Message - Norm Haslam - Jan. 12, 2025
​"Standing on Tiptoe"
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus begins…..."The people were filled with expectation."
The New English Bible says, "the people were on tiptoe."
Have you ever tried to stand on your tiptoes?
You can't do it for long unless you are a ballerina.
Sooner or later, you will fall in one direction or another.
You can't just stand there on tiptoe; something will happen.
That is how the people were.
They were on their tiptoes.
They were on the edge of their seats.
Something was about to happen, and they knew it.
And "What were they expecting?" you may well ask.
Why, the Messiah of course!
God had promised to send them one.
Things had gotten so bad for God's children.
Unrighteousness was at an all time high.
They needed a Messiah now more than ever.
It seemed that the time was right for God to send one.
On top of that, John came out of the desert, where he lived a pious life,
of self-denial, and looking like the great prophet Elijah.
And he started telling people to get ready, because the kingdom was coming.
It was natural for the people to wonder, "Is John the Messiah?"
He certainly was religious, and many people followed him.
John set them straight, but he also heightened their expectations.
He said, "I am not the king, but the King is coming."
The one coming after me is much greater than I am.
I am baptizing with mere water, but the Messiah, will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The people were right to expect the Messiah, because God was preparing Christ and the way for Christ.
It was while the people were expecting him, that John, was telling them to get ready for him.
And during this time, Jesus was living and growing.
And God the Father, was waiting for the right time, to call his Son into action.
The people were ready too, they were on the edge of their seats, attentive, watching and waiting, to see what God would do.
So, God responded.
God called Jesus to begin his earthly ministry of teaching.
Many believe that Jesus' Baptism was his calling into ministry.
John the Baptist was calling the people to repent and prepare for the Messiah.
Jesus set an example for the people, by responding to that call.
Through a sign of repentance!
The Jewish ritual of Baptism, was a symbolic washing.
Jesus was showing the people, that they should respond to God's call, to repentance as he did.
After Jesus' baptism a voice came from heaven.
God's voice from heaven was a sign to Jesus, that he should begin his earthly ministry.
God was saying, "Jesus you are my son, now do what the Son of God was sent to do:
Save the world."
God was pleased, with the example that Jesus, gave the people.
Like a proud father, God said, "Jesus, you are my son, and I love you."
And the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove.
Times haven't changed much, people still stand on tiptoe, expecting and waiting to see what God will do.
Isn't that why so many people get excited about predictions of the end.
They think, if there is a God he must do something.
Sin is at an all time high.
Even religious leaders are often found to be unrighteous.
Jesus had promised to come again.
And so, people expect it soon.
People are standing on tiptoe, waiting to see what will happen.
They are unsteady.
The slightest movement could push them in either direction.
Something is about to happen.
What will God do?
People look at the unrighteousness in the world, and they wonder how long, will God wait to do something.
They look in the streets and see the homeless.
In a world of plenty, people die of starvation and exposure.
And they wonder, when will God do something about this.
They look in the hospital wards.
They see people isolated and cast off.
And they wonder when, will God do something about this.
They look into the fields, and they see the crosses of anger and hatred burning.
In country after country people hate one another for little or no visible reason.
And their hatreds and prejudices are instilled in young people's hearts and in their social structures.
And they wonder, when will God do something about this?
They look into homes, and they see broken lives.
The very place where people should find refuge they find pain.
Spouse abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, families abusing one another.
And they wonder when will God do something about this?
Discouraged some even wonder if God will do something.
God has done something already and God will do something yet.
Our Heavenly Father called Jesus.
Jesus, God's Son, came to preach good news to the poor; to bring sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed.
God called Jesus to overcome sin and death.
And Jesus will come again to establish eternal justice and peace.
In the meantime, until Jesus comes again, he has called us.
He has called us, to follow him into repentance and into cleansing and into prayer.
Then he calls us to follow him into the world to live righteously.
He calls us into the streets to clothe and house the needy.
He calls us into the hospital wards filled with the unwanted, to show God's mercy.
He calls us into the fields to put out the fires of hatred.
He calls us into the homes to bind the broken lives.
He calls us into the darkness of human life, to bring the light to Christ.
But how can we do all that? Minister to the brokenness of the world?
We are often broken ourselves.
How can we overcome the power of sin, when we are often powerless?
Jesus could do it, because he was God, but how can I follow him?
It was easy for Jesus.
He was born to be the Saviour of the world, but how can we, who need saving ourselves, play a part in delivering others?
The answer is in a little detail in Jesus' baptism.
After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon him, in the form of a Dove.
When we respond to God's call, as Jesus did, the spirit descends on us.
When we repent and ask God to cleanse our lives, God empowers us, to minister as Christ did.
Jesus didn't need any more power than he already had, but we do.
We need the Holy Spirit's power.
Baptism is a symbol, of God's action of adopting us, as his children.
And as his children, God assigns us certain chores.
I don't want to call them chores.
Because God's calling is a joy!
Just as God called his only begotten son, to minister, so he calls his adopted sons and daughters.
The task that God calls us too, is too big for us alone.
But God does not abandon his children.
God is with us through the Holy Spirit's presence.
When you give yourself to God, the Father will anoint you, with the Holy Spirit, and make you a spirit-breathing child of God.
John said, "The one who comes after me, will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
That is a promise from God.
Believe it!
Expect it!
Wait for it!
Stand on the tip of your toes, looking for God, to be at work in your life.
And as surely as the spirit descended on Jesus,
it will empower you to perform the acts of God's children.
AMEN.

Message - Frances Jones Dec. 15, 2024
​And illumine the pathway home.
          AMEN ~~~AMEN~~~ AMEN
Who Has Seen Love?
         We have shared the poem by Christina Rossetti entitled “Who Has Seen the Wind?”.  So, today we ask one another, who has seen love?  Just like the wind, love is not something we can hold in our hand.  We can't touch it, and it's even very difficult to explain what love is.  Is the only way to understand love similar to the way we understand the wind - we witness only the effects that it has – on us and on others?
         A quote from Oscar Hammerstein II says: 'A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it.  A song's not a song 'til you sing it.  Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay.  Love isn't love 'til you give it away!'.
         You and I have heard many stories from the Scriptures where love, having been given away, has transformed individuals.  The blind beggar by the side of the road who received from Jesus, not just his sight, but real vision as well, as he was treated as a worthy human being who deserved kind and loving attention.  The woman at the well who had been rejected over and over again during her life, was transformed by the loving and understanding words of Jesus.  And we cannot know how many other people in her village may have been affected as well.  Because of this unique kind of love that Jesus offered her, it was impossible for her to keep this experience to herself.
         Jesus' example of love even had an effect on the religious elite.  As a group of them tried to trap him with their questions, one of the teachers of the law, who was impressed with Jesus' responses to this group's questions, asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'
         Part of Jesus' reply was, 'God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this:  Love your neighbour as yourself.'(Mark. 12: 30,31)
         This teacher of the law was very pleased with Jesus' reply as he also added his own comments saying that this was even more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.  Jesus' reply: 'you are close to the Kingdom of God'.
         We have noticed that all through Jesus' life here on earth his love was not reserved for any particular group or any specific type of individual.   His was a love that included all people from all walks of life. Where does a love like this originate?
         And that's what brings us to our main message for this special day during the Advent Season – when we celebrate the eternal love of God – so strong that he sent his own son to be, not our earthly king, but the King of Love.
         In our reading from Luke's gospel, we found the young maiden, Mary, knocking on Elizabeth's door.  Why do you think she needed to get away from her own village and travel to the hill country to visit Elizabeth after having received the miraculous news from God's messenger that she had been chosen to give birth to Jesus, the Son of God?
         Mary was aware of the fact that her beloved Joseph had been pondering on these circumstances.  She also knew that, as a young maiden expecting a baby, she would have been considered a disgrace by the folks in her village.
         Could it have been that this humble young maiden was confused, overwhelmed, or possibly just filled with questions about her responsibilities?  Maybe she also needed some comforting and understanding words from Elizabeth, who was also expecting a miracle baby in her old age – all because of the power of God's love.
         When she arrived at Elizabeth's house, we were informed that, as soon as Elizabeth heard her voice, her baby actually leaped inside her.  Even more noteworthy, was the fact that Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit as she exclaimed her heart-felt message of love to Mary.  'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  Why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me?'
         Were these the words that Mary needed to hear?  Elizabeth's love for her and her comforting  affirmation of this miracle that had taken place must have caused Mary to be so filled with thanksgiving and praise for God that she needed to openly declare it in her song/prayer called the Magnificat.  We notice that this was very similar to Hannah's prayer that we can find in I Samuel after the birth of her miracle baby, Samuel.  Each of these women, filled with happiness and hope, responded to his call – because they trusted in the love of God.
         Up until this time, Mary was nobody special; just a humble maiden living in a small community – a young lady who loved her God, but who also loved her beloved Joseph, and plans were already being made for their upcoming wedding.  However, in a flash, everything changed for Mary, for Joseph, and for any plans they had already made for their lives.
         But isn't this a prime example of how God's love works?  It is so radical that it turns lives upside down.  It's the kind of love that raises up the humble, and illumines the dark corners.  It gives power to the powerless, and includes those who have been cast out.  It even touches those who have been labelled as 'unclean'.
         During this and every Advent Season, we celebrate again the coming of this love that excels all others.  We watch, we wait, and as we anticipate the arrival of this King of Love, we remember those who were informed about his coming.  God's message was delivered particularly to humble folk like Mary and Joseph, to the common labourers like the shepherds in the fields, and even to individuals who had been studying the stars of creation who were willing to seek and to find the truth.
         This particular and priceless love that we celebrate year after year is the real gift of Christmas – a gift that keeps on giving.  Like the wind, love cannot be held tightly in our hands nor can it be seen.  But we sure can feel it.  We see the effects that love has – on us and on those around us.
         I remember a couple of interesting lines in the movie, “Forrest Gump”, played by Tom Hanks, where this simple-minded young man, although unappreciated by many people in his life, understood exactly what love was all about.  At one point he said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're going to get”. Another quote from that movie reveals the transforming effect of love, as Forrest says, 'I am not a smart man, but I know what love is'.
         Maybe it's true that we cannot see love, but only its effects.  We also realize that love is not love until we give it away.
AMEN!

