The Fifth Page... is the place for what does not make it into the sermon

"Origin Stories"

2012-01-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

A baby is lovingly placed by his father in a cozy niche, within a capsule that is about to be propelled into space by a powerful rocket. The father is a scientist who had predicted his home planet was unstable, and would soon explode. The planet’s rulers had ignored the scientist’s dire warnings. The planet was doomed. There was no longer time to save its people from destruction. All the scientist could do was to send his son to a safe place. For years he had been observing a distant planet. The scientist believed that on this planet, bathed in light from its bright yellow star, his son would have amazing powers. The infant would be safe, and could grow to maturity. He could use his powers to protect the people of his adopted planet.

Even as mountains crumbled and seas frothed violently, and a quake caused the ceiling above the baby’s rocket to crack open, the scientist father remained focussed on his task. He kissed his baby, and whispered a blessing. The capsule closed, and the rocket was launched. The last survivor of the planet Krypton was headed to Earth.

That’s the “origin” of Superman. Comic book creators often craft an origin story to explain how the hero gained their powers. They also use the origin story to provide insight into their hero’s motivation.

The origin is an important part of the myth. It provides a pretext for the reader to suspend their disbelief, and enter into the fantasy. If the reader can’t do that, they won’t enjoy the story.

Origin stories have also had a function in religion. Preachers and teachers have used stories of wonder and magic to bolster their claims. It seems to me that in the case of Christianity, we have tended to look back to the time of the first followers of Jesus, and the first few generations of the church, as a time when God was more “hands on” with people.

There is a tendency to suggest, or even come right out and say, that God guided the minds and hands of the human writers of scripture, so that the end product would be perfect. All the claims that the Bible as we know it is “God’s Word, exactly” depend on the “origin” story that God dictated the script to these holy secretaries.

I think I understand why this has happened. People like to be right about things. We want to know that we are on track with God. A confident preacher that can tell us (usually in a booming voice) precisely what God requires can win a huge following. But how does the preacher know? What makes their religious claims any more valid than the preacher down the road, or on a different tv channel? The preacher needs a source for their “rightness”, their moral authority. That’s where the “origin” story of the Bible comes in.

But that “origin” story is just that, a story. It has no basis in fact. More than that, it demeans us, puts us down, in an insidious way. The underlying message of the story is that in the past, God spoke directly to people, but in our time, the only way to know God is through the Bible. This elevates the Bible from being a book, to being something we worship. It suggests that people in our time are not holy, or faithful enough to have the kind of relationship with God that early Christians had, even before the Bible existed.

An Epiphany Thought

2012-01-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

In the early Christian church, there were two major festivals. Easter was celebrated every time Christians gathered on the Sabbath. The other major festival was Epiphany. I find that this year, I am relishing this season of light, and finding great hope and meaning in the story of the magi. Part of the reason for this is that I have written, with two able collaborators (my kids!) a short puppet play that tells the story of three Hogwarts students who follow a certain star. It will be performed at Trinity on January 29.

The Epiphany story is also a natural choice for anyone interested in contemplative prayer and the ministry of spiritual direction. I love the following quote from an article by Wilkie Au, from the Review for Religious, in 1989:

God is to be enjoyed not only at the end of the search, but all along the way. The Christmas story of the magi illustrates this truth. God was present to them not only when they joyfully arrived at the cave in Bethlehem, but also in the original stirrings that sent them off in search of the promised Messiah. God’s presence was also experienced in a guiding star that directed them through dark nights and in a dream that warned them of Herod’s threat. They experienced God’s support, too, in the encouragement they gave each other throughout an uncharted search that took them miles from home. God is more present to us than we think.

Our search for union with God is life-long, often a strenuous trek punctuated by dark passages. If we are to persevere, we must take courage in God’s abiding presence all along the way.

For-GIVE-ness is a gift from God

2012-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

What I have seen, in my own life, and in the lives of people I love, is that when we feel guilt and regret over things we have done, or things we believe about ourselves are dragging us down, we look for the worst in others, and for reasons to judge others- not necessarily to condemn them, but as a way to not feel so bad about ourselves.

Forgiveness for sin is the way the church has traditionally talked about the problem, but I think the more looming question is how do we accept ourselves, faults and history and all? If we can find the way to self-acceptance, maybe we can be more loving, and accepting, and forgiving of others.

Any resource, any program that can help people move forward in the vital task of self-acceptance, and towards regarding ourselves with even a fraction of the love that God has for us, is worth a look.

One of the most profound books on the shelves in my study is called "The Spirituality of Imperfection: Modern Wisdom from Classic Stories", by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham. I originally bought it because it contains over 100 stories drawn from ancient spiritual traditions. I thought it would be a treasure trove for sermon illustrations, and for years, I did not really read the book, I dug through it, seeking gems that would add lustre to my preaching efforts.

I actually owned this book for almost 20 years before I realized why "The Spirituality of Imperfection" contains all those great stories. It is because the purpose of the book is to show that Alcoholics Anonymous is a contemporary embodiment of many aspects of those ancient spiritual traditions.

When I began to read the book rather than just browse it, I discovered that the stories are not the only treasures within its pages. There is a lot in this book on the topic of forgiveness:

"The main spiritual shift that takes place in the event of being forgiven/forgiving is thus a new experience of self; blaming others falls away, and we begin to accept primary responsibility for who we are. Forgiveness comes when we let go of the feeling of resentment by surrendering the vision of self-as-victim. If we have been injured, we no longer experience the injury as a barrier to relationship. Instead, we see the injury in the perspective of our own imperfection: how can we expect anyone else to be perfect if we ourselves are imperfect? Within that understanding comes the profound realization that that we have been forgiven for our own imperfections. And then there follows, in time, a second and equally profound internal transformation: we understand that we have already forgiven others.

Thus it is that we do not forgive; instead, we discover forgiveness in both its forms- both that we have been forgiven and that we have forgiven. Spirituality's mutuality holds true here as everywhere: We are forgiven only if we are open to forgiving, but we are able to forgive only in being forgiven- we get only by giving, and we give only by getting."(page 222)

There is a reminder here that forgiveness is a grace, a gift that comes to us from God, and is meant to flow through us:

"we are capable of forgiveness only if we are acted on by some reality outside of, beyond, and in some way greater than ourselves." (page 223)

Merry Christ-Myths!

2011-12-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

If a preacher wants to keep their job, and not unnecessarily tick people off, there are two topics they carefully skirt around, when preaching on Christmas Eve. For the purposes of this blog entry, I am calling them "Christ-Myths", mostly because I like the word-play.

Myths get a bad name in our culture. We use the word "myth" in a dismissive way, to say that something is untrue, and therefore unworthy of serious attention. But myths are more than that. A myth is also a story that carries meaning that matters to us.

The story of Santa Claus is one of the myths that I am careful with on Christmas Eve. (Actually for the whole Advent and Christmas season.) The story of Santa is a fantasy, only loosely based on the story of the historical figure Saint Nicholas. This does not prevent us from using the story to pass on meaning that we think is important. We especially want the children in our life to live, if only for a few years, in a world in which magic is possible, and in which such a kind and generous figure could exist. We are attracted to the idea that Santa loves all the children of the world, and visits all of their homes on Christmas Eve. This is a much happier idea than the the reality that many of the children in the world do not have homes, and will most certainly not receive a special gift from a magical benefactor.

Myths are powerful things. They have positive and negative aspects. The downside of the Santa myth, in my opinion, is the "naughty or nice" piece. It strongly suggests to a child that does not receive all they hoped for at Christmas that it is their fault. I don't like the implication that Santa's generosity, or love, is conditional upon the child's behaviour. What about the kids who won't receive much, whether or not they behaved well?

The other "Christ-Myth" that I approach with caution is the Virgin Birth. A good friend asked me this week if I planned to talk about it. They said, " What if this part of the Jesus story, which is so hard to take seriously, is the barrier or obstacle that is stopping a person from taking the person and message of Jesus seriously? " (Okay, I am paraphrasing their question, but that was the gist of it!)

