Minister’s message: Repent and find goodness

When I was a child in Glasgow, writes Rev James Gatherer, I remember seeing a man in the city centre carrying a large board that read REPENT! THE END IS NEAR! He was, of course, dismissed.

The first chapter of Genesis describes the creation of a world that is good – a world of harmony and order; of stars that move in their courses, seasons that come and go, day following night.

Chapter 2 describes Adam and Eve (not proper names) living in a paradise garden that produces plenty. The world is good.

But in chapter 3 they want to be like gods and eat the forbidden fruit bringing them the much desired but ultimately terrible gift of knowledge.

And then the world goes wrong. Cain murders his brother Abel; the children of man build a tower that reaches the heavens; they are scattered across the face of the earth; they misunderstand one another; the world goes wrong.

Today we read and hear daily about a world going wrong –floods, storms, fires. Such things have always been, but now we are being told that we are making it worse.

And there are voices telling us to ‘turn around’ and see what is wrong; ‘turn around’ and change; to change our way of living in the hope that things may ‘turn around’.

And the old-fashioned word that means ‘turn around’ is REPENT!

If only we had listened and changed our ways sooner then maybe things might be better now.

There is still goodness in the world but we have to look for it and when we find it embrace it. It is worth looking for.

So REPENT! May the Peace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

Every blessing,
James Gatherer

• Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash