Looking Ahead

From October 20:

Hope you had a good ‘Tattie Holiday’. We were able to take a wee break as a family to the major metropolis of  Cumbernauld. Just took a bit of time to relax and catch our breath. But we did do a bit of playing tourist. We ended up at Stirling Castle and took a look at the breath taking view from the walls of this amazing fortress. We also had a nosey through the palace and great halls absorbing history along the way. Lovely those wee radio things as you tour. 

As we went through the Palace of James V and saw the various halls and the splendour that was the flamboyance of the mid-1500’s the lessons of the messages of power and prosperity were obvious. The chambers one had to pass through to get to the inner chambers lead one to understand that the farther in you got the more important you were.. To meet the King James or his wife Mary of Guise in their private bedrooms was the indicator of height of importance you had achieved. To stay in the palace for the night meant you were part of the ‘In-crowd’ of that day. You may be important back home but you might just have to rent a room in the town instead of being hosted in the palace. And so it was in those days and the tradition continues on. Not many of us have even seen the ‘Royals’ let alone spent the night in the Palace.

And as I thought of these things and the £14 Million spent on refurbishing an un-lived in palace that is of historic importance and that leaves me very impressed, I realise in the scheme of life and eternity that it really isn’t much. 

As a Christian that has my trust in Jesus I realize that there is a heavenly home waiting that is beyond even the greatest dream of the builders and remodelers of the Stirling Castle Palace. I also from the book of Hebrews in the Bible have the assurance that if I know the God of the Bible that even in this life I can come boldly before the throne of grace of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Why? Because after all he is my heavenly Father and so the way was prepared by the Cross of Jesus so many years ago. 

In these troubled days I am reminded that Jesus said: let not your hearts be troubled... in my father’s house there are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there you can be also...’ Looking at the spectacular sight of Stirling Castle is awesome, looking forward to my home in Heaven seems even better...

Looking ahead,

Rev. Jon Bergen