Looking Ahead to April 5, 2026 -- Easter Sunday

The Scripture for this morning in John 20:1-18

The Sermon title is The Impossible...Possible?

Early Thoughts: Can life really win after all? Can hope really overcome despair? Can love actually conquer fear?

It seems impossible. WE know all too well the reality of death, despair, and fear. We just have to look at the world around us to believe that they are what is actually winning. Surely it is a pipe-dream, a pollyanna attitude, to believe otherwise.

And then we read the Easter story.

Jesus was dead after all. When the Roman Empire wanted you dead then you were going to end up dead. He had been crucified, he had proclaimed "It is Finished" and bowed down his head, his side had been pierced, and his body had been laid in a tomb. The world had won. Mary was heading to his tomb to weep and mourn.

But then the impossible happened.

The stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty. Some new horror must have taken place. "I don't know where they have taken him!"

But this was not some new horror, this was hope beyond hope. Mary would meet the one who died, would be able to proclaim (as the first evangelist, the first to preach the Good News) "I have seen the Lord!"

What seemed impossible was indeed possible. Death did not have the final word --life and love did. Despair is not, in the end, stronger than hope. 

That is the Easter promise. That is the Easter message. The world had done its worst and it still lost. It is still true today. When it looks like fear and death and despair have won then we know it ain't over yet. It ain't over until hope and life and love have won. Anything else is just a setback.

As The Dread Pirate Roberts/Westley tells Buttercup in The Princess Bride "Death can not stop true love, all it can do is delay it for a while".

It seems impossible but it is a statement of faith and trust. Live Wins.

Thanks be to God.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to Holy Week

Shall we start with Thursday...

We will read a segment from Matthew's account of Jesus' last days: Matthew 26:17-30, 36-46

The Reflection will be Stay Awake

Early Thoughts: They have gathered for a meal. Jesus has given them the structure for what will eventually be formalized into the Christian Eucharist/Communion celebration. Since the triumphant entry into the city just a few days ago Jesus has been confronting the authorities in the Temple and has spent time talking about preparing for the end. Surely the stress level amongst the disciples must have been a little high.

Then in the garden Jesus asks them to sit in the dark and stay awake. They fail. Repeatedly.

What if they had stayed awake? What if they had overheard Jesus anguished prayer? How might that have changed them?

Sleep is, of course, a necessity for our health. Sleep keeps us renewed. Sometimes sleep can be a way to escape as well. Sometimes in stress sleep is one of those ways we can shut off the outside world, even if just for a little while.

When should we be more intentional about staying awake? 

In the last number of years some commentators have tried to make being 'woke' (even if the term is never really well-defined) as a bad thing. Interestingly others tell people to "Wake UP!!!!". As we contemplate following the path of Jesus, The Way of Jesus I think we have to be awake. I think we have to resist the temptations to allow ourselves to be numbed to reality, or to let ourselves be lulled into falling asleep. HOw might our world change if more of us stayed awake?

At the same time I know some of us are exhausted and a nap sounds really good...

Now shall we look at Friday?

This year we will hear a portion of the Passion story as told by John: John 19:1-30

That will be followed by a reflection So Many Crosses

Early Thoughts: The Passion story is a story of a sham trial, a foregone conclusion and a torturous execution. Good thing those don't happen anymore right?

OR do they?

AS we look at the world are there people who are summarily condemned? Maybe not by the state but certainly by the society around them. There are people who are cast away. There are people who are scapegoated, who are used as convenient sacrifices to keep the world acting "as normal". There are people who are told that to be their full selves makes them eligible for being cast out, makes them worth less than others.

What are the crosses we see in the world today? WHen we see them how do we react?

Later that night we will hear the end of the Good Friday story, the burial of Jesus: John 19:38-42

That marks our transition into the great time of vigil and waiting. So we will be invited to reflect with We Are Waiting.

Early Thoughts: What is is like to wait? How do we sit vigil? What are we waiting for?

In his Song "Hidden Hallelujah" Christopher Grundy reminds us of some of the people who are left out, some of the crosses in our world. He also reminds us that we are all waiting for a hidden hallelujah, waiting to hear the bells of justice, waiting for God's grace, for God's kin-dom. One of our Easter hymns (Joy Comes With the Dawn) tells us that weeping may come in the night  but then joy comes in the morning light.

AS we leave the Good Friday service night has fallen. But we await a new dawn, a new hope, life will yet win.  As Grundy sings, "it ain't over til the angels sing".
--Gord

Looking Ahead to March 29, 2026 -- Palm Sunday

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Zechariah 9:9-10
• Matthew 21:1-17

The Sermon title is The King Arrives!

Early Thoughts: What if it is a loyalty test? Where would we land in such a test? Which king-ship, which brand or expression of power would we line up beside/behind?

The Palm Sunday story carries with it many images fit for a King. Matthew tells the story, it appears, with the words of Zechariah in his head (even if Matthew reads it as though the victorious king is riding in to the city on two animals at once). There the imagery is clearly victorious and yet even there we find a disconnect. The victorious king proclaimed by Zechariah is humble rather than proud, riding on an ass instead of a war horse. So it is with Jesus. And yet the crowds cheering and laying branches and cloaks on the roadway certainly give it a triumphant, even royal feeling. Are the branches and cloak the equivalent of rolling out the red carpet?

So it is a royal welcome, a victory march, perhaps a coronation processional. But one meant for a very different king. One that lifts up a very different understanding of power. One that challenges how we understand 'the way the world works' -- a challenge made evident as Jesu immediately goes to the Temple and upsets the business happening there..

In their book The Last Week Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan suggest that there are two parades happening this day. As one king enters the city to great acclaim but humbly riding on a donkey the Empire enters the city through another gate with a great show of military Imperial power. Which model of power will win?

Source and Description

To be a Christian, or at least one definition of that, is to become more Christ-like, to align our lives and priorities with Jesus. In that case how we answer the loyalty question becomes easier and, at the same time, more complicated. Obviously we would choose the power of the one on the donkey, the one who says things like "blessed are the meek, the peacemakers, the merciful, those who huger for righteousness", the one who calls us to love our enemies, the one who tells us not to hoard what we have, the one who tells us to serve all our neighbours because then we serve him. That must be the answer right? But doing that is hard. Doing that goes against the flow. Doing that seems, at times, foolhardy. Certainly it is no way to get ahead in the world.

This week the king arrives in town. As the next week progresses the full cost of his understanding of king-ship and power and the world will be put to the test. The powers around him will fail the test. His closest friends will scatter out of fear for their own survival. 2000 ears later we still parade and sing and cheer. But how will we do on the test? In a world where empire still strikes hard and fast. In a world where power is defined as 'might makes right' or 'greed works', a world where being different often leads you to the edges of society is there a place for the power of a king on a donkey?

What if it is a loyalty test? What brand/understanding of power do we choose?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to March 22, 2026 -- Lent 5

 The Scripture Reading this week is John 11:1-44 (the raising of Lazarus)

At Children's Time we will be hearing about Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones.

The Sermon title is Death, Grief, Life

Early Thoughts: Jesus wept. He came to the place where Lazarus had been laid and Jesus wept. As one of our Communion hymns (Eat This Bread and Never Hunger verse 3, #471 in Voices United) puts it: "Weeping for his friend at graveside, Jesus felt the pain of death".

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This is a well-known, maybe even beloved, story from John's Gospel. It is also a challenging story. Why does Jesus not respond faster to the news that Lazarus is ill? Is talking to a woman in fresh grief (who has already questioned why you did not get there in time to make a difference) really the best time to engage in theological discussions about resurrection and the end times? Sometimes reading the story I get the sense that Jesus wants to make it all about him, that Lazarus (and his death and his grieving family) are just props for Jesus to show his/God's Power and make a theological point about the Messiah.

But then we meet the raw emotion of it. Jesus weeps. Jesus who has already said he is on his way to re-awaken Lazarus, Jesus who knows what he plans to do next, Jesus who is about to call Lazarus out of the tomb, he weeps. Because Jesus knows the reality that when death visits grief is always along for the ride.

This is a story about death and grief and how we respond. At least that is part of the story. It is not the end of the story. The end of the story is life.

It is a roller coaster after all. Lazarus is sick. Lazarus is "asleep". Lazarus is well and truly dead (4 days in the tomb dead). There is great grief. Then Lazarus comes out of the tomb and, presumably sine the text does not tell us, there is great joy and relief.

Paired with this story in the lectionary is the story of Ezekiel and his vision of the valley of dry bones. Ezekiel is told by God to speak  to the bones and the become re-articulated (toe bone connected to the boot bon, foot bone connected to the leg bone...) and covered with flesh. Ezekiel speaks again and the Spirit of God blows into these bodies and they become alive again. Where there was only death and grief and loss there is once again life.

But the life never really removes the reality of death and grief. They remain as echoes, they remain to change how we see the world.

So it is, so it always has been. Death and grief are part of life but in the end, faith tells us, life will win.

An we weep with Jesus and still find the promise that life will emerge? Can we look at a valley of dry dead hopes and dreams and feel the wind of God blowing around with the promise of new life? Can we look at a world where illness and death and destruction seem to have the upper hand and still look for signs of new life?

The last line of that verse I quoted earlier is "yet he knew God's power to waken; living water, living breath". In Christ, with God, in faith, life and love will win in the end. If they haven't won yet then the story has not yet ended.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to March 15, 2026 -- Lent 4, Daring Justice

 

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Amos 5:21-24
• John 2:13-17

The Sermon title is Dare to Flip the Tables

Early Thoughts: One of the oldest answers to the question "what does it mean to be a Christian?" is that it is to try to be like Christ. Not just to follow his way but to be like him, to share his passion for God's Reign, to share his concern for the people out at the margins.

Jesus, in a fit of passionate outrage, flipped over tables and drove people out of the Temple.

What might lead us to be as intentionally disruptive? What would be our equivalent to flipping over the tables in the Temple?

The third word pair in the Call to the United Church put out by the General Council a few years back is Daring Justice. To be daring is to take risks. To be daring is to challenge the status quo. To be daring is to suggest a whole new way of seeing/being in the world.

