Haggis and Conversion

This evening I’m looking forward to a meal out with friends, knowing the chief item on the menu will be Haggis. Tonight is Burns Night, which is celebrated even outside Scotland by some of us, in honour of the poet Robert Burns.


If you want to learn 10 things you never knew about haggis click here.


The Church of England festival today is ‘The Conversion of Paul’ when we remember his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus and what resulted from that. In the spirit of the worst preaching techniques of making clumsy connections between what’s making news and the Good News of the Gospel here are 3 contrived connections between Haggis/Burns Night and Conversion/St Paul:
  1. Burns called the haggis the chief of puddings. St Paul called himself the chief of sinners.
  2. Some people get drunk on whisky on Burns Night. St Paul advised “be filled with the Spirit”.
  3. Burns Night helps unite people with Scottish identity. St Paul called for “unity of mind and purpose” for those who are members of one body in Christ.
Please don't try to build a sermon round that. Not even with 3 points. But just for fun perhaps you can add to this contrived connection list?

Comments

  1. Lin Pearson30 January 2011 at 18:40

    Great post! I'd add - haggis is made from humble and often despised, but nutritious, foods (like offal). Paul would have been despised by the Christians. He would not have been considered fit to be a Christian, because of his past.

    Praise God for transforming grace! And for Barnabus, the encourager who beloived in Saul/Paul!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nancy Wallace30 January 2011 at 19:49

    Thank you Lin - I like the connection you've made. Another one might be that haggis doesn't look very attractive - there are hints that Paul wasn't very good looking either.
    I'm enjoying following your 'Slices of My Life' blog.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment