Looking Forward to January 3, 2021 -- Epiphany Sunday

And now we change the calendar (when I first typed the title of this post I did in fact put 2020 and had to go back and correct it). As this is the first Sunday of January we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Communion. As we are still worshiping on-line only the Communion will be virtual. You are invited to have bread and juice (or some equivalent choice) available as we join together on YouTube for worship.

In the flow of the Church Year Epiphany always falls on January 6 (after the 12 Days of Christmas). That puts it on a Wednesday this year. Many of us often choose to tell the Epiphany story on the Sunday before the 6th since we do not have worship on the feast day itself.  That is what we are doing this year.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Isaiah 60:1-6
• Psalm 72:1-14
• Matthew 2:1-12 (this will be the basis of our Children's Time)
  

The Sermon title is Light Has Come, The World is Changed

Early Thoughts:  Visitors from afar, whose wisdom has lead them to this place. Wise ones who come in search of the King, and whose wisdom helps the look beyond the normal expectations (eventually at least).

Why did they come? What hope was evident in this new king?

I'll be honest, I sincerely doubt that there was an actual historical visit of the Magi. I think the early Christian community developed the story as something that could/should/might have happened based on their experience of Jesus of Nazareth and amplified by their experience of the Risen Christ. They then saw passages like this one from Isaiah and developed a story about visitors from far away. Isaiah was also not talking about the visit of the Magi as we know the story. But it is possible that Isaiah was sharing a vision, a hope, an expectation about what it would be like when God was enthroned on Earth. When the Reign of God is made real than people will flock from all directions to the kingdom.

At my first reading, Psalm 72 appears to be written for a coronation. Certainly it is written to celebrate the King, to pray for what the King will be, sharing hopes about what the kingdom will be like under his reign. It is an easy thing to do to apply many of those verses to the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed.

"Joy to the World! The Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!" So says the Christmas Carol. What kind of king will he be? What kind of kingdom will he reign over? Will the nations come from far and wide to celebrate the new king?

--Gord

A Pastoral Letter

 December 15, 2020

Friends in Christ,

This year has brought all sorts of changes to how we thought things were going to go. Some days it seems that just when I think I know how things are going to happen something changes those plans. I have decided that a good motto for 2020 would be Robbie Burns’ lines “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley”. The past week has been no exception.

Within the wider church there has been an on-going debate about the wisdom of meeting in-person for worship or only offering worship on-line. As COVID numbers in Alberta increased through November some of us were pondering that very question more and more intently. A week ago the Worship Team was asked to discuss it at our meeting scheduled for December 10^th. Then the Premier made his announcement on December 8^th, an announcement which added a bit of a twist to the discussion.

When the Worship Team met we, with heavy hearts, recommended to Council that the best way to be a faithful loving community at this time was to move all of our worship services on-line until the end of January. Council met on Saturday and after some discussion accepted that recommendation. We will re-evaluate at our January meeting to see if the time period needs to be extended. We are not doing this because we are required to, places of worship can continue to meet at 15% of their capacity (for us that is about 50 people). We are choosing to go above and beyond the requirements because it is, we believe, the way we live out Jesus’ commandment that we love our neighbour.

This is not the Christmas plan we thought we had. It is not the Christmas plan we wanted. It is, however, the Christmas reality that we have. Christmas worship will not involve a sanctuary full of people singing carols and passing the light of Christ from one to another. Instead it will be families gathered in front of a screen singing carols and sharing the old old story. In fact the silver lining to this particular cloud (they say every cloud has one) is that with online worship we can all join in the singing – something not possible when we gather for worship in person right now.

This means that all our worship services for the next month will be available on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-aWw0Tc165vh6Epdr-XBxw (or search for “St. Paul’s United Church Grande Prairie”). Because we now have our new A/V equipment installed we can do this as a live-stream, with the video then remaining available for those who wish to worship later. We will still have choir members coming to sing hymns, with words on the screen so you can sing along at home. All the power point slides will be on screen so you can join in the responses. Hopefully it will be, as they say, the next best thing to actually being there. Or some might say better since this way you can come to church in your pyjamas, or bring a glass of eggnog to Christmas Eve worship. Again the YouTube link is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-aWw0Tc165vh6Epdr-XBxw .

As I continue to prepare the Christmas Eve service I have a request. Usually at this time of year when we gather together we share Christmas wishes with each other. Obviously we can’t do that this year. So I am asking people to send me a picture, or a short (5 second) video of themselves with a Christmas wish from your household to the rest of the congregation. These will be stitched together into a video that will be a part of our Christmas Eve worship. Please e-mail these to me by this Friday (December 18^th) so I have time to make the video.

Earlier this year we realized that we were missing chances to connect with each other because we could not get together. One of the things we were missing was post church coffee. So we started meeting for coffee on Zoom Sundays at 11:30. We are still doing that. If you want connection information please contact the office and we will ensure you get it (that might be easier than trying to get all the information in this letter).

Another change over the next few weeks is that Carla and I will be working from home as much as possible, in keeping with the announced work from home mandate. This means that the office is closed to the public even if one of us happens to be in (there are some things we have to do at the church itself). The voice mail will be checked on a regular basis so feel free to leave a message or e-mail one of us and we will get back to you.

I am aware that the next 3 weeks is a time of year when many people either make their annual donation or look at their personal finances and realize they can give a bit more for the year. With the office closed there are still ways to make that happen. One way is by e-transfer . If you are unsure how to do an e-transfer please give Carla a call. She has gotten quite proficient at walking people through the process. Another on-line option is to use CanadaHelps (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/36020). Or you could remain old school and either mail a cheque to the church or drop an envelope through the mail slot in the door. Any donations received by December 31^st will be processed for this year’s tax receipts.

It can seem that this Christmas will be less merry that we wanted it. After everything else that has happened this year I think many of us really needed a time when we could get together and celebrate and support each other. That time will come. We just aren’t quite there yet. In that spirit I share with you these lyrics from the song “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” as sung by Judy Garland in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis”

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

The Christ Child will still be born, the angels will still sing, the shepherds will still marvel. Christmas is still there, it is just going to be very very different.

Because we follow God’s commandment to love each other we are doing things differently for awhile. We are physically distant now so we can be together again. We just have to muddle through this tough part of the journey – somehow.

Please join us for worship Sundays at 10:00. Please join us for worship on Christmas Eve (likely at 4:00 but we will share the time when it is confirmed). If you don’t join us “live” then you can join us later. Hold each other in love and have a Blessed Christmas and New Year. Once again that YouTube link is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-aWw0Tc165vh6Epdr-XBxw .

God’s Peace, Hope, Joy and Love be with you,
Gord

Looking Forward to December 20, 2020 -- 4th Sunday of Advent

 A reminder that we are now having our services in an online-only format, live streamed at the regular service time on our YouTube channel.

The Scripture readings this week are:

• Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
• Luke 1:26-38 (We will hear this told through song: To a Maid Whose Name Was Mary -- #14 in Voices United)
  

The Sermon title is Embracing Love

Early Thoughts: The story of faith is, in the end, a love story. The rule of faith is, in the end, all about love. The actions of God are, Scripture reminds us, signs of God's steadfast love.