For those who are surprised to read that I would classify the Virgin Birth as a myth, I recommend "Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Birth of Jesus", by John Shelby Spong. In this book, Spong adds his voice to that of a chorus of Biblical scholars who recognize the beauty and the power of the New Testament stories of the birth of Jesus, without reading them as literally true.

In my own sermon preparation work this Advent, for the "Children of Promise" series, I have been struck by how many times in Bible stories, God is at work changing the world through the birth of a vulnerable child. Isaac, son of Sarah. Moses, son of Jochabed, Samuel, son of Hannah, John, son of Elizabeth, and Jesus, son of Mary are all examples of "miracle" babies, who either were almost not born in the first place, or narrowly managed to survive their infancy.

In a real sense, every child is a miracle baby, even if they are not the hero of a Bible story. Do we need a "bigger, better" miracle in the case of Jesus, in order to take him seriously?

Free light and crystal ducks

2011-11-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

(This reflection was written on Cyber Monday, and will also appear in the Christmas edition of Branches, the newsletter for Trinity United Church in Oakville.)

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Gospel of John 1:5

I have been putting up the outside Christmas decorations at our house. We have a small collection of items that are meaningful to us as much for who gave them, as for what they are. Over the years of our marriage, I have noticed that as we accumulate more things in general, we are more hesitant than we used to be to acquire new items. Where to store it all? What precious, or formerly precious item would need to go, to make room for the new thing? (I think people are like that with ideas and traditions as well- do we really want to give up what is familiar, in favour of something to which we don’t yet feel connected?)

We have been gradually replacing our older lights with energy efficient L.E.D.s. This year we took a further step, and bought a few solar spotlights, and a string of mini sparkly lights that have a solar panel, that generates electricity stored in rechargeable cells. I love that at least some of these decorations shine at night, because of light we saw in the day. I don’t know if we are actually saving money (especially if I factor in what I spent on the new items) but there is still something satisfying to me about “free light”.

When it gets dark (Which these days seems like about 10 minutes after the kids get home from school!), the solar lights, which are controlled by ambient light sensors, turn themselves on. The rest of our lights, the more conventional plug in ones, come on with a click of the remote control. The lights that draw current from our house, and set the power meter whirring with excitement, are much brighter than the little solar powered ones. The glare from these “not free” lights reaches the sensors on the solar lights, and they turn off.

I am trying to find an arrangement on our front lawn that will allow both kinds of light to shine at the same time- but it’s a challenge. The plugged in lights (which I am starting to think of as representing the more commercial, consumerist aspect of Christmas) are so bright, that my noble little “free power” solar lights (symbolizing all that money can’t buy) simply cannot be seen.

In the culture we live in, money is so often used to measure the significance and the worth of things. “Time is money!” “Act now for big savings!” “When you care enough to send the very best!” “No payments, and no interest for 36 months!” To suggest that the deeper meaning of this Christmas season cannot be bought or sold, and is probably not on display next to the Swarovski crystal duck with the 24 carat gold beak, is a radical, counter-cultural statement.

But it’s also absolutely true. What we are meant to celebrate at Christmas is the presence of love in our human reality. We see in the birth of Jesus God’s passionate desire to tell us that we are all precious, loved, needed, and accepted, no matter what messages we have absorbed from the world about our value.

There are ways in which we can use our resources and money to communicate our love. But there are also ways in which spending money actually seems to take the place of really showing a person that we love them, and that our interest in them goes farther than checking their name off our “to buy” list.

I had an inspiring conversation last week with a man who is one of the wealthiest people I know. We were talking about Christmas. He said that the thing his family most loves to do in this season is find a family that is having a really hard time, and find ways to support and help them. Sometimes that means giving them money. Sometimes that means paying to fix a car, or a furnace. Sometimes it means having them over for supper, or bringing a meal into the family’s home, and sitting down with them to enjoy it together.

When my friend was talking about the joy his family finds in finding ways to be useful, and to bring light into other people’s lives- his face was glowing with excitement. Our world needs more of that kind of light, that may involve spending, but which cannot be bought.

Who laughed?

2011-11-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

My pre-Christmas teaching series, “Children of Promise” began with a look at the moment at which Abraham and Sarah learn that they will be parents. There are two versions of the story in the Book of Genesis. It is exactly this kind of thing- multiple versions of essentially the same story, with variations in detail and style, that over a century ago led Biblical scholars to the idea, now widely accepted, that the Old Testament is a compilation of material from several streams or traditions. (The question of why this is still ignored by many Christian teachers and preachers might be a blog for another day!) These stories were told in different ways by different people, and were likely passed along orally, like folk tales.

I was recently at a family gathering at which I heard three different versions told of a story from my childhood. I can’t tell you which is the “true” or “truest” version. I only know which one I remember hearing most often.

In Genesis chapter 17, Abram has a conversation with God, who invites him into a covenant relationship. God is not described in this story, which leaves me wondering if this is a dream or a vision, rather than a physical encounter.

God gives him a new name, and says that his wife will bear a son. This child will be the first in a long line of descendants, numerous enough to form a new nation. They will be given the whole land of Canaan in which to settle. As a sign of the covenant, Abraham, and all the males in his household, and all of his male descendants must submit to circumcision.

Abraham takes the prospect of circumcision in stride, but is incredulous that Sarai, now to be called Sarah, will bear a child. The story says, “Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”

Despite Abraham’s laughter, God reassures him that within the year, Sarah will bear a male child, and that God will be back to see that this promise has come true.

In the very next chapter of Genesis, the encounter with God is less dream-like. God appears as a trio of strangers, who are offered the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah’s encampment. (They already have their new names, but do not yet have knowledge of the upcoming birth.)

Abraham calls for water to be brought so that the strangers may wash their feet. He goes into his tent and instructs Sarah to get flour to bake bread. He then selects a tender calf from his herd for the servants to slaughter and cook. He fetches curds and milk to eat with the other food that will be prepared. Abraham fulfills the requirements of hospitality that were common to nomadic peoples in this region. He would not eat until after his guests needs were met.

“While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³ Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” (from Genesis 18)

In this version, Sarah is listening when God issues the promise of a child to Abraham. She laughs, which is what Abraham did in the first version of the story. (The name Isaac comes from Hebrew words for “she laughed”.) The figure speaking for God (one of the three strangers) asks why Sarah laughed, and echoes the promise made in the first version of the story, that within the year, God will return to them, and Sarah will have given birth to a son.

The promise is the same, but the manner in which it is delivered is quite different. I don’t really know what to make of all the differences, except that they support the existence of variant traditions of how the story was told, over the generations, before the stories were collected into the form we now have them in the Old Testament.

I do find it interesting that in the New Testament, Matthew’s Gospel describes Joseph being told that Mary would bear a son, and the news is delivered in a dream. In Luke’s Gospel, it is Mary who first receives the news, from an angel. I am also curious about the identity of the three strangers who visited Abraham and Sarah- did they come from the East, like the Wise Men? Or were they angels, as suggested by the New Testament letter to the Hebrews:

^” Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)

Memoral Service for my favourite cousin

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Peacefully, after a courageous battle with cancer, at the Ottawa General Hospital , on Friday, November 4, 2011 at the age of 32 years. Beloved husband of Elfrida Tsandev. Loving son of Edward and Bonnie Stec. He will be fondly remembered by his many friends, who he loved and cherished.

Memorial Service for Scott Stec

Monday, November 7, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.

McEvoy and Shields Funeral Home,

1411 Hunt Club Road, Ottawa, Ontario

Greeting and Welcome:

Good afternoon. My name is Darrow Woods, and I am Scott’s cousin. I am also a United Church minister. I met a number of you on July 16, when we gathered for Scott and Elfrida’s wedding. On behalf of all sides of Scott’s family, I welcome you here, and thank you for coming. We see you all as living signs of the impact Scott has made in the world, and how he is loved, and respected, and will be missed.

We gather to mourn Scott’s death, and celebrate his life. We are also here to laugh and cry together, to hold and comfort each other, and look to faith for hope and meaning.

Please take a moment now to make sure that your cell phone is either off or set to vibrate.

