This morning ( Friday 10th May ) the taxi that I booked locally to take me to the airport from Bo'ness didn't arrive. There I was standing in the driveway, completely confident that my driver would turn up, and he didn't. So when 7.00am arrived I had to get the car out of the garage and head out to the airport, dreading to think what the parking bill would  be. Anyway I'm off to Lyon for the fist Synod of the United Protestant Church. This will be an historic gathering, as it is marks the coming together of the Old French Reformed Church and the French Lutherans.

We arrived at 7.15pm got parked then fought our way through the crowds to arrive at the gate just as the last passengers were going through. I don't mind cutting it fine but that was just too fine, even for me!  Then ironically,  to crown it all the flight was delayed by 30mins.

It  seems to me my life revolves around airports. Earlier  this week I was in London to mark the retiral  of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. It turned out to be a congenial meeting hosted by the Council for Christians  and Jews.

On that same subject, of Christians and Jews, there is a section within the Church and Society Report going to the General Assembly this year,  which has caused a bit of a stir and genuine hurt within sections of the Jewish community, not only in the UK but worldwide.  Quite unintentionally, aspects of the language used in the report have been interpreted by some as a shift in the Church of Scotland's long held position of supporting a two state solution.

I've had some correspondences from friends, and interested parties asking me to clarify the position of the Church of Scotland. 

Yesterday I took part in a very constructive and friendly meeting between members of the Church of Scotland's Church and Society Council and representatives of the UK wide Jewish Community. Following this meeting, a joint Press Release was issued.

I am certainly grateful to all who came and participated; and for the manner in which the meeting was held. I look forward,  as appropriate, to being able to build on some of the friendships and ideas that were discussed at the meeting in the coming years.