A warm welcome to Pathhead Parish Church which meets at 11am each Sunday. On regular Sundays, we offer online worship via Zoom for those who cannot be physically present and this can be arranged by contacting the church office. Whichever way you meet us, welcome! At 6pm most Sunday evenings we have an online meeting for those wishing to look at a Bible passage, chat about it and pray. Just contact myself to get on the email distribution list for the Zoom link. I can be contacted at minister@pathheadparishchurch.co.uk
We also offer Messy Church once a month and there is a Messy Church page on this website where you can find more details of its activities.
A roller-coaster of a year ahead…
As we journey through the early stage of a new year, it is hard not to feel that we may be in for something of a roller-coaster ride. On the world stage, events seem to move at great speed, often in unsettling directions. Closer to home, the domestic political scene is filled with uncertainty, and with elections on the horizon the landscape may yet change again. Many people are asking what lies ahead and how all of this will affect our daily lives.
Yet as I reflect on these things, I find comfort in remembering that uncertainty is nothing new. The world into which Jesus was born was also a deeply unsettled one. It was marked by political oppression, social tension, and widespread anxiety about the future. Power rested in the hands of distant rulers, and ordinary people lived with little sense of security or control. And yet, into that very world, God chose to send his Son — not with words of fear or despair, but with Good News.
The Gospels tell us surprisingly little about Jesus’ early years. They move quite quickly from the mystery of his birth to his baptism, his temptation in the wilderness, and the beginning of his public ministry. Those moments set the direction for all that follows. At his baptism, Jesus is affirmed as God’s beloved Son. In the wilderness, he faces temptation and hardship, yet remains faithful. From there, he begins to proclaim the Kingdom of God — a kingdom not built on power, force, or fear, but on love, mercy, and truth.
In the weeks ahead, the season of Lent will soon be upon us. Lent invites us, year after year, to walk with Jesus through those testing moments in the wilderness. We remember how he resisted the temptations of the world — the lure of easy answers, of power, of self-interest — and in doing so showed us that there is a better way to live. His victory over temptation assures us that our lives need not be governed by anxiety or uncertainty, even when the world around us feels unstable.
As we look ahead into an unknown year, we do so with hope. Christ has already walked the path of uncertainty and emerged victorious. In him, we are reminded that there is a peace deeper than political change, stronger than global upheaval, and more enduring than any headline. It is the peace that Christ alone can offer — a peace that lifts our hearts, steadies our souls, and helps us to live with faith and confidence, whatever the year ahead may bring.
Every blessing,
Andrew Donald
Minister
It will be a great pleasure to welcome everyone back to worship but for those not able to join us, we shall continue with the Zoom facility so that people can join us from home. Our 6pm Sunday Bible Study will continue on Zoom and if you wish to join the regulars you can find the details along with those of the morning Zoom meeting which is sent out by email.