Message - Norm Haslam - Dec. 1, 2024
​"Make Way for Christ-mas"
Luke 3:1-6
Are you ready for Christmas?
 
We put a lot of work into getting ready for Christmas.
 
It seems like I have already been preparing for a month and Christmas is still 24 days away.
 
There are few among us who don't know that feeling. Let's go down the check list.
 
First there is decorating. We have to decorate our homes.  Have you put up the lights?
 
What about the greenery; and the stockings?  Then there is the Christmas tree; that's a job.
 
You have to pull out all those ornaments and put them on the tree.
 
And the awful task used to be of going through the strings of lights trying to replace all the burnt bulbs.  Today’s LED bulbs on strings make it a lot easier.
 
And don't forget to display the nativity scene.  
 
No one is ready for Christmas until they have all their presents bought and wrapped.
 
We spend hours shopping for just the right gifts to give to our friends and aunts and uncles spouses etc.
 
Even the most organized person, who makes a list of gifts to buy, has someone on their list who is hard to buy for.
So, you go to the mall hoping to receive some inspiration on what you can buy them.  Or you shop online at Amazon scrolling through the hundreds of items trying to find that special meaningful gift.
 
 
Oh, don't forget those Christmas cards.  You mean you haven't sent your cards yet? You are probably off the hook this year with the postal strike.


Or maybe you will be sending Ecards instead, better do that as soon as you get home.
You know what the postal service says, "Mail those cards and packages early!"
 
All that preparation for one day.
 
But imagine what it would have been like without all that preparation.  
 
Let's imagine for a minute that Christmas is not December 25th; instead it's tomorrow!
None of us would be ready.
 
We are all geared up to be ready for Dec. 25th.
 
Oh, maybe we could get things done this afternoon, but Christmas would be too soon, and it just wouldn't be the same.
 
What about those first year students who went off to school.  Had exams up to the 20th of December. Maybe had done a little shopping and had the needed presents.
 
But had been used to living in a house decorated for Christmas from late November on.  
 
Were materially prepared for Christmas, but not emotionally prepared. Christmas snuck up on them that year and it just didn't seem right, it was too soon.
There is more to preparing for Christmas than getting the decorations out and wrapping the presents.
 
Those are the material preparations.
 
We also have to prepare emotionally.
 
With every tree ornament or mantle decoration, with every Christmas present or nativity figurine we express another expectation, another hope for Christmas.
 
Put all together, these numerous acts of preparation set that day up to be special. They are all part of a complex expression of the specialness of Christmas day.
 
In our Gospel reading today John is calling the people to prepare.  John came out of the wilderness shouting,
 
"Repent and prepare the way for the Lord."
He is heralding the coming of a king, God's anointed, the Messiah.
 
In the ancient world when a king decided to visit a part of his kingdom, he would send someone ahead of him to announce the coming of the king.
 
This herald would also instruct the people to prepare the roads and streets for the monarch's arrival.
 
They should clean up the streets, fill in the potholes.
 
They wouldn't want the King to remember them for the bumps in their roads.
 
Of course, the instruction to prepare the roads was a metaphor for preparing their community for the visit of a king.
They were to make it look the best they could.
Be ready to receive the king with the best accommodations they could provide.
 
Of course, the king that John was heralding wasn't interested in inspecting their streets.
 
Jesus didn't care if the streets had potholes.
 
John was saying straighten out your lives in preparation for God's chosen King.
 
Make the way straight for him to enter into your lives.
 
Smooth out the places that would make his journey rough.
 
Be ready to accommodate the King of kings.  Repent and turn from your crooked ways and turn to God.
 
People were used to making their communities presentable for a king.
They would decorate their houses and clean their streets.  They would prepare a place for the king to stay and supplies so he could eat well.
 
These were all material preparations for the coming of a king.
 
John was speaking of spiritual preparation.
 
John was saying make your lives presentable for the King of kings.
 
Are you ready for Christmas?
 
I am not talking about decorations and shopping.
 
I am talking about your hearts.
 
You may be materially ready.  You may have all the gifts bought.  You may have all the decorations up.
You may have emailed your Christmas cards.
 
You may even be emotionally ready.
 
But are you spiritually ready?
 
The Good News of Christmas is that Jesus Christ came into the world to give us life, and light and eternal joy.
 
The prophet Malachi and John the Baptist told the people to prepare for his arrival.

Just as they prepared for Jesus' arrival, we need to prepare to celebrate this anniversary of his coming.
 
Even as we celebrate Christ's coming, we remember that he promised to come again.
 
Are we ready to receive him the next time he comes?
John's call to straighten out our lives is still valid.
 
To be spiritually ready to celebrate Christ's coming we must straighten out our lives.
 
To make way for Christmas, to make way for Christ, we must prepare our hearts to receive him.
 
Otherwise, when he arrives all the rooms will be taken by false idols.
And once again he will be left outside to find lodging with the humble beasts.
 
Where does your life need straightening out?
 
John came preaching a message of repentance.  
 
"Repent" means to turn away from, to change direction.
To turn from sin we must first recognize it.
 
Where is the sin on our lives?
 
Where do we fall short of living out God's love.
 
Do we worship Christ in all that we say and do.
 
If there is any way that we fail to love God and our neighbour, no matter how small, it is a sin.
 
It is impeding our spiritual preparations.
 
Once sin is recognized we must turn from it, but we can't do that by ourselves.
 
We must acknowledge before God that we are sinners and seek help to turn from that sin.
 
Are you spiritually ready for Christmas?
 
Is your heart ready to receive a King?
 
Is your life presentable for the King of kings?
 
Look closely, we all have rough place that could be smoothed over and crooked ways that could use some straightening.
 
Smooth them out and straighten them up, the King is coming!
 
Christmas is the celebration of the first coming of Christ.
 
And it reminds us that he is coming again. 2,000 years ago, people awaited the Messiah and John told them to be ready.
 
We, who await the Messiah's return, ought to heed his warning.
"Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
 
Repent and make your rough ways smooth."
 
Are you ready?
 
Ready to celebrate his coming?
 
Are you ready to receive him when he comes again?
 
If not, you better get ready because the time for getting ready is short.
 
Make way, for Christmas is coming! 
 
AMEN.

Message - Frances Jones - Nov.17, 2024
​Unworthy?
         Today we celebrate a very special day called 'Children's Sunday'.  As we think about what this means, probably many of us can't help but think about our own lives as children (just a few years ago).  Maybe we remember going to church with the family (or a part of the family); and we probably remember attending Sunday School or Bible School.
         I remember each of those things, but I have to admit that what I recall with fondest memories about those experiences was listening to the stories in Bible School.  It was the lovely colourful pictures drawn on flannel board that made those stories come alive for me.  And now we have beautiful images projected onto a screen that complement the subject being discussed.  We've come a long way!
         Just among us here today are a variety of stories – memories of our child hood that are funny, or quite serious; some might be enlightening, while others are heart-breaking.  But, whether we are a child or an adult, each one of us is a distinct individual with unique personalities and traits.  And, because we have chosen, or are in the process of choosing, to receive God's unconditional love, we can be assured that we are a 'child of God'.
         We realize that not all children receive the same opportunities.  And they do not all fit into the same mold. I'd like to share something that I read in one of my trusty Chicken Soup For The Soul books.  It's a poem by Digby Wolfe entitled, “Kids Who Are Different”.
Here's to the kids who are different, Kids who don't always get A's,
Kids who have ears twice the size of their peers, And noses that go on for days.
Here's to the kids who are different, Kids they call crazy or dumb,
Kids who don't fit, With the guts and the grit,
Who dance to a different drum.
Here's to the kids who are different, Kids with a mischievous streak.
For when they have grown, as history has shown,
It's their difference that makes them unique.
         Generally speaking, in this part of the world at least, children nowadays are respected as a very important part of our society.  They receive much more positive attention and are listened to more than they were hundreds of years ago.  We encourage them to be inquisitive; to ask questions such as why? how come? and what if?
         A while ago, I was watching a television show about the Puritans and how they regarded children in the 16th and 17th Centuries.  Apparently, these young members of the family had very little, if any, input into family discussions or activities.  It was just understood that children were to be seen and not heard.  They were expected to follow rigid rules taught to them by figures of authority, and it was frowned upon if they spoke up to ask questions or to offer any opinions of their own.  Where did this practice originate?
         Today we read only a few verses from Mark's gospel; however, what impact this short passage has for us all!  It's the heart-warming story about Jesus' special meeting with children.  He had had many encounters with various adults during his ministry throughout the countryside.  On this particular day however, parents who had heard Jesus' messages of love and acceptance for everyone and who had also witnessed his miraculous healing power, decided to bring their children to him for his blessing.
         Let's pay close attention to Jesus' reaction to the disciples when they tried to shoo these little ones away because they thought them to be unworthy of Jesus' attention.  We're told that Jesus became indignant.  Some definitions for indignant include dissatisfied, and angry because of something that is unjust or unworthy because of something said or done that is not true.
         Jesus sternly told his disciples to let the little children come to him.  'Do not hinder them or drive them away.  I'm telling you that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these', he said.  And then he went on to explain that 'anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it'.
         As Jesus opened his arms wide to welcome these little ones, what might have been the message received by all the adults in the group that had gathered there that day?
         This great teacher and healer was publicly demonstrating just how important, how welcomed, and how loved these children were.  He made it perfectly clear to his disciples, to all those who had gathered that day, and to the little ones themselves, that children matter, children are definitely worthy.
         Children possess special qualities.  Their minds are open to new ideas and concepts, and they are eager to learn new things.  They have not yet learned to discriminate, to judge others, or to close their minds to certain beliefs.  And children don't even see some of the things that we as adults seem to notice right away.
         I have shared with you the story about a unique experience that I had with children when I operated a preschool.  The 3-,4-, and 5-year olds were English and French-speaking, so, in order to enhance the learning of each language, one of our activities was orally describing items or people using as many descriptive words as possible.  On this particular day, we all sat in a circle and one child at a time volunteered to stand in the centre while the others took turns describing him or her.
         When it was Naomi's turn to stand in the centre of the circle, I was totally  amazed, but mostly pleasantly surprised.  The other children, each taking turns around the circle, described her pretty, flowered dress; her black hair; her white shoes; and her curly hair.  Not once did any of those children say, or even notice, that Naomi's skin was a different colour from their own.
         Children are not born being prejudiced or discriminatory.  These are things that they learn from others.  Who are these 'others' that these children are learning their biases from?
         Do you think that was exactly what Jesus was talking about when he told his disciples, and the other adults, that 'the kingdom of God belongs to 'such as these'?
         Parents, remember when our children were very young?  We may have thought we would never get enough rest; that we would never survive this specific stage in their lives; that we would never have any time for ourselves.
         How do we feel about that now?  Moments in our lives come and go.  Children change and grow.  However, no matter how old our children are, they were, they are, and they always will be, our children – a blessing from God.
         When I see the light in a child's eyes as they discover something new, or when they are surprised by something, it warms my heart.  The other day I was stopped in my car as a whole line of Day-Care kiddies were led across the road in front of me.  I smiled and waved.  Some noticed; others did not.  However, it was the happy expression on one little boy's face that made me realize that, whether what we do is noticed or not, it can make a difference to someone.  Responding to my smile and wave, this little boy's facial expression seemed to glow as it lit up with a smile, and a little wave of acknowledgement.  That's when I told myself – 'don't give up; keep smiling and waving; eventually someone will either respond or just keep moving, thinking – 'she's lost it!'
         'Suffer the little children to come unto me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'.  Jesus' words prove to us just how accepted, how important, how loved, and how worthy children are.  Who are we to argue with that?
 