How do we take risks to break the wheels of injustice? It is easier to bandage the wounds and make sincere calls for change. How do we slide a pipe into the wheels (throw a spanner in the works?) so that there aren't people waiting to be bandaged?

Years ago I heard a speaker share a different version of that idea. It was noted that the church is good at pulling bodies from the river to keep folk from being washed away. Sometimes we even build grand structure to help catch them as they float by. But what we really need to do is go upstream and stop them from being thrown in.

Scripture is fairly clear that justice is one of God's primary concerns. In Torah we find many laws/rules/regulations designed to make a more just society, one where all are allowed to thrive. In the prophets there are a couple of primary complaints made against the people and their leadership. One is that they have wandered astray, falling into idolatry and neglecting to follow the way God placed in front of them. The other (which is often related to the first) is that they have failed to act justly toward each other. Then in the Gospels Jesus fairly regularly chooses justice (maybe in his teachings, maybe in his healings, maybe in his actions) over the Law. He goes so far as to point out that Sabbath in particular is made for people not the reverse, so justice and health for the people take precedence over the law.

We live in a world that is filled with examples of injustice. Whole groups of people are pushed to the margins, are blamed for all that is wrong with the province/country/economy, are targeted for violence, are used as scapegoats. Individuals and groups are deprived of what is needed to live, to grow, to thrive. Systems seem to favour the haves over the have-nots.

What can we do? How can we break the cycles?

We are called to dare to challenge the systems of injustice, even (or perhaps especially) when we ourselves benefit from those systems. That sounds risky. 

We are called to flip over the tables and barriers that get in the way. Sometimes we have helped to build or maintain those barriers. Sometimes we put a target on our backs when start to lift the edge. It is easy to talk about it over coffee, or hear a sermon at church, or write a letter to a politician. Can we take the risk of taking to the streets, of acting out our prayers for justice?

In this post are quotes from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They are but two examples of people who chose to take that risk, who chose to let the target appear on them. They both spoke out against injustice and evil. They both paid a heavy price.

And now, because I have another picture, I see another piece of our call to daring justice. We live in a world, a culture, of personal freedom. Surely freedom (or FREEDOM!!! as some might say it) can't get in the way of justice can it?

Freedom is vital to a healthy society. But it needs to be limited, responsible freedom. 6 years ago the world shut down. 6 years ago we entered debates about mask mandates and vaccines and freedom. As the picture shows us, freedom used irresponsibly or without consideration for others does indeed get in the way for justice.

Maybe one of the ways we practice Daring Justice is to give up some of our 'freedom'. Perhaps the path to justice involves what is good for the community and not just what is good for me. Perhaps one of the tables that needs flipping is this belief that the individual is king?  In fact I am almost certain this is the case.

What other tables do you think need to be flipped? Where are we called to take risks as God creates a just world around us?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to March 1, 2026 -- Lent 2, Bold Discipleship

 

A new month arrives!  As usual the first Sunday of the month is a day we celebrate the sacrament of communion. All are welcome to join us in the banquet of faith.

Also the first Sunday of the month is a day we encourage people to remember our Local Outreach fund, which we use to support our neighbours here in Grande Prairie.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• John 18:25-27 
• Acts 4:23-31

The Sermon title is Speak Boldly

Early Thoughts: Sometimes it is a challenge to be bold. Sometimes it is risky to be bold, to speak out, to take the chance that your boldness will lead to your downfall. Still, as followers of Jesus we are all challenged to be bold for the Gospel, the Good News.

The early church knew this well. Peter, given the chance to be bold as Jesus is being tried, chooses denial rather than boldness. As he sings in Jesus Christ Superstar: "I had to do it don't you see. Or else they'd go for me.". 

But then Easter happens. Then Resurrection happens. The world is changed. The followers of Jesus are changed.

In the accounts of the crucifixion the Gospel writers paint a picture of Jesus dying abandoned by most of his followers. The book of Acts paints a picture of those same followers refusing to keep quiet, of a community boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in a city where the people with authority would really rather they kept quiet.

What does it mean to be a Bold Disciple of Jesus? I think it intersects nicely with the third part of our call Daring Justice (which we will talk about on March 15) as both push us to take risks. I also am reminded of Martin Luther standing before the Diet of Worms, told to recant his views and responding with "Here I stand I can do no other", knowing that it would likely lead to his condemnation by the Roman Church.

The story we read from Acts this week makes it clear where those early church leaders found the strength and courage to speak boldly. It comes from God, specifically (as often in Acts) from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Our ability to be bold for the Gospel, to speak boldly about how we understand the Reign of God, comes from being rooted in God, from sinking deep into God's presence, from a Deep Spirituality.

In the middle of March we will mark P.I.E. Day. On that day we are challenged to be Public, Intentional, and Explicit about our understanding of the Gospel. Specifically P.I.E. Day may be aimed at issues arising out of Affirming Ministry but the concept stretches across many categories (as does being an Affirming Ministry for that matter). As people of faith we need to speak boldly, to be P.I.E. about where we see God in the world, about the vision for the world that God has revealed to us.

Sometimes we might find it easier to keep quiet. Sometimes we want to paly it safe and not rock the boat. I fully understand that impulse. Still the challenge is there, the calling to Speak Boldly, to be Bold Disciples of Jesus.  May God help us live into that calling.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to February 22, 2026 --Lent 1, Deep Spirituality.

