It is fairly common knowledge among Presbyterians that the history of our particular form of Christian Worship and governance has its foundations in the 16th century with the Scottish Reformation. This successful Protestant revolt against the more severe traditional worship practices of the Anglican Church resulted in the establishment of the "Church of Scotland" and the foundation of Presbyterianism.

So it does seem appropriate for contemporary Presbyterians to pay homage to the Scottish heritage of our Church, as well as to the music, the colorful traditions, and the rich culture of the mother country.

The patron saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew, on the other hand, has a rather mysterious and elusive connection. He was one of the first four apostles of Jesus, and is known to have introduced his more outgoing brother Peter to him. It is also known that he traveled quite widely as one of the original twelve disciples of Christ, preaching the word of the gospel in many lands, but apparently he never set foot anywhere near Scotland or the British Isles.
 
It is a traditional belief that he died a martyr for his preaching and numerous deeds of healing, bound on an X shaped cross to die of starvation and exposure in Greece, where he became a patron saint, as he did in Russia, where he had also preached.

    Several ancient legends exist that involve visions, wars and relics of Andrew, shedding a wee bit of light on this mysterious patronage. For example, a war between the Picts (predecessors of the Celts) and the English was the scene of the following legend: on the eve of a great battle with the British, Andrew appeared in a dream or vision to Hungus, the King of the Picts, and assured him of victory. The legend continues thusly...

....."And on the morrow a shining cross was seen in the sky straight above the army of the Picts, not unlike the same cross that the apostle died on. This cross vanished never out of the sky, ætill the victory succeeded to the Picts."
The Picts went to battle with the cry, "St. Andrew, our patron, be our guide!" They successfully defeated the British "who had been terrified seeing the cross shine with awful beams in the sky."

    After that momentous and historically decisive victory, the emblem of the white St. Andrew's cross glowing on a sky blue background became the national standard of Scotland.
 
 
 
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