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It has been March Break week – a time signaling half-way through the school term for kids and teachers; also a week to mark the ending of winter and the anticipation of fairer days. That has certainly been the case this week given that one of the top news stories of every day has been the weather! The weather systems have co-operated to give our March breakers a great week. In fact, the sunshine and warm temperatures have made it hard to stay inside.
Here are the church we have noticed snow drops blooming at the edge of our neighbour’s garden, sprouts pushing through in our own flower beds and members of the property committee sweeping up the sand and gravel that had accumulated on the sidewalks and parking lot.
Tonight we will cap off the holiday mood of March Break with a pot-luck picnic and movie in the auditorium. I love picnics and so am looking forward to sharing the meal with others. I am equally excited about watching the movie. I have seen it once, at the movie theatre, but am keen to watch it again. It is the story of 78 year-old Carl. He and his late wife Ellie had, as youngsters, imagined themselves to be great adventurers. Now Ellie has died and he is mourning not only her death but also that his life has slipped away without much adventure or anything remarkable having happened. He decides to change all that. With his break-away from the humdrum comes the surprise that he has a tag-along in the person of Russell. Hilarity unfolds. It is a charming movie for adults and filled with lots of funny moments for children. But underneath the humour and adventure is the message that life is precious and fleeting and that anyone can make a difference in another’s life.
It is going to be a great evening.
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Last Sunday our reading at each service was the story of the Prodigal Father or perhaps more appropriately named as the Forgiving Father. It is one of the more familiar Jesus’ stories and is right up there with The Good Samaritan, in terms of popularity.
I have been walking around with that story all week. What was with those guys? The irresponsible younger son, the stodgy older son and that ridiculous father who just gave in! It is hard to imagine a person, so disappointed and hurt by his child’s actions, responding with such an outpouring of love … fatted calf and all. Maybe that is why it is a favourite. It tells of an unconditional love that was unexpected by the younger son, resented by the older son and totally shocking to the listener.
In a recent issue of The Christian Century an article quotes New Testament scholar, Brandon Scott who says that the Greek word parabole can mean to “throw beside”. A parable throws something beside something else in an unexpected way.
Another parable in that same ‘lost series’ (lost son, lost sheep) is the one that compares the Kingdom of God to a woman who lost a coin. Jesus says that God searches for us in the same way that the woman searched for a lost coin. Implicit in this story is that God is like a woman. Wow! That must have cracked the crowd up – that Jesus – what a kidder! The parables have become so familiar to us that we sometimes miss the shock value but the first hearers would have been stunned by the implication that God would search for us like a woman who had lost a coin.
Where, in our day, are the surprising revelations of God known in things thrown together? This morning I conducted the weekly worship service at the hospital. Before the service began there was one man who was rather crotchety and unsociable and he kept threatening to leave. The assistants rolled his wheelchair into a space beside a woman. As the service began she held the hymn book for him and ran her finger along under the line so he could follow the words. At first he just ignored her but as the service continued I noticed that they were singing the hymns. Finally one of the assistants, noticing that he did not have a hymn book offered him one. He shook his head and motioned to the one held by the woman. He said he was singing with her. It was a parable moment. Unlikely; unexpected; the grumpy man accepting the aid of the woman next to hymn and singing along to “How Great Thou Art”. A Parable.
Where are the “thrown beside parables” in your life today?
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For many today will be all about wearing something green, drinking green beer and trying to say “Top of the mornin’ to ye” in a very poor Irish accent! In the frivolity of St. Patrick’s day as it is celebrated today we miss much of the depth of one of the saints of Christendom.
There is a hymn in our Voices United Hymn Book that is attributed to St. Patrick 389-461 CE. Stanley Osbourne in his book “…If Such Holy Song…” explains that legend ascribes the ancient hymn “I Bind Unto Myself Today” to the patron saint of Ireland. According to the story St. Patrick and his company were celebrating their first Easter in Ireland when they were threatened by the king and his Druid priests. As the army approached St. Patrick sang Psalm 20 and concluded with this hymn.
