Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Barry Hughes, minister, St Mark’s parish church, Raploch in Stirling.
Thank you, Presiding Officer.
Later today, I will head off to Loch Venachar, just outside Callander, where I will join the Raploch primary school primary 7 class for the rest of this week for their outdoor residential week. It is one of the greatest privileges of being parish minister in the Raploch that I am able to work with the local schools—the teachers, the staff and, most of all, the children themselves. I know that, during this coming week, we will see the children grow in confidence. They will learn new skills. They will face challenges that will be new to them and they will emerge from this week stronger as individuals and as a class.
We adults in Scotland could do well to learn from our children. Children are not encumbered by the things that can often hold us back as adults. Children always embrace new opportunities with excitement and enthusiasm, whereas our approach as adults can sometimes be tainted with cynicism.
Jesus Christ knew that better than anyone. That is why he said in Mark’s gospel:
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
He went on to add that all of us need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Within our community of Raploch, children are offered many wonderful opportunities, not just by local schools but by organisations such as the scouts and the big noise orchestra, with which many of you will be familiar. I am also all too aware that there are too many children, not just in Raploch but across Scotland, whose opportunities can be limited by social and other factors. We owe it to all the children of Scotland, whatever their background, to ensure equality of opportunity for them all.
During the summer, I was privileged to attend the world scout jamboree in South Korea along with 35 scouts from central Scotland—we were known as the kilted kelpies—and 45,000 other scouts from around the world. It is fair to say that, as you may have seen on the news during July and August, we faced a few wee challenges while we were in Korea, but we were so proud of all the young people who attended from Scotland for the resilience, adaptability and positivity that they showed throughout those challenges and for their attitude, which was always a can-do one.
Presiding Officer, as I pray this week for God’s blessing on you and all in this place, I do so remembering the words of Jesus Christ:
“When you welcome children in my name, you welcome me also”.
Thank you.
Before we move to the next item of business, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery Bjørt Samuelsen, the speaker of the Faroese Parliament. [Applause.]