´óÏó´«Ã½

Good morning.  It’s not quite the opening of Parliament, but with its own pageantry and trumpets, its Royal representation and its procession of dignitaries from Church and State - today the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will get underway. It’s a bit like the meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England and for the next week the Church of Scotland will deliberate on matters as varied as whether it will recognise ministers who are in Same-Sex marriages or whether its money should be invested in fossil fuel companies.

These and many others are big questions. But for today, the important sight for me is that in the procession - people from national and local government, people of other faiths and of no faith will join members of the Church of Scotland to get our Assembly underway.

This is because there continues to be a deeply respectful relationship between those who serve the public good whether within the church or beyond it. As the Principal Clerk to the General Assembly, today provides me with a reminder of the diverse ways and diversity of people who are part of the real fabric of our society.

It’s too easy to let ourselves think that the whole world should see things the way we see them. Unison is one way to think about singing, but harmony is much more interesting …… and more challenging. The truth is that it takes a blend of voices and views to make our common life work and today we will see that in the opening of our Assembly.

Teach us, almighty God, to respect the contributions that a diversity of women and men bring to our common good and grant us the grace to live life in harmony with others. Amen.