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.
Showing posts with label PAstoral message. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PAstoral message. Show all posts
March 21, 2010
January 14, 2010
Minister's Annual REport
Yes I know it will be printed for distribution soon. But for those who just can't wait...
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…
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
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
October 06, 2009
Pastor's PEn #2
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.
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.
October 01, 2009
Pastor's PEn
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.
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.
January 15, 2009
Minister's Annual Report
It is Annual report season. Expand the post to see Gord's submission
Here we are again at Annual Report time. As I sit down to write this year I find two words on my mind: sustainability and viability. Often over the past year I have had occasion to wonder what in our world has both of those qualities. It is my opinion that we need to highlight and build on those things we do that are sustainable and let go of the things that are not. We also need to find ways to increase our viability both by encouraging our strengths or opportunities and by counteracting our threats or weaknesses.
As I look at it this congregation has many strengths. We have a committed core group of people who are willing to help us live out our mission in the community. We have a building that allows us to host groups large and small. We have people who are passionate about our life together. A source of pride this year in particular was our hosting of the Community Kids Christmas Party in December. These are things that show our viability.
Then there are things we need to sustain. We provide not only a place but a supportive family with which we can celebrate life’s joys and sorrows. And so we join with our friends and neighbours to say farewell in memorial services, and to celebrate births and marriages. As individuals we provide a supportive presence in the community at large. In 2008 we marked 55 years worshipping and living together as a congregation. 55 years of ministry in Atikokan. This is a great gift.
And what about the future? After all that is really what discussions about sustainability and viability tend to focus on. What will keep us thriving? What can we keep doing and what do we need to give up? These are the hard questions we need to face.
And let us be totally honest. They are questions which easily could leave us wanting. As mentioned in a letter from the Board earlier this year our financial sustainability is highly questionable. From a strict financial perspective we are simply either spending too much or not taking in enough. At the same time a ministry perspective makes me wonder if we are spending enough. Would one of the signs of a viable, sustainable congregation be that our spending actually increased? (I have a dream that someday we would be doing so well that we as a congregation could offer half our Christmas Eve offering to another charity in town as our Christmas gift to the town.)
But that lies solely in our future. Right now the only quick fix to our financial situation would be if your clergy person decided to work for free (and no that is not an offer). And so we have to seriously search what our options are both in terms of money and in terms of how we do ministry.
The other question about our sustainability/viability lies in our people. Many of us are tired. As wonderful as our volunteers are it seems that we recycle the same ones all the time. If we are to be viable in the long term we need to infect other people with a passion for the work of the church. (As it happens that same infection would help with our financial viability too.)
A new year is beginning. With a new year comes new possibilities. As we move forward we celebrate the past and wonder about the future. What choices will we make to highlight our strengths and build on our opportunities? How will we counter our weaknesses and threats?
Here we are again at Annual Report time. As I sit down to write this year I find two words on my mind: sustainability and viability. Often over the past year I have had occasion to wonder what in our world has both of those qualities. It is my opinion that we need to highlight and build on those things we do that are sustainable and let go of the things that are not. We also need to find ways to increase our viability both by encouraging our strengths or opportunities and by counteracting our threats or weaknesses.
As I look at it this congregation has many strengths. We have a committed core group of people who are willing to help us live out our mission in the community. We have a building that allows us to host groups large and small. We have people who are passionate about our life together. A source of pride this year in particular was our hosting of the Community Kids Christmas Party in December. These are things that show our viability.
Then there are things we need to sustain. We provide not only a place but a supportive family with which we can celebrate life’s joys and sorrows. And so we join with our friends and neighbours to say farewell in memorial services, and to celebrate births and marriages. As individuals we provide a supportive presence in the community at large. In 2008 we marked 55 years worshipping and living together as a congregation. 55 years of ministry in Atikokan. This is a great gift.
And what about the future? After all that is really what discussions about sustainability and viability tend to focus on. What will keep us thriving? What can we keep doing and what do we need to give up? These are the hard questions we need to face.
And let us be totally honest. They are questions which easily could leave us wanting. As mentioned in a letter from the Board earlier this year our financial sustainability is highly questionable. From a strict financial perspective we are simply either spending too much or not taking in enough. At the same time a ministry perspective makes me wonder if we are spending enough. Would one of the signs of a viable, sustainable congregation be that our spending actually increased? (I have a dream that someday we would be doing so well that we as a congregation could offer half our Christmas Eve offering to another charity in town as our Christmas gift to the town.)
But that lies solely in our future. Right now the only quick fix to our financial situation would be if your clergy person decided to work for free (and no that is not an offer). And so we have to seriously search what our options are both in terms of money and in terms of how we do ministry.
The other question about our sustainability/viability lies in our people. Many of us are tired. As wonderful as our volunteers are it seems that we recycle the same ones all the time. If we are to be viable in the long term we need to infect other people with a passion for the work of the church. (As it happens that same infection would help with our financial viability too.)
A new year is beginning. With a new year comes new possibilities. As we move forward we celebrate the past and wonder about the future. What choices will we make to highlight our strengths and build on our opportunities? How will we counter our weaknesses and threats?
November 11, 2008
November 04, 2008
THis Needs to Be Read
A Colleague in the US has posted some reflections on the questions that were not asked during the US election campaign. Nor were many of them asked in the Canadian campaign a month ago.
You can read it here.
You can read it here.
October 22, 2008
Ministerial Musings
The latest newsletter just came out. Expand the post to see the Ministerial Musings:
It is a joke of course, one that makes light of a stereotyped vision of how men and women operate differently. But the joke came to mind recently because sometimes life feels like one journey through the wilderness after another. Sometimes we wonder when, or if, we will reach the Promised Land. Do we know which way we are going?
I suspect that is just what those ancient Israelites felt like from time to time. They had been told that there was something good to come but they just couldn't seem to get there. You have to think that they wondered if this Moses really knew how to get there. Did he have a map and directions?