Mary is invited to join in the love story. The promised Messiah will come as a sign of God's steadfast love for God's people. And Mary is invited/asked/chosen to be the one through whom this love will become personified.

Mary says yes, "let it be with me according to your word". Mary says yes and the love story continues. The child will be born.

The child will grow into a man. And the man will teach us that we are loved. The man will exhort us to love each other as we have been loved.

We are now invited to join in the story of love. We are now invited to take our place by embracing God's steadfast love and then passing it along.

It is not always easy to take our part in the story. Sometimes it makes us do things that are difficult -- like social distancing at Christmas. Sometimes loving others brings pain -- such as the grief we feel after a loved one dies. Sometimes it means we sacrifice our comforts or our preferences for the service of others -- the examples are uncountable. Still we are invited/urged/commanded to embrace love and take our part in the story.

There are countless songs about love. Some of them are rather trite, some are deep and complex. But there are so many songs because of the importance of love in the functioning of a healthy society.

Will you embrace love? Will you take your place in the story?

--Gord

Looking Ahead to December 13, 2020 -- Advent 3B

The Scripture Readings for this week are:

• Psalm 126
• 1 Thessalonians 5:15-24

The Sermon title is Seeking Joy

Early Thoughts: Sometimes it is hard to find Joy. For many people 2020 has been a year with a lot of things that take joy away. Cancelled vacations, no social gatherings, anxiety and worry, missed connections with family and friends. Where is the Joy in all that?

Our two passages this week talk about joy. Using an agricultural image, the psalm shares a hope that those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. Writing to the church in Thessalonica Paul calls the people to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in all things.  Does that seem like hard advice to follow these days?

If we are honest we know that this Christmas season will be very different for many of us. Last night at supper we realized that every other year we would have been having a quick supper and then off to the CGIT Vesper service. Christmas Eve worship will feel weird without a church filled with voices singing the old carols.  Families will have Christmas dinner with small gatherings around the table where some years there would have been as many as could fit. Our spirits could very easily be quenched. 

But still we are called to seek joy. Not just in the Christmas season but in life generally we are called to seek joy.

I think it is, in part, a matter of perspective. The joy we seek is not just being happy. It is not based on everything going the way we want it. Joy is based on our being grounded in God's presence, in God's love, in God's activity in our lives.

Where will you seek joy this very different Christmas season? Where have you found glimpses of joy over these last 9 months of COVID-tide?  For what are you thankful (because I am pretty sure that gratitude is a big part of seeking and finding joy)?

--Gord

PS: now that I have read that Psalm I have the song "Bringing in the Sheaves" as an earworm....

Looking Ahead to December 6, 2020 -- 2nd Sunday of Advent

 This being the first Sunday of December we will be celebrating communion.  Also remember that we are now live streaming our worship services on our YouTube channel.

The Scripture readings for this week are:

• Isaiah 40:1-11
• Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

The Sermon title is Building Peace

Early Thoughts: What is Peace? How is peace built? Personally and collectively what would it mean to live in peace, to (as the song encourages us) "Go now in peace, never be afraid"?

These two passages from Isaiah tell us a bit about that. These passages are written (and spoken) to people both in exile and returning from exile. They speak to a people whose parents and grandparents saw the world they knew torn apart and destroyed. That destruction leaves a scar on the soul that is not easily erased. That scar can make a whole people wonder if they will live in peace again.

Then God speaks through a prophet with words of comfort and promise. God tells them that they can get back home again, that they will find (or God will create) a path through the desolation of the wilderness.

Then later God announces that the time of restoration has come. The Jubilee Year, when all is to be set right, has arrived. In Luke's Gospel these words form the backing to the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus says that in his ministry the world is being set right again. That is how peace, real peace, is built.

The peace that we pray for, the peace that comes with God's Reign is much more complex than "peace and quiet" or "war and peace" or "a peaceful day at the lake" or "at peace with myself". It is all those things and more. The peace that comes with God's Reign is personal. It touches our troubled hearts and brings comfort, it speaks to our anxious minds and brings confidence. The peace that comes with God's Reign is also communal. It reaches into our unjust world and brings justice, restorative justice, it speaks to our divisive relationships and brings loving coexistence. This is the peace for which we pray.

God has long been at work nurturing and building that peace. It might be faster if God imposed it --- but is that really peaceful? God continues to nurture and build peace in our world.  God would prefer it if we joined in the project.

How are you building peace in the world today?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to November 29, 2020 -- First Sunday of Advent -- Hope

 

This week we are pleased to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism.

The Scripture passages for this week are:

• Isaiah 64:1-9
• Mark 13:24-37
  

The Sermon title is Resetting Hope

Early Thoughts: Where do we look for hope? How do we define Hope?

In these readings there does not seem to be a lot of hope. 21 years ago, when I was on internship, I was preaching on the first Sunday of Advent. When I phoned the Scripture reader for the week to tell her what the readings were her comment was "they better not be depressing". To be fair, this is not the most depressing part of Mark chapter 13, but still it is not the most hope-filled passage of Scripture.

And then there is Isaiah.  Read those opening verses...is that really our hope? Do we want to mountains to quake? Possibly, thought probably with a few caveats.

The hope of Advent, this time of preparation, is that God will break into the world and bring transformation.The hope this Advent is not that things will get back to "normal" before Christmas (hot tip -- they won't) it is that God will make God's self known and transform the world.

What gets in the way of you being hopeful this year?

I think we might need to stop and reset ourselves so we can see the hope in the world this year. Between 8 months of COVID-tide and the unceasing news coverage of the US Election and everything else that 2020 had given us hope might start to seem awfully far away.

But still there is hope. Still there is new life. 

A baby is, to me, always a sign of hope. A baby brings forth those hopes of what they will become. A baby makes us think about what sort of world we hope they will live in as they grow older.

What fills you with hope this year?

God is still present. God is still working in the world. God is still transforming the world -- even if not as quickly or visibly as we might wish. There is still hope.

And that is a good thing.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to November 22, 2020 -- Reign of Christ Sunday

 We have reached the end of the Liturgical Year. And still the Reign of Christ has not come in full glory. But we look for signs of it breaking into our lives as we transition from one year to the next.

The Scripture Reading this week is Matthew 25:31-46

The Sermon title is Which Did You Do?

Early Thoughts: How were and are you an agent of the Kingdom of God? Would you be a sheep or a goat?

It can be hard to tell sometimes. Sometimes you have to look closely, or so I have been told, to pick out the sheep from the goats when they are mingled together. Moving from the literal to the metaphor of the parable, sometimes we are sheep and sometimes we are goats.

WE live in a world where we are often told that the secret to passing the final test is to be a "good person". Some define that be the religion you follow, or the form of religion you follow. Some measure goodness by what you have accomplished in life. Jesus, it seems, measures it by how we supported and loved our neighbours.