Opening Prayer:

Loving God, we live and breathe, and love, and create, and change, and grow, and suffer losses, and grieve. We nurture love, and we help each other. We seek meaning, and look for signs of hope. We grumble, we sigh, we laugh, we cry out in despair. We pray, we sing, and we offer you thanks and praise. Our hearts beat, and the blood moves through our bodies. All the living we do, we do in your presence. You are always with us, God, whether we know it or not. In this time, we quiet ourselves, limit our distractions, so that we can look for you in our midst, and hear your voice, and feel your peace. Amen

Jesus was speaking to people who lived on the fringes of society, who had suffered enormously, and who may have felt that God, had abandoned them. He wanted them to know that this place of desolation and confusion is exactly the place where God meets us. At the place in life when we feel most let down by life, God is there to hold us up, to sustain us, and to give us not just what we think we need, but what we actually need, to live.

This passage I think also speaks to the kind of person we have known Scott to be- one who valued people above possessions, and getting along above petty arguing.

Matthew 5:1-9

^1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

³"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

⁵"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

⁶"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

⁷"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

⁸"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

⁹"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

First Letter from John, chapter 4:7-12, 17-19

^7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

^11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!

^17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us….There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

¹⁹We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. God loved us first. “

May God help us make sense of these words, and in them, find hope and meaning. Amen

Speakers in order:

Special music

Sermon:

We gather together to celebrate Scott’s life, and to give thanks to God for him. We also make our prayers, and ask God to take care of him. While we are talking to God, it may be that we have some questions. Why did Scott have to die, in this way, at such a young age? It doesn’t make sense. We hate this. The only meaning we see in it is that at least his suffering is over. If it wasn’t going to get any better for Scott, at least now it does not get any worse. But that does not answer our questions.

The questions are very human, and natural, and for the most part, unanswerable. We don’t understand many things about life and death, and really, I am not sure how helpful the answer to the “why” questions would really be. It may be that the only thing that might relieve the grief and confusion and anger of these moments would be if time could go backwards, and Scott never became sick in the first place.

I think the “why” questions are just our mind trying to catch up with what has happened. Our minds can’t cope with the pain of losing a precious loved one, so we cry out why, in protest.

I don’t think there is an answer that makes the pain go away. The pain is real, and natural, and a consequence of loving someone.

The last time I saw Scott was just before Labour Day. My family was not able to be with us for Scott and Elfrida’s wedding, so we all came here at the end of August. I am so glad we did. My kids had not seen Scott for years, and they had not met Elfrida. They treated our family to a great supper one evening, and we made plans for the next day. While Elfrida was at work, we picked up Scott, and took him with us on our family expedition to the Museum of Science and Technology. It was a great day.

My kids got to explore, and play in the museum with their gentle giant of a second cousin. That went well, because even at 32, Scott still had the heart, and sense of delight and fun he had when he was a boy. I know this, because I was 18 when he was born, and I knew him when he was young. I almost said when he was little- but you know…

My wife is also a minister. When Elfrida and Scott took us out for supper, they asked us “What’s the hardest part of your work?” They were being careful, I think because of the presence of our kids, who are 10 and 13. But the unspoken part of that conversation was about death. That was the beginning of one of those conversations that happen a bit at a time We dance carefully around the subject of death, rarely daring to come close. We don’t like to dwell on it. There is probably a fear that we might hasten the reality of death, by talking about it- so we avoid it.

But it came up again between Scott and I. The two of us were in the Railway Hall of the museum of science and technology, seated on a bench beside a huge black steam locomotive. I noticed that the steel wheels were taller than Scott. When you have a cousin that tall, you notice things that are even taller. Not many things are.

It kind of fit that we were sitting in the railway hall, in the shadow of this massive locomotive. Scott and I both grew up in Thunder Bay. It’s a place many know about only because the lake freighters go there for prairie grain brought on the railroad. Historically the rails have been like veins and arteries carrying our country’s lifeblood.

Scott’s dad worked for many years at a big paper mill in Thunder Bay. Trains brought pulp logs in to the mill, and carried away the huge rolls of newsprint made there. The railway, and steel wheels are part of our spiritual landscape. My first job out of high school was as a brakeman. I remember the sights, sounds, smells, and the feeling of riding on diesel locomotives.

Scott and I are sitting on this bench in the locomotive hall. I think it was cut down from one of the long pews they used to have in railroad stations. He asks me, “How do you do it? How do you talk with a family when someone dies?” Suddenly, there is something even bigger in the room than the massive locomotive. Now we are sitting in the shadow of death. I feel it, like it’s barrelling down the track towards us. In my heart, I feel my own dread of death, and particularly, my dread of the death of this man with the beautiful spirit, who has always, absolutely, been my favourite cousin.

I understand, in that moment, what Scott is asking, is not so much for words of comfort for himself. He is asking whether there will be comfort and hope for those he loves. I hear, and feel, the deeper questions underneath his words. It’s like the rumbling you feel when a train is coming, even before you can hear it, or see it. Death, or at least our shared awareness of the possibility of Scott’s death, was a powerful force in the room.

But it was not the only powerful force in the room that day, and it is not the only powerful force in this room right now. The more powerful force is love.

Instead of answers that probably would not satisfy us anyway, God gives us love.

It is love that makes our lives livable, even in the face of illness, and hardship, and death. It is love that gives us the ability to carry on, even when change happens that we would not have chosen. Love helps us through the times that shatter us, and make us cry.

When it comes right down to it, nothing else matters much, outside of love. I am not talking about the way we say we love a new smartphone, or ipad. I am not talking about romantic affection, or our feelings about a perfectly grilled steak. I am talking about love without strings, love without ego, love that is about nothing except total acceptance and good will. This is the love that conquers fear, and makes life possible, even when the tracks are rumbling.

There are moments like that time on the bench in the locomotive hall with Scott, when we get glimpses of pure and real love. Love that is better than most of us humans can manage on our own. Love that flows through us, to another person, or through another person, to us.

I think that this kind of love originates not with us, but with God. That kind of love does not end with death. The love we have for Scott is not diminished by death. The love he showed the world did not end when his physical body died. All that love remains, and is real.

What I have come to believe is that God’s love never ends. It has no beginning, and no end, it just flows on and on. The glimpses we have of real love in our life, can give us confidence that love comes from somewhere beyond us. Love comes from God. Actually, that love is God. When we die, we return to be fully with God, the source of all that made life livable in the first place. And in love, God takes care of us, forever. Amen

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Concern

God of grace and glory,

we are so thankful for Scott Stec who touched the lives of those gathered here,

and who now has died.

He will be remembered in so many ways.

As a son, and husband, as a son-in-law, and as a cousin.

As a housemate, as a fellow student. As a co-worker.

As a floor hockey champion. As a golfer, and sports fan.

As the only person I ever met, who wore size 18 shoes. I remember his parents having to drive from Thunder Bay to Duluth, Minnesota to find him shoes and clothes.

As a gentle, loving, positive man who looked for good in life, and in people, and who did not complain, even when illness made every step, every moment, and sometimes each breath, a painful challenge.

We thank you for the friendship he gave

and for the strength and peace he brought.

We thank you for the love he offered and received.

We pray that nothing good in Scott’s life

will be lost, but will be of benefit to the world;

that all that was important to him

will be respected by those who follow,

and that everything he valued

will continue to mean much to us now that he has died.

We ask that he may live on in our hearts and minds,

inspiring courage, informing conscience.

We ask that those who were close to Scott may now,

because of his death, be even closer to one another,

and that in peace and friendship here on earth,

we may always be deeply conscious of your promise

to be faithful to us in death.

We pray for ourselves, who are tested by this death,

that we do not try to minimize the loss,

or seek refuge from it in words alone,

nor brood over it so that it overwhelms us

and isolates us from others.

God of grace and glory,

grant us courage and confidence. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. Amen

Chapel Commital:

In a moment the service will be over, and you are all invited to join the family in the reception area.

To offer a sense of completion, I am going to now say the words of committal that we would use if we were at a graveside today

Words of Committal:

Into God’s keeping we commend Scott Stec here departed.

Earth to earth, Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,

Trusting in God’s great mercy by which we have been born anew

To a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Blessing

On our hearts and on our homes, the blessing of God.

In our coming and our going, the peace of God.

In our life and our believing, the love of God.

At our end and new beginning, the arms of God welcome us home. Amen

Is Hallowe'en Evil?

2011-10-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

There are two top times for the stores that sell house decorations. Christmas and Hallowe'en. The greatest growth in recent years has been with the Hallowe'en business. The experts say that this is because Hallowe'en is thought of as a kind of generic, multi-cultural holiday that people from all different backgrounds can have fun with. The Christian history kind of gets lost- I guess that is a lot like Christmas, when you think about it.

In the past few years I have noticed that some of the more fundamentalist churches have taken to condemning the celebration of Hallowe'en as being inspired by the devil. Personally, I think this is a real stretch, and that it is really an exercise in trying to get attention by being against something. I think it may also reflect a lack of awareness of the real roots of the holiday.

How many here have Irish or Scots or Welsh blood? I have some Irish in me. The Celts are ancestors of Scots and Welsh and Irish people. The Celts had a highly developed culture, and literature, and religion long before the coming of Christianity to their lands. Their religion, like ours, not only addressed concerns about behaviour and morality, it provided a way to understand all of creation. The Celts had four major religious holidays in their calendar, called festivals of fire, that marked important times.

The most important of the fire festivals was called ( pronounced Sowen ) Samhain. It was the Celtic New Year, and fell on November 1. Samhain was celebrated for three days. The day before Samhain is the last day of the old year and the day after Samhain is the first day of the new year. The Celts placed a lot of importance upon endings and beginnings, and on the space between an end and a new beginning. This was a magical, transitional time, when the rules that normally held the universe together were suspended, and unusual things could happen.

The Celts believed that at this special “between time”, the souls of all the people who had died in the previous year could make their journey from this world to the next world. The Celts didn’t believe in heaven or hell. They believed that the souls of the dead left this life behind and graduated to the next level.

It makes sense that they had this celebration at this time of year. The gathering of souls to go to the next level was a bit like the harvest of crops that had just been completed. This was also the time of year when pastured animals were brought home, and some of those animals would be killed and butchered, to provide meat for the winter, and to cull the herds so that the animal feed would go further. It’s a time of year for wrapping up loose ends.

Still, the idea that bodiless souls could be floating around is a bit scary. There was some concern that these souls could come back to settle old scores. So it was common to have big festive parties, with lots of noise, and huge bonfires to scare away the spirits. Some people wore masks to disguise them from the ghosts.

This was, for the Celts, New Year’s Eve, and they had big parties, just like some people do today. There would be lots of food and drink, because the fall harvest had just been completed, and if people came calling at your door or your gate you would share with them.

When Christianity came to the British Isles, this festival of fire was baptised with holy water, and became All Saints Day, or HallowMas. The night before was called the Eve of All Hallows, or Hallowe’en. The day after was called All Soul’s Day. When the church took it over, All Saints Day became a time to celebrate God's harvesting into heaven the faithful people of every age, culture and walk of life.

For us, All Saints Day hasn’t really caught on in comparison to Hallowe’en. We are still attracted to the dark symbols- the skeletons and skulls, the black bats, the ghosts and goblins- the elements of the supernatural. I think that this is because we live in a culture that doesn’t deal with change, or death very well, and craves an outlet for all the spooky ideas and feelings.

In some parts of the world, death is dealt with very differently, and the Hallowe’en /All Saints celebration is very different. In Mexico the first and second of November are the Days of the Dead. The evening of October 31 is the beginning of the Day of the Dead Children, which is followed on November 1 by the Day of the Dead Adults. Skeleton figures-candy (sugar skulls), toys, statues and decorations-are seen everywhere. It is a time for great festivity, with traditional plays and food. It is a time to play with death. Family graves are decorated and picnics are held at the graves of deceased family members, who are thought of as honoured guests at the party.

We would never do that kind of thing in our culture. In many families, once the messiness of a funeral is over and done with, the person who is died is hardly ever talked about again. They are not exactly forgotten, but we probably would not think of holding a party in their honour at their grave. We live in a society that worships youth and health and fitness, and tries to deny that death is real. Except at Hallowe’en, then it’s okay to put tombstones and spider webs on your front lawn, and give out candy to children dressed as ghosts and ghouls.

Most of the time, we avoid talking and thinking about death. It makes us uncomfortable, because we have so many unanswered questions. It’s too bad that we don’t see the world more like the ancient Celts did. They understood that everything has a beginning and an ending. They honoured that, and recognised that nothing lasts forever. They did not waste their time trying to deny the reality of death, they saw it as a part of our life cycle.

If you remember that there was history before your life began, and that there will be a future that goes on after you die, it can give you a broader perspective on the everyday. Maybe that is more like the way God sees things, from a perspective outside the flow of time. When we do let ourselves think about death, and the end of our own lives, it is good to also think about God, who is ultimately in charge.

We heard a reading this morning from the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelations. Revelations is probably a good choice for Hallowe’en, because it is the most scary and dangerous book in the Bible, if it is misinterpreted. Images and ideas from Revelations have been used by Hollywood, and by horror book writers, to scare us for generations. This is ironic, because Revelations was written not to frighten people, but to offer them comfort and hope.

Revelations is probably the work of a Jewish Christian who wrote in a style that we now call apocalyptic. Do you remember the movie “Apocalypse Now”? It was about the devastation of the Viet Nam War, which for people in the middle of it, seemed like the end of the world. The word Apocalypse refers to the end of the world.

Visions of the end of the world seem to emerge at times when people feel like life just can’t get any worse, or better. When they feel like there is no earthly solution to their problems, and the only thing that can happen is that God will step in and wipe the slate clean. The possibility is held up that there will be a time of reckoning, when God will step in to destroy the wicked, to save those who suffer, to bring down the powerful and raise up the meek.

The passage I read for you this morning is a vision of heaven. The picture is of the gathering of the saints, those who have been faithful to God, and now, at the end of their earthly lives, find themselves with God in heaven.

This is an image that Christians have drawn great comfort from over the centuries, because they find it in an answer to their questions about death. They see a picture of God in charge at the end, a God who has been with them through all of their days, who has seen how their lives have gone, and who welcomes them to heaven.

This image was particularly important during the times when Christians were persecuted, even killed for the faith. History is full of the stories of people who are remembered as living out their faith no matter the cost. Saint Stephen and Saint Peter were early martyrs of the church, who were killed for their beliefs.

This image of the gathering of the faithful in heaven may also become more important to us as we make our way through the stages of life. As we remember those who have gone before us, and who now enjoy their reward with God in heaven, we are also reminded that we are headed there too, and that we will see them again. We live in a world that does not like to talk about death. That denial of death can fill us with fear. As Christians, we don’t have all the answers to the hard questions about life and death, but we place our faith and trust in God. Amen

Praying is better than worrying

2011-10-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I included a quick clip of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" in the sermon. The song I really wanted to include, the one that inspired me all week as I was praying and thinking about the sermon, is "Why Worry". It was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. His band has performed and recorded it, and Mark has gone on to perform it as a duet with artists like Emmy Lou Harris- they do a wonderful job with it. The Youtube link I am including here is for a video of Knopfler performing the song with his guitar mentor Chet Atkins, and with his musical heroes, the Everly Brothers. Apparently Knopfler originally wrote the song with Phil and Don Everly in mind.

Like many pop songs, we can listen to it as a romantic love song, or we can open our imagination a bit, and hear God's spirit speaking to us. Hearing God ask. "Why Worry?" inspired me all this week!
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In my sermon I said a little bit about Sunday morning worship as a time and place with God in which we get re-charged, and re-connected, so that we can go back out and love and serve in the world.

I love Sunday worship. I also no longer think it is enough to sustain us spiritually

As a runner, I know that if I only find time to run once a week, it's still be good for me, and better than nothing, but not really enough. I need to exercise, and challenge my cardio-vascular system at least every second day, and preferably, every day.

