Riverview Rolls On

Christmas Eve Candle light service

2010-12-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

Everyone is invited to Riverview United to celebrate Christmas Eve with us at 7:00 on Friday, December 24th.

Christmas Wishes

2010-12-15T23:36:00.000-05:00

The Christmas season comes at a unique time of year. On one hand, it the period of the longest nights – the long darkness allowing time for reflection; for looking back and considering the year behind us. But it is also the time of lengthening day, of the growing light in the world when we can look ahead with hope to the future ahead of us. It allows a special opportunity – a time to reflect on the past year to gather what is good and useful in our lives that we want to carry forward into that brightening future as well identifying the unnecessary burdens and cares in our lives that we can throw away and discard. Christmas marks a time of new beginning, new hope - a new birth of Christ into our lives.

The congregation of Riverview United Church wishes that all Atikokanites, both near and far; past and present, have a great Christmas. We invite you to take time this season to take a break from the busyness and excitement to think about what Christmas really means to you and prepare for this upcoming journey into the new year – a time to ready yourself for that new adventure, free from old worries and open to follow new directions with renewed hope. We hope that your family gatherings are full of joy, your times with friends are filled with good cheer , and that you wake up Christmas morning with your stocking overflowing. But even more, we wish that on this Christmas morning, and every morning after, your heart is filled with the gifts of God, the gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love; the gifts that were delivered to us with the birth of a little child almost 2000 years ago.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Advent Update

2010-11-24T16:33:00.000-05:00

Although its been a while since the last update, life at Riverview continues on at a busy pace. We have been without a minister for a few months now, but the congregation has shown its usual spirit with lots of volunteers pitching in to keep the church vibrant and active both on Sundays and throughout the week in the community.

As we get prepared for the upcoming Advent season, we are pleased to have Rev. Frances Flook from Emo/Devlin leading worship on the First Sunday of Advent (Nov. 28) which will also include a communion service. We look forward to the church school pagaent on White Gift Sunday/3rd Sunday of Advent on December 12. We will also be having our traditional candle light service on Christmas Eve.

Advent marks the end of the church year and the beginning of the next – a time for new beginnings, new hope, a new birth of Christ in our lives. I invite you to look at this time as preparation for this new journey – a time that we can to reflect on the past year and take with us what is good and useful and discard all that is unnecessary burden. Prepare yourself to enter into this new season, free from the worries and open to follow our true ruler, Christ our Lord, who can lead us to places we might have never thought possible on our own.

Looking Ahead to June 27, 2010 -- 5th Sunday After Pentecost

2010-06-21T13:17:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism as we welcome Ashley Joy into the family of God.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 77 (VU p.791)
From the Letters of the Early Church: Philippians 2:12-18
From the Jewish Scriptures: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

The Hymns this week are:

#410 This Day God Gives Me (verses 1 – 3)
#644 I Was There to Here Your Borning Cry
#558 We Gather Here to Bid Farewell (tune #20)
#422 God Be With You till We Meet Again

The Sermon title is So Long, Farewell...

Early Thoughts: 9 years in, how do we say farewell?

There are a couple of quotes echoing in my mind as I prepare worship this week.

Always leave 'em wanting more --- Showbiz proverb

and some words of wisdom often shared among church staff (and campers and homeowners for that matter):

Leave a place in better shape than it was when you arrived.

I sincerely hope I have done both because they are both gems of wisdom. Don't overstay your welcome, don't hang on too long. But while you are there, be present, be hopeful, work for the better, strive for mutual improvement and benefit.

June 30, 2001 I arrived in your midst. And now, after 9 years of ministry together we bring this phase of our lives to a close. Over that time we have laughed together and wept together. We have shared moments of joy and of sorrow. We have shared hopes and fears. We have found solutions to life's problems--sometimes. We have lived out a covenant relationship of mutual support and challenge.

Now it is time to pass on the mantle of ministry to other people and other places. We do so in sorrow and in hope. We do so knowing that the bonds of care and love continue, even though the relationship changes. We do so knowing that we continue to be linked by the love that is God-Made-Manifest in our lives.

Our Scriptures this week speak of leavetaking and changes. They also speak of hope and promise. As we bring our covenant of ministry to a close may we remember the good times fondly, may we remember the challenges as times of learning, and may we all move forward with hope and trust.

I close my last "Looking Ahead" entry on this blog with words often used to close UCW meetings and church camps I have attended, words from the book of Genesis (never mind that in that context they are as much [or more] curse/warning than blessing), words that are echoed in our closing hymn this Sunday:

May the Lord watch between me and thee; while we are absent one from another

God's blessing and love on all of you today, tomorrow, and forevermore.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to June 20, 2010 -- 4th Sunday After Pentecost

2010-06-14T21:05:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: 1 Kings 9:8-15
Psalm 42 & 43 (VU p.768)
From the Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

The Hymns this week are:

#374 Come and Find the Quiet Centre
#245 Praise the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet
#660 How Firm a Foundation
#649 Walk With Me

The Sermon Title is Anchored or Adrift?

Early Thoughts: Two choices for any community or group (or even for us as individuals and families). Do we tie ourselves fast in place? Or do we sail madly wherever the wind takes us?

Some people and organizations have Will Your Anchor Hold as a theme hymn. They need and like the certainty of being grounded, of knowing where they stand. ANd there is good here. Being anchored and grounded means we know who and where we are. Being anchored allows us to plan carefully. But there is also a risk. We can become to firmly anchored, we can become stuck. We can think that this place where we are comfortable is where we always have to remain.

Some people and organizations have something more along the lines of I Feel the Winds of God Today as a theme hymn. They need and like the freedom to travel where the wind takes them, of being adaptive and changing with the world around them. And there is also good here. Moving with the wind allows us to meet emergent needs as they arise. We avoid becoming stuck and losing our relevancy. But of course there is also a risk here. We need a sense of who we are so that we can plan how to react to the winds. If we just fly free we can become really good at adapting but lose sight of why we are there in the first place.

In the end, most of us don't really live in either place most of the time. It is more helpful to envision a spectrum between those two points. And then we try to place ourselves along that line. Sometimes we are closer to the anchor, sometimes we are closer to the sail. Sometimes it depends where we are/what organization we are a part of/what our role in that place and time is. Because here is the secret. Any good ship needs both anchor and sail. Any good organization needs both as well. We need the benefits of being grounded and the freedom of coasting along.

Where are you on the spectrum? Where are the various communities and organizations of which you are a part?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to June 13, 2010, 3rd Sunday Aftert Pentecost

2010-06-08T10:18:00.001-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:
From the Letters of the Early Church: Galatians 2:15-21
Psalm 32 (VU p.759)
From the Gospel: Luke 7:36-8:3

The Hymns this week are:
#395 Come In, Come In and Sit Down
#266 Amazing Grace
#271 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
#424 May the God of Hope Go With Us

The Sermon title is Welcomed and Accepted

Early Thoughts: What do you mean we are supposed to welcome people like that? What does it mean to describe our selves as inclusive? Are we aware how well we do that?? Of where we fall short??

As General Council met in Kelowna this past summer the members of the Arctic Commission had this motion on their list of work (it came from Saskatchewan Conference):

That the 40th General Council 2009 adopt a policy that the Session (or Church Board or Church Council), in the exercising its duty of oversight of the order of public worship under 5.10.1 of the Basis of Union, may not discriminate against any group of persons on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, disability or status as divorced persons to the fullest extent, subject only to the laws of Canada, its provinces and territories as may exist from time to time, especially those which protect the vulnerable; and authorize a remit to test the will of the church with respect to this policy.

(There was also a list of "whereas" clauses-- arguments explaining why the proposal was made. You can read them on pages 10 & 11 of this {.pdf} document) So what does it mean?

If passed this proposal would have authorized a poll of the church asking if we wanted to change our constitution to say that all congregations were required to ensure they were open and welcoming to all people, specifically that discrimination (intentional or accidental) was not allowed based on that list of criteria. In some ways this seems common sense -- certainly the church should be as open and welcoming as possible right? In some ways it would be a hard fight -- who is some office somewhere else to tell us how we should operate? ANd certainly it was a major change in how congregations operate.

This proposal would require that all church buildings were barrier-free, that people of any race were openly welcomed, that economic status wouldn't be an issue (this is one of the hidden forms of discrimination in many areas of our country), that your marital status (single, married, divorced, living together) would never be an issue, that newcomers were as important as lifelong residents, and that sexual orientation would not bar anyone from any part of church life--including marriage. It was actually suggesting that a great deal of congregational decision-making be taken away. Why would they make such a suggestion? To hear someone from Saskatchewan speak to that question check out this YouTube video.

One of the cherished self-definitions within the United Church of Canada is that we are an "inclusive" church. We like to claim that as some sort of banner or rallying cry. Personally I am not always sure we know what we mean by it. Certinly I think that in many places we do a relatively poor job of living it out. Because of course, it is hard being inclusive. Our old patterns of believing what is appropriate get in the way. The prejudices and biases that we absorb unconsciously get in the way. And in some cases the percieved costs of being truly inclusive scare us away (think of churches trying to become barrier-free for financial issues, or the social stigma suffered by many within the UCCan due to our stand on issues on sexual orientation over the last 20 years). But we are in good company. People have been wrestling with these questions for centuries.

Sometimes we are tempted to think that we are better than we are. Sometimes we look at others and (either secretly or openly) give thanks that we are not a "Bad off" as they are. Sometimes we are so assured in our "rightness" that we miss the point of what others are doing. SOmetimes we need to be brought up short. Jesus does this in the Gospel lesspn this week as he talks to the Pharisee. He points out that to live the life of the Reign of God means that we welcome everyone, even people like that. As I look at our attempts to live the life of the Reign of God I think we need to open ourselve to questions around how inclusive we are in practice as well as in rhetoric.

Maybe the proposal from Saskatchewan Conference is calling the people of the United Church to seriously consider how wide their field of view is. Maybe we are being urged to ask ourselves what we really mean when we claim to be an inclusive church. Maybe we are being challenged to find ways to ensure that all are welcome, truly welcome, in this place.

It is hard. I know of some congregations that delude themselves. I know that many places truly aren't aware how they exclude some people. I know that some have decided that the costs of change are too big. But we have to take the questions seriously. As it stands, every Pastoral Charge in this conference is now required to answer this question when they produce their Joint Needs Assessment Report when beginning the search for ministry personnel:

THe United church believes that God calls people of all races, ethnicities, abilities and orientations to ministry. Are there any theological or physical factors that would prevent you from welcoming any such persons to your Ministry site? Please specify and include your rationale.

THis is a harder question than it seems. How would you answer it about the church you now attend? About other churches you have attended? How would you like to answer it? Inclsivity, to be meaningful, has to be shown in how we live and not just in words that we say. And yes, it is a hard thing to do at times.

Oh and what happened with the proposal? Well you will have to come on Sunday to find out.
--Gord

Looking Forward to June 6, 2010 -- 2nd Sunday After Pentecost

2010-05-31T12:02:00.001-05:00

This Sunday we will be celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the United Church of Canada. As part of this Communion will be celebrated using the "Common Loaf" of the National Church.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Gospel: John 17:1-2, 6, 17-23
From the Gospel: Luke 10:1-12

The Hymns this week are:

578 As a Fire is Meant for Burning (tune #374)
331 The Church’s One Foundation
601 The Church of Christ in Every Age (tune #20)
481 Sent Forth by God’s Blessing

The Sermon Title is 85 and Going?????

Early Thoughts: From Hockey Arena in Toronto to the internet wired church. Where do we go from here? Where are we headed?

June 10, 1925. Representatives from the Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregationalist and Local Union Churches gathered in a Toronto Hockey Arena to mark the formation of a new, distinctly Canadian, denomination. Supported by an Act of Parliament (and various pieces of Provincial legislation), and after many years of negotiation, the United Church of Canada became a reality. At the time there were high hopes that this was but a beginning of becoming United. The hope was that more of the Protestant community would come to join in the Union.

85 years later, where do we find ourselves? Is there still a sense of hope for the future? I there still a sense of who we are as a denomination and what we have to share/offer?

To be honest, I am not really sure. There is a great deal of despair and pessimism in our midst. There are hard numerical realities that people have tried to avoid or ignore for decades that are becoming elephants in our midst. And there have been various responses, both by local congregations and by the national offices, that sometimes seem to be grasping at straws, even if the straws seem to have a good foundation.

The passage from Luke we read this Sunday tells of Jesus sending out the disciples. I think that there is a message for the Church in this. We need to become missional, we need to be more outward-focussed and do less navel gazing. But above all, it is my fear that we have lost our sense of identity and mission. We have lost our focus and raison d'etre. Unless we find that again, any changes (big or small) that we make will merely be shuffling deck chairs.

I do believe there is hope for the United Church. I do believe we have something vital to offer to our world. I also believe that it is time to look to a new way of being, not just re-organizing old ways. Where will we be in 2025 when we celebrate our centennial?
--Gord

PS> Click here for some information about where General COuncil Executive is steering this ship

Looking Forward to May 30, 2010 -- Trinity Sunday (1st After Pentecost)

2010-05-25T09:46:00.001-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Proverbs 8:1-4, 2-31
Psalm 8 (VU p.732)
From the Letters of the Early Church: Romans 5:1-5
From the Gospel: John 16:12-15

The Hymns this week are:

399 God, Whose Love is Reigning o’er Us
291 All Things Bright and Beautiful (refrain at beginning and end only)
232 Joyful Joyful We Adore You
624 Be Thou My Vision

Gord is off tending to new baby this week. Thanks to Brian for leading worship.

Looking Forward to May 23, 2010 -- Pentecost Sunday

2010-05-18T11:17:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 104:24-35 (VU p.827 Part 2)
From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 2:1-12

The Hymns this week are:

198 Come, O Spirit Dwell Among Us (tune 374)
375 Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness
202 O Breath of Life (tune #437)
427 To Show by Touch and Word

The Sermon Title is What Language

Early Thoughts: The church is born amongst noise and fire and excitement. How do we get to understand what that is all about? What do we hear?

In Genesis we find the story of how the peoples of the world got sundered and divided. They have pretensions of grandeur. And it appears the God feels threatened and so God confuses their language and scatters them.

And then, in the Acts passage the sundering is undone. The languages are brought back together in the name of the One who prayed "that all may be one". The people from "all over the world" (or at least all over the Eastern Mediterranean) are united in hearing the Good News shared.

So what language allows us to be brought together?

The question is misleading. It suggests that there is some spoken languge that accomplishes the task, that is the antidote for the confusion of Babel. But there isn't one spoken language that does that. Think metaphor. The language that brings us together is the language of the Spirit.

What does it mean to speak Spirit-language? In some traditions the practise of ecstatic speech, of speaking in tongues is raised up as SPirit language. So that is one possibility. But could Spirit language be something else? Could it be something more available and accessible to all of us?

I think so.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 16, 2010 -- 7th Sunday of Easter

2010-05-11T16:55:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Psalm 97 (VU p.817)
From the Gospel: John 17:1-26

The Hymns this week are:

#402 We Are One
#579 The Church is Wherever God’s People
#569 You Call Us Out
#420 Go to the World

The Sermon Title is The Prayer of Jesus

Early Thoughts: WHat is your prayer for your friends and community just before you leave?

It is likely that none of this Gospel passage was said by Jesus in this way. But the idea is intriguing.

Just before the PAssion story begins, John puts this prayer into Jesus' mouth and heart. It is a prayer for his friends and followers. It is a prayer that the be strengthened and protected.

It is also a pryre for those who will come later. And so it is a prayer for all who seek to follow The Way. It is a prayer that we be led to the truth. ANd it includes the line that became the motto for the United Church of Canada -- That all may be one.

Where does this prayer lead us in 2010? WHat comfort and challenge do we find in it? And even better, how do we pray for those from whom we are about to be separated?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 9, 2010 -- 6th Sunday of Easter

2010-05-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this weeks are:

Psalm 67 (VU p.786)
From the Writings of the Church: Revelation 21:1-22:5

The Hymns this week are:

#710 Shall We Gather at the River
#588 Many are the Lightbeams
#713 I See a New Heaven
#642 Be Thou My Vision

The Sermon title is The City By the River

Early Thoughts: What do we hope for when the world is changed? What is the vision of the Reign that is to come?

Here in the climax of the book of Revelation we have a vision of the Reign. Interesting that it is a city. After all much Christian imagery focusses on the wilderness and the "pastoral" -- shepherds and gardens and hillsides. But the ministry of Jesus was largely in towns of varying sizes. And the ministry of the early church (as we have it described in Scripture) was almost exclusively in urban settings -- read the book of Acts if you don't believe me.

