Scots International Church Rotterdam

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Scots International Church Rotterdam

We are an English language Protestant Church in the Presbyterian tradition.

Based in the heart of the city, we aim to serve the needs of the people of many nationalities and different denominational backgrounds living in Rotterdam and the surrounding area. The congregation was originally formed in 1643 from the large Scottish community of merchants, seamen and soldiers then living in Rotterdam hence the name. The church has maintained its connection with the Church of Scotland, but the congregation is truly international in its make-up.

27/06/2026

Thought for the day
Saturday 27 June
Luke 7:47
‘Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’

Just before this verse, Jesus highlights the lack of hospitality he received from Simon and contrasts it with the devotion shown by the woman. Her actions are overflowing with gratitude because she knows she has been forgiven. Simon's response is very different. Perhaps the problem is not that he has little need of forgiveness, but that he has little awareness of it.

Reflection
Sometimes we concentrate so much on the sins of others that we can forget about our own need for forgiveness.

Graham Austin

26/06/2026

Thought for the day
Friday 26 June
Luke 7:44
‘Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?”’

This is the crucial question for Simon. He sees someone unworthy of his time and attention. He has never really looked and seen a person whom God has forgiven and whose life is being transformed by grace. In Simon's eyes, her past still defines her. As G. Campbell Morgan observes, ‘Simon could not see that woman as she then was, for looking at her as she had been.’

Reflection
Can we see people as they are now, rather than as they once were?

Graham Austin

25/06/2026

Thought for the day
Thursday 25 June
Luke 7:41-43
‘“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.’

Jesus tells a short and memorable story about debt, forgiveness and love. Both debtors are unable to repay what they owe, and both receive an unexpected act of grace. Simon has no difficulty understanding the point of the parable: the one forgiven more will love more. What he does not yet realise is that Jesus is inviting him to see himself in the story.

Reflection
How deeply do we appreciate God's forgiveness?

Graham Austin

24/06/2026

Thought for the day
Wednesday 24 June
Luke 7:40
‘Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said.’

Luke now names the host: Simon the Pharisee. He is a respected religious leader and has already formed his opinion of both the woman and of Jesus. Yet Jesus knows exactly what Simon is thinking and is about to challenge him. Through a simple story, Simon will be confronted with the relationship between forgiveness, gratitude and love.

Reflection
Are we open to hearing, really hearing, what Jesus has to say?

Graham Austin

23/06/2026

Thought for the day
Tuesday 23 June
Luke 7:39
‘When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’’

Jesus receives the woman's lavish act of devotion without hesitation. Simon, however, sees things very differently. In his mind, the woman's reputation defines her completely and Jesus' willingness to accept her attention calls his credibility into question. While the woman approaches Jesus in humility and repentance, Simon can only see her past.

Reflection
Do we see people as they once were, or as they may become through the grace of God?

Graham Austin

22/06/2026

Thought for the day
Monday 22 June
Luke 7:36-37
‘36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.’

Here we see Jesus at a meal, content to be in the company of Pharisees and tax collectors alike. Luke brings together two very different people: a respected religious leader and a woman known for her sinful life. Then the scene of respectability is interrupted by her unexpected arrival. She comes uninvited and unwelcome, yet Jesus does not send her away. Before a word is spoken, Luke is already showing us something of the grace of Jesus.

Reflection
No one is beyond the love of Jesus. Is that true of our love?

Graham Austin

21/06/2026

Thought for the day
Sunday 21 June
Matthew 10:7-8
‘7 As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 8 Heal those who are ill, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.’

The message entrusted to the disciples is the same one proclaimed by John the Baptist and by Jesus himself: the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. This is not simply a promise for some distant future. In Jesus, God's rule is breaking into the present world, bringing hope, healing and restoration. The works the disciples are sent to perform demonstrate that the Kingdom is not merely spoken about, but experienced.

Reflection
‘Freely you have received; freely give.’

Graham Austin

20/06/2026

Thought for the day
Saturday 20 June
Matthew 10:5-6
‘5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.’

Jesus gives the disciples a specific mission. For now, they are to take the good news to the people of Israel. This is not because God has no concern for the rest of the world. Indeed, Matthew's Gospel will end with the command to make disciples of all nations. Rather, the disciples are being taught that God's mission unfolds according to his purposes and timing.

Reflection
God has placed each of us in a particular place to share his love and grace.

Graham Austin

19/06/2026

Thought for the day
Friday 19 June
Matthew 10:2-4
‘2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.’

Matthew pauses to remind us who these disciples were. They were ordinary people who responded to Jesus' call and found themselves entrusted with a remarkable mission. Yet they were far from perfect. They would misunderstand Jesus, fail him, and one would even betray him. As Chesley Harmon observes, ‘to every single one of them, Jesus gives the power and ability to do good for their fellow human being, to relieve someone else’s suffering, to be a source of hope and well-being in someone else’s life.’

Reflection
You are the ordinary person Jesus has called to do extraordinary things.

Graham Austin

18/06/2026

Thought for the day
Thursday 18 June
Matthew 10:1
‘Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.’

The disciples are given a mission in terms similar to Jesus' own ministry (Matthew 4:23): to heal the sick and push back the forces of evil. Yet how much did they really understand at this point? Throughout the Gospels we often find the disciples confused about who Jesus is and what the Kingdom of God means. Nevertheless, Jesus entrusts them with both the message and the power of the Kingdom.

Reflection
Are we nervous about being disciples of Jesus because we think we don’t know enough?

Graham Austin

Adres

Schiedamsevest 121
Rotterdam
3012BH

Website

http://www.scotsintchurch.com/

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