... is not new, I've done it many times in many places, sometimes leading, sometimes participating, but there is always just a hint of nerves when doing it for the first time with one's own church: after all you have to go back next week!!

I am really grateful to A, B, B and M who helped set up the room, to G who prepared fifteen tables worth of plates with bread rolls and communion glasses and to the choir and sound desk folk who helped with the mulit-voiced element of the liturgy adated legitimately from that shared at the BUGB/BMS Assembly in Peterborough.

Because the first two Sundays in June are when the church offers early afternoon events in Glasgow's West End Festival, there is always a little bit of time pressure for the service - not helped when it is a communion Sunday as I like to take that part of the service at a relaxed pace so we can savour what we are about (I know, and me an ordinance theologian too...).

So I am very grateful to the Sunday School, especially E, who offered to skip the All Together bit this week (they are taking the whole service next week and were willing to give more time to planning and preparing that) which made my task of a full service in 55 mins (60 with notices) more achieveable.

The time pressure meant at best a homily rather than a sermon... The difference between a homily and a sermon?  About fifteen minutes :).  In the end I decided to story-tell part of the Mark 2 lectionary reading, interspersed with bits of the lectionary psalm, from the perspective on Levi ben Alphaeus.

I like story telling, and because my Dad was a brilliant story teller, and because primary school, Sunday School and Girls' Brigade all gave me lessons in expressive reading and narration, I'm actually reasonably good at it.

Levi, who woke up on a perfectly ordinary day, and ended up abandoning his career to go with Jesus.

Levi who invited Jesus and his followers, and his own friends, and even some dodgy people for dinner.

Levi who could be any one of us - an ordinary person, doing their best to get it right, and encountering in Jesus hope, love and acceptance they could never have imagined.

I had fun... I hope other people found it meaningful, and a little less stressful overall than it sometimes is, and that in some small measure, God entered our ordinary, everyday getting up, walking around lives and made them brighter.

One of my monthly pleasures is listening to the Small Voice podcast produced by GRF Christian radio.  They tell me I'm not their traget audience but secretly I reckon they are glad of the regular plugs I give them, here and on social media. :-)

I loved this poem, which they shared this month, in what I found an especially resonant edition of the podcast...  I always enjoy listening but this edition had a certain 'je ne sais quoi', for me anyway.

On a soggy Saturday morning, with two kitties for company it was thoughtful and thought provoking listening.

You can find it here - well worth a listen.

It struck me today that it is near as makes no odds 30 years since I completed my first degree!  It only took me 29 years to throw out the notes, and I still have the text books (some of which are still used, I believe!).  I have no idea where all those years went, but went they did!

I fished out my certificates from their assorted envelopes at the back of my wardrobe and reminded myself how unspectacular they are!  Clearly these universities have no desire to produce statements in Latin or to affix grandiose seals, just a glorified sheet of A4 (or in one case foolscap) paper.

I suppose after thirty years I really ought to get the first one framed... or maybe not.  There's something suitably grounded about keeping it in an envelope along with my 'O' and 'A' level certificates and other assorted commendations from my youth.

One heck of a lot of work went into each of the three degrees, so I'm glad to have these reminders of what I once achieved.

Just as well I only had two degrees at the time of my BUGB handshake though...

June means the West End of Glasgow enters festival mood... which means that everyone is busy planning and delivering events.

This year we have two top speakers lined up for our very popular "Philosophy Cafe" events..

Sunday 7th June we have Alastair McIntosh, author of Soil and Soul, which should be fascinating and challenging

Sunday 14th June we Professor John Curtice - who you may recall was one of the commentators in the recent General Election and whose exit poll proved remarkably accurate.

Events start at 1 p.m. (free refreshments from 12:30) and if you are around well worth dropping by.

Find out more here.

Been having some fun this morning beginning to work on the framework for this year's summer services, which are (very) loosely based on the new SU Holiday Club "Polar Explorers" and will have the working title "Never Too..."

Just the small matter of gathering in the various bits 'n' bobs I need now, both for the children's crafts and for some of the more interactive elements... candles, newspapers, fabric, salt dough ingredients, tiles, grout... I really hope that people feel able to engage with the ideas and in so doing discover more about themselves and about God.

The big challenge is fulfilling my aim to keep services down to 50 mins for the holiday season!!