But this isn't just any city. This is a new Jerusalem, a new Zion. Zion is the home of God on earth within Jewish thought. This is the new beginning.

SO what is our new beginning? When we gather at the river that flows from the throne of God what do we hope to find? And do we see signs of it in the world around us?
--Gord

Changes Afoot!

2010-05-04T09:58:00.001-05:00

The General Council Executive met this past weekend. As a part of their meeting they were discussing some major changes for how we in the UCCan operate as a denomination. Expand for more....

From the news release on the NAtional WEbsite:

After thoughtful and prayerful consideration, the Executive unanimously adopted key directions aimed at encouraging and revitalizing ministries and simplifying processes, including:

* focusing the work of the General Council Office on supporting denominational identity and connection
* clarifying and redefining the roles of the courts of the church and reducing the complexity and size of The Manual
* establishing a Network for Ministry Development to offer training and consultation on congregational and new ministry development, and a New Ministries Fund seeded with $1 million from United Church reserves to support new and innovative ministries
* giving high priority to using new technologies and new media to their full potential, recognizing that accommodations will be necessary due to limited access to these technologies in some parts of Canada

Many of these initiatives will be developed and implemented over the triennium. Other parts of the plan will require further development and, in some cases, the approval of the General Council, which is scheduled to meet next in 2012.

As the Executive’s decision is implemented and the church reorients itself toward the future, budget realities mean a number of less welcome transitions will take place. These include the loss of 15–20 staff positions at the General Council Office over the triennium, and reductions in grants to mission support, global partners, theological schools, and education centres.

The loss of valued colleagues, work, and support for partnerships will be difficult. In its extensive discussion and discernment, the Executive recognized that embracing this plan for the future will bring opportunities, as well as loss.

At the same time as these reductions are being implemented, the new directions and initiatives approved by the Executive will ensure the church continues to be relevant and faithful in a changing context.

For those who like parliamentary language, here is the actual motion that was passed and here are some links to the report, some background, and some responses that were received.

What does this all mean? Only time will tell for sure but the hope is that it streamlines some of the bureaucratic side of church life. Real renewal for the church will not come from this though. Real renewal will come when we discover (or rediscover) a sense of mission, our raison d'etre, our purpose, a sense of who/how/where God is calling us to be.

FOr more discussion on this issue you can read through this thread

Looking Ahead to May 2, 2010 -- 5th Sunday of Easter

2010-04-26T11:57:00.025-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 11:1-18
Psalm 148 (VU p.871)
From the Gospel: John 13:31-35

The Hymns this week are:

#574 Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love
#372 Though I May Speak
#333 Love Divine, All Love’s Excelling
#427 To Show by Touch and Word

The Sermon title is Old Rules, New Twists

Early Thoughts: But that isn't how it is supposed to work!!! What happens when new interpretations of life and rules stare you full in the face?

To a certain extent that was a crucial question for the early Jesus-movement. As word of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus started to spread through Roman Palestine and beyond more people were drawn to the movement. But did non-Jews have to become Jews first? To answer that question meant looking at old rules. The answer that came to be used meant new twists on old thoughts.

Despite the fact that John's GOspel uses the phrase "a new commandment" the commandment to love your neighbour was not new. It is in fact found in the book of Leviticus (19:19). It is an old rule, one that all the Gospels agree Jesus gave a position of great prominence in Kingdom Life. The new twist was in the interpretaion of who was covered under the rule.

AS times change we need to keep evaluating our old rules. We need to be open to ask if they are still useful. We need to be ready for the possibility that God is throwing a new twist into life, one that may require a re-evaluation of the way we implement the rule (assumong that is that the old rule is still relevant and not in need of being discarded completely).

In your life today where do you find new twists staring you in the face? What old rules are you questioning????
--Gord

Biker Coming to Town

2010-04-19T16:39:00.011-05:00

REcently the Church office received word that "Gary Jones, a member of Trinity United Church in Timberlea, Nova Scotia is cycling across cancer to raise funds and increase awareness of thyroid cancer, which he was successfully treated for a few years ago." Gary will be arriving in Atikokan on June 3 and we will be looking for a billet for him. Contact Gord for more information. A story about Gary and his ride is available if you expand the post

Gary Jones passed the test of a lifetime when he underwent surgery for thyroid cancer in December, 1997. Now the long-time trucker and resident of the Bay Road in Timberlea is going to test himself -and his bicycle- on a 4,500 mile ride across Canada to raise money for thyroid cancer this spring..

He’s hoping to meet as many United Church folks as possible in his journey across the country – and is eager to talk to anyone who could put him up for a night along the way.

The ride isn’t just a physical challenge; it’s a spiritual one, according to the bearded, muscular truck driver who has been planning the trip ever since he got a clean bill of health from his doctor in 1998. Now that he’s retired after 38 years on the road, it’s time to hit the blacktop again.

“My life journey has been on wheels”, he says with an infectious grin. “I started with 18 wheels, graduated to 22 and drove from east to west.”

“My mission within my new journey starting in May is to bike west to east on two wheels hauling hope, faith and attitude”.

He’s scheduled to dip his wheel in the Pacific Ocean May 15 and will set an ambitious target of crossing the country in 45 days.

Gary’s attitude is well known in his home congregation where he has done everything from acting in plays to pouring concrete and heading up the church’s famous trucker’s breakfasts where diners are treated to heaped plates of beans and eggs and bacon topped off with pancakes. He’s also renowned for his energetic and enthusiastic speeches to the congregation either celebrating the last church event or advertising the next one.

That energy has also been evident in his fund-raising effort for thyroid cancer – so far he has raised over $9,000 and his goal is $20,000. But Gary is not a man who limits himself in anything.

He’s delighted with the generosity of the local community – businesses and individuals.

There is a long list of supporters on his website garybiking.blogspot.com and it grows every day that he is on the road with his passionate story about the need for cancer research funding.

“Word is starting to spread. Every day for the past two weeks somebody has come up to me and given me $20 or more- every day that happens”, Gary said.

He’s training every day for the journey and wants to get started – and to make friends along the way by billeting at homes along the route.

“I’m anxious to get on with this amazing adventure of crossing Canada by bike and fund-raising because I am a survivor of thyroid cancer,” he said.

So in the meantime it’s hammer down as Gary continues to train on roads around Timberlea, logging the miles to get ready for the big trip.

“My strength and my attitude come from enjoying life. Every day is a holiday,” he said.

“It’s all about smiling.”

Gary invites anyone who would like to support him to visit the garybiking.blogspot.com website for more information. Donations can be made to “Bank of Nova Scotia Cancer Research” or contact Gary at 876- 2415 or at ganmdfjones@ns.sympatico.ca.

Making COnnections Part 2

2010-04-19T14:37:00.003-05:00

We now know who our partners for Making Connections (see previous post) are...

Riverview's contact information was given to Bissell Memorial United in Spiritwood Saskatchewan. The paid minister there is Rev. Leigh Sinclair who writes in an e-mail:

Hello from Bissell Memorial United Church in Spiritwood Saskatchewan! I am writing on behalf of everyone here to say hello and introduce our selves as we have been given your name as one of our partners in the 85th anniversary celebrations.

Though we were matched "randomly" it is a very small world this United Church of ours and we have a few things in common. I know your ministry Gord from the youth ministry world and we are both in the midst of pastoral relationship changes. I will also be going to Alberta (though not as far north as Gord) and the congregation here has completed their Joint Needs Assessement and is in the midst of their search.

We are a shared ministry congregation doing everything together with Trinity Lutheran congregation. Thus we have become Trinity Bissell Memorial. We share a building, worship, leadership, youth group etc. etc. We all live in or around the small town of Spiritwood (about 1000 folks) where farming, health care and teaching are central vocations. The closest cities to us are Prince Albert, Saskatoon and North Battleford.

We will be sending you a package in the mail with pictures etc. and will be praying for you in your time of transition. We are honoured to be match with you all!

Riverview has been given the contact info for Parkwoods Pastoral Charch in Don Mills Ontario. They can be found at their website.

Gord has e-mailed them saying:

Blessings and greetings on behalf of Riverview United Church in Atikokan Ontario.

We are a part of Cambrian Presbytery, located just over 2 hours West-Southwest of Thunder Bay. Atikokan is a town of about 3000 folks and Riverview is a congregation that averages 40 folks on a Sunday morning.

We will be sending you some more information about our life as a faith community but we wanted to greet you as soon as possible. In the meantime please feel free to check out our blog at http://riverviewrollson.blogspot.com

Peace and Blessings as together we celebrate the 85th anniversary of this United Church of ours!

So what should we send Parkwoods to help them learn who we are?????

Making Connections

2010-04-19T14:28:00.001-05:00

The United Church of Canada turns 85 this year! One of the projects to celebrate this even is called Making Connections Expand the post to read more about it (from the National Website)

Celebrating an anniversary is often an opportunity to make connections, renew friendships, and sometimes even build new relationships.

How many times have you attended family gatherings where distant relatives met for the first time and discovered a shared history? The bonds become stronger when we celebrate and honour our interconnectedness.

This is also true for the family we call The United Church of Canada. Congregations and diverse community ministries span this country from coast to coast to coast. Our global partners and overseas personnel extend our family ties around the world. From urban centres to small towns to rural and remote communities, we are all connected.

This June 10, The United Church of Canada’s 85th Anniversary is a time to remember, renew, rejoice—and make new connections!

Beginning in March we will be inviting you to participate in a special anniversary initiative called Making Connections. Our hope is that you will use the time leading up to Anniversary Sunday on June 6 to initiate and nurture a new relationship with a “distant relative” in the United Church.

To do this we will randomly pair United Church pastoral charges, community ministries, global partners, and overseas personnel with one another. This means each pastoral charge, community ministry, global partner, and overseas personnel will have the potential to begin two new relationships: one with the ministry you are invited to connect with, and the other with the ministry that has been invited to connect with you.

Looking ahead to April 25, 2010 -- 4th Sunday of Easter

2010-04-19T11:18:00.001-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23 (VU p.749)
From the Writings of the Early Church: Revelation 7:9-17
From the Gospel: John 10:22-30

The Hymns this week are:

#217 All Creature of Our God and King
#747 The Lord’s My Shepherd
#337 Blessed Assurance
#424 May the God of Hope Go With Us

Gord is away this week and so we offer a great big thank-you to Elvin for leading worship.

Does this Speak to you? What Does it Say?

2010-04-16T10:04:00.003-05:00

This ad comes from our brothers and sisters in the United Church of Christ in the US:

Looking Ahead to April 18, 2010 -- 3rd Sunday of Easter

2010-04-12T13:48:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Gospel: John 21:15-17
Psalm 30 (VU p.757)
From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 9:1-20

The Hymns this week are:

#409 Morning Has Broken
#183 We Meet You, O Christ
#626 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
#232 Joyful, Joyful We Adore You

The Sermon Title is 180°

Early Thoughts: What does it take to make us turn and go in a new direction? Can we turn our backs on where we were and go the other way?

Paul was, by his own account, a persecuter of the early church. In Acts Luke makes it clear that this persecution was potentially fatal. And yet when he experiences the Risen Christ, when he runs into the reality of Easter, Paul's life and perspective are wholly changed.

Peter was afraid. In the chaos after the arrest of Jesus and the fear that Jesus' followers would be the next to be put into chains Peter vehemently denies that he even knew the man -- much less was one of the most trusted and favoured followers. And yet out of his experience of the Risen Christ he becomes the first leader of the movement that becomes known as the Christian church.

There is something about the resurrection experience that leads people to turn and go in the opposite direction. But maybe that is less than surprising after all. In resurrection we are reminded that anything is possible. In meeting the resurrection truth we are pushed to let go of death.

Many of us find ourelves going the wrong way at times. What would it take for us to be convinced that we need to turn around? More importantly, what would it take for us to actually do it?
--Gord

2010-04-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

(image from here)

Christ is Risen

Christ is Risen Indeed!

Happy Resurrection Day!

Looking Forward to April 4, 2010 -- Easter Sunday

2010-03-29T14:38:00.000-05:00

This week we celebrate the Banquet of Hope and New Life as we share the Sacrament of Communion.

The Scripture Readings for this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 65:17-25
Psalm 118 (VU p.837 Parts 1-3)
From the Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

The Hymns this week are:

157 Christ the Lord is Risen Today
186 Now the Green Blade Rises
173 Thine is the Glory
481 Sent Forth By God’s Blessing

The Sermon Title is Can't Stop the Kingdom

Early Thoughts: The powers have done their worst. But whose is the final victory? What is God's answer to the cross?

It seems that the Kingdom has been stopped. Last Sunday we sang and cheered and were filled with hope. But then the bottom fell out. We were sure it was a done deal. Instead we watched a trial and execution. We've waited all this time to be delivered but I guess this isn't the time.

But that isn't the end of the story. We always need to stay until the last reel has been played. Even if it is we are 7 points down, on our own 35 yard line, 5 seconds left on the clock, the game isn't over. As they say in about the opera, it ain't over until the fat lady sings. (Any other cliches you want to fit in here?)

The big surprise is that the Kingdom simply can't be stopped. Just when all seems lost God has another card to play. GOd raises the Chosen One. God does an amazing new thing. This is the glory that is Easter.

The world as we know it lives day to day on Friday, at least if we believe the picture drawn by the evening news. On a good day we might make it to Saturday, with a reprieve in the Kingdom-stalling violence. But the life of faith draws us right through into Sunday's dawn. God's Reign of Love and Justice and Peace will be triumphant in the end. The new heaven and earth will come to pass.

Last Sunday we asked Can You Stop the Kingdom? On Friday it looked like the answer was yes. But now we know the truth. No. The REign of God can NOT be stopped, only delayed a little.
--Gord

Looking Forward to April 2, 2010 -- Good Friday

2010-03-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Passages are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
From the Gospel: Luke 22:7-23:56
Psalm 22 (VU p.744 Part One)

The Hymns are:

144 Were You There
182 Stay With Us Through the Night

The Meditation Stopping the Kingdom will continue on from the question asked on Palm Sunday. What is it in the world that seems so good at stopping the coming of GOd's Reign? Why do those forces seem to win so regularly? Are we complicit in their victories?

Looking Forward to March 28, 2010 -- Palm Sunday

2010-03-23T10:33:00.001-05:00

The Scripture REadings this week are:

Luke 19:28-48
Psalm 118 (VU p.837)

THe Hymns this week are:

122 All Glory Laud and Honour
123 Hosanna Loud Hosanna
357 Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
127 Ride On Ride On in Majesty (tune 20)

THe Sermon Title is Can You Stop the Kingdom?

Early Thoughts: We wave the palms and sing the songs. The world is filled with hope. Do we see the wall that we are about to hit?

It is a celebration, a coronation even. But there is a shadow lurking around the corner. Palm Sunday is a study in contrasts.

Even as Jesus enters the city to shouts of great praise the leadership is skulking at the edge of the picture, waiting to do something to restore the "peace". And so the sermon title is a very real question.

Can the Kingdom be stopped? If the people are silent the very stones will start to sing Jesus says. THe leaders are afraid to step in and arrest him in public, worried about the reaction of the crowds who follow him.

On the surface the answer seems to be no. But really, what will happen? HOw strong is the storm that is about to break? WE will follow the question through this Sunday to Friday and Sunday....
--Gord

Congregational Meeting

2010-03-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

As a result of Gord's letter (see previous post) we need to form a Joint Needs Assessment Committee. This is the first step in working towards who the next minister will be. We need 5-7 people from the congregation and Presbytery will appoint 2 representatives.

Here is a handbook describing what the committee is and what they do.

The meeting to appoint these people will take place April 11 following the worship service

News

2010-03-21T16:20:00.001-05:00

This letter was shared in worship this morning:

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

To: Marlene Davidson, Board Chair, Riverview United Church
Janet Buckley, Secretary, Cambrian Presbytery
CC: Leigh Mills, Chair of M&P, Riverview United Church
Rev. Barb Miller, Chair of Cambrian Presbytery
Rev. Cheryl Kinney Matheson, Chair of MPE, Cambrian Presbytery

In the church we are called to follow the leading of the Spirit. We are called to trust in the Spirit and to live in God's time. In that living into God's time and the leading of the Spirit we remember the wisdom shared in the above line from Ecclesiastes. We also remember that the God who we follow is the one who proclaims through the prophet Isaiah “Behold, I am doing a new thing”.

Over the last year I have done some intentional listening to the voice of the Spirit. And out of that I have realized that the Spirit is calling me to a new place. And so I am writing to request a change in Pastoral Relations, effective July 1, 2010, to enable me to respond to a call to ministry with St. Paul's United Church in Grande Prairie Alberta.

