Saturday 6th. June
It’s been a good week. Sunny for the most part, and earlier in the week we were able to eat outside in the courtyard which was an incentive for us to try to do some tidying up. We also got into one of the barns and started emptying boxes which had remained untouched since we came here from Loch Lomond-side nearly seven years ago.
It was lovely to eat out in the open air with never a midge to be seen and I have watched all of the pictures of my former home being overrun with visitors and thought how fortunate we are to be here in the Borders.
Pentecost was special for me. It was grand to be back in Church even if just to film the service and it was really kind of so many people to contact me afterwards and tell me how much they had enjoyed our service and not just from our congregation but from other local congregations as well. Having said that, I need to tell you that folk have also been in touch with me to say how much they are enjoying the daily prayers and meditations prepared by our members. So thank you to everyone involved!
There is still no news on when we shall be able to get back into our church for regular worship and we may be continuing to share online for some time to come although, I understand, having the church officially open for private prayer will be allowed quite soon.
I’ve enjoyed putting together a service for Trinity Sunday tomorrow (Trinity Sunday really is quite unique in the Christian calendar) and I’m swithering about what to concentrate on in coming weeks. The lectionary will continue to provide us with Gospel and Old Testament passages but I’m finding myself drawn to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, I think because these are such strange times and I feel an affinity with those first Christians as we endure lockdown and a threatening world around us. On the other hand, Matthew has a great deal to teach us as well. I’d love to hear what other folk think.
Now it is time for me to join the others in the farmhouse for our evening meal, after which Rachel and I are taking the dogs for an evening stroll to celebrate the fact that Clare’s former dog Ditto, now staying with us, is three today and Rachel says that even dogs have to be indulged on their birthdays!
I hope you have a very happy week.
Thanks Dane,
Couldn’t agree more, online Sunday Services are exceptional and just like the Apostles were successful some 2000 years ago, we have to try our best to be successful for the future well being of our Church for the future.
Thanks again for all the excellent enthusiastic guidance you have given to ourselves in this part of Scotland.
Tom
Thank you Dane for all you are doing and encouraging us to do. Its been wonderful to meet up with family and friends again. It makes you realise how much you have missed seeing them in person rather than a chat on a phone call. Can’t wait until we can all be together again in church. Thank you for making Sunday’s special during lockdown.
I, like you believe that the church building’s importance as a centre of worship can not be over estimated. Their is a lack of feeling of fellowship in a video service regardless of how well the service is prepared and presented, in fact sometimes it serves to remind me of what I’m missing. I’m sure that soon the social distancing rule will decrease to 1 metre but even at 2 metres we can cope and i for one am looking forward to the challenge.