The Country Preacher

Time for a Stand

2011-03-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I've been wrestling with what our congregation can do in response to the suicide of a young teen that was at least in part the result of bullying due to her orientation. I've been wrestling with what it is that I am called to do as a preacher, pastor, Christian and community member. Then I heard about this clip. What an amazing message. As an aside I'm wondering why our Canadian Government isn't saying something like this - or perhaps it's that their too consumed with consolidating power and becoming the Harper government. In this short 3 minute clip President Obama does something that I don't think any other head of state has done - say to LGBTQ teens that they are fine just the way they are. Can you imagine the impact that such a statement will have in the months and years to come? Think of how many lives will be positively affected by a message to not only American teens, but teens all over the globe. Once again I find myself inspired by President Obama.
In his message he tells teens that they need to seek out places that will support them. I think it is time for my congregation to make their Vision Statement a public reality and let our community know that we are a faith community that welcomes everyone, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, social standing, creed or ability. It is time for us to put our money where our mouth is and as a member of our church council said, "come out," so that teens, young adults, adults, and all those who love them know that there is at least one faith community in the area that believes we are all equally created in God's image and that human sexuality is a gift from God. It is time for those of us who espouse an open and welcoming theology to add our voices to the public arena with equal vigour and tenacity as those who would tell our young people that they are broken and shameful; needing to be fixed or reprogrammed; suffer from some mental illness that can be fixed with the right medication; or are accepted as long as they don't act upon their feelings - all simply because they are LGBTQ. This bullying has to stop and I believe that faith communities such as mine have a huge role to embrace.
A couple of Sunday's ago I preached a sermon that called people to seriously look at what they are mentoring to the next generation. Is it acceptance and love or hate and prejudice. Are we building strong communities where diversity is uplifted or weak villages of fear and isolation? Each of us lives out our faith in the daily decisions that we make. We demonstrate what it is to be a disciple by the words we choose or don't choose; when we stand up for something or don't; when we challenge a phobic statement or just smile and let it go. I've decided that I will no longer tolerate that kind of behaviour in my life. I will do my best to challenge "isms" wherever I encounter them in what is hopefully a constructive manner and yet I acknowledge that this will bring tension into my life. That some people won't appreciate being told that what they've said is inappropriate or discriminative. Yet the one I seek to follow, Jesus our Christ, stood up for the oppressed and named his ministry to be about setting the captive free. Can I really ignore the treatment of LGBTQ people in my community and still claim that I seek to be the hands, feet and voice of Christ in the world? Can I watch and remain silent as teens are bullied by ignorant peers and faculty that turn a blind eye? No. I can't.
It is my hope that we will wrestle with what this means as a faith community. It is my hope that we will begin the Affirming Ministry process. It is my hope that we will find ways of partnering with other communities. And it is my hope that another teen will never take their life because they didn't know of at least one place where they would have been accepted and supported for who they are.

One More Step

2010-07-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday morning and I'm one more step towards finishing this program. My thesis proposal has been submitted and approved by my supervisor. The working title is iPreach: the art of preaching with digital media. The resources have been selected and the plan is in place to make sure that all the bases are covered. Three years have almost come to an end. Three trips to Chicago almost over. Three years gathering with people who were once strangers who have now become friends. This part of the doctorate journey is ending today. I knew that today would be tough. I knew that there would be a range of emotions all wrapped up in a sense of completion and anticipation. I'm very glad to have made it to this point. I'm very thankful for all the people who have worked with me and supported me in order to get to this point. I'm glad that the residencies are over - especially the financial cost of them and yet I'm sad that I won't be together with these friends again in the same intensive way. I'm sad that these deep conversations will now come to an end as a group, even though some will continue on there own. I'm sad that I won't be able to gather with 19 people and break bread with great food and good wine. I will mourn the loss of this intensive community and what it has meant to join together with ecumenical colleagues from around the U.S. and Germany. These folks, these preachers, have changed who I am, how I look at the world and how I look at ministry in general. Yes I'm one more step towards the goal of a doctorate and I celebrate that, yet I mourn the loss of this community and what it has meant to me. It is another time of transition and while I look forward to the days and nights of pouring over a manuscript and doing draft after draft, I am sure at one level that it is the memory of this family that will give me the strength when I need it, the humour in a time of need and the assurance of support and care. This class, this family of 26, will always be part of who I am - regardless of where I go from here.

Week Three - The Finish Line's in Sight

2010-07-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Week three and it's all about the thesis now. Everything else has faded away and all the conversation, all the energy both in class and beyond it, is now focused on the thesis. How do you write it, what's your context, what's the focus question, what's the theological foundation and witness of the denomination and history, what resources do I need to be conversant with, what practices am I using to test this all out and what kinds of feedback will help me address the practices and, ultimately, the core question of my thesis. O, and by the way, you need to get all this information communicated in 45 pages. We've spent time in small groups talking about all these components for each of our ideas followed by feedback from our peers. Each time we talk about it we get clearer and clearer as well as deeper and deeper. The analogy is that of an elevator conversation. The functional idea is that by the time you go from the top floor to the lobby you should be able to tell someone what your thesis is all about in a manner that they can understand and offer feedback. As I've listened to the idea of my classmates it has become apparent to me that folks are working on some amazing topics. The thesis proposal range from the preacher as active listener; to biblical literacy and stewardship; to preaching in care homes to people with dementia; to street street evangelism. The creativity and commitment to deepening communities of faith and the importance of preaching in that formation. I meet with my advisor on Wednesday to see if he'll sign off on my proposal. If he does, then it's off to the races, well keyboard, with a first draft due by January 3!

Trinity and My Blues Ain't Your Blues

2010-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I know I've said this before, yet I think it warrants stating again: if your in Chicago - attend worship at Trinity United Church of Christ! Again this year a group of ten of us made our way to the South Side of Chicago for a 2.5 hour service that felt like 45 minutes. The 140-150 member choir was amazing. To hear a a group of 60-70 men sing harmonies is simply good for the soul. To hear 2300 voices in the congregation rise and blend with the harmonies of the choir and musicians, literally brought tears to my eyes. It was only as I listened to the sax player and the blues guitarist that I realized how close to burnout I cam this past year and the effect it had on me, my family and my ministry. Trinity is that kind of transformative Holy place. The sermon was all about the blues, including some blues guitar that was simply awesome! The essence of it was that while our sense of the blues is different, God is present in the harmonic resolution for all of us. The blues is one way that as a mature Christian we express our ability to lay the heavyness of life at God's feet right along side our praise and thanksgiving. In essence God sings the blues. It was an amazing and powerful sermon that lasted about 45 minutes. Read that again - 45 minutes! It felt like you were floating in the ocean with each successive wave of celebration being a larger and more emotive wave of experience. By the end of the sermon we were cresting a huge wave that resulted with everyone standing on their feet applauding and speaking agreement and encouragement to Ottis Moss. The whole call and response nature of African-American worship is so, so powerful. The energy that is invested by both preacher and community results in an experience much larger and deeper than either of the components in and of themselves. I wish there was a way to replicate in some way this aspect in my own congregation. I think it could be an amazing experience for people to feel free enough to participate in the sermon and worship in general in such a way. I'm not suggesting becoming a call and response congregation overnight as much as suggesting that people could be encouraged to express their agreement and support for what's being offered in worship beyond clapping. Trinity is always a high light of my residencies in Chicago. This year was no exception. The trip to Trinity is another gift that I've been very fortunate to receive.

Week 2 Here and Gone!

2010-07-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Another elective done! It's hard to believe that this week concludes my third and final elective as part of the program. It also signals my final sermon that I needed to preach as part of the residency component of the program. It feels very strange to be on the other side of three residencies and now looking ahead to the thesis and final sermons that will contribute towards it. For sure there is a lot of work ahead, yet the finish line is in site and I can see my annual trips to the amazing city of Chicago coming to an end. In many ways this in an of itself is sad. I've been fortunate to have been offered this opportunity to join together with fellow preachers who are just as passionate and focused on preaching as I am. That in and of itself would have been enough, yet what's also happened is that I've become attached to these folks. Many of them have evolved from classmates, to colleagues, to friends. Friends who are fellow preachers is a rare and valuable commodity. I have friends in this program who can talk with me about my preaching in a way that few others can. They offer their words, both positive and challenging, from the source of love in Christ and the mutuality of being a fellow preacher. I realize I'm starting to get sentimental about this whole process. Personally I think this is one of the strengths of the program. Not only will I be a better preacher because of this program. I will also leave it with an international network of preachers and friends. Eight weeks and three summers later, it's time to return to Trinity United Church of Christ, one last time, before the home stretch of week three.

Emotive Preaching

2010-07-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

According to Frank Thomas there are two essential levels of preaching: cognitive and emotive. Most of the styles that are taught to people in seminaries are built upon a cognitive model that may or may not contain any emotive material and when it does, it is often by happenstance. An emotive framework is designed to engage the cognitive and move deeper into the emotive language of the person so as to affect change at the level of core belief, or what Frank calls soul material. The basic assumption in this model is that by staying at the cognitive level, the preacher is trying to convince the congregation of a point of view that is easy to forget. However when the preacher moves to the cognitive level there exists the opportunity to engage people at the level of core belief and, that if change is affected at this level, it tends to be more significant and longer lasting. However, if preaching becomes purely emotive then there is no grounding for the sermon and thus the experience of the message. The goal is a balanced approach to both the cognitive and emotive. The sermon needs to have enough material to engage our cognition while at the same time engaging the hearers personal experience through an appeal to the emotive via language that bridges the two creating a symbiotic relationship that deepens the overall experience for everyone involved, including the preacher.

Celebration in Preaching

2010-07-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent all my time pondering the implications of celebration in preaching and a model that will enable that to happen that has emerged from the African American tradition. Spending a week with the Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas is nothing short of a blessing. His care, insight, commitment to preaching, teaching and overall personhood makes it a privilege to spend time in his class. It was a week filled with 34 sermons, two by each person in the class. The second sermon preached was on the same text for everyone from Genesis on the wrestling of Jacob with God. The first round of sermons covered a huge amount of territory and topics. It has been amazing to watch how much my colleagues have deepened their preaching. Several went to deep emotional places and invited us to join them on that journey deep into the heart of God's grace. It was an amazing and tearful experience. It raises the question of how much vulnerability there needs to be in our preaching? Is the pulpit a place where tears and anger are appropriate? What happens within the congregation when the preacher is obviously emotional? Does this welcome people into the dialogue because now, the preacher is human? Or, does it create a barrier of emotive ripples that prevents people from crossing the chasm of separation into participation? What interesting questions to ponder.

Preaching as Celebration

2010-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

What an absolutely amazing first day to my last course here in Chicago! And WOW, does that feel weird to write. My last class, Preaching as Celebration: Preaching in the African American Tradition with Frank Thomas is shaping up to be an incredible class on preaching in general and very insightful into another style of preaching in particular. It is very interesting to ponder how the white church has decided, either by intention or omition to preach primarily to the cognitive intellect at the cost of engaging the intuitive emotive. Why, in this post-modern world, do we think it necessary to have either or? The celebration model is based on the Lowrey Loop and is meant to engage both the cognitive and the emotive in a balanced structure of situation, complication, resolution, celebration. In fact, it is a model that grounds the sermon in an everyday lived experience and thus, renders the sermon both more memorable and more able to affect change in the hearer as it transcends the cognitive by engaging the emotive at the level of core belief. Engagement at this level allows the preacher to connect with the hearer in a manner that limits the ability to simply agree and then dismiss the message that is given. by engaging the hearer at the level of core belief the preacher has the real potential of affecting change and growth as a Christian and as a person of faith. There is so much more to the African American tradition than we see on television or have historically associated with a call and response style of worship. Perhaps the reason that the call and response aspect is so prevalent in the African American tradition is because the preaching has historically engaged people at the emotive level and lived experience both by the preacher and the hearer and continues to do so today. What a wonderful gift this course is shaping up to be. I can't wait to engage the structure with digital media and see what happens. This is going to be so much fun!

End of Week One...on to week two

2010-06-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Week one is over and Core III is behind us, at least in the sense of attending a class. It has been an interesting journey into the heart of seeing the sermon as a tool for social transformation. It has been an interesting week in relation to my own understanding of the power of the sermon. I've known for sometime that I have a high theology of preaching, yet this last week I've come to realize that my theology of preaching is very, very high. I truly and absolutely believe that the sermon can and does change both peoples lives and thus through the the social reality that we live in as a community. In other words the sermon can and does change the world. The power of the preached word is such that it transcends who I am and who those are who hear it to the place where it can fundamentally transform who we are and how we live out our lives each and every day. Such is the power of the preached word that is mediated by the Spirit once it leaves our lips. Yes it takes a lot or preparation. Yes it takes hours of pouring over scripture and praying endlessly. Of delving deep into the traditions greatest and best literature of linking yourself to centuries of tradition. It is a deep vocation to a willingness to put the the Word, life and God together in a way that always keeps us expanding and how I reflect critically on what God is doing. After week one I've had the opportunity to rekindle my love of preaching and my deep commitment to master it as best I can as a preacher. What an amazing and powerful place this program is and I need to say thank-you to every person who's enabled me to be here, 'cause I'm sure I'm not here on my own.