At last month's Presbytery meeting Barb Miller included in her remarks this quote from the movie Hope Floats: Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will. That describes the feelings I have as I write these words. I look at the middle, the 9 years of living and working and “churching” together with all of you. As a family we have been truly blessed to live and work within the faith community of Riverview United Church, the wider community of Atikokan, and the wider faith community of Cambrian Presbytery. It is with sadness that we look to leaving. But with endings come new beginnings and the promise of growth and new experiences and so mixed in with the fear and sorrow is anticipation. And as always, we, who are people of hope and faith, wait for the hope to float up.

As we move into this time of endings and new beginnings may we do so secure in the knowledge that this part of our journey is taken in the presence of God. May God be with us as we all plan for the future. May God work with us as the new thing comes to fruition.

Peace and Love,

Rev Gord Waldie.

Looking Forward to March 21, 2010 -- Fifth Sunday of Lent

2010-03-16T11:45:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126 (VU p.850)
From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 55:1-5, 12-13

The Hymns this week are:

574 Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love
703 In the Bulb There Is a Flower
642 Be Thou My Vision
884 You Shall Go Out with Joy (sung twice)

The Sermon Title is What is the New Thing?

Early Thoughts: What is coming? Are we ready to let it happen? Can we see what new thing God is doing in our world?

It is easy to lose heart sometimes. IT is easy to look around and decide that there is nthing worth hoping for. But this just part of life. And it has pretty much always been a part of life. THere have always been reasons for people to give up.

And that is the world into which God speaks through Scripture. Both of these readings from Isaiah were written and spoken to people in exile, people who had seen their capital and temple destroyed and then been hauled off to a strange land. And to these exiles God sends words of hope, saying that God is doing a New Thing. God promises that the creation itself shall burst into song, that where thorns grew trees will grow. Despite the pessimism that would be so tempting they are called to be people of hope.

So are we. We need to be people of hope. We need to look for what new things God is doning in our midst and be open to embrace them. Yes, new beginnings may often (or almost always) mean the ending something else. ANd that can be hard to accept. Beginnings can be scary. Endings are often sad. But we live in hope. God IS doing a new thing. The mounitains and fields will sing and dance. And we shall go out with joy, for we are people of hope.
--Gord

Looking Forward to March 14, 2010 -- 4th Sunday of Lent

2010-03-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Psalm 32
Luke 15:1-32

The Hymns this week are:

559 Come O Fount of Every Blessing
227 For the Fruit of All Creation
266 Amazing Grace
410 This Day God Gives Me

The Sermon title is: Get Found! Join the Party!"

Early Thoughts: Have you ever been lost? Was it an accident or on purpose? WHat happened at the end of the story??

Robert Fulghum, in a story in one of his books, suggests that sometimes we get lost on purpose -- only we call it hiding. ANd then we sometimes hide so well that we get mad when people seem to stop looking for us. Fulghum also suggests that we try the same thing with GOd.

But of course the witness of Faith and of Scripture is that God doesn't stopp looking. Or GOd never stops waiting for us to "come to our selves" and decide to stop being lost/hiding. And then there is a party! There is always a party!

So maybe we who sometimes feel lost, adrift, wandering aimlessly, need to all our selves to get found? Maybe we who sometimes get really good at playing hide and seek need to "accidentally" let our arm poke out from behind the bush? ANd then we can join the party too!
--Gord

National M&S Fund totals for 2009

2010-02-11T11:23:00.002-05:00

                         2008                 2009      $Change    %Change
from Cong.    27,300,852      26,507,150    -793,702    -2.91
from UCW    2,010,613         1,895,922      -114,691         -5.70
for WDR            404,030            521,096       117,066         28.97
Total             29,715,494       28,924,168    -791,327         -2.66
Goal 31,500,000       32,500,000                               3.17
% of Goal           94%                 89%

SOurce

Looking Forward to February 14 -- Transfiguration Sunday

2010-02-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

The Scripture REadings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 99 (VU p.819)
From the Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

The hymns this week are:

#371 Open My Eyes, That I May See
#585 Jesus Bids Us Shine
#104 We Have Come at Christ’s Own Bidding
This Little Light of Mine (insert)

The Sermon title is Shine On!

Early Thoughts: It has been said that we all carry a spark of the Divine light. What would it take to let it shine?

Both of our passgaes this week talk about people shining. Moses in the desert and Jesus on the mountain top. IS this shining a literary device? Or is it something else? IS it a way of noticing that someone has been changed, even if the viewers have trouble describing just how?

What do Moses and JEsus hve in common in these stories? THey both start to shine when they are in relationship with God. Moses removes the veil that masks his shining when going to commune with GOd. Jesus starts to shine when he is praying. COuld it be that GOd is shining through them?

It is my belief that part of what we are called to do and be is to connect with the Divine in our lives. WE need to fan the spark that lives within us, we need to access it's spiritual-psychic energy. But we can't stop there. THe moments when we feel the spark glowing in us are often called "mountain-top moments". ANd it is tempting to stay there in the glow.

But we can't. AS much as we are called to be in relationship with the Divine, we are also called to share the glow with the world around us. WE are called to shine in the dark places of people's lives. We are called to be light to the world. In short, we are called to shine on. To do that we need to access the light, to make it a part of us. Then we can leave the sanctuary and go back into the world where our living and our ministering happens.
--Gord

Conference Annual Meeting

2010-02-08T09:58:00.001-05:00

The theme for the Annual Meeting of the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario (MAy 27-30 in Killarney MB) has been announced. It is Who Do You Say I Am? and will be looking at JEsus and our understanding of him. Riverview is in need of a representative to attend since at present it looks like both Gord and Elvin will be unavailable.

You can read more about what is planned here

This will be An Interesting Process...

2010-02-04T12:01:00.000-05:00

In 2 years all Pastoral Charges will be asked to vote on our words of faith. The following is from the National Website:

In August 2009, meeting in Kelowna, British Columbia, the 40th General Council adopted the following proposal:

That the 40th General Council 2009

1. in the area of Doctrine, The United Church of Canada recognizes the primacy of Scripture, with the “Doctrine Section of the Basis of Union,” “1940 Statement of Faith,” “A New Creed,” and “A Song of Faith,” each being recognized as a “subordinate standard” of the United Church as contemplated by Declaration 28(b) of The United Church of Canada Act.
2. declare that “Doctrine” of the United Church for all purposes in the Basis of Union, By-Laws, and Appendices of The Manual be those subordinate standards, subordinate to Scripture, that are so approved by the United Church in accordance with the conditions contained within The United Church of Canada Act; and
3. authorize a remit to Presbyteries and to Pastoral Charges to test the will of the United Church with respect to these declarations and recognition.

Motion: John Young/Doug Wright

This remit is what is known as a Category Three remit requiring that a study process be available in the church for two years prior to its release. The formal remit will be issued by the Executive of General Council between January and May 2012.

This background document [PDF: 36 pp/168 KB] is provided to the church to enable it to prepare for the remit and to encourage study of its implications.

What will the REaction Be?????

2010-02-03T19:51:00.000-05:00

THe lease on the office space currently being used by the General Council Offices will come due in a couple of years. IT is a given that GCO will not get nearly as good a deal at renewal, and so the current space will not be affordable. Since you need to plan well in advance to move the national office, a Task Group has been created to investigate the future location.

In this week's Conference Weekly News was this blurb:

Re-location of General Council Offices - Last November, the Task Group on General Council Office Relocation invited all Conferences to submit Expressions of Interest concerning their willingness to host General Council Offices. The deadline for submissions was January 29, 2010. Here is the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario’s Expression of Interest. Our appreciation and thanks go to Caryn Douglas who worked diligently and pulled this package together on our behalf. Thank you Caryn! The Task Group received three submissions. The other two being Ottawa and Bloor Street United in Toronto. We are expecting a recommendation and decision at the 2010 fall meeting of General Council Executive.

TIme will tell what recommendation gets brought forward and what decision gets made.

A Hymn of Call (VU #563)

2010-02-03T09:57:00.002-05:00

A Map of the United Church

2010-02-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

What does it look like to be a national church?

This map will show you one way to answer that question. It plots all the Pastoral Charges in the United Church of Canada according to their mailing address.

Looking Ahead to February 7, 2010 -- 5th Sunday After Epiphany

2010-02-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 138 (VU p.860)
From the Jewish Scriptures: Jeremiah 1:4-10

The Hymns this week are:

#315 Holy, Holy, Holy
#509 I, The Lord of Sea and Sky
#562 Jesus Calls Us
#675 Will Your Anchor Hold

The Sermon title is Why Me?

Early Thoughts: Ever been asked to do something you felt totally unequipped to do? Ever wondered why they didn't ask somebody else?

If so you aren't alone. Just look at the two passages we are reading this week. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah have very valid, in their minds anyway, reasons why GOd should choose someone else. And we find that elsewhere in Scripture. And certainly you find it often in the church. "Why me? There must be a mistake. There must be someone better" is a common response to God's call.

But the result of the story is equally common. In the end the objections are overcome somehow (of course if they weren't overcome we likely wouldn't hear the story I guess). GOd has a way of using people who are unqualified, who don't want the job, who are sure a mistake has been made. ANd sometimes as the story gets told the very thing that a person thinks makes her/him ineligible for the job is the reason he/she was called in the first.

Why me? IT is a valid question, but only if we are willing to explore the possible answers. It isn't valid as a way out. God calls the strangest people to the strangest jobs. OFten they are reluctant. OFten they feel not up to the task. But still God calls. ANd it is my belief that if it is really God who calls then two things are true: 1) there is no escape in the long run and 2) the task is possible.

WE'll explore this some more on Sunday.
--Gord

Sunnycove 2010

2010-01-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

NOt many details are available yet. WEll prtty much none. But we do know that the United Church Camp group has Sunnycove from July 25-31. THis likely means that the campers will be arriving on Monday the 26th and leaving on Friday the 30th with the leadership team arriving Sunday afternoon and leaving Saturday morning.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Looking Ahead to January 31, 2010 -- 4th Sunday After Epiphany

2010-01-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

Everyone is reminded that the Congregational Annual Meeting will be held following worship this Sunday. All are welcome (and encouraged) to attend. Lunch will be provided.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Psalm 71 (VU p.789)
From the Gospel: Luke 4:14-30

The Hymns (still subject to change) this week are:

312 Praise with Joy the World’s Creator
579 The Church is Wherever God’s People
87 I Am the Light of the World
578 As a Fire is Meant for Burning (tune 374)

The Sermon Title is A Sense of Mission

Early Thoughts: Jesus knew where he was going. Do we? Jesus knew it would cause trouble and embraced it anyway. Can we?

Jesus goes home to read and to preach. And he seems to be a wild success--at first. I can see the headlines now "Local Boy Makes Good!" in 48 point font.

But then something changes. The crowd which just a couple verses earlier is very excited is now ready to throw Jesus over a cliff. ANd Jesus merely walks through them and continues on his way.

What happened? It seems that what happened is that Jesus pushed his idea of who he was called to be beyond the comfortable place of "Local Boy Makes Good". Jesus pointed out that he was not there to make everyone happy, to meet their expectations. Jesus points out that he has been called to something else, something more.

What is the lesson for the church here? Do we have that same sort of clarity about who we are called to be? Are we willing to chance that living out that call won'r always make folks happy? What cliff are we willing to get dragged to before we too walk through the crowd and continue on our way?
--Gord

A Letter From the Moderator

2010-01-18T19:28:00.002-05:00

Mardi Tindal, Moderator of the United Church, has written a letter in response to the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change last month. Click below to read it:

An open letter to all Canadians from the Moderator of The United Church of Canada

This letter was born in Copenhagen where, heartbroken, I watched the international climate talks fall apart.

Heartbroken because it was clear to me, as it was to many of you, that the talks in Copenhagen needed to succeed, that it is no longer safe for us to go on as we have before.

I believe this is a unique time in humanity’s fretful reign on Earth, a rare moment that will have historic significance.

And yet the Copenhagen talks failed. We have no plan to reduce deadly emissions of carbon dioxide. Emissions that are a symptom of our broken relationship with the web of life. Emissions that are rising faster than at any time in human history.

We also have no legally binding agreement. Instead we have feeble words cloaked in mistrust, the phantom of a deal.

Our moment of opportunity came and then went, and here we are now, the fate of civilization and of millions of the planet’s life forms hanging by the frayed thread of inaction.

So where is our hope?

I believe the answer to this question is that hope is in you. It is in me and in all of us who choose to reject despair and embrace hope. Together, we will replace the Copenhagen failure with success. It is up to us.

Why do I say that?

Because I believe something important shifted in Copenhagen. Watching the tens of thousands of citizens who gathered at the talks to exhort our world’s political leaders to act reminded me of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., who said it would be “fatal…to overlook the urgency of the moment.” He also spoke of the “fierce urgency of now.”

King’s fight was against the great moral ills of his day, what he called the “manacles” of racial segregation and the “chains” of discrimination. He refused to wait and called on everyone to act.

I too believe the time for waiting has run out.

While I was in Copenhagen, I reread the letter King wrote nearly 50 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, where he had been jailed for taking part in a non-violent protest against segregation. White church leaders were harshly and openly critical. His actions weren’t right, they said. His letter, which remains a powerful work of literature, is an answer to their charge that he should stick to his knitting.

He said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”

I think about his words now that Copenhagen is over. What if, instead of racial segregation, King had spoken about high greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere? Would his words hold? It seems clear to me that they would ring loud and true.

Biologically, we live within an inescapable network of mutuality. Science tells us that. Without the web of life, there is no life. We need each other. We are emphatically, biologically not alone. As the carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere rise, the planet will fail to provide for us. Life as we know it will die. Millions of human lives are on the line, rich and poor, old emitters and new, vulnerable and strong. There is no inoculation against this except all of us changing our behaviour all at once.

We are tied in a single garment of destiny.

This is why the issue of too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has moved far beyond a political process. It has also moved far beyond being just a scientific issue. It is an ethical issue.

Science has shown us that we have caused the chemical changes we can now track in the atmosphere and the ocean. Therefore, because climate change has been caused by our actions, we are ethically obliged to take responsibility for those actions.

I believe the ecological crisis is one of the most urgent moral challenges in human history. Just as racial segregation and discrimination, and before that slavery, were in their times. Responding to this moral challenge lies with us, and the time is now.

I say this despite the fact that there are those who would say faith leaders have no place in addressing the issue of climate change. Stick to praising your God, they say.

That’s what we’re doing.

I do this within the tradition of my own faith community, The United Church of Canada. Because of our faith we have struggled with moral issues for generations, and we have often been criticized for it. We pressed for all sorts of social advances that today are givens: universal education, legal birth control, the social safety net. We did this from a deep faith that hope and change are possible.

My faith also leads me to remember Nellie McClung. Like me, she was a member of the United Church. She used wit, strategy, the power of her congregation, and unceasing political pressure nearly 100 years ago to help Canadian women win the right to vote. She appalled the premier of Manitoba of the day, who muttered to her that “nice” women didn’t want to vote. McClung was remorseless. She placed the church at the heart of women’s right to vote. It was the price of admission for a person of faith.

Like King half a century ago, like McClung half a century before that, like the Englishman William Wilberforce a century before her who used his beliefs as the springboard to abolish slavery, we cannot extricate the pressing moral issues of our day from our faith.

Nor should we. It is my job as a faith leader to refuse the false choice between contemplation and action, between praying and doing. Action requires contemplation just as contemplation requires action. If we breathed only in or only out, we would die.

And so, while it may be true that humanity’s sacred stories don’t speak about the intricacies of climate change, they do tell us about right and wrong. They are an archive of human dreams, a narrative of inspiration, humanity’s call to rise to the occasion. King saw the earliest expressions of Christianity, for instance, as society’s thermostat rather than its mere thermometer. At its best, faith gives us reason to hope. It helps us take heart and understand that there is another way.

That is why I believe we must look at issues through the lens of morality and faith. Science describes what is. Faith describes how things can and should be. On this issue science is not enough. We need more. And that is why ecological issues are also fundamentally moral, ethical, and theological concerns. And, therefore, why faith leaders must grapple with them. Why we all must grapple with them.

Because when our actions threaten the lives of millions of people and other creatures, that is wrong.

When our lack of action endangers communities in every region of the world, that is wrong.

When our economic systems jeopardize the well-being of future generations, that is wrong.

When the lifestyles of the wealthy undermine the survival of the poor, that is wrong.

If we fail to act, we are helping to doom millions of our species to abject suffering and death. That is wrong.

So what am I asking you to do?

