Great men

The communities we’ve seen since we entered Scotland seem to be very fond of celebrating their famous sons and daughters… Burns, Boswell, Duncan, Keir Hardie…

… well, sons anyway. In those times, men were far more likely to rise to prominence than women. I’m watching the quarter final of the women’s football World Cup, and hoping that this century, south west Scotland will have plenty of daughters to celebrate. “In Christ there is no longer male and female” – and the origins of some of these famous people were in Presbyterian Christianity.

Keir Hardy was someone I remember from school history lessons, a founder of the Labour Party….

It would be interesting to know whether he made it into the recent book of eminent Victorians – I kinda doubt it.

God give us each such a measure of the Spirit of Christ
that we discover the greatness inside us. 
Help us be kind and respectful to others,
that we may help nurture the greatness in them.
Teach us, and our society
the teachings of Jesus –
forgiveness, new beginnings, love.