Race in the Pulpit

2010-06-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

Race is one of the issues in many Canadian pulpits that I think is all too often ignored and deemed irrelevant both to the congregation and the pastor, yet this seems to be more of a fearful response than a calculated evaluative statement. Race is all around us and as a consequence racism is prevalent in every congregation because all of our congregations are made up of people. This might seem like a shocking statement, yet I know there are racists in my congregation because I am one. I can't really help that I am because at a certain level I was born into it. Just by the geographical location of my birth and the ancestry of my family I am a white Canadian male. This alone means that I am automatically afforded certain advantages in society just because of my race and because for a long time I participated in the ongoing granting of that power of privilege without question or hesitation. I told racial jokes and laughed at them when I heard them from others. But that is no longer the case and hasn't been for years, yet all that makes me is a recovering racist and each and every day I must confront the reality of my white privilege. Part of confronting that privilege is acknowledging in my own life where and when I encounter racism in my private and church life. It also means that it is an issue that I must preach on both directly and indirectly as well as in a manner which disarms people so that they can hear the message of how God's love is all inclusive. Racism in any for, including systemic and institutional, is not ok. A racist joke is not 'just a joke.' It is hurtful and a contribution to and sustaining of a system that seeks to make others less-than who they are.

Human Sexuality and the Sermon

2010-06-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

In one way I want to ask the question, does sexuality belong in the pulpit? I know in many congregations and for many individuals the immediate response would be no! Not in my church and not on any Sunday!Yet, I wonder if what gets people's backs up is that they don't want something that is private, that is the sex act itself, made public and preached from the pulpit. The church has no place in the beds of those that come to worship and yet, if we're going to try and preach and talk about the fullness of human experience and how that relates to our understanding of God's love for all of us and the birthing of the kingdom. Now I'm not saying that I think we should be describing the sex act itself from the pulpit on Sunday morning. What I am wrestling with is the call of the gospel to preach on the fullness of the human experience, one part of which is human sexuality - different from the act itself. How can we proclaim an open and inclusive faith community that seeks to share the love of God with all, then I must also proclaim the universal acceptance of mutually caring and loving relationships by that same God who welcomes us all to the table of Jesus Christ. At its core, when you drill down to the depths of the subject, is the issue of God's justice right here and right now and not somewhere off in an eschatological future. So, is there a difference about preaching on sex and sexuality? Absolutely! and if we believe that we're all created as equals before God then we need to preach on the reality that sexuality has been used as a tool of power to oppress and segregate and disempower and malign and isolate individuals as other. And friends, that'll preach!

What is Preaching?

2010-06-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Day 1 is done and at the end of the day a great quote from Paul Tillick came up, "the goal of preaching is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." We were asked if this quote was still important and if we agreed with it. For some the instantaneous reaction was that people with wealth constituted the comfortable and that people don't appreciate feeling judged because of their wealth and in fact that the judgement pronounced by many preachers prevents any further conversation. However, is that the only way that people are comfortable? I agree that it is one of the ways - it might even be the primary way that we assess someone level of comfort, yet people are also comfortable in their mindset, outlook, social location, entitlement, judgement and world view. Surely the gospel afflicts those whose lives do not reflect the essence of God's grace, just as Jesus afflicted the comfort of the rich young ruler when he was told to give it all away. For me I think that we've become spiritually complacent and assert all too often that 'we've got God all figured out.' We've become comfortable in our worship lives and how that worship is manifested in our daily lived discipleship. Is great preaching about disturbing, that is afflicting, that comfort level so that the imagination of our discipleship can grow and be stretched beyond even our wildest dreams? Likewise is great preaching not also about comforting those who are wrestling with the mind bending reality of being open to the radical transformative presence of God's grace in their lives and those who are wrestling with the struggles of everyday life? Does great preaching operate as both pastoral care and prophetic witness at the same time? What do you think?

It's the 3rd Year!

2010-06-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Our arrival is complete. Once again that class of 2011 has left behind their families and congregations to descend upon Chicago for 18 days of focused discourse on homiletics. It's amazing to be part of a group that only sees one another for three weeks a year, yet is so intimately connected both as individuals and as preachers. It was great last night to gather around a table at a local restaurant and get everyone caught up on what's happened in our lives, our loved ones and our congregations. It is truly humbling to be amongst such wonderful caring people that are utterly committed to preaching and the vocation to which they've been called. While there is a part of me that is glad this is the last residency, a piece of me is deeply saddened by that awareness and so as Gerhard says, "I am of two hearts on this matter" as our final residency begins.

Farewell My Friend

2010-02-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

This morning I received the news that I've been dreading for almost a week. My colleague and friend Rev. Bill Whiston had died early in the morning hours. Bill was a wonderful human being, yet perhaps even more than that he was a quintessential Pastor. Bill simply loved ministry and being with people. It didn't seem to affect him how long the hours became or how many calls he received, he was always ready to respond to the call of a person in need. Even in retirement Bill couldn't stop being a pastor and so he continued with the good folks of Westbrooke United as their Retired Supply Minister and he continued his relationship with the Queen's School of Religion as a learning group facilitator and field placement supervisor for people in formation for ministry. Bill kept giving. He brought many of us to laughter with jokes that were, let's face it, at times horrible. He reminded us of our commitment as individuals and as congregations to the M&S fund. Yet perhaps what I appreciated most about him was his calm in the face of a storm. It didn't seem to matter what we were dealing with Bill was always calm and compassionate. Even when others, myself included, had't reached that point, Bill was challenging us, challenging me, to see the good and remember the person(s) behind the issue.
I was almost brought to tears today when I was writing an email. Not because of the words it contained, or the issue it was regarding. It was because for the first time I deleted Bill's email address from the Cc line. A very subtle reminder, yet a reminder none the less that Bill wouldn't be checking his email anymore. He's returned home to his Creator, the One who showed him a love that knew no bounds, the Source that called him into ministry and empowered him to be a Pastor.
And so I mourn his passing and celebrate his life. I join together with Kingston Presbytery, the folks of Westbrooke and all the congregations Bill served, I stand with Dot and Bill's family to thank God for a man who meant so very much to each and everyone of us. To God we commend him. From this world to the next.
Farewell my friend and colleague. Farewell.

Home Away from Home

2009-06-28T08:52:00.001-07:00

One of the interesting things about being in the 2nd year of the program is that you’re familiar with what’s going to happen. You don’t really know for sure of course until it happens, yet there’s a familiarity to everything. You know the support staff, you know the Dean, you know the professors from last year, you know your advisor, and you know your classmates. Perhaps the greatest part of this program isn’t in what I’m learning or the projects I’ll do or the degree at the end or the help my thesis might offer some other preacher at some point in their ministry. Perhaps the greatest part is the people I’ve met.
It’s strange in many ways how we’ve stayed in contact with one another. How we’ve visited one another. How close we all are as a group and how we seemingly have picked up right where we left off last year. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been moments of tension, tough love, and words of profound truth spoken. It doesn’t mean that there haven’t been moments when you just want everyone to go away so you can get some work done. It doesn’t mean that you always like or appreciate the colour of a particular conversation. I guess what it does mean is that we’ve become a little family for these three weeks and like most families what you look forward to is being together again and learning about all the changes in each other’s lives.
I’ve missed these people. I’ve missed their insight, intellect, wisdom, faith, understanding, honesty, voices, jokes, and dedication to preaching. I’ve missed Paul’s quiet power and presence and Jackie’s laugh and sense of call. I’ve missed Doug and his overwhelming generosity and Lora for wearing her heart on her sleeve. I’ve laughed, cried, yelled, argued and lived with these people. They are friends, they are colleagues, yet perhaps most of all they are truly my sisters and brothers in Christ.
As I reflect over what that means I need to tell you that this post was written in Grand Rapids Michigan, site of the General Synode of The United Church of Christ which meets every two years. Two friends were coming and I volunteered to go along, I know you’re shocked that I’d volunteer to go to a church meeting! It has been another great side trip, those moments in life that you never saw coming, yet the ones that have a real affect on you because you took the risk to say yes to what God was offering. I could have stayed in Chicago, yet I chose that other road, the one that puts friendship above personal wants and desires. I could have gone to a movie, yet I chose to deepen my friendship with two incredible people as we drive to Grand Rapids and back to Chicago together. Indeed life is good and rich with blessing – when we embrace the opportunities that God brings our way.

A Voice to Share

2009-06-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Week 1 is done! My core class focused on “Preaching as Performance” and how there are things that all preachers can learn from theater, not necessarily to make things more dramatic or showy or less authentic, yet to enhance the presentation of the message during worship.
One of the areas we worked on was the warm up prior to worship. I need to say that the choir might need to be warned about a few exercises I might ask them to help me with in the fall. We did all kinds of things to loosen up our facial masks and our voices to make them fuller and more engaging. Some of the exercise we learned are called motor boat, Ing-ga; Me, May, My, Mo; tension relievers; and many others. It was great fun to watch us do all these crazy things that I know relax our bodies so that we can be more present in the moment and make us sound better as we do it. It was also really cool to hear the difference between a tense jaw and the sound after a jaw release.
I think one of the pieces that I’ve often let slip along the way side is my care for and dependency on my voice. I mean we all know that I talk a lot in general, yet just think about how difficult it would be to preach with a voice that hasn’t been cared for over time. Or what it would be like to be a preacher without a voice! In many ways as a mechanic has wrenches and other tools that they use to fix and maintain our automobiles, one of my main tools for preaching is my voice and it needs to be maintained and care for just as a mechanic looks after theirs.
Our voices – such a simple thing – yet ponder how different our lives would be without them!

Sounds in the Night

2009-06-28T08:17:00.001-07:00

Being in Chicago is a most interesting experience. It is a very large ethnically diverse city that is certainly divided along the lines of socio-economic and educational status. By this I mean that there are places where only African-American people live; places where only white people live; places where both live; places where only affluent people live; and places where only non-affluent people live. In the midst of this diversity is a propensity for gun violence amongst and between the various groups. In the U.S. 11,000 people die from handgun related crimes every year. In Chicago at least one young person is shot in school every week. Nationally Chicago rates #2 on the list of violent crimes involving firearms.
Where I’m staying is in a part of the city known as Hyde Park. The University of Chicago is located in this part of the city and in order to combat the level of violent crime has its own police force. Now most universities, even in Canada, have “campus security,” yet that’s not what I’m talking about here. In Chicago the university has its own police force complete with side arms, cruisers and the whole deal. The result is that Hyde Park has two level of policing Chicago PD and University PD, making Hyde Park one of the safer places in Chicago.
Even with all that police presence I awoke Tuesday evening to what I can only describe as “popping” sounds. At first I thought they might be firecrackers, yet it was about 2AM when I heard these sounds. Then I realized they sounded a little different and appeared to be almost responding the one to the other. It was then that I realized they were probably gun shots. Now that’s a sound I’m not familiar with hearing in the middle of the night. Sounds like the dog barking, someone going to the bathroom, a car going down the street or a horn blaring, yet not gun shots. What struck me was that for many in Chicago (and too many other places around the world) this sound was very familiar to them and it would probably been an unusual night not to wake up hearing gun shots. In the morning I began to wonder what that does to a person’s outlook on the world when the absence is what’s noted. How does this change your world view, your sense of security, your ability to enjoy life and what you take for granted? Hopefully those are the last I hear while I’m here, yet as I write I’m sure there is someone either getting shot or being shot at somewhere in this city that has become my home for three weeks of the year. Does that mean I have a responsibility or a role in preventing these events? To tell you the truth I really don’t know.

Farewell Brother Bennie

2009-06-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Some of you will remember that in October 2008 one of my class mates had a stroke that left him in hospital since then. His name was Bennie Hill. In January Bennie died after a long journey. On Tuesday evening at 7PM our class held a memorial service for our brother Bennie. It was a very touching service. We sang three of his favorite hymns and used the same scripture readings from his original memorial service. His daughters and son were present along with some of Bennie’s grandchildren. We provided some time for people to talk about who Bennie was for them and both daughters and son spoke about what it was like to have Bennie as their father. One of my class mates gave an incredible sermon. We used a hymn from More Voices “Cradle Me in Your Arms” as a response to the gospel reading that was one of Bennie’s favorite gospel lessons. The next day we also received golden stretchy bracelets with the words Rev. Bennie Hill ACTS Class of 2011. As a class we’ve chosen to wear these bracelets for the three weeks of our residency as a way of keeping Bennie with us. It was a difficult service for me and my class mates. A little less than a year ago we stood in a circle on the last day of residency and prayed that we would all return one year later. It was an emotional time of prayer filled with tears and smiles. Likewise this service was filled with tears and smiles as we grappled with Bennie’s absence.
It’s very different to be on the other side of a memorial service and to a certain degree I think I’d forgotten what it was like. Bennie’s was a good reminder and refresher of how important it is to celebrate the lives of those we know and love in a way that is honourable and respectful, authentic and rooted in the hope of the gospel. While a difficult service it was wonderful and acknowledged Bennie’s return to his Creator in a manner that was true to him and who he was. Farewell Brother Bennie.

Chicago 2.0

2009-06-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's day two of the second residency and all ready things are taking twists and turns that I never expected. This year Gerhard (from Germany) and I drove down together - a 10Hr. trip! Everything went very well, even the border crossing where they were so interested with Gerhard that they almost forgot to ask for my passport.
We learned that two people have withdrawn from the program. With Bennie's death in January of this year that means we're down to 23, however the good new is that we picked up a returning student who'd taken some time off.
This year it's all about how we preach where as last year it was more about what we preach. So far we've been talking about the similarities between theater and preaching. It was really funny to watch some of my class mates learn how to relax and release the tension in their limbs. Then there was the exercise of making motorboat noises with a lips. It's an amazing thing how relaxing your chin and opening up your throat can increase the invitation, clarity and authenticity of what you're saying, let alone enegising the facial mask. A whole new vocabulary is becoming second nature and I can't wait to work with the Parish Project Group (PPG) again this year about how preaching is also a performance.
It's amazing how familiar my colleagues have become. Getting here was like running into really great friends that you haven't seen in a long time. It was great to get teh hugs and questions about how things were back home and how things were with the great folks of Christ United, Lyn. This truely is an amazing program that brings together folks who might not otherwise be in conversation with one another, let alone living togehter!
We have a memorial service for Bennie tonight and his daughter will be there. I'm sure it will be very emotional and meaningful for all of us.