 

The Scripture Reading this week is Psalm 46.

The Sermon title is Dive Deep.

Early Thoughts: Welcome to Lent, the 40 days (not counting Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Sundown on Holy Saturday (or Sundown on Maundy Thursday in some traditions). There are many different traditions about how best to keep Lent but in most it is seen as a season of reflection as we prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for the coming of Easter and Resurrection.

In keeping with this idea of using the Season as a time to reflect on how we live into the Christians life, I thought we could spend three of the Sundays on Lent this year reflecting on the logo above. A few years ago the General Council of the United Church released a new vision statement. At the same time they challenged the church to live in to the call of Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, Daring Justice. What do those words mean to us? How do they (or how can they) shape our lives as individuals and as a community of faith?

AS it happens these three things are also going to be the themes for our congregational newsletters this year, with the first, Deep Spirituality, coming out shortly. This is some of what I had to say in that:

We start with the most foundational piece – Deep Spirituality. This is, in my mind, what we build on if we are to be bold disciples. It is what gives us the courage to dare and take risks for justice ... As people of faith we are invited and encourage to intentionally take time and sink into God’s presence. As people of faith we feed our spirits/souls to allow us to live out our faith...

 As people of faith our guidance and strength comes from God. If we don’t attend to our spiritual health, if we don’t sink deep into God’s presence and love we suffer. We might become exhausted. We might lose hope. We might start to think it all depends on us. Deep Spirituality may not always prevent such things but it can help avoid them, it can help us recover when they hit.

When I went to choose a piece of Scripture to go with Deep Spirituality I was naturally drawn to the Psalms. In this book of poetry we find many places where we are just invited to sink into God's presence. We find calls of trust that God is with the poet. We are reminded that strength, protection, guidance, and wisdom comes from God. Chanting of Psalms is an ancient meditative spiritual practice.

I settled on Psalm 46 largely because of the last verse "Be still and know that I am God". For me this one verse captures what I see in the call to dive deep, to seek deep spirituality. 

It can be easy to say that we don't have time to do the work of Deep Spirituality. There is always something else that could be done instead of sitting quietly, or walking along the lakeshore (or river valley as your geography allows), or gently singing favourite hymns. Often the work of spirituality seem unproductive (which is sometimes seen as one the worst things one can be in our modern culture). I disagree. I think that for people of faith doing the work of feeding our spirit, doing the work of building our relationship with the Divine, is what allows us to do all the rest of the work.  It builds the foundation of our lives as people of faith.

So why don't we talk about it more?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to February 15, 2026

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
• 1 John 3:11-19

The Sermon title is How Do You Speak Love?

Early Thoughts: The central commandment in Christian ethics and morality is to Love: Love God, Love Neighbour as you Love yourself, Love each other as you have been loved. But as Walter Farquharson reminds us in his hymn Would You Bless Our Homes and Families, "love's expressed in many ways".

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So how do you speak love? How do you express love? Which Love Language is your native tongue?

Humans have flaws, we all know that to be true. One of our flaws is that sometimes we assume everybody communicates things the same way we do. This allows us to claim that any breakdown in communication is the other person's/nation's/culture's fault. Of course this is not true. With time and observation we have learned (although logically it should have been obvious) that there are many different ways that people communicate. Some are culturally based, some are personality based, some are a result of being neurospicy vs neurotypical, and some are simple linguistics.

When we take the time to name how we communicate best and intentionally seek to understand how others communicate we build stronger relationships and communities.

So back in December when someone suggested to me that I could do a sermon on Love Languages I thought it was a great idea.

I have to wonder, how many relationships fall apart because people miss the ways love is being communicated? How many arguments blow up because people mis-understand an act or gesture?

We are ALL called to love each other, and I believe firmly that this is not about how we feel. The command to love neighbour, family, friend, and enemy is about how we act, love is a verb not an emotion. So how do you speak/share/communicate this love?

One of the blessings of community is that we don't all have to speak the same dialect of love. In any congregation there are a variety of ways that love is expressed (as Farquharson named). The theory of love languages lists 5 options. I think there are more, though that may well be due to some subdivisions within those 5.

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I think that as a community of faith, particularly a community that takes seriously the moral and ethical primacy of the commandment to Love, we need to make space for the varied ways that love can be expressed. I think that as a community of Love (as we hope we are) we need to recognize and celebrate the variety of ways that God's love is shared in our midst.

One thing that does not change is the Love, the Love that flows from God. One thing that does not change is that we are to aspire to a Love that is full-throated, that is inclusive, that mirrors and spreads the Love God has for us. There is not one 'right' way to do that. We each have our own ways. And that is a good thing.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to February 8, 2026 -- 5th Sunday After Epiphany

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Isaiah 58:1-12
• Matthew 5:17-20

The Sermon title is Choose God's Fast!

