Good Morning Friends,
Well, we just got back from a two-week trip to Scotland, and I have to say that the place and the people we met have a way of shaping souls. It was special for the Shannons and Lawsons and Mary Paine from Moorings Ringers because we were joined by Dick and Martha Crofts who formed our bells choir more than 40 years ago. And we played more handbell music packed into six days than I thought humanly possible. And in addition, we were steeped in the history of the church interwoven into our own histories. Scotland’s writers, like Sir Walter Scott and Robert Lewis Stevenson and in particular George MacDonald, and the poets of Iona, carried a quiet, sturdy wisdom about the place where the dogs are well behaved and its people extraordinarily kind. They tell us what has been reflected in our lives, that faith grows best when it is shared, and lived in community, and when music is made and sung. These authors from Scotland believed that discipleship is not merely taught but caught and woven into the rhythms of worship, beauty, and daily life. Their words remind us that the church, and not just the institutional church, but the invisible one woven into the community is strongest when its people learn to listen deeply, pray honestly, and serve with others humbly. I felt it when we played What A Wonderful World on Loui Armstrong’s birthday and worshiped with others on Hiroshima Day for peace. But all this poses a deeper question beyond just feelings: So, are we willing to let our lives become instruments in God’s ensemble, shaped by humility, tuned by Scripture, and offered for Christ’s mission for us?
Scripture Summaries:
Psalm 133 reminds us that “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people dwell together in unity.” Like oil running down Aaron’s beard or dew refreshing the mountains, unity is both beautiful and life-giving. A handbell choir embodies this psalm—each person offering their part so the whole may flourish.
Ephesians 4:11–16 teaches that Christ gives diverse gifts to His people so the church may grow into maturity. We are “joined and knit together,” each part contributing to the harmony of the whole. This is discipleship as Scotland’s writers understood it, faith formed through shared life, shared worship, and shared mission.
Colossians 3:16–17 calls us to let the word of Christ dwell richly among us, teaching and encouraging one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Worship is not decoration; it is formation. The handbell symposium’s tapestry of music mirrors Paul’s vision of a church singing its way into deeper discipleship.
Message: Together, these Scriptures teach us that the way of Christ is not solitary but symphonic. You see, handbell choirs, in their very structure, preach a gospel of community too. No one musician holds all the notes. No one person carries the melody. Each ringer must trust the others, listen to the other players, and offer their part at precisely the right moment. It is a living parable of the church: many members, one body; many gifts, one Spirit; many hands, one mission. And this is where Scotland’s wisdom meets the mission of handbells. The Spirit was alive at the 2026 Handbell Symposium in Aberdeen, Scotland. The music was astonishing in its diversity as were the musicians ringing. We had ancient Celtic hymns, modern praise, global rhythms, and intricate more classical arrangements. We had people from around the world participating. Yet what struck me most was the conductors. They didn’t simply lead; they formed their choirs. Every gesture was an act of discipleship. Every rehearsal was a lesson in unity, patience, and trust. Every ring of the bell was a reminder that no single note makes a song, only the gathered voices of many. Scottish theologians taught that discipleship is formed through shared practices of prayer, hospitality, worship, and service which we demonstrated. The practice of ringing handbells embodies this truth. And the experience teaches us:
- Humility — because each note matters, but only as part of the whole.
- Patience — because beauty takes time, repetition, and grace.
- Unity — because harmony requires listening more than performing.
- Joy — because when the final chord rings, you know you were part of something larger than yourself.
The church today needs this kind of discipleship, one that is communal, beautiful, and deeply rooted in shared life. Scotland’s writers remind us that faith is formed in fellowship. Handbells remind us that mission is accomplished in harmony. Together they teach us that the way of Christ is not solitary but symphonic. This is the church’s mission in miniature with many members, one body; many gifts, one Spirit; many hands, one song.
And So, when George McDonald from Inverness says: “The love of our neighbor is the only door out of the dungeon of self.” And “Forgiveness unleashes joy. It brings peace. It washes the slate clean.” When Robert Burns tells us that it is a gift to see us as others see us and that we are to pour a cup of kindness, it is all about building a community of love as Christ intended from the start. There is a message for the church from our experience of Scotland. Being on a team or in a choir making music is just one way of expressing the purpose to which we all have the joy and privilege of experiencing. The application is, however, for something much larger and more important than making music. It is about making disciples.
Pray we learn Scotland’s quiet wisdom of communal faith. Pray we embrace the handbell lesson of shared mission learning from our Connections that indeed we should marvel at What a Wonderful World it is and in all our journeys that God is so Good, so Good. Pray our lives ring with humility, unity, and joy. Pray we become disciples who listen deeply and serve gladly. Pray Christ conducts our hearts toward His kingdom’s harmony. Pray we pour a cup of kindness in memory of all our acquaintances for Auld Lang Syne as a body with many gifts and many hands but a common song in our hearts of love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 