Bob the Bishop

It was a great day in Aberdeen as, with a little help from the Spirit, we sent Bob on his way as the new Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney. Provost Kelvin said that it looks as if there has been a bishop inside him all along – it looked right and it felt right. The liturgy was magnficent and the music superb. Trevor Hart managed to get Trollope into the sermon but must have left out the Father Ted section – I’ll forgive him for that.

As the moment arrived for Bob, I thought about how much he will give of himself without letting himself get in the way. And I thought about what an extraordinary gift this all is – the trust which is placed in you, the wave of goodwill and prayer on which you are carried along, the brave hopes that your leadership may point the way forward, the surprise when people seem glad to see you. Then I saw the other pictures – the endless travelling, driving alone at night; the impossible meetings, the festering problems, the administative stuff.

It’s impossible – but Bob will be made equal to it and more. I do believe in the grace of ordination. That’s the wonder of it.