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For those of you who were looking forward to Sanctuary First on 10 January in Bo’ness I hope you’ll be able to attend the next one. Perhaps the poor weather will give us an opportunity to develop the theme and make it even more interesting. The theme that we’ve chosen for Sanctuary First is based on the message of Jesus to the church at Sardis. It was a wake up call.

Here’s a wee poem I wrote for the service . Its entitled ” Dead men Walking dead men Walking I hope you find it interesting along side this picture that I took earlier today inside the Buchanan Galleries.

Here is a world a community of people who sometimes remind me of dead people walking. Most look fed up most feel they’ve had enough. They just want to get out of the place. Shopping just drains the soul out of a person. Is that not right? Let me know what you think?

If ever the church needs to be waken up from its slumber and its sleep it must surely be today. Sardis was a church that was living off a past reputation. So much of church life today is living off past generations. When it comes to the Church in Scotland so much of what we have and use at the present was never given or purchased by this generation. I’ve come to the conclusion that we do need new wine skins for the new wine. It also means that someone has to go and get the new wine skins and also pour the new wine into the skins. So many in this generation know very little about what Christians really believe and many Christians are no longer sure about what they believe. And if the truth were told there are ministers of the Gospel who are no longer sure about what it is they believe. Remember Jesus spoke out and said if the watchman sounds an uncertain note the people in the city will be confused. I think there is a great responsibility on all of us who have been entrusted with the gospel to make sure we share it in such a manner that the world around hears it and understands.

I think that is where the new skins come in. We need spaces and places and people who are flexible enough to allow the gospel to seep into every aspect of their lives so that they become the new skins that allows the wonderful new life of the Spirit to flow out from them into the world. It means we need new skins in politics we need new skins in the music industry, we need new skins in the media, and we need new skins in almost every aspect of daily living.

Sunday coming is “Discipleship Sunday” just hope that the icy weather doesn’t prevent people from coming to church on Sunday morning. The Kirk Session are encouraging everyone in the congregation to “Get Connected” The idea is members of the congregation be encouraged to join a group that has a special interest for them. For example young mothers and fathers might get together to form a groups to look at how we nurture faith in the young. There might be an interest for groups of men to get together to maybe just hang out together or go to a football match or think about studying the bible together. We might even set up an internet study group using Skype.

After the service on Sunday we’re going to have a lunch in the hall with bread and soup. So we hope that a good number of people will stay behind and help us begin to form some of these groups. The Discipleship Group are trying to find a way to engage every body and every age group in the congregation to be nurtured in their Christian life. Small groups have been one of the most successful ways in which people can be nurtured and rooted in their faith.

If we could start thinking about church outside of the church walls we might begin to understand that real church is not something you go to. It is something you live out. In doing so you create community that is centred around the life and teaching of Jesus. we need to constantly remind ourselves thatthe majority of Jesus’ ministry took place in the open air. It took place amidst th cut and the thrust of everyday life. I think this is the challneg for all of us that we being to develop community by allowing the small group to create the cell of community that links us into a much larger and effective community of change in the world.

The theme we’ve chosen for the congrrgation this year is centred around Colossian 2.6,7 as printed in the motto card for this year. Its about encouragig all of us to grow up into the mature people God is calling us all to become.

I’m hoping that we might see some really adventurous ideas develop around the small groups. Already we’ve had the suggestion that we call these groups ” Connect Groups” I’m wondering if there wold be an interest in running a lunch time group in Edinburgh and Glasgow or even Falkirk or Stirling for people who work in these places. We could meet in a Starbucks for fellowship and say a bible reading. Anyway let me know what you think. Better still see you on Sunday.

Meet Jenn Ewing and Laura Taylor our latest Soultouch team. have a listen to Laura as she asks for your prayers and support. Laura It was great to see another two of our young people in their mid twenties moving out to take risks in the service of the gospel. Yes Soultouch is on the road again. ( I can hear Erica squeal with delight!) This time instead of Erica and Lorna it is Laura and Jenn. Make sure you begin to follow their progress as they write their blog. The girls hope to have regular reflections on the journey they are taking.