When we are called to account for our lives, the parable suggests, we will not be asked about how often we prayed, or our understanding of various Christian doctrines, or even if we call ourselves Christian. We will be asked if we fed the hungry, or visited the lonely, or comforted the afflicted. No mention of worrying about "accepting Jesus as Saviour and Lord" as some Christian groups insist is mandatory for acceptance. No mention of having lived a sinless life, no mention of having been an unrepentant sinner either. No mention of anything other than how well we lived out the commandment to love our neighbour.

Makes for a pretty basic test doesn't it?  One single question. Mind you it is a pretty hard question when you get right down to it.

Christians declare that the Kingdom or Reign of God is both present and yet to come. We live in the Kingdom and we wait for it to break forth. On Reign of Christ Sunday we embrace that dichotomy. One definition of the church is that we are to be a testing ground for the kingdom. To me that means we are called to live as if we are citizens of a different type of place, a place where love is the rule and norm, a place where all our choices are made considering how they will impact our neighbours.

SO part of being a sheep (in a good way, not the way it is often used in current discourse) may well be to wear a mask and keep our distance and limit our outings as we collectively work to end the Covid-19 pandemic. Part of being a sheep is to be a good steward of the "stuff" in our lives. Part of being a sheep in a democratic society is advocating for a system that ensures all have basic needs met.

Are we sheep or goats? Being a sheep might come at a cost. Then again so might being a goat.

--Gord

Looking Ahead to November 15, 2020 -- Proper 28A, 24th Sunday after Pentecost

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Amos 5:18-24
• Matthew 25:14-30
  

The Sermon title is Use It Well!

Early Thoughts:When the Reign of God comes, there may be hard questions asked. How will we answer them? Judgement is apart of our story, part of the reality of life. We are accountable for the choices we make.

We don't like to talk about judgement very much. Or if we do it is to talk about how we think others should be judged. Some of us have heard the old lie that the God of Hebrew Scriptures is all about judgement and the God revealed in the Christian Scriptures is all about grace and mercy and forgiveness. Neither side of that statement is true. Throughout Scripture God is the one who judges and the one who is gracious, merciful, forgiving.

I love Amos. I also love to be reminded that if you like Amos you probably don't understand Amos. Amos does not pull any punches. Amos reminds folk that they have gotten things wrong. Amos reminds us that when the Day of the Lord comes, when God breaks into the world things can be uncomfortable. We will be held to account for the choices we have made. But Amos also reminds us of the ultimate goal, that time when justice flows like water.

Then we have our parable of the talents. To say it makes me uncomfortable is an understatement. What exactly is the point Jesus wants to make here? The whole "take from the poor and give to the rich" tone of the conclusion seems to go against the Law and the Prophets. At least if it is about the money.

Maybe it is about the choices. Maybe it isn't about the money. Maybe it is about taking risks for a larger goal. Maybe we are not called just to maintain what we have but take a risk to get something new. Maybe that is one of the criteria for judgement.

We have been given much. We have been entrusted with much. Do we use it well? Or do we misuse things so that our efforts become like (to borrow from Paul) a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal? Does our stewardship of the resources and talents with which we have been entrusted lead God to celebrate the move to justice or to despise our festivals and assemblies?

Judgement and accountability is part of our relationship with God. As we look toward the coming of the Reign of God we have to remember that.  Next week's conclusion to Matthew 25 will really make that clear.
--Gord

Live in Unity -- A Newspaper Column for November 13 (and maybe for the next congregational newsletter)

 

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!”. Those are the opening words of Psalm 133. And wouldn’t it be good and pleasant if such a thing were true?

Right now it is not true. God’s kindred are not living in unity. It could be argued that we are more divided now than we have been for many decades. And I think we are getting worse. Maybe it is because of fear and anxiety, maybe because 6 months of distancing have made us too separated from our neighbours, maybe simple selfishness and tribalism are to blame. Whatever the reasons are I think we are getting less unified as time goes by.

I am writing this on the afternoon of November 3^rd, Election Day in the US. If there is one sign how far we are from God’s kindred living in unity this election cycle is it. Because it is only mid-afternoon I do not yet know what the results of the vote will be. In fact we may not totally know the full results by the time these words have appeared in the paper. But my heart forebodes that whatever the results of the voting (and the protests and challenges that may accompany those results) an increase of living in unity is not likely going to be an end result. We need the world to change, we need our hearts to change, to get that result. That change will never come in a ballot box. It comes when we let God transform us and the world.

Also on my mind as I write this column is the fact that we are in the week where we are asked to pause for 2 minutes at 11:00 on the 11^th day to remember the brutal, horrific, dehumanizing cost of warfare. There are a lot of prayers we could call to mind in that time of silence. One of mine is to pray for the day when warfare is no more because God’s kindred are living together in unity? For me that is a key part of Remembrance Day, and a key part of the life of faith. We remember the failings of the near and distant path but look to the future. We recognize that in the past and in the present we have failed to live into the ideals of God’s Kingdom as shared by Jesus of Nazareth and the many prophets of the Old Testament. We have failed to live lives fully loving our neighbour, friend, and enemy. But we do not simply accept those failings as they way things must be. We can, we should, we must commit to do and be better.

This commitment to do and be better might take the form of sharing the words “Never Again” as part of our Remembrance Day commemorations. It might be by reaffirming support for the goals of Pride or Black Lives Matter or Idle No More. It might mean we ask serious questions about how money and other resources are distributed in the world. It certainly means we open ourselves to the God who is transforming the world in our midst.

I believe 2020 can teach us about new priorities. I believe if we take that lesson seriously we can in fact move away from division and towards that day when ALL God’s children live together in unity. The pandemic, the economic crisis, the racial strife can teach us what it means to care for each other and build up a world of justice and peace and hope and love. We just need to be open for the end of many things as we know them in the act of building a new way of being.

How good and pleasant it would be if love and justice and peace and equality were truly the guideposts that shaped our every decision and action as individuals and as communities. How good and pleasant it would be if we all lived together in unity. In the end we are all kindred. Our prayer for living in unity is not just about those who we recognize as family, or those who are like us. Jesus calls us to love our neighbours, and Jesus is clear that this includes the outsiders, the different ones, even our enemies. Only when we do that will the worlds of Psalm 133 come to full truth.

God is at work in the world. God is at work building the Kingdom of God in our midst. God is changing the world. God is inviting us to be transformed. Will we open ourselves to that transformation? Will we welcome all God’s children to live in unity with us? How good and pleasant it will be when God’s kindred are together.

Looking Ahead to November 8, 2020 -- Proper 27A, 23rd After Pentecost

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
• Matthew 25:1-13

The Sermon title is Ready?

Early Thoughts: Like a thief in the night. Out of left field. A bolt out of the blue. Maybe like a jack-in-the-box. Transformation comes to us as a surprise. The Kingdom of God, the transformation of the world, comes to us as a surprise.

These last few week of the Liturgical Year lead us to consider the transformation of the world, the coming of the Reign of God, the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine?). Then when the New Year begins on Advent 1 (November 29th this year) we continue to look for the transformation of the world, the coming of the King, the change that we pray for every week with the words "Thy kingdom come, they will be done..."

Talking about the end of the world in the same week as a Presidential election seems.....odd? ominous? foolish?

Talking about changes that transform our lives whether we are ready or not, whether we like them or not in the midst of a global, once in a century, pandemic seems... timely? overkill? foolish?

