December 31st 2025

All 365 days of 2025 have come and are nearly gone now, writes Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. This last day of December will close the year at midnight. Will you stay up to “bring in” the New Year, maybe sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, be sociable and perhaps noisy? Or will you be quietly thinking back, perhaps on your own, off to bed to get ready for another day, another year?

Either way, I want to wish you good health and happiness in the days ahead. The last day of the year is actually just another day, but we make it special because of how we arrange our calendars wherever we live. 

Saying Sorry

“Sorry seems to be the hardest word!” It is sometimes a hard word to say, it certainly is a hard word to mean and maybe even harder to accept.

I used to be a headteacher and at times boys would be sent to my office for fighting on the yard. They would come into my office saying sorry before even I spoke. I would often tell them that if they were really sorry it would not happen again, but often they would be sent back a little while later for fighting again. They were not sorry at all. They saw “sorry” only as a word that got them out of trouble. That is the difference between being sorry that you were caught and being repentant of an action. To be truly repentant means that you turn away from it.

The Batchelor President of the USA

 

James Buchanan was the fifteenth President of the United States and served just one term from 1857-1861.  During his presidency three new states were added to the Union, Minnesota, Oregon and Kansas.  It was a troubling time for the nation as the issue of slavery was high on the agenda which eventually led to the civil war during the presidency of his successor, Abraham Lincoln.  Buchanan was the only president who never married and he remained a bachelor all his life.

He had been born of poor stock in a log cabin in the town of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and went as a student to Dickinson College in a place named Carlisle.  There he proved to be a high spirited student but his antics led him to being expelled for arrogance, disorderly conduct and drinking.  Thankfully he was reinstated due to the influence of his church minister, Dr. John King who was on the board of the college.  Dr King seemed to have a lasting interest in supporting and encouraging Buchanan through some stressful times in his life.

Without Christ, Christmas is nothing!

If there is no Christ - there is no Christmas! Which is why are Christians are so convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Why you might ask, it's an excellent question.

Our belief is laid on a very solid foundation. First of all we believe in divine revelation not just human discovery. In fact to learn about something outside of our sphere of experience we all accept we need information from a trustworthy source. If you are serious about discovering the truth - check the Bible out. It is a trustworthy source. Read it, check it's sources, speak to those who believe it, look at it 's accuracy in every sphere it touches. There can only be one answer to the question of the origin of a book that was written over one thousand five hundred years by forty different authors, many of whom did not even know each other. The Bible is God's message to mankind.

The Story of Christmas - No 11

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

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The Story of Christmas - No 10

Isaiah 7:14-16

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,

and shall call his name Immanuel.

Butter and honey shall he eat,

that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good,

the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,

The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,

upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,

to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice

from henceforth even for ever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Sir James Simpson - Discovering meaning in life

In  Bathgate, a town in Scotland, a boy was born in 1811.  His family were not wealthy, and his mother died when he was nine years old, but he went on to become one of the most famous doctors that has ever lived.  His name was James Simpson, and he was educated at the University of Edinburgh and trained as a doctor.

He attended the operating room soon after starting his medical training and the place was not as clean as it might be, and there were no gowns, masks or gloves worn by those doing the operation. The patient was terrified and had to be held down firmly on the table as the operation took place.  As the surgical knife was used, the screams of the patient echoed around the building as there were no anaesthetics in those days.  The sound of that distressed patient stayed with James Simpson, and he determined to see an end to such suffering and conscious surgery. 

Loving Christmas

I love Christmas time!

From boyhood days right through to the present, I have always looked forward to the Christmas season – and I love it all.  As the lights start to go up and Christmas songs begin to be included in the radio selection, I begin to have that sense of anticipation.

Having said that, there are, of course, a number of Christmas traditions which have absolutely no place in the true Christmas story.  Whether it be Christmas trees, Santa Claus or fairy lights, we would all admit that these are just traditions that have crept in from different sources that have intrinsically become part of our December customs.

But even when we look at the Christmas story itself, if we look very carefully, some things that we often take to be true are actually traditions which were not there in the original record; many of them appearing in our much loved carols.  

The Story of Christmas - No 9

This is the story of an old man who God spoke to. He knew the Messiah was coming and he knew he could only die after he had seen Jesus with his own eyes. 

