April Newsletter

And Jesus said, “Oh, come and follow me.
Oh, leave behind your nets, I call you.
Oh, come and fish with me,
and your life will never be the same again.”
(Refrain of More Voices #113 “Jesus Saw them Fishing”, written by Ken Canedo in 2002)

Jesus invites us into relationship. Jesus invites us into a way of life. Jesus does not ask us to believe certain things, Jesus asks us to follow him and The Way. Jesus challenges us to leave behind the world as we have known it and walk into a brave new world. And indeed our lives may never be the same again.

This edition of the Newsletter invites us to reflect on what it means to be Called by God, as Disciples of Jesus. To me this means that we are called to follow. It means we are called to open ourselves to being transformed. It means that we are called to be changed by our encounter with God made known in Jesus, the Word-Made-Flesh. Because we have been changed, transformed, by this encounter we make specific changes in how we live. Our priorities are reshaped, our understanding of how the world works (or perhaps how the world should work) is different.

Following the Way laid out by Jesus, taking to heart Jesus’ teachings about what the Kingdom of God is like, pushes us to advocate for a better world. It pushes us to question what things in this world build up and what things tear down. It pushes us to ponder what needs to be built up, what needs to be renovated, and what simply needs to be done away with. The Way of Jesus is a path that requires us to give special consideration to those on the margins. It requires us to provide for each other, with special concern for those who have less. Earlier this week I shared this post on Facebook that partially captures what it means to answer the call to be a disciple of Jesus:

“If you want to follow me, deny your very self.
Take up your cross and walk the walk with me.
This might seem a hardship, an impossibility,
but nothing is impossible with God.”
(Verse 3 of More Voices #113 “Jesus Saw them Fishing”)

As we approach Easter it seems important to remember the wisdom found in this verse of the hymn. The path that Jesus walks led to a cross on a hilltop, to his arrest and torture and execution. Following the Way of Jesus leads to a conflict between worldviews. It requires us to be ready to challenge the conventional wisdom of the world. When what is often called the “powers and principalities” of the world are challenged, when they are told they have to give up power and privilege, when they are told they need to change how the world works, they tend to push back.

When Jesus tells his friends and followers (which hopefully includes us) that they must be willing to take up their cross and walk the walk with him he is being pretty scary. Taking up your cross is not about putting up with a mild annoyance or an illness. In Jesus’ world, taking up your cross is being willing to be executed. Jesus asks us what we are willing to risk for the sake of God’s Kin-dom. As we push for a new world, as we push for justice, as we fight for the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our global societies, what might we have to give up?

But of course the cross, the sacrifice, the risk, is not the end of the story. Jesus had such passion for God’s Reign that Jesus was willing (not necessarily happy about it but willing) to die. It does seem impossible that we might be asked for that level of commitment. But God has another ace. When the Empire struck back at Jesus they thought they had won. Then some women found a rock rolled away, and an empty tomb, and heard words of new life. Resurrection is possible. Life wins. The Reign of God will win in the end.

Are we willing to walk the sometimes challenging path? Are we willing to risk it all? Are we ready to experience death that leads to life? Are we ready to leave behind our nets, our understanding of how life is, to follow a hope of what life could be? Is this what it means to be Called by God, as Disciples of Jesus? And our lives will never be the same again....

Looking Ahead to April 3, 2022 -- 5th Sunday in Lent

 This is the first Sunday of the month so this week we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion.

During the Time and Talent Auction last fall one of the items up for bid was a chance to request a sermon topic. In discussion with the purchaser I determined that the topic fit best during the Lenten Season, a time when we are encouraged to be a bit more self-reflective. So this Sunday is the purchased sermon...

The Scripture Reading for this week is Luke 10:25-37.

The Sermon Title is Who Is My Neighbour?

Early Thoughts: Covid-tide has brought many questions. It has sparked discussions about when governments should bring in restrictions, and how restrictive those should be. It has created debates about freedom and when/if freedom needs to be limited. I think underlying all of those debates has been a variation of the question the lawyer asks Jesus in this week's reading. Underlying all those debates about masking and vaccine mandates and occupancy limits has been question about how best we can show love and support to our neighbour [or possibly if we should be forced to do that]. How do we make choices about making the safety of our neighbour a priority when it impacts how I am best able to live my life?

There have been many many memes and posts over the last two years.  Here are a couple that I came across recently that seem (to me at least) to touch on these sorts of questions:

Of course those don't answer all the questions. That is not the point of them.  But they do give a different point of view. In a world where much of our rhetoric and media push us to think of self first these are two of many quotes that remind us to think of us first, "we not me". That is a big step in figuring out how we follow the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves.

But still there is a complication. For the last two years there has been a strong voice reminding us that social distancing, and mask wearing, and getting COVID vaccines were the best way to love our neighbour. From where I sit that is certainly true. At the same time the commandment is to love your neighbour, and the story suggests that we have to be pretty broad in how we define neighbour. So how do we love those who disagree with masking and vaccine mandates and other social restrictions?

Calling them selfish, saying they are misguided, dismissing them as "anti-science", talking about conspiracy theories, (as has often been done in the world of social media) is not how we love them. Even if we honestly believe those things are true we need to find loving ways to engage with those who hold different points of view. Even Jesus was known to point out that anyone can love their friends, we should also love our enemies.