Whatever it takes to follow in the footsteps of inspirational leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr.

Whatever you can imagine. I wouldn’t dream of limiting you to my list. The possibilities are abundant. In our homes and offices, in our places of worship, in our families and community organizations, as individuals and acting together, let us choose hope and action over despair and paralysis. Every day I receive new messages from people who are making dramatic changes in their lives. The answers are already here. Together, let us act by our beliefs.

When we do this, we will replace the fearful self-interest of Copenhagen with joyful inclusion and healing of the world.

This is a transformative moment in the planet’s history. The world will be shaped by how we and our communities respond in the months to come. It will take all of us. All of you. I can see your imagination springing forth even now, making this safe, healthy new world come to life.

A new world where broken hearts are transformed as we take heart together.

With sincerity and hope,

Mardi Tindal
Moderator
The United Church of Canada

Looking Ahead to January 24, 2010 -- 3rd Sunday After Epiphany

2010-01-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings for this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19 (VU p.740)
From the Letters of the Church: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Hymns for this week are:

#245 Praise the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet
#356 Seek Ye First
#679 Let There Be Light
#232 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You

The Sermon Title is Law: Burden or Blessing???

Early Thoughts: Well which is it? Is the Law an onerous obligation or a gift?

Over and over again we are reminded that the Way of Jesus is not meant to be a legalistic path. Grace has, we are told by Paul, superseded the Law. But then again Jesus is supposed to have said "I come to fulfil the law, not to abolish it". And in this passage we are told that the people wept and celebrated upon hearing the reading (with interpretation) of the Law.

Psalm 19 says

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes

This hardly describes something onerous or something that has been imposed.

Jewish Tradition sees Law as God's gift, indeed one of God's greatest gifts. Christian tradition tends to denigrate the Law all the while creating a whole new legalistic structure about who is "right" with God and what is allowed. What would it take for us to see the Law as a gift? How would that change our approach to life? Maybe we get there by asking what life without law would be like?
--Gord

Haiti Response

2010-01-14T21:14:00.002-05:00

From the United Church Web Site

Toronto: The United Church of Canada announced today that it is launching an emergency appeal asking its congregations for donations designated for earthquake relief and reconstruction in Haiti.
“People see a need, and have a desire, to reach out as brothers and sisters in Christ to show compassion to those in dire need,” says The United Church of Canada’s Moderator, Mardi Tindal. “As one part of God’s world suffers, we all suffer.”

The United Church’s Haiti Appeal will enable global partners in the region to address both the need for immediate relief and for long-term reconstruction following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.

Funds raised through this emergency appeal will be channelled through the United Church’s partners in Haiti and through Action by Churches Together (ACT), the network of churches and Christian aid agencies that enables global responses to emergencies.

Members of ACT are already in place in Haiti, assisting those affected by the earthquake. The United Church’s partners in the region are The Methodist Church of Haiti and The Karl Lévêque Cultural Institute (ICKL).

“We rejoice at news this morning that ministers of the Methodist Church are safe,” said Jim Hodgson, the United Church’s program coordinator for the Caribbean region. “But the same message contained the news that three visitors from the United Methodist Church in the United States are missing. Our prayers are with the people of Haiti and with those who work alongside them in solidarity.”

In addition to launching this emergency appeal, the United Church has also immediately committed $20,000 for Haitian relief and reconstruction from its Emergency Response Fund (ERF). The United Church is exploring further options to respond to the crisis in Haiti in collaboration with other Canadian churches to take advantage of matching funds from CIDA that may be offered.

The Emergency Response Fund is used to help alleviate the effects of humanitarian crises caused by nature, human action, or a combination of both. The fund is replenished annually from the Mission and Service Fund and member donations. Fifteen percent of all donations received and intended for emergency relief, reconstruction, and rehabilitation are deposited into this fund for use in future emergencies that do not receive intensive media coverage. The remaining 85 percent of the monies received are directed as designated by the donor.

It is important to note that unlike many charities, and thanks to regular donations to the Mission and Service Fund, the United Church is able to absorb the staffing and administration costs of processing donations whenever an emergency appeal is launched. Therefore donors can be assured that there are no administrative charges deducted from donations received.

Individuals are invited to contribute to the United Church’s Haiti Appeal either through their local congregation or directly to The United Church of Canada’s national office,
3250 Bloor St. West,
Suite 300, Toronto,
ON M8X 2Y4.

Cheques should be made payable to The United Church of Canada and marked “Haiti Appeal.” Online donations can be made. Choose “Emergency Response” and specify “Haiti Appeal.”

Donations made by United Church members and congregations to the Haiti Appeal are considered “over and above” gifts to the United Church’s wider work, so they are not recorded as part of a congregation’s Mission and Service Fund giving. But they are eligible for tax receipts. Congregational treasurers may receive and receipt individual cheques and then forward one congregational cheque to the United Church, attention “Haiti Appeal.”

See also this page

To make a donation through Riverview call the church office.

Minister's Annual REport

2010-01-14T11:52:00.001-05:00

Yes I know it will be printed for distribution soon. But for those who just can't wait...

MINISTER’S REPORT

They say that time flies when you’re having fun. Well that must be true because all of a sudden I find myself writing my Annual Report for the 9th year. Yes, my 9th year. It was 8.5 years ago that I arrived in town (incidentally that means that you have now been in ministry with me longer than any other minister since John Freeman). 8.5 years of births and deaths, joys and sorrows, hopes and dreams. And now here we are at Annual Report time again.

As I look back over the last year I see a mixture of anxiety and hope (of course one could say that for almost any year couldn’t one?). We had worries about money. We had a Board that was short two people. We were living and ministering within a community that continues to worry about its own survival. Anxiety could easily overtake us if we let it.

But there was hope too. There are continuing and strengthening rumours of new economic life coming to Atikokan. There were always hands available to prepare funeral lunches, or make pies, or serve the Harvest and Ham suppers. And high on my list of signs of hope is the reality that in the fall of 2009 we doubled our Sunday School! I challenge you to find many churches who can make that claim.

And now I turn my eyes from the past year to the year (and years) to come. Annual Report and Annual Meeting time calls us to both look back and to look ahead. And as I look ahead these hymn words come to my mind…

Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of faith and dreams of visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where prophets speak, and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where hand will reach beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
(verses 1,2, & 4 of #1 in More Voices “Let us Build a House (All are Welcome)” ©1994 Marty Haugen)

Over the years past we have built and maintained a house here. How do we continue to build it? One of my fears is that we have fallen into the trap of focussing on the maintenance of what there is and not dreaming of what there could be. What are our dreams?

One of the challenges of a longer term ministry is avoiding the comfort trap. When ministers change congregations and congregations change ministers every 5-6 years there is a constant infusion of new energy and changes. That can be disruptive but I believe that disruption can often be a very healthy thing. When we minister together for a longer term we need to find other ways to bring the disruption and newness that causes creativity and growth.

There have been times over the years when various members of this congregation have worried about its future. There have been times (this September was one of them) when the financial viability of this congregation was called into question. After 8.5 years I can tell you that I still see signs of life and promise here. We just need to find the way to bring it to bloom. I also want to share my firm belief that if we develop and share a clear sense of why we are here then people will respond. Any writer in the field of stewardship and fundraising will tell you that people share of themselves (time, talent and treasure) in response to a sense of vision and mission. If we want to flourish as a part of the Body of Christ then we will need a clear vision of what God is calling us to do and be in this place and time.

I call all of us to ask ourselves where God is calling us. I encourage all of us to ask how best to be God’s people; live in God’s Way; and share God’s love, hope and promise in the Atikokan of the 21st Century. And we have to be open to answers that may be disruptive. We may hear God call us to be different than we have ever been before. But in disruption there is room for growth. And, on a more sombre note, if we can openly and honestly engage these questions then we will not only fail to grow. If we focus on maintaining what we have and wish for what we once had we may well lose it. If we embrace our dreams then we may not only keep the memories but gain a whole new world.

May God help it to be so.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to January 17, 2010 -- 2nd Sunday After Epiphany

2010-01-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Psalm 36 (VU p.762)
From the Letters of the Church: 1 Corinthians 12:4-31

The Hymns this week are:

#402 We Are One
#606 In Christ there is No East or West
#382 Breathe on Me, Breath of God
#264 Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise

The Sermon title is Gifted

Early Thoughts: What are your gifts? Do we really accept that all gifts have equal value?

As far as we can tell the church in Corinth was a troubled community. And many of their troubles seem to have included some dissension about who was "more important" than others. Here Paul is responding to claims that some people have more important spiritual gifts than others. In a faith community this is nothing less than a claim that some people have more to offer the community than others.

Paul is having nothing to do with this. PAul is very clear that all the gifts come from the same Source. Paul is equally clear that all parts of the body are needed for the body to be healthy.

THere are two possible ways to go with this passage. THey are shown in the two questions listed above. How good are we at identifying the gifts we have to offer to GOd's world? HOw do we help each other name and claim those gifts? Doing this is a part of our call to live in community. Doing this is how we maintain the health of our community and move it into the future. OTOH, once we recognie and name the gifts that are around us, do we honestly act as if they are all important and valid and needed?

Upon further reflection, both questions are pretty closely linked. If we don't believe (and act as if we believe) that all the gifts are important then where is the incentive to find our gifts -- great if they are considered "valuable" not so great if it isn't. And one other thing to remember. We don't identify gifts to serve teh church, we indentitfy gifts to serve teh world. Because, in the end, serving the world is what the church is supposed to be bout.
--Gord

Study Group Starting!

2010-01-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

Sunday afternoons at 1:00
Starts January 17

Looking Ahead to January 10, 2010 -- 1st Sunday After Epiphany

2010-01-05T11:33:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29 (VU p.756)
From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 8:14-17

The Hymns this week are:

#371 Open My Eyes, That I May See
#100 When Jesus Comes to Be Baptized
#449 Crashing Waters at Creation (tune #444)
#420 Go to the World

The Sermon title is Spirited Water of Life

Early Thoughts: What is the power of baptism? What difference does it make?

Apparently it isn't about the water. Whether splashed on the forehead, dumped by the bucketful or fully immersed it must not be about the water itself. At least that is what the Acts passage suggests. [It sure seems like there is a story not being told there too about how/why the baptism hadn't "taken".]

The power of bpatism is in the SPirit. It is the Spirit that gives life. It is the Spirit that brings transformation. As Christians we are called to be baptised by water and teh SPirit.

And yet there is something special about water. Water is the stuff of life. We are mainly water. Water has the potential to be creative (Genesis 1) and destructive (Noah). Water is cleansing -one image often used for baptism- and reviving

And the scripture is also clear. Once we have received the SPirit, once we have received the water of life, we are called to respond. Baptism makes a difference when we let it chnge our response to the world. THe SPirit's movement is only evident when there are results.

On Sunday, let us all explore some more about the SPirit, and WAter, and Life.
--Gord

PS> did you know that the Gaelic name of Scotch Whiskey also translates as water of lif? Talk about Spirited!

Looking Ahead to January 3, 2009 -- Sunday Closest to Epiphany

2009-12-27T21:44:00.000-05:00

The Festival of Epiphany is the end of the Christmas Season (which is of course 12 Days long, just as the song suggests). On Epiphany Day (January 6) we tell the story of the visit of the Magi. HOwever, since most United Church congregations are not in the habit of having mid-week worship services, it has become customary to tell this story on the Sunday preceding January 6.

As Epiphany Sunday marks the beginning of a new Liturgical season we will be sharing the sacrament of communion.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72 (VU p.790)

The Hymns this week are:

74 What Child is This
We Three Kings (insert)
MV#162 Christ Within Us Hidden (insert)
468 Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ

The Sermon Title is Why Pay Homage?

Early Thoughts: Why bow the knee? Why bring tribute to a foreign king?

Why indeed? To North American ears the idea of paying homage or bowing down before or paying tribute to anyone seems to go against the grain. It speaks of power over, of classism, it goes against the egalitarian ideal on which our democracy is said to be founded (it really isn't founded on such an ideal but that is a whole other topic).

Scholars believe that Matthew wrote his story of the Magi visit with these passages in his head, or even on scrolls in front of his eyes. But they have value apart from that story. What is the message they have for us in 2010?

These are passages of hope. They speak of a wondrous king who will be adored by all of the peoples of the world. They speak of one whose wisdom and jsutice and mercy will lead all people to bow down before his [sic] majesty.

The whole bow down before God's Majesty imagery has fallen into disfavour in the mainline church, mainly for the reasons listed above. But there is something there to recover. We need to recover the MAjesty of God to do what is not posible for us on our own. WE need to recover that sense of awe-some-ness when we encounter God made present in our lives. WE need to recover the vision of what a truly great leader can be.

Epiphany means God-Made-Manifest. Bowing down in homage and wonder seems an appropriate response after all.
--Gord

Moderator Mardi Tindal's Christmas Message

2009-12-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

Looking Ahead to December 20, 2009 -- 4th Sunday of Advent

2009-12-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

The theme for this week is Birth Means Future Promises

The Scripture REadings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Micah 5:2-5a
Psalm 146 (VU p.868)
From the Gospel: Luke 1:39-55

The Hymns this week are:

44 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
46 Gentle Mary Laid Her Child
899 Song of Mary (tune ???)
76 See Amid the Winter's Snow

Early Thoughts: What keeps us going when the way is hard? What brings joy in the midst of despair? What is our source of hope?

Future promises of course. It is the promise of possibility that allows us to keep trying. It is the promise shared by Dame Julian of Norwich that all will be well, all will be well, all manner of things be well which sees us through the darknesses of our world.

People of Jewish and Christian faith are in fact people of promise. Our entire faith story is based on promises both about the present and the future. In my opinion people of faith are also meant to live both in the present and looking toward the promised future.

Some people would say that believing in a promised better future is selling false hope, or that it is is merely a way of distracting from the pain of the future (Marx's "opiate of the masses" line come to mind here). But as a person of faith I see that looking forward has to take into account reality but with a hopeful slant. We can't help but admit that the world is not what it could (or even should) be. And in the face of that admission we can choose to give up or we can choose to believe that things will get better.

It has been suggested that the birth of a baby is a sign that things need to go on. That a baby is God saying the world has a future (obviously that is not a statement of biology but a statement of theology). And so at this time of year when our faith story calls us to talk and think about birth it behooves us to ask what future this birth promises.

SOme hints are found in the song called the MAgnificat. Sung by either Mary or Elizabeth (the tradition says MAry but the Greek text could just as -or more- easily mean Elizabeth) it talks about the time when God's justice will come to pass. Some hints are found in the Psalm we will read, which share the same language and imagery. And of course hints of the promised future Realm of God are found throughout Scripture. And even more relevant, those hints are not only for the future but guides for how we act in the present.

Was Dame Julian right? Or was she being "pollyanna-ish"? Will all manner of things be well? That is the promise of God. ANd it is the the hope of all who parent children. That the future has promise is what keeps us going. And in the end, remember this. As people of hope (and faith) we live in hope. WE trust in the promise -- even if we are sometimes [often??] a little impatient about when it is going to come to pass.
--Gord

A Study REsource

2009-12-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

Retired United Church of Canada Minster John Shearman has posted a blog reflecting on and probing into the Christmas stories. John is the same person who wrote the blog we used here a Riverview as a basis for our Revelation study last year. John also writes weekly reflections on the lectionary readings and these reflections are one of the resources Gord uses on a regular basis.

You can read The Nativity of JEsus here

New Study Group in January!

2009-12-07T12:11:00.001-05:00

Looking Forward to December 6, 2009 -- 2nd Sunday of Advent

2009-11-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Our theme this week is Birth Means Re-Evaluating Priorities

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Malachi 3:1-4
Responsive Reading: Luke 1:68-79 (VU p.900)
From the Gospel: Luke 3:1-18

The Hymns this week are

Advent Hope (insert)
9 People Look East
18 There's a Voice in the Wilderness Crying
27 Tomorrow Christ is Coming

The Sermon title is Priorities Refined

Early Thoughts: What are our priorities? What would they be if we embraced God's priorities? DO we need to change them?

One of the magazine ads that came out as part of the Emerging Spirit campaign was a picture of a baby with a hospital bracelet on its wrist. THe bracelet reads:

WARNING: some re-assembly of priorities and beliefs may be required

Of course the ad works because it rings true. Many people find that different things seem more important after a big change in their lives (and it occurs to me that having a child is a big change).

On our journey to Christmas we hear from two people who call the people around them to re-think and re-adjust their priorities. AS we prepare for GOd to once again break in to our world and do a new thing we need to hear the words of the prophets (ancient and modern) again.

