh Rut. Anns an dorchadas, feumaidh sinn a bhith ag earbsa, a' creidsinn gu bheil làmh a' Bhuachaill' ancòmhnaidh coibhneil, ged a bhios ar freastal aig an àm a' briseadh ar cridhe. Feumaidh dòchas Israeil a bhith ann an Dia, airson gu bheil A thròcair mòr, agus mar a chì sinn bho Leabhar Rut, 'is ann Aige-san a tha fuasgladh pailt gu leòr.' An àite dubhachas agus dorchadas, nach robh Solas an t-saoghail a' dol a thighinn bhon t-sliochd a th'air an ainmeachadh aig deireadh an Leabhar-sa? Cha thuig sinne A shlighean, ach bidh A rùintean Fhèin Aige-san. Bidh rionnag-dòchais nar freastal-ne cuideachd, ma chuireas sinn ar dòchas Ann. •

dorchadas na ràithe sin.

Bheir seo togailcridhe do dh'iomadh neach, gu h-àraidh ma bha na mìosan sin sàraichte dhaibh. Anns an dorchadas chì sinn iomadh nì a chuireas nar cuimhne mòrachd ar Cruthaidheir. Air oidhche reothaidh, nach eil an t-adhar làn soillse, agus na rionnagan a' cur nar cuimhne obair A làimhe a' cruthachadh gach nì a chì sinn? Mur biodh an dorchadas ann, chan fhaiceadh sinn na rionnagan. Nach ann ann an seo a tha leasan prìseil agus feumail dhuinn? Mur biodh suidhichidhean duilich, sàraicht' nar beatha, cha bhiodh sinn cho mothachail air cuideachadh Dhè, agus A dhìon oirnn' anns gach àmhghar. Nach eil iomadh leasan aig saoghal nàdair ri theagasg dhuinn? Nuair a bhios cùisean a' dol leinn gu math, tha sinn buailteach a bhith a' dol air adhart nar neart fhìn, ach nuair a thèid ar stad le freastal duilich sam bith, chan eil ach Aon a-mhàin as urrainn fìor chuideachadh a thoirt dhuinn. Aig amannan mar seo, gheibh sinn fagaisgeachd a tha air àicheadh oirnn' aig uairean eile. Nach leugh sinn ann an Leabhar Ghenesis, nuair a bha Iàcob air a shlighe gu Hàran, gun do stad e aig Betel airson an oidhche. 'Bha a' ghrian air laighe,' leughaidh sinn. Gu cinnteach, chan e a-mhàin gum biodh dorchadas ann, ach b'e clach a bh'aige fo cheann. Nach ann anns an t-suidheachadh mhìghealltanach-sa a thàinig an Cruthaidhear cho faisg air, agus na h-ainglean a' dol suas agus a' tighinn sìos air fhàradh a bha a' ruighinn gu nèamh. 'Thàinig iad an àm na h-èiginn Thàinig iad nuair bha a cheum-san. a' fàs mall- e sgìth 's gun teud a sheinneadh ceòl a' fàs air anam.'

2023

WWW.FREECHURCH.ORG

BY CATRIONA MURRAY

POST TENEBRAS LUX

the

‘blank

page ’

quality

There are self-styled gurus and experts aplenty, waiting to tell you what to eat, what to read, how to dress, what to believe — even how to feel. Every year, countless people trust them with important aspects of their lives, without knowing anything of their qualifications beyond the hype. Christ, though, is the least hyped person who ever lived. Those of us whose job it is to build him up, to say to everyone we meet, ‘come, see a man’, are often too busy trying to fix ourselves to remember that the work is in hand. The work, my friends, is in the safest hands. Consider his hands and what we know of them. They are not soft, brought up to a genteel lifestyle: they were used to carpentry, and then to an itinerant existence, with no place to call ‘home’, except, of course, that house of many mansions, where he is preparing a place for his disciples. These same hands washed the feet of others, they healed the sick, they dispensed comfort, they broke bread and poured wine. He clasped them in prayer and raised them in benediction. And, let us not forget, he also used them to turn the agents of commerce from the temple. At the end of a short and turbulent ministry, then, those hands were pierced for us. Imagine if it ended there. If Christ had been a mere blasphemer as the Pharisees accused, if he had been just a man who died an ignominious death after a brief life of service… But those same hands laid aside his own grave clothes, and rolled the stone away. At the start of 2023, what a privilege, to know that those are the hands into which we are recommitting ourselves. Of course we each have our own hopes, dreams, and worries, but Jesus knows that and deals with us accordingly. We don’t need any other life coach but him. It can be difficult to live this in practice, but we also don’t need to keep putting our hands back on the tiller, not if we trust in the words of that popular hymn: ‘We need not fear, the Lord is near, and Christ is at the helm’. •

beginning a new year , don ’ t we ?

There is something promising about it, and the vague possibility of an exciting, improved version of ourselves emerging. ‘New year, new me’ has become such a cliché that it’s now fashionable to laugh at the gym memberships, fancy journals and diet sheets that signify one’s subscription to the fad. Indeed, it is not a mere fad — it’s more of a mass delusion. People cannot transform themselves just because the year has turned. If you ate an excess of pizza and didn’t exercise much in 2022, there’s a good chance 2023 will be just the same. Ditto all those abandoned diaries, and resolutions to shop less, and drink less and be better people. You might manage some of it, of course — you might discover that healthier eating, or more walking can be achieved with a little willpower. But you will still be you. Essentials don’t change overnight. Outwardly, folk may see you look thinner, or more rested, with fewer dark circles under your eyes. Maybe you will be reading more improving books, and committing to good works. Yet the core of who you are remains the same. Our souls are curious things, I often think. They are the immortal, essential part of us. Really, your soul IS you. Yet it is the one aspect of our being that we are powerless to change by our own endeavours. Only God can transform our innermost being and begin the work that one day conforms it to the original pattern: his own. This is something that brings home to me the sheer intimacy, the personal and individual nature of the relationship each one of us has with Christ. While we and our souls are inseparable from each other, it is he who knows how to treat every one. How often in prayer have you struggled to articulate what ails you? I know I have, many times. We don’t always know what the issue is — and we almost never self-prescribe the right remedy. The comfort I draw upon again and again, however, is the fact that he knows. I don’t need to use words in the deepest prayers of my heart, and I certainly don’t need to tell God what to do for my good.

THE RECORD

FEBRUARY/MARCH

The Record - February/March 2023

Articles inside

POST TENEBRAS LUX

THE GREATEST DRAMA EVER STAGED

NAVIGATING CHRISTIAN PARENTHOOD