At various times in the last two years (and many other times beyond that) the level of social discourse in our society has saddened me. I have seen wonderful things said and happen, signs of love alive and active in the world. But I have also seen terrible, unloving, unChristian things said and done. At times it has seemed that deep divides were being drawn, that disagreement over policy was turning into "if you are with me you are against me" language, that we were too willing to cast each other out.

It can be easy to say that we need to love our neighbour. It can be really hard to do it. It can be hard to love our neighbour in the midst of a generational crisis when that neighbour does not agree what needs to be done to help make a safe space for the whole community. This goes beyond debates about the science. It goes beyond the question of when restrictions are for the greater good (which is a wonderful concept but also a dangerous concept). It does get to the heart of building  Christ-like community.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbours, friends and enemies. We don't actually get to ask "who is my neighbor?" because the question makes the flawed assumption that some people are not our neighbours. We have to sort out how we will love our neighbours, friends and enemies -- assuming that every one is our neighbour. The pandemic has exposed some relatively ugly things about some of our societal operating assumptions. It has pushed people into uncomfortable spaces. Maybe this is a good time to talk seriously about the question the lawyer raises in his discussion with Jesus -- and the answer Jesus gives.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to MArch 27, 2022 -- 4th Sunday in Lent

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Psalm 136:1-16
• 1 John 4:7-12
• John 3:11-17

The Sermon title is Love Came Down

Early Thoughts: The story of faith, the overarching narrative of Scripture, is a love story. The song of faith is a love song. This weeks we have some snippets from that story, some verses from the song.

The Psalm reading reminds the people of the ways God has shown love to God's people. It reminds of creation, of Exodus, of being led in the wilderness.

The reading from 1 John has become one of my favourite passages about God and love. It pairs well with the reading from the Gospel of John which includes that very common verse, John 3:16 (God so loved the world...). 

When we take our part in the love story, when we sing our notes in the love song, we encounter God. When we enter into the Christian story: the story of Incarnation, of God-Among-Us, of the Word-Made-Flesh we meet love walking around teaching and healing.

The Gospel reminds us that the Christ-moment happens because God loves the world. It reminds us that the Jesus-story is not about condemning the world  but about redeeming and saving it -- because God loves the world. 

In Jesus, love comes down and walks among us. In Jesus we are invited-or commanded-to love each other as we have been loved. In Jesus we are encouraged to join in the harmonies of the ancient love song. And when we do that God lives in us, God is made known through us, God's love for the word draws closer to completeness.

As Christina Rossetti says in her poem Love Came Down at Christmas:

Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men [humanity],
Love for plea and gift and sign.

 --Gord

Looking Ahead to March 20, 2022 -- 3rd Sunday in Lent

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Genesis 3:8-21
• Romans 8:31-39
• Mark 13:14-22

The Sermon title is Consequences?

Early Thoughts: When have you felt ashamed? Why? What has helped you move past that feeling?

Our choices, our actions (or our inaction) have consequences. That is a truth that can not be escaped. It is true when we are talking about our individual choices and when we talk about our collective choices. How willing are we to accept that reality?

This story from Genesis is one that many of us learned at a very early age. The story of "the fall of humanity" is, for many people, a key part of the overarching narrative of salvation history. As such we may have learned the story with several layers of interpretation to help us know 'what it really means'. It is possible some of that interpretation is not helpful in the long run.

As the story tells us, the consequences of too much knowledge, and the consequences of disobedience, are that life is not easy. Because of the choices made in the story (choices which both primeval humans try to blame on somebody else) life is harder than it was. Leaving paradise bring labour and toil and sweat.

I think we can argue that the Mark passage is also about the consequences of choices. In his ministry and preaching and teaching Jesus is calling those who follow him to join in a counter-cultural revolution against the power of empire. Empire tends to hit back against those who refuse to toe the line. That push back can well seem apocalyptic. Certainly history has shown us that it can be violent and destructive.

The primeval humans are hiding in their story. They are ashamed because of their nakedness, their exposure (this could have both physical and metaphorical meanings). Plenty of Christian theology has tried to tell us that we should all be ashamed, that shame is a proper and natural consequence of our 'fallen' natures. Somehow this is intended to motivate us to live better. I don't think shame does that.

Certainly we have to accept the fact that our choices and actions have consequences. Some of those consequences seem fair and logical, some don't. Some we will whine or yell or complain about. But making us feel ashamed is not helpful. Appropriate guilt can motivate us to do better, shame does not. [My working definition is that guilt is about actions and choices, shame is about how we see ourselves/who we are, which is why shame can in fact hamper our efforts to grow and develop.] Luckily there is Good News, there is a cure...

Romans 8:38-39 are among my favourite verses in all of Scripture. In a world where many theologians have wanted to use the Genesis story to proclaim a fallen, depraved humanity hopelessly separated form God (if not for the saving work of Christ) Romans 8 proclaims the exact opposite. The cure to our feelings of shame is not being released from the consequences of our actions and choices. The cure for our shame is to be reminded that we are God's beloved children. Remembering that can, hopefully, help us accept and live with the fair consequences of our actions. It can help us deal with our guilt. It can help (and push) us to rail against unfair consequences, unjust systems, unequal treatment -- against Empire (which shows up wearing many different masks) even when we benefit from those consequences, systems, and treatment.

Actions have consequences. But underlying it all is the unfailing love of God. That is Good News!
--Gord