Looking Ahead to November 20, 2022 -- Majesty of Christ Sunday

The Scripture readings this week are:

• 2 King 24:8, 11-17
•  Psalm 47 
• Matthew 27:11-14, 27-37

The Sermon title is Destruction, Death, Majesty?

Early Thoughts: Reign of Christ, Christ the King, Majesty of Christ. What images do those terms evoke?

Now, how does the destruction and looting of a city, thousands being dragged off in exile, or a beaten peasant hanging on a cross fit in with those images?

I am going to guess there might be a bit of a discrepancy.

To follow Christ means we have to embrace a series of paradoxes. I think that the last Sunday of the liturgical year really highlights that. We refer to this Sunday using titles like I listed up above. They are titles that tend to evoke power. Words like Reign, or King, or Majesty draw our minds to grand ballrooms, Buckingham Palace, pomp and pageantry, horse drawn carriages, people bowing in respect and fealty.

And yet Christ is a King on a cross. Christ's majesty is shown through death and and empty tomb. No pomp. No gilded carriage. No grand palace. Over the centuries that have followed you will find the people bowing in respect and fealty but certainly not in this story of trial and execution.

Christ has a different form of majesty, Christ is a different type of king with a very different type of reign.  The Majesty of God's Kingdom is seen in death and resurrection. The Majesty of Christ is seen in a specific approach to life and love, not in pomp and pageantry.

Sometimes we need to see how destruction and tragedy might (not always but might) lead to something new.  In the moment it will not feel like it. In the moment it feels like defeat and disaster. But sometimes God can lead us to new hope and possibility, maybe even majesty?

--Gord

Looking Ahead to November 13, 2022 -- 23rd Sunday After Pentecost

This week's Scripture Reading is John 2:2-11

The Sermon title is Mom Knows Best.

Source

Early Thoughts: Sometimes we need someone to give us a bit of a shove. Even Jesus did.

Normally when we talk about this story we talk about the incredible abundance of wine. I did the math once and it is hundreds of regular (750mL) bottles of wine. Everyone was sure the wine was running out and then BAM enough wine (and good quality wine at that) shows up to keep the party going for days [and the hangovers for a few days beyond that I suppose]. There is a lot of sermonic potential there. In a world where we are too often led to see life in terms of what we are lacking, what we don't have enough of it is always a good idea to remind ourselves of the abundance the lies right under our noses --  even if we have yet to recognize that it is there.

However there is one detail about the story that has always fascinated me. Jesus acts because he is pushed. Left to his own devices Jesus does not seem inclined to do anything. Even when it is suggested he should do something he is pretty clear he sees no reason why he should. "Not my problem" he says. Only when his mother (let's go with the other Gospels and call her Mary even though John leaves her unnamed) pushes harder does Jesus actually do anything. This leads to the miracle and the great abundance and the reason we remember the story.

But let us not forget Mary. Mary who sees a problem and looks for a solution. Mary who knows that Jesus can fix the problem and will not let him brush it off. Part of me wonders if under her breath she was muttering something like "stop partying with your friends, get off your butt and fix this problem". Jesus is unquestionably the focus of the story, the miracle of water into wine is the focus of the story. But none of it happens without Mary. Maybe mom does know best after all.

How many of us have only started to act because we have been pushed? Many call stories I have heard over my life have referred to someone who first asked "have you ever considered?". Those initial questions, those words of encouragement are often what push people into a variety of tasks and roles in life. sometimes we first hear them and we are sure we are not ready so we try to push it off, "not the right time" we say. So time passes and quite commonly the questions, the "you might want to consider"s, the "I think you would be good at"s keep coming. Eventually we might start to listen, we might even start to act on it.

How many times have those pushers/encouragers been mother-like figures in our lives?

Maybe that is one of the roles of eldership, to push people, to make suggestions, to point out possibilities we see in others. Maybe that is part of how we keep individuals and the community growing.

It can be daunting to make the suggestion. It can certainly be daunting to follow the prod given by another. There can always be a reason to keep quiet and/or remain inactive. But I think God challenges us both to be the prodder and the proddee. Maybe in that person who asks "have you ever considered..." God is speaking.

Will we choose to listen? If not now, when?
--Gord

Looking Forward to November 6, 2022

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Psalm 48:1-3, 9-14
• John 2:14-22

The Sermon title is He Did What?!?!

By Reinhardhauke - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Early Thoughts: "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild", so goes the old hymn. Turns out maybe he wasn't so meek or mild, and not always gentle.

I mean I don't see anything in those verses about making a whip of cords, overturning tables, pouring money on the ground in a fit of zealous, righteous anger.

This is a story many people love to tell. This is a story many people find challenging. It can be hard to remember that living by Jesus' base principles does not always mean going along with the flow, that sometimes those principles require one to take a stand. Sometimes they even lead us to cause a fuss.

In 1st Century Judaism the temple was the center of the faith. It was the dwelling of God on earth. Only after the sacking of Jerusalem in 70CE did Judaism start to re-imagine itself without that center (largely because they had too since the temple had been destroyed). For Jesus to suggest he would destroy it and rebuild it in 3 days would have sounded ridiculous. For Jesus to cause such a ruckus in the temple precinct was probably pretty scandalous.

Jesus saw injustice in action in the courts of the temple itself. He saw profiteering. He saw people being taken advantage of. Or something like that.  Scholars are a bit divided what the clearing of the temple was really all about. The fact that John puts the event at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (the other Gospels have it happen right after the Palm Sunday parade) suggests to me that John saw it as a statement about Jesus' priorities. Jesus' priorities are not so much on doing the rituals 'right' (the business occurring in that space appears to have largely been about ways of getting proper animals and coinage for temple worship) as they are about inviting folk to come into God's presence. Setting up barriers to that is a problem.

So where do we need to cause a ruckus today? Where do we let focus on getting the outward stuff right interrupt our search for the really important stuff? Where do we need to rage like Jesus? What parts of our life of faith might lead Jesus to rage at us?

Jesus calls us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves and as we have been loved. Jesus calls us to live as people of God's Reign. Jesus calls us to be people of hope. Sometimes we get there by being nice and meek and mild. Sometimes the gloves have to come off and it is time to braid a whip and get down to brass tacks. 

Which will we do?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to October 30, 2022, 21st Sunday After Pentecost

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• 1 Kings 2:10-24
• Psalm 127
• Luke 22:24-30

The Sermon title is Governing Ethics

Early Thoughts: What are the key principles that guide your decision making and actions? That, in a nutshell, is what ethics are.

In these passages we have some principles that might help us form an ethical basis for leadership. Some are positive and some less so.

Let us start with Solomon. David has died and Bathsheba has made sure that her son Solomon will inherit the throne. Perhaps the best known story about Solomon's accession is that he seeks the gift of wisdom instead of long life or riches. That was a good start to his reign. This story about the transfer of power shows Solomon getting off to a much less helpful start. He and his brother argue about who gets to take possession of their late father's young wife/concubine, which leads to the death of the elder brother (who may also have had a stronger case for the throne, being elder). Solomon begins his rule with bloodshed, with possessiveness, with fear and jealousy.  That may be a basis for leadership ethics, but I would advise against that model.

Then we have the Psalm. The poet reminds us of the important role God has in establishing the foundations of a healthy life. Our ethics need to be based on Godly Wisdom, on God's priorities. Otherwise we are, to use an image from the Gospels, building on sand rather than on rock.

And finally we come to the Gospel reading. As people who follow Jesus the teachings shared in the Gospels are one of the primary sources we use as we establish our systems of ethics. Jesus challenges ideas of leader and follower, or greater or lesser, of how power is distributed. Jesus-based ethics are centered on leadership through service. This particular passage also suggests that Jesus-based ethics include a commitment to remain present in trials and hardship. Jesus trusts that his closest friends share his ethical principles and so invites them to share in the tasks of governance in His Reign.

What foundational principles shape our understandings of power and leadership? Are we more like Solomon or more like Jesus? What do others see when they look at us?

Looking Ahead to October 2, 2022

 This being the first Sunday of October we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion. If you are joining us on YouTube you are invited to have bread and juice available so we can all eat and drink together.

The Scripture readings this week are:

• Psalm 103:1-17
• Mark 10:13-16

The Sermon title is Wisdom’s Gifts

Early Thoughts: How do you measure Wisdom? What gifts has Wisdom given you?

In some places in Scripture Wisdom or Lady Wisdom (or in the translation we will hear on Sunday She Who Is Wisdom) is a title used for God. The NRSVUE, like many other translations, has chosen the traditional use of Lord/Father/his throughout Psalm 103. Dr. Wil Gafney, in her translation for the Women's Lectionary, has chosen Wisdom and female pronouns to refer to the Divine. Does that change how you see the gifts offered in the words of the Psalm?

What does it say to name Wisdom as the one that offers forgiveness, who brings life, who renews us, who offers faithful/steadfast love to all her children? Does that say something about the path of wisdom? Does that say something about how we are called to live in God's way?

I posit that The Way of Wisdom would be one way to describe what it means to follow Jesus, the one we call Christ. In that case what does the Psalm suggest about how we are to live?

The story of people bringing their children to Jesus is one many of know well. But this year, reading it in conjunction with Dr. Gafney's translation of Psalm 103 I read it differently. I saw it as a way that the wisdom of the Reign of God (and Jesus' whole ministry was about proclaiming the Reign/Realm/Kingdom of God) gets enfleshed. In many social situations over history, maybe even today, it would be seen as inappropriate to bring children to the great teacher. Common wisdom would say that this activity was an interruption to the work. Jesus gets angry, because Jesus sees the world differently. For Jesus the path of wisdom lies in "let the little children come to me". Jesus sees wisdom in children that we often discount or miss.

What gifts has children's wisdom given to you over the years?

The wisdom of living in God's way is often different from the wisdom of common sense. Sometimes it appears foolish by some standards. However, Lady Wisdom offers us the gifts of life, and that in abundance. We may need to have our eyes, hearts, and souls open to appreciate those gifts. ANd then we can be thankful for those gifts.

--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 25, 2022

 The Scripture Reading this week is 2 Samuel 11:2-15

The Sermon title is Integrity vs. Self-Interest

Early Thoughts: There are three main characters in this story. One is silent,the story happens to her and we do not hear anything about her perspective. The other two are more active, and are a contrast in character.

On one hand we have the King. In this story David openly abuses his power and authority. He takes (by force) Bathsheba to his bed without any pretense at wooing or seducing her first. Then he decides to cover up his crime by getting Uriah to come home and sleep with his own wife so that the resulting child will be seen as Uriah's, not the result of David's act of rape. In fact David tries repeatedly, even to the point of getting Uriah drunk, to have this happen -- not, it appears, out of any concern for Uriah or Bathsheba but solely to cover his own backside. When this is eventually unsuccessful David arranges to have the man killed.

Then we have Uriah. One could read the story and see Uriah solely as an unwitting dupe. He has no idea what is really going on. But as I read the story this month it struck me that Uriah shows himself to be a man of great integrity. He refuses to claim or accept more privilege than his men have. While they are living rough at the front he will continue to live rough himself -- no matter what enticements the king might offer.

This is a hard story to read. It is a hard story to preach on.It is a story that makes you wonder how it got included in the final edit. David, the great King, is shown to be a rapist, an abuser of power, a wholly unsavory character. NOw what do we do with the story?

I think we start by naming the reality of what it is. It is, to borrow a phrase from a feminist theologian for the 20th Century, a "text of terror". We do no favors to the text,or to ourselves as readers by trying to obscure that fact. Many have tried to limit David's sinfulness (which is odd because the text of 2 Samuel never tries to hide David's sinfulness), usually with the result of casting blame on Bathsheba. "Slut-shaming" has a long history, one which continues to this day, when people talk about sexual violence.

Along with naming the reality of the story is to name the reality of what it shows us about David. Everything David does in this story is motivated by self-interest. He wants sex-he gets it. He wants to get around blame for the resulting pregnancy and tries everything he can to get that too. In then end he has Uriah killed so he can simply take Bathsheba into his household and try to avoid accusations of adultery (later the prophet Nathan will force David to face his sin -- to a degree, still treating Bathsheba as stolen property rather than as a rape victim).

In our lives we will miss the mark, we will get things wrong. Hopefully none of us will fail so egregiously as David does here but at some point we, as individuals and/or as a community, will do damage to another. When that happens will our self-interest lead us to try to minimize what happened and escape consequences? Or will we have the integrity to name what happened? 

At the same time, some time in life we may be given the choice of Uriah. We may be promised rewards or a way to an easier time while our neighbors continue to live rough. Which will we do?

This week during our Tame for the Young at Heart we will be talking about Orange Shirt Day. As we remember and reflect on the truths of what the Indian Residential School system was and did how will we respond? As a settler community we did damage to our Indigenous neighbors, damage which continues to resonate and shape lives to this day. As a society the impulse to rush toward reconciliation and 'put it all behind us' is strong. But is that acting out of self-interest or with true integrity? Are we wanting to hide hard truths even if it means sacrificing the Uriahs who get in the way?

This is a hard story to read. It is one that should probably carry a trigger warning. What does it teach us about human nature in the face of sinful acts? What might it have to teach us about ourselves?
-Gord

Looking Ahead to September 18, 2022 -- 15th Sunday After Pentecost

 The Scripture Readings this week are: 

• 2 Samuel 1:17-27 
• Ezekiel 19:1-3, 10-14

The Sermon title is The Power of Lament

Early Thoughts: Have you seen the 2015 Disney/Pixar movie Inside Out? Having watched it recently I found the dynamic between Joy and Sadness to be a very telling description of how we are sometimes encouraged to live our lives. Joy is convinced that Riley has to be happy, that if Sadness impacts any of Riley's memories it will hurt her. Spoiler alert! Joy comes to understand how deeply Riley needs Sadness to be a part of how she processes her life. The path to healthy life includes Sadness (and Disgust and Fear and Anger all have their roles in Riley's life as well). In fact, Joy's insistence that Riley be happy and brave is, arguably, doing damage to Riley.

Sometimes in the name of putting on a brave face we fail to give so-called 'negative' emotions the space they need and deserve in out lives. I have heard of people that would claim that we are unfaithful or lack trust in God if we are anxious or depressed or lamenting.

That is utter nonsense.

Scripture includes some very powerful laments (in fact it has a whole book called Lamentations). Lamenting is an important way we respond to the crises of life. Lamenting allows us to name our pain and our sorrow and that is a key part of moving forward in a healthy way. And if lament is part of a healthy life, lament is part of a healthy faith.

Our Scripture readings this week are both passages of lament. In 2 Samuel David laments over the death of Saul and Jonathon. In the Ezekiel passage we have the lament for the end of a royal line/family. I look at them, in part, as examples. How can we lament? Can we make space, even (as in the case of David) in the midst of events that really will work out fairly well for us, to lament and have empathy?

