As it’s St Fillan’s 900th anniversary I’m looking at Rev. Rutherford’s children’s address, where he talks about the history of the church, this one is from 4th Feb ’67. Here he is talks about the Buttress
As we walk down the path wecome to a massive arch. One guide book written in the 1890’s describes that as one of the few lynchgates in Scotland. I rather think it was a butress, it is a support to hold up the high wall – it is about 20 feet high here. Some thirty years ago a few cracks appeared in the butress, over the next few winters they became wider so the officials from the castle did a big repair and made it sound for the next hundred years.
As we go through life we all need a buttress to keep us from falling. But it is easy to slip and fall, there are such pressures upon us, such as temptations from other people, all around. To be selfish, and look after our own lives, to be dishonest, and get away with this and that, not to let our parents know what we are doing , to cheat and take the easy way, such pressures that we often feel we cannot stand, and are bound to fall. Yes we need a buttress to keep us from falling.
Jude in the New Testament writes about this, it was during a time of false prophets:
Jude 1:v24,25 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
If you look at the Buttress now, there are new stones dated 2007. This shows that we cannot take or Buttress or out Faith for granted it needs constant maintenance.