A thought that has been reinforced for me during the Week of Guided Prayer is, “God comes to us disguised as our life.” I first heard this quote from David Benner. He was one of the speakers at Epiphany Explorations a conference I attended in January. (I blogged about the event at the time.) In his presentation Benner reminded us that God is not separate from what we do and who we are with but is right here in the mix of everyday. God is found in the interactions with neighbours, co-workers and kids. God is found in the doing of laundry and making of dinner. God is found in the sing song of birds and the hum of traffic.  

 

This very thought has come up in two conversations I have had today. In neither case did I introduce the idea. As I visited with one woman she recounted an unusual choice that she made that in the end served to good purpose. She said, “I just feel that God was looking after me in that.” As I talked with another she said, “I can’t help but look back and think that the way things have turned out is so providential.”

 

My grandmother would often say, at those unexplainable moments, “There is a hand that guides.” It is a simple and anthropomorphic way of looking at faith but, sometimes it feels quite right.

 

Have you had experiences when you felt that God was there in your everyday? Care to tell me about them?

Every year at this time something amazing happens at Bracebridge United Church. For ten years there has been a prayer phenomenon happening here. A group of committed volunteers offer their time to act as companions to others as they participate in a week of daily retreat in the midst of everyday life.

 

This is the third year I have been part of the Week of Guided Prayer. As a participant, each day I am given a reflection with some suggested scriptures passages. I choose one of those passages and spend a time of reflection and prayer. Each participant is encouraged to write in a journal as part of the reflection. Then we each spend half an hour at some point in the day talking to our companion about whatever emerged in our prayer time.

 

There is a very peaceful and comfortable feeling to the week for those of us that spend most of each day in the church. The rhythm of the five days means that the companions arrive in the morning and spend a good part of the day here. The companions meet in the various rooms to talk and pray with the participants. Gentle laughter can be heard from time to time as folks gather by the book display. Today the sound of softly playing music floated up the hallway from the auditorium as people were given the opportunity to walk the labyrinth.

 

But the best part of the week is the delight and amazement that appears when people talk about their experiences. For myself God has come to me in the reflection on the scripture and even more fully in the conversation with my companion. It is a rich and wonderful time. I am so grateful for the gift of this week and the people who make it possible. If you aren’t participating I hope that next year you do.

 

 

Sunday evening was the last gathering of our Sunday Cinema for this year. We saw the movie Milk, the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. This movie capped off our series of five movies based on true life stories of individuals who had ‘gone the distance’ to make a difference because of something they believed in.  It has been an interesting series. The movies have all been quite entertaining and engaging but more than the movie it was the person behind the movie that captivated my attention.

 

What is it that moves a person to such action that they risk personal loss and in some cases their life in order to move society? Each of the individual’s stories, which included William Wilberforce, Erin Brokovitch, Steve Lopez, Erin Gruwell and Harvey Milk, profiled a person who saw an injustice and rose to the challenge to confront it, often against staggering odds. Their stories encouraged us viewers to do some soul-searching as we considered what it would take to move us to such brave action.

 

Not all social justice has to be as dramatic as these stories. I believe that standing up against an in-justice can be as simple as confronting a racial slur made by an acquaintance or writing a letter for Amnesty International. Even these actions, while done amongst friends or at our kitchen tables, can be life changing for the one who is victimized.

 

I would encourage you this week to think about people you are aware of who have challenged the status quo and confronted an injustice. Then reflect on what would be required to move you to do the same.

 

 

Marshmallows, sing songs and trying to find the spot at the campfire where there is no smoke; bunk beds and wet bathing suits and craft projects to take home; these are just some of the images that come to mind when I think of camping. I went to United Church camp for four summers when I was a kid. I had the worst case of homesickness ever on my first camp week. Thankfully my counselors kept me amused and active and eventually talked me out of wanting to go home. 

 

This Sunday we will have Bill Stevens and Jennifer Mountain here to tell us about Camp Big Canoe, a United Church camp located just a short drive east of here. Summer camp has a profound influence on people. If you have time to check out the bulletin board inside the south door to see the poster showing “people of note” who attended United Church camps in their formative years. Not only is camping a wonderful experience for the campers but it is a place where several of the teenagers of our congregation go for summer employment. As I meet with our Confirmation Class the ones that know the most Bible stories are the ones who learned them at camp.

 

The United Church has 63 camps across Canada. This year Camp Big Canoe already has more registration than it had at this time last year. It is an important ministry in our United Church. I hope you can come out on Sunday, wearing your comfy camp clothes and your goofy camping hat, to help us celebrate United Church camping.

Hello bloggers! Sorry I have been delinquent for a couple of weeks. I took a little holiday time which saw me away from my computer for a few days. Have you ever noticed that holidays mean working really hard to get away and then working really hard to catch up? I am not complaining; my holidays were great and now I am glad to be back and settled into the routine.

 

Today is Earth Day. So, I took a gander at Wikipedia to learn a bit about the history of today. Seems, it was started by an American Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson. On April 22, 1970 he hosted an environmental teach-in to get people talking about, and thinking about, care for creation. I also learned, on good ole Wikipedia that the Earth Day network claims that Earth Day is now celebrated in every country on Earth. That is a pretty impressive standard, from a rather humble beginning only forty years ago.