Scholars now say that the hymn contains so many Druid incantations that it is doubtful that St. Patrick had anything to do with it. It more likely dates from the 8th century. Many Celtic hymns originated in Ireland and Wales and most are adapted for Christian use. Despite its unclear origin the poetry is beautiful. Here is the chorus and a couple of the verses…
I bind unto myself today, the strong arm of the Trinity
By invocation of the same, the three in one and one in three.
I bind unto myself today the virtues of the star-lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free, the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea, around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today, the power of God to hold and lead
His eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech, his heavenly host to be my guard.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.
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I have been spending a lot of time today thinking about balance in my life. Maybe it is because we turned the clocks back this weekend and I lost an hour of sleep. Maybe it is the beautiful sunshine tempting me outside. Whatever the reason as the week began I felt tired and harried and unready to begin a fresh week.
This morning I grumbled to myself as I headed out the door. “What was I thinking when I set up this breakfast meeting?” I was really feeling sorry for myself as I backed the car out the drive and, already late, drove quickly to the restaurant where I had agreed to meet a friend. She asked me how I was and I told her honestly. “I feel like I am doing too much and I don’t have enough time for myself and my family.” I think this is a prevalent feeling among people these days. Rather than just shrug and agree and fall into her own complaints … as I might have done... she asked me some questions about my life and my priorities. Then she asked that question that always plunges me into theological reflection, “How are things with your soul?” Ouch! I might have met that question with a retort and pushed on to talk about the beautiful weather but instead, today, I took the bait.
How is it with my soul? To tell you the truth my soul is feeling a little neglected these days. Busy days, evening meetings, planning for the weeks and months ahead, it feels like I am on a treadmill. My soul has not had time to catch up to my body for a while now. She urged me to think about the fact that while there are many pulls and demands my strength comes from God and it is that relationship that is calling out for attention.
I came back to my office and noticed, for the first time in a long time, the quote I keep on my bulletin board above my desk. “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) It is time for me to do a little more waiting and a little less running. I am thankful my friend reminded me of that. How about you …is there balance in your life? Do you find it hard to find the time to nurture your soul?
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It was just a regular morning. I carried my cup of coffee to the breakfast table and as I did something caught my eye. Perched on our bird feeder right outside the sliding glass door was a huge owl. It sat there, eyes fixed on the ground, waiting for some unobservant creature to wander by so it too could have breakfast. I was able to study it for some time. I sat quietly so as not to startle it. But eventually I grew tired of the inactivity and returned to my morning routines inevitably making noise. He swiveled his head around, the way that owls do, and stared at me. I don’t speak owl but I am pretty sure he was saying, “Quiet down or move off”. He stayed for quite a while but then, tiring of no success in this hunting expedition, he flew away.
A look in the bird book confirmed he was a Barred Owl. The time spent observing him made me do some thinking about the nature of things. I wondered how I would have felt if one of our regular diners, a Nuthatch or Chickadee had flown by and he had snapped it up? Or, what if one of the comical and sometimes hapless chipmunks sprinted out of their snow tunnel only to be a mid-morning snack for our visitor? I know that this is the order of things but I just didn’t feel up to watching him breakfast on one of our regular guests while I ate my shredded wheat.
The intricacy of creation is awe inspiring. The other night I watched a part of the DVD “Planet Earth” and was reminded of the cycle and the interdependency of nature. The poetry of Psalm 8 says, ‘When I look at the stars, the works of your fingers, what is humanity that you are mindful of us?” Good question! As humans we are one part of the web of creation. I am convinced we aren’t honouring our responsibility.
