The providence of a chance meeting
If you live in China, and some surrounding countries, this is now the year of the Rabbit, or more specifically of the Water Rabbit. 22nd January was New Year’s Day in that part of the world. Tens of millions of Chinese people take the opportunity of this holiday to return home. It is said to be the largest annual mass migration of human beings on the planet. Vast numbers leave the cities where they work and return to the country villages and towns of their birth. A few years ago, our eldest son Philip, who works in China, sent us a photograph of himself on a deserted four lane motorway. Instead of the customary congestion, it was eerily empty, like a scene from
a post-apocalyptic movie. No disaster had struck. They had just all gone home for New Year.
2,000 years ago, there was an annual migration of Jewish people to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. The numbers were hardly of modern Chinese standards, but people came in their thousands from all parts of the Mediterranean World, and converged on Jerusalem. Among their number was a man called Simon, who was from Cyrene, which is modern day Libya.
Have you ever wondered what kind of day he thought he was going to have that Friday, as he made his way into the city? Without warning, the Roman soldiers conscripted him to carry a cross, on which one of three prisoners was to be crucified. The condemned man seemed to have been beaten so badly that he simply could not carry it for himself. Simon would have carried, not the whole cross, but the crossbeam, the upright being firmly in position at the place of execution.
So here we have this man arriving in the city from a distant country, presumably to celebrate Passover, and he finds himself walking to Calvary in the footsteps of Jesus. I wonder if he found himself complaining about the turn of events, and how he seemed to be in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time.
I suggest you take a picture in your mind’s eye of this scene. What do you see? You see a man carrying a cross whilst following Jesus. It is a dramatic illustration of what Jesus said of being a Christian:
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27
Simon provides us with a visual representation of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. We must die to the world and throw our lives into following Jesus. Hope is found, not in investing our lives in the world, but in committing our lives to Christ. To do that we must die to self and die to the world.
Mark provides us with extra detail about Simon of Cyrene. He tells us that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. It is a fascinating detail. Clearly Mark expected his first readers (possibly believers in Rome) to know those brothers. This may well be the same Rufus mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Romans whom he describes as ‘chosen in the Lord’ and whose mother, Paul says, was ‘a mother to me as well.’ (Romans 16:13).
This holds out the possibility that this Simon who, in a seemingly chance encounter on the road out of Jerusalem, was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus, was a man whose family came to faith in Jesus. Simon may have initially thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but in the providence of God he was in exactly the right place and at exactly the right time.
Amidst all the turmoil that is sweeping our Church in these days, all the changes that are coming down the line, we must remember that the important thing is that Jesus is building his church. He often does it in ways that we might find overly challenging. But if God can build his church through the unwelcome imposition placed on a man to carry the cross of Jesus, because he seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, then we can face the future with confidence that our Lord can take the impositions of our day and build his kingdom. And it is for the growth of the kingdom that we must pray.
Your minister
Martin
Easter Services
Wednesday 5th April 7.30pm: Taize service in St Peter’s
Thursday 6th April 7.30pm: Maundy Thursday communion service in Trinity
Friday 7th April 7.30pm: Good Friday service in St Margarets
Easter Sunday 9th April: 8.30am outdoor service at the Cross followed by light breakfast in the Biggart Hall.
Our midweek will be held on the Tuesday evening of that week (4th April)
Chongos
Sadoc and Vivi have been with us since Autumn 2016 (and are now a foursome with Olivia and young Sadoc!) They have led our youth work and enriched our fellowship during that time, but are now looking for a new church in which to serve. Whilst nothing definite has yet been arranged, the expectation is that they may well leave us over the summer months.
For much of the time they have been with us, they have been staying on St Palladius Terrace, due to the generosity of Gary and Pamela Caldwell allowing them the use of their house. We are deeply grateful for their help in this! Currently, the Chongos are staying in a house on Reid Avenue.
More news of the Chongos future when we know it!
New members
We are delighted to welcome new members to the congregation: Louise Campbell, and David and Jenny Mewes.
Funerals
We have lost a number of folk from among us over recent months:
21/12/22 Hugh Fairlie Greenbank
22/12/22 Mary McInnes Kilwinning (formerly of Regal Court)
23/12/22 Gilbert Pepper St Palladius Tce
24/2/23 Elizabeth Pattison Mugdock Care Home