OOps It's been a fortnight since I blogged!

OOps It's been a fortnight since I blogged!
Today I was conducting a funeral over at a local crematorium. It was bright sunshine and crisp frost- just perfect for one of the hymns the family had chosen- "I watch The Sunrise lighting the sky,"with the lovely chorus, "For You are always close to me, following all my ways, Lord" Very emotional and moving for the loved ones, but The Lord helped us through it. I don't think there's anything wrong with showing tears when they are genuine, and today I really felt for the husband and daughter who are left without a wife and Mum.
By the grace of God, one of the nephews said to me privately, "Thanks for the service. I appreciated your style!" He could have meant the informal and personal style of the funeral service OR the fact that I try to lighten the mood with a funny moment. I'd been reading Dorothy Paul's autobography recently, so it felt apt , being an east end funeral, to mention the Glesga Fayre , or "That annual fortnight's holiday from the toil of labour, when folks go "doon the watter, or to Millport!"
Kirk Session meeting tonight. Wonder what that will hold?

Best and Worst...

I always think funerals bring out the best and worst of people. The best is the desire to live a better life, as a mourner becomes aware of the brevity of life, and may hear from God an urgent call to " shower the people you love with love" ( words of a James Taylor song) while they are alive!
Bringing out the worst,  happened recently to me when the deceased's Next of Kin hadn't seen his/her relative for thirty years. And the information about his loved one, to be read as their tribute, had been written by the ailing person themselves, who sadly had alzheimer's disease. As a consequence, after the service, an unknown man came up to me and said " hen, ye did a good service, but what you said about Y was utter nonsense!" Apparently there were a number of proverbial "skeletons in the family cupboard," and another version of where the deceased grew up, not on a Wigtownshire farm as I had been told.
Also there was no "purvey" afterwards. ( For any English readers, a "purvey" is the time for refreshment after a funeral service usually held in a home or hotel, where folks can further reminisce about their late relative/friend/colleague. ) This may have been a sign of a family rift, or lack of funds, or both.
So there you go....

Teams-at- Work

What a great day yesterday when the catering, eating, playing,clergy, technical, chatters, music makers, and worship leading folks got together for fellowship at St Enoch's Hogganfield along with St Paul's Provanmill, and St Andrews in the East in Dennistoun. All of us are small congregations but together we swelled !
Theme was "All Saints Day" and we reflected on Hebrews Chapters 11 chunks (heroes and heroines of faith) and a bit of Chapter 12, citing Jesus Himself The Pioneer and Perfecter of our Faith. Those of us IN CHRIST are being cheered on by a grandstand full of those who have fought the good fight and finished their races- our relatives, St Francis of Assisi, Mary Slessor, and many others from every tribe and tongue and nation. what a hooley it's going to be as we all meet up!
One kind person said that I was "infectious." "eh, I said. have I given you measles?" "no," he said. "When you stand up and share God's Word, I just wanna say, yes Dot, yes God, I'll do it!"
All the talented folks shared their talents ( see first sentence)
Food was shared - each church doing a course- great atmosphere.

Then I turned up at a local Sheltered Housing complex, with a gracious Mexican warden, and another wee team sang well known hymns (some with actions- ooh!) and prayed for each other...a drop off of a church member to her home, then I went home, full, not only of food and fun, but of thankfulness too!

God is round every corner!

Do some of you remember a golden oldie hymn"God is always near me hearing what I say,
                                                                          Knowing all my thoughts and deeds, all my work & play??"

Used to find these words, not a comfort, but in my imagination and Calvinist psychie, even at aged 5, picturing a scary giant- all- seeing god, like the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk who would stomp on you for the least mistake- terrifying!?
I see a continuity between Old and New Testaments with Jesus as The Lynch Pin. He's hard on sin and the causes of sin but we are His Treasure. ( How He must grieve over the farcical election fiasco in USA just now, and how Middle Eastern folks mouths must be agog with how far The West and "Christians" have fallen, when they laugh at the antics of democratic - I mean in the widest sense, including les Republiciens- leadership) Our Lord hard at the injustices and evil of institutional sin, ( in His days perhaps those Pharisees) within and without our religious edifices...and Yet..such love for people, such longing to see His beautiful character reproduced in us, His Bride...a bride so diverse and different throughout the world, wearing a variety of dresses and intricate cultural accessories but united in preparing to become Christ-like in union with Him.
We get het up about denominations and how we do things better than "them over there.
Grieving God, have mercy on us. Help us to see You round every corner, as I did today. Thank you for connecting me with a real "superhero" working in a quiet backwater. Bless and Grow that person's vision. Bless and enable as well that lady from my past working life, who still remains positive about the dying structures of a crumbling church, and who wishes there were more priority given to pastoral support for those who work within a terminally ill and permanently damaged part of the body.
In the words of the latest recruit to a ministry in Glasgow.."God isn't finished with the Church of Scotland yet." But let's work with  AND FOR, His  LASTING,  Dynamic Creative Spirit Resurrected Life and stop trying to prolong the death, eh???
Words of Jesus (collectively as well as individually) as a Way of Life, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground, it dies alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12

Networking Saturday! ( couldn't think of a rhyme!)

