Hi Everyone,
Yesterday, before I said "Goodbye" to St Enoch's Hogganfield Church, there was the small matter of leading the Easter Day Dawn Service in Alexandra Park in Dennistoun. This was an annual St Pauls's Parish Grouping Event, and I had big nerves! A) Because it was out of doors and the usual perameters of "safety in numbers "and "safety indoors", and "safety in hiding behind a pulpit or lectern were gone !!?
and B) Because it was "chucking it down" or as they say in USA...".it sure was rainin, honey! "or in German "In Schottland regnet es immer" AND I had a precious guitar that might well lose its tone if left out in the rain ( like the cake in the song "Mac Arthur Park ) Park? Ha! Ha!
In the event of rain, I had shoved the hymn words into polly pockets and the other guitar player and myself tried to hide behind or in fact, in front of a dripping tree! It was ok. God gave me courage from somewhere ( Holy Spirit?) and we sang and gave a message and prayer out of doors and it was ok. No dog walkers or joggers stopped. There was general mayhem as the youngsters then ran off to find the Easter Eggs hidden on tree stumps, in a host of not so golden daffodils or balanced precarously on Glasgow District Cooncel litter bins , and then we all retired to St Andrew's East Church for a bacon and egg breakfast buttie...especially welcome since we all had wet feet...ah the cup of a hot beverage.....and.that, dear friends, was the ending of nerves....
My second Ending was more delicious tea and cake, served in St EH after the main Sunday diet of worship. No, you couldn't BE on a diet of worship or anything else cos the cakes were all home made ! Yum!
Then came a presentation of some gifts ( Already I had a basket of citrus yellow and white blooms in a handled basket and a card with a cheque within- how generous)
The local Councillor dropped in ( not dripped in.The rain had stopped by then!?) His present was a wadge of five M and S socks in different colours- how kind.
I said "bye" amidst cell phone photos with folks for the church facebook page and off I toddled, teary eyed. However, we know for God's people endings are never final, since we can look forward to that great feast in the Heavens when Christ returns to take us there by His grace, or we can have a holy bun fight up yonder....
Tis always sad to leave a ministry post but I know I leave some good folks, who will be well looked after by a Reader ...and in a week or so it will be "new beginnings" in Aberdeen.
