Looking Ahead to March 23, 2008 -- Easter Sunday

Our worship this week will include the celebration of Communion.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• From the Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10
• Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (VU p. 837 parts 1-3)
• From the Gospel: John 20:1-18

THe Hymns are:

• 157 Christ the Lord is Risen Today
• MV #122 This is the Day (insert)
• 173 Thine is the Glory
• 186 Now The Green Blade Rises

WE will have two short Meditations this week. One will be a message titled The Promise of Spring from the Right Reverend Dr. David Giuliano, Moderator of the United Church of Canada.

Gord's Meditation will be called This IS God's Day

Early Thoughts: Here we are, the holiest day of the year. THis is the day when we shout triumphantly about the fact that life wins out over death. This is the day of hope. This is the day that God has made.

Easter is a day of triumph It is God's day. On Friday we marked the powers of death and darkness. Today we remember that God's life and light are far stronger than they are.

Easter morning is the time when we can remember the wisdom of Julian of Norwich when she said "All will be well, all will be well, all manner of thing be well". EAster reminds us that though death will have its day, it will not win the war. This IS the day that God has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad! ALLELUIA!
--Gord

Looking Ahead to March 21, 2008 -- Good Friday

The Ecumenical Good Friday walk will take place starting at 11:00am at the Church of the Good Shepherd. The walk will end at Riverview where we will join together for lunch. Our worship will be at 7:00pm.

The Scripture Readings for Friday are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
• From the Gospel: Matthew 26:47-27:56
• Psalm 22 (VU p.744 Part One)
• From the Gospel: Matthew 26:57-66

The Hymns for Friday are:

• #144 Were You There
• #186 Stay With Us Through the Night

The Meditation title is The Powers of Death

Early Thoughts: Why is this day called Good? Why do we celebrate death today?

Good Friday is indeed the one day of the year when we mark the power of death. On this day we tell the story of a man who tried to live unreservedly in the way of God, who met with the immovable object of the powers that be, and paid the price of his life.

Why is it Good? Well it isn't. Really. Unless you know and remember the rest of the story. The story doesn't end where we stop our readings this evening. It ends with the coming dawn of the third day.

But that isn't our focus this evening. WE pause to consider the death and the powers that led to it. We do that because the only way to truly experience resurrection is to name the reality of death. And so, as an Easter people, a people who focus on resurrection, we need to name the realities of death in our world.

There are still powers out there that work against those who try to do what is right. The price isn't always a cross on a hillside. But there is a price. This year on Good Friday let's all pause to name and remember the powers that work against Life, Love, and Light. The darkness is real and needs to be named but it will not win.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to March 16, 2008 -- Palm Sunday

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Zechariah 9:9-17
• Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (VU p.837 Parts 1, 3, 4)
• From the Letters of the Early Church: Philippians 2:5-11
• From the Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11

The Hymns for this week are:

• 123 Hosanna Loud Hosanna
• 357 Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
• 122 All Glory Laud and Honour
• 127 Ride On! Ride On in Majesty!

The Sermon Title is A Story of Two Parades

Early Thoughts: Everybody loves a parade. But is this a parade of glory or a parade of humility?

The Palm Sunday story is those stories that we assume "everybody knows", since we tell it (and, to a degree, re-enact it) every year. But do we really? OR do we mis-read it?

In common thought the entry into Jerusalem was a grand triumphant demonstration. WE envision the majority of the population taking part. THe parallel in many minds is a Super Bowl or Stanley Cup Parade.

But it likely was smaller, less grandiose. And instead of shouts of praises the Hosannas were actually people crying out "Save us!" or Help us!". THink protest march rather than triumphal entry.

In their book The Last WeekMarcus Vorg and John Crossan suggest that there was indeed a triumphal entry taking place on the other side of the city. THat was Pilate and his entourage entering the city in a show of force to help keep the peace during Passover. THis parade would have included trumpets and war horses and shining armour. By contrast, our parade has voices, a donkey (or a donkey AND a colt according to Matthew), and rough cloaks. Our parade is not one of glory and triumph. Only in retrospect d we try to make it that.