To run the spiritual race, to live the life that I believe God is calling me to live, I need to attend to my spiritual fitness on a daily basis. I need to enter into a discipline that helps me set aside time to be aware of God's presence.

There are a variety of ways to do that- but one that I am very interested in promoting these days involves taking time each day to read and pray with scripture. An excellent resource, that provides a devotional for every day of the year is:

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

It was compiled by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro, and draws from Christian traditions from many times, and many places around the globe.

At a conference for church leaders I attended in Nashville this month, there was a lot of talk about "Common Prayer" as a tool for individual spiritual formation, and for building community.

I like how the book draws upon the history and tradition of the church, and also introduces a fresh spirit to a way of praying that is at least 1600 years old.

It is available in book stores for about $20.00.

You can also access the daily morning prayer at: http://commonprayer.net/

It is also available from KOBO as an e-book, for about $14.00.

Making Space for God

2011-09-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

I recently read some good words about prayer by Albert Haase:

“Simply put, prayer is becoming aware and taking notice of the presence of God in which we dwell and which dwells within us. Prayer is discovering and growing in the conscious awareness of a God who, like a captivated, ever-present parent, continually contemplates, nurtures, indulges and protects.” Page 15, “Swimming in the Sun: Discovering the Lord’s Prayer with Francis of Assisi and Thomas Merton”.

Another writer, Henri Nouwen, said,

“The discipline of prayer is the intentional, concentrated, and regular effort to create space for God. Everything and everyone around us wants to fill up every bit of space in our lives and so make us not only occupied people, but preoccupied people as well.” Page 18, “Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit”.

A person who visits me for Spiritual Direction has said she has weeks in which the only quiet time she experiences is the hour she spends in my office.

To quiet our own hearts, to limit our distractions, to simply be present in the moment- these things can be a challenge. There is so much that as Nouwen said, “wants to fill up every bit of space in our lives”. No wonder the earliest monastics went off to live and pray in the desert!

One “place” I have found that allows me to clear the clutter of daily living, and to open my awareness to simple things like a footstep or a breath, is in walking the labyrinth.

On Saturday, October 22, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm, there will be a Labyrinth Workshop at Trinity United Church, hosted by the Pastoral Care Team.

Walking the labyrinth is an ancient spiritual practice known to Christians for centuries. There are labyrinths in public spaces and holy places all over the world, including many cathedrals and churches.

This workshop is facilitated by Sonya Bolek, a Veriditas (the World-Wide Labyrinth Organization) Trained Labyrinth Facilitator and Spiritual Director. She is the Youth Director and Parish Secretary at Saint John’s Anglican Church (Port Dalhousie) in St. Catharines.

There is no fee for this workshop, but those who are able are asked to consider a suggested donation of $5 per person to help cover costs.

If you would like to attend the Labyrinth Workshop, please let us know. We can comfortably accommodate about 20 people. To register, please call the church office at 905-845-3152, or email us at churchoffice@trinityunited.com

Methodist Influence

2011-09-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have been a member of the United Church of Canada most of my life (Baptized at age 4), and have served as a minister for more than 20 years. Even so, I know very little about the denominations that joined together in 1925 to form this uniquely Canadian church. I can generally sort out which church buildings "look" Presbyterian or Methodist. (You can often get clues from the name!)

For the last few years I have had this intuitive "knowing" that I needed to learn more about Methodism. What a blessing it is to have some genuine United Methodist Church pastors as friends and neighbours!

Conversations with these friends have offered me glimpses of what Methodism has to offer, and have pointed me towards good things to read, and ideas to explore further. I will be flying down to Nashville in October to attend a Wesleyan Leadership Conference entitled:

"A New Vision for Wesleyan Community"with Dr. Elaine Heath
The Wesleyan Leadership Conference aims to help The United Methodist Church recover what it means to be Christian and Methodist in the 21st century. One step in this process is to ask the question: How do we develop disciple-making communities that are centered in the work of Jesus Christ in the world?

I am hoping to pick up some methods that can be used in my United Church context, in which I believe there is deep hunger and need for spiritual formation and growth as disciples.
Elaine Heath is a professor of evangelism at a United Methodist Seminary in Dallas. She wrote a fascinating book called the Mystic Way of Evangelism, and is the co-author of "Longing for Spring", which explores a radically different model for "doing church", that is deeply rooted in the heritage of early Methodism. I am planning to write mini-reviews of both of these books, as a way of preparing for my time in Nashville.

Sam Persons Parkes, who is enrolled in the Toronto School of Theology's Doctor of Theology program, has come to Trinity twice in recent months as a guest preacher. On his latest visit he brought a wonderful presentation he created, and which he has allowed me to share here. Click the link and enjoy!

http://prezi.com/ckx2oh8tlkyc/five-important-things-to-remember-about-the-methodists/

“Made you look!” Viewing art can help us open to a contemplative way of seeing

2011-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

In his essay “Practicing the Presence of God in Ministry” Bruce G. Epperly, a church consultant with the Alban Institute, wrote “Practicing the presence of God is about mindfulness and self-awareness. It’s about seeing the holy in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary events in life.”

When I studied Quakerism, I was intrigued to learn that members of the Society of Friends tend not to celebrate the sacraments of baptism and communion as other Christian denominations do, believing that every moment, and everything, is potentially sacramental- infused with God’s holiness.

One aim of contemplative living is to open ourselves to the possibility that God is present, everywhere, and at all times. Epperly says, “If God is truly omnipresent—and that means present everywhere and in every encounter—then each moment provides an opportunity to receive and give God’s blessing, counsel, and wisdom. Each moment invites us not only to experience divine inspiration but share to God’s wisdom with others.”

I was thinking along these lines while in a conversation with my daughter Naomi about a sculpture we viewed together, at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. “Lever”, by Carl Andre’ is an arrangement of 137 fire bricks in a straight line on the floor.

Marc Mayer refers to “Lever” in his blog entry “Art is Controversy”. Mayer, who is the director of the NGC, could have been listening in to the conversation we had about the piece. He wrote “we often hear people question whether something that purports to be art can really be called art with a straight face.”

Naomi told me she “didn’t understand” the sculpture. I don’t understand it either. It may be enough that a line of bricks on the floor encouraged me to consider that exhibit space in a different way. Mayer says that Andre’ was “genuinely searching for the essence of sculpture”, and the NGC website offers a quote as part of its introduction to the piece:

"The course of development:

Sculpture as form

Sculpture as structure

Sculpture as place." - Carl Andre, 1966

Rather than striving for intellectual mastery of the sculpture- an answer to the question “What does it mean?” perhaps I can benefit by observing my own emotional, visceral, spiritual responses to the work. Bruce Epperly said that one of his spiritual teachers, the psychologist Gerald May described the process of awakening to God’s presence through five steps:

“pausing, noticing, opening, yielding and stretching, and responding.”

Carl Andre’s line of bricks definitely made me look.

spirit-filled answers to a question

2011-08-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sunset at the North Pole, Thursday, the 13th. of March 2011. Sent by someone who told me to pass it along. What an amazing image! Now on to my regularly scheduled blog entry...

Last week I put out a question about spiritual practices: “What do you do, in your own life, to cultivate a prayerful or contemplative approach to life?”

I am grateful for all the thoughtful, grace-filled responses I received. They all came from people that I know, which reminds me to appreciate the depth of people in my own circles. (We don’t have to chase all around the world for spiritual mentors and teachers- some of them live on our block!)

Here are excerpts from the answers:

I find knitting, gardening, baking, walking, or some other simple task helpful for quieting the mind. The task works best if it is non-mechanized, familiar and routine, solitary and has a tangible outcome. Even house cleaning seems to work. And I read a lot too.

I find that SHORT periods of sitting quietly are helpful and calming.

My best place for quiet this season is our back deck and yard - so there is lots of quiet out there which is great for seeing what Jesus is up to in Matthew and praying.

Meet with a spiritual director usually once a month - makes a huge difference for me and how I approach the world - even if it’s sometimes to remind me that God is even in this *(&_#*% or whatever is disturbing me;

Retreat days - If I could I would do it for at least a day a month but sometimes it ends up being a couple of months before I have one. I need silence - silence is where I can listen best

Silent retreats - I have been on 4 of them - the longest was a week the rest are weekends - I would benefit from a week a year but haven't done it for a variety of reasons but the 8 day one still impacts me and it was 4 or 5 years ago!