AMEN!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Message - Norm Haslam - Nov. 3, 2024
​"Time To Dust Off Those Saints"
John 11:32-44
Lazarus was dead!  Mary and Martha were devastated.  We are not sure of the details of their lives.  Had Mary and Martha been married, and now widowed, with no children.  Were they young or old and as yet, unmarried.  
Through one course of events or the other they were living in their brother's house.
Lazarus had been the man of the family, in a day, when the authorities listened only to male voices.  But more importantly, this was their brother.
Their lives had been woven together since birth.  They had taken care of, and cared for each other, all their lives.  And now he was dead.
Lazarus was dead.  The tax collector would mark off his name.
The census taker would make him a statistic.  But Mary and Martha would weep.
We enter the story this morning, when Jesus arrived, four days after the fact.  
After talking to Martha, Mary comes on the scene.  She kneels before Jesus and says, "If only you had been here, my brother would be alive."
Now some see these as callous words, spoken in anger, as if she, were chastising Jesus, for being late.  
But maybe, they are a confession of her faith, that Jesus could have done something, instead of an accusation, that he failed to do what he could.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and those with her, he was moved.  
The New Revised Standard says,
"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews, who came with her, also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit, and deeply moved."
The way it is translated, it sounds as if Jesus, is having compassion for them.
The original Greek, however conveys the idea, that Jesus is angered, and irritated.  Jesus is upset, with the way they are acting!
So, what is Jesus angry about?
Perhaps Jesus next words, give us a clue.  
Immediately after the Bible tells us, that he is angered, by them, it tells us, that he asks,
"Where have you laid him?"  
I can almost hear, Jesus saying it, with a note, of disgust.
It appears, that Jesus is upset, with their failure to believe, in his power, to make the dead alive.
After all, They could believe that he could heal the blind.
They believed that he could have healed Lazarus, before he died.
But, at death, their belief stopped! So, they took Lazarus off and buried him.
If they had really believed, that Jesus is the resurrection, they would have left Lazarus, in his bed, until Jesus came.  
Then Jesus wouldn't have had to ask where they had laid him?
Today is the Sunday after, All Saints day! It is the day, on the Christian calendar, when Christians, have traditionally remembered, the lives of God’s saints.
It used to be a time, when Christians would recall, and recount, how these saints, had lived and died.  
They would tell, and retell the stories, and thank God, for these witnesses.
You know the Greek word for "witness" is "marturion" from which, we get the word martyr.
Those martyrs, bore witness through their deaths, that Jesus, was the resurrection, and that, he had power, not only to heal the living, but also to raise the dead.
One of the author’s favorite martyrs and saints is ‘Polycarp’.  Polycarp was a Christian Bishop, who lived in the second century, just 100 years, after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
The Romans were persecuting the Christians, because, they would not worship Caesar.
A number of Christians, were fed to lions, or otherwise killed, during this persecution.
So, the Bishop, ‘Polycarp’, went into hiding, because the Romans were looking for him.
When they finally caught up with ‘Polycarp’, who was in his 80's, they told him that considering his great age, he should just say "Lord Caesar", and that would be enough.
When he wouldn't do that, they demanded, that he curse Christ.  
To that ‘Polycarp’ replies, "Eighty-six years, I have served him, and he never did me any wrong.
How can I blaspheme my king, who saved me?"
They threatened, to feed him, to the lions or burn him alive.
To this he replied, "The fire you threaten, burns but an hour, and is quenched after a little; for you do not know the fire, of the coming judgment, and the everlasting punishment, that is laid up for the impious."
Those are the kind of witnesses to Jesus, the resurrection, that Christians used to share on this day.  But we don’t seem to do that now a days.
In the Protestant church, we seem to have placed the saints on a shelf, where they have grown dusty.  The history behind this is well known.
During the reformation, Saints were taken out of the religious lives, of the people, because, of the few cases of abuses.
The author still hears, people who spread the reformation propaganda, that Roman Catholics "worship" the saints.
Certainly at times, and place, the veneration of saints, has gotten in the way of glorifying God, but in the right context, remembering their lives, and deaths glorifies God.
He understands why the Protestant reformation, put the saints up on a shelf, but he feels, it is time to dust those saints off.  
There is a hymn not in our hymnal that says, "a world without saints forgets how to pray."
You know we live in difficult times, just as those saints did.  And often times, we feel threatened, or discouraged, by the troubles we face.  And so, we pray to Jesus, to come and deliver us, and encourage us, and give us faith.
I can almost hear Jesus responding! Where are the Saints, I gave you?
Where are the martyrs, and witnesses, I gave to inspire and encourage you?
Where are the stories of lives, lived in faith, that I gave to strengthen your faith?  
And Jesus knows we will respond, "They are in a book, gathering dust, on a shelf, in the church library."
Jesus is the one, who can, and will raise the dead.
Jesus is the resurrection, and the life!
And the stories of the martyrs and saints, are the stories, that show us faith, in that truth, being lived out.
Whether it is St. Frances, who sold all he had and gave it to the poor, or St. Patrick, who was a 4th and 5th century Billy Graham, who spread the gospel in Ireland.
Or Mother Teresa, who gave her entire life, for those who were least likely to pay her back.  
All these lived, lives, that demonstrated a faith, in the Resurrection power of God, alive in Jesus.
So let us tell these stories of faith.
Let us recall John and Charles Wesley’s struggle to spread the faith.
Let us remember how Luther and Calvin led the reformation that created the Protestant churches.
And while we are at it, let us recall those saints in our lives, that have demonstrated the faith for us.
Then, inspired by their examples, we can live our lives for Christ.
We can even give our lives unto death.
For like the saints, we too,
believe that Jesus,
is greater even, than death itself.
AMEN to Saints!
 
 
 
 

