Thinking Gospel On The Train
I'm on the train heading down to Glasgow for the 50th Anniversary Service of the Tom Allan Centre in Glasgow. We've just spend two very interesting days in Inverness. Yesterday was a pretty special day for the University of the Highlands and Islands. I was good to be able to visit the Highland Theological College and meet up with the Principal Hector Morrison. Hector and i were at Trinity College together. This whole week has been pretty special and it was a memorable occasion no doubt for all the staff at the university to be installing their first Chancellor Princess Anne, in the same week that the Queen was celebrating her Diamond Jubilee.
The interesting part of all these events is the opportunity to meet new people and to hear what they are achieving in their varied fields of research. It is also an opportunity to help make connections for others to see the significance of theology and its contribution within the world of research and academic inquiry. What I found most interesting was the high regard the HTC was held in by heir fellow academics in other disciplines.
I had a wonderful evening last night meeting up with 35 ministers from the surrounding Presbyteries. We were joined by members of the Ministries Council. This was an opportunity to touch base with fellow ministers and encourage each other . It was a good meeting and there were a lot of positive vibes from ministers. I also felt a real desire to meet up again and try to find a strategy that would enable us all to be much more effective partners. The Ministries Council used this group to help them begin to format what input ministers would like to have from a day conference on the topic " Ministry Fit For Purpose in Today's World "
I finished the evening off by reminding everyone of their call to serve as ministers of the Gospel. Its such a privilege to do the work we do and be allowed into the live of so many people. The picture of the burning bush and the call of God to stand on holy ground is one that inspires us all to go to the place of prayer and reflection. In the middle of all our busy lives we need to be reminded of our call to live holy lives. You know I'm convinced that we need to explore in greater depth what it means for 21st century Christians to live holy lives. One thing I'm certain about, it don't mean lives that are excluded from the world around. Its more the opposite. Its bringing the God shaped space into the public domain.
This brings me back to Tom Allan. Here was a minister of the gospel who spent his life in service to those who were on the edge of society. Today his legacy lives on. Let us pray that God will continue to raise up a new generation of ministers who will bring the sacred into the secular spaces and make them holy.
Posted By: hazel On: 8 Jun 2012 At: 5:45pm
Enjoying your blogs!