Soultouch was created about this time three years ago. Erica Bonnar and Lorna Main decided they’d like to visit as many of the World Without Walls projects as was possible. Some 18 months later they returned with the goal of sending out another two people to follow in their footsteps. Tonight that vision was fulfilled as Jenn and Laura took up the challenge. So tonight we had a great little Ceiidhi organised by the girls and their friends. It was great to see so many people there and to meet with their family.

One great new addition to the Soultouch experience is the Soultouch Cake. It is amazing. I propose that Sarah Jenn’s sister makes smaller versions of the soultouch cake and sells them as prayer cakes. It puts a whole new meaning to the thought. You can say a prayer while you eat your cake! Lets all get behind the girls as they step out n this first leg of their journey.

I just felt there was a touch of arrogance in the actions of Hoon and Hewitt as they stepped out into the light of the media. Here were two MPs full of their own importance. They were going to be the saviours of the Labour Party. It was their plan to have a leadership contests and remove the Prime Minister. They obviously thought they had more influence than they had in reality. In the end was it six MPs who gave them their support. These two politicans who take themselves so seriously have ended up like a couple of clowns sporting a couple of red faces.

I don’t know Gordon Brown, he doesn’t have his enemies to seek but it seems to me that perhaps he is doing some things right? He may even be in good company! Was it not Jesus who once said, ” Beware when all men speak good about you and take courage when they critise you remember in the same way they sought to stone the prophets of old.

I just wonder if all this cloack and dagger stuff, this back stabbing,this mumping and groaning, from people who remain nameless, might end up working well for Mr Brown. Many people see the PM as an honest and descent man who has worked hard for his party and the country. No doubt he has made some huge mistakes but tell me a Prime Minister who hasn’t ? It might just be that he ends up getting the under dogs vote.

After all what has David Cameron actually got experience in when it comes to leading a country? One might also ask the same question of Hewitt and Hoon what outstanding contributions have these self appointed Labour Party saviours also achieved?

I’m not a member of any political party and `I know Hoon and Hewitt have a right to their views. But you know what I destest disloyalty. It seems to me that this was all about people trying to save their own political skins. However did they really think they would have a party election for a new leader in post and an election called all within a five month period. I don’t think so. All I say is don’t let them grind you down Mr Brown.

Not that I was actually on holiday all of the time over the festive season, but I sort of got back to work today. It was strange going back into the church this morning seeing the tree without decorations and the church looking a little bit bare. So many people have worked so hard over the past few weeks to make Christmas 2009 a memorable one at St Andrew’s Bo’ness so I’d like to thank them all for their hard work.

Thank you to all who planned and helped out at the Christmas parties. Those who made the Christmas Nativity a great experience for all who attended. Thank you to those who made the Woolies idea a great success. Thank you to those who gave us the labyrinth, those who sorted the lights and the star outside the church, those who put up the Christmas banners, those who have been clearing the steps of ice, those to played for the Christmas worship, those who put up the Christmas trees, those who made decorations for the trees, those who delivered all the Christmas editions of Network round the parish. those who went out carol singing, those who starred in the Christmas movie and helped record the music and edit the film. And a big thank you to those who were always willing to do the tidying up.

So its back to normal this week with Sunday highlighting our Discipleship strategy for 2010. So make sure your at church this weekend so that you can begin to see where you can become involved.

I felt a touch of history repeating itself today as I read in the news about the world’s tallest building being opened today. It stands at 828 metres and has cost 1.5 billion dollars to build. So what makes us wish to build higher and higher. I guess there is a human desire to stretch the boundries of technology and to go one better than our neighbours.

The sad thing is that the whole Dubai economy has collapsed and one wonders if this building should be hailed as a great achievement or a sad reflection on an extravagent and greedy world that continues” to fiddle while Rome burns.” Anyway the papers tell me that tower has been named Burj Khalifa after the president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan.

In the Bible there is a story told about how the tower of Babel was built s an expression of mankind’s egotism and confidence. Early mankind was reaching for the stars while at the same time killing his neighbours. Nothing much seems to have changed. What a diifferent place the world would be if we started promoting our energy to bring about peace and justice. I’m reminded of these words in the Book of James.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:13-17 I think this verse is a great reminder to us all of our human fraity and our dependence on God.

When the snow falls even familiar things in the landscape look entirely different. I’ve taken to photographing a few objects at different times during the year, just to remind myself how different they can look. If a bench can change with the difference in climate surely a human being can find their perspective changing because of the circumstances and climate change that we find ourselves in. Taking time to reflect is often more difficult that we night want to admit. However i’d like to suggest that it is an essential part of preparation before we all head back to work this week.

