The Events of Sunday, May 29, 2011

                Our home church is non-denominational, and we have little loyalty to any particular church category. However, Pam and I both have some history with Presbyterian churches. As a child, Pam’s family attended Presbyterian churches in Wilmington, DE, and Walnut Creek, CA. At Stanford, we both regularly attended Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. So when I learned that Edinburgh’s St. Giles (“Jylz”) Cathedral is sometimes regarded as the "Mother Church of Presbyterianism", I made that our Sunday church destination.

                The double-decker bus took us, through eerily empty streets, back to the North Bridge. From there, we walked one block to St. Giles. As we entered the cathedral, well-dressed ushers greeted us each with a hand-shake and a small red booklet of psalms and hymns (just the lyrics). The layout of this Cathedral is different from most. Instead of the Roman Cross shape (like a lower-case t), it was in the form of a Greek Cross, with the transept crossing in the middle of the nave (like the + sign). In the transept are the pulpit (on the left) and the organ and choir stands (on the right). While there were wooden box pews on the near side, our usher led us to the (more comfortable) chairs on the far side of the nave. This worked to our advantage in three ways: (1) we were close to the pulpit (about 12 feet), so we could easily hear and see the preacher; (2) we were farther from the entry doors, where visitors and street noise might distract us; and (3) we enjoyed more comfortable seats.

                Inside, people were preparing for worship. We enjoyed organ preludes by Messiaen and Widor, expertly played on the 1992 Rieger organ, and I waited to see the choir fill the seats in front of the organ. The second prelude ended precisely at 10:00 (we heard the bells chime), and I was startled to hear the choir introit, coming from behind us to the left. I turned to see this medium-sized choir of thirty singers, in robes. They led us in singing three hymns. All three featured solid theology, flowery language, beautifully complex harmonies, and melodies that were difficult for us to hear and remember. During the first hymn, the choir surprised me again by processing from behind me on my right. We enjoyed the solid organ accompaniment in this wonderfully reverberant space.

                In the 16th century, reformer John Knox ministered and preached here in St. Giles. This week, it was the Rev. Howard Gordon who filled the pulpit. After a minute, I realized that his voice was strangely easy to understand … because he had no Scottish accent. In fact, he spoke with an American accent, and I learned later that he is on temporary assignment here and normally serves in Little Rock, Arkansas. Great, we come all the way to Scotland, to hear a Scottish preacher, and what so we get? An Arkansas transplant! Ah, well. His witty sermon focused on the idea of God’s sovereignty. What should we do, he asked, with the inequities and stupidity of life on earth? We ought to view the whole cosmos as entertainment, he answered. When we trust that God is sovereign over all, when we recognize that God works all things together for good for those who love him, who are called according to his purpose, then the riddles of evil and pain and chaos only add to the luster of God’s glory.

                A rich, solemn silence accompanied the Holy Communion. Ushers led worshippers up the aisles and into the central altar area, where we stood to receive the elements. We tore chunks from a brick of bread and drank sweet red wine from a large silver goblet. (Well, I was the only Taylor who actually tasted the wine; the others just lifted the goblet to their lips.) After “passing the peace” (greeting our neighbor with a hand-shake or kiss), ushers led us back to our seats. There we enjoyed more choral music, prayers, and hymns.

                After the service, we stayed a while to take photos of the organ, the pulpit where John Knox preached, and the unusual architecture. Then we walked a few blocks up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. I had to wait almost an hour to get tickets, and when I finished that, it was time for lunch. Benches were in short supply, so we just sat against the castle wall and distributed lunch ingredients onto our bright IKEA plates. Partway through the meal, a preschool girl walked by and saw us. In a sing-song voice, she announced to the world, “Look, they’re having a PICK-nic!”

                Walking into the castle, we picked up our AntennAudio mp3 audio guides. These were, by our vote, the best we have heard so far anywhere. The narrators presented the information clearly, often in story form. Throughout the tour we enjoyed sound effects (crowd noise, fanfares, swords clashing, horsesteps, etc.) and musical background and interludes (I am a sucker for musical effects). We did some exploring on our own, and then we took an introductory tour with a Castle Guide. Through the gales of wind, he did his best to show and tell us some of the Castle’s highlights. Our family enjoyed Mons Meg, a 20-inch calibre “supergun” accepting cannon balls weighing 400 pounds and requiring hundreds of men and horses to move it just four kilometers a day. Nearby was the dog cemetery, where Scottish soldiers buried their faithful canine companions. Next was “The Honours of Scotland” exhibit: the Crown, Scepter, and Sword, plus the Stone of Scone. Also known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone, British monarchs have been crowned on this chunk for over 1000 years. When we entered the Great Hall, we encountered Queen Margaret (at least that is how she introduced herself), the Queen consort to Malcolm II and mother of three Kings of Scotland. It was fun to hear her speak about life in the eleventh century – it brought the castle to life, a little. I enjoy stumbling into these “living history” exhibits.

                It was 4:00 when we finished visiting the Castle, so we scooted down the street to the National Museum of Scotland. There was not much time before it closed, but then again, we did not find much that interested us. The kids enjoyed seeing Dolly, the first cloned mammal. Taxidermists have done a tolerably good job preserving her woolly body. We saw two more signed copies of the National Covenant. I began to wonder why there are so many “original copies” of the covenant. The reason finally became clear when I read this excerpt from an online article:

In the Year of our Lord, Sixteen Hundred and Thirty-Eight, Scotland did something that no other nation outside of Israel has ever done before or since - the entire nation entered into a solemn Covenant with their Creator - In effect, Scotland married God. (http://hubpages.com/hub/Covenant-Promise-and-Revival)

So, I guess if the whole nation signs, that will mean they need many copies.

                I led us on a circuitous route (no, I was NOT lost) back to North Bridge, where our bus arrived a minute after we did. We enjoyed our final double-decker bus tour of Edinburgh on the way home. The kids made up a quick dinner of tacos and nachos, while Pam and I prepared to go out for an overdue anniversary dinner. We walked to Fishers Bistro, about a mile from our apartment. There we shared a bowl of delicious fish soup. Pam had to know how lobster tasted on this side of the Atlantic, so she had a “whole North Berwick Lobster with garlic and herb butter, chips and salad”. Her conclusion: it tastes just right. Always curious, I ordered the “whole Artbroath smokie topped with Stormaway white pudding, cherry tomatoes, and red onion marmalade”. To translate, it was a smoked white fish, stuffed with tasty goodies and baked. Exquisite. For dessert, I tried – and liked – the spicy Sticky Toffee Pudding with cream and ice cream. Pam enjoyed a double scoop of very rich chocolate ice cream, with a cup of sticky toffee sauce on the side. Delicious! Hand in hand, we strolled along the canal, admired the view in the twilight, and returned to our apartment. The kids had successfully cleaned up dinner, folded laundry, packed for tomorrow, and put themselves to bed. We should do this more often!