For Sunday 5th July 2026, Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Friends,

It is always a privilege to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Baptism and this week we welcome four children into the family of the church – Darcie, Oliver, Fergus, and Archie. This is a very special day for them and their parents and a happy day for the
St. Columba’s community.

In the first part of our gospel lesson from St. Matthew chapter 11 this week, we will hear how Jesus admonished certain religious people who said certain prayers and performed certain rituals and who expected God to perform for them in return. They were so focussed on their own notions of what God should be doing for them, that they missed what God was actually doing! They failed to recognise that John the Baptist had been sent to prepare the way of the Lord and that Jesus himself was showing them the way of love. Jesus went on to commend those who do not come to God in this transactional way but are instead like little children – open-minded and willing to learn. He invited those who were weighed down by the demands of the religious authorities to lay aside their burden and he still extends that invitation to us today. Instead, we can come to Jesus and he will teach us God’s good way with gentleness and patience.

We should always remember that Christianity is about relationship not rules: our relationship with God in Christ and our relationship with our sisters and brothers in Christ, made in his image and loved by him.

William

THIS SUNDAY: Evening Service
Enjoy a quiet conclusion to Sunday. The last evening service before a summer break will explore a mixture of scripture and poetry to celebrate and give thanks for summer.
5:00 p.m., London Scottish Chapel.
Note: No evening service in August and September. The evening service on the first Sunday of the month restarts on Sunday 3rd October 2026.

UPCOMING: A special evening of music at the beautiful St John Priory Church in Clerkenwell, featuring the internationally acclaimed violinist Levon Chilingirian and friends. Set within the historic surroundings of the Priory Church, this promises to be a memorable evening of music in support of a worthy cause.
📅 Monday 6 July 2026
🕡 From 6:30pm
📍 St John Priory Church St John’s Square, London EC1V 4JJ

Following the concert, guests are invited to enjoy a garden reception with drinks and canapés in the grounds of the Priory Church. The event supports the work of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital, which provides life-changing eye care to patients across the West Bank and Gaza.
Click here to purchase tickets.

UPCOMING: Sunday 19th July, Sounds of St Columba’s Recital: “Sacred and Spontaneous” William Mason (organ) 1:30pm Main Church
Music by JS Bach, Franck and improvisations. Will Mason, our former assistant organist returns to his old organ loft to offer the last of the recitals before the summer break. As an organ recitalist, Will has performed at numerous venues including Southwark Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, St John’s College, Cambridge and St George’s, Hanover Square. He is a published composer and his choral music has been performed by a number of choirs including Buckfast Abbey and Downing College. He was recently commissioned by Holy Sepulchre Church, London (National Musicians’ Church) to write a choral piece for St Cecilia to be conducted by David Hill. He is currently Assistant Director of Music at King’s College School, Cambridge where he works closely with the Schola Cantorum (the school’s girls’ choir) who have a busy schedule of external services and concerts. It will be a delight to welcome Will back.

Graduation Celebration St Columba’s elder, Gary Wallis, who is training for ministry in the Church of Scotland, attended his graduation ceremony in Aberdeen this week. Gary has been awarded a first-class Bachelor of Theology (Hons) degree. In addition, he has been awarded the Burgess Prize in Divinity (awarded to the undergraduate student who produces the best dissertation in the course of the academic year). Congratulations on those notable achievements. He is currently undertaking a ten-week full-time summer placement with Reverend Lynsey Brennan at St Paul’s, Milngavie, linked with Baldernock. In September he then commences his fifteen-month probationary placement with Reverend Stuart Matthews at Maryhill and Ruchill Church, in Glasgow. Completing the probation period is the final step towards ordination. We keep Gary, wife Jo and the boys in our prayers, as they celebrate and adjust to new circumstances.

St Andrews Book Festival,
presented by Scots in London
Update on St Andrew’s Book Festival, November 18th-22nd. We are pleased to announce that Carol Kirkwood, Andrew Lownie and Val McDermid are among the authors who will appear at the festival with most events at St Columba’s. Ticket details will follow.
The Book Festival returns to several central London venues, with St Columba’s as the primary focus of the festival. Look forward to another array of well-known and new authors bringing Scottish writing to the heart of London. Keep 18th to 22nd November 2026 in your diaries, both for attending and/or volunteering to get involved.