Early Thoughts: In just a couple of weeks we will find ourselves in Lent. One of the old traditions of Lent is that it is a time of fasting, of choosing to abstain from certain things (most traditionally meat) for the season as we prepare for Easter. Nowadays this tradition is most commonly found in the question "what are you giving up for Lent?" -- with the understanding that what you give up is supposed to be something you would actually miss. [Side note: this tradition of fasting, of Lent as a somber season may well be the reason the Mardi Gras and Carnival take place just before Lent-- a final blowout before we start the Lenten fast.]

Fasting as a spiritual discipline has an ancient history. In Torah we find there are times when one is supposed or required to fast (Yom Kippur comes to mind) as part of the rituals of life. Fasting is a sacrificial act done to strengthen the spirit or as an act of penance. It is found in many different traditions.

But do we sometimes get it wrong?

Do people sometimes make a big deal, a big show of fasting as a way of showing how strong they are? Do people sometimes make it about themselves and not about the discipline? Even when it is about the discipline do we always allow the act of fasting to lead us into a deeper relationship with the Holy, to lead us to make a commitment to the Reign of God?

Do we sometimes think deciding not to eat chocolate (talk about denying oneself) makes a real difference in the world? What would it mean to participate in a Godly fast?

Many years ago this post ascribed to Pope Francis (there is some disagreement whether he was the first to say these things or if he even said them) floated through many Facebook feeds. These words challenge the reader to reconsider what to 'give up for Lent'.  The list isn't about eating and drinking or any of the other things people often claim to be giving up. Instead they challenge us to give up things that get in the way of Kingdom-living -- and replace them with healthier/more helpful alternatives Is that more what God has in mind for a fast?

Reading this week's passage from Isaiah makes me think so. Speaking through the prophet God tells the people that they have been getting fasting wrong. They have been going though the motions but not living into the spirit. They make a show of the fast but still quarrel, still oppress each other, still look out for themselves first.

The fast God chooses is one that breaks the yokes of injustice and oppression.  The fast that God chooses humbles rather than makes proud. The fast that God chooses leads to the hungry being fed and the naked being clothed. The fast that God chooses, the fast that God would have us choose, leads to renewal and rebirth, to a world rebuilt and restored.

So what fast would God have us choose in 2026?  Or maybe how would God have us fast in 2026?  Choosing not to eat, a hunger strike, can be a powerful tool of protest, has been for years. Boycotts are/can be, in my mind, a type of fasting and have been shown to be powerful tools as well.  Fasting can help change the world.

Or there are the fasts we take for our own health, the ones that allow us to be energized to take on the reality of life. Many people choose to take a break from Social Media for just this purpose.  Or some take on a "buy nothing" month to re-center themselves. Or maybe making a sincere effort to avoid sarcasm for a period of time. Fasting comes in many forms.

IS there a fast you feel called to undertake as we approach Lent this year?
--Gord

Minister's Annual Report...

 

Celebrating the gifts of the Spirit,
we are a loving and supportive congregation

in service to the Church, the Community, and the World through Faith

Do you recognize those words? They are from our congregational Vision Statement. I believe that Vision Statements do two things. They describe both who we think we are and who we want to be (or more theologically, who we are called to be). I also believe that Vision and Mission Statements are meaningless if we never look at them, reflect on them, and ask how they intersect with what we are actually doing. So as you read through this Annual Report I encourage you to ask yourself how you see the words of our Vision and Mission Statements (which you can find printed out at the beginning of this booklet) lived out in these pages.

Everything you see in these reports, everything you see when you come in for Sunday worship, everything you see when taking part in the communal life of St. Paul’s is made possible because many people have worked together to make it happen. People have given money. People have dreamed and planned and facilitated events. People have attended and supported. Everything that happens in this community happens because of this community. Thank you all for making this place what it is.

• thank you to Ministry Team members
• thank you to readers and greeters and communion servers
• thank you to those who prepare and serve coffee each Sunday
• thank you to those who deliver newsletters, who connect and check in on community members
• thank you to all who faithfully give via envelopes or e-transfers or PAR
• thank you to those who are intentional about greeting visitors and newcomers
• thank you to those who share their musical gifts
• thank you to those who help other events happen (from Garage Sale to Concerts to Coffee parties)
• thank you for all those other things I have forgotten as I made up this list

Together we live out our Vision Statement. Together we make this community the place we love, a place where we feel loved and supported. Thank You Thank You, and in case you missed it – THANK YOU.

The past year has had its ups and its downs. We have said good bye to active and vital members of the community, even as we have celebrated their lives and given thanks for the gifts that they shared. We have carefully watched our local givings even as we celebrate the added income form Card’s which has led us to another 5 digit surplus. We have shared dreams about what we could maybe possibly do even as we have been forced to acknowledge that maybe we have less energy and fewer volunteers to do what we dream. I wonder what your highlights and lowlights of the past year have been? Maybe we can find a way to share some of those at the Annual Meeting this year?

One of the purposes of an Annual Report, in my mind at least, is also to look ahead. What do we need to do to continue to grow into the community described in our Vision Statement? How do we move beyond existing into thriving, how do we become a more vibrant voice for God’s Beloved Community in Grande Prairie. As I ask myself those questions I think back a couple of years to the report from the Pathfinders group. That report highlighted the need for intentionally marketing ourselves to the community, making St. Paul’s better known. It is an issue that comes up repeatedly in churches. We tend to say “this needs to happen” but are not sure how to do it or are lacking the tools/confidence/know-how to make it happen. Your Council has agreed to have someone come to talk with us about marketing questions. It is my hope that we can find a way to light our light shine more brightly. It is my hope that as we do that we can more boldly invite others to come and check us out, to see if we are a community where they too find a spiritual home.