All too often we have trouble with lament, with sadness, with something other that the stiff upper lip. We live in a culture that seemingly has trouble accepting that lament and sadness are a natural part of life, or at the very least wants to put strict limits on when/how/how much lament is acceptable. I would argue that we would be mentally ,emotionally, and spiritually healthier if we gave each other more freedom to lament. AS we pour out our sorrow and our rage and our anxiety we invite God into the reality of our lives and that is where transformation becomes a reality.

What leads you to lament? HOw do you lament? Has it been helpful to give yourself that freedom?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 11, 2022 --14th Sunday after Pentecost

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Psalm 71:1-6
• Matthew 6:9-13

The Sermon title is Pray

Early Thoughts: Why do we pray? How should we pray? What does prayer accomplish?

Prayer is one of the central practices of Christian Faith (as it is in many other traditions as well). Prayer is a time to communicate with the Divine, when we talk and when we listen. Prayer is a time for us to silence our world for a moment and soak in God's presence.

In prayer we can sing our praises and our thanksgivings. In prayer we can pour out our grief. Or maybe we can shriek out laments and anger. Or maybe name our greatest needs. Or maybe seek wisdom and discernment. What else might prayer do for you?

In the Gospels we are told that Jesus regularly went off on his own to pray. Other than the scene in the Garden just before his arrest we do not know what his prayers were, we are just told that he went to pray. In Luke 11 observing Jesus at prayer leads the disciples to ask Jesus to teach them to pray (which is when we find the Lord's Prayer in Luke's Gospel). They know that this must be an important thing and as learners they turn to the teacher for instruction.

Prayer can take many forms. There is, in my opinion, no one 'right' way to pray.For many of us the piece we call the Lord's Prayer gives us a bit of a structure. If nothing else it links us to other Christians across the miles and the centuries. But walking the Labyrinth is also a form of prayer for many people. Or there are those who pray by sitting in silence. Or there are those who never use formalized sets of words but rather pour out a stream of consciousness type of prayer. Some sing their prayers (St. Augustine is reputed to have said that "[he] who sings, prays twice"). Maybe the answer to "how should we pray?" is more of a "what works for you and the time and the place" rather than a set once and for all answer.

This week we hear a prayer from the Psalms (a book full of prayers). We hear Jesus share a formula for prayer. In response we will reflect on why and how we pray.  Prayer is a key part of our relationship with God. It makes a difference. Which reminds me of this: [Source]

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, You didn't ask," I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak. I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek.: I tried to come into God's presence. I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." I woke up early this morning and paused before enter the day. I had so much to accomplish that i had to take time to pray. 

 And now I need to go and prepare for Facebook prayer time for this Tuesday afternoon.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 4, 2022 -- 13th Sunday After Pentecost

As this is the first Sunday of September we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion this week.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• James 2:8-13
• Mark 7:14-23

The Sermon title is What Do People See?

Early Thoughts: How can you tell if a person has been transformed by their encounter with the Living God? Is it in the words they say? Maybe. Is it in their piety? That can possibly be a show. Is it how well they can quote Scripture? That could just show they have a good memory. 

More than anything the evidence of transformation in a person's life is shown in their actions. Being a faithful follower of Christ is really a "by their fruits they shall be known" type of thing.

[detour... As I was writing the above paragraphs the Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss) came to my mind and I was almost tempted to rewrite  a bit of it...]

So what do people see when they look at us? What fruits are we producing?

In the Gospel reading this week Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. He points out that it is what comes out of us-- our words and actions-- that really matter. He points out that it is what is in our hearts that guides what comes out of us. It is a bit naive to suggest , as Jesus seems to, that what we take in does not play a part in the process as well (and I am not talking about food here). What we take in, the words and opinions and perspectives and attitudes, from the world around us can (and really does) make a big difference in the words and actions that we in turn put out into that world. The challenge is how we use and process what we take in. The challenge is in determining which inputs we give greater volume, greater power, greater influence.

And of course it matters what is in our hearts to begin with. How have our hearts been formed and/or transformed to enable us to live out the commandment to love our neighbour? That is part of what shapes how we process the massive amount of information and opinion and argument that washes over us each and every day. How is the Living God active in our hearts and souls to guide our words and actions? What is God helping grow in our lives?

What fruits are making you known in the world? What do people see in you?
--Gord

Looking Forward to August 28, 2022 -- 12th Sundy After Pentecost

 This week's Scripture Readings are:

• Galatians 5:13-21
• Luke 19:1-10

The Sermon title is Set Aside Old Ways

Early Thoughts: To follow Jesus is to open ourselves to transformation. To follow Jesus is to open ourselves to the possibility that the way we once lived is not the way we will live in the future. To follow Jesus means we may have to put down some things so we can pick something different up.

What do we need to put down? What do we need to set aside to make room for God's transformation to be at work in our lives? What might get in the way of us being able to fully live out God's commandment to love our neighbour as we love ourselves?

Zacchaeus took the chance. He made a real effort to see (and perhaps to be seen by) Jesus. And the encounter transformed him. He pledges himself to be a different man, he pledges his wealth in the service of his transformation. The simple act of being noticed by Jesus, of being welcomed into Jesus' circle (despite the objections of others to that act of welcome) pushes Zacchaeus to embrace God's transforming work in his life. 