Jesus! vs Darwin!

2009-03-28T19:16:00.001-07:00

Jesus! vs Darwin!, originally uploaded by The Searcher.

This picture sums up for me one of the great dilemmas of our time, how can faith and science get along?

Blue Christmas

2008-12-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

The time leading up to Christmas and the season of Christmas itself can be a very difficult time for people who have experienced loss in their lives. This loss might be from the death of a loved one or of a pet. It might be the loss of a job or of a dream. It might be the loss of a relationship or a friendship. These losses are real and they affect us in ways that are sometimes difficult to understand, especially at a time of year when there are clear expectations and pressures to be happy and get over it.
Our Blue Christmas service is designed to acknowledge that for many people the Christmas season is far from jolly and gay. It is a season full of memories, pain, anxiousness, frustration, anger, anxiety, and tears.
The liturgy itself is meant to move us through the darkness, whatever that is for you as an individual or as a group, into some time for reflection and then a movement out of darkness and into the light of hope that is grounded in God through Jesus our Christ.
There will be several periods of time when a silence will be kept. Each one is meant to provide the opportunity for reflection and thought. While we’ll join together in some singing, people will be invited to remain seated and join in as they are able. When the time comes people will be invited to come forward to light a candle. There will also be a time when people will be invited to float a flower bud. Each time participation is optional and people are invited to take part as they feel comfortable.
At the end of the service people are welcome to remain in the sanctuary for as long as they need to. If someone would like a special prayer for themselves or someone else, they will be invited to move to the front pew and Rev. Bob will have a personal prayer with you. After the service our Worship Team has prepared refreshments for everyone in Fellowship Hall and everyone is invited to stay and greet one another.
While it is true that the time leading up to and Christmas itself is a very difficult time for many, it is not a time that we need to go through alone. By the grace of God and the hope of faith grounded in Jesus our Christ we are here for you.

Living with Exchange

2008-11-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well our household is finally slowing down a little. For those who didn't know we've has an exchange student from France staying with us for the better part of three weeks and he was a vegetarian! That last piece might not have been a shock for some, yet when everyone in the family loves meat the way we do and you have someone staying with you that doesn't even eat fish and you have to provide packed lunches for them - it becomes a real issue, yet we survived. Our son goes to France in late February and will be staying with the same person who was here.
Having an exchange student certainly brought to mind all the things we take for granted like peanut butter. Yup, peanut butter. They don't have it in France! Or a freak snow storm in October is nothing to worry about. The 15cm we had that week was the most of guest had ever seen. Or attending a church supper or going trick or treating. Yup, you guessed it, they don't do that in France either! and in the midst of it all the toilet broke and had to be replaced which, with only one bathroom, created quite the concern.
So now we're on the other side of that adventure and oddly enough we miss our quest. It seems that he left a very real impression on us and it was actully quite enjoyable having them around. Of course it meant doing things a little different and paying very close attention to our diet, yet this was a learning experince for all 5 of us and it's one that I think we would do again.
So while the chocolates are now all gone the memories live on. What a thing it is to exchange cultures with someone and to be intrusted with someones child from another country. Vive La France! Aux prochaine.

Why Is It?

2008-11-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

We've been working on the idea of holistic stewardship very intentionally for five months. The conversations about starting an annual stewardship campaign actually began almost two years ago, yet have only in the last ten months taken real shape. A leadership team was put together, some of whom attended a workshop on these kinds of campaigns, a resource was purchased, letters and a pledge card designed, 4 sermons preached and the whole idea talked up in a very positive way. So far the result has been dismal to say the least and very frustrating.
We asked people to sign a card that asked them to commit to the ministry of the congregation in 4 ways: our vision, regular worship attendance, involvement, and financial support. At a recent Council meeting we learned that numerous cards were being returned with nothing more than a signature at the bottom. No check marks, no indicators of support and no dedication to financial support. So it is this evening that I find myself sitting here wondering about my future and that of the congregation I am in ministry with.
One the one hand I'm tempted to think that if people did noting more than sign the card that they are stating that, for them, there is no support for anything. They don't support the vision; they won't make an effort to attend worship regularly; they have no interest in being involved; and they won't financially support the congregation. In fact they've simply signed and returned the card as a courtesy, yet could there be another side? Perhaps the signature only is a voice of dissent within the congregation. Perhaps it's a way in which people are saying "I don't support the campaign" or "this is the wrong approach." It could be. Yet in February 2008 we had a discussion about the budget and the need for everyone to increase their financial support of it or there would be serious decisions to be made. Of course there is a third (maybe even a fourth) way of looking at this: people did not understand what they were being asked to do. It is possible. I don't think it likely, yet I'm willing to consed that it is possible.
The hard part for me is that so much of our time and energy is being spent on this financial issue and it's draining. The constant talk about deficit and what we're going to try and do has become stifling rather than life giving. If people would only realize that if they increased their monthly givings by $20 per month - that's $5 a Sunday - we'd have an extra $24000 and our deficit would be almost gone! That's it! $20/month!!! People spend more than $5 on a coffee/latte/cappuccino at Starbucks. If people could only see the damage that's being done and the needlessness of it. If people could only imagine the ministry potential we'd have if all this time and energy wasn't going into deficit talks. $5 a week, that's what's keeping us from being stable and financially viable.
The real rub of the issue is that I can see the potential. I have seen and continue to see the difference our congregational vision is making in people's lives. I can see the impact we're having and I can see where we're headed. Brockville and Elizabethtown need Christ United Church. They need a congregation where people are welcome with open arms regardless of who they are without prejudice. People need a place where the love of God through Christ is shared with all. People need a place where they are invited on a journey into a deeper relationship with God that is open and welcoming. People need a church where a sense of family and bellonging and friendship and support is paramount. I'm still commited to that vision and what it represents. I lose sleep over it. I wrestle with it. I pray about it. I discern its impact in my life. I think about it constantly, however, it's starting to feel very lonely. So why is it that people won't give the financial support required to keep this congreation alive and thriving? Why is it?

Stewardship Sunday October 26 2008

2008-10-23T17:52:00.001-07:00

This Sunday, October 26th, 2008, is our first Stewardship Sunday. It is your chance to bring in your pledge card as part of your special offering as we celebrate our 139th anniversary.
Don't forget that it is really important that each person declares their own personal commitment to our congregational vision, to regularly attend worship and to be involved in the ministry of the congregation. We understand that there is really one household budget, so when it comes to the regular financial support section of the pledge card, please feel free to fill that in for the whole household rather than each individual. If you opt to do this, just let us know by indicating it on the pledge card where the financial support is indicated.
It is through generous givers, those people who commit themselves to our vision, attend worship, donate their time and talent and provide regular financial support, that we are able to affect the lives of people in Lyn and Brockville. With your continued stewardship we can truly be an open community that welcomes everyone throuhg the love of God shown to us in Jesus our Christ.

Stewardship 4 - Thanks-Giving

2008-10-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is the fourth post in a four post series that are linked to 4 a four sermon stewardship series that were preached between September 21 and October 12 2008. On October 12 we focused on the text Luke 17:11-19. This was thanksgiving Sunday and the worship time that we picked to launch our Annual Stewardship Campaign. The reading from Luke contains a story of Jesus healing 10 people who were suffering from some form of skin disease. After each of them is healed as they walk to visit with the priests, one returns and gives thanks to Jesus for his healing. One in ten, that's not a great return on Jesus' investment and to a certain degree he says so when he asks if there were not ten people healed and where are the other nine. While one could get caught up in why the other nine did not return and give thanks, this Sunday we focused on the one who did. After experiencing the grace of God in his life, the one gave thanks. He actually had to stop what he was doing and return to Jesus to do so. In this action the person demonstrates a level of sincere gratitude that is simply missing in the other nine. The one who returns lives out a call to give thanks and lives a life that embodies that sense of thanksgiving. This Sunday we looked at how God has blessed each and every one of us. There is not one person who has not been blessed by God. We looked at how our lives are to be like the one who returned and gave thanks. And we looked at how we do that in our world today with our financial resources, the fourth part of holistic stewardship. After commi

tting ourselves to a common vision, regular worship attendance and active involvement - w e acknowledge that if we don't financially support the vision and m inistry we have in common, we're like the nine who simply took from Jesus and went on their way. At the end of the day we have that choice, to be like the nine or be like the one. The choice is left up to us. Which will you choose.

Stewardship 3 - Living the Way

2008-10-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is the third post in a series of four that are linked to a Stewardship Series as part of our Annual Stewardship Campaign. On October 5th, 2008 we focused on Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20.This very familiar reading contains the Ten Commandments that were received by Moses on Mount Sinai as an expression of God's care for the people. Within them a way of life is laid out for all of us. A way that is rooted in God and God's mission for the world first and then in our everyday interactions with one another. When it comes to our actions with one another, they are not passive but active. The voice used is one of command - you will not commit murder. One of the interesting observations of some scholars is that while Moses records begin giving a series of "don'ts" the implication of them is that as a community what we are to be about is just the opposite. If murder is taking life then the opposite is giving life. Here is a perfect example of what kind of community God is calling us to be: one that is life giving. As we look at the third facet of holistic stewardship we examine the calling of each of us to a commitment of active involvement in the ministry of our congregation. As the other commandments lay out, we are called to live actively in community. It is not enough to let life pass us bye as we exist on the side lines watching everyone else. Rather as Christians we are called to grab life by the horns and jump in. Ministry is not a spectator sport. Ministry is an active engagement with our faith as we seek to deepen our relationship with God through Jesus our Christ. You and I, each and everyone of us, are called to actively participate in the ministry of Christ United and in doing so actively engage in the ministry of Jesus our Christ. Are you ready to commit?

Pop Goes the World

2008-10-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is the Men Without Hats song “pop goes the world” a potential theme for the last couple of weeks? Every time I turn on the radio or read an e-zine I’m constantly bombarded with the news that the financial markets have gone p p p p POP! and supposedly along with them the whole world. Of course the most preposterous event associated with this so called “melt down” is that George W. Bush is going to be the saviour of the world market by dumping 700 billion USD into the coffers of Wall Street to bail out the very people whose greed and avarice created the problem in the first place. Essentially he’s asking those who bear the burden of an imbalanced financial system to bail out those who profit from that same systemic imbalance. Don’t believe me, think about mortgage rates. Those who need a lower interest rate can’t get one because they’re a risk, while those who don’t need the break pay a much, much lower percentage and its those people who benefit the most from large corporate tax cuts and billion dollar bonus packages that created the current economic fiasco. Its amazing to me the way that we have institutionalized greed in North America while others around the world and in our own back yards pay the price. Just ponder these two comments from a CBC radio program on October 1, 2008: 700 Billion USD the proposed “bailout” – 30 Billion USD the total amount of cash aid sent to all of Africa; and that Canada had pledged 0.7% of its profits to foreign aid only to renege on it because our economy is growing too fast and people’s incomes are rising faster than expected. Perhaps its time to once again take up the call for a Jubilee.

If you look at Leviticus 25 you get an interesting picture of a real solution to the sub-prime bubble that’s burst in the US and that’s affecting global markets. Don’t bail out the rich and powerful elites of Wall Street – forgive the debt. I think 700 Billion USD is a wonderful solution – as long as its used in an appropriate manner and I’d suggest that there is nothing more just and appropriate than the biblical model of Jubilee. Instead of bailing out banks that have been making tens of millions if not hundreds of millions in profits over the last decade use that “bailout” fund to pay off the mortgages that are most at risk. Forgive the debt and give those who are most financially vulnerable some real help. Forgive the debt and create a new paradigm wherein people don’t have to choose between shelter and food. Create a new environment where children don’t have to go to school hungry. Establish a new way of looking at the role of government so that stress is reduced and people’s physical and mental health improves. In essence solve the current financial “crisis” by addressing the real issue instead of applying another Band-Aid and lining the pockets of those who need it least. At one level that’s what Jubilee is all about.

Of course why this might seem logical, its almost counter-intuitive and certainly we don’t hear any talk of this kind of solution, even during our own election campaign…”Pop goes the world.”

Stewardship 2 - Taking a Drink

2008-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is the second post in a series of four on stewardship that reflect 4 sermons leading up to our annual stewardship campaign.
On Sunday September 28 we focused on Exodus 17:1-7. Again it is a follow-up reading that continues the journey of the Israelites on their way to the promised land. Once again we see that folks are complaining about the state of things as they are running short of good fresh drinking water and complain to Moses that they would have been better off remaining in Egypt gathered around the flesh pots. Of course we know that this isn't true and yet we can hear the frustration and concern from the community. The story goes that once again God hears the complaints of the people and direct Moses to strike a rock at a place that gets names massah and meribah. God says to Moses that when he does this water will come forth like a spring. Moses obeys and the people receive life giving water.
The second sermon in our series is focused on worship and our need to commit ourselves to regular attendance in worship as part of our stewardship. It builds from last week that first you have to commit yourself to a vision and then you have to live it out. As a faith community the most basic and fundamental way in which we live out our vision is through worshiping together.
While this might not seem like an obvious link to the Exodus reading, I'll ask you to think about water as a metaphor - as something that gives life; as something that is basic; and as something that every person needs in order to live life abundantly. When you see the image of water in this light it is possible to see worship in the same way.
Worship is a basic element of who we are as Christian people. It defines us, shapes us, nurtures us, challenges us, comforts us and afflicts us. Worship calls us to empty ourselves in order that we might be filled-up by the Spirit. Worship takes us on a journey into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus our Christ. Worship provides us with a space to reflect on our everyday lives and how we are living out our discipleship. Worship renews us and while it calls us in it also sends us out with a vision and a mission into the world. Worship is our water! Without it, as a Christian, we would surely perish.
The second part of our annual stewardship campaign is to ask people to pledge regular worship attendance. It builds on committing to the vision of our congregation for it is in and through worship that we discover how that vision is to be lived out in a manner that is rooted in our tradition and the bible. The vision sets the boarders and worship starts to fill in the empty space. Can you commit to regular worship attendance?