This weekend spend some time staring at a tree, Watch it until you are able to see the birds in its branches, the insects flying around it, and the bugs on it’s bark. If the night sky is clear spend some time counting the stars, watch until you can spot a satellite making it’s the way through the heavens and then give a little thought to space trash we have left out there and wonder how our lifestyle effects even the atmosphere. This weekend spend a little time thinking of how we could be doing a better job of protecting the delicate web of creation.
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Last night the news led with the story of the Canadian, Heath Proden, being beaten up. He is wheelchair bound after a snowmobile accident ten years ago. He was in Australia on vacation. Two young men have been charged. They are 15 and 16 years old. The next story was about the police officer, Vu Pham shot while on duty. A 70 year old man, Fred Preston, has been charged. He was also injured in the shoot-out and remains in critical condition in hospital. The news broadcast then moved to the cheery topic of the head injuries sustained by hockey players due to violent hits in NHL hockey games. This was followed by an item on fight clubs – a growing phenomenon among young men. Pairs of teen-agers have fist fights while their friends egg them on and film it on their cell phones then post it on YouTube.
I have never been very comfortable with violence. I still remember an incident when I was a teenager. Two boys at my high school had a fist fight in the yard. I was part of the gang that watched. I felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the day. I have a very low tolerance for violence. I prefer to turn my eyes and assume the ostrich position – if I bury my head then maybe it is not really happening. The news is always a dose of reality for me.
Every now and then a study comes out saying that the rate of violent crime is up then another study will come out saying the rate of violent crime is down. Statistics can be interpreted in many ways. What I know is that it is just wrong for a man to be beaten up while he sits in his wheelchair. That two teenage boys would think that was okay is staggering to me. Who knows what was going on in their minds? It seems to me – no research or surveys involved – just personal observation that violence has become so much a part of our popular culture i.e. television, movies, and games, that we have become desensitized to it. I know that I run the risk of sounding like an old crank but, really, when will we learn? It is true, violence begets violence.
Soon we will be reading the story of the crucifixion. That is part of the Lenten walk to the cross. Lots of people stay away from worship on Good Friday because they don’t like the violence of the story. Well, then I suggest they better not turn on their TV either. The crucifixion story is so meaningful because the violence of it gets repeated in our world daily. Will we ever learn a better way?
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Tomorrow night is Oscar night. The Academy Awards is the one award show I follow each year. There is such a range of award shows these days but this is the grand-daddy of them all and I love it! This year I won’t get to enjoy the “Red Carpet” because I will be at the church for our Sunday Cinema viewing of “The Soloist” but I will be home in time to see the big awards.
Hollywood has had a growing impact over the last century. From its humble early beginnings it has become a multi-billion dollar industry and its cultural sway is mind-boggling. There is much about the cinematic industry that makes me roll my eyes or scratch my head but at the same time it is an art form that brings stories to us in transforming ways.
This year our Sunday Cinema is showing movies that are based on true stories of people who have made huge sacrifices or given their all for a cause they believed in. Once I started selecting the movies (I limit it to five shows) I had a hard time choosing the ones we would watch. There are a lot of incredible stories out there that have been picked up by directors, producers and actors; stories of amazing people who have transformed lives by their dedication and commitment.
Stories tell who we are. Stories change us. Jesus knew this; he was a storyteller like no other. Not only did his story remain but also the stories he told.
The stories being honoured at this year’s academy awards range from the delightful animated story “Up” (which we will be showing at our March Break Picnic Potluck and Movie – a wonderful story for young and old) to the challenging and powerful movie “The Hurt Locker”. So who do you think will win? Will the winner be the mind stretching “Avatar” or the heart-warming “Blind Side”? No matter, there will be lots of chatter about it on Monday morning. And the stories told this year will be a marker of who we are as a culture.
If you could, what story would you tell in order to make an impact on our culture?
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I am just back from the “World Day of Prayer” service. This annual service has a long history. In 1918 women from several Canadian denominations met to discuss how they could have a “stronger voice in national questions”. This meeting resulted in the first “National Day of Prayer” in 1920; this event led to the “The World Day of Prayer” which was begun in 1922. Each year a service is prepared by women in one particular country and then it is shared around the world. It’s a long and noble history.