Now we do not know all of his story. Maybe Zacchaeus had been pondering these questions for a while. Maybe he had been having a crisis of conscience in his work and role as a tax collector.  Maybe that is why he was so driven to see Jesus as he walked by? All we know is that this encounter results in a public promise that reflects a changed perspective. We trust and hope that he lived out that promise after Jesus left town.

WRiting to the Galatian church, Paul reminds them of a couple of things. One is that as followers of Christ we are called into a life of freedom, albeit a special kind of freedom. Freedom in Christ is not license to do whatever we want. Freedom in Christ is in fact committing ourselves to follow a Rule of Life, a Rule of Love. 

Paul also reminds us to be careful that we do not "bite and devour one another". Paul reminds us that there are things, he refers to the as desires of the flesh, that get in the way of us living out our freedom in Christ. These are the sorts of things that we need to set aside if we are to be open to God's work of transformation.

The big challenge, as I see it, is that many of the things we take for granted about the way the world works tend to fall into that list that Paul gives about the works of the flesh. Much of what is considered normal operating procedure n the world leads us to bite and devour one another. Some of the old ways we need to set aside have become so ingrained into our collective understanding that we do not even notice that they get in the way of our ability to follow the rule of Love. To be truly transformed we may need to have harsh truths told about "the way things are".

Jesus' ministry was all about proclaiming the Reign of God. Jesus invites us to follow a different path, a path of deep transformation. Zacchaeus heard the invitation and pledged to make major changes in his use of resources. He had to set aside a different way of acting and being in the world to live out that pledge. Jesus invites us to be transformed as well. What might we need to set aside to accept the invitation? Where is God trying to transform us?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to July 10, 2022 -- 5th Sunday After Pentecost

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Psalm 77:1-12, 19-20
• Romans 5:1-5
• John 14:25-31

The Sermon title is Remember, Lament, and Hope

Early Thoughts: When you contemplate the world, when you meditate on the past and the present, what makes you lament? What brings you hope? 

I am somewhat fascinated by this Psalm reading. What is the psalmist feeling as they write these words? Are they feeling that God is absent? Do they wonder if God has abandoned the nation? It seems so. And yet the 'cure' that they choose is to remember and contemplate what God has done for God's people. It seems that they find hope there.

There are lots of reasons we might choose to lament as we look at the world. Every generation has people who wonder if God has abandoned the nation. Every generation has people who lament that the people have wandered from the path of God's wisdom. What do we do then?

We remember the glorious gift:

We are not alone. We live in God's world...In life in death, in life beyond death. God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

We may well need to lament about many things but we also need to remember that God is there. We need to be honest that the world is not what we want it to be but we also remember that we are help in the faithful, trustworthy love of God. In John's Gospel Jesus reminds us to not let our hearts be troubled nor to be people of fear. In that is our hope.

Our hope is not in the world. Our hope is in the faithful trustworthy God. Our hope is in the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit who continues to teach us and remind us of the promise of the Reign of God.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to July 3, 2022 -- 4th Sunday After Pentecost

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25
• 1 Timothy 6:6-16
• Luke 16:10-13

The Sermon title is Faithful or Worthless?

Early Thoughts: What kind of a servant are you?

Eli was the High Priest. He is the one who is teaching the boy Samuel, who will become the next great leader in the story of the Israelites. Eli's sons, however, are a problem. They are expected to follow in their father's footsteps, to inherit the role as priest, but it seems they are only in it for themselves. They are misusing the sacrifices offered by the people. Even when their father pleads with them to change their ways they take no notice. As spiritual leaders they are, to be honest, worthless and scoundrels.

Timothy raises the faithful/worthless question from a slightly different perspective. The letter writer makes the less than subtle suggestion that maybe faithfulness is determined by what we consider most important.  If we assign ultimate value to the wrong things can we truly be faithful slaves/servants? (in the world where Scripture was written there is essentially no difference between slave and servant)

Then we have Luke, who brings in questions of honesty and dishonesty. It is a statement of faith that we have been entrusted with what belongs to another (God). It is a question of stewardship if we have kept that trust well and honestly. And, in the end, Luke goes to a similar place as Timothy. Which master will we serve? Can we be truly faithful to more than one?

You know something? I think I may have asked the wrong question up above. I think what I should have asked is "when are you a more faithful slave/servant and when are you less faithful?". Or maybe, following the logic we fine in Timothy and Luke, the question should be "to what master are you a faithful slave/servant?" "what do we think is of ultimate importance in guiding our actions?".

WE are called to be faithful slaves/servants in matters both big and small. Part of the way we respond to that call is to know when our wants fall into second place, that way we avoid the mistakes made by Eli's sons. Part of the way we respond is to put ultimate importance on community and basic needs being met and not falling prey to the love of money -- the root of all evil. Part of what it means is to remember that it is not, in the end, our stuff we are taking care of. And part of being a faithful slave/servant is to remember who is really in charge, who the master truly is.