Stewardship 1 - Living With a Vision

2008-09-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is the first post in a 4 post series focusing on Stewardship and the four sermons leading into our annual stewardship campaign.
Our focus text for Sunday September 21, 2008 was Exodus 16: 2-15. In many ways its a familiar story that now sees the Israelites having traveled some distance away from the Rea Sea. Now they are hungry as food stocks are running low and they begin to complain that Moses' plan is flawed and that they were better off in Egypt suffering under the cruel whips of their task masters. The story goes that God hears the complaints and through Moses, supplies both bread (manna) and meat (quail) for the people. One at sunrise and the other at dusk. Yet it isn't the miracle that I want to focus on this week, rather its the doubting of the vision that is contained within this story.
Moses had a vision. It was given to him by God and people had committed to that vision as part of their journey out of Egypt. Yet now that things were getting tough in the wilderness, the people doubted the vision. Its as if they had somehow lost their way as a community and doubted the ability of their leader to set the course aright. You see the vision is the boundary of the map. It sets the limits of what can be done and what will be worked towards. For Moses the vision and the boarders of his map can be summed up in the Kingdom of God, yet what about us? If the destination is directly linked to our ability to develop and agree on a vision, then what is the vision of this congregation?
One year ago we developed a vision statement that we all agreed would serve as the border for our ministry map. It says, "Christ United Church endeavors to be a family oriented, faith community called to share the love of Christ with all, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, social standing or creed." That is how we have defined our promised land. When we reach it we'll know that we've arrived in the Kingdom of God. When the vision statement was presented as a congregation we agreed that it would inform our actions, who we were trying to be as a faith community and as individuals, that it would shape the initiatives to be started and the direction the Council would take. That was one year ago and like the Israelites some of us have forgotten that vision and some of us remember only parts of it.
Part of any stewardship campaign is being able to clearly state who you are and where you are going - in other words your vision statement. Likewise, while its important to have one, if it only exists on paper and doesn't resonate in the lives of the congregation - then its a dead document, a waste of time - it looses its ability to shape and inform our actions.
Without a vision we have no parameters to our map and no sense of where we are going. Without dedicating ourselves to our vision we're left fumbling around from one idea to the next. Its for this reason that the first thing we're going to ask people to do as part of the stewardship campaign is commit themselves to our vision. That's the first step of being a congregation of good stewards - having a common vision. Are you ready and willing to say yes?

Steardship

2008-09-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Beginning next Sunday, September 21, 2008, I'll be sharing a 4 part sermon series on stewardship and its role in our congregation. Each week I'll post "Sermon Notes" here so that if you miss one of the sermons you'll still be able to follow along as we get ready to launch our Annual Stewardship Campaign for 2008.
Over these four Sundays we'll be exploring together:
1. What it means to be committed to our church's vision.
2. The role of regular worship attendance.
3. The importance of active involvement.
4. A commitment to regular monthly giving.
Each Sunday while addressing a particular piece of what it means to be a "faithful and wise steward" will also link how stewardship informs our daily lives as we seek to live out the call of Jesus our Christ to be the church in the world.

Need More Space

2008-09-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

I was travelling up Hwy 29 the other day a noticed a curious sign. It insinuated that empty nesters, people whose children were no longer at home, needed more space. In deed the sign actually gave the impression that this was space that these now childless parents had been doing without for some time and now was the time to reclaim it for themselves! Of course in order to do that you needed to purchase certain items to aid in the transformation of what once were bedrooms into…offices…dens…exercise…computer…sowing…games…(can you think of any other) rooms. My thoughts didn’t turn to whether or not these were appropriate uses for these rooms, but to the idea of space itself. When in our history did we all of a sudden become such consumers of space? That is what we’ve become as we treat space as a commodity that is packaged, wrapped, and valued just like any other commodity. The days of children sharing a bed room (which even I had to do for a little while) and people building and living in modest size homes is long gone. Even the styles of shopping centers we’re constructing are “growing to serve you [us] better.” Why do we need so much space? There once was a time when family members literally tripped over one another and now we live in house where we can’t even hear one another unless we’re yelling at the top of our lungs, let alone actually see one another or cross one another’s paths. And that still isn’t enough space because as soon as the kids are gone – there’s the chance to swoop in and convert now useless “them” space into meaningful “Me” space. In the process I think we’ve lost an understanding that space has power and meaning for us as individuals, as families and as a community. The burning bush story in Exodus 3 bring to mind this sense of space as sacred when Moses approaches the bush and hears a voice telling him that this is sacred ground and that before he could approach any further he was to take off his shoes. For sure this story makes direct reference to ground, that is earth and stone and sand, yet it also makes reference to seeing space as sacred. Space has meaning. I remember growing up hearing stories about different places. Sometimes they still existed, sometimes they had succumbed to the passage of time, yet there were some that would last forever. These were places that defined a people, where they fished, how they made their living, where the safe waters were, and what was passed on to the next generation. Space you see has power. Space informs what we think is important and how we treat our space tells others about what we think is important. SO why do we need so much space? And why are we in such a hurry to strip meaningful space where our children have lived for years as soon as they’re gone out the door? What is it saying about us and what is it saying to them?

End of Week 3

2008-07-03T13:24:00.001-07:00

The third week is over and as I write this blog I’m sitting in O’Hare airport, one of the busiest airports in North America. Here languages, races, ethnicities, creeds and colours come together to travel the skies. Perhaps, that is a fitting metaphor for the ACTS DMin in Preaching program. Over the last three weeks people from all over North America and Germany gathered as individuals in Chicago. We arrived knowing only a couple of people or no one at all. We arrived representing the diversity of Christianity with varied theologies. We arrived representing various denominations and for some, no denomination at all. We were young and old, black and white, female and male, yet we came with at least one thing in common: we loved to preach the Gospel of Jesus our Christ.
Over time those differences began to disappear. Over time creed didn’t really seem to matter anymore. Over time gender didn’t seem to matter anymore. Over time race and colour became less and less of an issue. Over time our love of preaching and our support of one another and our dedication to becoming the best possible preachers we could be became the focus. The niceties of newly met colleagues faded away until were able to ask the really tough questions. Why did you use that phrase? Why did you include that theology? Would that really work in your context? Or simply we shared with one another what worked and what didn’t. It was a tough, rigorous, 17 days of classes from 8:30 am to 5 pm, of gathering daily for worship, of breaking bread together and sharing insights about preaching, ministry and life. And I loved it!
While I sit here I have some time to reflect on the year ahead and all the work that remains to be done as part of year one. There is a Parish Project Group to create (I’ll be tapping people on the shoulders in August), there are three incarnational translations to create, the sermons to prepare in special ways, three reflection papers to write and a final integrative paper that pulls it all together. While the residency is completed successfully, there is still much left to be done before I can claim that year 1 is complete.
Yet for now I’ll bask in the reality that I’m one third of the way through my residencies here in Chicago. I’ll bask in the incredible colleagues and friends that I’ve made. I’ll bask in the simply amazing preaching that has challenged me, uplifted me and recharged my soul to come home a different person than when I left. In a strange way it almost brings a tear to my eye.
So to those of you who have been working hard while I’ve been away trying to become a better minister for the ministry we share together – thank-you! It is only because you have watched the fort and been willing to step into the breach that I could be here and no amount of words will ever fully and adequately relay the depth of my appreciation and gratitude. Shalom.

Rejoicing in the Midst of Chaos

2008-07-01T07:08:00.001-07:00

My first sermon as part of the program was preached last Friday. Its title was “Rejoicing in the Midst of Chaos” based on Philippians 4:4-9. As I’ve mentioned before preaching on Paul is not something that historically I’ve chosen to do on my own accord and not something that I’ve usually enjoyed, yet this sermon was a wonderful experience of what Paul’s pastoral ministry in the 1st century CE can still say to us in the 21st century CE. It was a great chance to delve into a text and preach it to a community of preachers that contained a very familiar phrase “rejoice in the Lord always.”
Now preaching to that community was a whole other matter. It’s is one thing to preach within a community where you’ve developed a relationship. Where we’ve share communion and baptism; where we’ve mourned together; where we’ve celebrated new covenants together; where we’ve struggled with budgets and vision. Preaching to preachers is a whole other matter and so last Friday, at the end of a very long day and week, I went second to last, and with great humility preached to my classmates a sermon that I wrote while here in Chicago with a style that intentionally would have an African-American flavour.
The end result, a powerful sermon based on Paul and his message to the early church that’s still relevant to us today. It was a sermon that certainly had an African-American flavour; at least as much as a white guy can have one, which received the comment “man I think you’ve been eating some greens and black eyed peas!” I was a wonderful experience to have folks respond during the sermon to what was being preached. It was a powerful collective witness to the power of God in our live through Jesus out Christ who calls us to rejoice and rejoice and rejoice again regardless of what life throws our way. It is something that I will probably try out from time to time at home as another way of sharing our witness of the gospel with one another.
One sermon down, another one this week. Lots of great feedback that is building on the experiences and changes in myself that I’ve noted during the course of the last two weeks.

Paul and Me

2008-06-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

So the elective week is over here at the ACTS D.Min. in preaching program. My elective was “Paul and a Macedonian Correspondence” which mean 1&2 Thessalonians and Philippians. It was a wonderful course with Dr. Audrey West. Many people don’t know that I have a hard time coming to terms with some of the words we attribute to Paul and some of his theology. While I respect and find powerful his conversion experience from Saul – who persecuted the early church, to Paul – who spread the gospel at great personal risk, I’ve historically found myself, well, not liking him.
Last week afforded me an opportunity to really get into these three letters of Paul. It was, as I named for the class my first day, mine and Paul’s last chance to get along! Well by the end of the week I think it’s safe to say that Paul and I are still a long way from being great buddies, yet were much closer to being good friends. There is a language and a depth of subversivness to Paul that I’d not know in prior courses. In fact one could claim that Paul was the original communication master mind and that he knew his particular audiences so well that he adapted his letters so that they would break through the barriers of a particular community only to use their own imagery to communicate the gospel to them. It was striking to watch and discover how Paul changed his genre and style to suit his particular audience and I started wondering what if we did the same in preaching? Could this be a way for the church to reach out to people regardless of their generation? Is the secret learning the generational code, so that we can communicate the Christian message to folks with little or no church experience and help them understand why the church is so important to have as part of your life? Could it be that one of the reasons why the mainline church in Canada has been declining in recent years is because we’ve refused to change our language to be inclusive of new generations and people? What would Paul have to say to us, what indeed?
Ultimately I want to look at how digital media can be used to bridge the communication gulf just as Paul used letter so many years ago. From Paul I’ve learned that simply using one form of digital media will not be the answer. In fact the answer isn’t in using 1 or 2 forms, but a multiplicity of genres that have been fine tuned to address particular issues with particular constituent communities. Perhaps, if we can figure this out, there is a way to share the Christian message that is deep in the richness of heritage and vital in the current reality we find ourselves in.

Worship at Trinity, United Church of Christ

2008-06-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the most amazing worship experience. Four other students and myself decided that we would make our way deep into the Chicago south side to attend a service at Trinity a congregation in the United Church of Christ tradition. We left at 10am.
Arriving at Trinity is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. We had a camera with us so it had to be checked in at the desk. As visitors we had to sign in as a group. We were escorted to our seats by one of the ushers, all of whom wore white shirts, gloves and black pants. There were plain clothed security guards all throughout the building with the ear pieces you usually see in movies with F.B.I or Secret Service agents. The church was packed.
This is an African-American congregation. Their vision is Unapologetically Black and Unapologetically Christian. The choir had about 140 members all dressed in traditional African clothing. There was a 9 or 10 piece worship band with multiple pianos, bass guitar, drums, organ and other instruments. The music was loud, not overpowering, yet loud. The energy was high and it never really let up. Did I mention this was at 11am?
We started with opening praise songs and stood on our feet singing and clapping away. It was a tremendously emotional time for everyone. We were welcomed as honoured guests and received lots of hugs during the passing of the piece. Actually their senior pastor said, “if you don’t like hugs you’re in the wrong church and there’s the door!” and I felt oddly at home thinking of folks in my congregation Lyn United. Then we read the lesson for the day together with everyone standing from their bulletin that is 24 pages long and professionally produced in house. Now it was 12noon.
We then had a presentation from the Drill Team that performed a series of pieces akin to stomp dancing. It was simply amazing to watch these young people. Then there was a very serious ceremony marking the transition of 9 girls into adulthood. They had been mentored for some time about how to be a responsible young African-American woman with all the rights and responsibilities of other women. It was quite something. Then it was time for the offering and as we sang and clapped buckets, yes buckets, were passed around and then there was a second offering for the Resurrection Fund. It was now 1pm.
Then we got to the sermon. I’ve only seen black preachers on television. I’ve heard about them. Read about them. I’ve experienced only one other, yet nothing prepared me for this experience. I have never seen a preacher and congregation interact with one another in such a profoundly relational, yet respectful way. He had us standing and clapping our agreement. He had us looking at one another and giving a word of encouragement. He had us finishing his sentences. He had the band playing while he sang some a short piece of his sermon like lyrics to a song. There were people shouting their encouragement “Go Preacher!” there were “Amen!” there were “yeah, yeah I got you!” and people smiling and crying. And through it all, other than during the sermon, there was always music – sometimes just instrumental other times hymns, other times choruses, other times just the choir – yet always music through the prayers and other parts of the service. We received the benediction after an altar call and people were invited to remain at the altar if they wanted to join the church. It was now 2:20pm.
I hope you’ve been paying attention. We started at 11am and finished at 2:20 and it only felt like an hour! We later were told that they have three services a Sunday with three different sermons. The times of the services are 6am 11am and 6pm. In total there are about 6,500 people in worship on an average Sunday. Attendance at the service I attended was around 2,600 people. They have their own book room, live internet ministry, production team, credit union bank, outreach program, 12 pastors and 80 programs that run weekly. Trinity is an experience all to itself. If you’re ever in Chicago you need to go to Trinity, even if you’re not African- American!