Fact is, many things in life come as a surprise. Maybe some of them shouldn't, but they do. After watching the news from Wuhan throughout January and February, and with the memory of the SARS epidemic of 2003 available to us, maybe we should have been more prepared for March. But it still surprised many (perhaps most) of us that we had to change so much so fast. It still surprise, frustrates, and vexes many that those changes are still making such an impact on our day-to-day life.

I think it is safe to say that we were not ready.

The passages this week tell us to be ready. Be ready because nobody knows the day or the time. We may know it is about to come but the exact time is a secret. It might be sooner than we expect. It might be later than we expect. So be ready.

Are we ready for the world to be transformed? Are we ready for the end of what we have known? What will happen if we are not ready?

--Gord

Looking Ahead to November 1, 2020 -- All Saints' Day

 This being the first Sunday of November we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion.

The Scripture Readings this week are

• Revelation 7:9-17
• 1 John 3:1-3
  

The Sermon title is For All the Saints

Early Thoughts: We are surrounded, so the book of Hebrews tells us, by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). That Cloud is made up of all those who have gone before us, and so it is fitting to remember them this weekend on All Saint's Day.

On this day we pause to give thanks for those who have gone before us and passed the faith down to us. On this day we pause to remember those who have been key parts of our lives. On this day we remind ourselves that they are still with us in some way.

AS the article linked above notes, this celebration has moved around over the centuries. But it has long been associated with this time of year. In fact the name Halloween is a corruption of "All Hallows Eve", the day before All Saint's Day. ANd I think it is appropriate that it falls at this time of year. This week is the old Celtic festival of Samhain, a festival that lies beneath many of our Halloween traditions. At Samhain it was believed that the veil between the world of the living and the other world was especially thin. That could be a time to worry about ghosts and ghouls. It could also be a time to be thanksful for those who have gone before us.

Who has gone before you that you want to remember this year? Who are the saints that have brightened your life's journey thus far?

--Gord

Looking Ahead to October 18, 2020 -- 20th Sunday After Pentecost

 This Sunday we will be celebrating the sacrament of Baptism.

The Scripture readings for this week are:

• Isaiah 43:1-7, 16-19
• Isaiah 45:1-8

The Sermon title is Called By Name

Early Thoughts:  There is a power in being called by name. There is a power in giving a name. Naming matters.

In Baptism we recognize that this person is a Beloved Child of God. In Baptism we recognize that something special is present in our midst. We acknowledge that God has claimed this child as God's own and that God has promised to be with this child even through fire or flood -- or what ever else the world may have to throw at them.

I think we all have days when we need to be reminded of those things. Are there days you forget, even for a moment, that you are a Beloved Child of God? Are there days when you wonder if God is actually there walking with you through fire or flood (or pandemic or economic crisis or...)?

AS people of faith we are called to be people of hope. We are challenged to have hope that the crisis in which we find ourselves one day is not the end of the story. We are encouraged to remember that God has the last say and, in the words of Julian of Norwich, "all manner of thing be well" -- someday at least.

Isaiah is speaking to people in exile, telling them that they will soon be allowed to go home. Isaiah is reminding people that even though they have been dragged from their homes (well for many of them their parents were dragged away from home), dragged away from the place where the house of God stood (and in fact the Temple has been destroyed), God is with them. Isaiah is telling the people that God is at work amongst them, that something new is about to happen.

Where is God these days? What new thing is God doing in our midst today?

God has called each one of us by name. God speaks to and loves each of us as individuals. God has laid claim to us, we are not left alone, we are not forgotten, we are held in God's hand. This is Good News!

How does knowing that we are named and claimed by God change how we will live our lives?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to October 11, 2020 -- Thanksgiving Sunday

 

Our 2017 Thanksgiving Display

 

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Deuteronomy 8:7-18
• 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
  

  

  2013

  
  

  
  

  
  

The Sermon title is Remember! Be Thankful! Be Generous! 

Early Thoughts: What is Thanksgiving Day for? A big meal? A long weekend? In NW Ontario the 2nd Saturday of October marked the beginning of moose season so a three day hunting excursion was on some minds. Or maybe is it a time to stop and reflect on life. Maybe that reflection will lead us to gratitude. Maybe that gratitude will lead us to be more generous.

The Revised Common Lectionary is a 3 year cycle. In 2 of those three years the suggested reading from the Jewish Scriptures comes from Deuteronomy. And both of those passages are a recapping of what God has done for God's people. Apparently remembering is a key part of being thankful. Apparently reminding ourselves of gifts given is a key part of being thankful for those gifts. And thinking about it, that makes a whole lot of sense. So the first step in our Thanks-giving is to Remember.

2012

The next step, logically enough, is to Be Thankful. Once we have recognized what gifts we have in our lives we have to choose to be thankful for them. We could choose to see them as entitlements rather than gifts. We could choose to say these are things that are owed to us, or things that are our right to have. But maybe that is both unrealistic and unhelpful. If we see our lives as gifts. If we see those things that make our life full and abundant as gifts then I believe we will be happier, we will be more grateful (which in and of itself changes how we view the world), we will be less likely to lament our perceived lack or scarcity, we will see the abundance that is a part of our lives. And then we will be able to give thanks.

Some people might say that the cycle ends there.  we remember, we recognize our gifts, and we give thanks. I disagree. As I consider the words and teachings of Scripture, as I consider everything I have learned about the life of faith I think there is a next step. As Children of God we are blessed, we are given gifts, we are called to be thankful people. As Children of God we are called to respond to God's gifts. We are called and challenged to Be Generous. This, I think, is the natural culmination of our Thanksgiving cycle. When we see the world as a place filled with gifts and abundance, when our hearts are thanks-filled, when we are singing praises to God for what God has done, how can we help but be generous with the world around us? And so we share with the world those things that we have been given. It is my belief that when we do that we actually have a better life. Gratitude and generosity change how we see and experience the world.

And all that is great. It is a message that could (and has) been preached on many a Thanksgiving Sunday. But this year feels different. This year there are many voices out there pointing out the list of things not to be thankful for. This year there may be more people than usual questioning what we have to be thankful for. Then again, there are some of those voices every year.

So what do you pause to remember this year? What gifts have you been given this year? Why do you say thank-you to God in the midst of the chaos that has been 2020? How are you, how can you continue to be, generous?

Blessed Thanksgiving my friends.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to October 4, 2020- Proper 22A, Worldwide Communion Sunday

This week being the first Sunday of the month we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion. Because it is the first Sunday of October it is also Worldwide Communion Sunday, a day to remind ourselves that we share in a global faith community.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Exodus 20:1-18
• Psalm 19:7-14
  

Hanging in the Friendship Room

 The Sermon title is Good Boundaries Keep Us Healthy!

Early Thoughts: Who likes rules? Often it appears that people only like rules when it suits them, when the rules don't get in the way of what they want to do.

But rules are vital for a healthy community. Imagine if everyone just did what they wanted when they wanted. Imagine if everyone only did what was best for them. Would that be a healthy place to live? Would it be a safe place to live?

I suggest that the answer is no.