How will you be a faithful slave or servant of God?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to June 26, 2022

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Psalm 144:3-4, 12-15
• 1 Peter 2:4-10

The Sermon title is Living Stones

Early Thoughts: Stones. Living? Stones that live? Seems like an odd image doesn't it? But that is what the writer of this letter suggests, that we are Living Stones, being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.

What does it mean to see ourselves that way?

I think it calls us to remember that we are part of something bigger. I think it also calls us to remember that we rely on a solid foundation and cornerstone --Christ. I think it pushes us to ask how we may be used by God in this act of construction.Certainly it reminds us that it is not all about us, that we do not proclaim our own actions but the God who is at work around, within, and through us in this act of construction.

Then comes the kicker. Once we were not a people, now we are God's people, recipients of mercy. There is a great blessing in that verse. I think there is also an obligation in that verse. If we see ourselves as God's people how might that change the way we see ourselves, our neighbours, the world. How might it change our actions and choices?

What is a living stone? Is it a stone that moves or simply a stone that is changed? How are we like stones? Are we hard and unyielding but able to be changed by the world around us? How are we a part of the structure that God is building? Are we in fact part of a holy, royal priesthood? A chosen race? God's people?

I seem to have a lot of questions this week.  Maybe by Sunday I will have some answers too!
--Gord

Looking Ahead to June 12, 2022 -- Trinity Sunday

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Hosea 11:1-4
• Psalm 130:5-8
• Psalm 131:1-3
• 2 Peter 1:16-18

The Sermon title is Images of God

Early Thoughts: When you hear or read the word God what images come to your mind? The wind? The old man with a long white beard? The village wise woman? "The Force"? What words do you use to describe your understanding of God? What picture might you draw to share your image?

The first Sunday after Pentecost is (in some traditions) known as Trinity Sunday. It is the only Sunday in the year designated to celebrate a theological construct rather than an event or story. On Trinity Sunday we are invited to explore that uniquely Christian understanding of a God who is 3-in-1 and 1-in-3.

In traditional language the Trinity is described as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost as I first learned it). There are other ways we have expressed it. I like Parent, Child and Spirit as it keeps the relational aspect. Another model which talks about the actions of God is Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. There are a variety of other formulas out there.

The challenge with the doctrine of the Trinity is that it is very difficult to explain in terms that make clear logical sense. Many ways we try to understand and explain it actually lead us to problematic statements, as this video shows:

Still, I think we need to try to explain how we understand God. Even if it is sort of like trying to grasp a cloud and pin it down we need to try. The beauty is that there is no one right way to describe God. There is no one right image. The challenge is that there is no single image that captures the whole picture. We have to use a variety of images, a wide range of language, to try to evoke all that God is in the world.

Father/Mother, Friend, Redeemer, Rock, Source of Life, Ground of Being, Creator, Love, Judge, Teacher. That is a brief list of terms that came to my mind in the last 30 seconds or so. All of them are terms that have been used to describe who God is. I suspect you can add to the list. You can add adjectives. You can add verbs about what God does. Trinity Sunday may have developed as a day to mark a specific doctrine, but I think it is a day where we can stop to think about the images we have of God.

So how do you describe God? What words or pictures enter your mind? You may be asked to share some of them on Sunday.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 29, 2022 -- 7th Sunday of Easter

 This Sunday we will be celebrating a Baptism. Actually we will be celebrating a pair of Baptisms.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Deuteronomy 29:10-15
• Psalm 111

The Sermon title is Faithful Relationship

Early Thoughts: What does it mean to say that we are in relationship with the Divine? How are we faithful to that relationship? How are we unfaithful to it? How is God faithful in that relationship? When might we feel that God has been unfaithful or has left us to our own devices?

Periodically in the story of the people of Israel they are invited to remember and re-establish their covenant relationship with God. These events are often a chance to remind themselves how God has been part of their lives, of the promises God has made, of the gifts God has given, and their own responsibility to respond to God's presence and activity. I wonder if we should do that more often as well  (John Wesley might agree as he encouraged the use of a Covenant Renewal Service). I think we do ourselves a favour when we regularly remind ourselves that we are in relationship with God and with each other. Then we have ask ourselves what it means to be in relationship and how we need to act to maintain that relationship.

In this Deuteronomy reading Moses invites the people to remember and renew their covenant relationship with God. In the Psalm reading we are reminded how God remains faithful to that relationship. When we celebrate a baptism I hope we remember our own identity as baptized people (recognizing that most of us will not actually remember the act of being baptized). As a baptized and baptizing community we recognize our relationship with God. We recognize that we are called, claimed, and commissioned within that relationship. How are we faithful to that covenant of baptism? How do we live out that relationship?

I suspect we all have different answers to the questions I have asked thus far. Many of them might overlap with each other but have a specificity unique to each individual. Those answers are certainly important but asking ourselves the questions is even more important.

What does it mean to you to be a part of faithful relationships with your neighbours? With God? With yourself?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 15, 2022 -- 5th Sunday of Easter

 The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Acts 5:12-16
• Deuteronomy 28:1-14
• John 5:25-29

The Sermon title is Blessings Will Come

Early Thoughts: In the promise of Easter is a promise of life, and that in abundance. As followers of Christ we are people of hope, we are people who trust, we are people who look for the blessings of life.