Praise In Spite Of

2008-06-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

It’s an interesting moment in one’s life when you into contact with a religious tradition that looks like yours on the surface, yet as soon as you delve just a little deeper you begin to realize that while there is much in common, there is also much to learn.
Last week I had that experience when working on an Incarnational Translation. At one point a colleague of mine, who is African-American, commented that in her tradition there are two kinds of praise. There is praise because of and there is praise in spite of. Praise because of is rooted in the events of life for which we’d like to offer God our praise and thanksgiving. A family member recovers from a serious illness; a child does well in school in a troubled subject; a relationship that was broken is healed – all of these would be examples of times when you would praise because of. In essence your giving thanks to God for something that you perceive to be welcomed in your life, good for you, or someone you care about. This, I think, is a kind of praise that is common across religious traditions. Those of us who self-identify as Christians have no problem giving praise to God when things are going as we want them to. We don’t have a problem offering thanksgiving for getting something that we wanted. We have little afterthought for saying thank-you to God when our prayers are answered in the manner we’d hoped for. But what about other times, you know the ones when things don’t go our way or “bad” things happen to us or those we love and care about. What then? Are we as eager to give God our praise during those times? Or are we more likely to withhold our praise as if we can punish God or bring God around to our way of looking at the world if we don’t offer our praise.
In the African-American tradition there is an understanding that in those times you offer your praise in spite of the situation at hand. It goes something like this: even though my child died; my cupboard is bare; I got laid off; my child failed a subject; I’ve discovered I have cancer – in spite of all of that I will praise God and offer my thanksgiving. In other words even when it doesn’t seem to make sense I will offer my praise to God exactly because it doesn’t make any sense! Do you get it? It’s easy to give praise when everything is going your way, but when times are tough and you feel forgotten, ignored, mistreated, and/or harmed by God, that’s when offering praise is tough work. That’s when your praise matters because it would be easier to just walk away and yet, even in the midst of your situation, there is always (and yes I mean always) something to praise God about. It might simply be that your alive another day and yet for some folks that is a miracle in and of itself.
So as I sit here in my room I’m left to wonder about those times in my life when I’ve refused God my praise. I wonder who I really hurt. I wonder what was gained by those actions. I wonder if there isn’t a deep wisdom in the African-American tradition of praise in spite of and I wonder what my life would look like and what my church would look like if we were able to cultivate this kind of deep faith.

Jesus as Parable

2008-06-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was our first "full" day of the program. We began with lecture and took time for opening worship that was simply amazing. The gospel reading was recited from memory. The organ music was like that of a recital even though it was contemporary music. During communion we partook to the melody of a classical guitarist. It was moving to be with a group such as this, a group that takes worship and preaching so seriously that it constitutes a fundamental portion of our being, to hear those voices raised in song and praise and prayer was an experience in and of itself.Yet, as wonderful and soul filling as that was, it pales in comparison to what happened in the afternoon. As we neared the end of a long day we were talking about parables. About how Jesus said nothing that wasn't in parables. The he did so in order that the disciples could understand and the others could not. The proverbial shoe fell when Dow said, "Jesus is the ultimate parable." That his whole life is a parable. The ridiculousness of his reception, the teachings, on the Mount, in the garden, in the court, on the cross, wrapped in cloth, in the angels and in the room. Jesus is the parable and when you understand the parables you begin to enter into an understanding of who Jesus really is and the radically subversive nature of what lies at the heart of each parable. It was/is an amazing thing for me to think of Jesus in this way. It is one thing that will change the way I preach and the way I understand the message of the Gospel.

Reflections on Narrative

2008-06-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

I've arrived in Chicago and snaked my way through one of the world’s largest airports and a completely foreign city to a campus nestled in south side of the city in Hyde Park, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Chicago. A historic place that, during the time of black immigration from the south and white flight, decided it would set down a code of principals that would reverse the ongoing trend of segregation in another form. It is here that I have come, along with 26 other preachers from LA to the Bronx of New York to Eastern Ontario to Germany. Here we have gathered to delve deeper into the act of preaching: how we do it; how people experience it; what we're doing; and how we can be better at it.One of our professors, Dow, who was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war, shared this story with us yesterday."I'd agreed to do a workshop in new models for church leadership and like so many other things in life had put it off and put it off until it was now Saturday and the workshop was one week away and I had to get it done. So I decided that I'd read the Chicago Tribune, go for a short run and then get down to the business at hand. When I opened the paper there was an article that said while there were only 20,000 civilian casualties during the first gulf war, the consequences of the destruction of infrastructure, of schools, hospitals, stores, and roads has meant that an additional 200,000 Iraqis have died. That's a number I can get my head around because I grew up in a city of 100,000. So two times my city had died. With that in mind I went for my run and as I went along I could hear this repetitive thump, thump, thump and a kind of music layered over it. As I continued I came upon a group of young military men out running and it was their feet I could hear and the cadence they were singing. Fist I recognized the tune: put another nickel in the nickelodeon. The words however were nothing I'd ever heard before. A cadence works like a kind of echo sung response where the person running alongside leads and the group responds. The song went: throw another hand grenade. Look at what a mess I've made. bodies, bodies, everywhere. Bodies, bodies, bodies. The second verse went: look at what a mess I've made; bodies piled up to the sky. bodies, bodies everywhere; bodies, bodies, bodies." They we were the two of us running on opposite sides of the streets." Dow went on, yet that is the essential crux of his story.What dawned on me was the irony of the two sides of that road. On the one side a group of young men who probably hadn't ever seen bodies piled up to the sky (or they wouldn't be singing about it) and on the other side an objector to just this kind of mass mindless violence that not only destroys the body - that corrupts the soul.Corrupting the soul - one could imagine that it’s something that only happens to soldiers and the people who send them on these missions with grand plans of solving all the world's problems through more violence. Yet what they are missing is that in the process they are not only destroying their souls, they are destroying the soul of whole nations. They are corrupting the very gift of creation that God has given to us."bodies, bodies pilled to the sky," when will we ever learn that, as a colleagues 8 year old said, "arguing and violence doesn't even work between my brother and me, so why do they [the world's leaders] think it will work between countries?" Why indeed.

Grief and Loss

2008-06-07T03:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched The Cleaner a movie about a retired police office who cleans up crime scenes. In the film, Samuel L. Jackson does a clean up that unknowingly gets him into lots of trouble. A single parent, his daughter is doing a "research project" for school on her mom, who was murdered during a robbery. That's the background you need. At one pivotal point in the movie, father and daughter are having a particularly heated argument that Jackson believes is rooted in his daughter doing this project. She responds that it isn't the project, it isn't even a real school assignment - she's upset because "I'm starting to forget her [mother]!"
What a powerful scene. It actually brought tears to my eyes, not because it was particularly well acted or the cinematography was particularly good. It brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of the first time I realized that I was forgetting my own mother.
It's a tough thing when your mother dies at a young age whether its sudden or from a long disease. Either way there is a void in your life the likes of which was previously unknown. I know, I've been there. It's a particularly horrifying moment when you realize that pieces of the memory you have of your mother is slipping away. The moment when you forget the kinds of things she used to say. The moment when you forget the kinds of cloths or jewelry she liked to wear. The moment when you forget the sound of her voice and the moment when even what she looked like seems more like an uncertain dream to be questioned than anything rooted in reality. I remember those moments. They threaten to tear your very soul in two. Questions like, "if I really loved her, how could I forget her?" come creeping into you world and suddenly not only are you questioning your memory of the one who brought you into the world, you're also questioning the validity of the relationship you thought you had. You grasp at straws, desperately searching your memory for any recollection of things that she did, her mannerisms, things she cooked (which the daughter also does in the film), things she'd say in a particular situation and any rituals that she might have had. You punish yourself for forgetting, even though its a human process, even though you knew, deep down in the recesses of your soul, that one day it would happen. And if you're not careful this guilt can and will take over your life.
What the daughter in The Cleaner doesn't realize and what I learned along the way, something they never tell you in bereavement groups or pastoral care classes, is that while your memory of specific minute details fails, what you do remember is the essence of the person.
You see I think that our human brains can't handle all the little details. Over time they get combined together or simply labeled as irrelevant and deleted like junk mail in our inboxes. What takes their place is a holistic memory, one that encapsulates all the little pieces into one seemingly little whole. If I push myself I can still remember what mom looked like, how she dressed, the things she felt were important, the things she would say, the expression on her face at certain moments, what she liked to cook and her mannerisms. Yet what most frequently and earnestly comes to mind when I think of her isn't those little details, but a memory of who she was. It's more of a feeling or an experience that a memory in the sense of a snap shot in time. I experience who she was and who she continues to be for me. I fell her love, understanding, strength, perseverance, and care. I know the strength of her personality and the depth of her compassion. These are far greater "memories" than the last meal she cooked or the last family gathering she could really participate in, or her last days in semi-lucid delirium in hospital. In stark contrast to those kinds of memories, these are the ones that really count. These are the ones that inform my being.
Yes, I forget. Yet the experience that has emerged is far greater than any one memory.

Parenting

2008-05-31T08:32:00.001-07:00

Why is it that teenagers seem to think that saying I'm sorry is the great eraser for moral and intellectual errors of judgement? Why is it that the concept of earning forgiveness in order to restore what Why is it that you need to take a course to have a driver's license, be tested, and only receive a whole license after experience, yet there is no such manual or testing period or learning period when you become a parent? It's a strange thing in many ways how a child can enrich your life, even though a recent study on happiness amongst Canadians discovered that having children definitely has negative affect on your happiness factor. Your children can make your heart, head and chest swell with pride and the knowledge that the world is in good hands with the next generation. At least those are the good moments. Then there are the others.
Recently I experienced one of those other times. It's quite something to have your opinion of maturity, understanding, and trust dashed in a moment of reckless stupidity. Why is it that teenagers cannot, no matter how much you talk, plead and beg, grasp the concept of wider repercussions and consequences for themselves and others because of their actions has been taken away from them is the primary modes opperandi for this group? Why can't they understand that forgiveness isn't something that you can earn by accomplishing a certain number of tasks, but is rather something that you demonstrate the ability to receive from the people you have hurt? Why is it that teenagers don't understand that their actions can and do break sacred trusts that have been given and earned over time and not something that can be quickly or easily "fixed" in a non time intensive manner? Once again trust is something that you have to demonstrate being able to handle and receive. It is not deserved or a right in any way. Why is it that I feel hurt, angry, frustrated, and let down - when in all reality no one was physically hurt and the damage done has more to do with character and reputation than anything else?
As you can probably guess there was an incident with my son that is causing this blog and reflection. It was recent and I'm still very raw from the experience and yet even now I find myself wondering will I be able to trust him again in the same way I did before? Will I be able to look at him with the same degree of pride and wonderment at his potentiality? Will I be able to forgive - yes I'm sure with time I will, yet I also equally certain that I will never forget. My relationship with him has been deeply bruised - not broken, after all he's my son and I will love him with all my heart, mind and soul as long as I have breath.

Being Homeless

2008-05-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the opportunity to return "home" for my brother's ordination. I put home in quotations because it was a very strange homecoming for me. I've returned to Newfoundland before since I left its rocky shores 10 years ago. I've returned for family events and visits; to preach and for meetings, yet for some reason this trip was very, very different. It was strange to travel around St. John's, a city I'd lived in for years, taking in all the changes and new buildings. I took note of the places I remembered that were now boarded up and no longer in use and I realized that St. John's, a city of 102,000 people, felt very small. It no longer buzzed with the energy that I remembered from my childhood. In effect it actually felt small. Not in a geographical sense, but small in a philosophical sense. It was akin to coming home and realizing that your family no longer lived there and not only that, the new owners have changed the layout and colour scheme of your room and house. It was truly a humbling and eye opening experience. I discovered that the land of my birth, the very place that I called home that had defined a portion of my personality for so many years, was no longer my home.
This experience is the closest I think I'll ever come to Jesus encounter in his home town when they asked him to read scripture and explicate it. Their response...grab him and throw him off a Cliff...fortunately which didn't happen. Yet the sense of home no longer being home is very much a part of that story and now it is part of mine. I wonder how upset, angry, frustrated, and/or sad Jesus was when these events happened to him. I know I certainly experienced all of them. It is quite something to realize that you no longer have a home. That you no longer have a place that you can retreat to in times of distress and uncertainty. that there is no place for you that serves as a shelter amidst life's storms.
Of course that isn't really the end of my reflection because I do have a home, it's just a new home. While the one of my youth is gone and I can no longer return to it, a new home has emerged from my journey. This new home is mobile. It isn't rooted in geography or rock, rather it's rooted in family. In the midst of my reflection Victoria commented to me, "you know one of the great things about us is that where ever the four of us are we call it home." That was the message I needed to hear. Where ever the four of us are we call it home. Thus a home rooted in family, rooted in people, cannot be lost and I am privileged to have several families. One is my nuclear family; another is my ministry family at Christ United; another is my vocational family within The United Church of Canada; and another family is comprised of friends.
I still have a home...it's just a mobile home! and I am humbled by the number of people who travel life's road with me.