Rules help us remember that it is not all about us. It is about US. Life in community is not about ensuring "that I get mine first", it is about ensuring that we all get what we need. Yes rules are a limitation on our activity but that is for the good of all of us.  Sometimes the rules save us from other people. Sometimes the rules protect others from us. Sometimes the rules protect us from ourselves.

As the people are heading through the wilderness to the Promised Land God is shaping them into a new people, a new nation. As a part of that process God gives rules, boundaries, laws that will guide how they live with God and with each other. The 10 Commandments are a part of this set of boundaries, rules, and laws.

Jewish tradition sees the Law as a gift from God. The Psalm this week talks about it as being "More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.". Can we view the rules and boundaries in our lives as gifts?

Now let us be honest. Some rules are bad. Some boundaries serve to protect things that should be dismantled. Some laws need to be changed. So we also need to discern which rules are helpful and which are not, which are gifts and which are tools for controlling us.

But in the end Good Boundaries make for Good Communities. And that is the end goal.  Isn't it????
--Gord

What Next God? ( A Newspaper Submission)

There is a joke I have seen on Facebook a few times recently: God is asking the angels in charge of scheduling if they have put all the stuff for the 2020s in place. The angels sheepishly ask “the 2020s? You mean plural?”. God realizes they heard a request to put 2020’s stuff in place. “You mean you put 10 years of history into one year?” “Oh well....” Sometimes apostrophes make all the difference.

Many of us are almost constantly worrying about the future. What will it bring? Will it be positive? Will everything fall apart? And really we never truly know what the future will bring. Perhaps this year that uncertainty is even more deep-seated. “What next?” seems to be the question of the year thus far. What could go wrong NOW? Will we be able to sing Christmas Carols? Will the economy regain lost ground? When the next shoe falls (we must be up to about 8 shoes by now) what will it shake loose?

This past month my sermons have had me wandering around in the desert with Moses and the people of Israel. There is a lot of “What next” in that story. First they get trapped at the Red Sea and ask Moses why he led them there to get slaughtered. Then they get hungry and tell Moses they were better off in Egypt – at least they had food. Then they get thirsty and once again grumble against Moses. And right after that Moses goes up the mountain and comes down with a set of rules to govern how they will live together.

I think that living through 2020 is a lot like wandering in the wilderness. We have been cut off from the life we knew. Sometimes it seems like the rules are changing weekly, if not daily. Between the pandemic, an economic crisis, racial unrest on both sides of the 49^th, and an increasingly uncertain Presidential election season, who really knows what new crisis will hit us? Out here in the wilderness called 2020 we start to wonder where 2021 will find us.

I don’t know. I am not in the business of trying to tell the future. Like anyone else I have guesses and hopes and fear what that future will bring but none of us really know. All we can do is guess with varying degrees of certainty.

I return to the people wandering through the desert. They were usually not happy about what was going on in life. They complained a LOT. But that time in the desert was shaping them, preparing them for who they would be in the future. So how is our time in the wilderness shaping us?

One of my hopes as we move forward out of our wilderness is that we will have learned something from the experience. What a waste of a year it would have been otherwise!! I hope that what we have learned will shape our priorities, both as individuals and as communities, going forward.

What are some of the priorities I see coming out of our wilderness experience? One is that we, as a culture, need to be ready to find ways to ensure that everybody has support so that a crisis does not leave them destitute. Some of us see this happening through a Guaranteed Annual or Universal Basic Income, some see other mechanisms. But we have learned (again) that our safety net needs strengthening. We need to fix that.

Another priority I would live to see coming our of our wandering is a renewed commitment to real action on issues of inequality. The protests this year have shown that more and more of us are less and less willing to accept structural inequality (racial, economic, gender-based). I am reminded of the late John Lewis and his admonition to “make good trouble”. I hope one of our priorities is to be troublemakers in search of a better way of living together.

When the people of Israel wandered around in the desert they kept wishing they could go back to Egypt. They may have been slaves but at least there they had food and water. At least there they knew who they were. Living into a new vision of who you are is hard work. But they could not go back. God was moving them forward into a new identity, a new vision, a promised land beyond the wilderness.

Time and again this year I have heard people yearning to go back to “normal”. I hope we don’t do that. I hope our time in the wilderness leads us into a new place. I think God is leading us to a new place. I just hope we don’t have to spend forty years wandering to get there.

Looking Ahead to September 27, 2020 -- Proper 21A, 17th After Pentecost

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Exodus 17:1-17
• Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 

The Sermon title is Thirst-gry?

Early Thoughts: Have you had one of those days? Maybe the schedule has been too full. Maybe you got distracted. Maybe there just wasn't a chance.  But for some reason you missed a meal, or you forgot to drink enough. And now you are grumpy.

When our needs aren't getting met it often shows up in our actions and attitudes. Sometimes we need time to adjust to a new situation where our needs will be met differently.  Sometimes we need to go and find what we need. Sometimes the world has changed and pushed us to recognize that what we thought were needs were really wants.

The people of Israel are out in the desert. The one term that defines a desert is that it is dry. It might be cold, it might be hot, but it is dry. Not surprisingly, this becomes an issue. And so Moses has a chat with God and God leads the people to water, water that gushes out of a rock.

For what are we thirsting? What needs are not getting met in our lives? Where is our need, our thirst, our lack making us grumpy? How is that grumpiness impacting how we interact with the world around us?

When we are in the wilderness times of life (and a pandemic would likely meet that description)  it is easy to start to think and feel that we have been left alone, set aside to survive or perish on our own.  That can make us grumpy too.

The people of Israel needed (repeated) reminders that they were not off on their own, that God was with them. They needed to know that God was there to protect, guide, and sustain them. They needed to know both that their cries were heard and that their needs would be met. When they doubted that they became grumpy.

Then there is the last half of that Exodus passage, the battle with the Amalekites. These battle stories, where God appears to be helping one army destroy another, are often uncomfortable for us. But in the Exodus  story God is definitely seen as a warrior, going to battle for God's people. One thing I do take out of this story, coming as it does right after the water from the rock, is that the army of Israel is successful when they believe that God is with them (signified perhaps by Moses' up raised hands) but unsuccessful when they doubted God was with them (signified perhaps by Moses' lowered hands). When we trust that our needs are being met, that we are not alone, we can do more.

As we travel through the wilderness of COVID-tide, are we always sure our needs will be met? Are we sure that we are not alone? Where are we thirsting or hungering for something to fill an as yet unmet need? Where are we getting restless and grumpy and starting to cry out? What response do we need to our cries? What response do we want? (And no, those last two may not always have the same answer)
--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 20, 2020 -- Proper 20A, 16th After Pentecost

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Exodus 16:2-15
• Psalm 78 (VU p.792)
  

The Sermon title is Can We Go Back?

Early Thoughts: MAGA. Take Canada Back. When I was your age... All three have something in common. They evoke a time when things were better, or at least a feeling that things were better then. They express a desire to go back to what once was, because then life would be better or easier, or more straight forward again. Nostalgia has a powerful presence in the world.