In his book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time Marcus Borg suggests that the Exodus story is one of the 3 “meta-stories” of Scripture. It is one of the 3 basic stories that builds the foundation of Scriptural faith. And as such it is not something that happened once, it is an experience that echoes throughout the history of the faithful. Those elements of wandering, promise, and liberation continue to make up part of our story.
This October Riverview turns 55. Over those years there have been times of wilderness wandering and times of knowing we were in the Promised Land. Over those years there have been times when we knew where were going, times when we were pretty sure, and times when the road ahead was pretty well lost in the fog. When the road is lost in the fog, what happens?
So where are our wanderings taking us here in 2008? What Promised Land is in our future? I honestly wish I could say I knew. But I can't. I don't know what liberation will bring to Atikokan and Riverview. Mind you, I am not always sure Moses and the people knew what the Promised Land would be either. They just knew it was out there. They lived in hope. They lived in hope that they would get there someday.
So that is our task today. As we join with our neighbours to struggle with an economy that is struggling we live in hope. As we wonder how to keep providing ministry despite rising costs and sometimes dwindling energy we live in hope. As we try to re-vision what it means to be a community of faith in a rapidly changing world we live in hope. We hope for liberation. We hope for the time of abundance. We hope for that time when God's justice and peace are a reality not only here but around the world. We are people of hope.
As we start off into another year where we tell again the story of a child in a manger, a cross on a hill, an empty tomb, and a new community may hope carry us forward. In the face of a world of uncertainty, of a time of wandering in the wilderness, may hope in the Promise keep us walking. And may the God of hope, the God of promise walk with us as support and guide. And let's try to remember to stop and ask God for directions so we can keep a clearer idea of where it is we are supposed to be going.
Because we really don't want to wander around for 40 years do we?
Do you know why the Israelites wandered around in the desert for 40 years?
Because even then men wouldn't ask for directions.
It is a joke of course, one that makes light of a stereotyped vision of how men and women operate differently. But the joke came to mind recently because sometimes life feels like one journey through the wilderness after another. Sometimes we wonder when, or if, we will reach the Promised Land. Do we know which way we are going?
I suspect that is just what those ancient Israelites felt like from time to time. They had been told that there was something good to come but they just couldn't seem to get there. You have to think that they wondered if this Moses really knew how to get there. Did he have a map and directions?
In his book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time Marcus Borg suggests that the Exodus story is one of the 3 “meta-stories” of Scripture. It is one of the 3 basic stories that builds the foundation of Scriptural faith. And as such it is not something that happened once, it is an experience that echoes throughout the history of the faithful. Those elements of wandering, promise, and liberation continue to make up part of our story.
This October Riverview turns 55. Over those years there have been times of wilderness wandering and times of knowing we were in the Promised Land. Over those years there have been times when we knew where were going, times when we were pretty sure, and times when the road ahead was pretty well lost in the fog. When the road is lost in the fog, what happens?
So where are our wanderings taking us here in 2008? What Promised Land is in our future? I honestly wish I could say I knew. But I can't. I don't know what liberation will bring to Atikokan and Riverview. Mind you, I am not always sure Moses and the people knew what the Promised Land would be either. They just knew it was out there. They lived in hope. They lived in hope that they would get there someday.
So that is our task today. As we join with our neighbours to struggle with an economy that is struggling we live in hope. As we wonder how to keep providing ministry despite rising costs and sometimes dwindling energy we live in hope. As we try to re-vision what it means to be a community of faith in a rapidly changing world we live in hope. We hope for liberation. We hope for the time of abundance. We hope for that time when God's justice and peace are a reality not only here but around the world. We are people of hope.
As we start off into another year where we tell again the story of a child in a manger, a cross on a hill, an empty tomb, and a new community may hope carry us forward. In the face of a world of uncertainty, of a time of wandering in the wilderness, may hope in the Promise keep us walking. And may the God of hope, the God of promise walk with us as support and guide. And let's try to remember to stop and ask God for directions so we can keep a clearer idea of where it is we are supposed to be going.
Because we really don't want to wander around for 40 years do we?
May 05, 2008
Pentecost Reflections
Next Sunday is Pentecost, also called the "Birthday of the church". Tomorrow a preview of our worship will be posted.
But today I encourage people to reflect on the meaning of being Spirit-filled. We live in an era where such language is often reserved for sports teams and fans. We live in an era where church is often seen as institutional and even bureaucratic rather than Spirit-filled and vibrant. What would it mean for the church to become more Spirit-led? Would we notice the difference? Might we be more flowing and variable?
This article discusses the way the church moved from being a Spirited and Spirit-led to a more institutional organization. Given that all organizations eventually move toward a more structured way of being it makes sense. But of course that isn't what the church is called to be -- at least in the minds of many.
But today I encourage people to reflect on the meaning of being Spirit-filled. We live in an era where such language is often reserved for sports teams and fans. We live in an era where church is often seen as institutional and even bureaucratic rather than Spirit-filled and vibrant. What would it mean for the church to become more Spirit-led? Would we notice the difference? Might we be more flowing and variable?
This article discusses the way the church moved from being a Spirited and Spirit-led to a more institutional organization. Given that all organizations eventually move toward a more structured way of being it makes sense. But of course that isn't what the church is called to be -- at least in the minds of many.
March 26, 2008
Minsterial Musings (From the upcoming Newsletter)
As I sit down to write this I find myself thinking about Spring, despite the 4 inches of snow that have fallen in the last 48 hours. And with thoughts of Spring come thoughts of Easter and new life and resurrection (not surprising since Easter Sunday was only 3 days ago).
As I look at the world around me this Easter season I find that I am pressed to ask “What does resurrection mean in this place and time?”. In the face of financial struggles, a graying congregation and increasing costs, what does resurrection mean for Riverview? In the face of a dying forestry industry, aging infrastructure, and limited employment what does resurrection mean for Atikokan? In the face of warfare, economic globalization and political uncertainty, what does resurrection mean for the world?
