Rev Mark Johnstone welcomes the congregation and guests

The final service of the Festival was organised by Glasgow Churches Together (GCT) and the Cathedral Community at Glasgow Cathedral.  It began with church and civic representatives processing to the Cathedral from the St Mungo Museum behind piper Willie Park to join the congregation as Andrew Forbes, the Cathedral organist, and the St Mungo Singers led the singing of God our Creator.

An icon of St Mungo and a copy of the Bible were placed on the sanctuary table as Rev. Mark Johnstone, minister of Glasgow Cathedral, welcomed the congregation, and a member of Glasgow City Council staff, representing the Lord Provost, invited them to Let Glasgow Flourish!  to which they replied in the time-honoured words By the preaching of His word – By the praising of His name. In the opening prayer, Captain Les Heal, Chair of GCT, invited us to open our hearts to God’s presence among us in word, song and silence.

Then the St Mungo Sonnets by Glasgow’s Poet Laureate Jim Carruth were read to remind us of some of the stories of St Mungo.  The scripture readings which followed – 1John 3:1-3 and St John’s Gospel 15:12-17 – centered on the theme of love.

Archbishop Nolan gave the reflection, saying that when he thinks of St Mungo, whom we were remembering and honouring today, he thinks of a pebble being tossed into a pool.  Just as its waves ripple out, so the effects of St Mungo’s life and teaching spread in his time and influenced things in our city ever since, reaching us from the seed of the Word he planted.

It is true also for us, he suggested.  We are to be inspired and also inspire.  We also are pebbles, and this is particularly true of parents with regard to their children.  Quoting from Shakespeare’s Macbeth –“the evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.” – he said he didn’t entirely agree with this, as our good actions can continue to have an effect on people and society, as St Mungo’s example proved.

Ann Morgan plays for the period of reflection

As the congregation in turn reflected on Archbishop Nolan’s words, violinist Ann Morgan played the haunting Ashokan Farewell, leading into the Intercessions in which we prayed for peace, particularly in Ukraine and the Holy Land, and for refugees, remembering that St Mungo had himself been a refugee. Fittingly the Ukrainian Children’s choir then sang a Hymn for Peace, to conclude the Intercessions.  As the Kilmarnock Salvation Army played, an offering was then taken up for the work of the National Justice and Peace Commission.

Joanne, on behalf of the City Council, brought a message from the City Council, for this celebration of the one who founded Glasgow and his legacy which defines this city. In this year which marks the 850th anniversary of Glasgow becoming  a Bishop’s Burgh, the churches would be at the heart of the festivities to mark this.

The service finished with the singing of Let Glasgow Flourish, the joint blessing of the congregation by the church representatives, and the final hymn – the rousing For All the Saints, before the civic representatives and the young people present went to the tomb of St Mungo to lay wreaths there.

For the rest of the congregation, it was out into the chill of the dark night, but warmed by what had been a lovely and encouraging service.