Normally when I prepare to preach on this passage it is to preach against the desire to go back.  Because it is often unhelpful.  Nostalgia is a tool we use to  avoid changing our sense of who we are, or a tool to fight back against changes that scare us, or a tool to maintain our preferred status in our communities. Moving into a new sense of identity, moving into a new world can feel like moving into a place of barren-ness. We can easily make ourselves think that we would be better off it the place we used to be, even if that place was often painful. So often nostalgia is a force we need to push back against, because there are always folk who want us to go back to Egypt, even though hope and life lead out into the new place.

This year I am noticing a more nuanced approach is needed.  And in that nuance lies a side to nostalgia that we often overlook.  We talk a lot about the fear and resistance to change. We don't talk a lot about the grief that might underlie that fear and resistance. Even for the Israelites, recently freed from slavery, I think there was grief. They had to let go of their whole sense of identity as an oppressed, enslaved people. Who were they now. Grief, especially unnamed or unacknowledged grief is a potent force.

Thus is a year of grief for many people. So many people have lost so many different things over the last 6 months. And there is a real desire for us to get back to "normal". To get rid of social distancing, to sing hymns on church, to gather friends around a table for a meal, and so many other things. 

It ain't happening nearly as fast as folk want it to.

So what do we do with that? Can we name the things for which we are grieving? Can we mourn what is lost? Then can we ask what we really want back and what we don't? Because it is plausible that we really should not go all the way back to "normal". It is plausible that when we come out of this pandemic we will never do things the same way. I think that has real positive possibility, because "normal" was not always healthy as it was.  But I think we only get there by naming our grief and doing the work of grief so that we can honestly evaluate where we want to go next.

Otherwise we fall prey to nostalgia, and pledges to take us back to the Golden Age, to make us great again. How will we choose to move forward?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 13, 2020 - Proper 19A, 15th Sunday After Pentecost

 The Scripture Reading this week is Exodus 14:10-31

The Sermon title is Take the First Step!

Early Thoughts: Imagine the scene. Moses has convinced Pharaoh to let the people go, and convinced the people to follow him. They are hastening out of captivity to freedom. Or so they thought.

But Pharaoh had second thoughts and is now chasing them with his army. The people are trapped between the water and the war chariots. Is there any hope left? What now!?!

The plan seems audacious, perhaps even ludicrous.  "Stretch out your hand over the sea to divide it" God says to Moses, "that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground." Really? How many people in the crowd found this to be a reasonable option?

There is a midrashic story that I need to investigate this week about the person [a quick search suggests his name is Nahson or Nachshon] who was bold (or foolish or desperate) enough to take that first step, to be the first one to walk into the sea. I wonder how many of us would jump in like that.

One of the bits I think we miss in the story of the Red Sea is that it relies on simple acts. When I learned it in Sunday School the focus was on what God does. When we watch Charlton Heston the focus is on what God does (with Mr. Heston running a close second). But in order for God to act God seems to need others to participate in simple things.  If Moses does not stretch out his hand and wave his staff does the wind part the waters? If Nachshon is not willing to take the first step will God act? does Moses? will the people follow? Simple acts of faith, acts that, in theory, could accomplish absolutely nothing, make a deep difference in the story.

I think that is where our learning might be in this story. Well, to be honest, I think there are a lot of places where we can enter the story and learn something about how God is active in the world, but one of them for me is our ability (or willingness) to take those simple first steps.

I note that there is a lot of fear in this story. And while Moses tells them not to be afraid, I am pretty sure they were still somewhat terrified. Caught between sea and chariots how else would one feel? The people move forward in their fear. Possibly despite their fear, possibly driven to desperation by their fear. But they move on regardless. How many times do we not take the first step because of our fear? What would it take for us to jump into the water?

And the simplicity of the actions.  Stretch out your hand. Step out into the water (or mud). I suspect the people wanted bolts of lightning to strike down Pharaoh, or some other grand cataclysm. But the miracle is set out by simple little acts. How often do we look for the big thing that we need to do (or needs to be done) and miss the simple little things that start the ball rolling?

Many of us know that feeling of being trapped between sea and chariots (though the axiom we most often use is between a rock and a hard place). Many of us know the feeling of being overwhelmed by bad options. Many of us know the feeling of being held captive, enslaved by something that refuses to let us go. But the story reminds us that we are not alone. The story reminds us that liberation is possible. The story reminds us that the impassable obstacle can in fact be blown away. We might have to slog through the mud for a bit but liberation and freedom are possible.

We just might need to take the first simple step along the way in order for it to happen.

--Gord

Extravagant...? -- A Newsletter piece

Back in January, during the before-Covid times, we invited people to draw a Spirit Word. This would be a word to hold in your head throughout the year. It might be something to inspire you. It might be something to reflect on. It might be a reminder that God is with you, challenging you to add something to your life.

I drew Extravagance. Since that day the word has been pinned to my office bulletin board along with the calendar. I see it every time I glance up. What might it mean for me? I would not describe myself as an exceptionally extravagant person. Even back in January I pondered what God might do within me as I reflected on that word. Then March came and the world changed.

What does extravagance mean in a year beset with a pandemic (along with the shutdown and physical distancing and everything else that COVID-19 brought us)? What does it mean in a world with a financial crunch? What does it mean in a world where we are being pushed more and more strongly to confront the reality of racism in our midst?

On the surface it seems that extravagance does not fit into 2020. 2020 has been more a year of sheltering and low-key activities, not of showiness and lavish displays. Shall I find the baskets and draw a new word?

Well no. Partly because that would defeat the purpose of having a word to reflect on for the whole year. Partly because I can’t actually remember what we did with the un-drawn words. But largely because I think God might still be calling me to be extravagant.

Just for fun, I went to Dictionary.com and looked up Extravagant. Here is what I found:

1. spending much more than is necessary or wise; wasteful: an extravagant shopper.
2. excessively high: extravagant expenses; extravagant prices.
3. exceeding the bounds of reason, as actions, demands, opinions, or passions.
4. going beyond what is deserved or justifiable: extravagant praise.
5. Obsolete. wandering beyond bounds.

I might also add that the word brings to my mind “extravaganza”, which suggests a grand show and celebration, probably linked to definition #3 above.

As I look again at those definitions and reflect on my understanding of how God calls us to live I am drawn to numbers 3 and 4. God calls me to love extravagantly, beyond what is deserved, beyond the bounds of logic or reason. God calls me to share extravagantly. In a world full of fear of not having enough, God calls me to be extravagant with what I have. Do I follow that call all the time? No. I could certainly do more of it. But that is where reflecting on this Spirit-Word has led me today.

We are called to be extravagant in our love. We can show this extravagance in our acts of Stewardship – how we share the gifts that an extravagant God has given us. We can live extravagance in our passion for justice, in working for a world where all have their needs for food and shelter and respect met.

Some people might call it wasteful and imprudent to live this extravagantly. But I am quite sure God sometimes wants us to be wasteful and imprudent, even profligate. After all, my reading of Scripture suggests that God is often all those things when dealing with God’s people.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 6, 2020

 This week we are officially resuming in-person worship.  In part to mark that event, and because it is the first Sunday of the month, we will be celebrating Communion during worship.