This is a strange combination of readings. Acts talks about the continuing growth of the Christian community and the signs and wonders that accompanied (or caused?) that growth. The growth of the community is accompanied by blessings. The Gospel reading is a little odd. But I think that there is a blessing in the doing of justice (more than the execution of judgement but the bringing on of full justice which is what Jesus was all about). There is a blessing in removing those things that are death-dealing and calling people to leave their tombs. 

Then we have the Deuteronomy reading. It is all about promised blessings. It also is clear that those promised blessings flow from the people making good choices. This is a common theme in Deuteronomy and in the stream of theology sometimes called Deuteronomistic. If the people live well, in accordance with the law given by God, they will be blessed in the land that they are about to conquer. If they do not live well, and not follow the law, they will be cursed ad the blessings will be withdrawn/withheld. Blessings are conditional on our choices.

This makes perfect sense. It is also a challenging image of how God operates. Do we behave well just to keep God happy and be blessed? There may be days... However I am not sure that is the whole truth to be drawn out of this theological theme. I think the deeper truth lies in the realization that living well naturally brings blessings. Living in the way that God would have us live brings us blessings simply because they are good practices for the betterment of the community. We do not behave as a sort of a bribe, or to avoid a negative consequence. We are called and challenged to get to the point where we see the bigger picture, see beyond the carrot and the stick to the grand vision of what could be.

Some days I wonder if we will ever get to that point. Some days I am actually see it happening..

--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 8, 2022 --4th Sunday of Easter

This Sunday is Mother's Day, also known as Christian Family Sunday. We will take time to talk about what makes up a family during the Time for the Young at Heart.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Acts 2:22-24 
• Deuteronomy 18:15-22
• Luke 7:18-23

The Sermon title is The One Foretold?

Early Thoughts: " The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet" "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" A promise shared by Moses, a question asked several centuries later by the followers of John the Baptist.

Is Jesus the one who was expected?  Is he the prophet, the judge (Moses was both of these), the one who will lead the people back to The Way? OR is there to be another?

John wasn't sure. John's followers were unsure. Probably many people around Jesus were asking themselves the same question. There was a promise. There was a hope. But things were not quite happening to match expectations. Is it the time?

Jesus' response puts it back on the questioners.  "What do you see? Go tell John what you see." He does not say if he is the one or not, he leaves it up to interpretation. Jesus lets the evidence tell the story.

For the Christian community the answer to John's question is yes. Jesus is the one for whom we have been waiting. Jesus is the one who will lead us back to The Way. For those outside the Christian community the answer may be no, or maybe, or even who care.

I think that in some ways we are still waiting. We are still waiting for the full hope, the full promise to come to fruition. The Kingdom of God is still not fully real among us.

Does that mean Jesus was not in fact the one? Does that mean Jesus spoke presumptuously (to use the language from the Deuteronomy reading)? OR is just a way to remind ourselves that the story is not yet complete?

I think we go back to the answer Jesus gave. We continue to watch and listen and tell each other what we have seen and heard and experienced. We let the evidence tell the story. A story of life and love and hope over against despair and fear and death. A story of transformation, heart by heart and step by step. A story where promises are fulfilled in pieces, not all at once.

What do you think? What answer should John's disciples have taken back to him?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 1, 2022 -- 3rd Sunday of Easter

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

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Deuteronomy 5:11-22
• Psalm 78:1-7
• Romans 13:8-10

The Sermon title is Law, Love, Life

Early Thoughts: In the list of gifts we have been given by God lies a number of rules (or laws, or commandments). That is right, the Law is a gift, rules are a gift, limits on behaviour are a gift.

They are a gift because they enrich our lives. They are a gift because they help us show love for each other.

Christians sometimes get it wrong. Sometimes we read Paul and think he is denigrating the Law. Sometimes we think Grace and Gospel do away with Law (and then create new law to replace it). Sometimes Christians think the Law is about works righteousness, about behaving properly so that we are worthy of the gift of Grace and are justified with God. But still the Law, Torah, is a gift.

It may sometimes be a complicated gift. But it is still a gift. God loves the people so much, God has such hope for what the people could be, that God gives them a way to structure their lives and relationships with God and with each other. God give boundaries because God knows, as Robert Frost also knew, that "good fences make good neighbours". Boundaries help us love each other -- sometimes in the keeping and sometimes in the breaking of the fence.

After lunch to day I read this week's edition of Life is a Sacred Text by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. AS is true every week there are a lot of wonderful things in there. But I want to share this piece:

Without a spiritual practice, without connection with the Holy, we will be toast. We will burn out. We will lose sight of the big picture. We will forget that the reason this all matters is because each of us was created sacred and irreplaceable, in the image of the divine, and that our showing up is to take care of anyone we might be able to help, to change systems to try to take care of all of us. The work is going to be hard and we have to find our way to the wellspring.
Malbim says we must cultivate our ways of being in the world that are concordant with our values.
And the Sfat Emet says it is about drawing our deeds to follow the light—that our actions in the world are the result of choices of light, not of darkness. That what we do in the world follows and brings more light. Even if it doesn’t change everything. Even if it can’t singlehandedly fix all of the problems.
Your actions just need to bring more light.