 

Awareness of the Earth and creation is a huge part of our faith story. It starts in Genesis chapter one! The United Church of Canada wrote its “New Creed” back in the 1968’s . It was a decade or so later that the church realized it had missed an important part of what the church was called to and it added the line, “To live with respect in creation.” Slowly, we have come to recognize the interdependence of the many eco-systems of our planet. And that our way of life has a huge impact on our source of life.

 

What are you doing to mark Earth Day? Here in Muskoka it is still a bit early to do much in the garden other than raking and cleaning up but we can enjoy the delight of the early flowers. The snow drops and crocuses have done their work and now the pansies are showing their colours. The tulips are coming into bud and the trees are starting to show hints of green as the buds unfold. To mark Earth Day I am going to go into our back yard and see how many shades of green I can count. Then I will say a quick “Thank you” for the wonder of this planet we live on. 

 

Happy Earth Day!

 

Whew. It has been a busy week. I didn’t have much marked on my calendar for the week because I have been anticipating a move. Yep, I have moved up in the world; well, at least to the second floor! It is impossible to move a home or an office and not notice all the stuff that one accumulates. At least, that was the case for me this week. Despite resolutions made during every previous move I still find it hard to throw things away. I confess it - I am a pack rat. I save things knowing that they will come in handy some day, some time, for something. Just this morning a piece of old tracing paper emerged from behind a desk drawer and just as it was being tossed into the garbage pail I said, “Wait, I might be able to use that for a children’s story.” Of course the big question is … will I know where to find it when I want it? I have found all kinds of things this week that would have been so handy …had I only been able to find them when I wanted them. So, the problem is not just accumulating stuff; it is also knowing how to file it so that it is retrievable.

 

I remember my sister Helen telling me a story from her visit to a village in Tanzania. A woman in the village asked Helen something and she said, “Here I will write it down.” Helen then ripped a page of paper out of her notebook and wrote the few words on it and handed it to the women. The woman was astounded. She said, “A whole sheet of paper. You are giving me a whole sheet.” My sister was immediately embarrassed by her insensitivity. To this woman a sheet of paper was an extravagance. To my sister it was nothing. The awkward moment passed but it was an experience that marked my sister’s trip.

 

We have so much stuff. It is a given in our culture that not only do we have much more than we need we are being constantly encouraged by advertisers to accumulate more. I did try this week. I recycled a few things (okay, not much but a little) and I bought a desk and a couple of tables for my office from the “Habitat for Humanity” Re-store. I am committed to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle but I confess that I have a long way to go to really conquer this accumulation of stuff.

 

How about you? Does the accumulation of personal possessions seem like a faith issue for you? Do you have suggestions about how to keep the “urge to own” under control?

 

 

I have been writing this blog for a couple of days now. It is my goal to post entries Tuesday through Friday. It is a rare week when I meet my goal! I did start this one yesterday. Here it is late Thursday night and it will get posted on Friday. What can I say other than it is Holy Week and things have been busy here at the church. This posting will be longer than usual but with it comes to you with my best wishes that you will be blessed over this Good Friday – Easter weekend with the nearness of God.

 

I love living in a small town. I have friends who wonder how I could stand living is such a ‘backwater” and I have family who wonder why I don’t want to live out in the country. But I have tried both and, like Goldilocks, I have found the place that is “just right”. Several events this week have reminded me why I like small towns. I did the monthly service at the Pines. Kevin or I go there the last Wednesday of every month to lead a worship service. The Olde Time Gospel Band comes with us. The Band always plays before the service begins, plays several hymns throughout the service and then plays a few more songs when it is over. The residents love to hear the music and they perk up whenever one of their favourites comes along.

 

It is great to have the band there. Some of them have relatives or friends who live in The Pines. This time I noticed a few other points of connection. As I was arriving one of the physicians whom I know from the congregation was just leaving. Then as folks filed in a settled in a spot for the service I noticed a member of the congregation who volunteers there sitting with one of the residents. Another member of our congregation is the receptionist; she greets everyone with a welcome and a smile. It definitely has a feeling of community within community.  

 

That started my reflection on community. Then, twice this week, I was walking down Manitoba Street and someone stopped me to check in about something or share some information that I needed.

 

Grocery shopping took twice as long as expected because I bumped into a couple of people and significant conversation ensued. Each experience reminding me of the blessing and yes, I will say it, the sometime curse, of life in a small town.

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Near the end of the Second World War, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships.”

 

This is Holy Week. The story of this week in Jesus’ life has power for a number of reasons. Chief among them is the way Jesus affected community and built human relationship. He brought a group of people together. On this week we remember that they came with him to the city surrounded by his followers. He had so many followers because over the years he had told story after story to those who had ears to hear; he reached out across boundaries by speaking to Samaritans, healing lepers, talking with prostitutes and tax-collectors; he shared meals with friends and often visited with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In other words, he built community.

 

On Good Friday there is the poignant remembrance of the women and ‘the disciple Jesus loved” mourning at the foot of his cross. Soon the community is transformed with the buzz of news that Jesus’ death had not stopped his ministry. The community took on new life and a community called “The Way” started to share the Jesus story.

 

Over this weekend we gather as faith community to remember, to sit in silence, to sing songs of sorrow and then as Easter dawns our community will move to celebration and the renewal of our faith that Jesus lives and God is present in our congregation and in our ministry.

 

Over this weekend I encourage you to do some thinking about community and how you connect into your network of family, friends, neighbours and acquaintances. I’d be interested to know … what does community mean to you?