CEILIDH

Sunday, July 6^th, was a special day that I had been looking forward to very much.  I was eager to lead worship and to preach, eager to see what it felt like to practice my craft in Scotland.  I woke up early—which seems to be a bit of a routine now.  The sun doesn’t set until near 11:00 PM and it begins getting brighter around 3:30 or 4:00 AM, so I have been waking up around 5!  After the normal Sunday routine of showering and some devotional time, I spent some time reflecting on the trip and all the many great things that happened recently:  the family’s visit, the meals, the incredible sanctuaries I had gotten to explore (St. Giles and St. John’s in particular), the warmth and kindness of the people, the great weather we were having, the recollections of many little things I have been observing in Will, Aubrey, and Sarah.  They are really taking it all in.  I felt very thankful and so by the time I made my way over to church, I felt like celebrating, giving thanks, and so worship was the perfect thing to do. 

I made it over to the church around 9:30 and noticed right away how cool the sanctuary felt.  It is such a tall structure inside that there can be quite a difference in the way it feels outside verses inside.  I did a brief run through and decided to leap a bit out of my comfort zone.  Rather than keeping the old iPAD on the podium, I opted to put in on the first pew and preach from the stage area where Scott usually preaches.  It felt good in a warm up fashion, and so that’s what I went with.  I like trying to achieve what some weeks feels impossible: staying with a carefully prepared manuscript and presenting the message in a way that is engaging to the listener.  Lifelong challenge to do this well, I think.

There is not a Christian Education hour to speak of before worship, but what does happen is people gather at the pub/restaurant next door, good old Wetherspoons, for tea and coffee and conversation.  So I headed over there and sat with some wonderful folk who I really enjoyed chatting away with and getting to know.  Harry stands out in particular because he is a golfer.  We had fun talking about the old game.  Ronnie, the guy who gave me his St. Matt’s pin last week and shared in the baptism of Jimmy, bought me a cup of tea and introduced me to the group.  We stayed and talked until just before worship.  I really enjoyed how people don’t rush through their time together.  They really seem to relish conversation and the moments they get to spend together.  It’s not about getting to the next thing but making the most of the person you have right in front of you. 

Worship went well, I thought.  There were close to 100 people present all scattered about the sanctuary.  Margaret played the hymns beautifully, and I felt right at home.  One of the highlights was listening to a gentleman read Psalm 46 and the gospel lesson from Matthew in the most beautiful Scottish accent.  I told the congregation that I could listen to most of them read the telephone book and think it was the holy word of God!  The sound of their voice is so pleasing to the ear.   Preaching with the teleprompter app a bit farther away was a positive thing for me, and my toughest critics—my wife and kids—thought so as well.  So, I may have cracked open a new homiletical chapter.  Who knows!

We finished up worship, and after I greeted some friendly folk at the door, we headed over to the fellowship hall for coffee, tea, and biscuits (cookies).  It was all warm and delightful.  I had to get mom, Lisa, and Neal to the train station for their day trip to St. Andrews by 12:30, so I couldn’t hang around too long.  After bidding them farewell for a few hours, we went back home and enjoyed a lunch of leftovers and made a grocery list.  Sarah and I did a Tesco trip while the kids played at the manse.  At the store we decided to make Pigs in a Blanket for the afternoon/evening event: a Scottish Ceilidh.  We went with it and rushed home to prepare them.  We later learned that our American Pigs in a Blanket are actually well loved “Sausage Rolls.”  Proper Pigs in a Blanket are wrapped in bacon here in Scotland! 

So the Ceilidh is something that is often done in the winter at New Year’s.  It is traditional Gaelic social gathering which involves food, fun, and dancing.  It was so touching for us to be treated as the honored guests for this special Ceilidh.  Will, Aubrey, and I wore our kilts, and Sarah wore Jill’s tartan sash.  It started at 4 pm and was held in the church’s fellowship hall.  The room was decorated with tables around the rim that were all set with plates and glasses.  We had a special seat, and there were about 50-60 people in total.  Many people were in their Scottish attire.  There was a band area and even a disc jockey (Gordon) on the stage.  Dear Ronnie acted as an emcee along with another guy whose name escapes me.  

We started off with food: mashed potatoes seasoned with onion and corned beef.  Each table got a large dish.  Then we got a light dessert of raspberries whipped with oat bits.  It was not too sweet but so good.  Will and Aubs were not fans, but they were so polite.  They later were served a dish of ice cream and loved that option!  We were next served bread, then a fruit and cheese tray but the real treat was being served single malt whiskey!  This happen just before Ronnie came to the mic to do a Robert Byrns tribute.  It lasted about 20 minutes and was so well done.  We all learned about Byrns’ life, work, and contributions to Scotland and to the whole world.  He is celebrated every January 25^th all over the world.

After the Byrns tribute, we enjoyed lots of story telling, poems by various people there, music of various sorts, but the best music I thought was the bag piper.  He played “Highland Cathedral,” and oh my goodness it was fantastic.  Then a talented guy named Andy (who played clarinet at church last week) came up and played lots of traditional Scottish songs using various recorders.  He also played a smaller set of pipes that were not as loud—incredible.  We did a sing along after that and then we got to doing some Scottish dancing.  That was a ton of fun.  The kids really enjoyed it and jumped right in.  We did basically ancient square dancing and reels that have been around for ages.  We all worked up a sweat and were laughing and smiling.  It was such a family oriented, enjoyable event.  The occasion ended with making a large circle and holding hands and singing “Old Lang Syne.”  There was such a genuine feeling of joy and celebration, and we left feeling our souls lifted to a heavenly place. 

Sarah and Aubs walked home, and I went to the station with Will to pick up the rest of the family, who had a marvelous day touring St. Andrews.  We got home and told one another about the adventures. It was a really fantastic Sunday.