For the last few years General Council has encouraged us to live into this vision:

Called by God, as disciples of Jesus, The United Church of Canada seeks to be a bold, connected, evolving church of diverse, courageous, hope-filled communities united in deep spirituality, inspiring worship, and daring justice.

In the Toward 2035 initiative (https://united-church.ca/toward2035) launched last year we are encouraged to imagine:

In The United Church of Canada, inspired, resilient, and diverse contextual communities of disciples seek to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world. The church is present and deeply connected coast-to-coast-to-coast in rural and urban settings, and in ecumenical and global relationships. Guided by hope-filled, adaptive and effective ministry leaders, the denomination is increasingly multigenerational, multiracial, and intercultural.

As a part of that national vision may we be Deep, Bold, and Daring in 2026 and beyond, God being our helper and guide.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to February 1, 2026

This is the first Sunday of the month so it is a week both to celebrate Communion and to highlight or Local Outreach Fund.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Psalm 15
• Micah 6:1-8

Source

The Sermon title is How Should We Live?

Early Thoughts: In the face of injustice, in the face of a deep lack of grace, in the face of a serious absence of humility how should we live? What should we do?

If we truly believe that choosing to follow The Way of Jesus calls us to be different people, if we truly want to live as transformed people what would that look like?

In a world where state-sponsored terrorists execute citizens on the streets on Minneapolis, where governments restrict the rights of people based on gender or sexuality, where the richer get richer and the poor struggle to get by, where 'me/I/mine' too often seems more important than 'we/us/ours' how should we respond?

Scripture answers these questions over and over again. From Moses through the Prophets to Jesus the answer is laid before us. Still we seem to struggle to get it right.

Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly with God.

It is easy to say. Even easy to sing. It might be harder to actually do. In fact I know it is harder to actually do. Apparently it is even harder to push our governments, our wider society to do.

In some United Church circles Micah 6:8 has taken on a very special status. It has been lifted up time and time again, usually with the emphasis on the first instruction -- do justice. We as a denomination with strong roots in the Social Gospel movement of the late 19th-early 20th centuries have often pushed hard for a more just world. Social, Community, and Financial Justice is a key issue in Scripture. We need to continue not only to push for justice but to actually do it ourselves in our own circles of  power and influence. But there are two more instructions.

What does it mean to love kindness? Kindness sometimes gets confused with niceness but I don't think they are the same. Niceness can too easily become "don't make waves" or "just get along" whereas loving kindness brings to my mind the Golden Rule philosophy -- do unto others as you would have done to you. To love kindness, I think, means caring for the needs of the people around you -- at which point it often intersects with the first instruction to do justice.

Then we have the question of humility. One of my colleagues has pointed out in the past that this may be the piece of Micah 6:8 where we most often fall short. When we think it is all up to us to rebuild the world we have failed to walk humbly with God. When we fail to listen to the people around us we have failed to walk humbly with God. When we insist that we are the only ones with the correct point of view we have failed to walk humbly with God. Most certainly can do better at being humble.

The world is not what we wish it was. Justice, love, kindness, and humility often seem in short supply. God calls us to live as transformed people. God calls us to put our faith in action, not just words and songs. We know how we are called to live. How will we respond?
--Gord

Lent Newsletter -- Deep Spirituality

 Let us start with a story...

Jane looked at the time. Listed office hours were over. There was nobody else in the building. With a deep sigh she pulled out her phone, turned it off and put it back in her pocket. Then she stood up and made her way to the sanctuary.

There Jane turned on the sound system and started playing some gentle instrumental music. Then she turned off all the lights, letting the space soak on the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows, and made her way to the chancel. Jane flipped open the big Bible on the communion table till she found the passage she was looking for. She read it aloud into the empty space, letting the words resound off the walls, then she flipped open the book of poetry she had brought from the office and read aloud one of her favourite pieces. As the last line of the poem echoed across the room Jane set the poetry down and sat silently in the choir loft.

4 or 5 minutes later she stood up and made her way down the chancel steps. Slowly, reflectively, even meditatively, Jane started weaving her way through the rows of seats. Carefully she passed between the rows, back and forth, like it was a very basic labyrinth. As she walked Jane allowed her mind to drift. For a while she reflected on the passage she had just read. For a while she replayed the poem. Then she started to quietly murmur words of prayer. Finally she fell silent and walked on, down one side of the sanctuary then back up the other, until she found herself standing again at the foot of the chancel steps.

There Jane settled into the front pew. She sat with her eyes closed, letting the music flow over her, silently lifting up her joys, her worries, her confusions, her hopes to the Holy One.

Suddenly she heard the church door slam and a cluster of voices in the hall, calling out her name. Then a group of people, the Social Committee, burst into the sanctuary. “Oh good! You aren’t busy!” the chair called out. “We need to have a quick meeting to discuss next month’s pancake supper!”

