Sunday, 27 Jan-08: 4th Sunday of the Epiphany.

As John Aliss would say: 'It's been a funny old week'. We have had torrential rain, sleet and snow, coupled with gales which made movement difficult. I spent much time collecting up scattered, fallen branches from our trees, blown off by the high winds, as well as retrieving the three wheelie bins which careered off down the lawns scattering bags everywhere. A large iron bar, which is very heavy to lift, had been weighing down the sheeted up garden bench, had also blown away! The old elm next door which my neighbour and I estimate to be about 200 yrs old and stood at the front gate, came down in the gales, knocking over the street lamp standard and putting the road into darkness. A telephone call to East Ren Council brought the 'Polis' who closed the road both ends and then the Council brought in a crane, a JCB, an arboretist and support staff. In three hours the tree was taken down expertly and stacked across the road in an unadopted cul-de-sac. The Council then re-opened the road two days later, by which time they had cleared away all the tree remains and brushed the roadway clean. They then removed the damaged lamp standard. Then I noticed that my neighbour's tree had demolished our connecting wall with its heavy coping stones. Stuart said that he would claim on his insurance for everything although I registered a possible claim with my insurer too - though never heard further from them despite assurance that they would write to me. A solicitor friend advised I switch insurance from this large insurer in England to a Scottish firm as it would be extremely costly to engage an English solicitor in England in any dispute with them. We shall see what happens first, but the friend does have a point, which extends to buying anything from an English firm too.

Met up withCon Kelleher from Cork, Eire, over here in Scotland as a Photographer to the Celtic Connections annual International Festival in Glasgow. His b& w photos of stars, musicians and performers are of a high standard. He used to be a commercial photographer but gave it up to photo musicians and the like, so he makes a living that way and does a fair amount of travelling. Anyway we had good 'craic' and a laugh and had a good meal at the Bay Tree, which is a Turkish bistro almost opposite our St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow. Then I drove him to the re-furbished City Halls for a 9.30pm performance. The City was 'hooching' with people and cars and progress to the venue was slow but we made it in time. Earlier I took the girls shopping for groceries as the weather was too bad for them to undertake it all on foot. Then spent longer than usual with both of them. They are good company and both have a good sense of humour.

Here is Con Kelleher from West Cork -

Sunday, 20 Jan-08: 3rd of Epiphany.

Well, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity continues here. Clarkston Churches Together had organised a round of events to cover both the week and the visit of Doris Abbass, Assistant Head of Al Shurooq Christian School for the Visually Impaired, Bethlehem. This school in Bethlehem of Judea is supported by the Church of Scotland in Jerusalem, and back home here. The Israeli Government stopped payiong the government salaries of alkl Palestinian Civil Servants many months ago and of course erected that high 'Apartheid Wall' as Doris calls it, cutting off homes from the school. They then erected a wire fence around the school with a locked gate. Only if an Israeli soldier comes can the gate be unlocked in the morning to admit these blind children. If he doesn't come again in the afternoon, the children are trapped one side of the fence and cannot get home again. The school was originally based at the Library in Jerusalem but the Israeli's cut off contact roads into ~Jerusalem so that staff could not get to school. Everyone has to have passes to allow them anywhere near Bethlehem or Jerusalem. 37% of the Palestinian population was Christian. Now it is 1.5% as most Christians found it impossible to get to church and so left.
Al Shurooq School is a Christian school and all its pupils except one are Muslim. As Doris answered when asked why they stay there, 'Well, it's what we Christians do, isn't it? It's our Sacrament of Christian love and care. Don't forget we Christian Palestinians exported
Christianity.' Well, that's true. There was first a ceilidh at the Clarkston Halls, then a Dinner at Netherlee C of S Parish Church when Doris spoke to us and showed some slides of their work and of the plight under Isaeli restrictions and curfews. For example, When Bush visited the Middle East for the first time in his presidency a few days ago all Palestinians were ejected from their homes along the route from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and a complete curfew was imposed so that no citizens were allowed anywhere on the streets. 45 cars, all identical conveyed the president along that route from the meeting with his cohorts, the Israeli government to the Church of the Nativity ( minus of course, any evidence of Christians ) and it cost $20,000 an hour for 3 hours of his visit, to cover all the hundreds of security staff, etc. Bush's visit was carefully orchestrated and he never saw the plight of Palestinian folk at all. He was taken to meet Mr Abass and I'm sure the president was told of the plight of locked in and trapped Palestinians but he probably thought 'I never saw anything of this' and dismissed Abass's claims. The Dinner was a great success with representative churches from Arbroath, the NE coast, to the south coast, e.g., Ayr and Dumfries, the Central Belt, and even 'that other place' ( i.e., Edinburgh!). All denominations were there too. The local Derby Café did the food. Laird & MacMillan, local Undertakers donated wine and the BB, Scouts, Rangers and Women's Guild did the catering along with the café staff. Doris then addressed our church before the Family Eucharist and then was driven quickly to St Joe's RC Church before their 10am Mass to address them. This afternoon we all gathered at Giffnock United Reform Church to hear Fr Jim Duggan from St Joey's talk about the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer, reminding us that it was brainwave of an Episcopal priest and then the RC Church took it up. This evening everyone gathered at Greenbank C of S Parish Church to hear Doris talk again and to present her slideshow and for us to view a video of the children performing for us - even singing a Scots hymn in English, accompanied by the blind Head Teacher sho set the school up initially. I spoke briefly to the busy Doris and said the Episcopal Church supports the Christian school in nearby Ramala on the West Bank, which of course she knew about. Our retiring collection today for Al Shurooq brought in a tidy amount which our Treasurer will send off to Jerusalem tomorrow. Phew! A very busy week indeed.