Blogging Towards Sunday

2008-05-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

This week there is an interesting series of readings to choose from. I've chosen to focus on Acts 1:6-14 which isn't quite the story of the Ascension, yet overlaps with that pericope.
This week I find myself being struck by two phrases, Jesus' directive that "you will" and the question "why?"
On the surface it makes perfectly good sense for Jesus, as he's about to return to God, to give a pep talk to his disciples by informing them that they will be his disciples in all of Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. How much more encouragement could you need? Here Jesus, the one who conquered death, is telling you, no directing you to be the witness to his gospel of good news to all the world. Yet what's the first reaction of the disciples - to stare up at heaven (the sky). It isn't to run down the mountain side and start witnessing. Why is that? Why is it that Jesus' final pep talk, one that commissions all those present into an active ministry, doesn't immediately result in action? Could it be that perhaps the first response by the disciples was "Oh Crap! I have to be a witness to the whole world - I mean look at what our own people did to Jesus!" I think that's why the disciples were standing there staring up into the sky - not because they were awe struck or humbled by the experience or groping with how to process it - they were dumbfounded, literally frozen in place, because of the enormity of the mission that Jesus had given to them. I mean how do you begin to witness to the whole world and you know, that's the mission that's been handed down to us. You and I are called, directed, commissioned to be Jesus' witnesses to the world and I think when that sinks in most of us respond with "Oh Crap!" and never move beyond that point. I think it's the reason why so many congregation can't articulate a vision and the mission they are trying to live out. I think it's one part of the reason why so many congregations are immobilized by their history. I think it's one of the reasons why so few of us actively live out our faith in a way that shares that faith with others. I think, that like the disciples in Acts, its easier to look to the past and say "there was a time" and justify our current inaction based on the success and laurels of past generations. That approach is comfortable. It's easy. Yet to that approach the two men in white ask us why? Why do you try to bear witness to Christ by looking in the rear view mirror? Why do you try to witness by listing what you and others have already done? Why aren't you doing something now?!? Because it scares us, because its an awesome responsibility, because we think we don't have the talent or the time or the training, because we might mess it up, because we want to be a huge instant success - that's why.
And yet, Jesus didn't say, "you will be my witnesses and meet with instant success the likes of which the world has never seen and then be able to pack it all in an retire." Instead, Jesus calls us into an active engagement with the world wherein each of us bears witness to Christ with the best of our abilities - through prayer - and by the power of the Holy Spirit so that the gospel of Christ spreads around the world as you and I live it out authentically in the everyday moments of our lives.
We will be witnesses! Why? Because that is one aspect of what it means to be disciples, to be followers of Christ and to revel God to others.

Remembering One of Ours

2008-04-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

In Memory of Jeanne Gifford

On Friday April 25 family, friends, and members of Christ United joined together at Roselawn Cemetery to celebrate the life of Jeanne Gifford. Jeanne was a wonderful person full of an inquisitive spirit and zest for life that spilled over into all her relationships. An avid singer in younger years and junior choir director in various churches she attended, her love for music and children never left her. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why she "adopted" so many "other" children as her own. A tender hearted person she also possessed the most amazing laugh and the ability to give incredible hugs. While Jeanne journeyed admirably with cancer over these last few months the disease did take its tole on her, yet she never lost her sense of humour nor her faith. Jeanne was quite simply a wonderful human being and her presence will be deeply missed in our faith community at Christ United. To her family and friends our deepest sympathies and prayers.

Blogging Towards Sunday

2008-03-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Our focus text from the lectionary this week is John 11: 1-42. Its a huge piece of scripture to consider in one worship service, let alone one sermon! At its core is the story of the raising of Lazarus - a person whom Jesus loved. A man who was the brother of Martha and Mary - the one who anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. (Something that, in John's gospel, doesn't actually happen until the next chapter, even though its mentioned here as a means of identifying her.)
Jesus is called to come to the aid of someone he loves, yet he arrives too late. In fact he actually misses the whole thing. Not only does he miss Lazarus' last few precious breaths, he misses preparing him for burial, he misses the gathering of family and friends for the funeral service, why Jesus even misses what we'd call a service at the grave side. According to the story Jesus doesn't arrive on the scene until everything is over and done with and Lazarus is in his tomb. On the surface one has to question how much Jesus loved this man Lazarus. Or playing on a common colloquial saying "with "love" like this who needs to be hated!"
Yet that's not where John leaves it and it certainly isn't the end of the story. For even though Jesus appears to be searching for life in all the wrong places, what at first glance appears to be pure folly - turns into a moment where the grace of God is revealed to anyone who desires to discover it.
The transition from folly to revelation comes after the shortest verse in the Second Testament: Jesus Wept and it comes after Jesus is deeply trouble by Martha's reaction to his delayed arrival. Here in the depths of emotion Jesus portrays a very human response - grief. The Greek here could be translates as something more akin to Jesus shook with emotion. In other words he literally had a physical reaction beyond tears to his friends that his whole person was affected by this experience.
I've often though that this is true for those of us who know grief and loss. While for many that experience is linked to someone we loved, it doesn't have to be. I've also know people who've had this experience from the loss of a job or promotion or because someone has moved away or a pet dying. Grief - death - loss, these are all part of the human experience and Jesus himself wasn't beyond them. Yet I think John would have us see that even when the night is at its darkest and all hope seems lost. Even when our hopes and dreams have been laid to rest in a grave - that life is peculating just under the surface. That while we, you and I, might perceive it to be dead and gone, it is not the case for God. Life is waiting for us to find it - if we're willing to look for it and risk that others might say of us that we're looking for life in all the wrong places. Personally - that's a risk I'm willing to take.

Blogging Towards Sunday

2008-02-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

This Sunday my focus scripture is Matthew 4:1-11. The world is full of things that could be labelled as “evil.” There isn’t a day that goes by when some new form of evil isn't discovered or when we’re reminded of it. Recently there are the two children who were found frozen on the Yellow Quill First Nation. There are the hundreds of thousands who are dying and have died in the Congo. There are children who go to school hungry at our local schools. There are children, women and men who live in abusive relationships. There are racial, economic, gender, religious, social, age and violent rooted evils reported in every news cast - from printed word to podcast. Yes, evil seems to be all around us, yet today’s gospel reading tells us that there is a way to overcome this kind of systemic evil. It is rooted in Jesus reactions to the “tempter” or “devil” – who represents evil personified. It is also rooted in how the angels “minister” (Greek: diakoneo) which informs how we are called to live as disciples.
Every Jewish person in Jesus day grew up deeply rooted in the understanding that each person is called to love God with "all their heart, all their soul and all their might." In his response to the devil - the evil that manifests itself that day in the desert - Jesus responds with quotations rooted in his love of God with heart, soul, and might. The Greek word diakoneo that is translated here as "waited upon" also means to minister or serve at table.
What would happen to the evils of the world if we equally stood rooted in the love of God with all our heart, soul and might? What would happen if we turned the popular ideology of hierarchical entitlement on its head and understood that, like the angels, we are called to minister to one another, to wait on one another, to serve one another at table?
Its an interesting set of questions to ponder as we begin a new season of Lent.

2008-02-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

In Memory and Celebrating the life of:

Rev. Dr. Shelley (Sheila) Elsie Grace Finson

B.A., M.R.E., Dip. Ed., M.S.W., D. Min., Honorary Doctorate, Companion of the Centre for Christian Studies

March 2, 1936 – February 3, 2008

These words appeared in Shelley's obituary, "After a six month journey following the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, in the early morning hours of February 3, Shelley yielded her place in the universe."

Today I have been reminded yet again of the shortness of our earthly journey. Shelley was simply an amazing person whom I had the privilege of getting to know over the last four years. While I'm told I met the "mellower" Shelley, its hard to imagine anyone more full of life, vigor and commitment. She was a courageous woman and a remarkable human being at a time when the church and the world was in desperate need of people like her. Shelley changed lives, for the better. Its amazing really what you remember when you hear about someone returning to the Creator. My initial memory was standing with her inside a tepee on a particular cold Winnipeg day when the thermometer read -52 degrees centigrade. How she delighted at the invitation to be in that holy space. I still marvel at the depths of her humanity and of her faith. There was so much more she had to share.
And so today I am reminded once again that someday I too will be called upon to yield my place in the universe and I'm left to ponder will I have occupied that space well?
To a dear friend and colleague, shalom Shelley - until we meet again.

Shelley was very open about her journey with cancer and you'll find a link to her blog - for as long as it stays active - where you can read about her journey. http://journey-shelley.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

Blogging towards Sunday

2008-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

Sunday February 3rd, has the focus reading of Matthew 17:1-9. Its what's known as the transfiguration story where Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus. It also has God speaking to the disciples from a cloud telling them to "listen to him [Jesus]" and Jesus saying to the disciples "be not afraid." Again this week there are two challenging ways to look at this story. Its possible to focus on the first part - the transformation of Jesus and acknowledge that in each of our lives there is a need for some transformation. In the Greek text of this passage the word metamorphoo is used which means a deep and significant change in a person. One could ask what deep changes did Jesus need to make or ignore this point and see Jesus' metamorphism as a sign to the disciples and to us as current day readers. Either way, the truth remains that in each of us there is a component that needs deep and significant change. It could be in our approach to relationships, or finances, or prayer, or faith, or addiction, or life in general.
A second approach would be to examine what it means to obey/follow the directions of Jesus - to listen to him. Its important to acknowledge that here listening isn't passive nor is there a distinction between listening/hearing and doing. To listen is to do and the two go hand in hand. Its also not a directive to engage in selective hearing and only follow that part of Jesus message that we agree with or find easy to live out. It also means living out the tough and sacrificial aspects of the gospel as well. Yet, even in our following Jesus tells us not to be afraid. Don't hold back could be another way of hearing these words or don't be afraid to commit yourself body, heart and mind with all of your time, talent and treasure.
Either way you and I are called to live out the gospel through both personal and communal metamorphosis while engaging our whole being in our expressions of discipleship. The only question is: are we willing to take that leap of faith?

Blogging towards Sunday

2008-01-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

Matthew 4:12-23 if the gospel reading for this Sunday. Its essentially two stories combined into one, the second of which is the calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John. From this second pericope comes the famous quote "follow me and I will teach you to be fishers of people (men)." Its an interesting thing in our society to ponder what it means to be fishers of people. One could ask if this is a call to evangelism - go out and bring people in, to worship and to Christ. It could also be a lesson in how Christ calls each of us, as ordinary as we are, to use the skills that we already have in new ways. Thus a teacher, teaches; a parent cares; a doctor heals; and an accountant balances so that through them the Spirit can work to spread the gospel. It could also imply that, like fishing, the Church needs a plan for how it will engage the gospel vision and the mission of each congregation and believer. Which ever way you look at this is a wonderful story that lays before each of us the challenge to use the skills, talents, and resources that each of us posses to engage in Jesus' calling to fish for people.

Remembering One of Our Own

2008-01-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

On Monday, December 31st, 2007 our faith family was called upon to gather once again to bid farewell to one of its elder churchmen. C. Victor J. Hayes - Victor or Mr. Hayes as we knew him passed away a few days before after a long and complicated medical fight that saw him in and out of hospitals for years. Gathering to celebrate were his wife Thelma and the rest of his family. A Nephew Rev. Cannon Dr. Don Hull presided at the service as we celebrated the life that Victor loved to live. Amongst the many memories that were shared were ones of a person who loved his family; worked hard to support them; took pride in his work; and was incredible enamored with his grandchildren. While for health reasons Victor and Thelma haven't been able to frequent the church in the same manner as years gone by, Victor's presence will be missed by all of us who enjoyed his spirit, his faith, and his joi de vivre.

Celebrating Christmas?

2007-12-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

So its boxing day and I turn on the radio only to discover that the local radio station that we've been listening to during Christmas has stopped their playlist of Christmas music and returned to their regular popular music montage. Why did they do this? I mean if you think about it, they've been playing Christmas music for weeks now and in the days just before Christmas the frequency increased until it was all they played. Perhaps its because we don't really know how to celebrate Christmas anymore, rather what we're good at is celebrating Advent - even though that's not what the secular world calls it and it certainly isn't what the stores call it.
If you think about it for a second the hype during the advent season, which after all for the Christian is the time of preparation and waiting, builds to a frenzied pace on the weekend before Christmas. The stores fill up and the mall parking lots are full. Items fly off the shelves of stores and people who wait until those last few precious shopping days often discover that the item they seek is no longer available. Christmas arrives - the presents are opened - people gather to eat glorious meals - and then - its over. As quick as we can, we return to our "normal" lives refusing to bask in the glory of what God has done. Gone are the 12 days of Christmas that lasted from new Christmas day (the 25th of December) to old Christmas day (the 6th of January).
Perhaps we move so quickly to normality because we're afraid of what might happen if we celebrate Christmas for more than 24 hours. Perhaps we're too uncomfortable with holy days that call us beyond ourselves. Perhaps its because we really don't want to acknowledge the real reason for Christmas. Either way, another Christmas day is over and the stores will soon be changing their appearance again, this time for Easter - which is a whole other issue.
As for me, our tree stays up until old Christmas day. We'll have people over during that time, continue to play Christmas music, sing carols, light our advent wreath and remember that a gift was given that changed the world.