I have email subscriptions - one from Joan Chittister - Monastery of the Heart, and another from the Centre for Prayer/Contemplation and they give me daily and weekly ideas to contemplate.

I would love to tell you daily prayer and scripture study as well as journalling - but it would be a lie. That happens in fits and starts - even though when I do it I benefit!

Lastly - getting by water - just has a way of opening me to the Holy.

The challenge for me is that I do my best contemplating "away" from the day to day and I haven't yet found a consistent way to experience/make space for it, every day.

Morning journal. Every day. Even if it's only 10 minutes. Even if I do it in the evening. Even if I need to do two days' worth together. Initially (nearly 30 years ago) I divided the page into three columns: good news, bad news, action. These days there are still three columns but they are headed gratitude, learning, and turn over. Each month before I spend time with my spiritual director I spend time with my journal, noting highlights, spotting trends, noticing how prayers are being answered. I run the same condensing exercise with the monthly summaries once a year, this time netting affirmations. I keep only the affirmations, not the journal pages or the summaries (too bulky). A spiritual direction instructor once said, "A person's journal is their sacred scripture," and this ongoing collection of affirmations is a powerful read.

Being active outdoors. Alone. Bigtime divine contact: take a problem out on the trail and a creative solution will come to you. Best not downtown although urban walking prayer for the place I live is another discipline. Running and swimming most readily accessible year-round. At least weekly.

Day retreats. Local retreat house a godsend: dedicated prayer space, silence. In September and October, a full day of hiking. Monthly.

Annual overnight retreats. Retreat centres good; university residences in the summertime a good substitute (surprisingly monastic). Retreats taken in the summer tend to be forward-looking: synthesizing types and frequency of activities for the upcoming year, sensing where the energy lies and doesn't lie, plotting course, picking up on attractions and desires.

The main thing is to create and inhabit regular space.

The Centering Prayer is very helpful for me, I did pretty often, especially at insomnia night. While doing that I imagine a candlelight to help me centering and quiet down.

I do Centering Prayer, and we read books on Centering Prayer. I've also been nibbling at Roberta Bondi's To Pray and to Love and find it deeply helpful.

question to contemplate

2011-08-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

For three Sundays in August I am using the sermon/teaching time to address faith questions submitted by Trinity folks. One of the first responses I received to my request for “Questions of Faith” was so rich in its implications that I decided I needed to break it down into smaller pieces. Next week I will tackle the part about whether or not religion is necessary for a person to live a “good” life.

The question for the day at Trinity this past Sunday was “What is Happiness?”

I used a Sufi story that teaches the lesson “This too shall pass” is to me about developing a capacity to step back from daily life, and recognize that the things that make us unhappy are temporary (as are the things that cheer us up!) The story encourages us to step back from our daily life, to take a more contemplative approach.

I read some good words about contemplative living in a book called “The Lay Contemplative”, edited by Virginia Manss and Mary Frohlich. In an essay about formation programs that help people grow in this way, Wendy Wright says, “The contemplative approach orients to reality not as a problem to be solved, analyzed or manipulated but as mystery that elicits our reverence, claims our deepest desires, and calls forth responsive love.”

In my own experience, I have found practices such as prayerfully walking a labyrinth, quieting myself in Centering Prayer, doing yoga (depending upon the setting, and the teacher), reflective reading, and Lectio Divina (a particular way of praying with scripture) have helped to cultivate the contemplative attitude in me. I know that I am better able to respond with love to the world, and in relationships, when I “take time to be holy.”

This fall I will be helping with a retreat for church leaders. My role will be to offer some teaching on contemplative practices.

So I have a question to put out to those who read the fifth page:

“What do you do, in your own life, to cultivate a prayerful or contemplative approach to life?”

Please help me by taking some time to email me about things you have found helpful. I would love to hear about what you do, how often you do it.

darrow@cogeco.ca

Hard Living People

2011-07-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of a book I referenced in the Sunday sermon for July 3. The author, Tex Sample, is a United Methodist pastor and educator who taught at the St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. I first encountered him as a story-teller, who provided the introductions to challenging topics in the DVD-based educational resource "Living the Questions".

Hard Living People and Mainstream Christians is representative of Sample's lived out commitment to help bridge the gap between two very real, and very different realities. He wants to help the members of "respectable" middle class congregations, and their pastors, understand why it is that even the most well-meaning efforts to connect with "hard living people" usually fail.

Sample defines "hard living people" as "people who have abused alcohol and other drugs, have a history of violence either as a perpetrator or a victim or both, have uneven unemployment, have struggled with household or family relations, and tend to be politically alienated. They are looked down as street people, poor white trash, homeless, disreputable, drunks, addicts, winos, skid row bums, hobos, trashy women, sluts, bikers, vagabonds, the underclass, the ne'er-do-wells, the lazy, the no-goods, and on and on. These are the people who will often come to a church or a charitable agency to get food, clothing, medical care, legal services, whatever, but there is perhaps no group so hard for the church to reach in order to involve them in the active life of the congregation. While many churches serve them, few include them in the participating membership of the community of faith."

There is a sad irony that the movement started by followers of Jesus has such a hard time truly connecting with the "hard living", since the Gospels show us that Jesus spent so much of his time with the "disreputable" of his time. That's what the Pharisees meant when they said that Jesus sat at table and ate with tax collectors and sinners.

For many years, Trinity United in Oakville, the church I serve, has had an amazing ministry called the White Gift program, which provides ongoing support to low income families in our area, many of which are single parent households. The members, and many friends of the congregation are quite generous with gifts of money, and food, which are distributed with compassion and care by two dedicated volunteers. I am clearly biased, but I think the Trinity White Gift program is one of the best I have ever seen. The two women who work directly with the families demonstrate genuine love, and make a real difference in people's lives.

As grateful as I am for Trinity's White Gift program, I still wish we could also find ways to work not just from the "charity to" model, but with a "community with" model.

love your t-shirt

2011-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

We learn about the possibility of love, and the reality of love, in and through the relationships in our lives. If we experience healthy, life-giving, encouraging love and support from the people in our lives, it may be easier for us to believe that love is real, and good, and worth working at. It may also be easier for us to believe that it is worth the risks involved, in daring to love.

The opposite is also true. If we have experienced unhealthy relationships, and a lack of good support from the people in our lives, we may find it very difficult to trust that love is real, and good for us. We may hesitate to put ourselves “out there”, and risk being hurt.

The cartoon I am including below, from the Naked Pastor says it well. As people of faith, and in how we behave in groups, such as our churches, our actions, words, choices, and our attitudes convey a lot. I am also including the cartoonist’s comments. I recommend you check out his website at http://www.nakedpastor.com/

I’ve heard the sentence, “God loves you!” so many times. And it has meant so many things. It has meant:

“God loves even you, you measly little runt!”

“God loves you, but he doesn’t like you very much.”

“God loves you. It’s a miracle!”

“God loves me, which authorizes me to inform you that God loves you, but only through me.”

“God loves me more than you. But that means he still loves you. Kinda.”

Love is love. The One who loves is love. Can blessing (love) and cursing (hate) come from the same spring? Love.

The story about stories

2011-06-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of power in stories. Most of us can remember stories in greater detail than we can lists of facts or ideas. Some methods for improving memory ask us to attach each thing we want to remember, to a story, or a character.

We like stories to have structure, and plot, and certain typical elements. When we watch a movie or read a book, at the beginning we are sorting out who is in the story. We want to know if there is a main character, or hero. Do we like the hero? There is usually someone in opposition to the main character, the one who complicates their life and adds conflict to the story. For the story to be interesting, to hold our attention, to seem real to us, complication and conflict are absolutely necessary.

We also like stories to have a beginning, middle and end. We like the questions to be answered, and the problems to be resolved- and the resolutions have to make “sense” to us, somehow. We all seem to have an internal sense of whether the story “works”.