Today I had to take public transport cos hubbie had the car. I heard a landed gentry type guy once say cruelly and rudely that  buses were " scumwagons."
I tend to think folks who go in big fancy cars with chaffeurs all the time everywhere, are missing out on life !
All of human life, interesting human life I met today.
A lady at a bus stop on Alexandra Parade was glad we had had a faith conversation since she was thinking about God at the moment anyway! She said she  hadn't forced her children to go to her Christian tradition because it was based on fear! I asked her what she meant and she outlined what I knew only vaguely from my Glasgow Uni days, that "there are so many sins that can trip us up." I shared how my Heavenly Father is a loving God ( yes to be feared in the sense of awe at His wonderful holiness), but that He sent Jesus to show what God was like and to bring us to God- something we could never earn. Were people in awe of Jesus? Yes!  Were they afraid of Him? No! God is not sin centred looking for ways to blame and shame us...He is all for us! ( though we do need transforming,,,,,,)
Second lady at  going home bus stop was a sight to behold- rather wild in her appearance I would say! She had a rich heritage of working in a church but ranted to me about how bad mankind was, especially to animals- poachers of ivory ( I agreed) and how in the 50's the world was a better place but now  that the population had risen so much, how doomed was the planet...I agreed too, but said how Jesus was coming back again to sort out right from wrong. She said, "do you really believe that?" She shook her weary head and wild hair......Hope we meet again!
In between departing and returning home, I enjoyed chatting to Sale of Workers who had and set up, baked, sold Christmas wrappings and cards and bric- a -brac for church funds...lovely atmosphere. met some family members of church folks, chatted some more, enjoyed a " guid plate o soup." "Ready, on your Marks, get Set, BAKE!" as they used to say on BBC's"Great British Bake Off."
Also met the local  central east SNP councillor at Sale of Work.
Home again by means of two "scum wagons"...bus AND train.
Some daft folks are missing out on a wonderful world of people....let them eat cake and keep themselves to themselves !!!??

Just Another Marvellous Monday!

So privileged today... set off to Riddrie about 10. 15 am to visit one or two elderly folks. First Care Home, and J is  out at her club again, manager tells me. "Ye'll need to come back a Tuesday or a Thirsday. J's here then" Note to diary. Now off to visit a very deaf lady in her home. Told to knock on far away window, which I do, as well as pressing the bell hard! She hears, and comes to open her front door. Success! ( tried last week and "no cigar".) It's good to see B. She had a bad fall and gashed her right eye as well as staving her hand- all in trying to put out her bin and not taking her stick...she's nearing the end of her 4 score and 10 but still bright as a button! We had a super chat and prayer and sing.
Then decided  to go to another Care Home down in the east end- very short visit this time since the lady was head down and asleep, so left a card.
Lunch in Alexander Park with my sandwich... did a couple of texts to family of elderly folks to see how they were. Got out of the car cos the Autumn trees and golden  rusty leaves were calling me to sniff the fresh air!
On way back, two dog walkers and myself saw a man fall hard onto a bench, after swaying in the breeze.
Spoke to him and his boxer dog ( Buddy) as we walked back to the park gates. J was able to hold a conversation, only just. Wondered if he was on something- not sure- no smell of alcohol but I know some addictions do not have much of an odour. J told me he had his bike stolen recently in this park at night time, but that he'd picked out one of the perpetrators at the police station. Misses his bike. We stopped. I told him my first name and where I worked. J told me he used to be in the BB's at the same church. Then felt I ought to ask him if he wanted me to pray for him? He said "yes" so I did. AND he took off his hat as we did so. I was amazed that this man still had a respect for God, or some Higher Power than himself... said bye bye..
drove round to local school to do a half hour lesson on Luke 5 about the paralysed man. Good response from the children. As I was leaving, a member of staff motioned to me, relating that he was in the middle of some kind of complaint procedure, so his holiday had "not really been a holiday; spent a lot of time at the kitchen table filling in forms!"
Just another reminder of the culture we live in, when a small error ( or not) can bring out legal guns from a family that may have an axe or twenty to grind, and this person happened to be in chopping
rang!? We in the Church of Scotland have to be very circumspect these days too.

Chicago No more !

Next summer 2017, several Scottish Deacons are going to the Diakonia World Conference which happens every three years or so. This year it's in Chicago USA ( city of Calamity Jane ( the incomparable Doris Day who had a horrific domestic scene but positively glowed on film) )She called it Shicaggie!
Anyway, decided not to go now, though my name was down to go. Not just the cost, but USA has never been a country I'm dying to go to. Canada, where David and I went for our 25th Wedding Anniversary, now that was brilliant!
Today, I visited a top notch Care Home where there was a noticeboard with daily activities, and while I was there, a young volunteer was doing crafty things with some of the residents, and everything smelt fragrant.
Like some of you reading this, you will have been into Homes with varying degrees of cleanliness and atmosphere. My visitee, I could see, was well looked after.
Praise God for the Care Commission who inspect and grade Care Homes now.
Also popped in to see a retired Deacon while I was passing. it was good to catch up with her.