Scotland Sunday Services

I started the day with a half hour walk down Princes Street, in my church clothes/shoes, to get to the service.  Towards the end of my walk I could hear the bells calling the faithful to worship - something I hope comes through well in the video clip below.  It felt like a wonderful and joyous welcome to me!

Before entering the kirk I walked through the kirkyard with so many very old stones.  It sure seems to me that each week the congregation must be reminded of two verses:  Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses  .  .  ."  and Psalm 90:12 "Teach us Lord to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

St. Cuthbert's and Kirkyard

St. Cuthbert's Kirkyard

Memento Mori - Tomb in St. Cuthbert's Kirkyard

"How still and peaceful is the grave!  where, life's vain tumults past, Th' appointed house, by Heav'n's decree receives us all at last."

Even the front of the church itself reminds those who enter that life flies - "Vivite Fugio"

Sundial halfway up the western facade of the kirk

St. Cuthbert's Church - west facade

St. Chuthbert's Church - east facade (at the end of Princes Street Gardens and below Edinburgh Castle)

The interior of this apse is Byzantine in style with an amazing relief of The Last Supper.  It was a very inspirational setting in which to worship.  There was a pipe organ, of course!  The church is Presbyterian, so it felt really familiar to me given the close theological relationship between the Christian Reformed Church and the Presbyterian Church.  It also had an Anglican flavor, it seemed to me, quite liturgical, and I do love high church!  I was so moved already by the choir introit that I was in tears from the beginning.  So much was familiar that I felt very strongly the oneness of the body of Christ throughout the world.  The opening hymn was "This Joyful Eastertide."  We said the Apostle's Creed and the Lord's Prayer.  The final hymn was "To God Be the Glory."

Apse Interior, St. Cuthbert's Church, Ediburgh

This is one reason I love hymns so much - not just because I'm a traditionalist who was probably born with an old soul - but hymns are more than just old-fashioned songs for old people; they are a shared heritage from generation to generation, age to age, and around the world (the western world anyway).  I'm not expressing it well, but through experiencing these hymns, the creed and the prayer I felt the unity of the body of Christ - even a quarter of the way around the world from home.

I keep hearing about how Christianity is dead in Europe, and while it is true that there were very few people at the service, kind of like the attendance at an evening worship service back home, and that many of the heads were quite gray, the service was so meaningful - not just because my love of hymns and pipe organs, but because of a very meaningful sermon and a very welcoming congregation.  Also, it is clear that the clergy and the congregants wish to reach out their community.

In part the sermon was about BEING Jesus to others, not just talking to others about Jesus.  The minister also mentioned the building we were in - that it was built in the 19th century and that the people of that time were probably worried about the direction of the church as they moved in a new direction with a new building (in other words that there are new directions to go now that probably feel pretty scary, but that this isn't new and is part of the history of this congregation).  This particular building was dedicated in 1894, but a chapel dedicated to St. Cuthbert is mentioned in the 8th century, and a church has definitely been on this site since 850 AD (making it the oldest foundation in the city of Edinburgh).  So this particular body of Christ has seen change after change.  The phrase that came to mind for me, which reminds me of a phrase used in my tradition, "semper reformanda."

What drew me to this church originally is that it is the body of Christ in which mathematician John Napier worshiped in the late 1500s and early 1600s - different building, of course, but same location and same local body of Christ.  He was an elder in this church and was a very pious man - but more about him later in my John Napier post.

Before moving on to evening worship elsewhere I need to add that the order of service ended with these words, "If you are able, you are encouraged to remain in church for the organ recessional."  How cool that that is respected!  (Blurry proof given below.)

In the evening I headed to St. Gile's Cathedral, thinking it was an evensong service, but it turned out to be an organ recital - OK, twist my arm :-)

St. Gile's Cathedral is the High Kirk of Edinburgh.  It has a distinctive crown steeple.  It's on the Royal Mile between Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle.  It is sometimes regarded as the mother church of the Presbyterianism, and John Knox (whose house is just down the Royal Mile a little further) preached here.

St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

When I was a child growing up in Immanuel CRC in Ripon, I would sometimes stay in the pew and close my eyes during the postlude, letting the vibrations of the pipe organ music transport me.  I felt at those times like I was in a cathedral.  As a child I was always enamored of castles and cathedrals.

  

Well, tonight I thought back to that time from my seat in an actual cathedral with majestic pipe organ music vibrating all around me - surrounded by stained glass windows, organ pipes, gothic arches, massive pillars, and ribbed vaulted ceilings.  I could think of worse ways to spend an evening!

Pipe Organ, St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

East Window, St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

Looking west - St. Giles Cathedral Edinburgh

I know I have at least two organists and a number of other musicians following my blog, so for the sake of anyone interested in such things, here is the "programme."

Post Script to my hymn sing group: I know hymn sing is tonight.  I've been thinking about this today as I've worshiped.  If anyone is willing to request Now Thank We All Our God for my sake tonight I'd appreciate it, not only is it my favorite, but I AM so thankful for the traveling mercies God has afforded me.  Know that I will be with you in spirit :-)