Today’s service was written by the women of Cameroon. This country, located in the centre of Africa above the equator, is described as “Africa in miniature”. It features the variety of landscapes, flora and fauna that is Africa. Cameroon is blessed with astonishing cultural wealth with more than 240 ethnic groups each with its specific culture. It also is well known for its styles of music. It also deals with many of the issues that face what we in the West call, ‘a developing country’. Chief among these is the treatment of women and girls.
The World Day of Prayer service is always challenging. It laughs at the stereotype of little old women at prayer. A better image would be the raging grannies. The service today brought me up short when it presented the challenge of child prostitution. The girls in Cameroon, so desperately poor and lacking in opportunities, often find their only means of survival is to turn to prostitution. This is a global problem because frequently those buying these young girls are men from western countries. There is a song that begins, “Sometimes I wish my eyes hadn’t been opened, sometimes I wish I just didn’t see.” That is my case whenever I am jarred into reality of child prostitution and global trafficking of girls and boys for the sexual pleasure of adults. I prefer to not think of it. I just don’t want to know. It makes my stomach churn.
Whenever I read the stories of Jesus I am reminded that life issues are faith issues. I am not sure what I am going to do now that the women of Cameroon have reminded me once again of the reality of child prostitution. But I know it will be a troubling prayer for me in the days ahead. Despite my personal discomfort I am grateful that they have opened my eyes.
How about you? How do you respond to the evil in the world in your practice of faith?
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Today is Budget day for our Federal Government. The Speech from the Throne will tell us what we can and can’t expect in terms of taxes and programmes. It should be a great budget as the government had to be prorogued in order to prepare it. (Oh ya, there was that whole Olympics thing going on too!)
This past Sunday was our Congregational Annual meeting. I have attended enough church meetings that they seldom surprise me. At one point, I leaned over to the person next to me and whispered, “I could have scripted this meeting!” Despite the 23 pages in The Annual Report that report and reflect on the ministry of the congregation for the past year the only pages we really discussed were the pages with the financial report. What people seem to want to talk about is money!
Jesus really understood that. Jesus talked more about money than anything else. He knew the seductive power of wealth. He knew the hold that money can have over us.
This year’s United Church Lenten study is called “There’s No ATM in the Wilderness”. I know a number of you are reading the daily reflections. Yesterday’s reading began with the startling (well, startling to me anyway) information that “According to the Bank of Canada, Canadian consumers now owe $752.1 billion, up 36 % in the past 10 years. Statistics Canada says 47 % of us spend more than we earn.”
Stewardship of money is a challenging concern for many of us. Our congregation struggles with the reality of not meeting our monthly expenses while having a great deal of money invested in savings for that proverbial ‘rainy day’. On Sunday we, as a congregation, looked seriously at how to be responsible with the money that has been entrusted to us, how to be prepared for the rainy day but also how to free up money to do ministry now. Some changes were made in how we will manage our money. I think we are on the right track.
Is money an issue for you as you try to live faithfully? Do you see your money as a means to an end, a blessing to be shared or a source of temptation? Maybe it’s all of the above!
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This morning on CBC’s “The Current” they did an item on defining moments in Canadian memory. This was, of course, triggered by Sidney Crosby’s great goal on Sunday afternoon. His reflex action fired the puck into the net and secured the gold medal for Canada’s Men’s Hockey team. Canada cheered!
It is a fun game we play- “Where were you when…”. But the whole conversation made me do some thinking about defining moments in faith journeys. Born-again Christians often point to the moment their life turned around. They talk about “finding Christ” or “accepting Jesus” or “being converted to Christ”. For many of us in The United Church this is not language we are comfortable with. We have a more liberal understanding of faith and ours does not often include this kind of dramatic turning point. In fact, some of us dismiss it when others speak of it. That said, even we liberals can often point to moments when we felt confirmed by God and we can name experiences when our faith journey deepened.