I mentioned in the Sunday sermon that there are theories about a limited number of categories of plot or story-line. The idea is that while there can be an almost infinite variety in the ways a story is developed and told, the basic “bones” of the story will fall into one or more of a short list of possibilities. According to an author named Christopher Booker, in his book, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, these are the categories:

Overcoming the Monster

Rags to Riches

The Quest

Voyage and Return

Comedy

Tragedy

Rebirth

There are numerous websites where you can explore these categories, and find examples of stories that fit into them. It might be interesting to try categorizing some of your favourite stories.

Slowing down in sacred space

2011-06-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in the Sunday sermon that last week I spent a "Day Away" at the Five Oaks Centre near Paris, Ontario. I am a member of the Listening Ministries Team, which helps with some of the programs at Five Oaks. Five Oaks describes itself in some of its own literature as " a sacred place for learning and renewal. The Listening Ministries team are a group of people with training and experience as Spiritual Guides. We are available to accompany people who are interested in coming to a deeper awareness of the presence and the movement of the Spirit in their lives.

Glorious tree at Five Oaks Centre

Five Oaks is a beautiful place, in all the seasons of the year. I like it especially in the early summer, when the trees, like the one in my photo, are brilliant green in new leaves. There is a freshness about the place. I snapped my picture on my way back from walking to one of my favourite spots on the property. Five Oaks was established at a location that has been thought of as sacred for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

Part of what makes it a special is that it sits at the confluence of Whiteman's Creek, and the Grand River. At the place where they meet, the creek is moving quite quickly. It is possible to stand on a point of land, and watch the waters flow together. You can hear the rush of the creek water, racing into, and then being absorbed by the Grand River, which, as the name may suggest, moves at a less hurried, almost stately pace.

The creek is frenetic and hurried. The river is calm, and able to take in the energy of its watery sibling.

I met with two different people for Spiritual Accompaniment on this Day Away, and they had both made the same journey to the waters that I had. They both reflected on the power of that spot. I wondered if that was because the confluence had been pointed out to them as a special place, or whether they had felt it themselves. Maybe both were true.

Sometimes we need help seeing that a place in our own lives can be named as sacred. Sometimes the sacredness speaks to us, and we find it without being told. It seems to me that we are more likely to experience the sacred if we give ourselves the time to slow down.

How many of us are rushing through our days like that little creek, pouring ourselves fully into moving forward. It can be so good for us to slow down, to be absorbed for a time into a stillness that can accept our hurriedness, and allow us to release the pent up energy, and find a calmer way to be.

Would you look at that!

2011-05-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I spoke about being part of a school field trip with my child's class, when they went to visit an art gallery. The docent (the volunteer guide) who led the class through the long corridors kept saying, "Children, look at me!"

I compared this experience with that of walking through the same gallery with a good friend, who never said, "Look at me!". Instead, he directed my attention to the work of the artists.

Good teachers take care to not confuse themselves with their subject matter.

This past week we "survived" the day and time that had been predicted for "Judgment Day". The leadup to this non-event focussed a lot of attention on one man, and his assertion that he had deciphered the secret codes of the Bible, and had derived the date and time of the end of the world.

"Look at me!" "I know something no-one else knows!" "I am not going to share with you how I learned this vital information, you just have to trust me!"

"As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.

Camping, who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before global cataclysm struck the planet, said Monday that he felt so terrible when his doomsday message did not come true that he left home and took refuge in a motel with his wife. His independent ministry, Family Radio International, spent millions — some of it from donations made by followers — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 recreational vehicles plastered with the Judgment Day message."
(from the CBC News website)

Whatever else is going on in the mind and heart and spirit of this man, I suspect there is a very inflated desire to be in the spotlight.

On Monday evening as our house was settling down after a very active, and very pleasant Victoria Day weekend, my wife and I watched the The National news program on CBC. The top headline stories were about devastating tornado damage in Missouri, terrible flooding in Quebec, the enormous destruction caused by wildfire in Slave Lake, Alberta, and the continuing effects of earthquake and tsunami damage in Japan. Each of these stories touched me with the desire to pray for people in distress.

In each of these places, and in others, the destruction of homes, and workplaces, and whole communities may very well feel like the end of the world to the people in the midst of it. Many people have been killed or injured, and there are potential victims that have not been found.

It seems to me that the man who poured so much of his own, and other people's money into publicizing May 21 as Judgment Day, might have put the funds to better use, offering kindness and mercy to people in need of real help.

Just a spoonful of sugar...

2011-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

This youtube video by an Episcopal priest in New York does an excellent job of drawing parallels between Jesus and Mary Poppins.

I wish I would have found this before I wrote my sermon!

It takes a village to run a baseball team

2011-05-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

I love the story I used this past Sunday, about a baptism-related custom practiced in some congregations in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. The night before an infant is baptized, the oldest woman in their family holds them in her arms, and walks with them around their community. She points out the homes of those who will help to nurture and care for the child. She shows them the school where they will learn to read and write. She also points out the places where danger lies. The tour ends up at the church in which the child will be baptized, and where they will learn about the life of faith.

For good and for bad, we live our lives in community. Our families thrive, or not, in a context. We can do a lot to improve that context. (And I don’t mean building a bigger house, or buying our way into the “best” neighbourhood.) We can get involved in our children’s school. We can volunteer for class trips. We can help our kids choose sporting and other activities that help them learn, and grow, and have fun. We can support not only our kids, but the volunteers who make most of these things happen. We can see the opportunity, in those long hours hanging out at the ball diamond, soccer pitch, or community centre, library, pool, arena, to make connections with other families.

Last weekend we got the email from our son’s coaches, about the beginning of baseball season. The good news was that our son has been put on a team with many team-mates from previous years, and with two coaches we know well. The challenging news was that the team practices are scheduled for 9 o’clock Sunday mornings. This presents our family with a number of hard questions.

How do two pastors get their child to a sports event that competes with Sunday worship? Are we supposed to show support or approval for this challenge to the Sabbath? We have both seen congregations “lose” families to the powerful draw of organized sports, that treat Sunday as an ideal day to schedule practices and tournaments.

Should we protest the Sunday practices, and draw our line in the sand? (What about Fridays for Muslim families, and Saturdays for Jewish families?)

On the other hand, should our child miss out on something he loves, and at which he excels, because he lives with the mixed blessing of being born into a clergy family?

On the other, other hand, what’s the big deal about Sunday morning? We nurture faith, and pray with our kids, and take time for the spirit every day. In our family, Sunday is a work day for both parents, and a day when the kids get saddled with responsibilities that are a lot like work. Their Sunday mornings are just one aspect of their spiritual lives.

We wondered about partnering with other faith communities to develop a program, or resources for families who face similar challenges. Maybe we could use a website to offer a place where a family could find a short video, a reading or story, a question to provoke discussion, and a closing prayer or ritual. Would such an effort backfire on us- giving people an alternative to church attendance? Would people wonder why we only thought of this once our own family faced the problem? Where would we find the time and energy for one more thing? (This kind of project would need to be done well, or not at all!)

Most of those questions remain unresolved. We emailed our son’s coaches. We explained that we see the importance of the practices for team-building and skill development. We also mentioned that our kids’ involvement with church and Sunday School matters to us, and not just because we are ministers. We asked if it would be acceptable that our son attend every second practice.

The coaches have been very encouraging, and supportive. Because they know us, they had anticipated the scheduling issue. They have offered to help get our son to practices and home afterwards. The coaches are fine with our son attending practice when he is able. Other parents have also extended offers of assistance.

Our “solution” is not perfect, but it seems to allow us space to uphold the value of spiritual nurture, as part of the range of activities we seek out for our children. We cannot do any of this by ourselves. We live, and we are raising our children, as part of a community that includes loving, caring people, who do not necessarily share our level of commitment to a church.

What we take with us

2011-05-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have spent this weekend as one of the "prayer guides" for 4 retreatants who are experiencing a silent retreat.