Remembering One of Ours

2007-12-19T15:36:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrated the life of Don Jowett, a long time member of our congregation and the beloved husband of Audrey for over 61 years. While Don passed away suddenly on Saturday December 15, 2007 - he will live on in his family. People will know his daughter Carol and her 5 siblings. There are many things to remember about Don, one is that he was an avid fisherman. He loved to take people out on the lake at the cottage and spent days, yes literally days, fishing for lake trout. He loved to work with his hands and spent many hours toiling over projects that had to be just so at the museum. Indeed Don was a staunch believer in the dictum "if its worth doing, its worth doing well or not at all." Don spent many hours volunteering his time as indeed it was he whom people called when no one else was available or the weather too bad. His death leaves a hole in our community, especially so close to Christmas. Yet, we can rejoice that we knew him. We can hold onto his memory and the Christ light that burned clear and bright in him. Don was one of our saints and we will do well to live our lives as he lived his. Farewell Don and may you know the warm embrace of the God of love, peace, justice and comfort.

Advent is Coming (Click here for 2007 Visioning Survery)

2007-11-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Advent is coming and I find myself reflecting on 2007 as we're about to begin a new Christian year. 2007 - in a word would be growth. As a congregation and as a minister/preacher/pastor/colleague/mentor/father/life partner/friend, that's really what 2007 was all about. As a congregation, Christ United has grown in numbers, in passion, in openness, in awareness, in commitment and in faith. We've taken a number of risks together and folks have walked with one another as we've transition from a board to a council; analogue to digital worship; and small CCK program to growing and expanding. We've added more opportunities for fellowship and sharing our faith. We've welcomed new music into our midst and celebrated as young voices fill the air and our hearts. This really has been a year of growth.
So what do we do with that momentum? One of the reasons for the visioning survey is to perpetuate the momentum we've created while at the same time endeavoring to make sure that we're not simply madly going off in all directions. We have something very special here in our church family and we certainly do not want to lose that, yet at the same time we need to build on the successes of the past and the work of our fore bearers so that we create and sustain a legacy of faith. The survey is one tool that will help us to do that. Please take a moment to fill it out and send it or drop it off at the church.
So if 2007 was "growth" perhaps, if together we seek to discover what God is calling us to become, 2008 will be the year of possibilities.

Christian Vs. Christ Follower

2007-11-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

I was at a meeting this week where one of my colleagues talked about his memory of doing sword drills as part of his youth group experience and I was reminded of this video. Sword Drills was a game where the leader would call out a biblical citation: Luke 3:27 (or any other) and people would race to find it and then the winner would read it aloud. In essence it was a game that promoted the idea that s/he who knew how to use their bible the best was the winner.
Its odd for me to look at it this way. If I accept that we live in an age of Christian illiteracy - then I need to ask how this game helped develop followers of Christ. It seems to me that somewhere along the line we've lost the common unifying factor we once had: Jesus our Christ. We've gotten caught up in the debates of the 80's and 90's arguing over right and left; conservative and liberal; correct and wrong; and somehow lost what being a Christian was/is all about. To put it simply and succinctly, Christianity is about living out ones faith in Jesus our Christ. Notice though that there are three components to this definition, all of which are essential. There's "living out;" "Faith;" and "Jesus our Christ." Without any one of these Christianity becomes nothing more than an elitist social club where the members claim moral superiority over others. Christianity = faith + action + Christ. Simple, yet so difficult.

Tribute for Constable Douglas Scott

2007-11-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

This week, as a community and as a nation, we buried one of our own. While many families have and will experience the tragic and violent death of a loved one, there is something particularly shocking when that person is a member of our police services. In Doug's case it was all the more so because of his age and the amount of time that he'd been a Constable in the RCMP. His death has caused many to ask serious questions about the security risks police officers take every day when they arrive for their shift; about the rational of sending such a young person to such a remote location; and of the general publics safety. There are no simple answers to these questions. The reality of life is such that people will commit violent crimes. The reality of life is such that people will continue to die from such crimes. Yet in the midst of the mourning around Doug's death perhaps a light has been shone on the plight of northern communities and the conditions in which they live. Our country has many demons to deal with and perhaps, just perhaps, Doug's tragic death will help us come face to face with the necessity of right relations with our aboriginal sisters and brothers. He stood shoulder to shoulder with those who call the great white north their home and regarded them as equals, how can we do any different?
The clip us from YouTube and is a tribute to Doug. May his family and the two communities directly affected by his tragic death know the healing potential of God's Holy Spirit and may we all work towards right relations within our own families and communities.

The Prairie Chicken

2007-10-27T05:15:00.000-07:00

An American Indian tells about a brave who found an eagle's egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.

All its life, the changeling eagle, thinking it was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. It clucked and cackled. And it flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that's how prairie chickens were supposed to fly.

Years passed. And the changeling eagle grew very old. One day, it saw a magnificent bird far above in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

"What a beautiful bird!" said the changeling eagle to its neighbour. "What is it?"

"That's an eagle - the chief of the birds," the neighbour clucked. "But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him."

So the changeling eagle never gave it a second thought and it died thinking it was a prairie chicken.

Source: The Christophers, Bits & Pieces, Economics Press.

Christianity on Display

2007-10-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

I came across a series of very interesting clips that are a parody of the PC Vs. Mac computer adds. I know when I first saw these adds on television I was particularly taken with them and marveled at the ingenuity of Mac advertising prowess. A church in the US took the idea and put there own twist on it...Christian Vs. Christ Follower. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be using them as a spring board for reflection.
This weeks succinctly presents one of the reasons I think more people do not participate in Sunday morning worship or organized religion in general. While the actions of the "Christian" may seem comical, they are very real. People in churches do behave this way. I've lost track of the number of times I've heard comments about the way people dress - especially new people or returning people. Many of us have heard them (some of us have made them), comments like: "can you believe she's wearing THAT," or "Jeans in Church...the nerve," or "can't they dress their kids any better," or "its a good thing his pants aren't any tighter!" All of these comments turn people off from Christianity. They also serve as a very sad commentary of the faith lives of those who make them.
What about the envelope? Prominently placed so that everyone can see that the "Christian" has money to give to the church. Its almost as if he wants you to take note of the thickness of it and guess the literal monetary amount of his discipleship. Can you really put a dollar figure on discipleship?
Then there's the WWJD bracelet on his wrist that serves as a tangible reminder to the "Christian" that he needs to keep asking himself What Would Jesus Do? How interesting, the weekly church goer, the one who professes his faith in the way he dresses and the amount of money he contributes, needs a physical reminder to live out his faith in his day to day actions - outside of worship.
On the other hand is the Christ Follower, a person whom I believe embodies far more of the Gospel than the "Christian" does. A person who isn't caught up on external appearances. A person who doesn't need to be reminded to ask himself the Jesus question - because its intrinsic to who he is. A person who's commitment isn't found in an envelope - because its found in real life lived-out discipleship.
So who would you rather be?
Oh, and by the way, Jesus did worship on a Saturday.

Religion and Politics

2007-10-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Its that time again - provincial elections. On October 10th we'll head off to the poles to elect another provincial government and answer the question on representative representation in provincial politics. I'm always a little weary about making any comments during elections, after all there are those who believe that church and politics don't mix. On the contrary I think that religion...church...faith have a lot to say about politics and the way we vote. Now before people get too worried I'm not going to tell you who to vote for. I'm not going to espouse any one party over another. What I am going to do is encourage you to let you faith and understanding of the gospel of Jesus our Christ inform the vote you will make on the 10th. When you enter that polling booth ponder who the gospel of love is calling you to elect. Ask yourself who will represent those on the fringes of society the best? Who will assure that our health care system is enhanced so that everyone is assured equal access to health care? Ask yourself who will make responsible decision about public education so that it does not become a second rate alternative to private eduction, but becomes the primary choice of Canadians for their children? Who will enable equal access to post-secondary education without the burdensome reality of student loans? Who will help develop our cities and rural communities? Who will further develop the economy and bring good jobs with a fair wage to Ontarians? Who will help provide enough affordable housing for those who need it?
These are guiding gospel questions that don't seek the benefit of the few, but rather seek to balance the needs of many with a sense of social justice so that the least are cared for before the affluent. On October 10th VOTE. Do not let your voice go unheard. Be informed. Pray. Discern. And let your faith lead you.

Thanks-giving

2007-10-08T12:07:00.001-07:00

We're here again. Its thanks-giving 2007. Another year has come and gone leaving us, yet again, to reflect on who we are and what we've done with the treasures God has heaped upon us. But wait a second. Perhaps you think I'm spelling it all wrong…after all isn't it suppose to be thanksgiving? Well yes, technically, it is. Yet I think that proper spelling misses the theological and spiritual significance of this holy day. Too often I think we perceive this time of year as simply a holiday and neglect that as Christians we are called to give thanks. We are called to ponder…even list…all the ways that God has blessed over time. Yet if that's all we do…name of the things we're thankful for; eat lots of turkey; invite family and friends over for dinner; fall asleep on the couch; watch the football game; and sneak a little work in at home – then we've missed the point. Understanding what we have to be thankful for is only the first part. The gospel calls us to action – that's the giving part. After we've listed our blessings its time to give back. Its time to give of ourselves so that others can have the same sense of God at work in their lives. Its time for us to go out into the world and actively engage in building God's kingdom of shalom. So why not join me this thanks giving and not let it end with thanks. Let's make sure we also focus on the giving part of this holy day.

iWorship

2007-10-03T11:48:00.001-07:00

This week is our first iWorship experience. What is it, you might ask? iWorship is similar to the iPod ideology. In both cases the 'i' stands for integrated. In the case of iWorship it also has the deeper theological significance that worship is not meant to be focused on a capital I. We, you and I, are not the focus of our worship – God is. Its for this reason that we've capitalized Worship to indicate that what's really important and central to these kinds of experiences is our focus on the co-creative relationship between God and God's people in various different ways. So we'll be using hymns, songs – both Christian and popular; sung and recorded, media clips, movie clips, art work, creative interpretation, projection technology, a mix of various instruments, and some of or all of the above. The driving theology is that people encounter God in different ways and through different means. We don't all learn by reading the directions – some of us only learn by physically doing it. The same is true for worship. Its for that reason that these services are multi faceted, media rich, and offer various means for engaging our faith in order to live out Jesus' call to discipleship.

We'll be providing this opportunity in the months that have 5 Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that people will experience a new way of encountering God that isn't off putting to anyone. So whether you enjoy "traditional" hymns and liturgy or something alternative, this service is intentionally designed for everyone wherein the focus is still theme based, grounded in scripture, and built around The Message.

So come and join the fun, depth, and praise of iWorship.

Remembering Terry

2007-09-16T06:18:00.001-07:00

It was late in August the summer of 2003. My family and I were making our way to Vancouver Island for my internship before Ordination. We were driving along in Northern Ontario on an overcast cool day. It was more like fall than late summer. We came across the spot – a statue stood on the hill. The shape of a familiar person for those of us who remember his run. That awkward stance he'd take with each step as he tilted one hip and threw his artificial leg forward followed by something akin to a hop and a jump. It was a statue of Terry Fox – one of the greatest Canadians who has ever lived. His statue forever overlooks the spot where his Marathon of Hope came to an end just outside Thunderbay. 143 days and 5,373 Kilometres later Terry could run no more. Yet the hope he inspired in people; the sheer determination of a young person to change the world; the desire to find a cure for cancer – that part of Terry's marathon lives on. After a week full or remembering senseless violence, talk of troop reductions, and Canada's failure to live up to its commitment – perhaps it's a good thing that we begin this week with Terry's legacy. We begin this week with hope – the hope that our actions, our words, the purpose we ascribe to our hands can and will make a difference – just as someone else believed almost 2000 years ago along the Jordan river and the Galilee.

To learn more about the annual Terry Fox Run, please visit http://www.terryfoxrun.org/english/terry%20fox%20run/default.asp?s=1

A Sad day to be Canadian – The Declaration of Indigenous People

2007-09-16T05:57:00.001-07:00

As a country we sent some of our top policy makers, people who eat and sleep politics on the world stage, to create a declaration of Indigenous People's rights. For years we've headed the push for the creation of such a document. For years we've pushed the idea that indigenous peoples around the world need to be treated with the same degree of respect and protection as us non-indigenous people. We've challenged other countries to get on board and move towards just and right relations with indigenous peoples. And what happens with the culmination of that effort is about to become a reality? Why we vote no of course. 1 of 5 countries to do so. Why? Because the price we'd have to pay in land claims negotiations is too high; because indigenous people in Canada might actually get what they deserve; because white people might have to leave some of their multi-million dollar properties on the West coast; and because indigenous people might actually get land that's really worth something, rather than our leftovers – the land we can't imagine a use for…at least not yet. Its disgraceful. Perhaps we should change our national anthem to "true patriot love as long as your skins not red." I've seen the state of some reserves with my own eyes. Don't fool yourself by opting into the white collar myth that "Indians" are sitting on their duffs on reserves being paid to do nothing by the federal government mouching off our hard paid tax dollars. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could be farther from the truth. When I was serving a congregation on Vancouver Island I had the opportunity to visit a village on one of the local reserves that didn't have any running water! Imagine, it's the year 2003 and in Lyn or Athens or Addison or Mallorytown there was no running water – no treated municipal water supply – no wells could be drilled because of contaminated land – yet that is the only place you are told you can live! Do not dismiss the United Nations findings that many indigenous people who live on reserves in Canada do so in conditions worse than those found in 2/3rds world countries. Worse! In Canada! When our Indian Affairs minister Chuck Strahl voted no it was a sad day to be a Canadian and it didn't have to be so.