I can think of several moments when I felt the presence of God in a profound way. Sometimes when I have been by myself in prayer or reflection; other times it has been when I have been with others. Sometimes it happens in a worship service other times it is a flash of spiritual connection when I am just doing what I am doing. One moment that quickly springs to mind was at the time of my mom’s death. She died at home after a fairly brief illness. Our family was all there and as we sat around her bed she just kind of slipped from this world to the next. It was peaceful and beautiful and I felt the presence of something holy. Another time was when Carl and I were in Hawaii. We had been out hiking and we rounded a bend in the path and saw before us the most beautiful bay with red sand. The ocean waves pounded around the edge but the water in the cove was calm and still gently lapping the beach. It was stunningly beautiful. It took my breath away and it lifted me beyond myself to the wonder and mystery of something greater than we two standing on the beach.
Defining faith moments are often experienced in the outdoors as we experience creation but I have also been moved to tears when I hear the collection of voices in a congregation singing in faith a loved hymn that has been sung with faith for generations. That simple act of worship is profound.
What have been the defining moments for you in your faith journey? When have you experiences God in a way that changed your life?
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I am exhausted! After working all day, then often out for evening events, I still have to swoop and leap around the arenas with our skaters, tuck in my head with our bobsledders, dodge the Koreans with our speed skaters and toss the perfect rock with our curlers. These armchairs Olympics are just way too much! I find myself falling into bed well after midnight either delirious with joy over a win or in the pit of despondency over a loss. I am glad the closing ceremonies are only a couple of days away and life can return to normal.
The Canadian athletes have done us proud. Oh sure, many commentators and nay-sayers comment on the losses instead of the wins but we have much to be grateful for. Our talented young people have competed honestly and to a high standard of excellence. They have exhibited grace under pressure. Often after a challenging event they have patiently answered the questions of the reporters and expressed gratitude with humility. And they look like they are having so much fun! Role models indeed.
This Sunday at our early service we will be looking at some of the scripture verses that use the race as a metaphor for the practice of our Christian faith … “run that you may obtain the prize”; “run with perseverance the race that is set before us”; “fought the good fight … finished the race”. I wonder what our church would look like if, in fact, we practiced our faith the way an athlete practices for a race. What would it mean to prepare for each day with a faith-filled workout similar to an Olympian? Would that change your daily activity? Would it make your faith different? I am going to be giving this more thought as the Olympics wind down. How about you?
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Tiger Woods has scheduled a news conference for today. Only certain media are invited and they have been told there will be no opportunity for questions. I am mildly curious as to what he might have to say although I expect it will be predictable in many ways. He’s sorry, he’ll try harder, he loves his wife and children. Do I sound cynical? Yes, I guess, I am.
I feel sorry for Tiger but not so sorry that I haven’t listened to, and repeated, some of the jokes that have been told about him over the last couple of months. Like other celebrities there is a larger than life quality to him that reduces the personal and makes him more of a curiosity than an individual.
His story does make me wonder about the role of confession and forgiveness in our culture. Will you believe his confession? If you have admired him or even just watched him as a golfer will his sexual infidelity and subsequent apology change how you think about him?
Scripture is full of sexual infidelity. Just recently a man told me he started reading the Bible as a teenager when his friend told him it had lots of sex in it! Many of the ‘bigger than life’ biblical characters found in our Bible were seduced or became seducers. Sex has a powerful influence. I have often sat with people who are emotionally devastated by their partner’s infidelity. At other times I have been to one to receive the confession of those who have betrayed their own partner by succumbing to the temptation of sex with another. Forgiveness can be hard to give. It can also be hard to receive.