COme this Sunday as we remember a parade and think about the difference between these two parades on different sides of the city. ANd in the back of ur minds will be a third parade. The one which grows out of the confrontation between the two parades on this day and leads to a hillside topped with an executioners cross.
--Gord

AN Easter Reflection

THis month's edition of the United Church Observer includes an Easter reflection from the Right Reverend Dr. David Giuliano, moderator of the United Church of Canada. You can read it here.

For information on subscribing to the Observer talk to Gord.

Looking Ahead to March 9, 2008 -- 5 Sunday of Lent

This Sunday we conclude our worship series The 5 W's of the Church, which accutaully began with our Annual Meeting Sunday look at We Have This Ministry.

The Scripture readings this week are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Joshua 24:14-21
• Psalm 78:1-7 (VU p792 Part One)
• From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 6:1-6
• From the Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

THe Hymns for this week are:

• #603 In Loving Partnership We Come
• #356 Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
• MV #1 Let Us Build a House (verses 1-5)
• #646 We Are Marching (sung 4 times)

The Sermon Title is How are we the church?

Early Thoughts: What are we doing right now that makes us part of the church?On the first Sunday of Lent we asked what the church is. THe church is (in part) a social club, a political action center, a support group, a place to feed the Spirit, and a place to mark Rites of Passage.

Then we asked where and when the church is. IS the church merely a special type of building? Is it something that only happens for set periods of time on special days? NO, it is something larger and broader, something that can be anywhere and anytime.

THen we stopped to ask ourselves why we choose to make the church a part of our lives. ANd we heard some stories from friends and neighbours about why it was important to them.

WE asked ourselves who is here, and more importantly, how we can best be welcoming to those who aren't here yet.

And before asking all these questions we celebrated the ministry of this church over the last year. We named why we are here. We named what we had done.

SO now we come to the last question. HAving looked at various things about the church we ask ourselves how we are the church. This question really takes us back most clearly to the first, to the "what".

We are the church as we gather to name whose we are and who we follow Joshua says to the Israelites:

AS for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

We make that statement in choosing to gather here. MAtthew calls his readers to:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

This too makes us a church. WE are more than a gathering of friends, we are a community of faith, sharing the Gospel, sharing teh Word of Life, sharing the Hope that we meet in the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Much like the early church described in our Acts reading we do this be sharing the work. We find ourselves aking some to preach, some to teach, some to feed, but all to serve.

How are we the church? In many ways. How should we be teh church? THe answer to that question gets revealed anew as the world around us requires. AS we are called, so shall we serve. ANd in the meantime we continue to tell to story of faith. WE continue to love and serve friend and neighbour. We continue to seek God's justice for the world both near and far. LEt us build a house where love is found, and let us say of that house: WE belong to God
--Gord

News from Cambrian Presbytery

This past weekend Cambrian Presbytery held its winter meeting. Of note is that this marked the 35th anniversary of the amalgamation of Kenora-Rainy River Presbytery and Superior Presbytery into Cambrian Presbytery.

We met at First Church United in Thunder Bay (part of the First-Wesley Pastoral Charge). THe meeting opened with morning prayer and communion Friday morning at 8:45. AFter greetings and opening procedures we broke into committee meetings for the majority of the day. In the late afternoon we returned to plenary session to deal with minutes of past meetings, hear about KAIROS (with a focus on Earth Hour), hear from the group that is heading to Zambia later this spring, and hear what the 4 Zones of the PResbytery had been up to.

After supper we had the first of two theme presentations. The theme this meeting was issues around Mental Health. THe first theme presentation was hearing the recovery story of a survivor of mental illness. It was a terribly powerful presentation, moving all to silence. THe other theme presentation was Saturday afternoon when we were treated to Photovoice -- a project where several mental health consumers were sent to the streets of Thunder Bay to take pictures portraying their journey through mental illness and recovery.

