Devotions

There are many church buildings on the market in Scotland. Many have been converted into other things. Whilst this seems sad on some level from a historic and cultural point of view. In some cases it is sad on a spiritual point of view. However, the buildings are just that. Bricks and mortar. Man made constructs: ​1. Acts 7:48 (Stephen's Speech) ​While defending his faith, Stephen says: ​ "However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says..." ​He then immediately quotes Isaiah 66:1-2 , which provides the Old Testament foundation for this thought: ​ "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me?" ​2. Acts 17:24 (Paul in Athens) ​Addressing a city filled with magnificent marble temples (like the Parthenon), Paul states: ​ "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands." ​The Theo...

Welcome Welcome to Above All Love. This is Simply Fellowship — the Good News, quietly told. This is a gentle space. No pressure, no performance. You don't have to have it together to be here. You don't have to be certain, or hopeful, or even very present today. You're welcome exactly as you are, wherever you are reading this. If you need to read slowly, or stop and come back — that's completely fine. There's no right way to be here. Just be here. Hymn We begin with a hymn verse. Read it slowly. You might want to sit with each line before moving on. Just as I am, without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. — Charlotte Elliott Prayer Loving God, Thank you that you do not wait for us to deserve welcome before you offer it. Thank you that your arms are already open before we have finished our...

WELCOME Welcome to Above All Love. This is Simply Fellowship — the Good News, quietly told. This is a gentle space. No pressure, no performance. You don't have to have it together to be here. You don't have to be healed, or feeling anything in particular today. You're welcome exactly as you are, wherever you are reading this. If you need to move, or step away and come back later — that's completely fine. There's no right way to be here. Just be here. HYMN We begin with a hymn verse. Read it slowly. You might want to sit with each line before moving on. Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with life anew, That I may love what thou dost love, And do what thou wouldst do. — Edwin Hatch PRAYER Loving God, Thank you that you do not wait for us to be well before you notice us. Thank you that in the middle of our years — in the middle of our waiting, our weariness, our half-lived lives — you are not absent. Revive us today, not in some distant future, but her...

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here — He is risen!" — Luke 24:5-6 The stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out — He needed no door. It was rolled away so we could look in and see that death had lost. The grave could not hold the Author of Life. Every fear, every failure, every Friday you have ever lived — He has conquered it all. The empty tomb is not the end of the story. For those who follow Him, it is only ever the beginning. He is risen. He is risen indeed. And because He lives, so shall we. CÀISG SHONA DHUT / HAPPY EASTER "A-nis thog Dia an Tighearna agus togaidh e cuideachd sinne le a chumhachd / And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power..." (1st Corinthians 6:14)

"Be still, and know that I am God." — Psalm 46:10 The disciples did not know it was Saturday. They only knew their world had ended on Friday. They sat in grief too deep for words, with no idea that Sunday was coming. Sometimes we live in Saturday seasons — when the promise seems buried, the prayer unanswered, the tomb sealed shut. But God has never once been defeated by a Saturday. He is still working in the silence. Hold on. Image from Christians Unite

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." — Luke 23:34 They stripped Him, mocked Him, nailed Him, and watched Him die. And with the breath that was costing Him everything, He prayed for the ones doing it. This is not a story of defeat — it is the most audacious act of love in human history. The cross was not an accident or a tragedy. It was the plan. Heaven's Son absorbing the full weight of human sin so that not one soul would have to carry it alone. It is finished. And because it is, everything can begin. Image from  Christians Unite

"Do you understand what I have done to you? I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done." — John 13:12,15 On the night He was betrayed, He did not reach for a sword — He reached for a towel. He washed the feet of the man who would deny Him, the man who would betray Him, and every one who would abandon Him before dawn. Then He broke the bread and poured the cup and said, remember Me. The greatest in the Kingdom is the one on their knees. Have we picked up the towel? Image from  Christians Unite

"She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial." — Mark 14:8 Scripture is largely silent about this day — and perhaps that is the point. Not every holy moment announces itself. Somewhere in the quiet, a woman broke open her most precious possession and poured it over His feet. The disciples called it waste. Jesus called it worship. Some of the most significant things we will ever do for God will go unnoticed by everyone except Him. Do not despise the quiet offerings. Image from  Christians Unite

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." — Matthew 22:37-38 All day the religious leaders came at Him — with trick questions, political traps, theological puzzles. And all day He answered with a wisdom that silenced every challenger. Then He turned it all into one breathtaking simplicity: love God, love people. Everything else hangs on this. In a world drowning in complexity, He hands us a compass. Are we still following it? Image from  Christians Unite

"My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." — Matthew 21:13 Jesus walked into the temple and turned over the tables — not in a tantrum, but in a declaration. Holiness matters. Worship cannot be reduced to commerce, and God's presence cannot be auctioned to the highest bidder. He still walks into the temples of our hearts today, looking for what we have allowed to crowd out the sacred. What tables need turning in us? Image from Christians Unite

Lord God, Judge of all the earth — We come before You with heavy hearts. We grieve. We are angry. And yet we hold fast to hope, because Your justice is certain. You have spoken plainly through Your word. Your heart breaks for those whose lives are crushed by the powerful. You see what we see: We see these things today, Lord. We see systems that protect the powerful and leave the poor behind. We see the cost of war borne by those who never chose it. And we hear Your word grieve alongside us: So with Amos, we long for something better: All scripture quotations are taken from the  EasyEnglish Bible (EASY) , © MissionAssist. Available freely at  easyenglish.bible . Used under their open licence for non-commercial use.

  A Christian Witness Against War What Christians through the centuries have said about violence, the sword, and the way of Jesus — from the Early Church Fathers to Spurgeon, Moody, Bonhoeffer, and beyond. Resource compiled from christian pacifism blog This post gathers the Christian witness against war from across two thousand years of church history. It is not primarily a political argument. It is a spiritual one. The question it asks is simply this: what does faithfulness to Jesus look like when the drums of war begin to beat? What have faithful men and women said — not just in our time, but throughout the centuries? Their answers are worth hearing. ✦ ✦ ✦ The Early Church: "A Christian Must Not Kill, Ever" Before Constantine, before the church was entangled with empire, Christians held a remarkably consistent position on violence. The earliest believers understood, from the teaching of Jesus himself, that their warfare was not of this world. Their testimony is striking in ...

"The light shines in the dark, and the dark cannot put out the light." (John 1:5 Easy English Bible) In the cross reference and notes of the Easy English Bible it says "The Word (Jesus Christ) is like light. He shows us what is true. The dark means the power of God's enemy, Satan. Satan tries to hide what is true. God's light shines in the dark places and Satan cannot stop that light. Jesus said that he himself was the light of the world." It suggests two other verses:  [1] John 8:12 - "Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, ‘I am the light of the world. a. Those people who become my disciples will never walk in the dark. No, they will have the light that gives life.’" (a. Jesus said that he was the light of the world. The Jews lit a special light in the temple during the Festival of Tabernacles.) [2] John 9:5 - "While I am still here in the world, I am the world's light.’" In history and in our own lifetimes there has been both li...