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Tonight is Earth Hour. This is the third one I can remember participating in. We are encouraged to turn off the lights, television, computer and all our electrical gadgets and spend some time in the dark. Check out http://wwf.ca/earthhour for ideas of what you might do. Last year we had a supper here at the church including hand-churned ice-cream. We watched a portion of the DVD Planet Earth before the lights went out. Then, we sang songs and told stories; it was loads of fun. This year we have been invited to participate in a Pot Luck supper at Trinity United Church in Gravenhurst and then walk their labyrinth.
In many ways the small things I might do to conserve seem so miniscule I sometimes wonder if it really makes any difference in the big picture. I wash my clothes in cold water. I turn off the tap when I am brushing my teeth. I compost my kitchen waste and recycle everything I can. But, I also drive a car most everywhere I go. I live in a large house with one other person. Throughout the winter I buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables that have been shipped from far away. We are learning more and more about the delicate balance of earth and its fragile eco-systems. As a North American I know I have a life-style that uses a lot of precious resources every day. Earth Hour is a token effort but it does remind me of all I take for granted and what I depend on to maintain my standard of living.
The opening book of the Bible, Genesis, sets humanity in a Garden of Eden and the humans hear God tell them to be stewards of the Earth. Based on a lot of what I see and read I think we need to do a little work on this whole stewardship thing. There’s room for improvement!
What will you be doing for Earth Hour tonight? Have you done anything to change your habits or lifestyle in an effort to save on power consumption? Do you see it as a Faith Issue?
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Once again “the church” is making headlines. Reports of the cover-up, or ignoring, of sexual abuse by a priest of children who were deaf has once again rocked the Roman Catholic Church. This time the reverberations go right to the door of the Vatican. The New York Times report, based on internal church documents, said the Vatican halted the investigation of a Wisconsin priest, Lawrence Murphy, accused of molesting an many as 200 boys at a Milwaukee school for the deaf from 1950 to 1975. This morning I heard on the radio an interview of the adult daughter of one of those boys. She said her father’s innocence was stolen from him and he has carried the humiliation and emotional scars all his life.
I have nothing but abhorrence for a priest or minister who would commit such unspeakable acts. But I also regret that whenever the church is in the news it is pretty much always bad news. Regardless of the denomination or location such a report smears the church universal. It doesn’t really matter that it was a Roman Catholic priest in Milwaukee it reflects badly on the church in general. People who view the church with suspicion or disdain now have more evidence for any disconnect between what we say and what we do.
It is hard to be the church at anytime but these are particularly hard times. For the large part our culture and context views the church and Christians with suspicion. It makes it challenging for us to speak openly about our church affiliation without fear of be tarred with the same brush. I suppose one positive aspect is that it makes us do some personal reflection on the connection between what we say and what we do and the need to be authentic and faithful to the message of Jesus.
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Yesterday afternoon 13 people gathered in the auditorium to ‘make a labyrinth’. It was quite an undertaking but thinking about it proved to be more daunting than actually doing it. The maxim is true …many hands do make light work! Thankfully Ray had plotted the work and made the necessary templates. I am always grateful for the logic and skills that others bring to a task that, to me at least, seems perplexing. So there we were , eight at a time we crawling around on our knees sticking down the masking tape to make the pattern. Then some carefully cut back the tape to mark the openings while other filled in the turnings and, ‘voila’ in two short hours we had ourselves a labyrinth. It is made on a plastic tarp so that it can be easily folded up and put away and then readily brought out and laid down when folks want to use it.
A labyrinth looks to some like a maze but it is completely different. A maze tries to confuse you and trick you so that you have to puzzle your way out. A labyrinth is an organized path leading you to the centre and then back out again. It is used for a walking meditation so that going to the centre is a time of prayer and contemplation drawing closer to God as you walk. Walking the labyrinth can be a form of pilgrimage. As one walks among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, the quieting of the mind can be quite meditative.
We will be using the labyrinth for the first time this coming Wednesday. It will be the middle of Holy Week. On Wednesday afternoon and evening anyone is invited to come and walk the labyrinth. There will be some teaching offered at 1:30 and again at 7:00 but the labyrinth will be there for the afternoon and evening so feel welcome to come in and use it as you make your personal pilgrimage through Holy Week.
And, thanks to all the volunteers who spent the two hours yesterday on their knees making the labyrinth …what a gift you have given our congregation.
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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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