No one should die without seeing Jesus (by faith). To recognise Jesus as the Son of God and to trust him for salvation is the only way to prepare for death. 

Are you ready to die?

Luke 2:21-35

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

The Story of Christmas - No 8

Wow! 

Amazing! 

Who would have believed it!

The Romans actually did what God wanted them to do and yet they thought they were running the show! The Messiah was meant to be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:1,2) but Mary, his mother, lived in Nazareth which was 90 miles north. 

People didn't move house easily in those times but God arranged for everyone to go back to the their ancestral roots. Hey Presto (not a bible term) Mary is now in the right place to give birth to the Messiah. 

Read all about it in the following passage straight out of the Bible. Only God could arrange this!!

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

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The Story of Christmas - No 7

Today's Christmas episode deals with the arrival of the wise men from the east. They had probably travelled for around 900 miles. The guidance they had was the star. They knew they had come to see a new King, the King of the Jews. 

Their problem was they were looking in the wrong place. I wonder if you are looking in the right place when it comes to meeting God, finding the meaning of life and knowing the peace of God within your soul. The right place is not church nor religion. You can approach God directly by prayer and know the forgiveness of sins when you turn from your sins (repent) and confess them to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible promises 'the blood of Jesus Christ his Son (God's) cleanses us from all sin,' 1 John 1:7. 

Read this passage to discover how these wise men made their journey and finally discovered Jesus Christ, the Son of God

A new lifeboat station

 

 

At Anstruther in Fife, a new lifeboat station is being built with a new slipway to facilitate launching. Seven lifeboats have been stationed there since 1865, the latest being the Kingdom of Fife from 1991 to 2024. It was a Mersey class boat, but reaching the end of its operational life, it has been replaced by a Shannon class vessel, the beautiful, 13-47 Robert and Catherine Steen which arrived just over a year ago. It is superior in many ways, upgraded throughout and with a top speed of 25 knots. 

 

However, it is too big to fit inside the existing boathouse. So, at a cost of around £100,000, this new facility will be an all-round improvement for the benefit of the volunteer crew and for accommodating and launching the lifeboat to respond to emergency calls for help at sea.

 

“Saving lives at sea” has become a familiar slogan for the RNLI, and indeed that is its mission. Since its foundation in 1824 its crews have saved over 140,000 lives, some in the most difficult and dangerous conditions. Probably very few of us have had to call on them, but those who have, and have been rescued, are overwhelmingly grateful.

The Story of Christmas - No 6

This is an interesting story which sits beside the story of Jesus birth. The boy that is born turns out to be the forerunner and announcer of Jesus as Messiah. 

Read the end of the passage to discover what the boy's dad, Zecharias the old priest, thinks of Jesus (he calls him the dayspring from on high i.e. the dawn from heaven. Zecharias is teaching us that Jesus' coming would launch a new day for the world. Listen to his analysis of the outcome of the coming of Christ - 'To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.' An amazing consequence of the coming of Christ which is based on the death and resurrection of Christ. 

HS2 and The Christmas Island Project

 

The construction of the High Speed 2 railway line from London to Birmingham is a huge engineering project. Amongst the many tasks there has been the provision of a ‘bat tunnel’. An artificial tunnel, built over a section of the high speed line, to prevent bats being killed by fast trains as they fly over that particular  section of line. Years ago an electrified line on the third rail system had small tunnels provided underneath the lines to give badgers safe passage.

One of the most amazing examples of applying measures to protect wildlife from danger can be found on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. Following the first major rainfall at the beginning of summer, millions of Christmas Island Red Crabs carpet the island as they migrate to the coast. These palm sized land crabs live in burrows in the rainforest for most of the time, feeding on leaves, fruits, flowers and seedlings, occasionally scavenging on dead crabs and birds.

Their young must, however, develop in the sea, thus, once a year both the males and females swarm in their countless millions to the coast to breed. The males arrive first to make burrows beside the shore. Females arrive then to mate with them and stay with the eggs while they develop, before they crawl out and release the eggs into the sea. Here the young hatch out as free swimming larvae. Although they are small and vulnerable to larger marine life, their vast number ensures that many survive to become tiny baby crabs ready to come ashore to the rainforest. When they reach maturity at about four to five years old they are ready for the yearly migration to the coast.