Malachi and John both point out that the way things are happening right now are not the way they should be happening. They speak of the need to be refined. They talk about God pushing to have our priorities reset.

And so now the question we need to ask ourselves is: "Are we willing to examine and re-evaluate our priorities in life?". Are we willing to do that honestly? ARe we willing to be refined and winnowed (to use words from our Scripture readings)? Will this birth which we currently await lead us to put different things at the top of the pile?
--Gord

Here's A NEat Idea!

2009-11-30T08:18:00.000-05:00

An Online Advent Calendar, click a window a day.

Find it here

Looking Forward to November 29, 2009 -- 1st Sunday of Advent

2009-11-24T10:37:00.000-05:00

As this is the 1st Sunday of a new liturgical season we will be celebrating Communion.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Jeremiah 18:1-6
Psalm 25 (VU p.752)
From the Gospel: Luke 21:25-36

The Hymns this week are:

O What a Wonderful Gift (insert)
#2 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
#708 My Lord What a Morning
#481 Sent Forth By God's Blessing

As a sung response to the lighting of the Advent Candles this year we will be singing MV#115 Behold, Behold I Make All Things New.

The theme for this week is Birth Means Tearing Down the Old

Early Thoughts: Birth is a time of great hope but also great change. While much may be gained, there may also be things lost.

Whenever a child is born the lives of the people around the child are changed, permanently. And some people have trouble adapting to/accepting that reality.

The same thing is true about changes in our society or in our economy or in our communities. CHange and the start of something new means that something has to be let go (at least) or even torn apart. THe fear of that loss sometimes keeps us stuck in a place that is no longer life giving. OR the wish to go back to what once was keeps us from seeing the possibilities of the "new normal".

This week we will visit the potter's house and talk about rebuilding. We will also reflect on adapting to the reality of a "new normal". At the same time we will name some of the pain that comes with making those shifts.

After all, Christmas is all about the new thing that is happening. It is about the birth of hope and possibility. How can we free ourselves to embrace it wholeheartedly?
--Gord

Looking Forward to November 22, 2009 -- Reign of Christ Sunday

2009-11-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Writings of the Early Church: Revelation 1:4b-8
Psalm 34 (VU p.761)
From the Gospel: John 18:33-37

The Hymns this week are:

#710 Shall We Gather at the River
#713 I See a New Heaven
#688 O Day of God Draw Nigh
#424 May the God of Hope Go With Us

The Sermon Title is: What Makes a Kingdom?

Early Thoughts: As people of faith we pray each week "Thy Kingdom come". What do we mean by that? What are the markers of a kingdom/realm/reign?

One of the accusations leveled at the Early Christians was that they were subversives. They were seen as disloyal and not ggod citizens. And the accusers were, to a large point, right!

From the beginning Christians have used language like Lord and Master and Kingdom to talk about God and Christ and the realm that is to come. And in the beginning these were clear ways of saying "God (or Christ) is Lord and therefore Ceasar is NOT". How much more subversive can you get?

Today we are called to the same loyalty. Is our loyalty to Canada or the US or some other nation or is our loyalty to the Reign/Realm/Kingdom or God? Who is Lord?

This last Sunday of the Church Year is called Reign of Christ or Christ the King Sunday. As such it is a day to ask that very question of loyalty. It is a day to ask wht it might mean to us today to say that Christ (or God) is Lord and OBama/Harper/other national leader is not.

We may not be called subversives anymore. But as people of faith we still profess a belief that there is a different realm to worry about. ANd just maybe we should be a little bit more subversive from time to time...
--Gord

Valentines Fundraising Idea

2009-11-14T20:09:00.000-05:00

For Valentines Day instead of flowers or chocolate send your loved one a giant sugar cookie with a message on it!

This is a sample cookie.

For details call Gord

Bazaar 2009

2009-11-14T20:01:00.002-05:00

Today was the annual UCW Bazaar. Pictures from the day are below the fold:

Looking Ahead to November 15, 2009 -- 24th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-11-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Hebrew Scriptures: 1 Samuel 1:4-20
From the Hebrew Scriptures: 1 Samuel 2:1-10
From the Gospel: Mark 13:1-8

The Hymns this week are:

#374 Come and Find the Quiet Centre
#708 My Lord, What a Morning
#601 The Church of Christ in Every Age
#642 Be Thou My Vision

The Sermon title is Birth: Expectation and Pain

Early Thoughts: What is our pain? What is our hope? What is our expectation? What is being born?

There is a tendency to think of childbirth as a joyous event. But is it always? In this passage from 1 Samuel we see some of the pain of child birth to those who appear unable to have children.

One of the metaphors that is often used for a changed world is that of birth (or possibly re-birth). And for many of us the pain that lies in that metaphor is that of barrenness as the new world seems to not be coming soon.

Sometimes the pain of birth is in the miscarriage or stillbirth of the child. WE who wait for the birth of a new world share that pain, or at least the fear of it.

ANd of course some of the pain of birth is in the pain of the process. Not just labour but some (many?) mothers experience pain, or at least discomfort, at various points throughout the pregnancy. And of course that ties in to our metaphor as well. It is painful to have things change.

But of course birth and childbearing are not all about pain. There is hope and promise there too. There is a hope for what may be possible. There is a promise that great things can happen. It is the hope and the promise that can make the pain and discomfort all worth it in the long term.

As people of hope we do await a new birth. As people of hope we are trying to help that birth happen. Yes there is pain involved. Yes it is a struggle. But if we want a new world, or at least a new vision of how to be the church in the world, we have to find the way that the hope or expectation will overbalance the hope and the fear.

This year we will return to birth in more detail during Advent. This Sunday we start with the pain and expectation and how it may tie into our vision of what it meanss to be the church today and tomorrow.
--Gord

Upcoming Events

2009-11-04T12:05:00.014-05:00

What is happening in the life of Riverview? This post will tell you (and will be updated regularly)

June 27 -- Final Worship Service with Gord.
July 1 -- ECW Worship at 10:45
August 5 -- ECW Worship at 10:45
September 23-26 --Cambrian Presbytery Fall Meeting in Marathon

Our Tree of Thanks

2009-11-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

The Leafy Tree

Hanging Our Thanks

Looking Ahead to November 1, 2009 -- All Saints Day, 22nd Sunday After Pentecost

2009-10-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Hebrew Scriptures: Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146 (VU p.868)
From the Gospel: Mark 12:28-34

The Hymns this week are:

#316 Praise Our Maker
#707 For the Faithful Who Have Answered
#602 Blest Be the Tie That Binds
#675 Will Your Anchor Hold

The Sermon title is Family: Ancestors and Descendants

Early Thoughts: What responsibility we have to our ancestors? To our descendants? What do we inherit and what do we pass on?

Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried.

What a wonderful statement of fidelity, of loyalty, of committment. Ruth has no reason to stay with Naomi, there appears to be no future there. But she lays her cards on the table and goes to a new place.

It is often suspected that the Book of Ruth is included in the Canon of Scripture in part because her story is part of David's story. It is the story of the family. And really, the story of the family is what we are all about. Each of us is a small part of a larger story. Where do we fit? What do we do with the legacy we have received? WHat do we choose to pass on?

November 1st is All Saints/All Souls Day. It is a day to celebrate the community (or communion) of all who have gone before us. It is a day to give thanks for the legacy that has been passed on to us. We are a people with a history, a history we don't want to forget or to reject.

OCtober 31st marks the anniversary of the day Martin Luther pasted his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg, the event that is said to have launched the Reformation. WE are part of a church that is reformed and always reforming. In that light, how do we change or alter the tradition that has been passed on to us?

As we see ourselves going forward what is our vision? Are we ready to make the same pledge that Ruth makes? OR are we afraid to step into a new land? How do we balance teh past and the future? How do we honour the ancestors of our faith family and what do we pass on to our descendants?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to October 25, 2009 -- 21st Sunday After Pentecost

2009-10-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Hebrew Scriptures: Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Psalm 34 (VU p.761)
From the Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

The Hymns this week are:

#371 Open My Eyes That I May See
#299 Teach Me, God, to Wonder
#242 Let All Things Now Living
#427 To Show by Touch and Word

The Sermon title is Giveth, Taketh, Giveth Again

Early Thoughts: What do we make of the story of Job? What does it have to tell us about possessions?

Job is, to say the least, a troubling book. It is a difficult story to follow--at least in part because it seems to be two stories glued together. There is a little folk tale that bookends the larger story made up of a series of speeches about why Job is in the state he finds himself. The larger story has a lot to do with issues of punishment and why bad things happen to people. The bookends appear to try and give context and explanation to the middle (and possibly let God off the hook for the bad things that happen to Job).

This week we are going to focus on the bookends. TO put it simply, Job has a lot. God allows ha-Satan (the Accuser/Adversary) take it away to test Job's faith. Job gets it all back and more. In the theology that is presented: God has given, God allows to be taken, God gives again.

THere are two things I find instructive about this in terms of our possessions. The first is to see all we have as a gift from GOd. The second is to wonder if we can remain faithful when it all gets taken away. There is a danger as well--the story can be taken in terms of the so-called "prosperity gospel"--the belief that if we are really "good" then God will bless us with lots of stuff.

So how does that all shake out as am message of hope and good news? Come on Sunday and find out.
--Gord

Looking Forward to October 18, 2009 -- 20th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-10-12T11:45:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Hebrew Scriptures: Job 38:1-17, 34-41
Psalm 104 (VU p.826)
From the Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

The Hymns this week are:

#603 In Loving Partnership We Come
#593 Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love
#372 Though I May Speak
#567 Will You Come and Follow Me

The Sermon title is Me First!!!!

Early Thoughts: Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the excitement. Sometimes we think we have a privileged spot. Sometimes we get told otherwise.

James and John forgot which rules were in play. Either that or they were power hungry.

THey were working as if the rules of the world around them were in effect in the Kingdom of GOd. ANd under those rules you got preferential treatment if, like them, you had been with the powerful from the beginning. They were playing the status game that has been played, and still is played, in power structures around the world.

But of course Jesus is playing by a different set of rules. Jesus is playig by rules where saying "Me first!" put you at the end of the line. Jesus is playing by rules which call us to put the other person first, where status just doesn't count the same way.

Deciding which rules we are playing by is, in the end, a stewardship decision. When we decide to play by the rules of the world our stewardship decisions get based on asking "what's in it for me?". But when we play by the rules of the kingdom our stewardship decisions are based on the question "what's in it for them?".

How then shall we live? WHose rules about status and rank and privilege are in effect?
--Gord

VIdeo for Thanksgiving Sermon

2009-10-07T19:30:00.001-05:00

Pastor's PEn #2

2009-10-06T20:23:00.002-05:00

Deficits. We seem to hear that word a lot these days. Governing parties debate with the opposition how much of a financial deficit is acceptable in the midst of an economic downturn. Politicians muse about a democratic deficit in our Parliamentary processes. Analysts have been talking for years about an infrastructure deficit as our streets and bridges and sewer/water systems age beyond their expected lifespan. Economists constantly watch trade numbers and talk about trade deficits. But with all this talk about deficits is it possible we have missed the biggest deficit of all?

I think we have. I think at almost all levels of our lives together we have a more important deficit to worry about. And in fact, to a degree, dealing with this deficit will help us find a way to deal with all the rest. This is the deficit of vision.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible comes from the book of Proverbs. In the King James Version it is translated Where there is no vision, the people perish. This verse is in fact inscribed over the West window of the Peace Tower in Ottawa. Vision is vital for us to survive and thrive as a society and as a community.

So what is our vision as a faith community? Why are we here in this place at this time? This is a vital question for Riverview to answer as we move forward. Only when we have a vision, a sense of mission can we remain passionate and excited about our future. And without that passion and excitement we will always be worrying about meeting the budget and paying the bills.

The time has come to ask ourselves hard questions about the future of Riverview. We need to determine what path lies to a thriving life as a faith community. We simply can’t continue as we have been, the money just won’t allow it. We need to develop a sense of who God is calling us to be. That is what a vision is for a church. It is my fear that we have gotten so used to the survival game that we have lost a clear vision of who God wants us to be.

Next year at the annual meeting we hope to really start the discussion of who we are and where we are going. All are welcome to help us erase any deficit of vision we may have. And the hope is that once we erase that deficit the financial deficit will disappear as well.

Looking Forward to October 11, 2009 -- Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-10-06T11:07:00.001-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Hebrew Scriptures: Joel 2:21-27
Psalm 126 (VU p.850)
From the Gospel: Matthew 6:25-33

The Hymns this week are:

#236 Now Thank We All Our God
#226 For the Beauty of the Earth
From the Silence That Has Bound Us (insert)
#326 O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

The Sermon title is What? ME Worry?

Early Thoughts: IS Jesus kidding us? Just trust in God to provide and stop worrying???????!!!!!! In the midst of an economic downturn is this a realistic passage to read?

I think this is in fact the best time to read this passage. When people are really worried, and have something to worry about, is a great time to talk about worrying. WHen we are comfortable and sure of our income this passage becomes much more an intellectual exercise. But when we are struggling and wondering who will go under next there is a real resonance.

And of course that is where the original audience was. Jesus is speaking to people who regularly have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Jesus is speaking to people who have less than nothing for the most part. I am sure that more than a couple of them thought he was all wet too.

Most of us have trouble believing that God will just provide what we need. We don't just sit back and rake it all in after all. But I am not sure that is the point of the passage. Or at least that may not be where the story intersects with our lives.

One of the dangers we have in our society is that we too often fall into the trap of believing that what we have we have as a reward for hard work or as an entitlement. These passages remind us that what we have is a gift that is graciously and freely given. One of the dangers of modern society is that we are taught to worry, we are taught that what we need is scarce and we have to ensure we "get our share". These passages remind us that what we have is he result of abundant gifts. These passages call us to reflect on the difference between worrying over the world's scarcity and rejoicing on God's abundance.

And what better message is there on Thanksgiving weekend? If we stop worrying so much we may see the world differently. When we see abundance instead of scarciy it enables us to see what we have to share with the world. It enables us to practice better stewardship. In the end worry is a subset of fear, and fear is the opposite of love. LEt us put aside worry so that we can live in love.
--Gord

PS: For a message from Mardi Tindal, the new moderator of the United Church of Canada click here

Pastor's PEn

2009-10-01T14:08:00.002-05:00

Pastor’s Pen:

The leaves are starting to change colour and float along the street. There was a whiteness to the grass the last couple of mornings (Sarah and Devyn were very excited because it had “snowed”). Mid-week groups have started to meet. It must be the beginning of the busy season.

There are a variety of things that we call the beginning of the New Year. The calendar tells us it is in January. Provincially funded organizations like the Hospital or FACS may claim it is April 1 when the new year starts. The Church calendar says the new year starts with the 1st Sunday of Advent (which happens to be November 27 this year). But to all intents and purposes the new year starts at the beginning of September when school starts again along with so many other things. And so I wish you all a (slightly belated) Happy New Year!

As we look ahead to the year that is just starting I have to wonder what is coming. What new things does God have in store for us this year? What surprises are around the corner? Where will next June find us?

I have no idea. The task is not to try and predict where we will go. Our job is to sign up for the ride and hold on! Life’s rollercoaster takes us up and down and all around, sometimes even throws us upside down. But even if it is scary at times it can be fun if we let ourselves relax and trust the ride.

And while we are talking about rides, another image comes to my mind. This summer we took the girls on a Carousel, with Patty standing beside the horse to make sure Miriam didn’t fall off. Remember that we aren’t on the ride alone, that there is someone standing beside us through the slow parts and the fast, the ups and the downs and the upside downs.

So, please join me as we walk through the year and the story of birth and life and death and new life. And let’s enjoy the ride!

Gord.

Looking Forward to October 4, 2009 -- Worldwide Communion Sunday

2009-09-29T09:55:00.001-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Letters of the Early Church: 1 Corinthians 11:17-26
From the Gospel: Mark 14:22-26

The Hymns this week are:

457 As We Gather at Your Table
468 Let Us Talents and Tongues
480 Let Us Break Bread Together
402 We Are One

This week we will have a report from last weekend's meeting of Cambrian Presbytery. (You can read about the meeting here

The Sermon Title is The Banquet of Hope

Early Thoughts: What is this thing we call communion? Is it a somber solemn event of mourning and remembrance or a joyful banquet of the kingdom of God?

It is both of course. Over the course of Christian history and theology a variety of understandings of Communion/Eucharist have developed.

It is my opinion tht we focus on different aspects of communion at different times. Sometimes it is indeed most appropriate to focus on the meal of memory and sacrifice. Sometimes there is a focus on the salvation found in the cross. Sometimes howver we need to focus on the nature of the meal as a foretaste of the reign of God.