Message - Karen Lackey Ryan - Oct. 13, 2024
A man stands before the Grim Reaper and says, “You mean all that exercise and broccoli was for nothing?”  In our sober or cynical moments we may say the same, All my efforts to be good and I end up frail and helpless.
We are blessed if we get to old age in good health without too much pain and suffering. It grieves us to see ourselves deteriorating and in pain when we remember our vigorous and accomplished youth. Regardless of how much insight, knowledge and evidence we have, it remains a shock to recognize ourselves in our older age. Of course, age is usually a matter of perspective; for example, being told at age 50, “you’re just a young chick, wait till you hit 80!”
The older I get the more I appreciate Job. His ancient story asks the question that haunts humans in every generation; why do bad things happen to good people?
The story of Job is the perfect drama. Job initially has everything, health, wealth, children, property. All is taken away, suddenly, randomly, with no rhyme or reason. This is the sudden dramatic version of what happens to us as we pass through the sometimes grievous events of our lives. Did God do this? Did God allow this to happen? If not God, who? Satan, the rebellious one wants a test, an experiment to see if Job is good and holy only when all is going well.
It is so easy in youth to think that we will be forever young, that we will avoid the traumas that seem to affect Other People. We might whisper to ourselves, Thank God it’s not me! Then things go wrong, or at least not exactly as planned. How did this happen despite all efforts to be in total control. At this point it too easy and predictable to start whining and complaining despite our intentions to be good.
Even deeper than the question, why do bad things happen to good people is the question, Do you love me/God even at the worst of your life? The question we are more likely to ask is more likely to be, Where is God in all my suffering and pain? Where is God when I need him most?
At this point of dreadful reality, most of go through various stages of grief and suffering, rage and frustration. It is the rare person who can deal with the end of times with calm equanimity.
Without realizing it, as we fight and struggle with our human condition, we may have more in common with the rebellious angel who asks why, and cannot stand the fact that God is, and that is enough. We crave something sure and factual that we can hold onto, but that uncertainty is our only reality.
Job’s friends try to make sense of Job’s suffering. There is the endless search for a cause, for some reason; it must be Job’s fault. Words and more words, philosophical arguments, blame, questions. Haven’t we all been there? Ultimately Job is left with nothing to hold onto but God, who asserts his being and power. This reminds me of what we do and say as parents, when we are chastising our children, and they ask why. We say, “Because I said so, that’s why!”
It seems that we are always being asked by God, Do you love me first and foremost, always, through thick and thin? We make vows in our most important relationships to answer this question. In the honeymoon phase, we can never anticipate what life can demand of us and our relationships. We forget that God asks us first. We get this wrong at our peril; the consequences come later, after a lifetime of complacency, after enduring SOOO MUCH! patting ourselves on the back for our good intentions and good deeds over so many years. And then we remember God as we wrestle with our fears.
Isaiah reminds us to be humble: Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, What are you making? Woe to him who says to his father, What have you begotten? Or to his mother, What have you brought to birth?  Isaiah 45: 9, 10
How can we avoid giving up on God, losing our faith? How can we progress to the end with our faith intact? There is something called Pascal’s wager, which at its simplest considers that proving whether God exists or doesn’t exist is impossible. Pascal suggests that choosing to believe is more beneficial than not believing.              Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian.
Research has repeatedly shown that people of faith report feeling better and healthier. One of the most striking findings in social epidemiology, Luhrmann notes, is that religious involvement with God is better for your body in terms of immune functions and reducing loneliness. One explanation for this, Luhrmann writes, is that for those with an intense faith, God becomes a social relationship. MRI results indicate that in terms of brain function, talking to God resembles conversing with a friend.  Ms. Luhrman further suggests that rather than worshiping because we believe, we believe because we worship.  https://news.stanford.edu/ How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others (Princeton University Press, 2020), Tanya Luhrmann
It is shocking to read the arrogance of James and John, who dare to demand, “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” This is what makes scripture so relevant, that written so long ago describes our human nature so clearly. We want to be first! We want God to do our will, instead of doing God’s will. It is all about what I want!
We may not be ready to hear the answer that Jesus gives: …     whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:35-45
How do we put God first and have faith that all else will follow? We are reminded that,  faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11: 1
Once again, we must ask ourselves what we really want. Of course, we want a prosperous life without more than we can handle. Not too much pain or loss. This brings up that worrisome verse: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10: 13
But there are things that we cannot endure. We can hardly endure pain without cease, the premature death of children, the losses that never end, the environmental or social disasters outside our control.
Control is a key word. With disease and overwhelming situations, we lose whatever control we imagine we had. Job is our model once again. Job was brought to the brink, having literally lost everything near and dear to him. In the end, despite all the counsel of those near and dear to him, he chose to remain faithful to God.
Ultimately, all we are in control of is our attitude. The saying is, it is not what happens to you, it is how you respond to what happens to you that makes the difference. Believing that God is with us no matter what, being with God no matter what, having options to choose from, having friends and family, being able to be thankful even when it hurts, these are the survival resources that help us through the night. We are advised in Thessalonians to 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5: 18
I try to imagine the worst that could happen, and question myself, how would I react? Would my thoughts and beliefs carry me through, or would I engage my resources to help me? Would I maintain my faith, or start complaining? Probably a mixture of all three. But I/we have to answer the following question: What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?      Matt. 16: 26
The accomplishment of Job is that despite all his losses and suffering he assertively states: But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Job 23: 10.  Job chooses to maintain his faith in God.
Thank God for Job. Thank God for scripture that nourishes and guides us. Thank God for choices. Thank God for the benefits of faith. Thank God for the Christ who gives us hope and choices.
 
Amen.



​

Message - Frances Jones - Sept. 15, 2024
​Stick and Stones . . .
          Do we all remember the little rhyme we used to sing:  'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names, or words, will never hurt me!'?  Is this really true?  Do you think mere words can be harmful?  As we know, they can be used to encourage, to compliment, to praise and to build up.  And we all need words of affirmation; comments that give us the confidence to keep going in a similar direction.
          Unfortunately, words can also be used to discourage, to find fault, and to tear down.  And those words that are spoken in anger or by using sarcasm; those that are meant to insult or to label another human being, can have very serious consequences, leaving permanent, yet invisible, scars.  It has been said that the tongue has no bones, and yet it's strong enough to break a heart. And some individuals have become so accustomed to being on the receiving end of name-calling or labelling that they begin to believe that they don't deserve anything better.
          We've heard the expression, 'think before you speak'.  But how many times have we blurted out some defensive comment in response to some condescending comments by another?  And most of us could probably admit that we've spoken words that we later regretted.
          All of a sudden,  there they are!  The words have left the building!  And, we all know that we can't just put them back where they came from.  There is no 'unspeaking' those words.  That could be compared to attempting to put tooth paste back into the tube after squeezing out too much.  And, if you've ever tried that, you know how that works – or doesn't!
          Today we are discussing the thoughts that James expressed in our Scripture reading which seemed to be two-fold – first of all, our inability to tame or to control the words that roll so freely off our tongues; and secondly, where these words actually originate.
          I was discussing this message concerning taming the tongue with my daughter, Amanda, and she shared some interesting comments with me.  A poster that she had read said: 'Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true?;  Is it necessary?; Is it kind?'
          My mother used to say, 'If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all'.  I've also heard the expression, 'We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.  Maybe we need to listen twice as much as we speak'.
          But, as my daughter pointed out, silence is not always healthy; however, taking a pause and listening to God, and truly hearing others may help us to choose words more wisely as we consider the feelings of others.
          None of us is perfect.  We all have our faults and challenges.  And sometimes the words that come pouring out of our mouths and rolling off our tongues are very good examples of our imperfections.  And how quickly we can forget that one person is not superior to another.  Does one person's opinion or point of view take priority over another?  How many times have we listened (at least in part) to another  person's viewpoint when, even before they have finished expressing themselves, we're planning what we want to say in return?  Easier said than done is the advice to pause and to think before speaking in order to allow God to guide our comments.
          Words, words, words – they really do have an effect – good or bad - whether spoken aloud, written, or communicated by using sign language.  We've heard so much about the effect that bullying has on individuals.  These condescending messages, however they are delivered, have caused young people to believe that they are totally unworthy.
          Matthew and Luke both revealed Jesus' words concerning where all of these words originate.  “A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears . . . how can you say good things when you are evil?  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Matthew 12: 33) (Luke 6:45)
          It's time for apple harvesting.  So, maybe we could compare what Jesus said to you and me entering the orchard, expecting to find lovely, red delicious apples hanging from the branches.  But instead, we quickly become disappointed as we find nothing but lemons.  Aren't these apple trees?  So, why are lemons hanging from their branches?
          You and I claim that we are Christians.  But does everything that we produce – thoughts, words, actions - demonstrate what we profess?  And, as Christians, what exactly is it that we profess?
          Our reading from Mark's gospel revealed Jesus' curiosity about what words people were using to express his identity.  When he asked this of his disciples, some of them revealed to Jesus what they had heard people say about him.  But, then he asked this question directly to them, “But what about you?  Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29).   The answer to this question seemed to be what mattered most to Jesus.  These particular individuals were the ones who professed their loyalty to him and to his ministry, but what did they really believe in their hearts?
          It's not surprising that Peter was the one who spoke up in response (as he often did) professing the words, “You are the Christ”.  Was Peter so sure in his heart about Jesus' identity that it didn't matter to him what other people were saying?
          Unfortunately, just by listening to their words, we cannot know for sure if people are truthfully speaking from their hearts.  Could their words be merely a reflection of other people's ideas, or words that they believe are acceptable; those that others want to hear?
          You and I have been given the freedom to think for ourselves.  We are free to express ourselves openly – through words and actions.  However, along with that freedom is the responsibility to determine whether or not those words and  actions demonstrate what is real and what is true.
          If you and I were a fruit tree, would we be able to be identified by the fruit that we are producing; or could we be compared to the apple tree that produced nothing but lemons?
          Words roll off our tongues quite freely – sometimes before we've taken time to pause and to think about which words we should choose to use.  And we realize just how important, and how revealing, those words can be.  So, as Jesus questioned his loyal followers concerning their understanding of his true identity, might he also be asking us - “What about YOU?  Who do YOU say that I am?”  So, before we respond to this question, might we need to take the time to carefully ponder our word choices?
           