To tell the truth I am not entirely sure what the answer to any of those questions is. Resurrection is hard to predict, both in time and in form. We don't get to choose when and how Easter breaks into our worlds. And this is both challenge and opportunity.
It is a challenge because we like to be in control. We like to believe that we can decide what the future will bring us. But we aren't in control. The challenge of resurrection is both that it comes up unexpectedly, unlooked for, like a thief in the night and that it comes in forms that we don't expect, sometimes can't even predict. Resurrection is not a matter of resuscitating what once was. It is not a return to the same-old way of being. It is a transforming experience, one that moves us
And once we give in to the lack of control we can find the opportunity. The transforming effect of resurrection provides an opportunity for an injection of hope into a world of despair. The opportunity to revision how we see ourselves as a church, a town, a global community lies waiting to be seized. Taking hold of this can be terrifying, it is always more comfortable to bring back what once was. The new is not the familiar.
The challenge I lay before all of us is this. Look for the signs of new life around us. Try to listen for God's call to experiment. Isaiah tells us of a God who says “Behold, I am doing something new”. What is the new thing God is doing here? Are we ready to try being people of abundant Life in ways that may be slightly or even extremely different than how “we have always done it”?
God calls us to resurrection. God doesn't necessarily call us to resuscitation of the old body. May God's transforming power be at work in us, both within the congregation and within Atikokan and within the global community of which we are a part.
Gord
As I look at the world around me this Easter season I find that I am pressed to ask “What does resurrection mean in this place and time?”. In the face of financial struggles, a graying congregation and increasing costs, what does resurrection mean for Riverview? In the face of a dying forestry industry, aging infrastructure, and limited employment what does resurrection mean for Atikokan? In the face of warfare, economic globalization and political uncertainty, what does resurrection mean for the world?
To tell the truth I am not entirely sure what the answer to any of those questions is. Resurrection is hard to predict, both in time and in form. We don't get to choose when and how Easter breaks into our worlds. And this is both challenge and opportunity.
It is a challenge because we like to be in control. We like to believe that we can decide what the future will bring us. But we aren't in control. The challenge of resurrection is both that it comes up unexpectedly, unlooked for, like a thief in the night and that it comes in forms that we don't expect, sometimes can't even predict. Resurrection is not a matter of resuscitating what once was. It is not a return to the same-old way of being. It is a transforming experience, one that moves us
And once we give in to the lack of control we can find the opportunity. The transforming effect of resurrection provides an opportunity for an injection of hope into a world of despair. The opportunity to revision how we see ourselves as a church, a town, a global community lies waiting to be seized. Taking hold of this can be terrifying, it is always more comfortable to bring back what once was. The new is not the familiar.
The challenge I lay before all of us is this. Look for the signs of new life around us. Try to listen for God's call to experiment. Isaiah tells us of a God who says “Behold, I am doing something new”. What is the new thing God is doing here? Are we ready to try being people of abundant Life in ways that may be slightly or even extremely different than how “we have always done it”?
God calls us to resurrection. God doesn't necessarily call us to resuscitation of the old body. May God's transforming power be at work in us, both within the congregation and within Atikokan and within the global community of which we are a part.
Gord
January 14, 2008
Minister's Annual Report
For those of you who just can't wait until it is distributed, the Ministerial report is in the expanded post.
A colleague of mine in BC has a blog which he calls Looking Backward…Looking Forward. If I had to name the intent of this report that is what I would call it. Here we look back at the year that 2007 was and we look ahead to what 2008 (and beyond) may be.
LOOKING BACK
And what did 2007 bring us? As with most years, it brought a mixture of joy and sorrow, highs and lows. Among the highs were the chances we had to celebrate new life and new hope with the sacrament of Baptism. We also had many chances to share meals together, always a great way to celebrate community. We continue to live out our mission statement by offering ministry to the community: we worship with the residents of Extended Care, we open our hall to use by a variety of community groups, we provide a place for those with little church connection to gather and grieve the loss of a loved one, our meals are open to the whole community
But there are struggles too. As a part of the larger community of Atikokan we share in the losses of Fibratech going bankrupt, of the lay-off at AFP, and of the deaths that took place over the year (in October and November alone the Progress ran 16 obituaries). Within our own community some felt these losses more than others but as a community of love and faith we know that we share the pain and the struggle. Our congregation, as with most others in town, is aging and just holding our own sometimes seems the best victory we can expect. Money is tight, numbers are not as high as some might like (but are remaining fairly steady), energy is taxed. But still, when something needs doing, a way is found. That is cause for excitement – the energy and time and resources are found to do what needs doing.
Some of the other highlights over the year for me have been: the worship and picnic out at French Lake in June, the viewing of An Inconvenient Truth for Earth Day in April, the chance to host An Evening of Singing with Bruce and Cheryl Harding in November, and this year I offered a funeral seminar twice, once in Thunder Bay and once with some folks from Knox United in Fort Frances as they live without paid ministry at this time (I think I have that seminar pretty much down pat by now).
LOOKING FORWARD
So what about the future? What lies in store for us? Who knows really? The trouble with predicting the future is that it is always in motion, the choices yet unknown will lead us down different paths. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”, which path we take shapes the future in ways yet to be seen. The challenge is to live in comfort with the uncertainty.
What will happen in the local economy? When will things rebound? Will the churches in town die off? Will the town itself die off? These questions continue to bounce back to our consciousness. And in the end they are questions without answers.
On a more concrete level, the future brings my term as Chair of Cambrian Presbytery (May 2008-May 2009). One of the goals I bring to that position is to get Presbytery to ask itself and to ask congregations how it can best offer support to the Pastoral charges and congregation in Northwestern Ontario. Being chair of Presbytery also puts me on the Conference Executive and I may get a chance to raise that same question there. As a church we have to always push ourselves to remember that the local congregation is the central, and most important, piece in the puzzle.