The Scripture Reading this week is 2 Samuel 6

The Sermon title is Dance! Celebrate! Wait?

Early Thoughts: Where are we in the story? Are we at the end when the Ark of the Covenant has finally been brought into David's capital city? Are we at the beginning when the Ark is still hidden away? Are we in the middle, where the Ark is coming "home" but has to take a break part way, so the celebration is not yet complete? [Or maybe we are years later after it has been lost and we are traveling with Indiana Jones to save it from the Nazi's??? 😎]

The Ark of the Covenant has a storied history in Scripture and in myth/legend.  Here is the Wikipedia entry on it. Suffice to say that during the wars with the Philistines the Ark had been captured and then got moved around to a few different dwelling places. Now that David has captured Jerusalem/Zion and is making it into his capital city he decides it is time that the Ark be brought into the city. It would be a sign that God was with David, and by extension the nation of Israel.

This is a cause for celebration. God has granted David and Israel victory over the Philistines. In the future Jerusalem/Zion would be known as they place where God dwelt because the Ark was there.  David's son, Solomon, would build a grand temple and the Ark would have a place of honour at the core of the Temple.

But things don't quite go to plan. The Ark is about to fall so one of the attendants touches it to steady it and is struck dead. David is afraid and cancels the parade for three months. Then the journey is concluded with much dancing and sacrifice and celebration. David himself, it is said, dances so enthusiastically (and so scantily clad) that he exposes himself to the crowd.

This week marks a time of return for us. Back in March we had our regular church service on March 15th and then everything changed. Our chances to gather together have been limited for almost 6 months now. But now we are resuming in-person worship. A time to celebrate! A time to dance!

And yet it is still not the same. There will still be some people who will not feel comfortable/safe in group gatherings and so will continue to join us virtually. Our worship will look and feel different with distancing measures and masks in place. It is still a time of waiting and adapting.

I think the closest approximation is that we are in the middle of the story.  Celebrating and returning but not quite all the way home.  But still it is a time for celebrating.  Maybe even dancing a little  -- although that ma happen more in our hearts and souls than actually moving our feet. I guess you could dance your way up to receive communion?

--Gord

Looking Ahead to August 30, 2020

 The Scripture Reading this week is Romans 12:1-21.

The Sermon title is Transformed!

Early Thoughts: The opening verses of Romans 12 have become favourite words of mine. In many ways they remind me what the life of faith is all about.

We are invited/encouraged/exhorted to let God transform us "by the renewing of our minds". It is my belief that if we allow that renewal and transformation to happen then the behaviours described in the rest of this passage will follow quite naturally.

The challenge of course is if we will let it happen. Will we indeed offer ourselves as a living sacrifice? Will we give up control long enough for God to go to work within and on us? Will we quiet our hearts and minds long enough to hear God's voice? Will we let go of our own agenda long enough to discern what God's will is?

The last 5 months have been a time of disruption. Our normal schedules have been heavily challenged. As I reflect on this disruption I find myself wondering if it will push us to re-evaluate how we set our priorities. I wonder how we might make different decisions (as individuals, as communities, as nations) based on what we have learned about ourselves (as individuals, as communities, as nations) as a result of COVID-tide.

Maybe that is where God has been in all of this. I would never say the God sent a pandemic into our lives. But maybe God is using the pandemic to push us in new ways? Maybe this is the chance for us to stop and let God into our priorities in a new way? I have often thought that God is a bit of an opportunist, jumping in when an opening is created. Is that happening this year?

God calls us to be renewed and transformed. God calls the world to be renewed and transformed. That is what the growing of the Kingdom of God is all about. When/as that happens those behaviours Paul lists will come so much more naturally (with a bit of practice).

--Gord

LISTEN! -- A Newsletter Piece.

 

The second last word in our list is ‘Listen’. What might that have to say for our life of faith? On the surface it seems to suggest we will pause and listen for God’s voice as we make decisions and choices in life. Which sounds great. I sometimes wonder how good a job we do (both as individuals and as a community) of doing that.

As I reflected on this word at this time I was brought back to prayer. Many times it seems that prayer is about us talking but prayer also needs to be sitting in silence and listening for God’s voice. That is hard. Our culture does not tend to do silence well. Many times we might crave silence, but it is hard to find. And even then we might find something to fill the void. Maybe that is part of why this hymn is so often used to start worship services:

Come find the quiet centre in the crowded life we lead,
find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see
all the things that really matter, be at peace and simply be.

Silence is a friend who claims us, cools the heat and slows the pace,
God it is who speaks and names us, knows our being face to face,
making space within our thinking, lifting shades to show the sun,
raising courage when we’re shrinking, finding scope for faith begun.
(verses 1&2 of Come and Find the Quiet Centre, written by Shirley Erena Murray 1989)

If we are going to listen we need to make space. We need to quiet our hearts. We need to shut off the blare from social media and the news. We need to stop our own inner voices, our worries and our anxieties, even our hopes and dreams. We need to move beyond our own thoughts so that God has a chance to speak in our ears and move in our hearts. By the way, that is a whole lot easier to say than it is to do.

One thing that helps me create the silence is some form of centering prayer. Centering prayer is a form of meditation. It allows/helps/pushes us to let go of our thoughts and simply be in the presence of the Divine. It takes practise, and to be honest I need to do it far more often for my own mental health. but it helps me refocus, helps me clarify priorities, helps me sleep (I am one of those people whose anxieties and worries surface most when I am trying to go to sleep).

Over the year I have encountered a variety of meditation and relaxation exercises. Some of them have been prayer-based and some have not been. But I thought in this month when we are reflecting on “Listen” I would share one of my favourite centering prayer activities. Before each line take a deep cleansing breath. Then repeat the line and pause for whatever feels comfortable. You may find that the pauses get longer with each line, or with each time you do the exercise. The words come from Psalm 46:10:

[Deep Breath] Be still and know that I am God [Pause]

[Deep Breath] Be still and know that I am[Pause]

[Deep Breath] Be still and know [Pause]

[Deep Breath] Be still[Pause]

[Deep Breath] Be [Pause]

Let’s all take time to stop and BE and listen.
Gord

Looking Ahead to August 23, 2020 -- Jesus and the Canaanite Woman

 The Scripture Reading this week is Matthew 15:11, 17-28

The Sermon title is CLM

Early Thoughts: One day I was describing this passage to one of my daughters. I said that next Sunday we were reading the story where Jesus calls a woman a dog. Guess the reaction I got.

This passage is a challenging one when it comes to our picture of Jesus. Whether we admit it or not we sort of want Jesus to always be the paragon of virtue and loving interaction. A Jesus who has so much to learn does not fit that image.  And in this story Jesus is clearly challenged and made to rethink his reaction.

And yet, in some ways, it is one of my favoured Gospel stories.

For centuries Christianity has proclaimed that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, even if nobody has ever really hit on a totally satisfactory way of explaining how that is possible. How many times do we ask what it means to be fully human?

For me, being fully human means that you have blindspots and unconscious attitudes, it means you are formed by your context, it means you have edges where you need to learn and grow. For people who want or need Jesus to be perfectly human and totally without sin or error this is a difficult place to be. But if Jesus is fully human Jesus has to be able to learn/change/grow.