Message - Karen Lackey Ryan - Sept. 8, 2024
​What is happening when nothing seems to be happening? Time passes, we are entering the fall season; how do we persist in faith that things will get better, that civil society will survive and evolve  in a positive direction, that we will continue to live in peace and contentment?  We complain about the lack of leadership; what is our role?
Our reading from Proverbs is a reminder of several well-known sayings. Verse 1: A good name is more desirable than great riches! How do we present ourselves? In nursing I could look at my schedule for weeks ahead and have a good idea of how every shift would go based on who was scheduled to work at the same time. Our reputation precedes us.
In terms of trust firemen rank the highest. Firemen run into burning buildings; more precisely firemen respond as fast as possible to a real and present danger with a plan and a team and     a clear purpose, which is to save lives. And, despite our cynical age there are other unsung heroes, people who every day actively work to help those less fortunate.
James 2: 8 tells us in direct terms: If you really keep the royal law found in scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
We do discriminate in the sense of being able to make reasonable choices. I readily admit that I discriminate. There are things and people I like and things and people I don’t like. However my behavior has to be respectful of all.
An urban legend or real story that seems drawn directly from James: Two men went to a car dealership to buy a car. One man was dressed in jeans and a casual shirt. The other man was dressed in a suit and wearing large gold rings. The salesmen paid a lot of attention to the man in the suit assuming that he had money. The man in jeans paid cash. We are taught not to judge a book by its cover, but we do it all the time.
According to James, considering our present day and worldwide circumstances, we are in the midst of criminals posing as leaders who are robbing the poor and destroying those with no access to power of any kind.
What do we do with the poor? Who are they? How did they get that way? Is it generational, children like parent ad infinitum? It resembles our approach to mental illness; no one knows exactly what to do when the problem persists and doesn’t go away no matter how much time and resources are thrown at it. Even Jesus says “The poor you will always have with you” Mark 14:7.
We go along with our daily routines until something more dramatic affects us. Change happens. It is easy to identify with the woman described in Mark who, desperate to do anything to help her daughter, approaches Jesus and falls at his feet. She is not ashamed to be begging. Jesus rewards her persistence. Her daughter is healed. Imagine being poor in every sense of the word, with no health care, no money, no doctors; begging at the feet of Jesus would be the most sensible thing to do! Today this is exactly the same situation in which many, near and far, find themselves. How to match resources with the persons who need them?
Proverbs 22:6: Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. This seems obvious until we consider the word “should.” The parents “should” know how to parent. The parent “should” have the means to provide for the child. The child “should” be inclined to listen and obey; to follow the good example that the parents “should” be providing. What of the parent/parents who cannot meet these requirements? What of the child who expresses their own identity at an early age, rebelling against authority as they find their own way?
There are a lot of “shoulds” in life. “Should” is a trigger word, conditional on ideal circumstances and understanding that may or may not exist. As believers who still attend church in this secular age, we are continuing in the way we have been taught, we follow the guidance of scripture, we listen to those who can shed light on what we read, we share common beliefs and interpretations. It reminds me of when we talk about ethics. We have a Universal Charter of Human Rights, we have National charters of human rights, down to the levels of provincial and professional charters. This is all well and good, and reflects our good intentions. But, it is all just words on paper if no one acts on these recommended guidelines.
It is all emptiness and hopelessness if our needs are not met, if our physical environment is polluted by war or chemicals, if we feel abandoned by friends and family, if our work is futile and our hopes are dashed. What is left when everything has been taken away?
We need one good idea, and that best idea is Jesus. How do I get to Jesus if I am dispossessed and living in a refugee camp? How do I get to Jesus if I am indigenous and living rough in a first world country? How do I get to Jesus if I am dying alone? How can I appreciate love and beauty if I have no food or shelter? Which comes first, Jesus or the food and water?
Another story might help: Two men are in a shared Hospital room. One is sitting next to the window; the other is bedridden on the opposite side. Every day the man next to the window tells the other man what he can see from the window. How there is a park with people playing, kids running around, couples walking, dogs running around,... this filled the other man's days as he could only stare at the ceiling. When the man next to the window was released he wished a rapid recovery to the bedridden man. A few weeks later the man did recover and walked to the window, but to his surprise he saw that there was no park, the window faced a wall. Talking to the nurse about what happened, the man came to the conclusion that the other man was making up all those stories about the park to help him cope and give him hope to recover faster and go back to his life outside.
This has been the question of the ages: how to face the emptiness with love and hope, rather than fear and violence. The wishful song Imagine, by John Lennon was outlawed by George W. Bush, but speaks to the longing in our hearts for a different way of life. Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too Imagine all the people Livin' life in peace You, You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world…. https://www.google.com/search?q=imagine+lyrics+john+lennon
 We often act as though we are ignorant, as if we didn’t already know that love is the answer. As if we were the only ones struggling with the constraints of nature and heredity. Options do exist!
As Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34:  long ago told us:  31 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant . . .33 This is the covenant I will make . . .” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
God is love and Jesus the example, our example of how to act, how to live, how to share.
Rise up, rise up
Oh, rise and share your power
Rise up, rise up
We're dancing to the sun
Rise up, rise up
In clear-eyed celebration
Rise up, rise up
The spirit's time has come

We want loving, want laughter again
We want heartbeat, want madness to end
We want dancing, want to run in the streets
We want freedom to live in its peace 
https://genius.com/The-parachute-club-rise-up-lyrics
 
Thanks be to God, 
​

Message - Karen Lackey - Aug, 11, 2024
​Are you busy as bees? Are you working on projects or repairs     that cannot be accomplished in the winter months? I am an eager customer of hardware stores. Part of springtime in Canada is the pilgrimage to your favorite supply store to pick up flowers and tools. Everyone emerges from the cozy cocoons of winter to start working outside. Summer in Canada is a time to get things done before the snow comes again.
Man is the tool maker, and needs tools to keep things working well. When about to start a project on the house or car, field or furnace, it is common for people to say, “There’s always something…it’s never ending.” Have you had days when you think that an evil spirit is out to get you, when everything goes from bad to worse and things break down; something always needs fixing? Like Murphy’s Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time."
It is not your imagination! From physics we have the second law     of thermodynamics, or the Order of Disorder, which states that: Entropy is a measure of disorder and affects all aspects of our daily lives. You can think of it as nature’s tax.[2] Entropy naturally increases over time. Problems arise: your house gets messy, your garden gets weeds, and the heat from your coffee spreads out. Businesses fail, crimes and revolutions occur, and relationships end. In the long run, everything naturally decays, and disorder always increases. Disorder is not a mistake; it is the default. Order is always artificial and temporary.  https://fs.blog/entropy/
When we are physically able, and have the resources, the appropriate tools, and hired help or friendly help, it is fairly easy to get things done. When resources of all kinds are lacking, when we are no longer physically able, then life takes on a different aspect. Things that were once simple to fix, now takes planning, time management and finding the help we need. There is a demand for skilled tradespersons. At some point we all have need of carpenters, plumbers, roofers, electricians and others; machines do not last forever, and then there is planned obsolescence, the intentional limits of efficient function. We want things to last, we buy quality things hoping that they will serve us for a long time, and we can be disappointed when they don’t last.
Part of the appeal of the voluntary simplicity movement, and even  the current decluttering recommendations, is to spend less time taking care of things, and spend more time taking care of our spirits, our inner selves, and others. The idea is to choose and prioritize what and where we want to spend our time and energy.
Of course, it also depends on our natural skill set. We have preferences in what we are inclined and able to do easily. Some of us are better with our hands, some are better with our minds. Either way there is an investment of time and energy; tools are expensive, as is an education. Both are needed. Joan Chittister comments in the Rule of Benedict, ch. 48: “The function of the spiritual life is not to escape into the next world; it is to live well in this one…engage in creative work as a way to be responsible for the upbuilding of the community…Work and prayer are opposite sides of the great coin of a life that is both holy and useful, immersed in God and dedicated to the transcendent in the human.”
Is all of life just a constant fix-it job? Do I have any control over   the apparent karma or circumstances of my life? Why do some seem to have it so easy, while others seem to be hit by every wave of disaster? How do I minimize the number of mishaps, and maximize the quality of my life and belongings? Frustrated persons ask, Where is God in all this? Why isn’t God solving this problem Right Now!
It is safe to admit that relationships are also subject to entropy. If we don’t care for ourselves and our relationships then spirits and friendships are neglected, broken, in need of attention or repair. Some relationships, like most things, run their course; we decide what to build up and what to let go.
Haggai calls out those of us who are preoccupied with our own property, and neglect the temple of God. The Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem is considered to be the most hotly fought over building and piece of real estate in the world. It is sacred to Jews, Christians and Moslems. It is currently occupied with the main praying hall of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, near the center of the hill, which was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest extant Islamic structures in the world.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount
Many Christians and Jews believe that there will be a third temple built on the Temple Mount. Christians believe that this third temple will signal the return of Jesus, the Messiah.  https://www.connectthecultures.com/why-is-temple-mount-important/
We have had our own discussions about church buildings. New Testament scriptures are not talking about a physical structure. The disciples and Paul write about changed minds and hearts as a result of knowing and following Jesus. Jesus is the solid rock on which to build. As we hear in 1 Corinthians 3: 10, 11: But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
A few verses later Paul emphasizes: 16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
So, what are we building? How are we building? How do we repair our brokenness? We hear of increased mental health problems which no one knows how to fix. Broken hearts are notoriously difficult to heal.
We rely on talk and medications. We rely on thoughts and prayers. We rely on friends, family and community for supportive interactions. For believers we have our faith, we have scripture, and a religious community. But many of our deepest fears and anguish is kept carefully hidden, protected from embarrassment, shyness, or shame. It is often difficult to ask for help.
1 Peter 1: 13-15 gives a suggestion: Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
We may not feel very holy, and we may resist the call to be holy. Being holy is a continuous practice; a discipline, a daily decision to follow the path of Jesus- to love, to build, to repair, to share, to heal, to accompany the broken hearted, to give comfort as we are able.
A smile and a helping hand may not seem like much, but we may never know the beneficial effect of even very small gestures. As Mother Teresa has said, Persist in doing small things with great love

