Croftfoot United Free Church’s Sanctuary – with their collection of shoe boxes for charity

This year’s service was hosted by the congregation of Croftfoot United Free Church, a lovely welcoming church whose Session Clerk Mrs Anne Blackwood (in the absence of their minister who was on holiday) greeted us warmly on behalf of their community.  Representatives of member churches of Glasgow Churches Together were present, together with parishioners from across the city

After the opening hymn, led by members of the St Mungo Singers, with organist Jacqueline Barrett and violinist Mil Zomack, Cpt. Les Heal, Chair of Glasgow Churches Together, set the theme for the service with his opening prayer which called on all present not to be despondent but full of hope. He then led the congregation in the Pause for Hope prayer

The reflection was given by Rev Leslie Edge, Chaplain to the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, the charity which was to be the beneficiary this year of the collection taken up at the service.  He gave a insightful and thought provoking take on the Gospel passage which had been read: the well-known story of the unnamed woman who wept at the feet of Jesus, wiped his feet with her hair and poured perfumed oil over them.

Described in the Gospel as a sinful women, Rev. Leslie said, but she was a knowing and loving woman,  She knew who in truth Christ was and she gave a public display of her love which might have embarrassed some of those present at the meal.  Rev Leslie then asked “is Jesus real for us and do we know him? Do we recognise his love for us?”

His colleague Linda Allen from the Hospice gave an insight into the history and work of the Hospice, and in summing up described it as not a sad or despondent place but a place of love and hope.

The candles of prayer

The central part of the service was, as ever, the lighting of candles and the placing of cards with personal intentions on a table at the front of the church, which all present were invited to take part in.  Those intentions will be held in prayer by the community at Croftfoot Church over the coming year.  After all had returned to their seats, they joined in saying the prayer over the candles:-

God, our loving Father, the candles we have lit represent each and every one of us whose lives have been touched and changed forever by cancer.  Their light also reminds us of Jesus Christ, your Son, who is the light of the world and the light in our darkness.  Give us, we pray, comfort in our anxiety and fear, courage and strength in our suffering, patience and compassion in our caring, consolation in our grief.  But above all, give us hope, now and always.

The Prayers of Intercession which followed were heartfelt prayers for those suffering from cancer, their families and friends, those had lost loved ones to cancer and for the nurses, doctors and researchers working in this difficult field.  A collection was taken up then for the work of the Hospice, before the final blessing, which Rev. Leslie invited the congregation to say for each other, and the closing hymns.

The community of Croftfoot United Free Church had laid on a lovely spread of home baking and tea and coffee to give us time to chat and come back from the service space and the thoughts it had evoked in us.