THe rest of Saturday was committee reports and business. AMong the highlights:

• Morning worship included a covenanting with the new PResbytery Youth Minister
• COSA (Christian Outreach and SOcial Action) had two presenters: Rev Neil OTke from Street Reach Ministries (inner-city Thunder Bay) and Hubert Den Draak from the Nolalu Eco Centre who spoke about the need to make serious environmental changes in our lifestyle.
• COSA also brought forward motions calling on PResbytery to reduce mileage (5% in 2008 and a further 10% in 2009) and to purchase carbon offsets for al reimbursed mileage.
• Red Lake and Cochenour United Churches will be amalgamating into one congregation, to be called Chikuni United church THey will be exploring what to do with their buildings.
• Stewardship filled us in on financial matters, including the 2007 results of givings to the M&S fund
• WE heard who will be taking leadership roles in Cambrian for 2008-09 as the nomination report was given (the chair will be Rev Gord Waldie)

AS always, our meeting concluded with worship on Sunday morning with the host congregation. Rev. Susan Ivany of Westminster United in Thunder Bay preached on issues of spirituality, mental health, mental illness and the church.

THe next meeting of Cambrian Presbytery will take place during the Conference Annual Meeting in Morden at the end of May. Gord will be installed as chair at that time.

FOr more information about the meeting (complete with pictures) read Cambrian Calls Plus

Looking Ahead to March 2, 2008 -- 4th Sunday of Lent

This Sunday we will have a report from last weekend's Presbytery meeting.

The Scripture Passages this week are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Genesis 18:1-15
• Psalm 15 (VU p.736)
• From the Letters of the Early Church: Hebrews 13:1-3
• From the Gospel: Matthew 25:31-40

The Hymns this week are:

• #374 Come and Find the Quiet Centre
• #117 Jesus Christ is Waiting
• MV #1 Let Us Build a House (verses 1, 3, 5)
• #593 Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love

The Sermon Title is Who is the church? Who isn't?

Early Thoughts: Looking at the people who are and aren’t here. How do we make the “unchurched” feel welcome? How well do we live out the duty of hospitality?

Likely the most important question asked by the Emerging Spirit campaign. is "How well do we welcome newcomers/visitors?"

Many, if not most, congregations describe themselves as welcoming and friendly. Many visitors and church shoppers have a different experience. So we have to ask ourselves if our self-perception is accurate and also need to ask ourselves what it in fact means to be welcoming.

One of the traps the church falls into is thinking that "yeah sure we want to welcome people--but they really have to conform to how we operate". Some churches will even name this out loud and admit it. Many more keep it unspoken but make it plain in other ways. But of course the reality is that this is unrealistic. Newcomers, even if they are visiting the area and are active churchgoers at home legitimately won't automatically know "how it works" in this place. And the onus is always on the host to adapt (within limits). THE ONUS IS ALWAYS ON THE HOST. SO you don't get upset of the people who have never been to church talk at an inappropriate time. SO you don't fret about the noise their children make. So you don't, even in jest, make comments about "that's my seat". You welcome them. You go a bit out of your way to help them feel welcomed. And yes, that might mean that things aren't quite what they always are. So be it.

One of the truths of welcoming ministry is that it is almost always several times easier to make people feel unwelcome than we suspect. Unfortunately it is usually easier to drive people away than to actually welcome them in for the long term. A chance comment may be overlooked by a long-time attender but could well be a deal-breaker for the church shopper. Add in generational and other cultural differences and the chances for appearing unwelcoming grow fast.

Being welcoming of new people means changes. It means changes in becoming more openly and intentionally welcoming. It means changes when those we welcome stay on and become part of our community. New people bring new things. Abraham and Sarah welcomed three strangers and their life was changed totally. When we welcome the Divine unawares we open ourselves to life and all its changes. And that is a good thing.