Most Sunday’s our worship service includes a Prayer of Confession. I sometimes wonder how significant that is for people. Do we really believe that confession makes a difference? Does forgiveness from another make a difference to you? Does confession and forgiveness hold a godly or holy element to it? Are there things that only God can forgive?
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Is there anything better than the aroma when someone else is cooking your supper? I think not! Yesterday afternoon I spent the time in my office and I couldn’t help but sniff the air every few minutes as the smell of pancakes on the griddle and sausages in the pan drifted up the stairs. When I finally got to the auditorium to satisfy my hunger that had grown over the afternoon I realized that there is something better than smelling dinner being prepared. It is watching the youth of our congregation fully engaged in the process of serving the adults. There were teenage boys flipping the pancakes and girls helping Janice and Jen dish up the sausages. The younger ones ferried the plates back and forth to the kitchen and poured the juice into the glasses.
It was a delight to watch but it also made me do some thinking about the preciousness of community. The church is one of the few places in our culture where intergenerational events happen on a regular basis. Our play of a couple of weeks ago, “Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations” was also an event that involved both young and ‘not-so-young’. At each of these I have been reminded once again of the value of spending time with people who are not of my generation. I love learning from, and being surprised by, people older than me and I am always renewed by time spent with those younger than me.
So, for yesterday, here’s to Jen and the youth of our congregation. Not only was it a highly successful pancake supper it was once again a time for young and old to congregate here at the church and just be together. Thanks for that!
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Tonight we will gather in the sanctuary and as a congregation sing, “Dust and ashes touch our face”; it’s haunting melody and stirring words remind us of the struggles and challenges of keeping faith in our day to day living. This is the day that marks the beginning of the season of Lent. I grew up as a member of the United Church. It was common to have Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday but very few if any United Churches held Ash Wednesday services. That was considered too Catholic for our taste! Thankfully, over the last few decades, the United Church has come to appreciate the value of ritual and has embraced services that are primarily ritual in nature. There is something very profound about having someone touch my forehead with the mark of the ashes; reminding me of the brevity and sacredness of life.
Ash Wednesday is the day we begin our Lenten journey. I love the messages of the Ash Wednesday service. The readings are about confession and repentance, forgiveness and keeping faith. It is a day of fresh starts and new beginnings. It is a day to go deeper with God.
So ….. what are you giving up for Lent? That is a common question this week. Giving up something (coffee, drinking, chocolate) or taking up something (exercise, meditation, journaling) to improve lifestyle are good ways to start better daily habits. Are you going to change your habits for these six weeks of Lent? And, if so, do you think it will deepen your faith?
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Just like many Canadians I spent much of the weekend in front of the television. Starting Friday night with the Opening Ceremony it was all Olympics all the time. I thought the opening ceremonies were spectacular and captured much that is special about our Canadian culture. The selection of the six flag bearers was brilliant; six Canadian icons known for their pursuit of the arts, athletics and science.
I have watched the various events and followed some of the media chat with various folks. I must admit the most moving moment for me so far was last night when Alexandre Bilodeau was presented with his gold medal. He is so humble and in every interview he has been generous in his recognition of others. He is a true Olympian in every sense of the word.
I have been trying to figure out why the Olympics are so compelling. Certainly part of it is the media hype. There is also the exhilaration of success and the despair of defeat as we live vicariously through our athletes. I always feel sorry for the athletes who don’t perform as predicted. I can only imagination the sense of failure some must feel. Alpine skier, Robbie Dixon of Whistler said, “I feel like I have let the whole country down.” Now that has got to hurt.
On Friday night I hung a Canadian flag in our front hall. It greets us every time we come in the front door. No matter how cynical one might be about the Olympics there is no denying that they do stir patriotism. Sunday morning, partly due to the Olympics and partly due to it being Scouting Sunday, we began the service by singing the National anthem. As “O Canada” rang through the sanctuary I had to swallow that lump in my throat and blink back the tear in my eye. How about you? Have the Olympics stirred up your patriotic spirit? Do you think the positive aspects of the Olympics are enough to counteract the negative side to the games?