In our mind's eye we might imagine Jesus' first response to the Canaanite woman would be along the lines of "certainly I can heal your daughter". Instead Jesus gives an answer that is steeped in ethnic parochialism -- once ignoring her was no longer an option. To her credit the woman is persistent (which we already know since ignoring her did not work). She challenges Jesus narrow vision of how God might be at work in him. And Jesus models that we can change our attitude when we know that the challenger is right.

The verses at the beginning of this week's reading remind us where evil and defilement really come from. They come from the heart. But hearts can be changed. And when hearts are changed the Kingdom comes one step closer to full reality.

Where do our hearts need to be changed? What attitudes and beliefs have we unconsciously picked up from our contexts that need to be challenged? How can our vision of God's action in the world be broadened?

--Gord

Looking Ahead to August 16, 2020

 This week's Scripture Readings are (it is worth noting that all of 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1 is seen as a unit on this topic, you might want to read more than the portions for this Sunday):

• 1 Corinthians 8
• 1 Corinthians 10:23-31

 The Sermon title is What About Masks?

Early Thoughts: Last week I read this blog post and realized that this was a sermon that needed to be preached.  I think Paul lays out an ethical principle here that extends far beyond the issue he is dealing with in Corinth, one that has application in a wide range of human interactions.

The 2 letters we have to the Corinthians in Scripture are part (it appears) of a larger body of correspondence between Paul and the church he founded in the city. Certainly there were letters from members of the community to Paul and possibly as many as four letters from Paul to the Corinthians. Reading the letters, particularly First Corinthians, reveals that the community in Corinth is not a unified  group. In fact they seem to be split and fighting on a number of issues, some of which are theological, some of which appear to be class-based. Among the issues of dispute is a question about meat.

For much of human history, meat was a luxury item. Hunting always had a hit or miss aspect to it so meat could be rare. And even once we humans started raising animals for slaughter meat was still a luxury item because of the cost involved. Adding to the controversy is the fact that much of the meat in Corinth (a very cosmopolitan seaport in the Roman Empire) may have been from animals that had been offered as a sacrifice in one of the many temples in town. Can a Christian eat meat (or any other food) that had been part of a sacrifice? That is the question.

Some in Corinth say that it is not an issue because they know full well that those bits of stone and metal that the animal was sacrificed to are not gods, or idols -- they are just bits of stone or metal. Others are less sure. Are they participating in idol worship by eating the meat? Are they risking their salvation? It appears that the Christian community in Corinth has asked Paul for guidance.

To be honest, I have long avoided this passage. I have avoided it because I find Paul's answer lacking in clarity. He seems to say that there is no reason not to eat the meat, and then in the next breath say there is a big reason not to eat the meat. He seems to have missed the "just say yes or no" aspect to giving advice.

But reading it now I realize what I missed in the past. I missed the ethical principle that Paul lays out.

Paul is telling the Corinthians (and, through them over the years, us) about one way we make love real and actual in our lives. It is a clear way to live out the commandment of Jesus "love one another". When it comes to the question of meat the question is not actually (or not only) the meat itself. It is "how does my behaviour impact my neighbour?". If my choices might negatively impact my neighbour (in the case of meat and idols by leading them astray) then I have the duty to make a different choice.

As people of faith we are both free and not free. Our freedom is bounded by the commandment to live love for our neighbour.

So this 2000 year old question about meat does in fact touch on our current debate about wearing masks. And on older debates about restricting smoking. And on a host of other questions about how we live together in community. How do we live out love for our neighbour? How does our commitment and responsibility to the collective interact with the North American idol of individual freedom and "rights"?

To be part of the Christian family means we have different priorities.  Paul challenges us to think of our neighbours. So did Jesus. So did the prophets of ancient Israel. So, in the end, does God.

--Gord

Which Lives Matter? -- A Newspaper Piece

How did you answer that question? Was your first response “Black Lives Matter” or “All Lives Matter”? It is a pretty loaded question these days. I pondered titling this column “_________ Lives Matter” and asking how you chose to fill in the blank, but I decided that a blank in a column title might not work too well.

The term Black Lives Matter has now been part of our culture for 7 years. It first appeared as a hashtag after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2013. Since then it has grown into a movement both in the US and here in Canada. It has been controversial for all 7 of those years. But it shouldn’t be.

For those of us who claim the term Christian phrases like Black Lives Matter, or Indigenous Lives Matter, or LGBTQ+ Lives Matter should never be controversial. They should be obvious truths. They should also force us to ask why someone might think they are controversial. What are we trying to hide when we teach or preach the controversy?

In chapter 15 of his gospel Luke shares 3 stories Jesus tells about things that are lost. In the first Jesus talks about a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep behind to go and find the one that was lost. “All lives matter” logic might say this is being foolish. What makes that one wayward sheep more important than the other 99. That misses the point. The one sheep is the one that was in danger, so it needed the attention right now. It is not a competition, it is a statement of what is needed in a particular moment.

When we stand up and say that in this moment #BlackLivesMatter we are not saying anything other than “there is a threat to our siblings whose skin is darker than others, we should do something about that”. When we are unable to do that, when we fall prey to the logic of “all lives matter” we risk being a character from one of those other stories Jesus tells.

The third story Jesus tells in Luke 15 is about a man with 2 sons. Briefly, the youngest one goes away and wastes all his inheritance. When he comes home his dad throws a party. The older brother is jealous and can’t see why his wastrel brother needs a party. The father says “we had to celebrate. Your brother was dead and is now alive”. The story never says one brother is more important than the other, it talks about who needs to be raised up at one time or another. Many of us have traits of the elder brother. Sometimes we need to get over ourselves to celebrate and support our siblings.

As the children’s song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” reminds us, God loves all of God’s children. No matter their race, religion, sexual identity, gender, level of ability or any other criteria humans have for dividing us God loves all of God’s children. God loves us collectively, but God also loves us individually and specifically. When some of us are threatened for some reason God calls for people to step in and deal with that threat. As people of faith we can never be satisfied with simply saying that all lives matter. We must, if we are faithful, be willing to step in and say that Black Lives Matter. Another day we might need to raise up Indigenous Lives, or LGBTQ+ lives, or women’s lives, or disabled lives. Only if specific lives matter do all lives matter.

The world is a broken place. As humans we often fail to live into the fact that we are created in the image of God. God is calling us to be transformed and to do better. One sign of the broken-ness of the world is how good we are at dividing people. Let me be plain. We are not all the same, that is a wonderful gift. But using those differences to create people with privilege and people without privilege is sinful and evil. Racism, sexism, ableism, homo- and trans- phobia, religious bigotry, and all those other ways we find to say “this group is better than that group” are sinful and evil.

God is calling us to be better. God is calling us to learn how our neighbours are threatened. God is calling us to show that specific lives matter so that indeed we show that all lives matter. God is calling us to learn where our systems are broken and allow our systems and ourselves to be transformed. God is creating the Kingdom in our midst, will we join in the project?

Be blessed my friends. Stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, and build up your neighbour.