Thursday, 17 January -08. Anthony of Egypt; hermit & Abbot, AD356

Had an appointment with my Optician today in Battlefield, Glasgow. I have been going to Burnside McPhee for many years now. I had a laugh with Mr McPhee as it's so long since I was there that he has lost some hair. 'Ah yes, but I have gained some new toys too - very expensive ones at that.' He sat me down and produced a hand-held 'speed radar gun' such as the Police us to check your car speed. He aimed it at my eyes and clicked from a few feet away, and lo and behold, that was my prescription calculated! I had had recent problems with high pressure behind the eyes so he took a digital infra-red camera shot of both eyes which showed a clear picture on the computer screen of the retina of each eye. I was impressed. Gone are the days when they would put specs on you and slot in different lenses, then turn them etc until you felt you could see clearly. Well, the test was no charge but the camera shots cost me £10 total plus peace of mind. I have a routine appointment next month with Peter Kyle, Consultant Opthamologist at the Ross Hall Hospital after two intra-occular implants. He checks the eyes' BP and checks the vision range with a spectrometer. A family history of glaucoma means I do get regular checks on the eyes.

Then off to the Bay Tree Restaurant in the West End at Kelvinbridge, Glasgow, just across from Episcopal Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin for lunch with my friend John Hutchison. He was late. Curious as he is never late so I tried to phone him on my Mobile, only to find that my Mobile was dead. Anyway I had a nice lunch at this favourite Turkish Bistro and then headed in heavy rain to the Car Phone Warehouse in the Crow Road and had it confirmed that the phone is 'kaput' and won't hold a charge even with a new battery. So I bought another Nokia, 02 Pay-as-you-go which has a camera. It also is very high-tech compared with my old one but it only cost me £39.95 as they gave me £10 for the old one. Now it's trying to grasp the new technology and understand the handbook.

Alex's body arrives in church this evening to lay overnight for the funeral tomorrow at noon in church and thence to Phillipshill Cemetery. Alex Philip was so popular and so well-loved; it will be a big funeral. When he worked he was a popular Principal Teacher at Eastwood High School then at an FE College. Valerie and I shall set off early to get a parking place.

Abbot Anthony, whose Feast Day it is today, is one of those curious Religious known as the Desert Fathers. I have read about them and they were so isolated that even the slightest indiscretion or thought seemed to be taken to extremes in terms of penance - going by our standards today. By today's standards, psychologically I would consider them as decidedly odd in many cases. On the other hand, they carried on the traditons of other Religious like Aidan of Iona, later Bishop in England, and of Adamnan and Columcille himself. Attitudes and interpreations were different then than now, although the basic Christian message of love thy neighbour and sing praises to our Lord, remain as ever, the same.

Bought some new earphones today to use with my Mac computer as the old ones are falling to pieces. Nice filtered sound .