Remembering Dawson College

2007-09-15T19:41:00.001-07:00

This week people gathered at Dawson College and remembered the one who'd died and those who'd been injured by a troubled gunman one year ago. Violence is part of our world. Our reaction to it varies only in relation to the perceived validation of the violence and its close proximity to our own lives. Why is it that we're angered, frustrated, and saddened when someone picks up a weapon and commits a violent crime here in Canada and kills "innocent" people, yet when we politically sanction violence on a grand scale few of us have any qualms with those actions? I'm not anti military, far from it. I once and sometimes still do, flirt with the idea of entering our armed forces. What I'm challenging is societies sense of the validity of certain types of violence. Scripture tells us "blessed are the peacemakers," "don't walk one mile, walk two," and "if you have two shirts give the extra one and the one you're wearing." All three teachings a rooted in a radical otherness that is rooted in a love which calls us beyond our insipid individualism and into a interconnected web of relationships. A web where we realise just how connected our actions are and how what I say and do affects others. Violence is not to be condoned. Any violent actions that seeks to subjugate another individual to the will of another is unsupportable. I find it increasingly difficult to articulate an argument for justifiable violence. Can violence ever be justifiable? That's the question that the Dawson College memorial brings to mind. What if the shooter hadn't committed suicide? Would we, nice Canadians that we are, have called for his life? Would a debate of a death penalty surfaced? Would we claim that because of the pain and anguish he'd caused that his death would be justifiable? Would we have demanded our pound of flesh? Or, would we hear the words of the gospel – treat others as you would like them to treat you – make peace – seek to understand the individuality of others? I paused on September 13^th and prayed for the families who morn, the people who were injured, the community that was damaged, and those who have found ways of moving on. They need our support. They need our prayers. As for violence, I continue to struggle with its place in our society and our world. I continue to struggle with our legitimating of it when its suits our cultural norms and I continue to pray.

The Kids are Back in School!

2007-09-08T16:46:00.001-07:00

One week down and no major incidents yet…YES! Its September and people all across the country have gone back to school. From 4 year olds taking their first foray into an education system that will shape them in ways their parents never imagined, to adults who are returning to education after time working. No matter how you look at it, September is all about firsts, even though it's the ninth month of the year! Yet, amidst the quieter homes and the busy classrooms there are other emotions too. I can remember the first days of both my children. For one it was a casual glance back followed by a bold leap in to the breach. For the other it was more like the first swim in spring when you dip your toe in to see if the water is warm enough yet to make the plunge. It seems to me that these two reactions, as well as a multitude in between, form a continuum of expression that continues through our lives. There are for each of us moments when we just jump in…sometimes feet first…other times, if we're really excited…head long. There are also times when we're more tentative about engaging in new experiences and so we take more of a stand back, wait and see attitude. Both are equally valid approaches for encountering new experiences and, depending on our life's journey, how comfortable and how often we opt for each one, or something in between, will be different for each person.

Maybe though, September isn't so much about firsts as it is about change - changes that open whole new vistas of possibilities, even if those possibilities frighten us and cause us to wonder what God has in store for us this time. Yet no matter how scary September and changes are two things you can count on are that: 1) October will come and what was new and terrifying won't be quite so bad anymore and 2) that God through Christ and by the Spirit walks that journey with us – no matter how scary or horrible or off putting or doubt filled we are – God is right there with us.

So as September moves right along, as it always does, say a prayer for all those experiencing changes this fall and don't forget to pray for all those parents/spouses/families who experience the same range of emotions as the ones going to school.

Mind, Body & Spirit

2007-09-08T15:59:00.001-07:00

1 Corinthians 6:19 (Contemporary English Version)

"You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own."

Like most people I know, the last thing I think about when I'm prioritizing my day with all its activities is my body. Sometimes I plan for regular meals, although the only one that has been regular in a long time is dinner – it's the one meal a day where, as a family, we're committed to one another being present at table. It's a great meal, don't get me wrong. We get a chance to check in with one another and see how the day went for everyone. We also take a moment to name our best part of the day. Its mandatory in our house – no matter how difficult and challenging a day has been, and trust me there have been many – you have to name your favourite part. Yet when it comes to the other meals I've often seen them as optional. I know that they aren't, yet in ministry its so easy to fly out of the house on your way to the first appointment or that next meeting and assert that you don't have time to eat. Of course there's always the never ending flow of sweets and muffins and coffee or tea to consume during the day, yet those are only empty calories and certainly don't feed the body, yet alone the soul. Why is it that in ministry its so easy to put ourselves last? We're often the last ones who go to the doctor – even though we've advised/counselled others. We're the last ones to eat right – even though we know better. We're the last ones to really take time off – even though we know we should. And we're certainly the last ones to plan exercise into our days – even though we know its important. Why is it that in order for us to serve God through Christ we assume some form of suffering servant persona and continually put ourselves and our families last?

Paul claimed that our bodies were a holy temple. If that's true then what are we really saying about our relationship with God and Christ? What if we treated our physical temples, our places of worship, like we do our bodies and we filled them up with all kinds of greasy, oily, empty junk? Would we agree that this approach to worship and God was correct? I don't think so! I can hear congregations across Canada now screaming about how the church needs to be cleaned up, aired out, and brought up to snuff – yesterday! Yet we don't treat our bodies that way. I'm not trying to claim that we need to take body worship as seriously as God worship, far from it, as more harm comes from this than good. What I'm claiming is that we need to take better care of our bodies and remember that they are, in Paul's words, filled with the Spirit. We are of God and we need to start acting like it.

That's what I've started to do since September started. I make sure I have my prayer time. I make sure to engage myself in a variety of mental activities that use all my skills and I've returned to a workout routine at my local YMCA. Its not much – 35 minutes 3 days a week – and I watch what I eat. Its that simple and already I can feel the difference. Maybe your biological temple will as well and who knows, perhaps even the Spirit in you will be more alive as well.

Ice Caps and Fossil Fuel

2007-08-30T17:37:00.001-07:00

I came across this cartoon on the Christian Century website (http://christiancentury.org/dept_cmarks.lasso). When I first saw it I was disgusted. I don't really know why. My hunch, however, is that my visceral reaction was not rooted so much in the cartoon – more on that bellow – but on the plausibility of the proposition being presented. Of course that's the wonder of truly great satire – its possibility. I read it again – my reaction the same, this could happen! I can hear it now on the evening CBC, morning radio programs, print and electronic news services: Ottawa announces new plan to make good on ice cap erosion! The sub title – so much oil and no ice! Why is it that when it comes to the earth we are so ridiculously narcissistic to the point of being co-conspirators in our own demise as a species? I don't think we're going to kill the earth, far from it. The story of evolution, in its ever unfolding narrative – indeed God's co-creative narrative as a whole, is that life will adapt. The question is becoming: will humans be part of the next evolutionary and ecological adaptation? Have we come to a place where our collective cultural naiveté is so great that we really think global warming is a plot by keen environmentalists to further an economic agenda that is lining their pockets?

Just the other day I had a conversation with a person who completely and absolutely does not believe in global warming. Rather than come to terms with the way in which homo-sapiens are changing the ecological reality of all life on earth, these people insisted that this was all just another cycle. The earth has warmed before…it will cool again. Besides they pointed to a study they read (but didn't remember where) that claimed that when it came to meeting Canada's Kyoto targets that the trees that are counted don't actually help reduce carbon build up and green house gases. Even more shocking is an article I read in a Canadian automotive magazine that claims if you really wanted to do something great for the environment we'd all drive H3s (that's short hand for Hummer 3^rd version) because in an ashes to ashes study the H3 is more environmental that the Toyota green car the Prius. A Hummer – environmental – come on! Let's be honest we've completely take the Genesis directive to have dominion over the earth to its farcical extreme. The question we need to ponder as followers of Jesus is what our faith response needs to be. We need to ask ourselves the tough question as to whether or not the way we're living our lives reflects the glory of God or not? When the air is filled with smog and floating particles of pollution and we can't drink the water or go for a swim and flooding and wonky weather is normal…how easy will it be to see the face of God in creation?

Of Death and Golf

2007-08-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

Some people will know that my Dad's second wife recently died after a long struggle with Parkinson disease. After having a service to celebrate her life here in Ontario, my Dad returned with her ashes to St. John's Newfoundland for the internment. Upon his return my family and I went to spend a day with him to make sure everything was o.k. Its interesting to me people's reactions to death and while my comments aren't specific to my Dad, some do apply. How some people grieve outwardly and others internally; how some people get angry with everyone and everything around them from doctors and nurses to family and friends and ultimately with God. Angry with God. Even as a pastor it is difficult for me to grasp blaming God for someone's death. Why would it be God's fault? It seems to me that our anger towards God says more about how we understand God (our Theology) than about the Divine. Our belief that God inflicts harm on some people and not on others bespeaks a God of judgement who dishes out divine wrath with seeming indifference according to a set of guidelines to which we have little clear access. Of course people will say we have the bible and I would agree that with them to a point. My hesitation, however, rests in my observations that when people are angry with God it isn't really because their loved one has been "taken from them." Their anger is really rooted in their own suffering. Its rooted in their lament that God is making them experience these emotions; that God has taken their Mother, Son, Daughter, Wife, Husband from them and all too often it ends up with the question: "did I do something wrong?" In other words did I do something that caused God to kill – I could say end the life or bring home, yet those are soft ways of expressing this concern – my loved one? Where does one find the God of love in these questions? Where does one find the God of resurrection? Where does on find the God who says I will be with you always? Where does one find the God of compassion and strength? For sure there is a place for anger and its appropriate for people to be angry – especially when things happen suddenly and accidentally – yet we need to take care that we provide room for God to remain at the center of our lives offering us comfort, care, compassion, strength, and openness to the expressions of care and love from others around us. So what does golf have to do with death?

It just so happens that my Dad has been a semi avid golfer – some would say that's not possible: all golfers are fanatics; he would claim he's a recreational golfer – for about 15 years. Through all that time I've never, not even once, walked up to a tee with him. As a matter of fact I've declared, on numerous occasions, that I would never play golf let alone become a golfer. Well on Monday that all changed. When we arrived to visit Dad he asked if we'd like to go and play a few holes of golf. How could I say no to a grieving widower? So off we went. We played four holes, the five of us. Having more laughs than anything else. My one claim to fame resulted in driving a ball about 200 years down the fairway only to have it take a sudden left arc and go out into the trees where…well…where it bounced off a tree and back onto the fairway! Beginners luck! my Dad exclaimed after which he gave me a set of explanations as to how to avoid that from happening in the future. Golf, after all, appears to have its uses. I'm still not convinced that I could be a golfer, yet I'm now willing to say I'm more open to the possibility than I ever was before. And maybe that's the lesson around death that while its o.k. to be angry with God we also need to be open to the movement of God's Spirit in our lives that is doing something in and through us and others. We need to be open to that possibility as well.

And who knows maybe in a year or two or more I'll have caught the golfing bug and maybe by acknowledging that God still loves them in the midst of their anger and grief people will come to a deeper faith, maybe, just maybe.

Trust

2007-08-23T12:11:00.001-07:00

One of the hardest things I think we're called to do as Jesus followers is to trust that God will be there for us. That in the midst of all that life throws our way, that somewhere, often so close that we can't even see it, God is present with us. Perhaps a reason for this lack of trust is that in our society we're told that the only person who is willing to look out-for or after us is…well…us. No one else really cares. No one else stays up late at night wondering how our bills will be paid. No one else cares if our relationships survive. No one really wants to know how we are doing – I mean beyond the courteous "hi, how are you" to which we really don't expect any kind of real reply. At the end of the day the message we get from popular culture is that every person is an island, that we're in it alone, and that the only person we can really depend on is ourselves. That works of course if you're trying to sell the latest self-help or the latest techno-gadget or the latest glitzy new car with all the bling. Yet those of us who are Jesus followers know that nothing could be further from the truth. We are not alone. God is here with us and when we take the time to look we can see the image of Jesus looking at us.

This summer when I was out walking with my life-partner one evening we had a chance encounter with a couple who were visiting our city. They'd gotten lost downtown and simply wanted to find a place to eat dinner before crossing the border to the U.S. and returning home. We gave them directions as best we could – its actually very difficult to describe an easy and straight path out of the downtown – and sent them on their way. We met up with the same couple again along our walk – they still hadn't found a place to eat. As my partner tried to describe how to get to more restaurants, even offering to draw them a map, a great idea popped into my head – why not just jump in the car and take them there? So I offered, "if its o.k. with you, why don't we just jump in and give you directions?" The couple were shocked! "Are you serious?!?" they asked. "Of course, that is, if you don't mind." We jumped in, gave them directions and arrived at a local eatery. Along the way they learned that both my life-partner and I are pastors and we learned that her brother and his father were pastors. What are the odds? When we were parting she said to me "God put you in our path and all we had to do was trust you." Imagine, all they had to do was trust us! As if it was all that simple.

Trust is a big deal in our society as we watch over our shoulders and wonder who is trying to take advantage of us when we answer the phone. Yet, trust is one of the components to a life in Christ. Trust enables us to lay the stuff that's bothering us aside. Trust calls us into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus. Trust enables us to put our hand in God's hand and look to the future with hope and awe.

Here we Go!

2007-08-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

So this is my first blog. It seems to me to be appropriate to state that for me this is a place to ruminate about the vocation of ministry in the United Church of Canada. My idea is to blog about issues related to preaching, ministry, worship, the church, religion, faith, discipleship, and…life. So stay tuned and join the journey as we live out our call to be people of The Way…followers of our Christ.