It's a Saturday morning in the lowlands. Drizzly rain as almost always falls on the green fields. You and your family. Wrapped in wool gather to meet with your elder. This will be the first of 3 or maybe even 4 days. The elder sits down with you and talks to your family. They ask about your situation. Your marriage and your family. You talk about your struggles, your fears, your desires, and prayers. The elder watches the interaction of your family then hands you each a communion token.

Sunday morning dawns gray and cold. Wrapped in your wool coat your wife in a tartan wrap your children in wool pants and dresses. All 5 of them. You arrive at the field early and your family gets a spot on the grass near where you believe the preacher will stand.

Suddenly men appear on horseback. Bearded serious looking men though all with a smile on their face. All carrying guns and swords. 200 in all circle the group. The preacher stands up and explains they are here for your protection. You are expecting your communion service to be attacked this morning. Even with this announcement no one leaves.

You look around and notice all your neighbors, your cousins, your family, all the people from your village are here. Men and women who are willing to sacrifice it all to be here this morning. Most of the men have little scars on their arms as yours do. The scars are from the signing. You as they did signed in blood. Your covenant is your future, your life, and may very well be your death.

For three days you meet and listen to preachers, take communion, sing, and listen to more preachers. For three days the armed men sit and wait for an attack. But it never comes. They walk you to and from your friends homes and the services. For three days no one shows to molest your services. For three days despite the threats more and more people show up. By day 3 your number has doubled.

You make this trip as far from your home as you have ever been to worship and take communion with your Church. The government wants to execute you for being a member. Just for being a member. Your pastors are not allowed a manse or church building. They preach in fields, mountain sides, even frozen rivers. Anywhere a crowd can gather. They if caught by the authorities will be hung, beheaded, have their right hands cut off and even disemboweled. You expect no better. But they preach with a fervor of the Kingship of the Lord Christ! The sufficient grace of God and with the moving of the Holy Spirit they have changed a nation!

This is the story of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland in the mid 1600's. Imagine seeing this. Imagine seeing the growth in the Church this caused.

These are our ancestors. These are the people who came here. Who settled in the back country of the US. Who shaped our very constitution and our outlook.

If only we as Christians today had the spirit just the spirit of these men and women and children what could we do? What could we accomplish? What would the state of our country be?

May the Lord bless His people, His Church, and our lives.