Sunday 13 Jan-08. 2nd of Epiphany / Baptism of Christ

It is also the beginning of the Week for Christian Unity in our country of Scotland. On Tuesday evening 8th January I was chatting to a friend, Alex Philip who is our People's Warden and Fabric Convener at church, as well as a Chorister in our church choir. By the next morning he had died suddenly, of an aneurism behind his heart. I was completely shocked and distressed. Folk at church, particularly women friends, talked of his attentiveness to their well-being, seeing them home if needs be, even repairing their cars; always the Christian gentleman. I found him invaluable as a close friend on the Vestry. He was practical and hands-on; always willing to go the extra mile. He was the main carer of his wheelchair bound wife Thea. I have talked to his wife, his son Lorne, and one of his two daughters, Alison, who was in church today although she lives down on the south-west coast in Ayr. Death is part of life, yet it is difficult to cope with when it is someone close to you. The Family Eucharist today was a profound affair - distressing yet with laughter too. It was funny not to see him as Crucifer for the Choir. I will miss his deep baritone voice singinging Choral Evensong, and his deep voice as a reader at the lectern.
How does one measure such a man's stature and life? I have thought of it, and it is not possible to do this as his legacies are profound. He certainly affected and touched so many of us as a Christian gentleman. I will miss his jokes and merry quips. Thank you Alex - and thank you God.
May Alex rest in peace and rise in Glory and may perpetual light shine on him. Yes, thanks be to God. The Baptism of Christ today represents a new beginning in life for all of us.

Feast of the Epiphany, Sunday, 06 Jan-08.

The Epiphany - a curious word. James Joyce used it too, but in relation to his writing. Over in Europe it is called the Feast of the Three Kings, or simply the three Kings. Some countries over there make quite a festival of it. Even Protestant countries like the Netherlands have special services on this day. The great organ in the Parish Church in the square at Delft will be ringing out to the roof beams with Bach, I feel sure. That really is a great organ, and it is played by a great organist too. Who knows who the three Kings were really. They are highly symbolic of being from different parts of the world, all paying homage to a child; the Son of God, sent to redeem us all with love, compassion and acceptance. For the Christian this should result in us also loving others and having compassion and forgiveness in our hearts. Love, compassion and forgiveness are Christian virtues. I often wonder what other religions feel about these Christian virtues. They often interpret the Bible with hatred, punishment and retribution. I wonder where on earth that gets us all. Now the three Kings - well, we do know who they are by name, as the Bible tells us, but to me they tell of the great journeys they made, all to have a relationship with a baby. The effect of that, throughout 2000 plus years of Christianity has had an overall beneficial effect upon all who believe in the love of God through Christianity. Of course, not all who believe, adhere to the tenets of the faith and history tells us about the religious wars, all of which failed to achieve God's command that we love one another, for love is of God. The revelation of Jesus as a helpless child who would save mankind for all who believe, is a powerful message, for all who believe will be granted a place with God.
Islam has now been labelled as the Devil religion, which perpetrates violence and Islamic killers quote the Qoran that tells them that it is OK to kill those who do not believe as they believe. Everyone is worried about meeting Muslims now. Even more so is meeting Muslim women covered from head to toe in black material. In the west, black is a symbol of death, of mourning, of the 'bad guys'. Again, folk worry that such women may be suicide bombers who don't see God's gift of human beings as important. Now the President of a Glasgow Mosque gave a gift to me of The Qoran after doing a service for a member of that Mosque. I was intrigued to read it. It is difficult to follow if you compare it with the Bible, but nonetheless I did not find instructions to kill everyone who is not a Muslim. I did find a code of good living, and of a discipline of inner belief in God, made explicit through daily prayers and family living. Of course, Islam is a relatively new religion, compared with Christianity, i.e., it developed, as we did, as a breakaway from Judaism, albeit some hundreds of years after the birth of Jesus. Their modus operandi does remind me of Judaism, which is not surprising. Indeed, when visiting a Synagogue in Glasgow to hear the Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sachs, on behalf of our Diocesan Bishop, I was struck with the similarity in the form of morning service. Although I don't understand Hebrew I knew where we were in the service at any one time, and I knew that when the Reader stood up to read from the Scrolls ( we would say at Mattins 'Here beginneth the...' I just knew he was saying 'It is written...' i.e., if it is written, it is true. The Reader in the days of Jesus would have said the same thing. Indeed, we know that Jesus stood up to read from the Hebrew Bible, so he would have said that too. So, our traditions, including the Holy Eucharist, are taken from Judaism originally, as is Islam. The Muslims I know are all God-fearing and devout believers in the Word as revealed by Mohammed, whose name is blesséd. They are all peaceful family folk who condemn violence, even by their 'ain folk who are terrorists. This is no different than the killings in Northern Ireland between Catholics ( whatever that word means to an Episcopalian!) and Protestants ( whatever that means nowadays ). So Christians cannot blame Islam - it's all to do with how folk are taught their religion, which begets that society should look at training of priests, ministers and imams in the UK. Imams and those clergy from abroad who perpetuate violence should be ejected from the UK to where they came from.
The revelation at the Epiphany of a child, is one of love, hope and a new life. We should all pay homage to that.