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This morning is “Women’s Morning Out”. On the second and fourth Friday from September to June the Parlour is a-buzz with women connecting. The stated purpose of our gathering is study but it is so much more. It is a group of amazing women who have built a network of support over the years. I was immediately welcomed into their embrace. In fact, my call to BUC we effective September 1, 2007 and I was invited to join them at their June pot luck in the June of that year. I was included before I had even arrived!
They laugh together; they cry together, they respond to needs within their group and in the congregation. They have raised money for grandmothers in Africa and for children in The Congo. But what impresses me most about this group is their willingness to push the edges of their belief and understanding. They are interested in challenging themselves and one another. Nothing is sacrosanct and every opinion will be considered.
Often as people age they are characterized as becoming stodgy and stuck in their views. My experience is the opposite. I have observed that as people age they learn that fewer and fewer things are ‘nailed down’ and that open-mindedness is often the best approach to life and the curves it throws at us.
The women I will meet with this morning have experienced a great deal in their years. They have come to see faith and friendship as a source of strength to get through the ups and downs of life. I have a lot to learn from these women including grace and open-mindedness. It is going to be a good morning!
In the circle you move in, and have moved in, can you think of people who have influenced you and supported you in your faith journey?
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Another recall and with it another apology! Toyota is beleaguered these days. First it was a sticky gas pedal. Then it was failing brakes. They are dealing with a huge global recall but more significantly it is a loss of public confidence. Toyota earned its status based on reliability. Their trustworthy reputation has crumbled and with every new recall and every new report they drop lower on the reliability scale of public opinion.
Adam Giambrone withdrew from the Toronto mayoralty race after admitting to several affairs. In his speech he apologized to his long-time partner, his family & friends and his supporters. Now there is call for him to step down from current positions of authority because he can’t be trusted.
Colonel Russell Williams, base commander at Canada’s largest military base, was arrested on Sunday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder of two young women in the Trenton and Tweed area. General Walter Natynczyk, the Chief of Defence staff said in a news conference that Canada’s military is in a “state of shock” over the arrest of one of their own. I would hasten to add so are many Canadians.
Each news report speaks of loss of confidence because trust was broken. Much of our sacred story is about building trust. In the Hebrew scripture there are many stories of God making a covenant with the people; a sacred trust. Much of our life is carried out with a sense of trust. We trust that those who build our cars will make sure the brakes work. We trust that those giving leadership in our political system will be honest and faithful. We trust that those whose vocation it is to protect and defend will not harm.
When trust is broken it is hard to regain. Forgiveness is required. Grace is required. Acceptance is required.
When has your trust in another been broken? What did the other have to do to regain your confidence? When have you broken the trust of another? What did you have to do to regain his/her trust?
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On Monday night “Spinning Reels” our local Film Society provided a viewing of the movie, “Creation”. Set in 1858 it tells the story of Charles Darwin at the time that he was writing his book “On the Origin of the Species”. It was a good movie. I was expecting to learn more about Darwin’s theory of evolution but the movie focused on his relationship with his wife Emma, a deeply pious woman, and his grief over the death of their nine-year-old daughter Annie.
The screenplay is an adaptation of the book, “Annie’s Box” by Randal Keynes a British conservationist, author and great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin. To write his books Keynes drew on family records. Through the unfolding story we are drawn into the family relationships and the profound impact Annie’s death had on this great scientist.
The movie presents the deep emotionality of Darwin’s nature and demonstrates how far he was from the picture of the dispassionate intellectual that we so often see. Woven through the story is Darwin’s changing perspective on his religious beliefs and his attitude to the church. His theory of evolution flies in the face of the beliefs held by his deeply religious wife. Darwin finds himself caught in a battle between faith and reason, love and truth.
