Busy Day

It sure was!  After my usual shift, it was a bus to Haymarket to meet up with a workmate and thence by diesel choo-choo to Central Park to watch my lot (the Blue Brazil) play his lot (the Hibees) in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup.  We lost 3-2 - which wasn't bad really against a (currently) Premier League side.  Well, we we're obviously outclassed - which really ought to worry them at Easter Road!  Then back to Embra for a  house Blessing, Eucharist and rather enjoyable dinner of Pork done as it is (allegedly) in Valencia.  It involves marmalade and chili so is obviously not breakfast fare!

And since it's been busy a wee prayer to Notre Dame de Bon Secours (Prompt Succour as they call her in the Anglophone bits of Louisiana) seems appropriate!

O Mary, Our Lady of Prompt Succour, bright Star of the Sea shining upon life's stormy ocean, we implore your speedy help.  Shining Star of our tempest-tossed souls, lovingly guide us among temptation's heaving billows and treacherous shoals, and lead us safely into eternity's peaceful harbour. O sweetest of mothers, we seek your PROMPT SUCCOUR now and at the hour of our death.  Amen. 

Clocking in again.

Nearly a week since my last blog: well, in reverse order, I read a rather good interview with the Chairman of Cowdenbeath FC in today's Scotsperson http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Interview-Donald-Findlay-QC-Cowdenbeath.6513098.jp I also had the pleasant and affirming experience of a passerby commenting as she passed us coping with our service user's little quirks on Cramond Beach " You people do a marvellous job".  Nice!

 I have to admit to feeling a bit frazzled with work and vaguely contemplate going Quaker tomorrow morning - the silence is refreshing.  We'll see.  Pleasant as Lindisfarne was on the days off, it wasn't entirely restful.  Possibly more on that later.

To do or not to do.

After 7 days consecutive of work or training (which is fairly hard work in and of itself), I find I am off from 5pm Friday-2pm Monday. And there are potential demands on my "free" time. On Sunday I will do cover at St Ninian's Comely Bank. Partly helping out a friend, but it is remunerated. Then I have some social time! Today though, I felt a slight obligation to go to Diocesan Synod - or did until I thought: "I'm knackered, I don't think I have to (being as yet unclear as to whether I have a Commission or a Warrant - and I'm dashed if I see the point in turning up if you have no vote), I'm haven't seen mum for a couple of weeks AND it's a Cowden East Fife derby at Central Park!" So Synod can get on with it's own business this year while I have Saturday to myself. Holy Mother Church gets me tomorrow!

The Horror, the horror..

Noooo! They've changed the caterers at Central Park. We'll never get decent steak pies again, they'll water down the bovril. Never mind 9/11 - this is real tragedy!

A day that didn't quite go as planned.

Well the great plan was: 9.30 Mattins or Mass, office, off to drop off vestments in Dalmahoy at 12, 2.30pm Assumptiontide Mass at Stow, then Institution of the new pastor at Olivet Evangelical Church over the road from Christ Church. It went fine until I tried to drive to Dalmahoy and found the car battery was flatter than Norfolk! By the time Green Flag came and got me going, there was no way to reach Stow before 2.30. So after dropping off the borrowed tat at Dalmahoy, I assumed OL wanted me to go to watch Cowden play Albion Rovers at Central Park! (Our home strip is Royal Blue and white!). We beat them 2-1. Yaay! BTW, the steak pies at Central Park beat the ordinary ones hands down and both they and the Bovril are better at the main stand rather than the terraces.

After that came the institution. Very friendly folk they are at Olivet. Open Brethren. The preacher to my great surprise name checked Henry Scougal - a divine I haven't heard mentioned since our Church History classes in Aberdeen Uni on the Aberdeen Doctors! Look forward to improving links with them in the next wee while, as they have asked if they can use part of our Hall facilities for their Senior Bible Class on a Sunday. You never know what'll happen next here!

Funerals and fitba.

Yesterday I nipped over the Forth to attend my cousin's wife's funeral. They were married 31 years ago and their wedding was the 1st time I ever went to a church service. The sermon was so dull, I curled up on a pew and had a snooze! Therefore I was a bit surprised when it turned out to be a humanist service. This was the 1st time I'd ever been to a humanist funeral, so I was a very interested observer. The officiant had certainly done his homework and gave a very thorough eulogy and thanks giving for Margo's life. The lack of hymns meant it was rather a monologue, which made it seem to drag on a bit more than was helpful. But there were certain elements of the content which did surprise me.

The reference to the family praying was a slight surprise. The use of the phrase "rest in peace" was another. But the message that we will all be reunited eventually baffled me. At least in the context of humanism. It came across as all the good bits of the gospel, minus the messy, inconvenient or challenging bits. Cheap grace, less the cross or passion and proffering our desires without the certainty of the promise given in Christ. I am genuinely ignorant of the contents of humanist beliefs and was a bit startled at the appropriation of Christian concepts and terminology. I'm by no manner of means anti-humanist - indeed, I once took a service in Iona Abbey with the late Derek Dunn who was a leading Edinburgh humanist. But I was honestly surprised at what was said.

Afterwards, having enjoyed ma's home made soup, it was off to Central park to watch the Blue Brazil play Albion Rovers in the Challenge Cup. We won 3-2. But the Rovers played as if they wanted to win and we gave them far, far too much possession and time in our half. Not good. The rematch in the league on Saturday should be lively. Mind you, I hope we do win and silence the noisy crew of Coatbridge Buckie slurpers in front of me of last night. Loud, pointless and annoying - you can tell them come from Bishop Joe Devine country!