Language is a strange thing. Innocent words and phrases that are used to describe groups of people can very quickly be regarded as stereotyping – which is a bad thing , because it tends to cause the creation of barriers and divisions. The line of thinking can go
They are like that;
we are not;
we don’t want to be like them,
they have to change if they want to be part of our group.
Then new words of description have to be found so that whatever is said is not understood as excluding and offensive.

Language can also affect how we regard situations which confront us. When I was first ordained, there were debates about the problems facing the church in the last decade of the 20th century. But, we were told, we should not regard the situations as problems (which was too negative a word), but as challenges. The psychology was that people can be bowed low by problems but can rise up to meet challenges. Far better to be positive than negative.

And five years ago, when I was studying at Aberdeen University, the title of the course for my Masters Degree was “Challenges to the Church in a Changing Culture”. But it may be that challenge is carrying a more negative connotation that it used to, and the word that should be used is opportunities. What are the opportunities in the 21st century for us to promote our faith and the work of the church, so that others are drawn to what we do?

It is too easy to see things as problems, beyond our ability to respond! We may feel we do not have the energy to rise to challenges! We may feel we do not have the imagination to identify the opportunities!

On Sunday 11th May, we keep the Feast of Pentecost, when we recall God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to the first disciples in the form of wind and flame; and the continuing gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church as a whole and to each us its members. What we must remember is that the primary work of the Spirit is to inspire – as we sing in that wonderful hymn, Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire. Also, as the symbols of wind and flame suggest, the attribute of the Holy Spirit is power and energy – the Greek word is dunamos, which gives the English words dynamo and dynamic. And so a second role of the Spirit is to energise.

My prayer - I hope our prayer - is for that inspiration to see the times and places of opportunity for St Mary’s and St Peter’s, for the energy to respond to them, and for the perseverance to keep on responding to them. I remember in a confirmation sermon by a previous Bishop of Edinburgh, when he spoke about that energy, and quoted a hymn which went:
Go on, go on, go on, go on.
Go on, go on, go on.
Go on, go on, go on, go on.
Go on, go on, go on.

Language and descriptions may need to change to cope with current sensitivities, but the situations which require attention stay remarkably the same; and the inspiration and energy to deal with them do not decrease. I hope that we can always offer a welcome which is inclusive, even though it may be challenging.