Who’s Been to Carloway?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Great stuff - on the Blog sidetrack in the race of life, I’m determined to take first place by being the first to update! I’ve just come back from preaching at the communion weekend in Carloway. What a cool place! No, maybe not the scenery (er…depends what you like!) and definitely not the weather, and it’s not even the football pitch. My driver (go, Scotty boy!) casually passed the Carloway FC pitch (the only flat bit of green grass for miles without sheep or peat banks) and wistfully commented, “Theatre of Dreams”. I liked that. What was so good about Carloway? It was like home from home. Lots of young people who love the Lord, young and old people becoming Christians, old people who are getting younger every day, and a whole congregation wrestling with the challenges of reaching out with the glorious Gospel - aware of weakness and problems, hungry for more blessing. Different faces, different traditions, but the One Lord - I might have been at home. It felt good. Even the minister is a legend! He supports Hibs, he’s thinning on top like yours truly, and he has a beautiful wife - just like me! But he doesn’t have my pot belly - boo! What a guy.
And great to meet so many young friends. Many of whom are in contact with their Christian friends in the city churches - having met at the Camps and conferences. Young folk laughing and joking, but serious about their faith - full of hope and a future. Hungry to hear the Word and willing to share their faith. Ordinary - just like the youth in my church in Edinburgh! Guys - in Christ, you are the hope for the future of our church. Don’t make the same daft mistakes that my generation have made - not trusting each other, despising the unity of the Church, sticking our noses up at others who don’t think just like us, majoring on minor things, putting the old ways before God’s ways, protecting the Church’s traditionalism at the expense of the God of biblical tradition. (It’s not all been mistakes, just seems like it sometimes) But the Gospel is radical, it transforms lives and communities - I hope you will all, as young folk, join hands - on the mainland and the islands - in the Free Church, and give heart and soul to serve the great Redeemer. And do so with the gentle and respectful love that will turn Scotland upside down.
PS: Carloway rules!