Message - Frances Jones -  Aug, 18, 2024
​​Wise, Crafty, or Shrewd?
          I've heard it said that you have to live one life in order to learn how to live the next.  Wisdom, if we ever attain it, doesn't seem to come to us until we are older and have already made several mistakes, bad judgements, and have chosen  possibly a few wrong directions in our quest for the truth.
          According to James, there are two kinds of wisdom – earthly wisdom and the wisdom that comes from heaven.  So, I guess we need to ask ourselves which kind of wisdom we are actually seeking.
          In 2024 what does it mean to be wise?  Does it mean the same thing as it did last year, and years before that?  The dictionary's definition states, insight, having good judgement, sensitivity, understanding and perception.  Could we also add to this list, having good common sense?
          Nowadays, it's common for individuals to be more highly educated than ever before as they acquire degrees, diplomas and certificates covering many subjects.  Much can also be learned on the internet.  Regardless of which search engine we use on our computers, we can find a myriad of information concerning just about any topic right at our fingertips.  Whether this information is all true or accurate is a question we might want to ask ourselves.
          Besides all the smart technology that we enjoy – computers, phones, watches, TVs etc., - we also have smart appliances – fridges, stoves, washing machines, and even vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers.  And yet we seem to always be strapped for time, even with all of these conveniences.
          Something that is quite new in the world of technology is AI or Artificial Intelligence.  That's quite a revealing name, don't you think?  However, just think how smart it might make us appear to be?  Doesn't that sound great?!
          My son-in-law down in PEI was showing my husband Tom how this AI works.  On his computer he typed a specific topic, then requested AI to type a one-page paper on that subject.  There was absolutely no hesitation whatsoever.  There was no 'whirring' sound as the request was being processed.  Immediately, the machine spewed out the one-page document on that particular subject in a matter of seconds.  Wow!  How easy is that!  Where was this AI when we were attending school?
          There are many intelligent people in the world today, always coming up with new technology, new and improved products to make our lives easier or more satisfying.  However, today we are searching for something more elusive than knowledge or convenience.  As Christians we need the kind of wisdom that comes from God to help us to make the right choices, to be able to discern what is true and what is false.  But how and where can we find it?
          Our Scripture reading from the Book of 1 Kings revealed to us that, in a dream, God asked young Solomon, King David's son, what he desired most from him now that he had become king after his father's death.  Instead of asking God for wealth and popularity, Solomon asked for wisdom.  He wanted to have a discerning heart in order to be able to distinguish between right and wrong when governing the people.  And in our follow-up reading, we learned how Solomon was able to put this gift of wisdom to use.
          Because two women each insisted that a baby belonged to her, and there was no DNA testing available, Solomon relied on his gift from God – a discerning heart and wisdom.  Only then was he able to discover the real truth – which one of these women was the real mother.  After what seemed to be an extremely harsh judgement call from Solomon to cut this child in two, he found out right away the answer he was seeking.  And we can imagine this mother's cry in desperation as she exclaimed, 'forget about my request; she can have the baby; just let the child live!'.  There was then no doubt in Solomon's mind as to whom the child should go.
          Jesus' parable or lesson that we read about in Luke's gospel concerning the shrewd manager might enlighten our understanding of the difference between being smart and being wise.  This story concerned a very cunning manager who had mismanaged his boss's money, and, because of his dishonesty, he was about to lose his position as manager.  The words, “You're fired!” were probably ringing in his ears as his boss discovered how dishonest his manager had been.
          Now what would he do?  Without employment, he would have no money, no place to live, no food, and maybe no friends.  So, the wheels started spinning in his head.  Finally, a great idea came to his scheming mind.
          He knew that his boss was a wealthy man so surely he wouldn't miss a few more coins here and there.  So he decided to excuse a portion of each farmer's debt to his boss, the wealthy owner of the land.  This manager's thinking was that those who were heavily indebted to the boss would be so grateful and indebted to him, the manager, for excusing a portion of what they owed that they would surely befriend him and offer him lodging and food when he no longer had a job.
          What a clever idea!, thought this manager.  We have to admit that this guy was thinking ahead, and his calculating ideas seemed like a good idea at the time -  until his whole scheme backfired!  The farmers, instead of praising him for his actions, went directly to the lord who owned the land and who held their debts and praised him – this man who had nothing whatsoever to do with the idea.  They praised him for being so kind and generous to them.  And, of course, they were willing to work even more diligently for him, making him even more wealthy and more successful.
          We might assume that this dishonest manager would have been fired on the spot for once again mismanaging the land-owner's money.  But, not so!  Quite the contrary.  Instead of throwing him out on his ear, this boss praised him highly for his shrewdness.  What a crafty fellow you are!  We can imagine him slapping him on the back and praising him for his clever scheme.  You're a smart guy!  You got these farmers to work even harder for me.  We're going to get along just fine.  Great minds think alike! 
          What do you suppose was going through this manager's mind at this time?  If his boss' thinking was as cunning and as shrewd as his own, might he have to watch his own back?
          How tempting it might be to point fingers of guilt at this shrewd manager.  However, maybe we should ask ourselves what our motives are for doing some of the things we do.  Are we serving the Lord freely and honestly when we offer kindness to others, or are we serving with conditions?  Are we looking for opportunities to be honoured in the community?  Do we expect praise and edification?  Or are we simply doing to others as God has already done unto us? We know we have been forgiven; do we, in turn, forgive others?  God overlooks my faults; do I do the same for others?
          Is our interpretation of wisdom the same as how we might describe success – striving for the top jobs, the best education, and owning the most possessions? If so, and if we are still not completely satisfied, does that mean that we're not very wise after all?  Not necessarily.  It might mean however that we possess what James refers to as earthly wisdom.
          James warns us that where there is envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and evil practices; not wisdom from God.  However, if our wisdom demonstrates honesty and peacefulness, and if we are considerate of others, fair and sincere, and if we can be impartial even when we want things to go our way, and if we can be real in the midst of phonies, then we know that this wisdom comes from God.  But the question remains:  why does this wisdom come to us so late in life, if at all??
          In our Call to Worship we stated that we are seeking the life-giving Spirit of Wisdom.  And in our upcoming hymn we are advised to ask God, to seek in his Word, to knock persistently, never giving up, and eventually we will find – both his will and his wisdom for each of our lives.
          I believe we need to be mindful and thankful to all who have touched our lives through their words, but mostly through their examples, as they have demonstrated what wisdom looks like.  And, thanks to stories like that of Solomon and the Shrewd Manager,  we can better understand the difference between earthly wisdom and the kind of wisdom that comes from God.  Which will we choose? 
          I would like to close with the poem entitled “The Question” from The Book of Virtues, by William Bennett.
Were the whole world good as you – not an atom better
Were it just as pure and true, just as pure and true as you;
Just as strong in faith and works, just as free from crafty quirks;
All extortion, all deceit; schemes its neighbours to defeat . . .
Would this world be better?
If the whole world followed you – followed to the letter
Would it be a nobler world,
All deceit and falsehood hurled from it altogether;
Malice, selfishness and lust banished from beneath the crust
Covering human hearts from view – Tell me, if it followed you,
Would the world be better?
 
AMEN!
Frances Jones – August 18, 2014 

Message - Karen Lackey Ryan - July 14, 2024
Is there anything in life that leaves you awe-inspired? Do you      ever have “Aha” moments when you feel that there is some force    or being that makes sense of life on earth; that beauty and love really exist and are greater than the forces of evil?
In the movie based on the book, Roots, Omoro, the father of Kunta Kinte, [holding his infant son up to starry sky] declares: “Kunta Kinte, behold the only thing greater than yourself!”
In Canada we are blessed with a majestic and demanding geography, snow-capped mountains, roaring rivers, exquisite prairies and gardens, surrounded by oceans. Mother Nature can make us feel small in the presence of so much grandeur.
Does our desire to worship arise from fear of the dangers inherent in nature? Did we need someone to call when overcome by tornadoes, avalanches and roaring rivers, among other potential natural threats to our lives? Were we mesmerized by the flames of fire, the beauty of sunsets, the smiles of our children, the occasional unexplained miracle?
You may agree with this quote by Pete Seeger, a folk singer and social activist: "I feel most spiritual when I’m out in the wood, Or looking up at the stars. I feel part of nature. I used to say that I was an atheist. Now I say, it’s all according to your definition of God. According to my definition of God, I’m not an atheist. Because I think God is everything . . . whenever I open my eyes."
Whenever someone tells me that they are atheist, I ask them how they can look at a rose in full bloom and not see beauty and mystery. There is something called sacred geometry, where repeat patterns of mathematical sophistication show up over and over in nature. Do these patterns suggest an intentional cosmic design? Is there a Mind, a Higher Power, a Master Geometer planning everything? This is impossible for many to believe. How arrogant it seems to think that we can do all on our own. We think we know so much and yet continually discover that we know so little.
But it is not just nature that can be awe inspiring. What often    turns us to look for God or some meaning at least, is suffering.      We may not feel that we need a God until things stop going our way. Why is this pain happening to me or to my loved ones? Why is this happening to my child/spouse/neighbor? Why is my loved one making such counterproductive choices? Why does so much in my life go so badly? Why does my body betray me so often and so dramatically? We scream that basic question: Why do bad things happen to good people? Or, more directly, Why is this happening to me?
If I am a fatalist I might say that this is just the way being human works. If I am atheist I might say that there is no ulterior meaning, we just have to make the best of it, then we die. If I am a believer I might say that there is a lesson here somewhere, if I can only find it, I just have to have faith.  If I am practical I might say that I get by with a little help from my friends. We might say with the suffering boy’s father, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” Mark 9: 24.
Where does this religious impulse come from? Are we born spiritual, with respect and caring in our DNA? What comes to mind is this verse from Luke 11:11:  “Which of you fathers, (or Mothers) if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Is Faith simply an outcome of concern for our children?
The Bible records reverence as the instinctive response of everyone who encounters the awesome magnificence and splendor of the Lord God Almighty (Leviticus 19:30, Numbers 20:6; Judges 13:20; 1 Chronicles 21:16). These passages define reverence as having a deeply profound, awe-inspiring respect. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/god/what-does-it-mean-to-have-reverence
The problem of worshipping a god for some is the necessity to   “bow down,” submit, obey, give one’s all to an ideal or deity; in other words give up any idea of control and give it to something that may turn out to be an illusion.
Whether out of fear, out of awe, out of desperation, habit or training, (social conditioning) in worship we acknowledge something greater than ourselves, some answer to the questions: Why am I here, does any of it matter, and does my life mean anything to anyone?
There is a definition of family that I find slightly disturbing: “Family is the place where when you knock they have to take you in.” For those of you in families, you may understand that there is sometimes a reluctance to opening that door. Yet, that is exactly what we want an inclusive religion or spiritual belief and community to do, take us in as we are, help us, provide a centre of faith, hope, love and meaning; someone to call when there is no one to call, someone to care when no one seems to care.  This is a tall order for any family or for any church/religion/spiritual community.
And yet we love.  We attend church services. We participate actively or passively in hearing the word of God, and share community with like-minded believers. We try to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We also bemoan the lack of attendance at regular church services;       we worry about whether we will continue to exist past financial viability. I suggest that there is no lack of worship. There is considerable worship of the “golden calf,” and any number of God alternatives that help us through the night or help us to escape the more terrifying questions of human life on Earth.  
The Ten Commandments are useful guidelines that summarize the main questions relating to the topic of today: “You shall have no other gods before me. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. It is not a question of whether to burn incense or not, or whether to say certain words in a certain way, although wars have been fought over what seem to be relatively minor differences. The question is, what are the consequences of our thoughts, speech and actions at home and in the public arena? Do we know to whom we give our allegiance? Do we practice the sacred in our daily lives? Whether we like it or not, our reputation precedes us.
According to Paul in Romans 1: 20-23 we cannot claim to not know the consequences: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
God is love. With God I have a center, I have love and hope, I have forgiveness and community. Without these qualities I would be lost in the universe, as it seems so many are today.
 
