Embracing Peace

The current push to curb Global Warming is being embraced by a large number of nations as essential to ‘Saving the Planet’.

But surely a far greater threat to our world exists in the continually weakening relationships between nuclear-armed nations that could swiftly lead to the extinction of Life on Earth!

Surely now is the time for these powers to gather round the table to debate the formula for a lasting global peace!

So where do we start? Well, we have to get a few fundamentals in place – a symbol of world peace and a sign or identifying gesture that everyone can use on a ‘greetings’ basis.

Also, there are religious organisations that would do well to embrace this new initiative to help create world peace.

Although the Church of Scotland is visibly, and in many ways successfully moving from formality to informality in worship and its public image, the Kirk might now seriously consider changing and modernising their centuries old Latin motto to a more meaningful: ‘Peace in our Country, Peace in the World’.

That move would instantly introduce the concept of world peace into the public domain, while proclaiming a ‘Gospel of World Peace’ for the benefit of our global family: A gospel that can free all people from tyranny and oppression and give everyone on our planet an even and equal start in life, thanks to world peace.

As for the ‘Gospel’ itself, it doesn’t require to comprise numerous chapters and pages like the New Testament gospels. The Gospel of World Peace is a theme, an image, a desire, a hope that all the peoples of the world can cling to.

Peace is a beautiful concept, surely there is a will from us all to make it a fact. And can The Church of Scotland and its members take an active lead?

Let’s start with, ‘Peace in our Country, Peace in the World!’ Alistair Vallance, East Kilbride and develop as it wrestles, in common with all presbyteries, with the demands of Mission Plan requirements. We are exploring new forms of church life and seek to engage in a range of creative ways with diverse local communities as we treasure what’s best in our traditions while not ignoring rich possibilities as we do new things.

If legacy connotes being stuck in the past and afraid to change, it doesn’t describe Glasgow. Some size and structure may remain from years gone by but, in the city which will celebrate 850 years of life in 2025, we like to think that some new treasures, as well as older ones, can still be brought out from what is one of the Kirk’s new presbyteries.

Dr Grant Barclay (Rev) , Clerk to the Presbytery of Glasgow