Presbyterian Heritage Sunday |
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This Sunday, September 25th, we will celebrate our Presbyterian heritage with a Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service, complete with bagpipes, drumming, and a parade of tartans representing the family plaids of Scottish clans. The roots of the Presbyterian Church trace back to John Calvin, a 16th-century French reformer. Calvin trained for the Catholic priesthood, but later converted to the Reformation Movement and became a theologian and minister.
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Second in importance to John Calvin in the history of Presbyterianism was John Knox. He lived in Scotland in the mid 1500's. He led the Reformation in Scotland following Calvinistic principles, protesting the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, and Catholic practices. His ideas set the moral tone for the Church of Scotland and shaped its democratic form of government. The Presbyterian form of church government and Reformed theology were formally adopted by the national Church of Scotland in 1690. The Church of Scotland remains Presbyterian today.
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Since the colonial period, Presbyterianism has had a strong presence in America. Reformed churches were first established in the early 1600s with Presbyterians shaping the religious and political life of the newly established nation. The only Christian minister to sign the Declaration of Independence was Reverend John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian. In many ways, the United States is founded on a Calvinist point of view, with emphasis on hard work, discipline, the salvation of souls, and the building of a better world. Presbyterians were instrumental in the movements for women's rights, abolition of slavery, and temperance.
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During the Civil War, American Presbyterians divided into southern and northern branches. These two churches reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., our denomination, the largest Presbyterian/Reformed denomination in the United States.
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Presbyterian Heritage is a day set aside by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to celebrate and learn more about the rich history of Presbyterianism in America. Let us give thanks for all God’s goodness and for all those who came before us in creating the wonderful heritage of our church. Wear your kilts and invite neighbors, family, coworkers, and friends to worship! |
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Wear your kilts and invite neighbors, family, coworkers, and friends to worship! |
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What is this Kirkin' o' the Tartan Service? |
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The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service celebrates the Scottish heritage of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. It is truly a North American custom but based on the history of the Scots in Scotland during the days of the Act of Proscription, during which time the wearing of the kilt was banned in the Highlands. Legend has it that the Highlanders hid pieces of tartan and brought them to church to be secretly blessed in the service.
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During WWII, before the Americans joined the war, the Reverend Peter Marshall, originally from Coatbridge, Scotland, was the minister at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in New York City. He also served as Senior Pastor here at FPCC from 1930-33 and Chaplain of the United States Senate from 1947-49. |
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Desiring to draw attention to the threat that war brought to the British people and to raise funds for British war relief, Marshall held the first Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service on April 27, 1941. His sermon title was “The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan,” and in it Marshall spoke about the oppression of the Scots during the days of the Act of Proscription, and then drew his congregation’s attention to the global threat of cultural annihilation and genocide posed by the Nazi dictatorship. All funds raised from the service went directly to a mobile kitchen in Scotland. |
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The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan services continued and are now an annual tradition at the Washington National Cathedral, as well as churches all over North America and Canada. Kirkin’s are held year-round, but St. Andrew’s Day (November 30) and Tartan Day (April 6) tend to be popular dates. The Montreat Scottish Society holds one of the nation’s largest Kirkin’s each year on Memorial Day Weekend. |
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Kirkin' o' the Tartan - Its Origins |
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The ceremony of Kirkin' o' the Tartan is of American origin, though based on Scottish history and legend. After Bonnie Prince Charlie's Scottish forces were defeated by the English at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Scotland once again came under British rule. To control the Scots, an Act was passed that forbade the carrying of arms and the wearing of kilts or tartans which represented Scottish heritage. Orders were given for British troops to kill any person dressed in or displaying the tartan. |
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This Act prompted the stubborn Scots to carry with them secretly a piece of their tartan as they went to the Kirk. The minister then slipped a blessing (a Kirkin') into the service for the tartans. The prohibition against tartans lasted for nearly 50 years. When at last repealed, the Church of Scotland celebrated with a Service of Family Covenant at which time the tartan of each family was offered as a covenant expression for the Lord's blessing. |
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The Saint Andrews Society of Washington, D.C. held the first Kirkin' during the early years of World War II. The late Dr. Peter Marshall, an eloquent Scot, then Chaplain of the U.S. Senate as well as a pastor, led the service in 1943, choosing "Kirkin' o' the Tartan" for the title of his sermon. His sermons were so popular that a request was made for their publication, with the proceeds designated for war relief programs. As the war continued, the D.C. Saint Andrews Society continued to hold prayer services for the British subjects. These became known as Kirkin's. |
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The worship service is of traditional content, using much of the church of Scotland form. Central to its theme is the presentation of various tartans for a blessing. The Kirkin' is intended to encourage all participants to reflect with thanksgiving on their own family and ethnic heritage, and to celebrate God's grace poured out for all generations. |
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Kirk is the Scottish word for church.
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Perhaps no symbol is more associated with Scotland and the Scottish tradition than the colorful traditions associated with Highland dress. Each tartan, with its distinctive cross-lined patterns, represents specific Scottish families, regions, and regiments. The tradition of the tartan is an old one, and there are many references to it in early Scottish literature. The ancient tartan was described as "chequered" or "striped" or "sundrie coloured." The sett of a tartan, or the pattern, is repeated over and over until the desired length is reached. For centuries, tartans formed part of the everyday dress of the Highland people and continue to be worn today as a symbol of heritage and tradition. |
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This familiar cross is very ancient, for the primitive Celtic Christians trace their origins to a very early era. Many were erected in ancient times as wayside and cemetery crosses. The circle, emblem of eternity, suggests the eternal quality of the Redemption. |
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The Christian Flag is an ecumenical flag that was first conceived on September 26, 1897, at Brighton Chapel on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The superintendent of a Sunday school, Charles C. Overton, gave an impromptu lecture to the gathered students because the scheduled speaker had failed to arrive for the event. He gave a speech asking the students what a flag representing Christianity would look like. Overton thought about his improvised speech for many years afterward.
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In 1907, he and Ralph Diffendorfer, secretary of the Methodist Young People’s Missionary Movement, designed and began promoting the flag. Since its formal adoption by the United States Federal Council of Churches in 1942, it has been used by congregations of many Christian traditions, including Anglican, Baptist, Congregationalist, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, and Reformed, among others.
Regarding symbolism, the background is white, representing purity. In the upper corner is a blue canton, the color of the waters of baptism and a symbol of faith and trust. In the center of the blue square is the cross, the ensign of Christianity; the shade of red on the cross symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary.
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Regarding symbolism, the background is white, representing purity. In the upper corner is a blue canton, the color of the waters of baptism and a symbol of faith and trust. In the center of the blue square is the cross, the ensign of Christianity; the shade of red on the cross symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. |
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The St. Andrew’s Cross – The St. Andrew’s Cross (or Saltire) is Scotland’s national flag. Tradition has it that the flag, the white saltire on a blue background, the oldest flag in Europe and the Commonwealth, originated in a battle fought in East Lothian in the Dark Ages. It is believed that the battle took place in the year 832AD. |
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During the Middle Ages and through the Reformation, Bibles were rare among common people. The Bible of the Kirk (church) was a treasured possession. The value of the sacred scriptures and the danger of theft led to the establishment of a special lay office within the Kirk known as "the Beadle." The Beadle began the worship service by carrying the Bible ceremoniously into the sanctuary. The Beadle then removed the Bible from the Kirk for safekeeping following the service. |
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The bagpipe is a musical instrument now regarded as the national instrument of Scotland. There are two major Pipe and Drum Bands in the Atlanta area – the Atlanta Pipe Band and North Georgia Pipes & Drums. |
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