Come join us on Sunday as we explore what it means to ask who is here and who isn't and how to welcome the latter group.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to February 24, 2008 -- 3rd Sunday of Lent

This weekend Gord and Elvin are attending the Winter meeting of Cambrian Presbytery. Thanks go out to Brian for providing worship leadership.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Deuteronomy 26:5-9
• Psalm 9 (VU p.732)
• From the Life of the Early Church: Acts 2:14-28
• From the Gospel: John 4:5-29, 40-42

The Hymns this week are:

• #395 Come In, Come In and Sit Down
• #365 Jesus Loves Me
• #806 O God, Our Help in Ages Past
• #424 May the God of Hope

The Sermon Question for this week is: Why Church?

Teasers: Why do people make the choice to put church in their lives? When there are other options for our time why make church a priority? This week the sermon time will be sharing some stories from members of the congregation on just that question. What would your answer be?

Looking Ahead to February 17, 2008 -- Second Sunday of Lent

The Scripture Readings for this week are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Genesis 28:10-19
• Psalm 121 (VU p.844)
• From the Gospel: Matthew 18:10-20

The hymns this week are:

• #245 Praise the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet
• #579 The Church is Wherever God’s People
• MV #1 Let Us Build a House (verses 1-4)
• #420 Go to the World

The Sermon question for this week is: Where and when is the church?

Early Thoughts: Only in special buildings on special days of course. Or not. Where else could/should it be?

Where else indeed?

The easy answer is to say that the church is in the world. Last week we talked about how the church is the Body of Christ, the community of faith. And that community can be found in many places. Or, as our hymn says:

The church is wherever God's people are praising,
singing God's presence for joy on this day
THe church is wherever disciples of Jesus
remember his story and walk in his way.
The church is wherever God's people are helping,
caring for neighbours in sickness and need.
The church is wherever God's people are sharing
the words of the Bible in gift and indeed.*

But how does that transfer into reality? How do we carry the church beyond our hour of worship or our meetings or our study groups?

The proof, so they say, is in the pudding. It is in how we live during the in-between times.

Join us this week as we explore where we see the church in our world. Help us discover the truth of a church who is called together not to stay in one place but to be sent back out. And of course we do the gathering and the going out secure in the truth that Jesus shared with his friends: where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I am there. And where God is, there is the church.
--Gord

*Copyright 1959 Carol Rose Ikeler, used with permission under license #C6531 LicenSing--COpyright cleared music for churches

Looking Ahead to February 10, 2008 -- 1st Sunday of Lent

This week we begin our Lenten series The 5 Ws of Church.

This week being the beginning of a new season we will celebrate the sacrament of Communion. We will be serving in the seats instead of through intinction this time.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• From the Jewish Scriptures: Amos 5:21-27
• Psalm 63 (VU p.781)
• From the Gospel: John 21:10-17

The hymns this week are:

• #457 As We Gather at Your Table
• MV #1 Let Us Build a House (verses 1-3) (insert)
• #332 The Church’s One Foundation
• #481 Sent Forth by God’s Blessing

The Sermon title is What is the church?

Early Thoughts: Social club? Meditation Center? Political Action Center? Drop-in Center? Rites of Passage Co-Ordinator? All of the above?

The church is, at various times and in various places, all of these things. IT is a social club, it is a politicl action centre, it serves as a place to mark rites of passage. And all of those are good things. THe time when problems arise is when we get unbalanced or lose sight of our focus.

AT its heart the church is, of course, the gathered community of faith (next week we will talk about where and when the community is gathered). THis is what separates it from secular versions of all those options listed above. While we do all those things we do it from the vantage point of faith. We do what we do because we feel that GOd is calling us to do it. And so we hope that we do it in a different way, with a different experience than the local coffee shop (social club) or the Parenting centre (drop in) or the quiet place by the lake (meditation) or the Town hall meeting (political action) or any other gathering in our community.

HOw well do we keep the difference alive? Well that is the challenge isn't it. THis Sunday we will chat about how we are all those things and more as we ask ourselves "What is this church thing anyhow?" WOn't you join us, and join in the discussion?
--Gord