Thought for the Week By Rev Dr Graham McWilliams, St Columba's and Fairlie Parish

What a difference a day makes!

The clocks changed early on Sunday morning when we entered British Summer Time. And, as if by magic, the sun shone all day, giving a wonderful sunset that same evening. Surprisingly, the sun was still shining on Monday and what a difference it has made. Doesn't the west coast of Scotland look its best in the sunshine: the sky is blue as, too, is the water and the result is that everyone's spirit seems to have lifted.

When the sun shines, I love to hear people use a quote from the bible. They say, ‘the sun shines on the righteous’ and that is true; but what Jesus actually says is, God the Father ‘makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.’ However, sometimes we’re happy with only a half-truth.

If people were to go further in quoting Jesus, the next part of His statement in the Gospel of Matthew would be quite challenging because Jesus says, ‘Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you?’ That’s a good question because sometimes, we’re not just content to hear half-truths, we’re also content to keep our love for those whom we know and who know us.

As we move towards the final week of Lent and enter into the holiest week in the Christian calendar, it may be worthwhile taking a few minutes to realise that Jesus didn’t just die on a cross for the righteous; nor did He restrict His love to those who loved Him. Being God Himself, Jesus gave His life on a cross for the righteous and the unrighteous (the good and the bad) and the new life that was experienced on Easter Day is promised to everyone who has faith in Jesus; and this is a new life that can bring sunshine which would lift the spirit of anyone experiencing, not just a dark day, but a dark period in their life!