Specsavers. (Though there are other companies).
I wonder if you have ever thought of the irony, that Scottish football referees are sponsored by Specsavers?
I cannot remember how long the company has sponsored them, but ask most fans and they will tell you about many dubious and debatable decisions. In my last charge in the south-side, sitting in my congregation on occasion, was none other than Willie Young.
Now, with apologies for many of our readers, most of you will not know who Willie Young is, unless you are interested in football. It is not like here, in Broomhill Hyndland, having Stuart Murdoch in your congregation – everybody knows about Stuart and his group, Belle and Sebastian; Stuart, Scottish musician, writer and filmmaker and the lead singer for the forementioned indie pop band.
No, Willie Young was an official Scottish referee as well as a lawyer (I better watch what I am writing, I don’t want sued!!). What makes Wille famous was that he was the referee that officiated at the Cup Final at Celtic Park on the 16th of May 1998, when Hearts eventually won the Cup 2-1.
Enough about Willie. Enough about Stuart. Back to Specsavers.
There has been a resurgence of a particular advert that made me smile.
It is an Arctic winter scene, and from the sky a parachute falls with a large box attached. The man rushes out and opens the wooden crate, to find a clown jumping out.
He returns to his station and heads for the C.B radio and says,
‘I said send supplies, not surprise!‘
Specsavers, of course, deals with hearing and seeing.
Mary, heads to the tomb and finds that the body of Christ is not there.
In the garden, she sees a figure and believing he is the gardener, asks ‘I am looking for my Lord, do you know where they have put him?’
‘Mary,’ he responds, and the voice takes her back.
Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Surprise,’ but you can rest assured that Mary’s face turned white, perhaps she staggers slightly, and her heart must have been racing.
‘Surprise’, doesn’t really sum up the shock that she must have been in and then of course, the relief and the release of grieving emotions to tears of joy.
‘Surprise’ and ‘supplies’ are going to follow both Mary and all the disciples in the days to come: from the doubting of Thomas and the disciples huddling in the locked room, to the supplies that would be given by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and to us, to send us out into the world, equipped and gifted by God to spread the good news that Christ had risen and he would be with us from time to eternity.
Specsavers – for seeing and hearing.
Mary saw, Mary heard his voice…and believed.
Some of the disciples took longer but got there in the end.
And for us, hearing and seeing too. Hearing God who calls us to celebrate after Holy Week, the joy of Easter, the hearing of his voice day and daily, guiding us.
And with vision, seeing God at work in our lives and in our world, supplying us with the gifts of the Spirit and surprising us in the places and the people we least expect.
Can I thank you all for the effort and the witness that you have made this Lenten, Holy week and Easter time – the surprising and innovative ways that you have thought of, to tell our community and beyond, the difference it makes having the resurrected Christ in our lives.
Have a happy Easter,
Your friend and minister,
George C Mackay