UK #10: Worship in Edinburgh

I was in Edinburgh on Sunday, and I worshipped at two different churches.  I started with St. Giles' (John Knox's church) 8am Communion Service.  It was only 10 people (it was eight o'clock in the morning....).  It met in one of their side chapels, and it was a simple, quiet service.  There was no music, just scripture, prayers, a short sermon, and Communion.  The congregation did not have a printed liturgy, which nice in its simplicity, but not very hospitable to visitors.  They had some different wording than I am used to, so I was saying slightly different words at a couple of points.  I don't like that feeling, so I always want people to be able to follow a written version if there are communal responses.

Interior of St. Giles, although not where I worshiped

I really appreciated the sermon delivery.  It was very simple, which fit the setting.  He basically stood in one place and didn't use his hands.  But he didn't stand behind a pulpit and he didn't use notes.  It felt almost conversational, but it was clearly well thought-out and researched.  Then pastor was nearing retirement age, so his experience gives him a certain gravitas, as did his Scottish lilt.  But it felt doable to me--I could preach in that style and still feel like myself, which I often don't with no-manuscript preachers.  I appreciated this service for what it was, although it probably didn't give me the best feel for what the congregation is like.

Welcome to St. Pauls and St. George's!

At 11am, I went to St. Pauls and St. George's Scottish Episcopal church, on the recommendation of someone from COS.  I had a wonderful experience there.  I ended up not having any interviews with pastors in Edinburgh because a couple things didn't work out.  So Sunday morning, my prayer was that I would have some kind of a good conversation with someone.  God answered that prayer!  P & G's (as they call it) was a very friendly congregation.  I was there pretty early because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there.  I found a seat while people were mingling over coffee between services (also in the worship area).  A woman noticed I was there and came over and talked to me, which was really nice.  Then, shortly after that, the woman who came to sit in the row in front of me introduced herself.  Her name is Rosie and she is attending seminary now, headed for ordination in the Scottish Episcopal Church.  She was excited to find out about my trip and invited me to come and sit with her and her family.  This is a wonderful example of how to extend hospitality at church!  I am used to sitting alone, and wouldn't have felt bad doing so, but being asked to sit with someone made me feel like I belonged in a much deeper way.  I think a lot of people are not very comfortable sitting alone, so imagine the way you could welcome someone by inviting them to sit with you!  This probably goes couples or families, too.

The worship was contemporary in style.  It was thoughtful contemporary with very good musicians, and the congregation sang well.  Other than the sermon, the service was led by a young, female associate pastor.  The service involved a baptism that she led beautifully.  I don't have a lot of opportunities to see other young women in action, so that was a nice bonus.

View of the sanctuary from the balcony, after the service

During the service, she interviewed a man who was a participant in their last Alpha course to encourage people to attend or invite someone to their course that starts this week.  The man was probably around 60 years old, and he described himself as a cynic about faith.  He happened upon P &G's because he was trying to find the church across the street for an event.  He talked to a church member who said that he would be welcome at P &G's, and so he came once.  He also attended the Alpha course to explore Christianity.  Jesus met him through this course and he is now a Christian and attending P&G's.  I was thankful to get to hear his story and see one way God is working.

Rosie and I talked about the ways that the church is changing, but not dying out.  She pointed out that in the middle Ages everyone was Christian, but it wasn't a personal faith.  People trusted the priests to do the work of faith for them.  In later eras the number of people attending church remained high because that is what you did.  But now, it is a choice people have to make.  The number of people that attend church are smaller, but it is probably a more committed group of people.  She also shared that in Scotland, most young people have had no church exposure, so they are starting from scratch with Biblical knowledge, but people are interested in learning.  Her husband goes regularly to their son's school to teach Bible stories to interested students.  Half of the students attend to learn the stories.  They and their parents are wanting to learn more.  Rosie has had people question why she is entering the ministry because "the church is going to be dead in 10 years." But she sees new life and trusts that God is still working through the church in Scotland, even if it looks different than it did 100 years ago.  That resonates with what I have observed other places, and what I think is true for the church in the U.S., too.

More Edinburgh pictures on Facebook, and you don't have to be a member to view them.