‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you.’ John 15:13-14 (ESV)

On the final Sunday of last month we were encouraged to be Ordaining and Inducting a new Elder to the Kirk Session. It was lovely to be able to make that part of our Communion Sunday and as we gathered there was a real sense of the Spirit being present in a very special way. In the month ahead we will have our Remembrance Service as we remember the fallen of conflicts past and present. It gives us time to reflect on the sacrifice that has been given for the freedom we enjoy and as we took Communion together it gave us the time to stop and remember the high cost of our freedom from sin bought with the precious blood of Christ our saviour. In a day and age when the right to freedom in different forms has become so important to so many we see that true freedom is not found in the thinking and teaching of this world which only ensnares us in false promises. Being able to do whatever we want, to depart from rational think, allowing us to be whatever we want to be or identify as is not real freedom. Paul could write from prison as someone who, although constrained by the great Roman Empire, was in fact free in the truest sense of the word. He knew that within the bounds and boundaries of God and his people true freedom was to be found and eternal life, even in the face of death, was a reality because he believed and trusted in Jesus. Remembering also calls us to action so that we do not repeat the horrors of the past in global conflict but our remembering as believers, especially at the table of our Lord, also calls us to action to share the good news of hope and freedom that is available to a broken and hurting world. We are to go into all the world and make the name of Jesus known, we are to tell of a friend so loving and dear that he has laid down his life for those that would follow Him, the Saviour who is risen and reigning and has overcome death and the grave itself. May we never forget the high cost of our salvation or the hope and freedom it brings and that we can tell others of this good news.

Every blessing

Gordon