From the Manse April 2013
Dear Friends
I want to share a reflection for the Easter season written by Peter Millar, Church of Scotland minister and former missionary alongside marginalised peoples in India and West Africa.
I met Peter briefly on Iona in the mid 1990s, whilst he was Warden of the Abbey there.
In 2001 his beloved wife Dorothy, fellow world traveller and companion, died suddenly of a massive blood clot, before his very eyes, in their rural Scottish home. His books include the titles "Finding Hope Again" and "Our Hearts Still Sing", which speak not only of his personal hope through loss but also life affirming stories from amongst the world's poor.
WORDS OF HOPE AT EASTER
Sometimes, things after all don't go from bad to worse;
Sometimes the sun shines bright through clouds;
Some years, green thrives, the crops don't fail;
Sometimes, someone tenderly speaks the truth.
Sometimes, a nation steps back from war, works for peace, and values human rights;
Sometimes, people forget themselves so that others may be free;
Some days, the goodness of a single life allows us all to see the beauty of our souls.
Sometimes our best efforts do not go amiss;
Some mornings the sun melts a field of sorrow;
And sometimes, even on the toughest day, We see small seeds of hope, and know that we are blessed.
Elsewhere in his writings Peter wanted to affirm his core conviction that "we are never alone or abandoned in this often uncertain world. God is always present. God permeating our daily lives."
Or in the rich words of St Paul in Ephesians 3:17-19
May Christ make his home in your hearts through faith; May your roots and foundations be in his love. May you, with all God's people, have the power to understand the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love.
Joy and peace
Rev Trevor