Follow the Leader

These days everyone wants to be the leader, and being a follower is difficult to sell.

However, 'following' is exactly what the Church offers. Perhaps that's one reason why churches are finding it difficult just now.

I know a few people who are blind, and two of my friends use a guide dog. Perhaps the act of following Jesus is a little bit like blind people who depend on their guide dog.

Blind people often have remarkably sensitive hearing, and can become adept at telling where they are, by the sounds that are around them. But even a hyper-developed sense of hearing cannot replace the sense of sight.

A seeing person can see farther than anyone can hear, and can sense objects which make no sound. Colourful flowers, and warning signs, cannot be seen by an ear.

It must take an immense amount of trust to step out into the unknown, dependent on the eyes of a dog, or another friend, to provide guidance that takes into account the visual world.

Such trust does not spring into existence from nothing. It develops gradually, day by day, as the guide and the follower learn to work together, to journey together, to survive together.

In today's world of instant gratification, fast food, TV-on-demand, and infinite choice, the expenditure of such time and effort is a costly process. Friendship, relationship, trust, and faith, all require commitment and energy.

Such commitment and energy won't be given unless there is a reasonable prospect of a return on the investment. There must be some offer of reward to encourage someone to begin that journey. As the journey progresses, the follower will be looking for signs that the goal at the end of the journey will be reached and will be worthwhile.

In our churches we need to re-learn how to make that offer and to present that reward using language and imagery that people today can relate to and accept. It will take at least as much energy to encourage and support the follower on their journey, as it will require from the follower who is making the journey.

Jesus knows us better than we know him. He knows what we need and wants us to receive it. If the church opens herself to him, then she will discover that his way is fruitful, leading many new people to follow Jesus themselves.

It will be a journey of discovery, requiring us to develop and enhance our senses, and to trust our guide and friend. Today is a good day to follow your leader.

Ordination Date Announced

In recent posts I have summarised my journey through training towards ministry in the Church of Scotland, so I won't burden you with a repeat.

I am pleased to announce that my ordination and induction to the parish of Melness and Tongue will be on Friday 20th August 2010 at 7pm in St Andrew's Church in Tongue.

If you are planning to be there, then please advise the organisers directly, or else let me know, so that we can prepare sufficient refreshments for the subsequent social.

Here's Looking at You

One of the benefits of travelling to the other end of the country is that you can visit places of interest along the way, that would otherwise be too far to justify the travel.

Last week Liz and I visited the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, between Aviemore and Kingussie. It was several years since our previous visit and there have been quite a few changes in the park and the collection of animals.

Two of the new residents are Mercedes the Polar Bear, and a family of Amur Tigers. This sub-species of Tiger was formerly known as Siberian Tigers, but the name became a misnomer when the sub-species became extinct in Siberia. It was re-named in the 1990s.

There is a breeding pair, the male of which came from the wild, and is a significant addition to the gene pool of the captive breeding programme. There are three yearling cubs, one male, and two females.

Above you can see one of the cubs looking through the viewing window, and below, two watchers, watching each other!



We also saw a pair of Bactrian Camels, with their twin humps and shaggy coats, well adapted for the cold Siberian winters when food is hard to find. No doubt they are happier with their larger enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park, than in the suburban setting of Edinburgh Zoo. Indeed, the Tigers and Polar Bear also have come to this Park from Edinburgh Zoo during the last couple of years.



I was very amused and impressed by the crowd of Yaks, who looked very like they were yakking away to each other, although we couldn't hear anything through the car windows. They too are well adapted to cold climates, and while the rest of us were struggling with this year's snowy Scottish winter, I am sure the Yaks must have been very comfortable!



It is great to be able to see these animals in the surroundings of the Scottish Highlands. Although they cannot be released into the wild, they enable us to appreciate those animals that still remain in the wild, and encourage us to do our best to ensure that the wild populations are supported and preserved into the future.

Scenery of Melness & Tongue

As you drive into Tongue from Lairg to the South, round the last bend you will see this splendid view above. Some of the rooftops of the houses in the village of Tongue are visible in the lower part of the image, below the Kyle of Tongue. The causeway across the Kyle brings in the road from Cape Wrath and Durness, which lie to the West of Melness and Tongue. That road then carries on Eastwards from Tongue, along the coast to Bettyhill, Dounreay, Thurso, and John O' Groats, in the Northeast of Caithness.