Locally, I see a challenge in our future. It feels like Riverview has been largely in “maintenance mode” for a long time (20 years perhaps). This really isn’t surprising since the town as a whole has been in survival mode for longer than that. But my hope both for the congregation and for the town is to move out of those places. When we are focussed on maintenance or survival it makes growth very difficult. My hope is that we find the vision to leap forward in faith. My hope is that we open ourselves to find out what God is calling us to do and be in this place and time and to live out that calling – even if the answer we get is very different from what we have been doing and/or how we see ourselves. Doing that can be terrifying and a little risky. But I found a quote from Martin Luther King this morning which says: “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.” And we are called to be people of faith.
Amidst all the uncertainties, the hopes and the fears of the future, the joys and the sorrows of the present and the past, I do know one thing for certain. God is with us in this place. God is with us in this time. God will be with us in whatever lies ahead. And, armed with the knowledge that God is with us we can indeed take the first step, even if we can’t see where the next one will be.
In closing I offer this prayer as we move forward, embracing the changes and challenges, the joys and the sorrows, the highs and the lows that the future holds:
Spirit God: be our breath, be our song.
Blow through us, bringing strength to move on.
Through change, through challenge, we’ll greet the new dawn…
Spirit God, be our song.
(verse 4 of “Spirit God, Be Our Breath”, #150 in More Voices. ©1997 Bruce Harding Used with permission under license #C6531 LicenSing – Copyright cleared music for churches)
Peace be with you,
Rev. Gord Waldie
A colleague of mine in BC has a blog which he calls Looking Backward…Looking Forward. If I had to name the intent of this report that is what I would call it. Here we look back at the year that 2007 was and we look ahead to what 2008 (and beyond) may be.
LOOKING BACK
And what did 2007 bring us? As with most years, it brought a mixture of joy and sorrow, highs and lows. Among the highs were the chances we had to celebrate new life and new hope with the sacrament of Baptism. We also had many chances to share meals together, always a great way to celebrate community. We continue to live out our mission statement by offering ministry to the community: we worship with the residents of Extended Care, we open our hall to use by a variety of community groups, we provide a place for those with little church connection to gather and grieve the loss of a loved one, our meals are open to the whole community
But there are struggles too. As a part of the larger community of Atikokan we share in the losses of Fibratech going bankrupt, of the lay-off at AFP, and of the deaths that took place over the year (in October and November alone the Progress ran 16 obituaries). Within our own community some felt these losses more than others but as a community of love and faith we know that we share the pain and the struggle. Our congregation, as with most others in town, is aging and just holding our own sometimes seems the best victory we can expect. Money is tight, numbers are not as high as some might like (but are remaining fairly steady), energy is taxed. But still, when something needs doing, a way is found. That is cause for excitement – the energy and time and resources are found to do what needs doing.
Some of the other highlights over the year for me have been: the worship and picnic out at French Lake in June, the viewing of An Inconvenient Truth for Earth Day in April, the chance to host An Evening of Singing with Bruce and Cheryl Harding in November, and this year I offered a funeral seminar twice, once in Thunder Bay and once with some folks from Knox United in Fort Frances as they live without paid ministry at this time (I think I have that seminar pretty much down pat by now).
LOOKING FORWARD
So what about the future? What lies in store for us? Who knows really? The trouble with predicting the future is that it is always in motion, the choices yet unknown will lead us down different paths. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”, which path we take shapes the future in ways yet to be seen. The challenge is to live in comfort with the uncertainty.
What will happen in the local economy? When will things rebound? Will the churches in town die off? Will the town itself die off? These questions continue to bounce back to our consciousness. And in the end they are questions without answers.
On a more concrete level, the future brings my term as Chair of Cambrian Presbytery (May 2008-May 2009). One of the goals I bring to that position is to get Presbytery to ask itself and to ask congregations how it can best offer support to the Pastoral charges and congregation in Northwestern Ontario. Being chair of Presbytery also puts me on the Conference Executive and I may get a chance to raise that same question there. As a church we have to always push ourselves to remember that the local congregation is the central, and most important, piece in the puzzle.
Locally, I see a challenge in our future. It feels like Riverview has been largely in “maintenance mode” for a long time (20 years perhaps). This really isn’t surprising since the town as a whole has been in survival mode for longer than that. But my hope both for the congregation and for the town is to move out of those places. When we are focussed on maintenance or survival it makes growth very difficult. My hope is that we find the vision to leap forward in faith. My hope is that we open ourselves to find out what God is calling us to do and be in this place and time and to live out that calling – even if the answer we get is very different from what we have been doing and/or how we see ourselves. Doing that can be terrifying and a little risky. But I found a quote from Martin Luther King this morning which says: “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.” And we are called to be people of faith.
Amidst all the uncertainties, the hopes and the fears of the future, the joys and the sorrows of the present and the past, I do know one thing for certain. God is with us in this place. God is with us in this time. God will be with us in whatever lies ahead. And, armed with the knowledge that God is with us we can indeed take the first step, even if we can’t see where the next one will be.
In closing I offer this prayer as we move forward, embracing the changes and challenges, the joys and the sorrows, the highs and the lows that the future holds:
Spirit God: be our breath, be our song.
Blow through us, bringing strength to move on.
Through change, through challenge, we’ll greet the new dawn…
Spirit God, be our song.
(verse 4 of “Spirit God, Be Our Breath”, #150 in More Voices. ©1997 Bruce Harding Used with permission under license #C6531 LicenSing – Copyright cleared music for churches)
Peace be with you,
Rev. Gord Waldie
January 06, 2008
Installing Love
This was a part of Ralph Milton's e-zine Rumors this morning. (To subscribe to Rumors send a blank e-mail here). Ralph writes about it:
Tech Support: Yes? How can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?
TS: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Cus: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
TS: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Cus: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are Running?
TS: What programs are running?
Cus: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.
TS: No problem. Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
Cus: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
TS: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Cus: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
TS: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Cus: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?
TS: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Cus: So, what should I do?
TS: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.
Cus: Okay, done.
TS: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Cus: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?
TS: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Cus: Thank you, God.
