Selivoe Gospel Hall

I attended Sunday morning worship at the Selivoe Gospel Hall on Shetland. The building is naturally plain and dates to the 1870s. It was a simple service of open prayer and quiet hymns, the preacher ably expounding Nehemiah. There were only eight of us, but the Lord’s was also present, and that counts for a lot. The building overlooks the sea with the brooding Shetlandic hills beyond, providing a dramatic background to the gospel’s proclamation. Folk may think Salem Chapel remote and enjoying fine views but these northlands steal the prize, where tiny churches peer out on gigantic vistas. Yet in the pages of God’s word, we behold scenes even more dramatic: heaven’s throne room, Satan’s plots, Christ’s great sacrifice, the demons’ ultimate defeat. Peering out of a window and considering that view would have been marvellous; concentrating on God’s word and believing His great promises: staggering.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

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