The view below is Northwards from the causeway, showing one of the Rabbit Islands at the entrance to the Kyle on the left of the photo, and to the right, the peninsula of Skerray, with breakers crashing into the sandbanks off the beautiful Colbackie Beach.




Above, looking Westwards, you can see the villages of Melness, Midtown, and Talmine, on the far side of the Kyle of Tongue. You might be able to make out the sandbanks and beach at the shore.

The photo below shows the islets at the entrance to the Kyle of Tongue, with the waves from the North breaking onto the many sandbanks there.




Above you can see the view Eastwards along the Sutherland coast from Talmine Harbour, with the shoreline of Skerray to the right hand side.

Below is the view to the Southeast looking across Talmine Harbour towards the community of Strathtongue in the distance across the Kyle on its Eastern shore.


The view below is looking Southwest across Talmine Bay.





Two photos looking Westwards from the road junction to the North of Tongue. Above shows the causeway across the Kyle. Below shows the view to the Southwest, with Ben Hope in the distance, beyond Castle Varrich sitting on the top of the cliff at the end of the promontory. Ben Hope is the most northerly Munro in Scotland.


Finally, the photo below shows the view from the window in the manse lounge. Ben Hope, Castle Varrich, and the Kyle of Tongue, make a stunning panorama.

St. Andrew's Church, Tongue

There is a good introduction to the village of Tongue, and the surrounding area, on the Mackay Country website here.

The church building was built in 1724, and it is the burial place of the Reay family, chiefs of the Clan Mackay. The old graveyard surrounds the church, and across the stream behind the church, lies the cemetery extension, situated in what used to be the walled garden of the old manse.

The above photo shows the west end of the interior of the sanctuary. The raised gallery at the far end is normally only used by the Countess of Sutherland and her family. However, when more seating is required then other people are welcome to sit there.

Immediately in front of the gallery are two square sitting areas, with bench pew seats round all four edges. I haven't seen these style of 'boxes' in any other churches, but maybe they are more common in this part of Scotland.

The main door is on the south side of the building. On the photo below, you can see the chancel area at the eastern end of the building. To the left is the door leading through to the North hall, where the Sunday's Cool meets. In a similar wing on the south side is the vestry, which is large enough for small meetings.

It is an exciting, but also daunting, prospect as I anticipate becoming the next minister of this ancient and historic place. So many ministers and people have gone before me, and only God knows what lies ahead.

The challenge for us all is to enable other folk to grasp hold of the offer that God makes to each person. You can know God, and speak with Him. You can know his help in your daily life, as well as wholeness and peace in body, spirit, and soul.

The church building at Tongue has provided shelter and comfort for nearly 300 years as the congregation have gathered together within.

Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
(Marty Haugen, b.1950, CH4, 198)

Melness Parish Church

The present church building of Melness Parish Church was opened in 1902, although the building work began some years earlier. It was built by local people, from stone quarried locally, and wood which was shipped in by local Melness boats from Scrabster beside Thurso. You can read more about those early years of Melness Church at the Church pages of the Melness Community website.

The above photo shows the south side and west end of the church interior. The north side is symmetrical. The photo below shows the chancel area of the church, again looking towards the south side. The hymn board shows the hymn numbers we used during the service there last Sunday, after which I was appointed minister-elect for the united congregation of Melness and Tongue.

I will not begin my role as the parish minister there until the Presbytery of Sutherland ordains and inducts me into the parish. That will probably take place at some point during the coming summer.

I am looking forward to getting to know the people, the place, and the history, of Melness, and of Tongue also. It will take time - and during that time the people of the congregation and parish will be getting to know me. It will be an exciting adventure for us all.

Jesus calls each one of us to follow Him. We can only catch glimpses of what the future might hold for us. We are called to move on from the past life that we have known, into the unknown future.

You might be anxious about that prospect, but Jesus promises that He will never leave you nor abandon you. There is a room already prepared for you in the Father's house. Jesus invites you to journey with Him, through the rest of your life, and then onwards with Him in never-ending life.

Elected!

This is just a short post to tell my Blog followers that yesterday, Sunday 25th April 2010, the congregation of Melness and Tongue in Sutherland elected me to be their next minister. They are wonderful folk, and the parish is beautiful.

The date for the ordination service has not yet been decided but it will probably be sometime between mid-July and mid-August. When I know the date, then I'll tell you all.

I shall be posting some photos in due course, but that's all for now.