The Story of Christmas - No 5

Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph's Discovery

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

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Carols - Singing your way to Salvation

Christmas is a season filled with light, joy, and music. Among its most cherished traditions are the carols that annually echo through churches, homes, and streets. These songs aren’t mere melodies; they are proclamations of faith, reminders of God’s promises and invitations to believe in the One who came to save us, Jesus Christ.

Carols carry the story of Christmas in a way that touches both heart and mind. “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is not just a call to sing; it summons us to worship Christ the Lord. “Silent Night” paints the picture of peace and holiness, reminding us that God entered the world in humility, wrapped in swaddling clothes. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” declares the gospel in song: “Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord.” These lyrics are mini sermons set to music, teaching us that Christmas is not about sentimentality but about salvation.

The Story of Christmas - No 4

Luke 1:39-56 Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;

And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

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Planning for the right season of life

Do you have any plans for today, the next few days, weeks, months or later on in the year? What are you looking forward to most? Do you have a special birthday coming up? Do you have an engagement party or a wedding to look forward to, maybe? Do you have a holiday planned? 

Where does God fit in to any plans that you have made for a future date? I once heard this excellent advice a few years ago: “Plan as if Christ’s return were years away but live as if it were today.” Can I ask how do you respond to that advice? 

It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” He also said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” These are wise words and reinforce the quote I have already shared with you. 

The Story of Christmas - No 3

Luke 1:26-38 The Angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth to Mary

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

Losing a child

It is every parent’s worst nightmare, when a highly anticipated Christmas shopping trip with grandparents in tow takes a dramatic turn for the worst as they suddenly realised that their five-year old, is nowhere to be found. This very thing happened to one of my friends. With fears of kidnapping racing through their minds, they split up to search for their precious little Joe. My friends assignment was the car park. In the grip of anxiety he made his way through the fresh fallen snow yelling, “Joe, Joe!” I have to tell you that he felt a little foolish. But being embarrassed by shouting out in a car park was overshadowed by fears for his son and his need to find him.

But, after covering the extensive area of the car park, there was no sign of Joe. More concerned than ever, he went back into the shopping precinct to see if anyone else had spotted him. He was hoping beyond hope that either his wife or his mother had found him, but their search had turned up empty as well. Their sense of desperation was hitting new levels when his dad walked around the corner with Joe in hand. Overwhelmed with relief, they asked, “Dad, where did you find him?”  "At the sweet counter,” he replied. “Little Joe had his hands behind his back and his eyes were right up at the level of the sweet shelves.” He didn’t even realize that he was lost! Nor did he have a clue about the kind of danger he was in.

Memorial - Beautiful Star

 

 Beautiful Star, KY 1298 

 

This memorial in King’s Lynn cemetery is a crafted stone replica of the fishing boat in which eight St Monans fishermen perished in a storm on the way home from the East Anglia fishing in November 1875. Five East Fife boats were wrecked and 37 men were lost at that time. 

There are poignant inscriptions on the memorial, but the passing of time has made them difficult to read. The names of the men who were drowned can be made out - the oldest was James Patterson, the skipper, age 49, and the youngest was Robert, his son, who had just turned 18. 

Then these words are written beneath - 

When the shore is won at last, 

Who will count the billows past? 

While we linger on the shore of life, 

A wave wafts us to eternity. 

Life, how short! 

Eternity, how long? 

Isn’t it true that life on earth is short and unpredictable, whereas the eternity which follows is long and sure to come? 

The Story of Christmas - No 2

Luke 1:1-25 - The Forerunner (John Baptist) of the Messiah (The Lord Jesus Christ)

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 

Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

The greatest gift of all

High in the hills in a lonely little village there once lived a Baker. The Baker supplied all the bread for the people living in his little village everyday and everyone knew and loved his smile and friendly nature. As is often the case, there lived a few families in and around the village who were too poor to even buy bread, but at the end of each day's work the Baker would lay out what was left of his unsold loaves for the poor of the village. The children of those poor families would all gather around the door of the bakery and, as the Baker laid out the bread on the table, all the children would rush to gain their prize. The Baker was always firm in his rule that each child could take one loaf and only one loaf, as, if any of them took more, there would not be enough to go around. The Baker always watched with a little sadness as the biggest and strongest boys would push their way forward to grab the largest loaves of bread. Inevitably the smallest children were left with the smallest loaves.