This from Chris Duxbury in Australia. It's been bopping around the internet for years, and Chris is simply the last person to send it to me. I'm not sure why I've resisted putting it here in Rumors. But I will trust your powers of discernment because it's interesting and quite possibly useful to you.
Tech Support: Yes? How can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?
TS: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Cus: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
TS: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Cus: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are Running?
TS: What programs are running?
Cus: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.
TS: No problem. Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
Cus: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
TS: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Cus: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
TS: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Cus: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?
TS: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Cus: So, what should I do?
TS: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.
Cus: Okay, done.
TS: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Cus: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?
TS: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Cus: Thank you, God.
December 10, 2007
A Christmas Quiz
How well do you know the Christmas story as told in the Bible as opposed to Christmas Pageants and Christmas carols? What are the differences? Expand the post and test your self (answers will be posted later in the season)
1 For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph
a) walked
b) Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c) rode a bus
d) who knows?
2 When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
a) married
b) just friends
c) engaged
d) none of the above
3 When Mary became pregnant,
a) Joseph married her
b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c) Mary left Nazareth for a while
d) an angel told them to go to Bethlehem
e) both b & c
f) both b & d
4 Christmas has always been observed
a) on December 25
b) on January 17
c) at Grandma's house
d) none of the above
5 Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a) Herod
b) an angel
c) Caesar
d) the IRS
6 Just what is a "heavenly host"
a) an angelic choir
b) the welcoming angel in heaven
c) an army of angels
d) none of the above
7 How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a) a multitude
b) two - Gabriel and Michael
c) one
d) who knows?
8 What song did the angels sing?
a) "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
b) "Joy to the World"
c) "Glory to God in the Highest"
d) none of the above
9 The baby Jesus was born in a
a) cave
b) manger
c) hurry
d) barn
e) who knows?
10 What animals were present at Jesus' birth?
a) cows, sheep, and camels
b) cows, sheep, and donkeys
c) lions and tigers and bears
d) none of the above
11 What is a manger anyway?
a) a barn
b) a place for hay
c) a feeding trough
d) a Greek term for the church nursery
12 When did baby Jesus cry?
a) when He opened the wise men's gifts
b) whenever babies usually cried
c) when the cattle started lowing
d) "no crying He makes"
13 Joseph's family was from
a) Jerusalem
b) Nazareth
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above
14 Who saw the star over Bethlehem
a) Mary and Joseph
b) shepherds
c) the three kings
d) both b & c
e) none of the above
15 What sign were the shepherds to look for?
a) a star over the stable
b) a barn outlined with Christmas lights
c) a baby in a manger
d) both a & c
e) none of the above
16 What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a) "I have a stable out back."
b) "Come back after the holidays."
c) "There is no room in the inn."
d) both a & c
e) none of the above
17 How many wise men came to see Jesus?
______ (write in the correct number)
18 What in the world are Magi?
a) Eastern kings
b) magicians
c) astrologers
d) wise enough to follow the star
e) none of the above
19 When the wise men brought the gifts to Jesus, they found Him in
a) a manger
b) a house
c) Vacation Bible School
d) none of the above
20 In what books of the Bible will you find these fascinating facts?
a) Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
b) Matthew and Luke
c) Mark and Matthew
d) Matthew, Mark, and Luke
1 For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph
a) walked
b) Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c) rode a bus
d) who knows?
2 When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
a) married
b) just friends
c) engaged
d) none of the above
3 When Mary became pregnant,
a) Joseph married her
b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c) Mary left Nazareth for a while
d) an angel told them to go to Bethlehem
e) both b & c
f) both b & d
4 Christmas has always been observed
a) on December 25
b) on January 17
c) at Grandma's house
d) none of the above
5 Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a) Herod
b) an angel
c) Caesar
d) the IRS
6 Just what is a "heavenly host"
a) an angelic choir
b) the welcoming angel in heaven
c) an army of angels
d) none of the above
7 How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a) a multitude
b) two - Gabriel and Michael
c) one
d) who knows?
8 What song did the angels sing?
a) "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
b) "Joy to the World"
c) "Glory to God in the Highest"
d) none of the above
9 The baby Jesus was born in a
a) cave
b) manger
c) hurry
d) barn
e) who knows?
10 What animals were present at Jesus' birth?
a) cows, sheep, and camels
b) cows, sheep, and donkeys
c) lions and tigers and bears
d) none of the above
11 What is a manger anyway?
a) a barn
b) a place for hay
c) a feeding trough
d) a Greek term for the church nursery
12 When did baby Jesus cry?
a) when He opened the wise men's gifts
b) whenever babies usually cried
c) when the cattle started lowing
d) "no crying He makes"
13 Joseph's family was from
a) Jerusalem
b) Nazareth
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above
14 Who saw the star over Bethlehem
a) Mary and Joseph
b) shepherds
c) the three kings
d) both b & c
e) none of the above
15 What sign were the shepherds to look for?
a) a star over the stable
b) a barn outlined with Christmas lights
c) a baby in a manger
d) both a & c
e) none of the above
16 What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a) "I have a stable out back."
b) "Come back after the holidays."
c) "There is no room in the inn."
d) both a & c
e) none of the above
17 How many wise men came to see Jesus?
______ (write in the correct number)
18 What in the world are Magi?
a) Eastern kings
b) magicians
c) astrologers
d) wise enough to follow the star
e) none of the above
19 When the wise men brought the gifts to Jesus, they found Him in
a) a manger
b) a house
c) Vacation Bible School
d) none of the above
20 In what books of the Bible will you find these fascinating facts?
a) Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
b) Matthew and Luke
c) Mark and Matthew
d) Matthew, Mark, and Luke
September 25, 2007
Well Worth a Read!
A PAstor in the states publishes a blog with Spiritual Reflections. The latest post, on the value of networking, is an excellent call to action for the church.
ANd it uses cell-phone commercials to do it!
Read it here
ANd it uses cell-phone commercials to do it!