Yet, by the end of the week we’ll have forgotten about the holidays. Instead we’ll all be back at work getting on with all the usual things that demand our time. However I do think that it is important while many are still on holiday, to use this time to reflect on the past and look forward with anticipation to the future.

This coming year has all the potential to be memorable for all of us and especially those of us who have been involved with the Vine Trust. It will be 25 years ago in December 1985 when we first launched the Vine Trust. We opened the Branches Store on the Market Square. I can hardly believe that it was 25 years since Alistair MacDonald came as our celebrity guest and opened the shop. We are looking for various ways to celebrate this anniversary so if you have any thoughts please let me know.

Another area I’m excited about is the work we’re pioneering with Sanctuary First. I believe we have a wonderful opportunity with this project to develop a ministry that has the potential to be far reaching. Once again please keep in touch with the web site and keep us informed of your thoughts and how e can improve upon what we’ve been doing to date.

One final announcement – look out for the change of format and look of the italker blog. We hope to give this site a make over so look out for the change and once again lets have your opinions. And finally finally. Please keep jenn and laura in your prayers as they start out on their first leg of their Mission engaging the Soultouch vision. We’re having a farewell do for them at the church on Thursday evening, so get yourselves down for the fun and farewell wiahes.

I just finished writing my sermon for tomorrow. I think there is nothing that can sum up what i want to say better than this rendering of the “Hallelujah Chorus”

I’ve been touched greatly by the Christmas message of joy and hope this year. In the sermon tomorrow I’m going to be talking about the longing in the human heart for meaning and purpose. We ae all people who want to experience joy and hope for the future. However most of us go through times of great sadness and even times when we have lost all meaning or purpose in life.

There is something extravagently wonderful about the Gospel. A Gospel that has its roots deep in the Abrahamic Covenamt in Genesis 22. 18. God chooses to bless a man and through him the whole of creation, not because of his power, or his wisdom,but simply because he has faith. He is prepared to obey the Almighty. Is this not what Jesus is living out when he goes to the cross. Jesus is the figure that fulfills all that Abraham longed to be. He becomes the sacrifice that Abraham could never be or give and in doing so redeems humanity.

Am I mising something? Have I missed a year out of my life? I thought you needed ten years to make a decade? So why is it that the pundates and commontators are talking about a new decade? In my book there is still one more year to go. I notice that they’ve now named the last nine years “the naughties” so one wonders what the next nine years will be called?

It has been an interesting few years. Ten years ago the Bogle Band where performing at the great Hogmany Party and the Church Without Walls Commisssion was just beginning to think through what it was that we {the church). couldn’t leave behind as we moved into a new Millenium. I certainly remember being refused the use of the buildings at 121 George Street. The Board of National Mission had ppointed me as the Church of Scotland’s part-time evangelist and i had been given a grant of £10.000 to connect with the public through the Hogmany Party. It was an amazing revelation. Everyone I talked to wanted to help. The organisers of the Hogmany bash were delighted that the Church of Scotland was getting involved. We booked the London Community Gospel Choir and of course the Bogle Band got a slot.

The plan was to have a stage outside the central Church Offices at 121 George Street as a symbol that the Church was open and welcoming to the community. I tried to negotiate with the Committeee that was in charge of the church offices to give us access to the building during the evening. We wanted access to the power supply and a place for the Gospel Choir and other performers to change. The request was refused on grounds of security. I even offered to pay a security company to guard the door. The man in charge was no for budging. I’ve never quite understood that kind of mentality. I took this picture as symol of how it feels to be standing in front of locked doors. ( I’ll see if i can get a better resolution) I guess this is how a lot of people still feel about the church.

The strange thing ws that the Tax Office across the road from 121 offered me the use of their premises. In the end we were glad to receive the hospitality of Charlotte Street Baptist Church and we ended up hiring a generator for the power supply. But you know what, we had a fantastic evening. the organisers of the Hogmany Party congratulated us on our professionalism and our ability to stage such an excellent event. You might ask why does the church not do something like this each year at the Hogmany Party 80,000 people milling about Princess Street and George Street. Now that is an interesting question.