The Church is in a period of transition with decay being a univeral truth that not even the Church can escape. For the Christian, how can past glory fuel healthy longing for the present and the future?
The Good Ol' Days
July 11, 2008
Kenneth MaCrae, a Scottish pastor in the early 1900's, left stacks of journals with his widow, and she passed them on to Ian Murray, who condensed them down into a wonderful 500 page Diary.
Recalling his youth, he could not help reminiscing over the powerful influence that faith matters played in his shaping. Recalls MaCrae:
"Fifty years ago the Sabbath was universally observed throughout Scotland, and whatever desecration there might have been was furtive and shame-faced. This being so, church-going was the order everywhere.
The writer remembers as a little boy how both sides of Earl Grey Street and Lothian Road in Edinburgh from 10:45 till 11:00 0'clock every Sabbath morning were thronged with a double stream of worshippers, the one stream flowing contrary to the other, but all the units comprising those streams converging upon their respective places of worship.
Then, with the cessation of the church bells, a strange hush fell upon the city, and on the streets not a single person was to be seen except perchance a straggler hurriedly pursuing his way to the house of God. Such an order of things may appear incredible to the city-dweller of today, but it was literally true.
In the country distircts a similiar sight was to be seen, the roads being almost black with people as practically the whole community exercised their privilege of waiting upon God in the courts of Zion....In the evangelical districts of the Highlands at any rate, family religion in those days was a reality, and the daily worship of God was a permanent feature of most homes." DIARY OF KENNETH MCRAE page 8
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalms 126:4-6