St Andrew’s Day

From everyone at Holy Trinity we wish you all a happy St Andrew’s day. No matter how wee your connection to Scotland we wish you a really great day.

St Andrew

This picture of St Andrew was gifted to our Rectors son Andrew on his Christening. St Andrew was one of Jesus first disciples, a simple fisherman he brought his brother to become fishers of men.

He became Scotland’s patron saint, the story goes a Scottish king prayed the night before battle for a sign and the next day the white clouds formed a cross on a blue sky reminding him of St Andrew’s Cross. The battle was won and he took up St Andrew’s cross, white on a blue background, as his banner. The Saltire now makes up our national flag, one of the oldest national flags in the world. We now see it used on our buildings, our sports teams and even lit up on bridges across the river Forth.

The National flag of Scotland the Saltire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

His relics were said to be brought to Fife and set up the religious settlement of St Andrew’s where our Fife pilgrimage route ends today. Many of us will don our Tartan or Scottish outfits today, many will eat some Scottish cuisine washed down with a dram (or Irn Bru) this evening, no matter how you are celebrating why not use the Selkirk Grace when you sit down to dinner tonight, read some poetry like that from Mary Symon or listen to some Scottish music.

Selkirk Grace

by Robert Burns

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be Thankit!

Hame

by Mary Symon

GOD bless our land, our Scotland,
Grey glen an’ misty brae,
The blue heights o’ the Coolins,
The green haughs yont the Spey,
The weary wastes on Solway,
Snell winds blaw owre them a’ —
But aye it’s Hame, lad,
Yours an’ mine, lad,
Shielin’ or ha’.

It’s Hame, it’s Hame for ever,
Let good or ill betide!
The croon o’ some dear river,
The blink o’ ae braeside.

God bless our land; it’s yonder –
Far in the cold North Sea:
But ‘neath the old Saint’s glamour
It’s calling you an’ me:
Your feet tread Libyan deserts,
Mine press the wattle’s bloom,
But to-night we stand together
Among the broom.

It’s Hame, it’s Hame for ever,
Let shore or sea divide!
The croon o’ some dear river,
The blink o’ ae braeside.

God bless our land. We dream o’t —
The days aye brakin’ fine
On the lang, lane glints o’ heather
In the glens we kent langsyne.

Ay, we are Reubens, rovers,
‘Neath mony an alien star,
But flaunt the blue flag o’er us,
Pipe up the ” Braes o’ Mar,”
And steppe and nullah vanish,
And pomp and pelf and fame —
It’s gloamin’ — on a lown hillside,
An’ lads, . . . We’re . . . Hame.

Queensferry Crossing lit up as Saltires

Want to know more?

We hope you all manage to celebrate but here are some worship resources (some in Scots) if you’re interested!

Who was he?

St Andrews day prayer

The Lord’s Prayer in Scots is here

Even more can be found in Scots here