My preferred theology of communion is that last one. When we gather at the table for this meal we are pre-figuring the banquet of hope and celebration when the words "thy kingdom come, thy will be done" have come to be a reality. ANd so this is where I am leaning as we prepare to celebrate Worldwide COmmunion Sunday. THe meal which unites us is the great sign of hope that we shall one day be in fact united.

Besides, we seem to need a reminder of hope these days.
--Gord

Board Meeting Highlights

2009-09-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

The monthly meeting of the Church Board happened yesterday. Expand the post to see highlights from the meeting:

on September 27 (while Gord and Elvin are at Presbytery) Riverview is pleased to welcome Rev. Lorn Calvert, Principal of St. Andrew's College who is coming to preach.
Brian Jackson has completed the Lay Worship LEader training program and the Board was happy to recommend to Cambrian Presbytery that Brian be licensed as a Lay WOrship LEader
Church School began last Sunday. This yer the theme for Church School is Singing with the Psalms
a Bible Study on the book of Mark will be held this fall. A study called What does the United Church Believe? will be held starting in January
ADADS cleaned the carpet this summer and has just finished stripping and waxing the floors
Gord will be attending a Technology in Worship workshop in Fort FRances on October 17, talk to him if you would be interested in attending
Gord will be going to Rainy River to give a funeral leadership workshop and taking a Sunday service November 7-8
Our next communion service will be on October 4
The Board is still short 2 memebers and at least 2 people have decided that they will not be putting their names forward to continue on the Board when their term comes due in January. We urge everyone to consider if they are called to this ministry in the church.
AS of the end of August we are running a deficit for 2009 of approximately $8 600. This eliminates our equity/cash cushion. A letter about the church finances will be sent to the whole congregation in early October.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for October 15 at 6:30

Looking Ahead to September 20, 2009 -- 16th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-09-15T11:37:00.001-05:00

The Scripture REadings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 1 (VU p.724)
From the Gospel: Mark 8:27-38

The Hymns this week are:

410 This Day God Gives Me (verses 1,3,4)
585 Jesus Bids Us Shine
580 Faith of Our Fathers
424 May the God of Hope Go With Us

The Sermon title is Who DO We Say We Are?

Early Thoughts: How would we answer Jesus' question? WHat is our faith statement? Are we willing to take the risks of faith?

It really is a faith question JEsus asks. It isn't just "what are they saying about me?". Jesus pushes it to the next level. WHo do YOU say I am? WHat do you believe about me? WHat are you seeing/hearong/learning? ANd that is the question that continues to echo through the ages. Still each of us is asked "Who do you say I am?"

And our answer needs to be meaningful and personal. It is suggested that if PEter was a modern Jesus scholar the exchange might have gone something like this:

Jesus said, "Who do they say that I am." They replied, some say
Elijah, some John the Baptist, others one of the prophets." And he said, but who do YOU say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the ground of our being, the ontological kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our interpersonal relationships." And Jesus said, "...What?"

The answer needs to have meaning, not couched in jargon, not just rote recitation of the faith of our fathers. THe answer has to be ours, for our context, for our time. Who is Jesus for us? How is God active in our midst?

As we read on, Jesus then proceeds to talk about the cost of discipleship. Only when we are secure in our faith can we dare to take the path he lays out. It is risky to go out to bear the cross --And let's be clear. Jesus is not talking about "Our cross to bear" as we often do (an illness or a hardship). Jesus is talking about taking the risky path that leads to isolation and being set apart and ridiculed and death.-- with hope and confidence. We need to have a sense that we do it for a purpose.

So what do we believe? What do we say about Jesus and God and the world? How do we express it? HOw do we live it? These are teh questions that this passage raise in my soul this week. They are questions we will not answer in one sermon. But maybe at least we can start the exploring...
--Gord

Looking Ahead to September 13, 2009 -- 15th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-09-08T10:29:00.003-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 19 (VU p.740)
From the Gospel: Mark 7:24-37

The Hymns this week are:

395 Come In, Come In and Sit Down
713 I See a New Heaven
691 Though Ancient Walls
649 Walk With Me

The Sermon title is: We Need to Include Who???

Early Thoughts: What does it mean to describe our selves as inclusive? Are we aware how well we do that?? Of where we fall short??

As General Council met in Kelowna this past summer the members of the Arctic Commission had this motion on their list of work (it came from Saskatchewan Conference):

That the 40th General Council 2009 adopt a policy that the Session (or Church Board or Church Council), in the exercising its duty of oversight of the order of public worship under 5.10.1 of the Basis of Union, may not discriminate against any group of persons on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, disability or status as divorced persons to the fullest extent, subject only to the laws of Canada, its provinces and territories as may exist from time to time, especially those which protect the vulnerable; and authorize a remit to test the will of the church with respect to this policy.

(There was also a list of "whereas" clauses-- arguments explaining why the proposal was made. You can read them on pages 10 & 11 of this {.pdf} document) So what does it mean?

If passed this proposal would have authorized a poll of the church asking if we wanted to change our constitution to say that all congregations were required to ensure they were open and welcoming to all people, specifically that discrimination (intentional or accidental) was not allowed based on that list of criteria. In some ways this seems common sense -- certainly the church should be as open and welcoming as possible right? In some ways it would be a hard fight -- who is some office somewhere else to tell us how we should operate? ANd certainly it was a major change in how congregations operate. This proposal would require that all church buildings were barrier-free, that people of any race were openly welcomed, that economic status wouldn't be an issue (this is one of the hidden forms of discrimination in many areas of our country), that your marital status (single, married, divorced, living together) would never be an issue, that newcomers were as important as lifelong residents, and that sexual orientation would not bar anyone from any part of church life--including marriage. It was actually suggesting that a great deal of congregational decision-making be taken away. Why would they make such a suggestion? To hear someone from Saskatchewan speak to that question check out this YouTube video.

One of the cherished self-definitions within the United Church of Canada is that we are an "inclusive" church. We like to claim that as some sort of banner or rallying cry. Personally I am not always sure we know what we mean by it. Certinly I think that in many places we do a relatively poor job of living it out. Because of course, it is hard being inclusive. Our old patterns of believing what is appropriate get in the way. The prejudices and biases that we absorb unconsciously get in the way. And in some cses the percieved costs of being truly inclusive scare us away (think of churches trying to become barrier-free for financial issues, or the social stigma suffered by many within the UCCan due to our stand on issues on sexual orientation over the last 20 years). But we are in good company. Even Jesus is not always inclusive.

I encourage you to read the Mark passage for this week carefully. Pay particular attention to what Jesus says to the foreign woman. Does he really say that she is a dog? DOes he really claim that God only sent him to the Chosen people? Why yes he does. JEsus in this story is certainly racist, some have also suggested that he is playing our the chauvinism or misogyny of his time. It really isn't a positive picture we see of JEsus, not all-loving GOd but a frail, biased, discriminatory human, limited by his context and his background.

But of course the story does not end there. The woman stands up for herself and her daughter. And she wins! JEsus recognizes that God's mercy is wider than he thought. Jesus recognizes the GOd is calling hi to a wider field of view. ANd Jesus, to his credit, chages in the light of God's revelation.

Maybe the proposal from Saskatchewan Conference is calling the people of the United Church to seriously consider how wide their field of view is. Maybe we are being urged to ask ourselves what we really mean when we claim to be an inclusive church. Maybe we are being challenged to find ways to ensure that all are welcome, truly welcome, in this place.

It is hard. I know of some congregations that delude themselves. I know that many places truly aren't aware how they exclude some people. I know that some have decided that the costs of change are too big. But we have to take the questions seriously. As it stands, every Pastoral Charge in this conference is now required to answer this question when they produce their Joint Needs Assessment Report when beginning the search for ministry personnel:

THe United church believes that God calls people of all races, ethnicities, abilities and orientations to ministry. Are there any theological or physical factors that would prevent you from welcoming any such persons to your Ministry site? Please specify and include your rationale.

Looking Ahead to September 6, 2009 -- 14th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-09-01T11:33:00.004-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 125 (VU p.849)
From the Letters of the Early Church: 1 Corinthians 1:17-28
From the Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

The Hymns this week are:

371 Open My Eyes That I May See
624 Give to us Laughter
686 God of Grace and God of Glory (tune 651 verses 1, 2, 4)
427 To Show by Touch and Word

The Sermon title is You Call This Wisdom??

Early Thoughts: What does it mean to be wise? What place of honour do we have for the wise among us? Is wisdom really just common sense?

As he ascends to the throne of his father Solomon is given a chance to ask for whatever he wants. Instead of wealth or power Solomon asks for wisdom. And so is born the legend of Solomon as a man of great wisdom (the Book of Proverbs is often seen as a collection of his wise sayings -- they aren't all his by any means, they weren't even compiled during his life but that is another issue). But what is wisdom?

Wisdom, Paul suggests, can also be foolishness. It all depends on one's point of view. The wisdom of God is foolishness to the rest of the world. A prime example is in the words of Jesus.

"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcome

To be first you must be last? That doesn't sound like wisdom! What is wisdom anyway?

Some people define wisdom as being, in part, common sense. So-called "folk wisdom" would fall into this category (as would many of the passages in Proverbs). Some see wisdom as something that comes with age and experience (although we have all known people who were wise "beyond their years" and older people who were foolish). Certainly being wise is different from being smart (how many honour students have you met who were seemingly devoid of common sense). Wisdom is not knowledge. For people of faith the more important question to ask is: "what is Godly wisdom and how is it different from the wisdom of the world?". What do we do when common sense leads us off of The Way?

Join us on Sunday as we ask what wisdom is and try to understand why Godly wisdom is really wise when it sometimes sounds so foolish.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to August 30, 2009 -- 13th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-08-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Psalm 45 (VU p.769)
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

The Hymns this week are:

#333 Love Divine All Love’s Excelling
#227 For the Fruit of All Creation
#509 I the Lord of Sea and Sky
#646 We Are Marching in the Light of God (sung twice)

The Sermon Title is Mirror Mirror On the Wall…

Early Thoughts: Many years ago the late Michael Jackson talked about looking at the man in the mirror. "I'm asking him to change his way" Jackson said. This passage from James reminded me of that song.

What do we see (or should that be who do we see) when we look in the mirror? Do we see someone trying his or her best to live ethical, "pure" lives? Or do we see someone just getting along as best she/he can? OR do we see someone looking out solely for him/herself and her/his friends/family? OR do we see someone who doesn't really know where he/she falls in that spectrum?

James and Jesus encourage us to be, as James puts it, doers of the Word. As people of faith, we are encouraged to live in a different way, to live by different rules than the culture around us.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest, most ethical, purest, one of all?

Looking Ahead to July 19, 2009 -- 7th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-07-13T10:44:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Psalm 84 (VU p. 800)
Ephesians 2:11-22

The Hymns this week are:

#325 Christ is Made the Sure Foundation (tune 240)
#579 The Church Is Wherever God’s People
MV#1 Let Us Build a House (on insert)
#427 To Show by Touch and Word

The Sermon Title is The House of Flesh

Early Thoughts: What do we mean when we talk about the the church as "the House of God"? How do we build the House of God?

David had grand dreams. David has pacified and united the nation and so he wants to leave a legacy. And what better legacy than to build a grand house for the God who has led the people to freedom, who has led David to victory. Even Nathan, the prophet of God, says it is a good thing to do.

But God has another idea. God is dubious about the need for the house. People are more important says God. And so I will build a house of flesh says God. As the scriptural story continues the house of flesh is passed on through the generation of kingdom and exile and return until one arises as a "branch from the stump of Jesse" in Jesus of Nazareth. And as people who bear the name Christian we are, in part inheritors of that house too. If God has built a house of flesh then who is in it? The people of God.

And now we have to think about what it means to claim our identity as members of the House of God. Are we part of the structure or the decor? Are we a stud or a joist or a rafter? Do we support the rest of the house or soar into the skies? And even more important, how do we help the house become stronger? How do we help with the maintenance and renovations and additions that come with time?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to July 12, 2009 -- 6th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-07-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85 (VU p.802)
Mark 6:14-29

The Hymns this week are:

#574 Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love
#289 It Only Takes a Spark
#585 Jesus Bids Us Shine
#649 Walk With Me

The Sermon title is The Price of Truth

Early Thoughts: Sometimes telling the truth has dire consequences. Sometimes it takes a great deal of courage.

Being called by God to a prophetic ministry has always been a risky business. Being prophetic in Scriptural terms is not about forecasting the future. It is all about telling the truth. And many times the truth appears to be the type that is "consolingly" (or perhaps warningly) prefaced with "I am going to tell you truth in Christian love". {A friend of mine once said that whenever he heard that phrase he got ready for a blasting.} And so we find that prophets are often not exceptionally popular.

In one passage this week we have Amos being ordered to get out of town after saying that because the nation of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) has not lived up to their part of the covenant and so will be destroyed -- telling the king that, or even saying it in public and having the king hear about it, would be construed as treason in most nations of human history. In the Mark passage we hear of the death of John the Baptist. Joh had the gall to condemn Herod Antipas for his immoral life. While the story puts the blame on Herodias (whom had also been condemned by John) it is doubtful that HErod really regretted executing the troubling preacher -- the head on the plate thing maybe, more out of a sense of etiquette than regret over death though.

ANd yet, even though they know the risks, people continue in the Scripture story to become prophets. There is a sense of knowing that God's truth is more important than safety. Amos, John, Jeremiah, Elijah, Jesus -- all share a truth that is not popular with the rich and powerful. All are threatened or punished with imprisonment or execution. But all have no choice but to tell the truth.

In many ways it is no safer being a prophet in 2009. Churches, Townships, NAtions, Service Clubs, organizations of all sorts sometimes have difficulty hearing uncomfortable truths. As people of Christian faith we are called to be people of God's truth. Are we willing to take the risks that might come with sharing that truth?
--Gord

Looking Aheadto July 5, 2009 -- 5th Sunday After Pentecost

2009-06-29T11:35:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Psalm 123 (VU p.847)
Mark 6:1-13

The Hymns this week are:

#409 Morning Has Broken
#509 I, the Lord of Sea and Sky
#512 Lord, You Give the Great Commission (vss 1, 2, 5)
#646 We Are Marching in the Light of God

The Sermon title is Knowing When to Quit…

Early Thoughts: When is it time to try something else? When do you stop pounding on the wall and look for a door somewhere else?

The way he has been doing wasn't working. And now the people of his hometown are becoming openly hostile. What is Jesus to do?

If Jesus operated the same way that the church tends to operate he would establish a study group to investigate what needs to be done. And he would have focus groups. And he would get all sorts of ideas about how to keep doing the same thing "better". But in the end he would keep doing the same thing and lamenting the lack of a different result.

But Jesus knows that it is time to quit. It is time to do a different thing, to reach out in a new way, to build the community in new directions. And even as he sends out the disciples he tells them that they need to know when it is time to quit. The secret to ministry is remaining aware of what is happening around you. In fact, Jesus learns that trying to minister among those who are hostile is totally ineffective.

There is a lesson here for the church. It has been suggested that to keep doing the same thing and expect different results is a sign of insanity. It is known that the only thing that is nice about hitting your head against a brick wall is the feeling of relief one gets when you stop. Does the church know when to quit, when to try a new way, when to say enough? It is hard because who wants to walk away from a beloved ministry? It is hard because we don't want to fall prey to every trendy little "new thing" that comes floating by.

But sometimes we need to know when to quit.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to June 21, 2009 -- 3rd Sunday After Pentecost

2009-06-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings for this week are:

From the Letters of the Early Church: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Psalm 107:23-32 (VU p. 832 Part 3)
From the Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

The Hymns for this week are:

245 Praise the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet
580 Faith of Our Fathers
660 How Firm a Foundation
232 Joyful Joyful We Adore You

For Children's Time we will share the story of David and Goliath.

The Sermon title is Trust in the Midst of Chaos

Early Thoughts: When the storms of life are raging what do we do? When the waves threaten to toss us into the depths and overwhelm us what is our response?

Water can be devious. Many bodies of water can change from being calm and placid to wild and dangerous in a blink of an eye. That is why boaters are discouraged from crossing through the middle of a large lake, instead the prudent one goes along the coast. The Sea of Galilee (which really is more like a large lake) is one of those bodies of water -- indeed it is known for sudden squalls that turn it into a churning hazard at a moment's notice.

ANd yet in this story we find the disciples (who surely knew better since there were fishermen among them) out in the middle of the lake and a storm does indeed spring up. Not surprisingly they are afraid. And then they are amazed. In the midst of life-threatening peril Jesus is curled up having a nap! Does he not know or care what is happening?

