St Andrews and Edinburgh

Yesterday we spent the day at St Andrews. I know what you’re thinking. Olde Course, the place where golf began, the British Open. I’ll have to admit an interest in seeing this holy place of golf. It was a thrill watching folks tee off in front of the Ancient and Royal club. Even though there was a light rain and a cold wind was blowing stiffly off the North Sea, it was a thrill to think of all the golfing greats who’d walked down that course and then finished up on the 18th. But St Andrews has much more to offer than ancient stories of golf.
In 1546 George Wishart, a reform preacher, was taken into the custody of the cardinal at St Andrews. He was burned at the stake. Shortly after, Wishart’s friends broke into the castle and murdered the cardinal. They occupied the castle and started the first reformation congregation in Scotland. A young preacher by the name of John Knox came to serve as chaplain for those at the castle. They hoped the English queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, would come to their rescue. Unfortunately the French got there first, Knox was captured and was forced to serve as a galley slave for two years. When he was released he went to the continent, met up with John Calvin in Geneva, and returned to Scotland to be the mouthpiece for the reformation a few years later.
I visited the ruins of the St Andrews cathedral. Knox returned to St Andrews, and from the Trinity Church incited mobs to go and tear down all the altars in the Cathedral and remove any paintings, statues and icons from the church.
Today I attended a morning communion service at St Giles church in Edinburgh where Knox was minister. There were only five of us including the minister. It was held in a side alcove of the sanctuary where, before Knox, the Catholic church would have had an altar. I thought I heard the ghost of John Knox ranting that the present minister of the church had built an altar in the church and as including communion at each service on Sunday and two mornings a week. Hopefully Knox has tasted that great feast in heaven and now understands the table of mercy is neither Catholic or Protestant, but a gift of grace and hospitality for all who come.
The pictures include Susan and me at the Olde course, the ruins of the St Andrews castle, and Dr. McMillan,pastor of St Giles whom I interviewed today.