Where there is no vision, the people perish... Proverbs 29:18 .  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.  Psalm 14:1.  If we don’t have a God then we create idols. We humans need an ideal that can transcend the daily trials, the suffering, the loneliness, the fear, the lack of meaning, the loss of hope, and the abandonment of all that we hold dear.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 
 
​

Message - Karen Lackey Ryan - June 30, 2024
​
In our peaceful rural existence it may seem that the world on
the brink of disaster and global war are only figments of the
imagination; although disturbing, Far away and Nothing to do with
us. Yet it is natural to be preoccupied with the state of the world and
the multiplying effect of unbridled conflict, Ukraine and the Middle
East being the main focus. Our beliefs and point of view determines
what news we agree with and what hope we have for the future. Or,
perhaps we prefer to ignore it and hope that it all goes away.
World events always seem to be asking, “What do you humans
really want?” At the moment it is evident that war is the main game
in town. War is a great money maker for a chosen few, those who
are in positions of power, who we expect to be safeguarding citizen
well-being, but instead are counting dollars and amounts of
weaponry ready for action.
On the other hand there are those, Christian, secular, and other,
who are predicting the ultimate end of the world, Armageddon, then
the Rapture and the return of the blessed Christ, ruler of all in
peace and love.
Scripture is being used to justify acts of aggression on those labelled
less than human: The Other, not like me, my enemy who is in my
way. Do we believe that scripture is literally true, or a timeless and
metaphorical road map guiding us through the phases, questions
and difficulties of being human?
We live in a time of great uncertainty, when in Western urban (and
rural) cities people are homeless, living in makeshift tents, or worse,
where food insecurity is becoming the norm for too many, where the
assumed economic order is questioned, and the firm foundation on
which to stand seems more and more like quicksand.
I googled “predictions for apocalyptic events,” and found pages
and pages listing predictions beginning in 66 CE until the present.
The fear of and preoccupation with the end of the world has been
around for a long, long time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events
The use of the atomic bomb in WW2 has increased apocalyptic
preoccupations. The insanity of unlimited and highly technological
warfare seems increasingly obvious, yet the well-established
“industrial military complex” operative in all areas of the world, has
taken on a life of its own driven by big egos who think that more
guns are the answer.
Referring to selected scripture it is easy to believe that the end is
near. As Jesus states in Matthew, “
6
You will hear of wars and rumors
of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must
happen, but the end is still to come.
7
Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes
in various places.
8
All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Hasn’t this been going on for a long, long time? This is the stuff of
history. This is the basic drama of life on Earth, the battle between
Good and Evil. As 2 Peter tells us from centuries past,
4
They will
say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
Isaiah 13 is a pretty scary chapter. The title of the chapter is A
Prophecy Against Babylon. Babylon is literally situated in Iraq, and
symbolically represents wickedness and evil. Chapter 13 describes
what many people of the present day are actually living as warheads
land on them, reducing all to rubble. “Wail, for the day of the Lord
is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.”
There are those who justify this destruction as required on the path
to the second coming: The simplest definition of premillennialism is
the belief that after a period of severe tribulation of the earth, the Lord
Jesus Christ will visibly and bodily return to earth (His Second
Coming/Advent or Parousia) and will then rule and reign on the earth
for a period of one thousand years (a millennium) of peace and
prosperity. The scripture reference most often given for this order of
events is Revelation 19:11- 20:6. https://web.oru.edu/current a part of which
follows:
11
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,
whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and
wages war. And I saw an angel coming
2
He seized the dragon, that
ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a
thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss…
Is there really a linear progression of history, with a projected end,
however terrifying or idyllic? Or are we in an endless cycle of birth,
death and rebirth, whether by resurrection or reincarnation? No
one really knows. It is all speculation! Saying this is heretical for
someone who believes in the literal word of scripture.
So, where is my faith? What do I believe? Perhaps an anecdote or
two will illustrate my thinking. My water pump recently was
overtired; I did too much laundry all at once. The pump was trying
to recuperate and was running non-stop. I tried focusing on God,
not the problem. The pump continued to whine. I called a friend for
help and advice. I said that I was praying, but nothing improved.
My friend replied, “God is not a plumber, I am a plumber!” Good
point. Thankfully the pump resumed working properly by itself.
There is a story about a man caught in a flood. As the waters rose
higher and higher, he found himself on the roof as the water rushed
by. A person in a small boat came by and said, “Jump in, I’ll take
you to safety.” No, said the man on the roof, “I prayed to God, he
will save me.” Okay, said the man in the boat, and he paddled away.
A helicopter flew overhead, a rope was lowered, and he was told,
“Grab hold and come up, we are here to help.” No, said the man, “I
prayed to God, he will save me.”
Unfortunately the waters overtook the man and he ended up before
God. He complained saying, “God, I prayed to you and you didn’t
save me.” God replied, “I sent a boat and a helicopter and you
refused both. Now you are here with me.”
It is easy and demanding to wait for a Savior to rescue us from
ourselves, especially when we don’t even recognize help when it is
offered. It is much more difficult to live into the uncertain future
and work on ourselves to live a dedicated, God-informed life of
service. The choices are few: press a button for the ultimate solution,
wait for a Messiah/Christ to rescue us, or work on ourselves daily,
with hope and love and forgiveness, helping each other rather than
hurting.
There is nature and there is spirit. I am thankful to live in safety,
security, and not feel threatened by war. However, I remember
meeting evangelicals who always ask, “Are you saved?” I never think
in those spiritual terms, and any hesitation indicates a sorry
spiritual state. What does it mean to be saved spiritually?
John 5:24 states,| “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message
and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be
condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into
life.”
So according to scripture and my beliefs I am saved. Mark 12: 17
advises, “Jesus said to them, give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s
and give to God what is God’s.”
How many times do we have to hear Micah 6: 8 speaking to us from
long ago? “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to
love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Imagine if world
leaders and their military followed this ancient and relevant advice?
Philippians 4: 6, 7 assures us: The Lord is near. Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
We pray for peace. We continue to work for peace in ourselves, in
our families and in our society, using all the divine and human
resources at our disposal, for as long as we are able, until we also
meet God face to face.
Thanks be to God,
Amen

Message - Frances Jones - June 16, 2024
​A Love Without End . . . Amen!
          This title for today's message I borrowed from a song sung by country singer, George Strait.  In this song, he expresses how a father's love is firm and true, even when his son makes some questionable choices along his way growing up.  No matter the predicament that the young person finds himself in, he is assured that this father's love is indeed a love without end – amen.
          It would be wonderful if that were true in all circumstances; however, we realize that some children feel like they are a disappointment to their dad.  It could be that the children made some unconventional choices along their journey, or maybe they decided not to follow in their father's footsteps, but chose a life and career of their own instead of participating in, or taking over, the family business.
          And, in some situations, it is the father who feels inadequate.  For a variety reasons, a dad can feel like he has failed at measuring up to be a loving and responsible father.
          Today we celebrate all types of fathers – biological dads, step-fathers, and adopted dads.  To quote again our opening sentence - “It is not flesh and blood, but the heart, which makes fathers and sons.”
          There are some men who never had the chance to become a father for different reasons.  The same is true of some women who have never known motherhood.  And some children never had the opportunity to know one or both of their parents.  However, isn't it comforting to know that we – men and women – are all sons and daughters/brothers and sisters because we are considered children in the family of God.
          In our reading from Luke's gospel, we revisited Jesus' familiar parable of the Lost or Prodigal Son (also referred to as the story of the loving father).  Couldn't we almost feel the heart-break, or maybe we should say, the disappointment, experienced by this father as he waved good-bye to his son who chose a path that he believed would bring him excitement and adventure.
          Besides reminding us about what a caring, accepting, forgiving and loving God we have, does this parable also teach us a truth about ourselves?  This younger of two sons was well provided for on his father's farm.  He had food, shelter, security and the love of family.  But that was not enough for him.  He was searching for something different – something that would bring him pleasure, adventure, excitement.
          As we think about our own relationship with our God as Father and Creator, how many of us have experienced similar feelings - 'this is not enough; I want more – more experiences that will bring me pleasure;  something new and different'.  Then, when that doesn't turn out as wonderful as we thought it might, where do we go when we find ourselves at the bottom of the heap?
          We noticed in Jesus' parable that he emphasized the fact that this wandering son was forced to face up to his own mistakes before he was able to go and face his loving father in order to ask forgiveness.
          How amazing, and surprising, it must have been for this young fellow to have received such a warm welcome upon his return.  As undeserving as he was, his loving father, who had never given up on him, knew he was worth a great feast and a celebration in his honour - because this boy who was lost, now was found!
          So, if and when we feel that we've been away too long; that it's too late for us; we've made too many bad decisions; just think about a love like this.  A love without end indeed!
          From Matthew's gospel we heard about Joseph, a very unique father specifically chosen by God to take on a very unusual and serious responsibility.  He was to be Dad to a child that was not his own - God's own Son.
          We are familiar with this story and how Joseph struggled with the news of his beloved Mary's pregnancy.  What was expected of him was not a part of his original plan for his life.  Neither was it a part of his beloved Mary's plan.  This young couple were planning to be married, to have a family of their own, and to settle in the small town of Nazareth where they would be surrounded by loving family and friends.
          Haven't we heard that, when God has a plan, people's lives can be turned upside down?  And that's what happened to Joseph and Mary.  Joseph, after struggling with the realization that he must follow God's lead, had to overcome many obstacles.  There was the long trip to Bethlehem where he cared for Mary as she endured the birth of this miracle baby in a stable because no one had room for them.  Then he was forced to relocate the family from place to place in order to stay safe.  This was not an easy task for Joseph, but it was his devotion to God and family that proved him worthy to be Dad to this miracle baby Jesus.
          Regardless of how organized we believe we are, or how many plans we make, we know that life can be very unpredictable. If you and I take a look at our lives today, we might ask ourselves, 'did I really expect to be doing what I am now doing?'  It doesn't seem to matter how many side roads or meandering paths we choose to take along our way, when God has a plan, change is inevitable.
          Maybe we would like to be labeled the best Dad or the best Mom (and we've got the T-shirt to prove it!).  However, none of us is born knowing everything there is to know about good parenting.  I believe we learn as we go.  We are all human and we all make mistakes.  All we can do is give it our best shot – with God's help!
          Whenever we have feelings of inadequacy or unimportance, let's take a lesson from Jesus' parable of the mustard seed.  Can't we find reassurance in the fact that something as tiny and seemingly insignificant as that little seed can accomplish great things?  This tiny little mustard seed grew into a strong tree that branched out in order to provide safe lodging and protection for birds.  As small as it was at the beginning, it grew and made a significant difference.  So, as the song from the More Voices hymn book says, 'Go, make a difference, we can make a difference . . . Go, make a difference in the world.'
          Fathers -  biological, adopted, step-dads, foster dads, etc. - today let us remember that it is not flesh and blood, but the heart, which makes fathers and sons.  In particular, today we honour our Creator, the Living Spirit – our loving Father - for his acceptance of us in spite of our weaknesses - because his is a love without end – amen!