When our lives are threatened by storms what do we expect from our faith? Is Jesus curled up having a nap while we battle the winds of economic turmoil and the waves of a changing worldview? We can count many many things that buffet our lifeboats these days. What reaction does faith call out?

In the Mark story the disciples wake up Jesus who then calms the storm. He also chastises the disciples for their lack of faith. How might Jesus speak to us? THe storm doesn't show much sign of calming out there. Do we have the faith to ride out the storm? Will God give us the strength and trust to conquesr our giants?
--Gord

Looking Ahead to June 14, 2009 -- 2nd Sunday After Pentecost, Camp Sunday

2009-06-08T11:38:00.000-05:00

This week we will have a "paperless" service -- all on projection.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Luke 2:41-47
Matthew 19:13-16

The Hymns this week are:

MV #8 And On this Path
356 Seek Ye First
Jesus Loves Me (Remix Version)
I’ve Got Peace Like a River
424 May the God of Hope Go With Us

The service this week was prepared by Rev. Frances Flook from Emo-Devlin.

The Reflection is called The "F" Factors of Camp and will be accomanied by slids from Sunnycove Camp.

Dry Bones

2009-06-02T07:57:00.001-05:00

Our SPecial Music this week, in conjunction with Children's Time:

Looking Ahead to June 7, 2009 -- Trinity Sunday, 1st After Pentecost

2009-06-01T22:00:00.004-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29 (VU p.756)
From the Letters of the Early Church: Romans 8:12-17
From the Gospel: John 3:1-17

The Hymns this week are:

315 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
624 Give to Us Laughter
675 Will Your Anchor Hold
424 May the God of Hope Go With Us

The Sermon title is: Searching for Re-Birth

Early Thoughts: What does it mean to be re-born? Is birth happening here and now? What is the Spirit up to?

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and asks a fairly obvious question. HOw is it possible to be born again? From a literal point of view it makes no sense. But of course it isn't meant literally, it is a metaphorical birth. And if we are going to be honest, we spend a lot of time looking for a re-birth, a new start, a new hope.

Last week we heard about Ezekiel and the dry bones. Told by GOd to prophesy to the bones Ezekiel was unsure why. But the SPirit of GOd moved in the valley and the bones were reconnected and given flesh. What are the bones in the valleys of our lives that are waiting to be reconnected and given life?

Because we really need that SPrit-Breath these days. In our communities wracked by mill closures, in our congregation wrestling with rising costs and aging memberships, in our denomination struggling with a declining income. We need the re-birth that we are told to look for. WE need to let the SPirit blow through us and reshape the bones of our communities and congregations into new beings. Bone-by-bone, breath-by-breath something new can emerge.

In the documetn "Called to be Church" the United Church of Canada is called to re-discover our passion. THis is a call to embrace re-birth. When we find what it means to be "Called to Be Church" then we will find new energy and vitality. YEs, some things may have to be let go of in that process. Yes, the new body that emerges may be very different from what what we have known.

But life after birth is never the same as before hand is it?
--Gord

Board Meeting Highlights

2009-05-28T09:59:00.005-05:00

The Church Board met yesterday at noon. If you expand the post you'll find some highlights from the meeting:

Sunnycove Camp this year will be July 20-24. Forms are now available from Gord.
Instead of having a BBQ on Father's Day this year it will be held on Tuesday June 16th from 5-7. Tickets will not be presold, instead it will be pat at the door. Family for $10 and singles for $5
Although we are running a deficit we continue to be doing better than last year at this time.
Gord will be on holidays from July 29-August 26 this summer
We are looking into getting some handicapped parking signs for the lower parking lot along with a sign directing folks to the handicapped washroom
Riverview has applied for a grant to cover half the cost of needed renovations to the bathroom in the manse, Presbytery has endorsed the request and forwarded it on. The Board has made a decision about who will be contracted to do the work and the work will be done while the Waldie family is on holidays.
There will be a cleaning bee for the interior of the church on June 17th at 9:30
Public WOrks has been reminded of the clean up they have yet to do beside the upper lot and the broken catch basin cover on the hillside. If needed, they will be reminded again until these items have been attended to.
On June 28th we will have worship at the Teaching Place at French Lake. To allow for travel time worship will begin at 11:00 that week. All are encouraged to remain for a picnic lunch following the service. Quetico Park will not charge for those attending the worship service but anyone remaining for a picnic (and hopefully it will be warm enough for a swim!) is asked to buy a day pass.
The UCW will have their summer potluck and gift exchange at 6:00 on June 1st.

The next regular Board meeting will be in September at a date yet to be determined.

Looking Ahead to May 31, 2009 -- Pentecost Sunday

2009-05-26T09:47:00.002-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 104:24-35 (VU p.827)
From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 2:1-21

The Hymns this week are:

402 We Are One
296 This Is God’s Wondrous World
198 Come, O Spirit, Dwell Among Us (tune 374)
481 Sent Forth by God’s Blessing

This week being Pentecost Sunday we will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion.

During Children's Time we will talk about the birthing of the church.

Our sermon time this week will be given to a report from last week's Annual Meeting of the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

(Note: A summary of the meeting can be found here)

GC 40

2009-05-19T10:24:00.002-05:00

Every three years the General COuncil of the United Church of Canada meets. This August they will be meeting in Kelowna.

FOr those who want to keep up with what will be happening there is a website with information here (http://gc40.united-church.ca/) It is expected that this site will be updated frequently over the next few months. It also has information about how we will be able to follow -in real time- what is happening at the meeting.

Of the information currently on the site, I would encourage people to check out the State of the Church document.

Looking Ahead to May 24, 2009 -- 7th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-19T09:19:00.004-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 1: 15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1 (VU p. 724)
From the Letters of the Early Church: 1 John 5:9-13
From the Gospel: John 17:6-19

The Hymns this week are:

#395 Come In Come In and Sit Down
#365 Jesus Loves Me This I Know
#120 O Jesus I Have Promised
#649 Walk With Me

This weekend marks the Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Thanks to Brian for providing worship leadership while Gord is off in Winnipeg.

Looking Ahead to May 17, 2009 -- 6th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-12T10:55:00.004-05:00

The Scripture REadings this week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98 (VU p.818)
From the Letters of the Early Church: 1 John 5:1-6
From the Gospel: John 15:9-17

The Hymns this week are:

#574 Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love
#289 It Only Takes a Spark
#333 Love Divine All Loves Excelling
#646 We Are Marching (sung 3 times)

The Sermon title is Servants of the Big L-O-V-E

Early Thoughts: Can love actually be commanded? Or can it only be encouraged?

It was a song we used to sing at camp

A new comandment, give I unto you
that you love one another as I have loved you
that you love one another as I have loved you
and by this shall all men know that you are my disciples
that you have love one for another

But what does it mean to command people to love each other? Is it like the parent telling siblings to stop fighting and "love each other"? Is it commanding a feeling or is it commanding behaviour -- not "feel love" but "act lovingly"?

Generally speaking when the Gospels command us to love we need to see it in the second form. You can't command a feeling after all. Mind you, as most parents will tell you, it is hard to command loving behaviour too. So maybe it is strong encouragement after all.

Following The Way is all about love after all. It is all about acting in a loving way towards our neighbours and our enemies. It is all about seeking God's justice for all people. And we do this because we are, at the same time, servants and friend of the one who came to teach about God's love. We love because we have been loved. We act lovingly because we have recieved loving aaction. We are servants of love because we are born into the arms of God who is love.

JEsus tells his friends that they are to love each other, to love the world with a sacrifical love. Acting lovingly means making sacrifices. IT is a hard way to live. It is not romantic. It is sometimes dirty and bloody and arduous. But as servants of the One who is LOVE we really have no choice.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to MAy 10, 2009 -- 5th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-05T11:06:00.001-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Letters of the Early Church: 1 John 4:7-21
Psalm 22:23-31 (VU p.746 Parts 3 & 4)
From the Gospel: John 15:1-8

The Hymns this week are:

#232 Joyful Joyful We Adore You
#588 Many Are the Lightbeams
#299 Teach Me, God, to Wonder
#427 To Show by Touch and Word

The Sermon title is: Pruned and Trimmed, Ready to Bear Fruit

Early Thoughts: What needs to be pruned or trimmed in our lives? Are we willing to let the pruning happen? Are we ready to be as aggressive as we need to be with the shears?

Gardeners will tell you that pruning is essential for growth. Pruning is not just a way of shaping a plant or keeping the tree from growing into the power lines. Proper pruning focusses the energy of the organism, of encouraging it to be productive. A plant that is not pruned can becomed to intergrown -- I remember attacking a bush on the church grounds where the branches were all intertwined with each other. Unpruned growth can choke off the core. The energy of growth in an un (or under) pruned fruit tree is dissipated while proper pruning allows the energy to go into fruit production. And in some plants pruning causes more growth to happen than otherwise (anyone who has dealt wtih a wild lilac hedge can attest to that -- the more you cut it back the more it sends out suckers).

But most of us are too timid with the shears. Most of us are afraid to cut back enough. "What if it doesn't come back?" "WHat if I kill it?" "It looks so nice and full as it is." SOmetimes we just have to prune heavily (although some advice from people who know what they are doing always helps) and selectively and wait for the benefits to come. And yes, sometimes if we do it wrong or at the wrong time of year it means we have a season of no flowers or a year of lower fruit output.

ANd what does this have to say for us as individuals and as a church? WE need to know when to prune our lives too. Sometimes it is pruning the accumulation of "stuff" that we have built up. SOmetimes it is pruning the activities that fill our days. And for many of us the pruning of our lives as individals and communities is just as hard as hacking off that lovely branch on the apple tree.

Is God calling us to prune our lives so that we can grow? Is GOd calling the church to cut away that which is no longer useful and cast it into the fire? Is God calling the church to be more selective about where we put our time and money, dropping traditional activities to allow space for growth in other areas? Do we need to be free with thte pruning shears so that we too can be fruitful and strong?

GIve it some thought and on Sunday we will explore it some more.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to May 3, 2009 -- 4th Sunday of Easter

2009-04-28T21:10:00.003-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23 (VU p.749)
From the Gospel: John 10:11-18

The Hymns this week are:

#559 Come, O Fount of Every Blessing
#747 The Lord’s My Shepherd
#271 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
#326 O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Courage in the Shelter of the Shepherd

Early Thoughts:

It is a difficult image for many of us to appreciate. What is the appeal of having a shepherd? But it is a classic image of comfort within the Christian witness.

ANd so we need to unpack the image. We need to look for the hope in beign called sheep in need of a shepherd. Especially since many of us have never seen a herd of sheep or really know what a shepherd does.

Now then, as we look at the passage from John (including verses 1-10) we see that the shepherd is a fully committed caretaker and protector. In the Psalm we hear that the shepherd provides what is needed for life and health. And so we need to explore this image so that we too can find the courage to rest in the arms and shelter of the shepherd.
--Gord

Sunnycove 2009

2009-04-27T19:13:00.002-05:00

The United Church Camp at Sunnycove this year will be July 20-24 (leaders July 19-25).

The theme is Hi God and will be looking at prayer.

Camp forms are now available from Gord or the church office.

Board MEeting Highlights

2009-04-27T11:29:00.002-05:00

The Church Board met last Thursday. Here are some highlights from that meeting:

the stained glass windows are nearing completion. One is done and the other will be within a week. Help is needed to mount the lightboxes and windows on the chancel wall.
we are still looking for 2 Board members
remember the Scott Woods Fiddle Concert on May 8th. Tickets are still available.
on Mother's Day, May 10, there will be a pancake brunch after church
plans are being made to do the June BBQ in a different way. More news will come after the May Board meeting
to clear up confusion on the financial statements the Envelope and Non-Envelope lines will be changed to one line called "Givings"
as of the end of March we are in a deficit position but we are approximately $3000 better than we were last year at this time.
a proposal to request a grant to help pay for needed renovation work in the Manse bathroom is being put together
there will be a clean-up of the church grounds on May 19th at 1:00
we are planning a worship service and picnic out at Quetico Park for June 28

Looking Ahead to April 26, 2009 -- 3rd Sunday of Easter

2009-04-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 3:12-19
Psalm 4 (VU p.727)
From the Gospel: John 20:1-18

The Hymns this week are:

#371 Open My Eyes, That I May See
In the Garden (insert)
#186 Now the Green Blade Rises
#624 Give to Us Laughter

The Sermon title is Resurrected, Not Resuscitated – Transformation, Not Life As Usual

Early Thoughts:What is our Easter hope? Is it a revitalization of what went before or something new? What do we want?

As we read the appearance stories in the gospels it is obvious that people seemed to have trouble recognizing the Risen Christ. In this passage from John Mary thinks he is the Gardener. In Luke's story of travelers on the road it is a simple stranger they meet. Only in the saying of a name or the breaking of the bread is Christ revealed. There has to have been something different.

It has been my experience that when we get too heavily involved in "what really happened" discussions around Easter we miss its meaning. Those discussions get bogged down in trying to prove the bodily resurrection and I have found that this focus leads to a vision of resurrection as resuscitating the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth. A holy defibrillator as it were.

But that isn't what Easter is. Easter is a moment of new life, of transformation, of God's YES causing the beginning of something new (this being the same God who speaks to us through the prophet Isaiah saying Behold, I am doing something new). And so being an Easter people means being people who remain open to real resurrection. It means being open to be transformed, to letting go of our need to maintain the familiar and the comfortable.

And of course that is harder. It is so much easier to simply hope for a return to what was before. IT would be nice to say that our hope is for a renewal of all that we find helpful and comfortable. Transformation and change is harder, scarier.

Nevertheless, that is what Easter invites into. So what transformations, what new life are we looking for right now? What does resurrection mean for our economy
(locally and globally)? What does it mean for our churches (as congregations and as denominations)? What deaths are out there paving the way for new life to happen? What do we need to let go of to embrace God's new thing?

WE are an Easter people. Our hope as an Easter people lies in the promise of resurrection. But that promise may take a form unrecognizable to us at first. May God help us to allow our eyes to be opened to see Easter.
--Gord

Looking Forward to April 19, 2009 -- 2nd Sunday of Easter

2009-04-14T10:26:00.000-05:00

The Scripture Readings the week are:

From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 126 (VU p.850)
From the Gospel: John 20:19-31

The Hymns this week are:

#402 We Are One
#352 I Danced in the Morning
MV #162 Christ Within Us Hidden (insert)
#312 Praise with Joy the World’s Creator

The Sermon Title is: Resurrected But Still Wounded

Early Thoughts: Why focus on the wounds? Why isn't a resurrected Christ freed from the wounds of crucifixion?

When many people look ahead to a new life, to the victory of resurrection over whatever is is in their lives that is death-dealing, they tend to have a utopian view. There is a hope tht when the new life comes the struggles and pains and woundedness of this world will be left behind.

But that isn't what our story says. In both Luke and John there is reference to the Risen Christ showing people the wounds in his hands and feet. And for much of Christian history we have had mystics who claim to bear the marks of the cross, the stigmata as a result of a mystical encounter with Christ. What's up tith this focus on the wounds?

Part of the focus in Christian thought has been that the wounds of Christ are tied to the salvation event. But I think that is only part. Part of the importance of the wounds in the appearance stories is to show that the Risen Christ is also the crucified JEsus. For those who read the GOspel story as a fact-based history it is also proof of a bodily resurrection. But again I find there is more to it.

No matter what happens we carry our wounds forward with us. THere are scars that never fully fade. THe choice is what we do with them. Do we huddle over our wounds and scars, nursing them and not getting over their causes? OR do we accept that they have happened and move forward into a new life? Do we learn from our wounds or do we allow our wounds to shape our whole being?

Resurrection is an event tht happens over and over in our lives if we let it. TO let resurrection happen we need to have a healthy approach to our wounds and sccars. Yes we learn from them. YEs they become a part of us. But if we truly embrace resurrection then we become more than we were. We are not our wounds. WE are not what we once were. THat is the challenge of being an Easter-people. We have to move beyond nursing our wounds, beyond wanting to have themm made all better and into the new place where we have a new relationship with those wounds.

SO everybody bring your wonds to the church and let us, as a community of wounded people, figure out how to live as resurrected people.
--Gord

2009-04-12T08:36:00.002-05:00

Death has been defeated!!!
God has said YES where the world said NO!!!
The stone has been rolled away!
Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen Indeed!!!
!!!!!!HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!