Read it here
September 21, 2007
Review of Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace
Gord wrote this review that was published in the September 2007 issue of Touchstone, a United Church journal of theology and history.
Volf, Miroslav. Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press © 2005 247 pp. $16.99
A native of the former Yugoslavia, who watched his homeland torn apart in a brutal civil war, Miroslav Volf seems uniquely positioned to write about forgiveness. Volf writes that in part he learned the power and importance of forgiveness from his parents’ actions after his brother was killed in a tragic accident. Many of us have far less reason to wrestle with forgiving.
Actually the talk about forgiving is the second half of the book. Before that Volf talks about giving. In a parallel structure Volf talks about God the Giver/Forgiver and then asks two vital questions: “How Should We Give/Forgive?” and “How Can We Give/Forgive?”. The book then closes with a frank “Conversation with a Skeptic” that serves to tie things together and recap the major themes and challenges of the text.
In starting with giving Volf does two things. First, he lays out a base structure which he will later use to support his discussion of the often more problematic practise of forgiving. Secondly he provides an excellent set of readings for developing a theology of stewardship. In essence, he says that God gives because that is who God is (as opposed to a Santa Claus God who fulfills wish lists or a picture of God as a deal-maker in a quid pro quo model of giving). Then he challenges all of us to give as God gives.
In this discussion Volf also uses the argument that we are able to give because everything we have is given by God. Furthermore we need to give freely, with no expectation for reward, since that is how God gives. At the same time Volf makes I clear that we are obliged to give both by receiving God’s gifts and by the frequent commands to give we find in Scripture. Interestingly, Volf suggests that in essence we are “obliged to give freely” (p.65) and suggests that this is the message Paul was giving in 2 Corinthians.
From giving Volf moves on to the practise of forgiving. The interlude that marks this break is the story of his brother’s death and the amazing forgiveness shown by his parents. This interlude is worth reading all on its own to show the power and potential of forgiveness.
Volf’s model of forgiveness is challenging to say the least. As with giving, Volf calls us to forgive as God forgives. But he is clear about what that means. To parallel the God as giver imagery Volf describes two inaccurate images of God as forgiver. This is God as Doting Grandparent (p.136 ff) and God as Judge (p.131 ff). God does not judge and hand out the punishment we deserve but neither does God pat us on the head and say “that’s ok”. Volf describes God as choosing “To condemn the fault but to spare the doer” (p. 141). Throughout this discussion it is clear that for Volf part of forgiveness is acknowledging that wrong has been done. It is equally part of forgiving to erase the debt, to live as though the wrong had not been done.
While taking seriously the truth of forgiveness Volf does not set aside the idea of justice (which is tempting as a way of explaining how God is able to forgive). Volf’s model of how God’s forgiveness and God’s justice intersect leans heavily on Lutheran thought. As such it also leans heavily on the satisfaction theory of atonement. As he moves into how we can forgive he carries through to suggest that it is only in meeting and embracing Christ that we can do so. Volf addresses clearly the hurdles humans have in forgiving and takes them seriously. Still, in the end he calls us to the challenge of forgiving as God forgives.
Free of Charge was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lenten study book for 2006. As such it is written in a style that is less academic and more widely accessible. Both sections of the book have strong messages and challenges to the church and to the culture at large. Those of us who struggle with the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement will have issues with some of how Volf sees forgiveness happening but this doesn’t really take away from the challenge of naming and condemning the wrong but not condemning the doer of the wrong. Apart from a brief reference in the prelude there was little explicit discussion about “A Culture Stripped of Grace” but in the end it is obvious that issues of grace and gracelessness lie at the heart of both giving and forgiving. Anyone who finds the need to wrestle with one or both of these practises, which are central to how we interact with others, would do well to check out this volume.
Gord Waldie
Atikokan Ontario
Volf, Miroslav. Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press © 2005 247 pp. $16.99
A native of the former Yugoslavia, who watched his homeland torn apart in a brutal civil war, Miroslav Volf seems uniquely positioned to write about forgiveness. Volf writes that in part he learned the power and importance of forgiveness from his parents’ actions after his brother was killed in a tragic accident. Many of us have far less reason to wrestle with forgiving.
Actually the talk about forgiving is the second half of the book. Before that Volf talks about giving. In a parallel structure Volf talks about God the Giver/Forgiver and then asks two vital questions: “How Should We Give/Forgive?” and “How Can We Give/Forgive?”. The book then closes with a frank “Conversation with a Skeptic” that serves to tie things together and recap the major themes and challenges of the text.
In starting with giving Volf does two things. First, he lays out a base structure which he will later use to support his discussion of the often more problematic practise of forgiving. Secondly he provides an excellent set of readings for developing a theology of stewardship. In essence, he says that God gives because that is who God is (as opposed to a Santa Claus God who fulfills wish lists or a picture of God as a deal-maker in a quid pro quo model of giving). Then he challenges all of us to give as God gives.
In this discussion Volf also uses the argument that we are able to give because everything we have is given by God. Furthermore we need to give freely, with no expectation for reward, since that is how God gives. At the same time Volf makes I clear that we are obliged to give both by receiving God’s gifts and by the frequent commands to give we find in Scripture. Interestingly, Volf suggests that in essence we are “obliged to give freely” (p.65) and suggests that this is the message Paul was giving in 2 Corinthians.
From giving Volf moves on to the practise of forgiving. The interlude that marks this break is the story of his brother’s death and the amazing forgiveness shown by his parents. This interlude is worth reading all on its own to show the power and potential of forgiveness.
Volf’s model of forgiveness is challenging to say the least. As with giving, Volf calls us to forgive as God forgives. But he is clear about what that means. To parallel the God as giver imagery Volf describes two inaccurate images of God as forgiver. This is God as Doting Grandparent (p.136 ff) and God as Judge (p.131 ff). God does not judge and hand out the punishment we deserve but neither does God pat us on the head and say “that’s ok”. Volf describes God as choosing “To condemn the fault but to spare the doer” (p. 141). Throughout this discussion it is clear that for Volf part of forgiveness is acknowledging that wrong has been done. It is equally part of forgiving to erase the debt, to live as though the wrong had not been done.