I am writing this morning from a picnic table outside of the main building at Five Oaks, a United Church conference centre outside of Paris, Ontario. I can hear at least 3 kinds of birdsong. Because they are not leafed out yet, I can see down a hillside of trees to the Grand River. The property includes a place where you can stand and look at, and listen to the confluence of the waters of Whiteman's Creek and the Grand River. It is a beautiful place, that people have been coming to for many years, in search of quiet, and peace, and a sense of connection to the Creator of all this beauty.

Every time I go somewhere on retreat, I find a stone to bring home. Or it finds me. Yesterday I was walking down stairs cut into the hillside, and notice a weathered rock about the size of a walnut, that has a flattened base. On the bottom of the stone there is a formation of 5 small indentations. This seemed a perfect memento. It has an interesting look and feel to it, and it fits my baic requirement of memory stones, that I can easily hold it in my palm, and close my fingers around it.

It will find a home in a bowl of rocks that sits on the side table in my office prayer corner.

One of the questions we will ask the retreatants today at the closing worship time this afternoon, is what they will take away with them, when they leave Five Oaks. I think it is a good query to put into people's minds. I also think that it is a hard one to answer.

I don't quite know why the rock I found yesterday speaks to me. What is it that I see in it? I may have it for a long time before I "get it".

I have some vague inklings of what else I take away with from this retreat weekend. (What learnings, insights, hopes, challenges?) As with my new stone, I may have to hold them, and let them warm in my hands, before I can really grasp them.

An Easter Meditation on The Song of Faith

2011-04-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

God is Holy Mystery,
beyond complete knowledge,
above perfect description.

Yet,
in love,
the one eternal God seeks relationship.

So God creates the universe
and with it the possibility of being and relating.

The United Church Song of Faith was published in 2006. It is our most recent effort to express our shared faith. As we were reading it responsively during worship one Sunday, I felt my spirit resonate with one particular line, as if someone had rung a bell inside me.

“God creates the universe”

This is a statement in the present, and not the past tense. It suggests that God continues to be at work, and that the universe, including the part where we live, and our very lives, are still works in progress. Creation was not a static, once and for all action.

When I was studying philosophy at university, one of the images suggested for God was a kind of cosmic clock-maker who built everything, put all the pieces together, and then wound it up, and let it go. In this model, the universe was complete at the beginning, and is winding down as time passes. God’s work is done, and now all God does is observe.

I personally find more hope in the image of God as one who is still busy creating the universe. God’s work with the stars and planets, and with you and me, is not nearly done. We can learn, and grow, and change, and improve. There are always new possibilities.

Not long ago I went to the graduation performance of my daughter’s improvisational acting class. The teacher told us that one of the basic principles of this art form is “Yes, and…” The improvisational actor is challenged to accept what their colleague has just said or done on stage, and somehow add to it, improve upon it, carry the creation forward. It does not really work to say “No, I can’t work with that!” That would result in an abrupt, uncomfortable, and unsatisfying end to the show.

The Song of Faith goes on to say:

God tends the universe,
mending the broken and reconciling the estranged.

God enlivens the universe,
guiding all things toward harmony with their Source.

The image of God as Clock Maker does not work for me. Neither does the image of God as Puppet Master, pulling all the strings, and controlling all that happens. Somewhere in between these extremes is God as the Loving Creator, still at work, tending to the universe, mending what is broken, and nudging each of us in the best directions, without making us do anything.

On Good Friday we remember the story of Jesus dying on a cross. To me, this is a story of brokenness. People who felt threatened by Jesus, and all that he represented, conspired to kill him. His death was a malicious, violent, unspeakably cruel response to a loving and peaceful man, who gave his life and spirit to showing others the love of God.

How does God respond? It is conceivable that the evil of crucifying such a good man would have been enough reason for God to say, “No, I can’t work with that!” We could imagine God’s divine hands washing themselves clean of all humanity.

But God, the Ultimate Improv Artist looked upon the death of Jesus, one of his beloved children, and said,(at least in my imagination) “Yes, and….”

Somehow, God accepted what had been done to Jesus, and found a way to work with it- to allow that evil act to result in good. The revolutionary faith movement that had begun with Jesus and his first followers was not stopped. Jesus’ friends experienced the Risen Christ. Wondrously, mysteriously, Jesus was still with them.

The events of Easter Morning are part of God’s ongoing creative effort, to make and mend the world, and us. Happy Easter!

Grateful for God’s loving action,
We cannot keep from singing.

Jesus was not a puppet, and neither are we

2011-04-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

I recently read a book by Donald Miller called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life". Miller's most famous book is called "Blue Like Jazz", which was on best seller lists a few years ago. He often writes in a confessional, memoir style. He uses "stuff" from his own life as the basis for reflections on "life's big questions".

I see Miller doing often what one of my writing teachers called moving from the "particular"- authentic elements of his life, and the lives of people close to him, to the "universal"- questions or themes that have application to the human condition in general.

In this book, Miller muses about what makes a good story. Story becomes for him a way of thinking about how to live a good life. Describing how it felt to be at the funeral for his favourite uncle, Miller wrote, "there was such sadness at his funeral because his story wasn't finished. If you aren't telling a good story, nobody thinks you died too soon. "

I think I know what Miller is trying to say, even if I don't totally agree with how he has said it. If a person has not made a positive impact on other people's lives, what we might mourn at their funeral is the squandering of a life. If a person was in the midst of a life they were using to help others, part of our grief at their passing is connected to the impact they had on others.

Miller plays in his book with the idea that we each have the opportunity to live out a good story. He says, "all of us are living out stories. And what our stories are about matters, not just for us, but for the world... a story is based on what people think is important, so when we live a story we are telling people around us what we think is important."

Some of these thoughts were with me as I was working on my sermon for Palm Sunday. The story of the "triumphant entrance" of Jesus into Jerusalem for the Passover Festival is a good story. The story Jesus lived out told people what he thought was important. Jesus entered Jerusalem not as a rebel commander or a warrior king, but as a simple, humble, holy man.

Palm Sunday is also a kind of opening chapter for the Passion Story. Every Holy Week I find myself wrestling with the theology that would have us believe that the events of Holy Week were all planned, pre-ordained, and required by God from the beginning of time- that Jesus' death was a necessary piece in God's plan for humanity.

Did Jesus live out the story he did because it expressed who he was, and what mattered to him, or because he was playing a part already scripted for him? My thinking is that Jesus took real risk in making the trip to Jerusalem that week- and that he exercised free will. He could have made different choices.

The people who acted unjustly and cruelly, to have Jesus arrested, and tried, and condemned, were also exercising free will. They were not puppets in a play in which God pulled the strings, to make this gruesome thing happen.

Why does that matter? If Jesus and the other characters in this big story did not have any choice- if we buy into the notion that all of this happened according to a divine script- then they did not have free will. If they didn't have free will, then Judas' betrayal of Jesus was not a sin- it was more like a supporting player in a drama doing what was needed to further the plot.

For me, this is the big question: If there was no free will, and therefore no responsiblity for actions in Jesus' story, how could there be free will in our lives?

Something Fishy

2011-04-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

This past December my wife, Lexie, who is the minister at another United Church here in Oakville, hosted a public reading of the book “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’, by Barbara Robinson. It was a great event.

I learned from some of the members at Trinity that back in 1985, the Trinity Youth Group presented a musical adaptation of the play based on the same book. A video recording was made of that presentation. I have been watching the video, and uploading clips to the Trinity Youtube Channel. Here is a link to the latest upload:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynIY37OMRjg

I don’t recognize any of the young people on stage for the production. I wish I had a list of those who were in the show. Where I see people who look familiar is in the audience- they are all looking towards the stage- but I have seen the backs of some of those heads before!

When I look at the stage- the front of the Trinity sanctuary, I can see some small things that are different from the set up these days. (There were changes made in the recent restoration of the building following some significant water damage.) One constant that stands out for me is a green banner, that displays an ancient Celtic symbol of the Trinity, a Triquetra.

The Triquetra is a symbol from Celtic culture that actually predates Christianity, but which was easily adopted, and put to use, after the “Christianization” of Ireland. (The three fishes can be interpreted to represent the Creator, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.)

I would be very interested to know the history of that banner.