Our modern-day acceptance of the Theory of Evolution makes it hard for us to fully grasp the global revolution that it caused. What was played out in the Darwin home and in their small English village became a sea-change of thought and belief for the world. Even today the debate continues when those who accept the Bible as literal truth dismiss Darwin’s theory as false.
In the movie as Darwin struggled to even write the book his friend Joseph Hooker visits him. Hooker brings with him the uninvited guest of Thomas Huxley. Huxley is adamant that Darwin must publish his theories. He tries to encourage him with the words, “You are killing God. And for my part I will be glad to see the end of the old bugger.”
The interplay of science and religion continues to be troubling for some while inseparable for others. I heard a biologist say, “The first time I looked at a cell under the microscope was a religious experience for me; such intricacy and beauty in one small cell. It convinced me there has to be a creator.” But, for others the awesome mystery of creation discounts the possibility of a higher power. A couple of years ago Kevin preached a sermon series on the book, “Thank God for Evolution” written by Michael Dowd. He explores the notion that science and religion are two sides of the same coin and that the marriage of science and religion transforms us.
What about you? Where do you sit on the religion – science continuum? Are they contrary or complimentary?
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Well the props are put away and the expenses are tallied. This past weekend the BUC Players put on the play “Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations” This is a fun little comedy by British Playwright Alan Ayckbourn. Our directors John and Marion McTavish love this play. This is the fourth time they have directed it and I think they enjoy it more every time!
Drama is a wonderful thing. People love stories and to have actors invite us to use our imaginations and enter into a fantasy world is really a great break from the humdrum of everyday. But the best part of a dramatic production is the way it bonds a community of people. As we stacked the chairs and put away the stage pieces on Sunday afternoon several of us commented that on the night of auditions we couldn’t really imagine how this odd assortment of people (myself included) could ever make a cast! But there we were telling the story of the young boy Ernie and his fertile imagination.
Community happens in all sorts of ways. Our culture today longs for two things … stories that make sense of life and relationships that connect us with one another. Both of those things happened at BUC this weekend. The story gave us an opportunity to laugh at the unpredictable. The careful tutelage of our director built relationships among this mix of people of various ages and backgrounds to such a degree that we could tell the story. This was enhanced by the opportunity for the audience to sit at table and chat over coffee and goodies before the show began. (And what yummy goodies they were – thanks to all who donated the sweets.)
The lights are dimmed but the memory lives on. Thanks to Ernie and all the other cast members and the crew and support people for such a great production.
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Some Americans, who were in Haiti out of their Christian convictions, now find themselves facing kidnapping charges. They were found spiriting a group of children from a Haitian village into the Dominican Republic. They say they were taking the children to an orphanage for their safety and care. One news reporter this morning asked, “Where they misguided do-gooders or was there something more sinister going on?” Much has been added to the story about child trafficking.
I always find it challenging when listening to the news reports to sift through the media hype that makes for a good story while discerning the truth in the report. I am sure these Baptists were, in their minds “doing good”. They found themselves in an horrific situation where poverty is rampant and the tragedy of the earthquake heightened the dire conditions. Did they really think these children were orphans? Did the parents ask them to take the children to a safer place? The answers to these questions might never be satisfactorily answered. Should they have taken these children? Probably not; but I suspect they were doing what they thought was right at the time.
That is the challenge of making decisions when we try to make them from an ethical position. We weigh the various pros and cons and then take action. More often than not I think we do what we do from a position of hope rather than certainty. We hope it is the right thing to do. But even with careful thought and prayer it is not always crystal clear what is the right course of action.
I am disappointed that this story once again puts Christians in a bad light as far as the media is concerned. It seems the only time we get news coverage is when we have done something wrong. This incident will give cynics and critics fresh ammunition for all that Christians do wrong. Meanwhile many fine Christians have quietly gone about doing valiant work to assist those that have been effected by the devastation in Haiti. Once in a while a good news story about what we do right would be refreshing don’t you think?
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