Reminding ourselves of the rules, the laws that lead to love, are part of what leads us to actions that bring more light. And when we bring more light life becomes more abundant. When life becomes more abundant love flourishes. Which leads to more light and more abundant life and the spiral continues to build.

The essence of the Law is love. Jesus said so. Paul said so. Deuteronomy and Leviticus say so (in passages used by Jesus referring to loving God and loving neighbour). 

Law is gift. Boundaries and rules help us love each other. Love leads to life.

I close with these words about the Law, about the gift from God, from Psalm 1:

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. 

 May we all be like trees planted by the water. May the water of life keep our leaves from withering in the heat and storms of life. It can be hard to follow rules. It can be hard to know which boundaries need to be kept. Still, God calls us to meditate on the Law and discern how best shall we live.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to April 24, 2022 -- 2nd Sunday of Easter

 The Scripture Readings this week are: 

• Acts 1:3-5, 12-14
• John 20:19-31

The Sermon title is Now? Later? When?

Image Source

Early Thoughts: In the Gospel of John, in the chapters leading up to his arrest (chapter 14 to be precise), Jesus promises his followers that he will not leave them orphaned. He promises that God will send them the Advocate.  Here is the exact promise: 

"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you...”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid" (John 14: 18, 25-27)

 But when exactly is that gift given? In our readings this week we have two very different possibilities.

According to Luke-Acts Jesus appears to his disciples repeatedly over a 40 day period then ascends into heaven (Luke actually tells the Ascension story twice-- once at the end of the gospel and again in the verses omitted from this Acts 1 passage). Then 10 days after Jesus has ascended the Holy Spirit descends upon the community in the story of Pentecost. So in this version the Advocate comes 50 days after Easter (this is why the Easter Season is 7 weeks long leading into Pentecost Sunday).

John has a different understanding. For John Jesus bestows (or rather blows) the Holy Spirit on his followers on the evening of Resurrection Day. This fulfills the promise made in chapter 14. No waiting for 7 weeks, the Holy Spirit comes as a part of the experience of Resurrection. 

So what do we do with these stories? When is/was the Spirit poured out on the community of the faithful? When is is poured out on us?

I suspect the the Spirit has been poured out on us, and also is being poured out on us, and also will be poured out on us. I don't think it is a "one and done" type of thing. Sometimes we may need to wait for the opportune time (whatever that may mean) to feel the Spirit at work within, among, and around us. Sometimes it is there in the midst of our shock and grief. Sometimes it is a blustery, almost violent experience (such as in Acts 2). Sometimes, as in this passage from John, it is a calming comforting thing, coming with words and assurance of peace.

And then comes the next question... how do we know if the Spirit has been poured out on us? How can others tell if we are living as people upon whom the Spirit has been poured out? What difference does it make in our lives, in how we are in the world?

What is your experience of the Holy Spirit?
--Gord

Looking ahead to April 17, 2022 -- Easter Sunday

 All are welcome to join in our Easter Celebration this Sunday at 10:00.  You can join us in person or via YouTube. The Handbell Choir will be playing before and during the service.

Our Scripture Readings this Easter Sunday are:

• Psalm 18:2-11, 16-19
• Matthew 28:1-10

The Sermon title is Staying Alive

Early Thoughts: Jesus was dead. That much was clear. The women had seen him die. They had watched his body laid in a tomb. Now it was time to grieve and weep and mourn.

The powers and principalities of the world were sure they had dealt with this pesky little troublemaker from Galilee.After all, empires had done so many many times in the past. Execution and death are pretty sure ways to get rid of troublesome challenges to imperial power.

But there was another card yet to be played. God had something else in mind.

The women got to  the tomb, they had come to weep and to mourn and found a terrible surprise. The body was gone!

But this was no new horror. This was victory. Death had been defeated, its power was broken. Christ had been raised. And so life wins. Jesus who was dead was now alive, and would stay alive forevermore.

Easter is the day we celebrate the surprising truth that life wins. Easter is the day we proclaim that death has been defeated. It is news that is both wonderful and terrible. Matthew tells us that the women left the tomb with both fear and great joy.

This Easter we again remember that just when the empire thinks it has won a great reversal is possible. The women at the tomb were not only told what had happened. there were told to go out and tell the others. AS we are told about the possibility of life that defeats death may we also go out to tell the world the Good News.

When your heart is broken
new hope is being woken
Resurrection’s real, Jesus is alive
Feel the earth a-shakin’
The hold of death is breakin’
Jesus is alive and stayin’ alive
Ah Ah Ah Ah stayin’ alive stayin’ alive
ah ah ah ah stayin’ alive!

Easter has come now. We celebrate life.
Sing alleluia
Jesus is Risen! Sing Alleluia
Stayin’ alive

 Happy Easter!  Christ is Risen Indeed!
--Gord