While taking seriously the truth of forgiveness Volf does not set aside the idea of justice (which is tempting as a way of explaining how God is able to forgive). Volf’s model of how God’s forgiveness and God’s justice intersect leans heavily on Lutheran thought. As such it also leans heavily on the satisfaction theory of atonement. As he moves into how we can forgive he carries through to suggest that it is only in meeting and embracing Christ that we can do so. Volf addresses clearly the hurdles humans have in forgiving and takes them seriously. Still, in the end he calls us to the challenge of forgiving as God forgives.
Free of Charge was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lenten study book for 2006. As such it is written in a style that is less academic and more widely accessible. Both sections of the book have strong messages and challenges to the church and to the culture at large. Those of us who struggle with the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement will have issues with some of how Volf sees forgiveness happening but this doesn’t really take away from the challenge of naming and condemning the wrong but not condemning the doer of the wrong. Apart from a brief reference in the prelude there was little explicit discussion about “A Culture Stripped of Grace” but in the end it is obvious that issues of grace and gracelessness lie at the heart of both giving and forgiving. Anyone who finds the need to wrestle with one or both of these practises, which are central to how we interact with others, would do well to check out this volume.
Gord Waldie
Atikokan Ontario
September 19, 2007
The God Delusion
A Sermon preached at Riverview United Church, Atikokan ON
September 16, 2007
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
September 16, 2007
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
When I sat down on Monday morning to think about what worship would look like this week the first line of the Psalm jumped out at me – “Only fools say there is no God, they only fool themselves”. It stuck out at me because earlier this year, there were a couple of books that got a lot of attention. This is one of them, it is by a well-known British atheist named Richard Dawkins and is called The God Delusion. I am sure you can guess from the title that he might have a different opinion than the person who wrote the psalm about who the fool really is.
Actually this week I did read the first chapter and a half but found it difficult to wade through the vitriol, as one friend describes it. Dawkins appears to be a very angry man and later in the book becomes very condescending to anyone who is foolish enough to believe in God. Dawkins talks about how this God delusion, or as he calls it in chapter 2 the God Hypothesis, has been the cause of many many terrible things over the years. He talks about how belief in God has caused warfare, and violence and anger. But of course he is coming from the point of view where the fool is the one who believes in God.
If you ask the Psalmist, the Psalmist would likely say that the problem is we don’t all believe in the right God. At this point in Israel’s history God is still largely a tribal god. It is only later, when the Israelites are in exile and come to the surprising realization that “Hey, the God who was with us in the Temple in Jerusalem is with us here too” that they start to broaden their understanding of God. For most of the history in the Jewish Scriptures God is, as the story puts it, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. God is a family god turned tribal god as the family grew. But as people’s understandings grew God became The One, Universal God.
What has often been debated in theological circles but not so much in local congregations is the question of “why believe in God?”. Most people grow up sort of assuming that, well if you go to church you believe in God. Part of the package as it were. For many years it was also assumed that everybody believed in God. Atheism has always been around – that first line of the Psalm shows that. But for many generations it has been the common assumption that people believe in God. Statistics show that this has been a pretty safe assumption. Census data from both Canada and the US consistently shows that a majority of people believe in something other. I say it that way because their something other doesn’t always look like the God we describe in the church.
Around 40-50 years ago something changed. Within the last 50 years atheism has become much more apparent. It has always been there but has become much more visible, even acceptable. I think there are a variety of reasons for that. Certainly one was that as our culture became much more scientific – so really since the beginning of the “Age of Reason” a couple hundred years ago – as our culture became more science-based, based on the idea that anything can be proven to be right or wrong. And people who were brought up in a church which told them to take literally the miracle stories, to take literally the Creation story met with a bit of a problem. One of the reasons that many many people have given up on the church is because that was their experience. Their experience of church was of a place that told them that as soon as they came in the door they had to switch off their rational brain. And many saw no purpose in doing that. So I think that is one reason for this apparent growth in atheism. People said “that is not a God I can believe in and so obviously there is no God and I’ll just continue merrily on my way and sleep in on Sunday thank you very much”.
At the same time this was happening in more people’s hearts and minds, we ran into what is now called the end of Christendom. Christendom is more than just the world wide Christian church. It goes into the belief that the culture itself was Christian. 50 years ago if you wanted to be elected mayor anywhere in Canada, or the United States, or much of Europe you had better be known to go to church. That was what “good people” did. And not only that but in many places you had to go to the “right” church. The Anglican Church was seen as being for one group or class, Baptists were another group. Or there would be the “management” church and the “union” church in union towns. To a degree we still see this today in that the United Church is largely a church of the middle and upper-middle class in Canada.
But somewhere in the 50’s and 60’s this idea that “good people” went to church started to break down. And so as more people felt free to say “well I’m not going to go to church” (And I think we get it wrong. I think it was as people felt free to say “I’m not going to church” that sports events started to get planned on Sunday. We in the church like to blame sports events for that but I think we have it backwards. If people still felt they had to go to church, including the people planning the sports events, the events would be planned differently.) But as that feeling grew and people stopped going to church a sort of practical atheism, or at least a practical indifference to the topic, grew. It may have been less a decisive statement of “I do not believe” and more of a “eh, doesn’t really matter”.
So for whatever reason atheism became more and more widespread. We see it today especially in the United States with ongoing arguments about the separation of church and state. But that means we have to take very seriously the question of “why believe?” Or, as I like to put it in light of the opening verse of the Psalm, “who is the fool, the believer or the unbeliever?” We have to take it seriously.