Jane grimaced. Then, as calmly as she could, she said: “Actually I am in the middle of something. If you go to the library I can join you in about 15 minutes.” The group left (though she could hear some grumbling as they went) and Jane tried to find that quiet calm place from which she had been dragged. But alas the moment was gone. She gathered up her book, turned off the sound system, grabbed what she needed from the office and joined the group in the library.

The next day there was a phone call from the chair of the personnel committee. They were concerned that when a group of people had come in (unannounced) and asked to talk Jane had made them wait even though she had clearly had only been resting in the sanctuary. Jane explained that she was working, she was doing the work she needed to be ready to serve, she was taking care of her Spirit. The call ended with a rather brusque “Well don’t let it happen again”.

....................

Back in 2022 the General Council released new vision and mission statements. Embedded in those were three pairs of words: Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, Daring Justice. We were all invited to embrace those ideals as ways we live out our Christian faith. This year our newsletters will invite us to reflect on them. As it happens I have also chosen them as the launching points for three of our Sundays in Lent this year.

We start with the most foundational piece – Deep Spirituality. This is, in my mind, what we build on if we are to be bold disciples. It is what gives us the courage to dare and take risks for justice (as I write these words I think of the people of Minnesota where dozens of clergy were arrested this weekend as part of protests against the terror inducing activities of ICE). As people of faith we are invited and encourage to intentionally take time and sink into God’s presence. As people of faith we feed our spirits/souls to allow us to live out our faith.

Christopher Grundy has a song called By the Stream. Within that song are these lyrics (I think inspired by Psalm 1)

“Blessed are those who trust in God

they will be like a tree by the water
and sending out its roots by the Stream”

Listening to the song, reflecting on those lyrics reminds me of the importance of attending to our spiritual needs. There we get nourishment. There we get what we need to be able to live out our faith.

The story about Jane up above is a work of fiction. It started writing itself in my head a couple of days ago. It is not a “names changed to protect the innocent” thing it never happened to anyone I know. In fact it is based on an old joke about the minister in their study praying and someone comes in and says “oh good you aren’t busy”. I just expanded it a bit. But the story (and the old joke) tells us a lot about how we sometimes see the work involved in deep spirituality.

Sometimes we see those quiet, “non-productive” times as less important, a thing that can be knocked off the calendar in favour of more important “productive” work. With all the important things to do can we really take time to sit quietly, or walk along the creek, or watch the birds, or sing random hymns? I think we have to. I think that when we don’t take that time it is so much harder to keep doing the “important” things.

As people of faith our guidance and strength comes from God. If we don’t attend to our spiritual health, if we don’t sink deep into God’s presence and love we suffer. We might become exhausted. We might lose hope. We might start to think it all depends on us. Deep Spirituality may not always prevent such things but it can help avoid them, it can help us recover when they hit.

I close with one of my favourite verses, one that I have used as a bit of a mantra at times to sink into God’s presence: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Looking Ahead to January 25, 2026 -- 3rd Sunday After Epiphany

 The Scripture Reading this week is Matthew 4:12-25

The Sermon title is Good from Nazareth?

Early Thoughts: In the John reading from last week there was one line that always sticks with me. When Phillip tells Nathanael about Jesus Nathanael responds with "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

This week's reading suggests the yes, indeed something good can come from Nazareth.

Most scholars agree that Nazareth was a bit of a backwater town. Some have suggested that even worse it was a backwater town from a backwater province. Galilee and Galileans were not always seen positively by those in Jerusalem and Judea. They spoke differently (as in a regional accent). They were far from Jerusalem. Can anything good come from way out there?

SO glad we would never hold those sorts of attitudes today....right?

At any rater maybe the idea that Galilee was removed from the center of things is why Matthew tells us the Jesus withdraws there after John the Baptist is arrested. Maybe Jesus is going where the heat is a little bit less. [Narrative note, as Matthew tells his story this makes it appear that Jesus returns from his 40 days in the wilderness (temptation story) and immediately heads north to Galilee.] Away from Judea, away from Jerusalem. At the same time Matthew has told us earlier (chapter 2) that Jesus grew up in Nazareth so maybe he is just going home?

At any rate we are still left with Nathanael's question from last week. Can anything good come from a backwater town? Cana anything important come from a place we easily forget?

Yes. Yes it can. God tends to surprise us that way. In fact I would argue that throughout the course of Scripture God often comes from unexpected places to launch something new. Amos was a vine dresser. David was a shepherd boy. Jesus came from Nazareth.

And then something amazing happens. This unknown person from a backwater town arrives with a splash. People leave their very livelihood to follow him. People from all around start coming seeking wisdom and healing.  Something good indeed came from Nazareth.

How many times might we miss what God is doing because we fall into the trap Nathanael falls into? How many times might we discount the source and stop looking (which Nathanael did not do, he remained engaged and saw Jesus for who he was)? Can we have the open hearts and minds to see where God is active?

This is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Christian Unity is one of those things that often seems like a good idea but not a reality. Churches often fall prey to dismissing what another church does simply because they are doing it. Churches often have trouble getting past our differences and recognize what God is doing in that place.

I challenge all of us to get past those times when we are tempted to say "Can anything good come from______?". I challenge all of us to look for what God is doing even (or perhaps especially) when the source seems very unlikely to us. Who knows what surprises we might find with that level of openness?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to January 18, 2025-- 2nd Sunday After Epiphany

 

From Facebook

The Scripture Reading this week is John 1:29-51

The Sermon title is Come and See

Early Thoughts: It isn't enough to know second hand. Sometimes you need to see/experience for yourself.

There is a story in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 11:2-6) where disciples of John come and ask Jesus if he is the one who was promised or if another was coming. In answer Jesus tells them to go back and tell John what they have seen. What have they experienced? Actions matter, seeing is more important than descriptions.

In these early verses from John's  Gospel many people are told about Jesus. They all need to go and see for themselves. John (the Baptist, not the Gospel writer) believes because he saw. John then tells others about Jesus and they go to seek him out. Then Jesus invites them to "Come and See". One of them then goes to his brother and says (I think) "you gotta come see this guy!" and another connection is made, another follower joins the crowd.

Then we have Phillip and Nathanael who again are called forth by immediate contact --even through Nathanael's initial skepticism. 

That first hand experience of the presence of God has more power than someone telling you of their own experience. This is not to say that we should not share our stories and tell others of our experiences. We need to do that but we need to do it as a way of inviting others in to seek their own experiences. Think of Andrew going to Simon/Peter after spending hours with Jesus. He invites his brother to come and see for himself. We nee to invite others to come and see what God is doing in the world today.

Seeing for ourselves is the best counter to our doubt and our skepticism. Experiencing for ourselves hits harder, sinks deeper into our psyche than relying on second-hand experiences.

This continues into John's story.  When Jesus stands before Pilate  Jesus asks "Do you ask this on your own or did others tell you about me?" (John 18:34). Do we know Jesus, know who Jesus is only because of what other say or because we have met him ourselves? Do we know about God or do we know God (or probably both)? John is also the Gospel writer who gives us the story of Thomas, the disciple who refuses to believe in the resurrection until he has his own personal encounter with the Risen Christ.

Seeing, experiencing for ourselves is important. Inviting others to "come and see" so they can see and experience for themselves is part of how we spread the Good News of faith.

What would make us offer that invitation? What would we invite others to see, to experience? Who in our story of life and faith has offered the invitation to us?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to January 11, 2026 -- Baptism of Christ Sunday

 

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Isaiah 42:1-9
• Matthew 3:13-17

The Sermon title is Beloved Servant

Early Thoughts: What does it mean to remember that you are baptised? 

It could be an act of blessing and affirmation. It also could remind us of a deep calling. Both at the same time.

From the earliest days baptism as been the rite of initiation for the Christian church. From the beginning it has been a rite where the newly baptized is joined with Christ -- "dying and rising with Christ" is the traditional language. In baptism, as our baptism liturgy puts it,

we are called, claimed, and commissioned:
we are named as God’s children,
claimed by Christ,
and united with the whole Christian community
of every time and place.
Strengthened by the Holy Spirit,
we live out our commission;
to spread the love we have been given throughout the world.

So what does it meant to remember that you are baptized?

Our readings this week talk about Jesus. One tells of Jesus being baptized by John -- and indeed on of the reasons Christians hold Baptism as a sacrament is because while we have no record of him baptizing anybody Jesus himself was baptized. The other is one of the passages from Isaiah that talks about the Suffering Servant. There is some disagreement about who Isaiah had in mind as the Suffering Servant but Christians have long read these passages as being about Jesus. SO taking the two together we have Jesus as Beloved Servant.

In Baptism we share in the death and resurrection of Christ. In Baptism we are named as God's children, we are claimed by Christ, and we are commissioned to take part in God's action of remaking the world. Maybe in Baptism we too are named as God's Beloved Servant?

This is both blessing and challenge, to me at least.  It is a great blessing to be reminded that we are Beloved by God, tat we are a Beloved child of God. We tend to like that. But there is the commissioning side to it as well. We are to be servants, to serve. 

Called to serve means we advocate for the Reign of God (remembering that Jesus was all about proclaiming the present/coming Kingdom of God). It means that we speak out against those things/persons/policies that work against the Reign of God. It may mean we have to run counter to some powerful or influential voices in the world around us. This can be difficult.

Still we are able to do this, to the best we can, because of the first part. We are able to play a part in God's ongoing mission to repair and remake the world because we are God's Beloved children. Remembering this moves us past our guilt and shame and regret. Remembering that we are Beloved helps us to turn (or to repent) and go a different direction, to go home by another way.

We need to remind ourselves of the blessing and the burden of being Baptized on a regular basis -- maybe even daily. We need to remind ourselves what it means to be baptized and reflect on how that gets lived out. Sometimes we do this to push ourselves (and each other) to live into God's mission. Sometimes we do it to lift ourselves out of depression or shame or guilt. Sometimes we do it to give us hope for the future.

In Baptism we are reborn (or "born again" to use a different turn of phrase). When we remember what it means to be baptized we can be reborn again and again and again. When we remember and recommit ourselves to our identity as Baptized. life wins and we are reborn.  Thanks be to God.
--Gord