Rev. David's Blog - June 7, 2024
June 3, 2024
Rev. David wrote these words as he sits with his mom. Her body is in decline but her spirit prepares to soar!!
I woke this morning at 4h30 and spent some time at Mom’s bedside. She has had a peaceful night. Tears, releasing her to new life led to these words…
I cried when I entered this world, Mom’s pain in childbirth gave me life,
I cried through many dark and growing
times, good-bye’s to grandmothers (Grace and Myrtle) and losses,
I cried with Mom and family when Rebecca, Ruth and Joe lived their endings and cry still in gentle remembrance,
I cried when Dad died and we celebrated his life,
I cry as I care for my beautiful Mom, giving blessing and gratitude from the richness of all I have received,
I cry as I hold vigil beside her bed (with siblings and family caring, loving, releasing,)
/We will cry in days to come, we will laugh at the oddities we will uncover in the house,
I/We will cry singing the hymns she chose, sung through the generations,
I/We will wrap ourselves in quilts, will sit in the garden, and live the cycle of living, dying and rising again. 
These tears give release, express love and the hope that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes, death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more…”
(Revelation 21: 4) Amen.
So be it. Allelui
​ - Rev. David 

Message - Karen Lackey Ryan - June 2, 2024
​​For this second Sunday after Pentecost and Environment Sunday,     I question how these topics relate? The United Church Resources website offered “In Truth and Action, A Service for Earth Day,” which was April 22. A bit of a surprise to see this resource, with a scathing reflection, listing many abuses of workers and the environment including prayers for justice against Canadian mining companies. The list of these crimes is long. Our prayer of confession includes a part of one of these prayers. Credit goes to the United Church for bringing awareness to this injustice. The reports about Canadian mine abuses are not pleasant to hear and go against the Canadian image of ourselves as courteous do-gooders.
Doing a little research, I discovered that, Canada is home to an estimated 60 percent of the world's mining companies. (another source puts it at 75%) They operate in all corners of the globe, including countries where mining activities have been linked to human rights violations….Canadian mining companies currently operate in all corners of the world. Regrettably, they've acquired a particularly bad reputation globally for causing serious human rights abuses. To make matters worse, in many of these places, it can be very hard if not impossible to hold a powerful multinational company accountable, so such companies escape justice. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/canadian-mining-abuses  This is from an article introducing the journey of lawyer James Yap, member of a legislative group representing (slave) workers in Eritrea against the Canadian mining company, Nevsun, based in B.C. This is a relatively new process of foreign workers bringing cases to court in Canada. Of course many of these countries need the money, and there are often no protections whatsoever for their own citizens.
Perhaps you have heard of the abuses of Canadian mining companies in the Philippines. What follows is a quote from an article: https://springmag.ca/why-canada-is-at-the-centre-of-global-mining-atrocities: Chandu Claver, an Indigenous land defender, in a recorded presentation to attendees of the April 19 virtual launch of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Toronto chapter (ICHRP-Toronto). states, “Abra River is now dead thanks to Ivanhoe and Lepanto,” he said. He added that tailings from the mine disposed into the river have had a harmful impact on fish, and heavy metals have poisoned agricultural lands. But Ivanhoe Mines is not the only Canadian company operating in the Philippines. While Claver said corporate mining ownership has been difficult for civil society to track due to a “global practice of changing company names and using proxies and fronts,” other industry players have been identified. TVI Pacific Inc., Besra Gold Inc. (formerly Olympus Pacific Minerals), and ExGen Resources Inc. (formerly Boxxer Gold Corp.) have known operations in the country, according to Claver. These companies are part of a global mining sector predominantly based in Canada and infamous for unchecked environmental and human rights abuses. https://springmag.ca/why-canada-is-at-the-centre-of-global-mining-atrocities              
Unfortunately, these abuses are not just happening overseas, but   are also happening in our own backyards. There is what is called “environmental racism” which means that I can put my garbage on indigenous land or ship it off to a third world country. The following is a local Canadian example of NIMBYISM, not in my backyard, also from the Truth in Action Earth Day service:
“For as long as I can remember, the waters of B.C.’s Quesnel Lake played an important role in my community,” said Jacinda Mack, coordinator of First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining. “We fished for trout and swam in its depths, camped along its shores and picked berries and medicines in the surrounding Cariboo Mountains. The entire time, we were sharing our Xat’sull language and culture with our children.” Jacinda’s community has been devastated by the mine waste spill and the ongoing contamination of the water through mine activities. Despite calls from affected communities, church groups, and environmental organizations, there has been no accountability or justice for the people, for the animals, for all life living near Quesnel Lake.
The United Church makes a stand and speaks against abuses in a polite and reasonable voice. However, it is hypocritical to say that we live in God’s world and honor his creation, and yet so easily destroy, and easily rationalize our neglect of the natural world. We ridicule and marginalize the indigenous all around the world whose land and relation to the land are labelled undeveloped, “primitive” and childish. Meanwhile we gasp for breath in polluted air and our souls suffer as our natural resources, our global home is desecrated.
 
We say to ourselves, “Who am I,” and, “What can I do about anything?” especially when those who stand for Mother Earth are threatened and murdered. Perhaps like Samuel we are being called; called to be good stewards of God’s creation and God’s people. It is easy to mistake the inner voice that guides us. It is easy to sit passively and hope for the best.
 
Historically, Christians have used Genesis 1:26 as defining our relationship with nature: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may RULE over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” NIV The King James version is even more directive: 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
 
Alternatively, the belief that nature and humans are all part of the Divine is considered heretical, going against the hierarchy of the supremacy of God, with the angels just below, humans next, down to the fishes and animals and all created things. Googling the word “pantheism” brings up a confusion of alternative views, definitions,  and efforts to unite nature and the sacred.
 
Our creed makes a smooth reconciliation of God and nature, recognizing the majesty of God and his creation: We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.
 
The term “Husbandry” is relevant although rarely used today. It clarifies our responsibility and relationship to the Earth.
 
The term husbandman means “farmer” or “worker of the soil.” Husbandry is an agricultural term related to the production of crops or livestock. And to husband is to manage something well, showing prudence and economic sense. The word husbandman is not often used anymore.

In the New Testament, the word husbandman is a translation of the Greek word georgos, as in 2 Timothy 2:6 and James 5: 7. In the Old Testament, the word husbandman comes from the Hebrew word adamah, which simply means “land” or “of the earth.” This is the same Hebrew word from which we get Adam, the name of the first man, whom God placed in Eden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15; cf. 5:2). In Genesis 9:20, Noah is called a husbandman when he plants a vineyard. The word husbandman is found primarily in the King James Version of the Bible. Other versions use the word gardener, vine-dresser, or farmer, … Jesus compared God to a husbandman in John 15:1–2: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (KJV). A good husbandman works the earth, cultivates his plants, and naturally expects them to produce fruit commensurate with the amount of effort he has invested in them. Our heavenly Father, the divine Husbandman, seeks to produce fruit through us as we abide in Christ.   https://www.gotquestions.org/husbandman-in-the-Bible.html
 
We are called to care for each other and care for the Earth which supports us, as we maintain our close connection to God. Helping Mom with the dishes and learning how to effectively dispose of our garbage is a start where we are. Our efforts may seem futile, but it is better to do our small efforts than give in to despair. And to remember that with God all things are possible.  That is our hope.
 
Thanks be to God,
 
Amen
 
 

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