Many years ago a man named Blaise Pascal looked at the same question. The common picture of God in Pascal’s time was of an angry God who would judge and condemn you to hell if you stepped out of line. So Pascal looked it and reasoned that if he believed in God and acted in the way God wanted him to act and died and that was the end he had lost nothing. If he died and there was a God and a heaven he gained everything. On the other hand, if he didn’t believe and died and there is nothing else again he lost nothing. But if he didn’t believe and there was a God and he was damned for his unbelief he lost everything. So Pascal chose to believe because it was the better bet, the better odds. It is called Pascal’s wager. That would be one reason. I am not sure it is a convincing reason but it is a reason. Believe just in case, hedging your bets.
Is that really what God is about? Is God a being in whom we believe solely to avoid eternal punishment? That seems like a rather scary vision of God. This is the cover of Time magazine in April 1966 – “Is God Dead?” The wording comes from a book by the German philosopher Nietzsche (Thus Spake Zarathustra) where one of the characters runs around yelling that God is dead – and no-one really cares. And in fact there was a theological movement in the middle of the 20th century called the “God is Dead” movement. And It was a theology in that it did not give up on God totally. But it did say that older images of and ideas about God were no longer helpful and needed to die. And indeed that really is what that cover story from Time went into (imagine my surprise at being able to read a 41 year-old cover story on the Time website).
Oh and there is at least one other reason that people give up on God. And I think this is the big one. In the first half of the 20th century (and continuing on until today) the world fell apart. In 1914 a young Serbian nationalist shot an Austrian Archduke, the heir to the throne. And in a war that would be “over by Christmas” – they just didn’t say which year – millions, an entire generation of European boyhood, died. Not only that but 20 years later another World War. And in the aftermath of those two wars and especially in the aftermath of the Holocaust (and remember that most of those SS troopers and Gestapo agents and German Army soldiers were good Germans from Christian homes) in the aftermath of those horrific events people couldn’t help but ask “how can I possibly believe in God?” This wasn’t just a philosophical question now. It wasn’t based on indifference. This was anguished asking how such events could match with the God they had been taught about. How could they reconcile these experiences with a God who controls everything, who knows everything, who has a plan for everything?
That’s where the God is Dead movement grew wings. Because the old images and descriptions didn’t help deal with genocide and gas chambers new images were needed. So new visions came out. And part of the answer theologians, at least liberal theologians, came out with, was that God didn’t allow these things to happen and so we can believe in God. This was part of a radically new vision of God. It required a vision of God who wasn’t the puppeteer in control of everything (which is an image I often get from older descriptions of God). It required a God who was more than the Creative Clockmaker, an image popular around the time of the American Revolution, a model called deism. In the face of horrors like genocides you need a God who is present. You need a God who is not “up there”. But you also need to be able to admit the possibility that God isn’t in control.
As these new images developed you had phrases like “the Ground of Being”, which was used by a famous theologian named Paul Tillich. It is also an image we find in Acts where Paul talks about the “God in whom we live and move and have our being”. This wasn’t the God in control. Indeed many modern theologians question the old idea that God has a plan. They also question the adage that God never sends you more than you can handle. I have talked to many people who when they hear that say “God must have a lot more trust in me than I do” – often wishing perhaps God would have less confidence in them.
So who is the fool, the one who believes or the one who doesn’t? I think it is the wrong question. It isn’t a matter of asking who is more foolish or who is delusional. There are many people who have faith and yet are foolish and delusional at times. There are many unbelievers who are foolish and delusional at times. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is good to be foolish at times. And in the end I don’t think many people really believe because they were brought up being told about God (atheists would call this indoctrination, and they are right – all education is in fact indoctrination). That is part of it of course. But in the end most people believe because they have experienced God in their lives.
Medieval theologians spent hours trying to work out proofs for God’s existence. Thomas Aquinas came up with 5 (although 3 of them are pretty much the same thing in different words). But in the end the only proof that God exists lies in the believer. It isn’t something you can prove in any scientific fashion. It isn’t something you can prove to another person. The most you can do is say “I Believe because…” and then tell your story. And that is the step the church needs to take.
There are still many people out there who will continue to say “everybody has to believe in God”. There are people who hold Pascal’s wager to be correct, that you should believe as the safe bet, to avoid damnation. But I think to reach those people, and we are now talking about 2 generations, who for whatever reason have said “eh, church isn’t that important”, we have to tell our stories. The way to reach out is by telling them why faith is important to us, by telling the “I believe because” stories and by inviting them into the dialogue. We have to trust that they can make their own decision –whether they make the choice we want them to or not.
The Psalmist may say they are fools. The Psalm may say that only fools say there is no God. Richard Dawkins may say that only fools say there is a God. I say so what. Fools are fools are fools and we are all fools at some point in time. I think we tell our stories. We tell how God has been active in our lives. And we trust that, when people are ready, when people are open, they too can sense God active in their lives. But in the end the choice is up to them, not us. May God help us as we continue to understand what it means to be a believer, and what it means to tell our stories. Amen.
As a response to this we sang #92 Like A Rock from More Voices (the new hymn book supplement)
Like a rock, like a rock God is under out feet
Like a starry night sky God is over our head
Like the sun on the horizon God is ever before
Like a river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
Like a starry night sky God is over our head
Like the sun on the horizon God is ever before
Like a river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
September 11, 2007
Six Years LAter
Six years ago today much of the world mourned.
On this anniversary day we pray in memory of those killed on that day and of the many many thousands who have died in what flowed from that day: remembering Iraqis, Afghanis, Canadians, British, Spanish, Americans...
Please share your prayers in the comments.
On this anniversary day we pray in memory of those killed on that day and of the many many thousands who have died in what flowed from that day: remembering Iraqis, Afghanis, Canadians, British, Spanish, Americans...
Please share your prayers in the comments.
July 09, 2007
This is worth reading...
This essay was almost enough to change the shape of this week's sermon. WE are still going with the Good Samaritan (more tomorrow) but this is a great look at Amos and the politics of empire.
June 07, 2007
United Church on Wikipedia
June 05, 2007
Makes You Think
Just found a blog out there which made me think about what it means to be welcoming and what it means to build community.
Check out Church Redone
Check out Church Redone
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