Looking Forward to April 12, 2009 -- Easter Sunday

2009-04-07T11:37:00.002-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 118:1-4, 19-24 (VU p.837 Parts 1 & 3)
From the Gospel: Mark 16:1-8

The Hymns this week are:

155 Jesus Christ is Risen Today
MV 122 This is the Day that God has Made (insert)
173 Thine is the Glory
468 Let us Talents and Tongues Enjoy

After the Meditation we will hear and see an Easter Message from the Right Reverend David Giuliano, Moderator of the United Church of Canada

The title of the Meditation is Resurrection – Feel the Fear, Believe Anyway

Early Thoughts: There is something terrifying about the resurrection stories, at least if you read them from the point of view of the women going to the tomb. The truth of resurrection in the Gospels has to deal with that fear.

Mark is the earliest Gospel we have. The writer is the first person to attempt a description of Easter morning (while Paul writes earlier and confesses an Easter faith he never talks about what we call Easter morning). And in the earliest from it ends with the women running away in fear, telling nobody anything.

Obviously the story doesn't stop there. Obviously Mark's community knows that there is more to the story (and in fact there were verses added to the ending later that included an appearance by the Risen Christ). But this is where we get left. Not with joy and celebration but with fear and wondering.

And I think that is a good entry into being an Easter people. Too often we pass over that aspect of the story because we know how it ends. But as I look at it one of the miracles of the Easter event is that a group of terrified people found the faith to believe anyway. Easter isn't about debating what "really" happened. Easter is about finding the way to move beyond the fear of death into new life.

There is a lot of fear in the world right now. What will push us to feel the fear and believe anyway? What draws us into resurrection?
--Gord

Looking ahead to April 10, 2009 -- Good Friday

2009-04-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

The Scripture Passages are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
From the Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:41
Psalm 22 (VU p.744 Part One)

The Hymns are:

144 Were You There
182 Stay With Us Through the Night

The Meditation The Powers of Death will focus on naming those powers. Good Friday is the day they appear to win. What does the cross mean? Is it only seen as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice? Or is it a naming of the reality of the world of empire and oppression? Is it a theological statement or a political statement?

Looking Forward to April 5, 2009 -- Palm Sunday

2009-03-31T10:44:00.009-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

Psalm 118:19-29 (VU p.837 Parts 3 & 4)
From the Gospel: Mark 11:1-11

The Hymns this week are:

122 All Glory Laud and Honour
123 Hosanna Loud Hosanna
127 Ride On, Ride On in Majesty
424 May the God of Hope Go with Us

The Sermon Title is Is THIS How a King Comes?

Early Thoughts: No white charger, just a humble donkey. No flashing armour, just homespun robes and cloaks. No brassy trumpets, just the voices of friends and supporters. No real regalia at all. What's wrong with this picture??

In the minds of most people over the centuries, NO, this is NOT how a king comes. A Royal arrival is full of pomp and ceremony. Even our ceremonial opening of Parliament, with the official arrival of the vice-regal party is a dull shadow of the glorious pageantry traditionally associated with the arrival of a monarch.

Instead we have a plain man in plain dress riding a borrowed donkey. All the signs of royal power are missing. Well almost all the signs. There are still the adoring crowds. There is still the proclamation that the king is coming. And maybe that is part of the reason for what follows.

You see the entry into JErusalem is the entry of the anti-king. Jesus proclaims a knigdom that stands the norms of empire on their head. The power in the story is precisely that this is NOT how a king is expected to arrive. The expectations of many (botht the powerful and the powerless) need to be challenged and shattered for God's kingdom to become a reality.

Is this how a king comes? Only if we redefine the term king.
--Gord

PS: Don't forget the rest of our Holy Week Worship events:

Good Friday Walk on April 10. Starts at the Atikokan Community Fellowship (on Front Street) at 10:30
Good Friday Worship at 7:00 that evening
Easter Celebration April 12 at 10:30. We will share the communion meal during the service and then have a finger food potluck lunch following the service. Come break bread with us!

Looking Forward to March 29, 2009 -- 5th Sunday of Lent

2009-03-24T10:25:00.002-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:
From the Jewish Scriptures: Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 15:7-11
Psalm 41 (VU p.765)
From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 4:32-37
From the Gospel: Matthew 19:16-26

The Hymns this week are:
402 We Are One
87 I Am the Light of the World (verses 2-4)
603 In Loving Partnership
512 Lord You Give the Great Commission

The Sermon title is Charity or Community – What’s It All About?

Early Thoughts: What is the point of choosing to share what we have? Is it so we can feel good about ourselves? Is it to help those in need? Is it a result of noblesse oblige? What is the end result for which we hope?

Scripture is very clear. We have an obligation to give. It isn't a nice "add-on", it isn't something you do "if you have some extra". Giving is something mandatory. But at the same time giving is a thing to be done cheerfully (in his correspondence with the church in Corinth Paul reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver). Why is it so important?

I believe that giving is important for two reason. One is that in choosing to give from what we have we make it easier to remember that we are blessed with abundance rather than cursed with scarcity. Giving also reminds us that the acquisition of wealth and stuff is not the goal of life, we are freed from the slavery of consumption. But really the reason giving and sharing from what we have is important is that it builds community. That is the end goal of faith, to build a community where God's justice and love are the norm. And this can only be done when the community members are willing to give.

And so I am not often a big fan of the charity model of giving. At its heart charity is a good thing. The word itself speaks of caritas, a Latin word sometimes used in place of Love. But in modern times a charity model all too often has overtones of paternalism, of noblesse oblige, of doing for others to feel good for ourselves (or to get a tax receipt). And then we lose the community-building sense of why we give.

{as a digression, in my first year of seminary a classmate of mine insisted we should encourage people not to use envelopes and not to get tax receipts for their givings to the church, he figured that would make the gift more "real" somehow. others in the class disagreed rather strongly}

Does giving make us feel better? Often. But that still isn't why we give. Do we use language about helping those who are worse off than we are? Certainly, so does Scripture, but that still isn't the only reason we give. We give because we have been blessed. We give to build up community both around the corner from us and around the world from us. We give because as faithful people we have no choice. Stewardship is all about the choices we make with what we have. God calls us to be good stewards by choosing to share our time, our talent, our treasures, our love in ways that build up the community. This is part of what it means to really pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven".
--Gord

Looking Forward to March 22, 2009 -- 4th Sunday of Lent

2009-03-17T10:34:00.007-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:
From the Letters of the Early Church: 1 Timothy 6:1-12
Psalm 146 (VU p.868)
From the Gospel: Luke 12:13-21, 34

The Hymns this week are: (much of our music --3 hymns and the special music-- this week is "Irishy" in honour of St. Patrick's Day)
374 Come and Find the Quiet Centre
410 This Day God Gives Me
625 I Feel the Winds of God
642 Be Thou My Vision

The Sermon title this week is Cash or Credit??? – Tool, Scorecard or Goal??

Early Thoughts: What meaning do those bits of paper and metal and plastic have? Are they helpful or do they get in the way?

Well to be honest they are both helpful and they get in the way. OR at least both answers are possible. It all depends on the choices we make. It depends what meaning we give them.

In this scene from the 1987 movie Wall Street Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) gave a group a stockholders a rousing speech about how greed works. If that is the path we follow than money is not just a tool, it is our goal, our way of keeping score. Then it can be a distraction to the path of being faithful.

But we can just as easily decide that money is merely a tool, a convenient way to facilitate the exchange of goods and services (far easier and more straightforward than a barter system after all). What happens if we make that choice?

Money is really in the end only bits of metal, or pieces of paper, or slips of plastic to which we have given some meaning or value. And it is only good when exchanged with someone who agrees on what that value is (try spending Canadian Tire money anywhere other than Canadian Tire to prove that point). So it makes a rather bad way of keeping score in life.

Yes I know many people keep score with money, or with things related to money and wealth. But as people of faith we are called to a different scoring system. Money, in and of itself, is not evil, but the Scriptures tell us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. That is because it distracts us from God's scoring system. That scoring system is based on what we do with our money. It is based on how we interact with our neighbours. It is the path of self-giving, and in the end I believe it works a whole lot better than greed.

What do you think?
--Gord

Looking Forward to March 15, 2009 -- 3rd Sunday of Lent

2009-03-10T10:15:00.005-05:00

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Exodus 16:14-20
From the Jewish Scriptures: 2 Samuel 12:2-6
From the Gospel: Luke 12:22-34

The Hymns this week are:

260 God Who Gives to Life Its Goodness
227 For the Fruit of All Creation
356 Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
507 Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples

The Sermon title is Consumption – Cultural Contagion

Early Thoughts: How much is enough? When do we say stop? Will more "stuff" solve our dis-ease? Is the problem one of trust or simple greed?

As I look at it we have an illness. I call it consumption. And it is killing us, killing our planet, killing our communities. We need to find a cure.

WHat are some of the symptoms of this illness? Watch an hour of TV and you will note that 15 minutes of that hour are dedicated to commercials telling us to "buy buy buy". Listen to the talk about how to get out of the recession and you will hear economists and politicians talking about getting money out there so people can buy more stuf (and thereby kick start the economy). Take a look around your communities and see how many people have a house and yard and garage full of toys -- plasma TVs, quads, motor boats, top of the line canoes, multiple computers, ice augers, snowmachines, fancy kitchen gadgets... Visit a local landfill and see what we have determined to be "surplus". Walk through a toy aisle with my children and listen to the constant chorus of "I need to have, I really want...". The illness is real.

What causes the illness? SOmetimes it is simple greed, the desire to have more. SOmetimes it is a lack of trust, the need to get now because later it may not be available or I may not be able to get it. SOmetimes it is because we have lost sight of what is really important, of what is needed over what is wanted. Sometimes it is because we have bought into what the Moderator has called a "crumbling pyramid scheme" -- we have accepted the idea that the only possible way for the economy to operate is by getting more and causing unending growth. There are a variety of causes.

ANd the cure? At an individual level the cure lies in making different choices. But that is only part of it. THe illness is systemic, so the cure also has to be systemic. The illness is strong so the cure needs to be radical. We need to change the operating assumptions of our social-economic-political culture. WE need to redefine success. We need to stop telling people to buy stuff they don't need.

Can we find the cure to consumption? Can the dis-ease that forms our culture be removed/replaced with a healthier alternative? Do we really want to cure it? Do we even believe that we are sick?
--Gord

Presbytery Highlights

2009-03-04T11:14:00.002-05:00

Every time Cambrian Presbytery meets a document called "Cambrian Calls is put together to help carry news about the meeting back to our congregations. An expanded (with pictures) version is also put on the Presbytery website

The edition from our meeting last month is now available here

The Moderator Speaks on the Economy as a Pyramid Scheme

2009-02-26T19:01:00.004-05:00

The Right Reverend David Giuliano, Moderator of the United Church has written letters. THis one is to the church (reprinted in full in the expanded post). This one is to the country as a whole. COverage of this has hit the national papers as shown by this article from Calgary.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Greetings in the name of Jesus, who came that all might have life abundant, and in the name of the Creator, whose breathtaking abundance has filled the earth with good things.

This month it was announced in the small town where I live that the mill is closing down. Everyone here—builders to bakers, teachers to preachers—works directly or indirectly for the mill or the already vanishing mines. A spirit of dread and anxiety is settling among us. It feels like a microcosm of what is happening to the economy across the country and around the world.

I have written an open letter about the economy to all Canadians. I won’t repeat those ideas here. I am now writing to you as family—brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. I am writing to you more personally because of this profound bond we share. The current economic challenge is calling us to be church in riskier ways than we are used to. I want to encourage you to trust your faith and to take those risks.

We are called to risk compassion

We follow the one who said that to serve him we need look no further than those who are hungry, thirsty, homeless, sick, lonely, or in prison. We will find Jesus among the many physically and spiritually homeless and hungry. Caring in practical ways for those wounded by this volatile economy is our first call. I am praying that we will respond with creativity, radical hospitality, and expansive generosity.

We are called to risk a new Way

We are called to proclaim in word and action God’s dream for the world. Jesus called it the “kingdom of God.” All around the earth, people are beginning to question the logic of an economic system that values the rights of shareholders above the needs of human beings. We are awakening to the insatiable consumption that is destroying God’s creation. We are God’s witnesses for an alternative vision of a world where the needs of all prevail over the greed of a few. Times of great turmoil are also times of great opportunity for transformation. This is a time for prophetic and creative leadership.

We are called to risk as the body of Christ

Most of you are in some way already engaged in the ministry of Christ in the world. As communities of faith, we embody the Spirit and love of God. Our particular context and resources will shape our responses at this time. Maybe you will gather neighbours for a meal and talk together about local needs. Or host weekly “common table” meals. Add some storytelling or music to lift one another’s spirits. Provide office, personal, and job search support for those who are looking for work.

Food banks, shelters, and global partners need your help. Demands on our Mission and Service Fund are growing. Maybe you will visit or write a note of encouragement to someone working for change.

Congregations with property or trust funds may consider how they can best serve at this time. Make space for a think tank on the environment and economy, or invest in a green enterprise. Wealthier congregations could fund work in hard hit areas. Listen, dream, and act.

I will also ask the Executive of the General Council at its March meeting to consider how we can best help congregations and community ministries like yours reach out imaginatively and compassionately to Canadians hurt by the economic crisis.

We are not alone

When I first heard the news about our mill, my heart sank. As just one person against such powerful forces, it seems overwhelming. But we are not alone. We are connected to our brothers and sisters in our local congregation. We are part of a network of United Church communities across the country. As church, we can do more for our neighbours together. We are surrounded by countless others of faith and goodwill. God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

The peace of Christ be with us and through us,
The Right Rev. David Giuliano
Moderator
The United Church of Canada

Looking Ahead to March 1, 2009 -- 1st Sunday of Lent

2009-02-24T11:22:00.003-05:00

This Sunday marks the beginning of our Lenten sermon series The C's of Stewardship. Also, as it is the beginning of a new liturgical season we will celebrate the sacrament of Communion. We will also hear a report from last weekend's meeting of Cambrian Presbytery.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

From the Jewish Scriptures: Genesis 1:26-31
Psalm 148 (VU p.871)
From the Jewish Scriptures: Genesis 9:8-17

The Hymns this week are:

111 As the Sun with Longer Journey
303 For Beauty of Prairies
307 Touch the Earth Lightly (tune #409)
481 Sent Forth by God’s Blessing

The Sermon title is Creation – Care and Choices

Early Thoughts: What is the best way to deal with the gift of the earth? How do we balance the needs of our society with the limits of the environment around us? Is growth always a bad thing? Does being "green" have to mean limiting the economy?

It is a hard thing to do. Trying to figure out how best we can live with respect in Creation. Because in the end it is a balancing act after all.

In the Creation story God gives the care of the earth into the male and female that were Created in God's image. Some have seen in that story a license to shape the earth to meet the needs and wants of humanity no matter what the cost. Some have seen in as an act of trust (a trust that has often been broken in many minds). As an issue of stewardship this distinction is of great importance.

There is a Native American saying that we do not own the land, but rather we hold in in trust for our grandchildren. If we see our care of the earth in this way how does that shape our decisions? DO we strive to pass on a great inheritance of wealth and prosperity even if it leaves a natural world in tatters? OR do we bankrupt our economy to ensure we pass on a pristine world? Or is there a third option???

We need to find the third option. we need to find the balance between human wants/needs in the present, what we need to leave for the future, and the needs of the rest of Creation. The covenant of the rainbow is with all of Creation. We need to find the way that we can help all of Creation thrive in order to keep the covenant.

And yes it will come at a cost. Moving from flawed stewardship to healthy stewardship always has a cost. So we will need to talk about the cost of change, and the cost of refusing to acknowledge the need to change. And maybe we need to talk about what the real costs of both are - as well as the real benefits.

Anyway, come on Sunday and join in the discussion.
--Gord

2009 Lenten Sermon Series

2009-02-12T12:03:00.007-05:00

(since we had to cancel worship on MArch 1st the readings and themes have been juggled slightly. this list is now updated)

This year during Lent we willl have a Sermon series called The C's of Stewardship. If you expand this post you'll see the sermon titles and Scripture passages we'll be using

Lent 2 – March 8, 2009
Sermon: Creation – Care, and Choices

Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 148

Lent 3 – March 15, 2009
Sermon: Consumption – Cultural Contagion

2 Samuel 12:2-6
Luke 12:22-34
Exodus 16:14-20

Lent 4 – March 22, 2009
Sermon: Cash or Credit??? -- Tool, Scorecard or Goal??

1 Timothy 6:1-12
Luke 12:13-21, 34
Psalm 146

Lent 5 – March 29, 2009
Sermon: Charity or Community – What's It All About

Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 15:7-11
Psalm 41 (VU p.765)
Acts 4:32-37
Matthew 19:16-26